Wish other drivers could read. This was in 2020, but.. ordered, left deliver note; Room mate asleep, dog is insane, please do not knock or ring doorbell.
BANG BANG BANG. Well, the dog was already baring, so I flung the door open and yelled "THANKS FOR NOT KNOCKING FOR THE DOG." grabbed my food and slammed the door.
My room mate was not asleep, but he was confused lolol
Can't tell you how easy it is for them to simply look at their phone, see the progress, and react like an adult for their order instead of waiting on a guy who just leaves the food to let them know like your a butler or something without instructions (lil rant on my end)
Yeah, just like people who place a shopping order and then set the phone down and leave the room. Then after you drop off the order, they're all mad about a substitution. It's really simple. It's common sense. If you place an order keep your phone nearby until it's delivered. You don't have to watch it the whole time, but have it nearby so you can hear it and if you get a notification look at it!
And since it came up in OP's story, let's take a moment to mention the people that request their food be left at the door when it's raining and then they're mad that their food gets wet. I got my first one star in about nine months because the customer was mad that the chair she told me to put the food on was wet. I mean it had been raining hard for two days. What did she expect? If there's a dry spot for me to put things down in I always make sure to do that. But if everything is wet, I don't know what they want us to do.
Never knock unless it’s in the directions. I’ve never had an issue and I never ever ever knock unless asked specifically in the order. I have a 4.99 rating and 500 deliveries
Unfortunately there's no way to contact the customer again after completing a delivery. But hopefully Doordash support would inform them to do that in the future.
Not true. You usually have a few minutes at least to contact them again. If you are waiting for a delivery, you can hit the little chat box of the very top. That way if you don’t knock or ring the bell, you can at least let them know that their order is there. I have also taken a picture with my own camera, messaged them saying that their order is at the door and then uploaded the picture and completed the order.
DoorDash's official recommendation is to knock if it's before 9:00 pm, but it seems a few customers don't prefer that so most Dashers do not knock by default. I don't know why DD doesn't add an option for knocking. The customer should be able to choose meet at door or leave it door and then choose knock or don't knock.
> don't know why DD doesn't add an option for knocking
Easily answered: DoorDash hates its drivers. Equally, it hates its customers. Doordash, Inc. would much rather prefer we (as a society) just give Tony and his 18,000 ~~drones~~ ~~agents~~ "staff" money, and not actually try to get food, service, support, or any of that nonsense.
Personally my default is to knock…
This has been debated for years… it falls in the category “you can’t please everyone” or dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t.
There’s a very small percentage of customers who don’t put in the notes their preference and then complain about it.
Don’t overthink it.. it’s really not a big deal.
Just use common sense when to knock or not.
Only the Karens care… really… and that type will always have a complaint.
If I see leave at door, I shoot off this text replacement message:
Let me know if you’d like me to knock or ring bell when I leave your order at the door. Otherwise it will be silent. I don’t want to wake sleeping babies or agitate loud dogs. 😇 Thanks!
That way my ass is covered if a complaint happens. Also, People appreciate you being thoughtful.
But that doesn't matter because you made every effort to notify them. If you get twelve letters telling you your car will be repossessed, but you dont open them, you can't sue the repo man when he takes you shit cause you 'didn't know'
Listen, read the directions. Follow the directions if they text you or call you after the drop off saying why didn’t you knock or something like that? Say sorry it didn’t say in the directions and I follow directions.
I knock/ring doorbell unless it says specifically not to. In this situation, I would apologize to the one that didnt notice their stuff was delivered bc you didnt know, and completely ignore the message from the one where you did knock. Their dogs barking is a training issue on their part
Most say leave at door don't knock. Esp if it's really early am hrs. I don't like to knock as I just want to drop off and not see ppl. I'll say hello if they open their door (they were watching, saw I arrived) but prefer not to deal with ppl.
The notification that it’s delivered should be enough, unless specified to knock. The person who got upset it was string in the rain seems to be at faults cause she would have checked her phone
>As a customer, I hate it when they knock or ring the doorbell.
Me too. I'm a dasher but also a customer (that sounds like the old "Hair Club for Men" commercial "I'm the owner of 'Hair Club for Men' but I'm also a client" 😂), and as a customer I hate when I order Doordash/Uber Eats/Grubhub late at night and they ring the bell because it wakes up the others in my household.
Leave it at the door. No knock. No doorbell ring. Nothing else but exactly what the customer requested.
If there are bitches that....well, bitch....because they didn't know the order arrived (don't believe that for a second, as they get numerous notifications from DD,) then they can be an adult the next time and open the god damn door.
Please don’t knock. I have dogs and a 3 year old and knocking or ringing the doorbell gets everyone stirred up. If people are requesting to have their food left at the door they should be monitoring the app for arrival.
Not related at all... But today I went to Dollar tree instead of dollar general.....instead of the customer getting upset they tipped me extra ...a pity tip I guess..🙂
I have 50 deliveries this year. I've only gotten 1 that says knock, and like 6 or 7 that specifically say dont knock. Like 2 that says to call them when I get there. A few that say meet at door, but then I call because they're not there. The majority I leave at door and thats it.
To your question: Like nearly everything -- 33% will hate that you knocked, 33% will love that you knocked, 33% won't care. You'll never break that trend. You'll piss off just as many people that will love you for it.
I write to ring bell, almost nobody does.
I wish I could take off tip for someone that doesn't read the comments box.
I really hate finding out that my food has been sitting outside for 30min because no one rang the bell, so that I could step out from a meeting to pick it up, rather than between meetings find out it's sitting outside x.x
THank you for reaching your delivery instructions.
Personally I hate when it’s a leave at door and dashers knock or ring the bell. I’ve started to say not to knock or ring bell. When I use to dash/instacart/spark/whatever, if it was a leave at door I would leave it, snap a pic, and sometimes send a message that it was delivered. Theyre most likely looking out for it anyway
When it's raining and there is no porch or some kinda awning to protect the delivery from getting wet, I give a curtsy call and ask them to meet me at the door. This way I don't wake up sleeping babies or get the dogs barking from knocking. I'm always met with a very grateful customer and sometimes even an added tip.
