You place an order through an app, and a random stranger – not an employee of the company you purchased from, mind you – shows up at your door.
Conversely, you download an app, and a random stranger places an order, which you must deliver personally to their doorstep.
What could go wrong, right?
On-demand Food Delivery App Customers
For Lauren Ledford, everything could go wrong. She placed a pizza order through Postmates, and, since it was the first time in months that she’d ordered pizza to be delivered, made the mistake of assuming a tip was included in the price for delivery.
She was mistaken. Rather than be quietly annoyed, the man who delivered her pizza opted to leave a threatening letter on her doorstep. The driver said he would rob Ledford if she did not take up a habit of tipping.
“I’m only joking, but not really,” the letter said. “Who knows what a disgruntled delivery driver who can’t afford to eat that day is capable of.”
The letter also contained several racist and sexist comments.
On-Demand Drivers
On the driver side, a story ran earlier this year regarding an unidentified Uber driver who covertly filmed his drive transporting a female passenger who threatened to falsely accuse him of rape. Why? He didn’t have a phone charger available for her use.
Are On-Demand Apps Safe?
From looking at the policies of companies like Uber and Postmates, one would think there should be no issue. Uber bans all physical contact – sexual or otherwise – and explicitly bans flirting as well. Postmates defines harassment, stalking, threats, and defamation as a violation of policy as well.
Postmates also does a background check of all potential drivers. Uber opts to keep track of where riders are for them, and, via uberPOOL, allow riders to know who else is sharing their ride.
In the wake of recent reports of sexual harassment and other issues with on-demand apps, it may seem reasonable to question the safety of these services for couriers and customers alike. However, the potential upside to so much press surrounding these types of issues in the gig economy is that the courier giants are proactively seeking ways to implement policies and practices that protect everyone.
