Key Takeaways
- DoorDash uses insulated bags to keep deliveries hot or cold.
- Cold deliveries can occur due to delays, improper bag use, or distance.
- DoorDash allows complaints and refunds for cold food under specific conditions.
- Dashers can avoid cold food deliveries by separating items, not using car AC, utilizing insulated bags, and delivering promptly.
Does DoorDash Have a Way to Keep Food Warm?
Yes, DoorDash has a method to keep food warm. Dashers are required to use insulated food delivery bags, which are designed to maintain food temperatures during transit.
This ensures that hot foods remain warm, adhering to food safety measures and preventing the food from entering the temperature danger zone between 40 °F and 140 °F.
In addition, these bags are capable of keeping cold foods like ice cream, salads, and desserts at their desired temperatures, provided that hot and cold items are kept separate to maintain food quality.
Why is Your DoorDash Order Cold?
Your DoorDash order might arrive cold due to several reasons:
1. Delays in Delivery
Drivers may delay picking up orders due to DoorDash’s payment structure, reliance on tips, and operational challenges.
If a driver cancels or waits to accumulate more orders for economic reasons, your food may sit at the restaurant, cooling down before it’s finally picked up.
Delays can also stem from the restaurant’s side, such as meal preparation issues or appliance breakdowns, further prolonging the wait.
2. Restaurant Far Away
The distance between the restaurant and your delivery location can naturally lead to longer delivery times. Factors like traffic and weather can exacerbate this, making it difficult to keep food hot until it reaches you.
3. Not Kept in a Hot Bag
Despite DoorDash’s policy requiring the use of insulated bags to maintain food temperature, some drivers do not adhere to this guideline. This can result in your food not being kept warm during transit.
Brett’s Take: Thoughts From an Expert
Customers expect their food to arrive warm, but it is important to remember that there are a few different factors out of the driver’s control that can impact the temperature of the food.
Most drivers make their best effort to keep the food warm as possible. However, the food can still arrive to the customer being cold.
This is especially true with stacked orders, the process by which DoorDash assigns drivers with multiple orders at once.
While this is efficient from a logistical standpoint, this is a really big reason why food arrives cold.
My Suggestion: Tipping well on your order encourages drivers to pick the order up faster than others, leading to less wait time at the restaurant.
If your food does arrive cold, that’s a valid issue and you have every right to let DoorDash know about it. Go ahead and submit a request and try to get a refund.
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.
Can You Get a Refund for DoorDash Cold Food?
Yes, you can get a refund for cold food from DoorDash.
Despite the general policy that charges for completed and delivered orders are final and non-refundable, DoorDash may issue refunds at its discretion under certain circumstances, such as receiving cold, low-quality food.
Here’s how to request a refund:
1. Identify the Issue
Ensure your complaint falls into categories like quality issues (cold, burnt, soggy food, or food poisoning), incorrect orders (wrong ingredients, size, or someone else’s order), missing items, orders that never arrived, or orders that arrived late.
2. Request a Refund
To initiate a refund, follow these steps:
- Go to your DoorDash order history and select the order that had an issue.
- Click on “Help” or a similar option provided in the app or website.
- Choose the issue you experienced from the list provided (e.g., cold food, wrong order).
- Provide any required details or evidence, such as photos or descriptions, to support your claim.
- Submit your refund request.
3. Wait for Processing
DoorDash reviews refund requests on a case-by-case basis. If approved, DoorDash credits may appear instantly in your account.
For refunds to a credit or debit card, the transaction may show as pending for 1 to 3 business days, with the actual refund taking an additional 5 to 7 business days to process.
Remember, while DoorDash aims to maintain high service quality, refund approvals are discretionary and depend on the specific circumstances of your complaint.
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
Does Food Stay Hot with DoorDash?
DoorDash food can stay hot if the Dasher uses an insulated hot bag during delivery. The bag can retain heat for about two to three hours.
Does DoorDash Make You Return Food?
If a customer is unavailable at the time of delivery, DoorDash prompts the Dasher to return the order to the merchant.
You should return orders such as groceries, flowers, and apparel. Restaurants won’t take back food, so you should either discard it or give it to a homeless person.
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.