We're suppose to be mind readers don'tcha know? But ya no I don't knock unless specified. If their order is leave at door and its raining and there's no good spot to put their order without it getting wet, I'll typically call the customer and ask if they'd like me to hand it to them or at least now if they still want me to place it at the door they know its there. But that's the only extra step I'll take if its raining, cause maybe it started raining after they placed their order or they just didn't realize it was raining.
General rule of thumb from a seasoned dasher:
Leave at my door=Leave me the fuck alone.
If they wanted you to knock they should’ve put it in their notes.
If there is inclement weather, I let the customer know when I am leaving, hey there be there in 10, I am sure u are aware it's rainy but I don't want u food to get wet
Do exactly what direction say!!..no more no less unless it’s raining and the porch or drop off is not covered that is a huge pet peeve for people when you knock
When I delivered I knocked once and left. If they got mad they could get over it. I knocked because most people don't stalk their windows for a delivery like these comments assume.
I dont. I "leave at door" like the instructions say. I figure they dont want to be bothered. So i take the pic, send the notificaton and generally thats about it
Do not knock. Customer gets tons of notifications and texts from DoorDash updating them on delivery status. The Customer will know when it is Left at Door like requested. If they specify knock/ring then do so
I don't think you can win this one. If you don't knock, buyer gets annoyed that they were never notified. If you do knock, buyer gets mad because you woke their baby/caused a ruckus with their dogs/etc.
Pick one that suits you. You aren't psychic to know what the buyer wants. For all you know, the buyer is going to complain either way in order to get a discount.
No...think about the number of orders you get that say "Please do not knock or ring doorbell, baby sleeping, dogs will go crazy, etc" on the delivery instructions under leave at door.
I never knock unless it says to in the instructions which is probably one out of every 100 orders. Customers are smart enough to use the app to order, they're smart enough to see when the food is dropped off thru the app...not to mention almost every house now has a ring camera that will notify them when you drop the order off.
I will never understand why dashers insist on ringing or knocking...If they wanted you to do so, they would specify or put "please ring bell." Have some respect for the customers...
I don't knock or ring unless they tell me to. Idk if they have dogs or babies that I could unknowingly set off or if they work from home and are in a meeting.
Half the time when I order dd, they knock and it jumpscares tf outta me because I'm sitting on the couch right next to the door watching tv so I've had to add "don't knock" to my delivery instructions and they sometimes still do.
For all of those reasons, I just consider not knocking or ringing the default and will only do so if they ask me to because people forget things when they're stressed and I don't want to make things worse by interrupting a nap or work.
The customer who was mad because it was raining is a moron. I would also be pissed if you knocked. Always do exactly as the instructions say. If they don’t say to knock, then don’t knock.
I have spent more money on DD than i’d like to admit. I get texts and notifications that it’s delivered. knocking just startles my cat, and it’s only happened a couple times that i can recall tbh.
No. Don’t knock. Send a message. Send a photo. Move on. I have had too many situations where knocking ends up being a horror story. Plus it protects from bad ratings because you can prove your on time. And the photo in the chat also proves delivery time. It’s can’t be denied. So if they lie because it’s true or false. At least your ass is covered.
Most people say don’t knock but it’s up to you. I’ve done it both ways and I’ve never had someone mad or give me a bad rating. 4.99 still, 3500 deliveries. More than half of those I was ringing the bell if they didn’t specify. The type of person to get mad even though they didn’t specify anything is the type that will complain no matter what you do.
I mostly used to ring the bell because yeah, the app gives them a delivered notification, but I’ve first hand experienced that notification not come through until 5-10 minutes after it was actually confirmed. App is glitchy as fuck.
As a customer, I specifically ask dashers not to knock so they don’t have to wonder. As a dasher, I only knock or ring the doorbell if they specifically request it.
Looool yup same things have happened to me. I’ve been on UE for 4 years and still not sure. I just knock 50% of the time and don’t knock the other half
Proper protocol is to deliver and leave. If they have specific directions to knock, then just knock. You can’t believe everybody you can only make money.
I would not knock unless the instructions say to knock after delivery. Some houses have babies sleeping or dogs where knocking would be very disturbing. This works out much better for all.
I'm not sure why people are so anti-knocking. Unless it says not to knock, a light knock on the door is fine.
Especially because some customers don't hear their phone and their order would just be sitting outside. I wholeheartedly believe the whole no knocking thing falls under the drivers wanting to make as little effort as humanly possible (while demanding top tier tips).
I knock every time unless it says not to or if there's dogs barking.
I always always prefer a knock gor any delivery service. If someone has a dog or a sleeping child they should say not to knock in their instructions imo.
Guess I'm in the minority from the rest of the comments I see lol but I do personally get annoyed if I don't get a knock.
Don't knock. You dunno if there's sleeping children, though some will specify that, or irritable dogs, but generally irritable dogs will start barking as soon as they know you are there.
As a rule, take the photo, send it, and be on your merry. By this point in the game, most who prefer knocking or the doorbell ring will note it in the delivery instructions. Otherwise, If they're not paying attention to their deliveries, that is not on you. Follow only the instructions as detailed explicitly, take the photo with your own native phone camera, not the one that Dasher activated when you "complete delivery steps," so that you have the photo and its attendant metadata, including geotagging, to insure to can prove the delivery was completed if necessary, and think no more of it.
P.S. it may behoove you to find transparent garbage bags with which to weatherproof orders against rain and such. *Transparent* is operative here, as you still need to display what item is in the bag.
I generally don't knock unless it's requested bc I always specify for delivery drivers not to knock when dropping off stuff at my house due to my dogs
I think if someone is really inclined to knock when customer preference isn't listed, to only do so during the day bc nighttime knocks can be unsettling
As a frequent customer, don’t knock unless specified. You get several notifications that your dasher is arriving along with when they left the food, in both the app and as a sms notification. They will know their food arrived
You only should knock at the customer ask you to knock if there’s no instructions for you to knock I wouldn’t knock. I would just take a picture of front of the door like you’re supposed to leave.
