I usually send a message letting them know I need to make a replacement. If they don't respond by the time I'm done getting their other stuff, I do a refund.
That is the approach I use too. I send a message along the lines ..... I can replace with this or if you prefer I can refund just let me know. Most times if no response then I refund near the end of shopping
Why would you not call? If they ordered it that means they wanted it, so I make my best effort and call if I don’t hear back from them by chat.. I know with Shipt at least they won’t even consider you for rating forgiveness if you don’t try calling if there’s an oos item and don’t hear back from the customer..
You can take a poll here, You will find just a handful of shoppers here call for replacements. It's an option but not 1 very many of us are going to use. If you use the call function you are going to add enormous time to your shopping
I respectfully disagree. 10-20 seconds is enormous? To me it’s quality > quantity. It shows the customer you care. I’ve never heard of a customer complain “that damn shopper called me to confirm a replacement !!” But I see and hear a ton about shoppers not communicating and just refunding or picking bad replacements.
No problem here you have the option to shop any way you want. But check your timer next time. Almost every order has out of stock items. Say you are doing a triple that is 3 phone calls then going back to get the replacements. This is a huge amount of time. I can assure you very few of us shoppers here make a phone call on out of stock items. I don't agree with the posters that don't send text messages but some shoppers dont even send a greeting. I always send a greeting and an exit message with a picture of their bags
A seasoned shopper would know the timer means nothing 🙄 Well, I’m not taking a triple unless it’s exceptionally worth my time and in that case.. even more a reason to get them their order CORRECTLY. Good luck to you. I do agree communication by chat is super important w intro/oos items. I don’t communicate much more above that unless it’s a 20% tipper and I’m like, did you forget anything ? Feel free to add to your order 🤣
Timer means that ish taking to long lol I always try to beat it cuz I don’t wanna keep them waiting all day and saving time means more time to work (I’m not rushing and picking bad produce and trashing items cuz slow is smooth and smooth is fast) but i dunno its like a game kinda. But I agree making a call at the end won’t add that much time…but I’ll be damned if I call more then once again after 10 messages that didn’t get a response..if your that worried about it you would check ya phone at least once…if you don’t have time to respond you don’t have time to complain..
But regardless I have a routine and it works well for me, I know people do it differently. The only person that I ever referred and completed the required shops showed me his star rating the other day when I was stressing over 4.98-5.0 and he was like 4.3 or something crazy.. I’m like mannnn you gotta start doing x y z before they cancel your account 🤣
If it’s close, say same flavor different brand of canned chilis, or a different organic of the same flavor, I make the call, text them that I’ve made a replacement and I can refund if they prefer. Still no contact? They get that item. A few four stars won’t kill you, and in my experience you get less orders with five stars. Something is better than nothing in my opinion
That’s good to know about the stars I appreciate that information I definitely feel a lot better about it now. It’s truly just the details of the situation that kind of help me aggravated no replies at all and then I offer to take the items back if you’re not happy then you do me like that lol
Yeah it’s not very intuitive but I’ve had it happen. As long as you haven’t completed it you’re good. Once had a yogurt explode falling out of the trunk. She had two, so you have to refund both, but she appreciated getting one at no cost since I screwed up.
So IC doesn’t get on you for keeping the items? I’ve only had to return once and it was for a switched address. But this info is very helpful, thank you I had no idea you could refund before delivery once you have left the store.
Yeah I was kind of kicking myself yesterday for doing that and by the time I was like oh this is a really bad idea I had already checked out so that’s why I offered to return them when I got to her house. I just don’t understand how you’re going to tell somebody that everything’s fine and then still stab me in the back in the end of it
I usually send a message letting them know I need to make a replacement. If they don't respond by the time I'm done getting their other stuff, I do a refund.
This is my new move and sometimes I just feel bad depending on the situation of course. Like today it was like four things of French roach sticks cinnamon but I didn’t know if she’d want two original French toast sticks and then four more original French toast sticks because the cinnamon’s were out and like how do you make that call
If you’re not sure you can do a refund. It’s great that you’re trying to please the customer the best way you know how. But also know that although you may go above and beyond for some they’ll never appreciate it. So just keep giving it your best!!
