DoorDash Cold Food: Causes, Refunds, and More

Are you too busy to visit your favorite restaurant?

DoorDash is one of the popular food delivery services that allow you to take out food from the comfort of your couch.

But what happens when your food arrives cold?

I bet you’re eager to know what can lead to such a disappointment and whether you’ll get a refund.

In today’s post, I’ll take you through the reasons why DoorDash deliveries arrive cold, how to get a refund, and useful tips for DoorDash Dashers.

Does DoorDash Have a Way to Keep Food Warm?

DoorDash has strict food safety measures that require Dashers to own insulated food delivery bags so that deliveries can arrive warm.

Food can easily go bad when the temperature is between 40 °F and 140 °F. Keeping it hot ensures it stays safe in transit.

Does DoorDash Bag Keep Stuff Cold?

A DoorDash bag maintains food temperatures, whether hot or cold.

If Dashers are delivering cold foods like burgers, ice cream, salads, and desserts, they’ll arrive just the way customers want them.

However, it’s important to keep hot meals separate from cold foods to prevent food quality issues.

Why is Your DoorDash Order Cold?

Despite DoorDash’s policy on food handling, some customer reviews express dissatisfaction with the food delivery app service.

That’s because they’re getting their food cold when they actually ordered hot food.

Following the trend, I discovered that certain factors contribute to food quality issues on DoorDash’s platform.

Below are a few reasons why your order may arrive cold.

1. Delays in Delivery

Food delivery drivers have complained on several occasions about DoorDash’s low pay per order.

The company doesn’t contribute a dime to the driver’s gas or car maintenance. As a result, they rely on tips from customers to get by.

If a customer isn’t tipping the driver, they cancel the order or wait to stack up orders, assuming they’re not working for other companies that pay higher.

What does this mean for the hungry customer?

If the restaurant has already prepared your order and the driver has canceled, DoorDash reassigns it to another driver.

Meanwhile, your food stays untouched on the restaurant’s countertop.

The next driver also waits to see whether they’ll get a tip.

Depending on the driver’s location at that time, they may decide to take your order out of sympathy.

If your order isn’t getting picked up, by the time a driver finally accepts it, it’s already cold.

Additionally, a late delivery could be the restaurant’s fault and not the driver’s.

An essential appliance may break down, or the restaurant won’t prepare the meal on time, which means the driver will spend hours waiting for your meal to be prepared.

If you’re lucky to have a patient driver, they’ll wait to pick up the meal. Otherwise, they’ll cancel.

Another driver gets the order later, and it may arrive cold.

2. Not Kept in a Hot Bag

Although DoorDash emphasizes insulated food delivery, many drivers violate the policy.

After all, you can’t expect the company to follow its drivers around town or watch them round the clock in a camera.

Obviously, if the driver doesn’t use a hot bag, you may not get your food warm.

3. Restaurant Far Away

If your favorite restaurant is miles away from the driver, your meal will likely arrive late and cold.

Also, there are other things to consider, like traffic and the weather.

These things are beyond anyone’s control. If the meal is coming all the way to your location, there’s not much that can be done to keep the food hot.

You may want to check out this method of getting free DoorDash so you can cut down on delivery fees.

Can You Complain to DoorDash About Cold Food?

DoorDash is serious about poor food quality because it affects its service rating.

If you received cold food when you expected it to be hot, you could raise it to the company.

However, you should bear in mind that DoorDash removes star ratings that are below 5 in peculiar situations.

For instance, the company doesn’t count lateness violations if merchants are responsible for the driver’s lateness.

Other exclusions are multiple staked orders and DoorDash system downtime.

Can You Get a Refund for DoorDash Cold Food?

If you got cold food from DoorDash, you could request a refund.

However, DoorDash clearly states in its terms of service that any charge you pay for a complete and delivered order is final and non-refundable.

But the company can grant you a refund at its discretion.

Generally, there are certain circumstances that increase your chances of getting a refund.

Keep reading to find out what they are and how long it’ll take.

In What Cases Will DoorDash Offer a Refund?

If you encounter any of these problems with DoorDash, you may be eligible for a refund:

1. Quality Issues

You should activate a refund request if you received low-quality food. It could be cold, burnt, soggy, or one that resulted in food poisoning.

2. Order Made Incorrectly

Perhaps you discovered your order contained an ingredient you didn’t select, it didn’t arrive as shown on the DoorDash menu, or you got the wrong size.

You have the right to report the situation and request a refund.

3. Got Someone Else’s Order

Restaurants and Dashers make mistakes sometimes. It’s possible you’ll get someone’s order.

When this happens, alert DoorDash immediately with proof.

4. Order Never Arrived

If your order never arrived, the Dasher may have the wrong address.

Some customers complain that food sometimes gets stolen, especially when you don’t tip the driver enough.

This could be a real issue, so you deserve to get your money back.

5. Order Arrived Late

When you’re hungry, and the meal is taking so long to arrive, you could become angry and look for an alternative, which means you no longer need the delivery.

In this case, you should cancel the order and request a refund.

6. Missing Items

DoorDash allows customers to request refunds on items that are missing from their orders.

Alternatively, you may get a replacement if the items are available.

How Long Does a Refund Take?

DoorDash processes refunds immediately after they confirm that you have a solid case.

If it’s DoorDash credits, they’ll instantly reflect in your account.

But if it’s a refund to your credit or debit card, it may appear as pending for 1 to 3 business days.

Afterward, it’ll take another 5 to 7 business days to get the money.

What to do About DoorDash Cold Food

You can report poor food quality to DoorDash via the app or contact customer service.

• Report an Order Issue: You should use the help section on the top right (for mobile apps) or left-hand side (for desktop). Under “order issues,” choose poor food quality and follow the screen prompts.
• Speak to Customer Service: For time-sensitive issues or if you want a real human connection, you should use the live support feature by visiting their customer support website. You should click on “I need help with my current order,” and it’ll redirect you to a window where you’ll chat with a customer service agent.

How to Get a Refund for DoorDash Cold Food

The process of getting a refund for DoorDash cold food is easy. You only have to click on the order and fill out a refund request.

Describe the details of the situation well, as DoorDash approves refunds on a case-by-case basis so that customers don’t abuse the privilege.

How to Avoid Delivering Cold Food as a DoorDash Dasher

DoorDash Dashers can take certain measures to reduce incidences of cold food and ensure customer satisfaction.

• Pack Hot Food Separately: If you’re taking cold food orders or drinks, pack them in another bag to prevent affecting the temperature of the hot food.
• Keep A/C Off in Car: Turning on the air conditioner when delivering hot food can ruin the temperature. So it’s best you turn it off.
• Use an Insulated Bag: Upon resumption as a Dasher, DoorDash provides you with an insulated bag. Don’t try to be a pro delivery guy who doesn’t need a hot bag. Some merchants won’t allow you to collect orders if you don’t present the bag.
• Include Heat Packs in the Bag: Some thermal bags don’t keep hot for long. You need heat packs to provide extra support.
• Don’t Delay Delivery: If you’ve accepted an order, courtesy demands you head to the restaurant immediately. Even if you’re picking up multiple orders, only accept them if they’re within the same location to avoid delay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up

Getting cold food is a huge disappointment, especially after tipping a Dasher for the service.

Now that you know how to request a refund, go ahead and do so. It’s your money, and you deserve value for every buck.

And Dashers should do better to provide optimum service. The tips provided above should help.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this piece, I also want to hear from you. Kindly share your DoorDash experiences in the comment section below. And remember to share this post with your friends.