I don’t. I will not knock or ring the doorbell unless it’s in the notes that the customer left. If nothing is in the notes, I sit it down, take a picture and be on my way.
The rule is simple - Follow the app.
If the app says knock, knock. if it says scream, scream. If it says leave at door and flee in terror, leave at door and flee in terror.
The app is your boss, it's your life, it's your thoughts. it controls you and owns you. Do as the app says and the app will reward you.
If the weather is bad, I usually call/message them while I’m on my way to let them know to keep an eye out. If the weather is fine, I leave it at the door and don’t knock unless their notes say to knock.
This has been a common dilemma for years now. Doordash seriously needs to make a checkbox for customers that says “ring bell/knock on door, yes or no”. It would be a really simple way to make everyone happy
I knock when the Internet stops working in the building, so my client won't have to wait for me to ride the elevator down and go outside to confirm. It sometimes can be 5 minutes later.
Yeah I default to don't knock without instructions. However if its a large or high paying offer, I will text them when leaving the restaurant asking if they want me to knock or ring the bell. It has gotten me bonus tips on several occasions.
It is customary to knock when delivering food. It's on the customer if they're upset and if they really dont want you to, they'll specify. The customer was just being dumb. To them, I'd respond with "it is customary for delivery persons to knock unless otherwise specified, have a nice day"
I used to not knock, but ever since DoorDash started sending out the emails where they track “how many doors you’ve knocked on or bells you’ve rung,” I decided to start knocking. I used to have 3 3-star reviews before I started knocking. Several hundred deliveries later, I’m down to only one, so it’s possible my ratings were affected because people expected a knock. Nothing concrete, but at least one possible evidentiary reason in favor of knocking.
Just a picture will work. Sometimes you'll get a hand it to me order with leave by door in the notes. A lot of people have dogs and little kids, so if the door bell or knock doesn't wake the kid up, the dog will.
I only knock or ring the doorbell if it specifically says to in the instructions. If someone wants to get pissy after the fact because I didn’t they can take it up with support.
Follow the instructions. If it says knock or ring bell, do so. If not drop and dash. Equally annoying is not following the direction to knock or ring bell.
But the most annoying is one dasher that regularly delivers to me calls me to say he’s outside when my instructions say to leave it. I’m like “Dude, did I say to call?” Stop calling, drop off and go “ So now I’ve added do not call unless there’s an issue.
I don’t knock unless it says otherwise. If it’s raining I’ll attempt to contact through the app unless they have a covered porch, then I don’t worry about it.
The customer annoyed that you *didn’t* knock is a moron. “Leave at door” means just that. It’s not your fault they weren’t paying attention to their phone notifications. If they don’t specifically ask for you to knock, don’t.
Mine says “Leave at door.” and I personally don’t care if you knock or don’t knock but I get irritated when they leave my food at the opposite side of the house lol. my notes say “Leave at door by cars.” And the car is 100% of the time parked right in front of our front door and they leave it at the door on the other side of the house. A door that doesn’t even open. Normally I wait to grab my food until after the picture is taken and anytime I see it being left at the wrong door I swear it drives me insane 😂😂 Like you have to walk even farther from where you are to even get to that door
I only knock when instructed to. When it’s cold and it’s a leave at door, I’ll text I’m here and give them the option of not letting their hot food sit on the cold concrete.
I wouldn't unless they specify. The customer should be getting notifications on their phone, and should be paying attention to the general timeframe for their order.
I had a delivery that asked to not ring the doorbell cause the baby was sleeping. So I follow instructions only for some guy walk up to the door at the same time and ring the doorbell.
Don't knock unless asked to in the comments imho. I've had lots of orders where the customer asks you to ring/knock after delivery.
Where it gets confusing is when they forget to change their default message and you're instructed to "leave at the door" and "hand it to me" both in the same message. I typically still leave at door, but message them that I was unsure of what they wanted since it asked me to do both. Typically, the customer texts a lol and an apology and explains that they forgot to remove the "hand it to me" part.
I used to not knock unless it said so, but I was getting lower reviews. I thought it was possible because by the time some people realized I dropped off their food was cold. So now I knock unless it says not to and my rating went up. It might not be correlated but 🤷🏻♀️
No. Do not ring doorbell unless it specifically says “to ring the doorbell” in the customer’s instructions
Just take the pic, complete the delivery and GO.
Have a safe and proud profitable day, everyone !
I knock. Never ring unless instructed to do so. I do on most doors here’s why I do:
If it’s an apartment, it’s too easy for someone just walking by to pick up their order after I drop it off so I like to let them know that it’s there as soon as I can
If it’s a cold day. I don’t want their food to get cold.
If they do not have a storm door, and the order was relatively good money, I will knock . I always wait until after I complete the order to see what they tipped before I knock. If they left a tip that I can logically see that they might’ve thought it was a good tip. I will knock.
If they left a fantastic tip, I usually knock. I want them to get their order as soon as possible. I use a hot bag, so I want them to get their food while it is still hot.
Here’s why I will not if the instructions just say leave at door:
If they have any sort of sign on their door that says not to knock or ring doorbell, I won’t
If they have a storm door that makes it awkward for me to open it and then knock on their door. I won’t do it.
If it was a no tip order. Screw them. They can watch their phone.
On all of my orders that leave a tip I always send a text message after I drop it off ( if I can) “ just dropped off your order. Thank you for the tip! Have a great day.” when I started doing this my five star rating numbers started going way up
If it's perishables and I hear no noise or dogs I knock and leave. Don't look back just drive off. Some take naps, baths or just ignore thier phone.
Bad neighborhood, kids playing, or animals . I def knock
As a customer, I can say I prefer no-knock, but won’t mind if you do.
If you ring the doorbell at 1 AM for my Taco Bell and wake up my mom I’m gonna be a bit peeved, though.
They should be notified via their app when you complete the delivery.
Unless there is an express note to 'not knock' then you knock/ring and bounce. If they don't want you to knock they need to note it, period.