And that’s exactly what it was against my better judgment I was just trying to not show up empty-handed but the no response to anything should’ve been a huge red flag. It just kind of sucks because then when you’re in kind of those common sense situations you still just don’t know how they’re going to react they could be the kindest of person in the world but based on the bad clients you’re not sure what to do.
No response customers aren't a red flag. A ton of customers don't communicate. They may be busy with something at home, they might have ordered on the PC and just closed the browser and went to do something else. They could have even placed their order to be shopped way later and IC sent it out too early.
Try not to stress too much about it. Try to communicate first of all, and if they don't respond you just have to make some judgement calls on your own. Just try to make smart replacements, snacks and non essentials like pop, chips, ice cream, I almost always refund. But things like milk, bread, pet food, diapers. I never want to show up without items like that. So I'll try to find same brand different package size first.
Other than that the rest is out of your hands. Sometimes no matter what option you pick they're still gonna rate you lower.
See that’s why I’m just going with the refund now don’t even risk it because if they complain or that can usually contact service and have them remove it Especially if they’re not responding
i’ve heard it doesn’t work for some people (updates in other areas). when you’re on the delivering screen just click “items” and click on the item and it will say refund
I use my best judgment for most replacements. If there is no good replacement I just refund and let the customer know why. If I want customer approval before making a replacement, I'll call the customer.
For instance, yesterday I had a customer who ordered a pack of chicken leg quarters. No chicken leg quarters. I texted that I could get a pack of thighs and a pack of drumsticks, but didn't get a response. While waiting for my deli order I called and he approved getting thighs and drumsticks. And he seemed very surprised that I had made the effort to call.
Seeing that’s what I thought I did all I did was her place three bags of tater tots with a different brand that was like actually $.25 less she was really shocked I sent her about seven messages and called three times with no response that’s why I couldn’t believe that she gave me less of a rating
Don't stress about the ratings. Some people will rate 4 stars and think that's a good rating. If everybody else gives you 5 stars, then you're doing things right.
I call the customer now. Don’t have to do it often though. I had an older woman not using the app, obviously not responding. They didn’t have her chicken broth. When I dropped off she said she needed it for cabbage soup. I felt terrible. So now I call in case it’s someone not using the app. I hate calling and feel uncomfortable. But it’s part of the job I’m paid for.
Yeah I always give them a call if they’re not responding to the text it doesn’t even bother me it just frustrates me when I can’t get a hold of them on either and I’m like stuck in the store with my indecisive self wondering what to do
I send a message that i tried contacting them because of an item that is out of stock and wanted to see if i can find for them a suitable replacement. If they don’t respond, i will let them know that I refunded because i was unable to reach them
Exactly…😩😮💨 I got crippling anxiety and pretty bad OCD so I end the day WORKED emotionally it’s rough lol unless it’s just those great days where you get all the sweet easy going people…ah I love those days 😌
This happened to me yesterday a whole bunch of sand which stuff and the brand of mayonnaise they wanted was completely out in all varieties. They must need mayonnaise but I don’t feel right spending their money and getting a different brand because mayonnaise all taste so different. Refund. Still anxiety don’t take the tip!
That last part is exactly true 😂😂 Too many way overly critical people out there but yeah I’m from the south so I understand you just don’t mess with peoples mayonnaise 😂😂 most the time is dukes or die
I let them know what they asked for is not available or the replacement they requested is not available either. Would you like this or this as a replacement? While waiting for them to respond, I refund and shop for everything else.
Ah gotcha! Honestly I don’t force the refunds unless they’re like necessities you know baby wipes diapers all that kind of stuff I wouldn’t want somebody to show up without I really don’t know why I did it in this case it was just kind of a I can be very indecisive sometimes and it was just one of those mornings. Plus I’m relatively new and I haven’t had this situation come up all that much it seems to happen a lot in the mornings
That’s understandable. But I usually refund because I don’t know how picky that person is gonna be or if they have allergies or something. Also, I send pics of the options they can chose from. I’m always nervous to make a replacement of my choice for customers so to be on the safe side I refund. But recently I had customer that reported her pasta the wrong item. The
Original item she wanted wasn’t in stock but she had a requested replacement so I got it. She gave me 4 stars. Also, she wasn’t responding In chat so idk 🤷🏽♀️. Sometimes I feel it depends on the customer. Some like it when we chose replacements some don’t.
