DoorDash Driver Confronts Customer He Blames for Firing: 'Who Does This?'

A DoorDash driver recorded himself confronting a customer whose scheme for a free lunch allegedly cost him his job, although the company has disputed his story.

The footage circulated broadly across social media on Thursday, racking up over 84,000 votes on Reddit's "Public Freakout" forum. Reddit poster u/ParisHiltonIsDope said it originated from the DoorDash worker's YouTube channel, which has since been taken down.

In the video, the delivery driver walked into an office where he approached a receptionist's desk.

"Hi again," he said to the receptionist. "I delivered food here yesterday from Chipotle. And you put down that I didn't deliver it to you? Because I just got fired from my job."

The woman made vague, hesitant sounds as the driver challenged her in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, it was you. This is my only source of income, I do this all day. Now I'm fired from my job because you want your $10 burrito? Are you out of your mind—who does this? Who does that?"

He demanded the corporate number, saying, "I need to get your a** fired."

Without looking directly at him, the receptionist murmured, "I'll contact DoorDash."

"Yeah, yeah, alright, you want to say that you got your food?" the man responded.

He continued to accost the woman while she avoided his gaze, asking "who raised [her]" and calling her a "piece of trash."

A DoorDash spokesperson told Newsweek, "The claims made in the video are false. The Dasher was removed for violating our policies—not because of a disputed delivery."

Gig workers such as DoorDash drivers are highly vulnerable to hacks and scams. As independent contractors, they do not have access to the same protections, resources and safeguards as other employees when their income is stolen. Amateur hacks to acquire "free food" from delivery companies have proliferated across the internet, often at the expense of gig workers.

Shocked viewers of the confrontation flocked to the DoorDash driver's defense.

"It literally sounded like he was [about] to break down for a moment," said a Reddit comment. "You don't mess with someone's income."

Another added, "After watching this I would highly recommend videoing every customer drop off."

In addition to customer hacks, phishing scams frequently prey on delivery drivers. MarketWatch obtained nearly 300 records of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission in the past three years from workers at Uber, DoorDash, Instacart and Grubhub who said they lost their earnings or even their entire savings after giving personal information to people they believed were support representatives.

DoorDash drivers also rely on tips, making an average base of $11 per hour—below minimum wage in some markets—according to the rideshare information site Ridester. Meanwhile, the DoorDash website said that drivers nationally earn $25 per hour when tips are included. Surging gas prices can drive the workers' wages even lower.

Update 7/29/22, 10:25 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a comment from the DoorDash spokesperson.