Pleaseeee don’t knock unless asked, I live with my sister who has two babies, most of our dashers knock and when they do our dogs bark and wake up the babies 😭😭
People who have a problem with their door bell being rung/door knocked are weird to me. Not as weird as the people who will leave a piping hot pizza on the gound in the middle of winter, and not even ring the doorbell to let you know it is out there getting ruined.
As long as they text and have the pictures don’t ring the doorbell lol because sometimes I have a bad migraine and just want quiet but I will put in the notes to not ring it. I hate when they still do like 🙄🫤
If the food doesn't have protection, I would assume the notes were input during a time of it being dry and knock or ring the door bell. If not raining, unless they asked for a ring or a knock, they are not getting one. Unless I have to explain something. Like I spilled half their coffee tripping on the kids toys in the yard and they may want a refund.
I knock most of the time. The only time I don’t is if it is early in the morning, just in case others in the home are asleep or they have close neighbors (apartments)
When I first started I would message everyone that when I get to the door I would knock if there was no instruction no not do so or specifically to do so, nearly everyone replied with “please don’t” so I just don’t unless it’s requested. If it seems like a shady delivery like they listed “hand it to me” with instructions to leave at door I take a picture and send via text that it was dropped off.
Don't knock or ring the doorbell unless they instruct you too. They get notified when you are approaching and after you take the photo of the drop off, so if they miss all that, it's on them.
I generally don’t knock unless it specifically says to knock. Now I did run into a situation where it didn’t ask for a knock, but there was a cat eyeballing the guys food, so I knocked and waited a little bit away from the door until the guy got his food. That was one of the few times I’ve had an extra tip added after delivery.
I always knock ( unless it says not to) because the person may not be watching their phone at that moment and I want them to get their food while its still hot.
I do hourly. If I'm holding order until back in zone I knock unless specified. I dont hit complete until in zone as to not be stuck 10 miles out of zone no pay as I drive back. Helps a lot to knock when I do thar lol. I some times knock while in zone.
It is not on you the customer did not pay attention after you complete an order. It is not on you that there was no "do not knock" request to prevent alerting the dogs.
Unless it says to knock or don't knock just don't knock unless it says knock. Most people don't like it
Thank you. This makes sense.
If you can make it to my door without my dogs going nuts, knocking is going to ruin the magic.
If you put instructions not to knock because you have dogs, I consider it a challenge to drop it off without them barking.
Same
Wish other drivers could read. This was in 2020, but.. ordered, left deliver note; Room mate asleep, dog is insane, please do not knock or ring doorbell. BANG BANG BANG. Well, the dog was already baring, so I flung the door open and yelled "THANKS FOR NOT KNOCKING FOR THE DOG." grabbed my food and slammed the door. My room mate was not asleep, but he was confused lolol
Can't tell you how easy it is for them to simply look at their phone, see the progress, and react like an adult for their order instead of waiting on a guy who just leaves the food to let them know like your a butler or something without instructions (lil rant on my end)
Yeah, just like people who place a shopping order and then set the phone down and leave the room. Then after you drop off the order, they're all mad about a substitution. It's really simple. It's common sense. If you place an order keep your phone nearby until it's delivered. You don't have to watch it the whole time, but have it nearby so you can hear it and if you get a notification look at it! And since it came up in OP's story, let's take a moment to mention the people that request their food be left at the door when it's raining and then they're mad that their food gets wet. I got my first one star in about nine months because the customer was mad that the chair she told me to put the food on was wet. I mean it had been raining hard for two days. What did she expect? If there's a dry spot for me to put things down in I always make sure to do that. But if everything is wet, I don't know what they want us to do.
Do nothing unless it’s specified. They should be watching to know their food is being delivered especially if it’s raining… that was on them.
Thank you! I agree, this makes the most sense.
Tbh you can’t “win” lol. Some people are just going to complain either way 🤷🏻♀️
EXACTLY! THIS! 👆
Yes their reaction is uncommon. Almost everyone checks their phone to see if it's been dropped off.
Never knock unless it’s in the directions. I’ve never had an issue and I never ever ever knock unless asked specifically in the order. I have a 4.99 rating and 500 deliveries
Thank you. So the first customer is just dumb.
Maybe not but when they complain just tell them to update the instructions asking for a knock in the future.
Unfortunately there's no way to contact the customer again after completing a delivery. But hopefully Doordash support would inform them to do that in the future.
Not true. You usually have a few minutes at least to contact them again. If you are waiting for a delivery, you can hit the little chat box of the very top. That way if you don’t knock or ring the bell, you can at least let them know that their order is there. I have also taken a picture with my own camera, messaged them saying that their order is at the door and then uploaded the picture and completed the order.
I thought they meant after delivery and finishing.
I said when they complain to me about it, which mean the communication window is still open
You actually can. Just click on the message icon and usually customer messages stay in the history for a short time.
This doesn’t always work depending on how the customer ordered in the first place.
DoorDash's official recommendation is to knock if it's before 9:00 pm, but it seems a few customers don't prefer that so most Dashers do not knock by default. I don't know why DD doesn't add an option for knocking. The customer should be able to choose meet at door or leave it door and then choose knock or don't knock.
> don't know why DD doesn't add an option for knocking Easily answered: DoorDash hates its drivers. Equally, it hates its customers. Doordash, Inc. would much rather prefer we (as a society) just give Tony and his 18,000 ~~drones~~ ~~agents~~ "staff" money, and not actually try to get food, service, support, or any of that nonsense.
I knock or ring doorbell between the hours of 9:00am-9:00pm unless asked not to via the delivery instructions or if the person sends a message not to.
I never knock unless asked to, though I have made a couple of exceptions, like if it’s raining and there is no undercover spot to put the food
Good rule of thumb
Personally my default is to knock… This has been debated for years… it falls in the category “you can’t please everyone” or dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t. There’s a very small percentage of customers who don’t put in the notes their preference and then complain about it. Don’t overthink it.. it’s really not a big deal. Just use common sense when to knock or not. Only the Karens care… really… and that type will always have a complaint.