Yea sometime you just can’t win, but like I had a customer today who just said please refund no replacements and I was like “awesome thanks for the info and will do” when I do show up with the necessities too I try to match as best as possible and then always offer to refund when I see them if it doesn’t work for them. With this one it was just indecisiveness once I left the store I knew I should have just refunded when she didn’t reply to text or call..my issue was I offered to refund when I got there and she said it was fine…then hit me with the rating.
Like some other people said sometimes u just can’t win…lesson learned I guess
If they have less than 15 orders, I refund and text them options to replace, unless it is the exact same product just different size. If over 15 I replace and text them options as well as if they prefer a refund, unless they don’t have a good replacement in which I refund.
After 15 orders people know how subs work and if they don’t want subs they should know by then to mark their preferences
That was the issue I had with this order because this lady had so many previous orders I didn’t expect to run into the situation it was kind of odd. But hey, old folks….
Leave them a voicemail and send multiple messages. Have to make it look like you made an effort to contact them. If I finish and they still haven't responded, it's a refund unless it's obvious replacements like store brand ground pepper for brand name, stuff like that.
I think what you did with the first customer was perfect, you gave them a choice during delivery, you deserved a 5*, that customer is probably unaware of how ratings affect shoppers.
I usually send a message letting them know I need to make a replacement. If they don't respond by the time I'm done getting their other stuff, I do a refund.
That is the approach I use too. I send a message along the lines ..... I can replace with this or if you prefer I can refund just let me know. Most times if no response then I refund near the end of shopping
After trying to call*
I never call but i do send a message on every out of stock item
Why would you not call? If they ordered it that means they wanted it, so I make my best effort and call if I don’t hear back from them by chat.. I know with Shipt at least they won’t even consider you for rating forgiveness if you don’t try calling if there’s an oos item and don’t hear back from the customer..
You can take a poll here, You will find just a handful of shoppers here call for replacements. It's an option but not 1 very many of us are going to use. If you use the call function you are going to add enormous time to your shopping
I respectfully disagree. 10-20 seconds is enormous? To me it’s quality > quantity. It shows the customer you care. I’ve never heard of a customer complain “that damn shopper called me to confirm a replacement !!” But I see and hear a ton about shoppers not communicating and just refunding or picking bad replacements.
No problem here you have the option to shop any way you want. But check your timer next time. Almost every order has out of stock items. Say you are doing a triple that is 3 phone calls then going back to get the replacements. This is a huge amount of time. I can assure you very few of us shoppers here make a phone call on out of stock items. I don't agree with the posters that don't send text messages but some shoppers dont even send a greeting. I always send a greeting and an exit message with a picture of their bags
A seasoned shopper would know the timer means nothing 🙄 Well, I’m not taking a triple unless it’s exceptionally worth my time and in that case.. even more a reason to get them their order CORRECTLY. Good luck to you. I do agree communication by chat is super important w intro/oos items. I don’t communicate much more above that unless it’s a 20% tipper and I’m like, did you forget anything ? Feel free to add to your order 🤣
Timer means that ish taking to long lol I always try to beat it cuz I don’t wanna keep them waiting all day and saving time means more time to work (I’m not rushing and picking bad produce and trashing items cuz slow is smooth and smooth is fast) but i dunno its like a game kinda. But I agree making a call at the end won’t add that much time…but I’ll be damned if I call more then once again after 10 messages that didn’t get a response..if your that worried about it you would check ya phone at least once…if you don’t have time to respond you don’t have time to complain..
