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Instacart

Instacart Reviews

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About Instacart

Instacart is a grocery delivery service that allows customers to shop one app and get access to multiple stores. Users can submit a grocery order online or through the app and have groceries delivered straight to their door for a one-time or monthly fee.

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Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Order from many stores on one order
  • Direct contact with personal shopper
  • Flexible delivery options
Cons
  • Prices may be higher than in store

How does Instacart work?

Instacart hires background-checked and trained personal shoppers to handle your grocery shopping. All you have to do is put a list together, schedule your delivery, pay online and receive your order. Here’s how it works:

Put your list together
Creating a grocery list on Instacart is simple:
  1. Enter your ZIP code to find out which local grocery stores partner with Instacart.
  2. Browse the different grocery stores and pharmacies to find the items you need. You can browse by item name or department.
  3. Add items to your cart and review your final selections.
  4. Check out by entering your payment info and scheduling a drop-off window. If you are ordering from multiple stores, you need to designate a drop-off time for each location.
  5. You also have the option of sharing a cart with friends or family. This is a great way for families to add what they need to a single cart, but payments can’t be split up.
Replacements
If your shopper gets to the store and an item on your list is not available, they replace it with the product’s closest match, replace it with something different from a list of approved items or skip getting the item altogether. You can choose which option you prefer when creating your grocery list.

If the replacement item is a different price than your original item, you receive a refund or are charged for the difference in cost. The Instacart app lets you communicate with your shopper during the process so you can add things to your order and see replies and updates from the shopper.

Schedule the drop-off
Once you create your list and complete your order, it’s time to pay and schedule a delivery. You can schedule the delivery within a few hours or set a day and time that works with your schedule.

During checkout, you can include delivery instructions for the driver, including gate codes, apartment numbers, parking instructions or ways for the shopper to identify your home.

Track the order and receive your groceries
It’s easy to track your order status with the Instacart app. Tap the “Account” icon, click on “Your orders,” and then tap an order to view its status. You can see the progress of your order directly on the app and get real-time updates on what items the shopper has already picked up for you.

When the shopper leaves the store, you receive a notification about the estimated time of arrival and an option to click and follow the driver’s progress.

Instacart Express

It’s worth looking into Instacart Express if you use the company’s service regularly. This monthly membership gives you access to exclusive benefits such as:

  • No delivery fees on orders of $35 or more
  • Reduced service fees
  • No increased pricing fees during peak delivery hours
  • The ability to shop at a variety of stores with free delivery on the entire order

Instacart prices

While Instacart makes life a little easier for many consumers, this convenience comes with a cost. Instacart charges a few fees to every order, including:

  • A 5% service fee on every non-Instacart Express order.
  • A sliding scale fee for alcohol purchases that varies based on how much alcohol you buy. For example, there is a $2 fee for alcohol orders up to $35 and a $10 fee for alcohol orders of $110 or more. These fees are reduced for Express members.
  • A default tip of 5% is added to every order but can be adjusted to your preference. Tips are always optional, and 100% of your tip goes to the shopper.

You may notice that your service fee changes between the time you make your order and the time your groceries are purchased. This is because the service fee is based on the total cost of the order and replacements can change that total slightly.

An Instacart Express annual membership costs $99. You can also purchase monthly memberships for $9.99 each month.

Instacart FAQ

Do you have to be home for Instacart delivery?
No. Instacart just rolled out a “leave at my door” delivery option. When you choose this option at checkout, the shopper leaves your groceries at the door, takes a photo and uploads the photo to the app so you know your order has arrived.
Does Instacart bring your groceries inside?
No. For safety reasons, shoppers leave your groceries in a predetermined place outside of your home.
Do you tip Instacart?
Yes. Tipping for great service is customary, and 100% of the tip goes to the shopper.
What stores can I order from on Instacart?
Available stores vary based on where you live. Instacart partners with Publix, Costco, CVS, The Fresh Market, Aldi, Kroger and many other popular grocery retailers.

Is Instacart legit?

Instacart is a reputable business that provides a safe, convenient way to buy groceries without needing to visit stores. The service can be a game-changer for busy families — grocery shopping is a time-consuming errand, and having the ability to assign it to someone else frees up hours in your day. Instacart is a great option for those who dislike grocery shopping or want to spend their time doing something else. The fees are minimal, and regular Instacart members can upgrade to Instacart Express and reduce these fees even more.

Instacart Reviews

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    Page 1 Reviews 0 - 10
    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 8, 2024

    A driver stole $20 from the lobby in the building that was left by a Facebook marketplace employee. They won't refund the money. I filed a BBB complaint, they still won't refund the money. Very poor customer service.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2024

    This was supposed to be my 3rd delivery through Instacart in the last few years. After the 1st time I wanted to avoid them. After a few years I figured I’d give it another shot. That was tough but made it through. Today is the 3rd - from a different store than last time but only one store. I’m in a little bit of an odd area so I put extremely detailed instructions on the order. Every driver from every other service finds it. For some reason Instacart drivers have a very hard time. Today I could see she missed the turn on the map. So I messaged her.