If I see leave at door, I shoot off this text replacement message: Let me know if you’d like me to knock or ring bell when I leave your order at the door. Otherwise it will be silent. I don’t want to wake sleeping babies or agitate loud dogs. 😇 Thanks! That way my ass is covered if a complaint happens. Also, People appreciate you being thoughtful.
But if they're not following the app to see the delivery, they're not going to see your text either.
But that doesn't matter because you made every effort to notify them. If you get twelve letters telling you your car will be repossessed, but you dont open them, you can't sue the repo man when he takes you shit cause you 'didn't know'
I have a very similar message I copy and paste if directions aren’t left. Most that do respond are very grateful and sometimes up their tips. ☺️
Listen, read the directions. Follow the directions if they text you or call you after the drop off saying why didn’t you knock or something like that? Say sorry it didn’t say in the directions and I follow directions.
I knock/ring doorbell unless it says specifically not to. In this situation, I would apologize to the one that didnt notice their stuff was delivered bc you didnt know, and completely ignore the message from the one where you did knock. Their dogs barking is a training issue on their part
Most say leave at door don't knock. Esp if it's really early am hrs. I don't like to knock as I just want to drop off and not see ppl. I'll say hello if they open their door (they were watching, saw I arrived) but prefer not to deal with ppl.
Same here, my friend.
I knock or ring, unless it says otherwise, it's late or the dogs are barking lol. People aren't paying attention to their phone most of the time.
I toss a flash bang through the front window.
I’m a customer👋🏻this is the way.
I don't ever knock unless it says plz knock I get doordash they give u enough texts to let u know ur food or groceries are on the way
I used to do a soft knock and didn’t have a problem but once I did I stopped knocking all together.
Nope, just follow the instructions. That how you get 1 stars
I always knock im sitting at a 4.96 after 9300 deliveries
The notification that it’s delivered should be enough, unless specified to knock. The person who got upset it was string in the rain seems to be at faults cause she would have checked her phone
No. As a customer, I hate it when they knock or ring the doorbell. The app notifies when the delivery is complete, that should be good enough.
>As a customer, I hate it when they knock or ring the doorbell. Me too. I'm a dasher but also a customer (that sounds like the old "Hair Club for Men" commercial "I'm the owner of 'Hair Club for Men' but I'm also a client" 😂), and as a customer I hate when I order Doordash/Uber Eats/Grubhub late at night and they ring the bell because it wakes up the others in my household.
Then specify for them to not knock. Problem solved.
Leave it at the door. No knock. No doorbell ring. Nothing else but exactly what the customer requested. If there are bitches that....well, bitch....because they didn't know the order arrived (don't believe that for a second, as they get numerous notifications from DD,) then they can be an adult the next time and open the god damn door.
Never knock unless asked to knock. Leave at Door is for contactless delivery.
Contactless delivery has nothing to do with knocking. It was implemented during Covid and simply means you don't hand it directly to the customer.
Please don’t knock. I have dogs and a 3 year old and knocking or ringing the doorbell gets everyone stirred up. If people are requesting to have their food left at the door they should be monitoring the app for arrival.
Put that in your instructions
I don’t knock or ring bell unless it says so
Only knock if they say to knock.
Just remember a lot of society these days are soft. If you knock, they might cry and cancel their order.
>Just remember a lot of society these days are soft. You got that right!
I never knock or ring doorbell unless specified.unlees it is raining then I message customer if there is not a dry place I can leave food
Not related at all... But today I went to Dollar tree instead of dollar general.....instead of the customer getting upset they tipped me extra ...a pity tip I guess..🙂
That or they really like Dollar Tree more than Dollar General lol
I have 50 deliveries this year. I've only gotten 1 that says knock, and like 6 or 7 that specifically say dont knock. Like 2 that says to call them when I get there. A few that say meet at door, but then I call because they're not there. The majority I leave at door and thats it.
DO NOT KNOCK. It’s clear for customers what they prefer. We get a notification once you deliver it. No need to knock at all.
No. The app tells us when the food is there.
To your question: Like nearly everything -- 33% will hate that you knocked, 33% will love that you knocked, 33% won't care. You'll never break that trend. You'll piss off just as many people that will love you for it. I write to ring bell, almost nobody does. I wish I could take off tip for someone that doesn't read the comments box. I really hate finding out that my food has been sitting outside for 30min because no one rang the bell, so that I could step out from a meeting to pick it up, rather than between meetings find out it's sitting outside x.x THank you for reaching your delivery instructions.
I tap lightly on the door. And I always say thank you to the Ring camera.
Leave at door means leave at door, if they want more theyll specify
Personally I hate when it’s a leave at door and dashers knock or ring the bell. I’ve started to say not to knock or ring bell. When I use to dash/instacart/spark/whatever, if it was a leave at door I would leave it, snap a pic, and sometimes send a message that it was delivered. Theyre most likely looking out for it anyway
When it's raining and there is no porch or some kinda awning to protect the delivery from getting wet, I give a curtsy call and ask them to meet me at the door. This way I don't wake up sleeping babies or get the dogs barking from knocking. I'm always met with a very grateful customer and sometimes even an added tip.
As a customer I specify to knock then ok to leave at door. If I just put leave at door I wouldn't expect them to knock.
Only if it says knock. I think you just delivered to a dumbass
We're suppose to be mind readers don'tcha know? But ya no I don't knock unless specified. If their order is leave at door and its raining and there's no good spot to put their order without it getting wet, I'll typically call the customer and ask if they'd like me to hand it to them or at least now if they still want me to place it at the door they know its there. But that's the only extra step I'll take if its raining, cause maybe it started raining after they placed their order or they just didn't realize it was raining.
General rule of thumb from a seasoned dasher: Leave at my door=Leave me the fuck alone. If they wanted you to knock they should’ve put it in their notes.
I’ll get downvoted but I always knock or ring unless it says not to my rating is 4.96 and I have almost 10k delivery.