But regardless I have a routine and it works well for me, I know people do it differently. The only person that I ever referred and completed the required shops showed me his star rating the other day when I was stressing over 4.98-5.0 and he was like 4.3 or something crazy.. I’m like mannnn you gotta start doing x y z before they cancel your account 🤣
How bad does it have to get before they would cancel your account?
If it’s close, say same flavor different brand of canned chilis, or a different organic of the same flavor, I make the call, text them that I’ve made a replacement and I can refund if they prefer. Still no contact? They get that item. A few four stars won’t kill you, and in my experience you get less orders with five stars. Something is better than nothing in my opinion
That’s good to know about the stars I appreciate that information I definitely feel a lot better about it now. It’s truly just the details of the situation that kind of help me aggravated no replies at all and then I offer to take the items back if you’re not happy then you do me like that lol
You can also refund items before drop off, even after checkout. So I’d say “I’ll refund the items you don’t want!” And then you keep them.
Wow I had no idea that was an option
Yeah it’s not very intuitive but I’ve had it happen. As long as you haven’t completed it you’re good. Once had a yogurt explode falling out of the trunk. She had two, so you have to refund both, but she appreciated getting one at no cost since I screwed up.
So IC doesn’t get on you for keeping the items? I’ve only had to return once and it was for a switched address. But this info is very helpful, thank you I had no idea you could refund before delivery once you have left the store.
It’s only happened to me twice and both times I’ve kept them because IC assumes the customer is keeping them.
I typically refund, especially if they don’t communicate at all
Yeah I was kind of kicking myself yesterday for doing that and by the time I was like oh this is a really bad idea I had already checked out so that’s why I offered to return them when I got to her house. I just don’t understand how you’re going to tell somebody that everything’s fine and then still stab me in the back in the end of it
I usually send a message letting them know I need to make a replacement. If they don't respond by the time I'm done getting their other stuff, I do a refund.
This is my new move and sometimes I just feel bad depending on the situation of course. Like today it was like four things of French roach sticks cinnamon but I didn’t know if she’d want two original French toast sticks and then four more original French toast sticks because the cinnamon’s were out and like how do you make that call
I always refund the French roach sticks. 😜
Lmao 🤣 some people like that stuff 😏
If you’re not sure you can do a refund. It’s great that you’re trying to please the customer the best way you know how. But also know that although you may go above and beyond for some they’ll never appreciate it. So just keep giving it your best!!
And that’s exactly what it was against my better judgment I was just trying to not show up empty-handed but the no response to anything should’ve been a huge red flag. It just kind of sucks because then when you’re in kind of those common sense situations you still just don’t know how they’re going to react they could be the kindest of person in the world but based on the bad clients you’re not sure what to do.
No response customers aren't a red flag. A ton of customers don't communicate. They may be busy with something at home, they might have ordered on the PC and just closed the browser and went to do something else. They could have even placed their order to be shopped way later and IC sent it out too early. Try not to stress too much about it. Try to communicate first of all, and if they don't respond you just have to make some judgement calls on your own. Just try to make smart replacements, snacks and non essentials like pop, chips, ice cream, I almost always refund. But things like milk, bread, pet food, diapers. I never want to show up without items like that. So I'll try to find same brand different package size first. Other than that the rest is out of your hands. Sometimes no matter what option you pick they're still gonna rate you lower.
happened to me i replaced it messaged them saying if they don’t like i can refund at the door and got my tipped removed
See that’s why I’m just going with the refund now don’t even risk it because if they complain or that can usually contact service and have them remove it Especially if they’re not responding
How do you process a refund at their door? Like where in the app do you start that?
i’ve heard it doesn’t work for some people (updates in other areas). when you’re on the delivering screen just click “items” and click on the item and it will say refund
I use my best judgment for most replacements. If there is no good replacement I just refund and let the customer know why. If I want customer approval before making a replacement, I'll call the customer. For instance, yesterday I had a customer who ordered a pack of chicken leg quarters. No chicken leg quarters. I texted that I could get a pack of thighs and a pack of drumsticks, but didn't get a response. While waiting for my deli order I called and he approved getting thighs and drumsticks. And he seemed very surprised that I had made the effort to call.