    I gave her specific direction from where she was. She wasn’t following them and went to the wrong area. So I said, "Please follow the instructions I entered on the order." She then got rude with me. I don’t know if they can only type in capital letters but that’s what she was doing. Everything I tried to explain she “yelled” back that’s what she was doing even though it wasn’t. I reiterated to turn at a particular store and she told me that store was not there, even though it’s at my corner. I called the store and was directed to Instacart’s toll free #. Waited forever to talk to someone. By this time the order was a half hour late past the end of the range.

    While on with Instacart they looked at the map, said she has arrived, I looked and she hadn’t, then they said it’s the wrong house, I was worried the order would be left somewhere else so texted her that I was on the phone with them and they could see she was at the wrong house. She then got rude & said, "I can see that by looking at the #." Then because Instacart tried contacting her she cancelled and rescheduled the order.

    It’s such a shame they have poor workers like this because if she would have just asked me to contact by phone (which has to be requested by the driver) I could have gotten her here. She was right in the area. But this service is just not competent in training or something. I will never use Instacart again. We’ll see if my rescheduled delivery to tomorrow gets here. Oh and they offered no compensation, like free delivery, either.

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      Customer Service

      Reviewed Oct. 5, 2024

      The shoppers are lazy and rude. Customer Service is awful. I had them for 4 years too long, they don’t care about the customer. I tried to cancel with 5 months left in my plan and they said no! They keep the prorated 5 months I asked for. I was told you can only cancel 3-5 days after purchasing the 1 year plan.

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      CoverageStaff

      Reviewed Oct. 3, 2024

      Do not use Instacart! Their driver hit our light pole and covered absolutely nothing of the damage the driver did. They did absolutely nothing and there are major loopholes for them to not help you. TERRIBLE company.

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      Customer Service

      Reviewed Sept. 29, 2024

      I have paid for my Instacart membership for years. I am very sad to say, ever since you started off shoring your customer service, I have had nothing but a negative experience with the platform. Orders being accepted then canceled mid-way. Orders being accepted then shoppers suddenly having a change of mind, etc. It goes on and on. Just look at my account!

      When I contacted your service center to get help with it, I was left with nothing but excuses and no help. I asked to cancel my membership and I was told I can't. I have no words anymore, and the level of unprofessional service I received is astonishing. I am literally left baffled and confused. I would like to request a refund for my entire membership, and for my account to be cancelled, effective immediately, before I take it to the consumer court and my lawyer. If you are going to provide this service, at least have a decency to ensure your customers are happy and actually getting what they pay for.

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      Customer ServiceStaff

      Reviewed Sept. 28, 2024

      I will never use Instacart again. First, I waited nearly 2 hours and was never told that the driver's car broke down. Either get another driver to deliver it OR I could have easily gone and gotten the groceries from her had I known. They put on the order tracker the driver was delivering to another nearby drop off, NOT true. Secondly, the driver had been communicating from the minute she started shopping so she could have text me to let me know the status but chose not to and then she blamed it on Instacart for not telling me. Next, Instacart refused to reimburse me for the entire order plus I didn't get any groceries. Instacart said all you could do was reschedule the order. That is not acceptable and the customer service rep and her canned answers to my concerns were useless. My bank has been notified to stop the payment on this order!

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      Sales & Marketing

      Reviewed Sept. 27, 2024

      Rip off and scam. Convince you for free trial membership and then start charging you afterwards because they know people usually don't read the detailed term or forget to cancel within the trial period. You cannot cancel it.

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      Reviewed Sept. 26, 2024

      Free delivery my butt! You pay $99 a year and by the time they’ve added the many levies, fees and taxes to the bill, you’re better off shopping online from Save-On and paying the $10.95 delivery fee, and where you aren't required to pay tips. I’m definitely cancelling my subscription and hope to point this matter out to all my friends and family who (like I used to) believe they’re getting a good deal from Instacart.

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      Customer Service

      Reviewed Sept. 22, 2024

      Wrong same-day order delivered from Costco. The delivery guy "no habla Ingles" when the wrong order was pointed out. Customer service totally unhelpful but did refund the money eventually. No gesture of goodwill or compensation for inconvenience. I suspect Instacart employs a lot of undocumented workers for these jobs - and ought to be investigated. I have nothing against people trying to make a living but the Instacart management should be held accountable for any violations of the law.

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      Customer ServiceStaff

      Reviewed Sept. 17, 2024

      Instacart customer "service" at 888-246-7822 is staffed by rude, incompetent people who speak such poor English that it is virtually impossible to understand what they are saying. They also are unable to understand well spoken English. There is supposed to be an opportunity to evaluate their service at the end of each call, but if they anticipate negative feedback, they skew their survey by preventing you from providing the feedback. When they anticipate negative feedback, they refuse to disconnect at the end of the call, making it impossible for you to provide negative feedback after the call.

      The rude, argumentative agent with whom I spoke today (he called himself Alexis) had such poor English skills that even a simple question went over his head. Then, after denying that his poor English was creating a language barrier, and refusing to let me speak to anyone else, he lingered on the line for an hour afterward, waiting for an opportunity to disconnect without allowing negative feedback. Consumeraffairs.com should allow ZERO stars for such incredibly poor service as instacart customer "service".

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      Instacart Company Information

      Company Name:
      Instacart
      Website:
      www.instacart.com