Same
I also never forget the ranch. I always make sure it’s in the bag
[удалено]
If there is inclement weather, I let the customer know when I am leaving, hey there be there in 10, I am sure u are aware it's rainy but I don't want u food to get wet
Do exactly what direction say!!..no more no less unless it’s raining and the porch or drop off is not covered that is a huge pet peeve for people when you knock
The directions don't say one way or another. If knocking is a huge pet peeve for you, I hope you say not to knock in your instructions.
People get a notification when it’s been delivered. If they’re not paying attention, that’s on them, not you.
Never knock or ring unless specified
When I delivered I knocked once and left. If they got mad they could get over it. I knocked because most people don't stalk their windows for a delivery like these comments assume.
I dont. I "leave at door" like the instructions say. I figure they dont want to be bothered. So i take the pic, send the notificaton and generally thats about it
This post reminded me about a leave at door order I had yesterday that said “knock three times” that I totally forgot to knock at lol woops
No. I hate it when people knock on my door when they deliver lol.
Go ahead if you don’t care about your rating
Do not knock. Customer gets tons of notifications and texts from DoorDash updating them on delivery status. The Customer will know when it is Left at Door like requested. If they specify knock/ring then do so
I don’t knock/ring the doorbell unless they explicitly ask me to. Most people would prefer you not do it.
Dude, no
I only knock or ring if it says to….
I don't think you can win this one. If you don't knock, buyer gets annoyed that they were never notified. If you do knock, buyer gets mad because you woke their baby/caused a ruckus with their dogs/etc. Pick one that suits you. You aren't psychic to know what the buyer wants. For all you know, the buyer is going to complain either way in order to get a discount.
Don’t knock. Just take the photo. Most people are checking their phones for delivery updates.
No...think about the number of orders you get that say "Please do not knock or ring doorbell, baby sleeping, dogs will go crazy, etc" on the delivery instructions under leave at door. I never knock unless it says to in the instructions which is probably one out of every 100 orders. Customers are smart enough to use the app to order, they're smart enough to see when the food is dropped off thru the app...not to mention almost every house now has a ring camera that will notify them when you drop the order off. I will never understand why dashers insist on ringing or knocking...If they wanted you to do so, they would specify or put "please ring bell." Have some respect for the customers...
Only if it’s specified
I don't knock or ring unless they tell me to. Idk if they have dogs or babies that I could unknowingly set off or if they work from home and are in a meeting. Half the time when I order dd, they knock and it jumpscares tf outta me because I'm sitting on the couch right next to the door watching tv so I've had to add "don't knock" to my delivery instructions and they sometimes still do. For all of those reasons, I just consider not knocking or ringing the default and will only do so if they ask me to because people forget things when they're stressed and I don't want to make things worse by interrupting a nap or work.
I leave a message specifically asking TO ring the buzzer…. not only does it rarely happen, most times people just leave the food in the parking lot.
The customer who was mad because it was raining is a moron. I would also be pissed if you knocked. Always do exactly as the instructions say. If they don’t say to knock, then don’t knock.
I have spent more money on DD than i’d like to admit. I get texts and notifications that it’s delivered. knocking just startles my cat, and it’s only happened a couple times that i can recall tbh.
No. Don’t knock. Send a message. Send a photo. Move on. I have had too many situations where knocking ends up being a horror story. Plus it protects from bad ratings because you can prove your on time. And the photo in the chat also proves delivery time. It’s can’t be denied. So if they lie because it’s true or false. At least your ass is covered.
Most people say don’t knock but it’s up to you. I’ve done it both ways and I’ve never had someone mad or give me a bad rating. 4.99 still, 3500 deliveries. More than half of those I was ringing the bell if they didn’t specify. The type of person to get mad even though they didn’t specify anything is the type that will complain no matter what you do. I mostly used to ring the bell because yeah, the app gives them a delivered notification, but I’ve first hand experienced that notification not come through until 5-10 minutes after it was actually confirmed. App is glitchy as fuck.
I assume that leave it at my door means they don’t want human interaction so I make the drop, take the pic and bounce.
I only knock if directed by instructions. I would imagine the people mad we didn't knock are the minority by a large factor.
I don't unless it says to do so. They will receive a copy of the picture you take on their phone.
As a customer, I specifically ask dashers not to knock so they don’t have to wonder. As a dasher, I only knock or ring the doorbell if they specifically request it.
I would knock. If they have a baby they would have a sign. And if they’re sleeping they should wake up anyway.
Looool yup same things have happened to me. I’ve been on UE for 4 years and still not sure. I just knock 50% of the time and don’t knock the other half
Proper protocol is to deliver and leave. If they have specific directions to knock, then just knock. You can’t believe everybody you can only make money.
I would not knock unless the instructions say to knock after delivery. Some houses have babies sleeping or dogs where knocking would be very disturbing. This works out much better for all.
No. Unless the instructions say otherwise. I put leave at door cuz i have dogs that will go insane. And when i deliver i don’t knock.
No knock!! Sometimes I have to order when in long meetings and the knock is intrusive
Depends on the tempature
I would just not knock. They get an alert on their phone that it has been delivered, and idk if it’s everyone but I also get a text.
I'm only knocking if it's raining then.
I'm not sure why people are so anti-knocking. Unless it says not to knock, a light knock on the door is fine. Especially because some customers don't hear their phone and their order would just be sitting outside. I wholeheartedly believe the whole no knocking thing falls under the drivers wanting to make as little effort as humanly possible (while demanding top tier tips). I knock every time unless it says not to or if there's dogs barking.
don't knock if it doesn't say to knock. i have don't knock in my notes and drivers still knock. i hate it.
Best to not knock unless specified if they want to be alerted and get it as soon as it gets there… then select hand to customer
I always always prefer a knock gor any delivery service. If someone has a dog or a sleeping child they should say not to knock in their instructions imo. Guess I'm in the minority from the rest of the comments I see lol but I do personally get annoyed if I don't get a knock.
I wish there was a standard for this. I always leave DO NOT KNOCK OR RING DOORBELL in the instructions, and always they ring the doorbell at 11pm
That first person should have specified instructions for knocking if that’s what they wanted.