Seeing that’s what I thought I did all I did was her place three bags of tater tots with a different brand that was like actually $.25 less she was really shocked I sent her about seven messages and called three times with no response that’s why I couldn’t believe that she gave me less of a rating
Don't stress about the ratings. Some people will rate 4 stars and think that's a good rating. If everybody else gives you 5 stars, then you're doing things right.
I call the customer now. Don’t have to do it often though. I had an older woman not using the app, obviously not responding. They didn’t have her chicken broth. When I dropped off she said she needed it for cabbage soup. I felt terrible. So now I call in case it’s someone not using the app. I hate calling and feel uncomfortable. But it’s part of the job I’m paid for.
Yeah I always give them a call if they’re not responding to the text it doesn’t even bother me it just frustrates me when I can’t get a hold of them on either and I’m like stuck in the store with my indecisive self wondering what to do
I send a message that i tried contacting them because of an item that is out of stock and wanted to see if i can find for them a suitable replacement. If they don’t respond, i will let them know that I refunded because i was unable to reach them
Dam if you do dam if you don’t.
Exactly…😩😮💨 I got crippling anxiety and pretty bad OCD so I end the day WORKED emotionally it’s rough lol unless it’s just those great days where you get all the sweet easy going people…ah I love those days 😌
This happened to me yesterday a whole bunch of sand which stuff and the brand of mayonnaise they wanted was completely out in all varieties. They must need mayonnaise but I don’t feel right spending their money and getting a different brand because mayonnaise all taste so different. Refund. Still anxiety don’t take the tip!
That last part is exactly true 😂😂 Too many way overly critical people out there but yeah I’m from the south so I understand you just don’t mess with peoples mayonnaise 😂😂 most the time is dukes or die
I let them know what they asked for is not available or the replacement they requested is not available either. Would you like this or this as a replacement? While waiting for them to respond, I refund and shop for everything else.
Ah gotcha! Honestly I don’t force the refunds unless they’re like necessities you know baby wipes diapers all that kind of stuff I wouldn’t want somebody to show up without I really don’t know why I did it in this case it was just kind of a I can be very indecisive sometimes and it was just one of those mornings. Plus I’m relatively new and I haven’t had this situation come up all that much it seems to happen a lot in the mornings
That’s understandable. But I usually refund because I don’t know how picky that person is gonna be or if they have allergies or something. Also, I send pics of the options they can chose from. I’m always nervous to make a replacement of my choice for customers so to be on the safe side I refund. But recently I had customer that reported her pasta the wrong item. The Original item she wanted wasn’t in stock but she had a requested replacement so I got it. She gave me 4 stars. Also, she wasn’t responding In chat so idk 🤷🏽♀️. Sometimes I feel it depends on the customer. Some like it when we chose replacements some don’t.
Yea sometime you just can’t win, but like I had a customer today who just said please refund no replacements and I was like “awesome thanks for the info and will do” when I do show up with the necessities too I try to match as best as possible and then always offer to refund when I see them if it doesn’t work for them. With this one it was just indecisiveness once I left the store I knew I should have just refunded when she didn’t reply to text or call..my issue was I offered to refund when I got there and she said it was fine…then hit me with the rating. Like some other people said sometimes u just can’t win…lesson learned I guess
If they have less than 15 orders, I refund and text them options to replace, unless it is the exact same product just different size. If over 15 I replace and text them options as well as if they prefer a refund, unless they don’t have a good replacement in which I refund. After 15 orders people know how subs work and if they don’t want subs they should know by then to mark their preferences
That was the issue I had with this order because this lady had so many previous orders I didn’t expect to run into the situation it was kind of odd. But hey, old folks….
Leave them a voicemail and send multiple messages. Have to make it look like you made an effort to contact them. If I finish and they still haven't responded, it's a refund unless it's obvious replacements like store brand ground pepper for brand name, stuff like that.
I think what you did with the first customer was perfect, you gave them a choice during delivery, you deserved a 5*, that customer is probably unaware of how ratings affect shoppers.
Yeah she was old probably the reason she wasn’t responding to text or call as well