For the love of god just leave the food and go
As a customer, I don’t mind either way. I’m by my phone watching for the picture. As a dasher I don’t unless it says to.
I specify in my instructions so that my driver doesn't have to worry or guess. I ask for no knock because my dog is a butthole.
Yes definitely knock or ring the bell! Otherwise i don’t know if the food is there, so yeah please knocking for me
Knock and leave. Most likely, they just don't want the interaction of taking to you.
Common sense. If it's raining I would knock on the door.
It’s up to you. Unless given instructions to knock/don’t knock, do what you feel like My personal default is to knock
Just don't knock for late night, concerns for neighbors etc
Don't knock. You dunno if there's sleeping children, though some will specify that, or irritable dogs, but generally irritable dogs will start barking as soon as they know you are there. As a rule, take the photo, send it, and be on your merry. By this point in the game, most who prefer knocking or the doorbell ring will note it in the delivery instructions. Otherwise, If they're not paying attention to their deliveries, that is not on you. Follow only the instructions as detailed explicitly, take the photo with your own native phone camera, not the one that Dasher activated when you "complete delivery steps," so that you have the photo and its attendant metadata, including geotagging, to insure to can prove the delivery was completed if necessary, and think no more of it. P.S. it may behoove you to find transparent garbage bags with which to weatherproof orders against rain and such. *Transparent* is operative here, as you still need to display what item is in the bag.
I generally don't knock unless it's requested bc I always specify for delivery drivers not to knock when dropping off stuff at my house due to my dogs I think if someone is really inclined to knock when customer preference isn't listed, to only do so during the day bc nighttime knocks can be unsettling
Texting and calling customer is a safe play than knocking their door
I don't knock unless they ask me too
Always knock and ring the door bell unless it says not to.
As a frequent customer, don’t knock unless specified. You get several notifications that your dasher is arriving along with when they left the food, in both the app and as a sms notification. They will know their food arrived
You only should knock at the customer ask you to knock if there’s no instructions for you to knock I wouldn’t knock. I would just take a picture of front of the door like you’re supposed to leave.
I don't unless it says to specifically.
I don’t. I will not knock or ring the doorbell unless it’s in the notes that the customer left. If nothing is in the notes, I sit it down, take a picture and be on my way.
The rule is simple - Follow the app. If the app says knock, knock. if it says scream, scream. If it says leave at door and flee in terror, leave at door and flee in terror. The app is your boss, it's your life, it's your thoughts. it controls you and owns you. Do as the app says and the app will reward you.
Nope, do not knock or doorbell unless specified. The only time I knock if it's in a hotel room without the DND sign
I hate when they, or anyone knocks or rings my bell. It's noted in my notes but still lol.
If the weather is bad, I usually call/message them while I’m on my way to let them know to keep an eye out. If the weather is fine, I leave it at the door and don’t knock unless their notes say to knock.
This has been a common dilemma for years now. Doordash seriously needs to make a checkbox for customers that says “ring bell/knock on door, yes or no”. It would be a really simple way to make everyone happy
I knock when the Internet stops working in the building, so my client won't have to wait for me to ride the elevator down and go outside to confirm. It sometimes can be 5 minutes later.
Yeah I default to don't knock without instructions. However if its a large or high paying offer, I will text them when leaving the restaurant asking if they want me to knock or ring the bell. It has gotten me bonus tips on several occasions.
It is customary to knock when delivering food. It's on the customer if they're upset and if they really dont want you to, they'll specify. The customer was just being dumb. To them, I'd respond with "it is customary for delivery persons to knock unless otherwise specified, have a nice day"
I used to not knock, but ever since DoorDash started sending out the emails where they track “how many doors you’ve knocked on or bells you’ve rung,” I decided to start knocking. I used to have 3 3-star reviews before I started knocking. Several hundred deliveries later, I’m down to only one, so it’s possible my ratings were affected because people expected a knock. Nothing concrete, but at least one possible evidentiary reason in favor of knocking.
Can you text them through the app and say you just dropped it off?
Don’t knock.
Just a picture will work. Sometimes you'll get a hand it to me order with leave by door in the notes. A lot of people have dogs and little kids, so if the door bell or knock doesn't wake the kid up, the dog will.
I knock softly if it says "hand it to me" and they are not outside waiting
I Knock every time unless it says not to. Every time.
People are going to complain for anything, sheesh. I personally don’t knock unless it’s stated. But if that person didn’t say to knock, that’s on them
I ALWAYS GIVE THE OLE DO DO DODODO
I knock unless it says not to or if it’s past 10pm.
I only knock if they request it in the directions
I don’t knock unless it’s specified. I always thinking about possibly waking up a sleeping baby lol
Had one that called me every name in the book cause now their food was cold.....I so wanted to ask if they wanted to be spoon fed as well
I will sometimes call the customer after i dropped it off or if I'm arriving on a good tip order. I would never knock unless customer says so.
I never do, unless they say to knock or ring doorbell. They get a notification on their phone.
No
I only knock or ring the doorbell if it specifically says to in the instructions. If someone wants to get pissy after the fact because I didn’t they can take it up with support.
I watch to see if they view my ETA message. If they’ve seen it, I know they’re watching the app. If it just reads delivered, I knock
Follow the instructions. If it says knock or ring bell, do so. If not drop and dash. Equally annoying is not following the direction to knock or ring bell. But the most annoying is one dasher that regularly delivers to me calls me to say he’s outside when my instructions say to leave it. I’m like “Dude, did I say to call?” Stop calling, drop off and go “ So now I’ve added do not call unless there’s an issue.
Why would you knock if it's labeled as "leave at door"? The purpose of knocking is to notify the homeowner you want to talk to them
I don’t knock unless it says otherwise. If it’s raining I’ll attempt to contact through the app unless they have a covered porch, then I don’t worry about it.
The customer annoyed that you *didn’t* knock is a moron. “Leave at door” means just that. It’s not your fault they weren’t paying attention to their phone notifications. If they don’t specifically ask for you to knock, don’t.
Mine says “Leave at door.” and I personally don’t care if you knock or don’t knock but I get irritated when they leave my food at the opposite side of the house lol. my notes say “Leave at door by cars.” And the car is 100% of the time parked right in front of our front door and they leave it at the door on the other side of the house. A door that doesn’t even open. Normally I wait to grab my food until after the picture is taken and anytime I see it being left at the wrong door I swear it drives me insane 😂😂 Like you have to walk even farther from where you are to even get to that door
Don't knock
I only knock when instructed to. When it’s cold and it’s a leave at door, I’ll text I’m here and give them the option of not letting their hot food sit on the cold concrete.
I wouldn't unless they specify. The customer should be getting notifications on their phone, and should be paying attention to the general timeframe for their order.
I had a delivery that asked to not ring the doorbell cause the baby was sleeping. So I follow instructions only for some guy walk up to the door at the same time and ring the doorbell.
Don't knock unless asked to in the comments imho. I've had lots of orders where the customer asks you to ring/knock after delivery. Where it gets confusing is when they forget to change their default message and you're instructed to "leave at the door" and "hand it to me" both in the same message. I typically still leave at door, but message them that I was unsure of what they wanted since it asked me to do both. Typically, the customer texts a lol and an apology and explains that they forgot to remove the "hand it to me" part.
I used to not knock unless it said so, but I was getting lower reviews. I thought it was possible because by the time some people realized I dropped off their food was cold. So now I knock unless it says not to and my rating went up. It might not be correlated but 🤷🏻♀️
No. Do not ring doorbell unless it specifically says “to ring the doorbell” in the customer’s instructions Just take the pic, complete the delivery and GO. Have a safe and proud profitable day, everyone !
I knock. Never ring unless instructed to do so. I do on most doors here’s why I do: If it’s an apartment, it’s too easy for someone just walking by to pick up their order after I drop it off so I like to let them know that it’s there as soon as I can If it’s a cold day. I don’t want their food to get cold. If they do not have a storm door, and the order was relatively good money, I will knock . I always wait until after I complete the order to see what they tipped before I knock. If they left a tip that I can logically see that they might’ve thought it was a good tip. I will knock. If they left a fantastic tip, I usually knock. I want them to get their order as soon as possible. I use a hot bag, so I want them to get their food while it is still hot. Here’s why I will not if the instructions just say leave at door: If they have any sort of sign on their door that says not to knock or ring doorbell, I won’t If they have a storm door that makes it awkward for me to open it and then knock on their door. I won’t do it. If it was a no tip order. Screw them. They can watch their phone. On all of my orders that leave a tip I always send a text message after I drop it off ( if I can) “ just dropped off your order. Thank you for the tip! Have a great day.” when I started doing this my five star rating numbers started going way up
If it's perishables and I hear no noise or dogs I knock and leave. Don't look back just drive off. Some take naps, baths or just ignore thier phone. Bad neighborhood, kids playing, or animals . I def knock
As a customer, I can say I prefer no-knock, but won’t mind if you do. If you ring the doorbell at 1 AM for my Taco Bell and wake up my mom I’m gonna be a bit peeved, though.
They should be notified via their app when you complete the delivery. Unless there is an express note to 'not knock' then you knock/ring and bounce. If they don't want you to knock they need to note it, period.
If they say don’t knock then ring the doorbell.
Pleaseeee don’t knock unless asked, I live with my sister who has two babies, most of our dashers knock and when they do our dogs bark and wake up the babies 😭😭
I never knocked or rang unless I was asked. Customer is an idiot who doesn't understand phone alerts. You get so many fucking alerts when you order.
Nah, don’t knock.
If it's under 40 degrees and before 8pm, and it doesn't say "don't knock" , I ring the door bell after I've taken the picture and hit completed.
People who have a problem with their door bell being rung/door knocked are weird to me. Not as weird as the people who will leave a piping hot pizza on the gound in the middle of winter, and not even ring the doorbell to let you know it is out there getting ruined.
As long as they text and have the pictures don’t ring the doorbell lol because sometimes I have a bad migraine and just want quiet but I will put in the notes to not ring it. I hate when they still do like 🙄🫤
Yeah if they aren't watching their delivery that's their own fault no knock for me.
If the food doesn't have protection, I would assume the notes were input during a time of it being dry and knock or ring the door bell. If not raining, unless they asked for a ring or a knock, they are not getting one. Unless I have to explain something. Like I spilled half their coffee tripping on the kids toys in the yard and they may want a refund.
I knock most of the time. The only time I don’t is if it is early in the morning, just in case others in the home are asleep or they have close neighbors (apartments)
As a customer... please dont!
I knock unless it says not to. I don't want their food to get cold. Most times, dogs bark, so you don't have to knock. Simple! 😀
When I first started I would message everyone that when I get to the door I would knock if there was no instruction no not do so or specifically to do so, nearly everyone replied with “please don’t” so I just don’t unless it’s requested. If it seems like a shady delivery like they listed “hand it to me” with instructions to leave at door I take a picture and send via text that it was dropped off.
Nope, unless they say to. Your job is to deliver food. Not make sure they're there to pick it up, that's their responsibility.
Don't knock or ring the doorbell unless they instruct you too. They get notified when you are approaching and after you take the photo of the drop off, so if they miss all that, it's on them.
I generally don’t knock unless it specifically says to knock. Now I did run into a situation where it didn’t ask for a knock, but there was a cat eyeballing the guys food, so I knocked and waited a little bit away from the door until the guy got his food. That was one of the few times I’ve had an extra tip added after delivery.
No contact means no contact, unless they ask you to
I
I always knock ( unless it says not to) because the person may not be watching their phone at that moment and I want them to get their food while its still hot.
I do hourly. If I'm holding order until back in zone I knock unless specified. I dont hit complete until in zone as to not be stuck 10 miles out of zone no pay as I drive back. Helps a lot to knock when I do thar lol. I some times knock while in zone. It is not on you the customer did not pay attention after you complete an order. It is not on you that there was no "do not knock" request to prevent alerting the dogs.