I began as a "Dasher" on the DoorDash platform February 2020, right as the COVID-19 pandemic began to soar in America. Coming from jobs that didn't work so well for me, I was nervous about what it would be like to deliver food orders to people. How will it go? Will people order frequently? Will people be polite? Will I be happy doing it? Over a year later, I have completed over 1,270 deliveries as a Dasher; and I can say I absolutely love what I do. I make my own decisions as to what days I work, what hours I work, what orders I take, and not have someone deciding these things for me. To be transparent, I temporarily stopped Dashing in June in favor of Instacart. However, since I returned in December, DoorDash has really lost its sense of touch with its Dashers. Really, what has sent me over the edge and motivated me to start this petition was the nationwide app issues DoorDash incurred this past Tuesday night (March 16, 2021); several orders were either duplicated or sent to multiple Dashers at once, and assistance was unavailable on their chat service while their phone lines were on hold for at least an hour at a time (approximately).

Within the first four months I was Dashing, I made quite a substantial amount of money each day I was out delivering to customers. DoorDash was implementing extra pay per order, known to Dashers as "Peak Pay," which soared to amounts such as $7-$9 at any given time. The highest I remember seeing was $10.50 per order, in my area, during this February-to-June span of time. Currently, Peak Pay tends to be $1-$3. I have never seen higher than $3 within the last three months or so. While it is apparent and clear the state lockdowns that were enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to higher volumes of orders, and more earnings to pull in, the amount made on each order was substantially higher and more valuable to the amount of time I was spending each week to make money. While I must admit I wasn't as focused on what my "Base Pay" was at the time I started, I clearly know I was not receiving orders that were lower than around $7-$8. Currently, the amount of $3, $3.50, and $4 orders I receive are at atrocious levels; so atrocious that I'm led to decline more than I accept most nights I go out.

On top of the low-paying orders I've been seeing, I also have dealt with something I NEVER experienced in my first four months of Dashing. As soon as I returned in December (2020), I've had at least three "Contract Violations" and AT LEAST a handful of frivolous complaints filed against me from customers that simply wanted free food, plain and simple. I never once would EVER pick up someone's order and keep it for myself. It never even crosses my mind when Dashing. These Contract Violations were solely due to arriving at the restaurant between 10-20 minutes late. I never intend on wasting any time before picking up orders, and somehow, DoorDash has decided I have arrived late to a restaurant.

I have been left confused and baffled after what I have experienced in the last three months I've Dashed, more often then the first four months I began Dashing last year. Like I've stated from the top, I've grown to really love Dashing. If I could deliver for DoorDash for the rest of my life, I would. Dashing has grown to have such a sentimental value to me. But, I can no longer sit back and accept the outrageous "low-ball" orders (as they've been called) and overall operation of DoorDash.

So, what does leave me with? Do I quit and find a "real job?" Currently, in the year 2021, the amount of jobs out there are no longer limited to the common "blue-collar" and "white-color" occupations. Gone are the days of either working as a mechanic, for example, or a "nine to five" office job. If you want to be working within the "Gig Economy," it should not result as a sizeable sacrifice. While I cannot come to a conclusion with customers, I've been led to believe DoorDash does not have their Dashers at their best interest; and it's a shame. This petition is myself making my frustrations clear about the absurdly low "Peak Pay," the lack of accountability when customers file complaints against Dashers, and the overall practices of DoorDash.

As of the past 24 hours, I've discovered the #DECLINENOW movement. After learning more about #DECLINENOW, I've found it addresses some of the issues I've been experiencing as of recent. I hope this petition can reach those who support the #DECLINENOW movement, as I can say I support #DECLINENOW from the aspect of DoorDash raising it's Base Pay and giving it's Dashers a stronger ability of establishing wealth from an outside-the-box occupation. With the pandemic beginning to wind down, as a Dasher that began while the pandemic was beginning, I'm left wondering what will happen when regulations are lifted and we return to normalcy. Do people go out to eat more, and cause food delivery services like DoorDash to slow down? Will things not change? These are the same questions Anthony Xu, and the rest of DoorDash should be thinking about RIGHT NOW. #DECLINENOW is a movement not limited to DoorDash. All other food/convenience  delivery services, at the very least, should be considering where their Base Pay stands at and adjusting accordingly. Furthermore, Base Pay shouldn't be where the buck stops.

This isn't a call for DoorDash to simply increase their payouts, to a substantial degree. It is a call for DoorDash to revise their practices in these ways:

– Base Pay should be raised to $5 or $6 to allow for low-paying orders to be at a better chance of being profitable for Dashers making a living.

– Peak Pay should be at levels seen back one year ago; that being $4, $5, $6, $7. I'm not saying it has to be as crazy-high as $10.50. But if Base Pay is not lifted, these amounts for Peak Pay help elevate the low-paying orders DoorDash gives to Dashers. Even with Base Pay raised, Peak Pay of those levels added on top just means Dashers make even more for their dashes.

– Customer and Dasher Support needs to see changes that allow for easier access to assistance with orders that customers place, and Dashers are completing. Often when an issue occur, for either the customer or Dasher, DoorDash Customer Support gives the absolute bare-minimum service they need to provide, and sometimes they even disconnect when they feel they need to. I've delivered to a customer before who waited around six hours for their order to be delivered. That customer contacted DoorDash chat support when their food didn't arrive after around two hours, the chat she was having with the support agent ended up being randomly ended by the support agent for no reason whatsoever. Customer Support also needs to be available in situations were major issues occur, similar to what occurred this week.

– DoorDash needs to create measures of accountability for customers who want to attempt to abuse the idea of a complaint in order to obtain something, free of cost, in return. I always attempt to go above and beyond for every customer I deliver to. I always appreciate all customers I choose to deliver to. But, when one of those customers wants to file a complaint claiming I did not deliver their order when I know myself I delivered the order and DoorDash further chooses to immediately believe the customer instead of doing due diligence and investigating any case before coming to an ultimate verdict, that shows me DoorDash does not care about those who they allow to deliver orders placed on their platform. If I truly made a mistake, then it needs to be known as a mistake. I have never once felt, with the Contract Violations I have received, there were any true errors I made which deserved to received that result. Never once, did I ever feel DoorDash had my back and made their absolute best effort to find anything from any complaint filed against me which shows I did what I was told to do in the Dasher app; that is what I always do, bare minimum. This needs to change. While some may disagree, the saying "the customer is always right" is never always true. There are times customers will take advantage of Dashers to get a free meal, which they never realize comes back on the Dasher. DoorDash must recognize this, and set procedures in place to deal with these instances.

These issue are not things I want DoorDash to change, simply for myself. These are things I'm positive many other Dashers and other food delivery drivers feel, or have felt at one point. I've been led to the point, before, where I began drafting a letter to DoorDash CEO Anthony Xu, addressing the issues I personally experienced (knowing others may have felt the same way). I eventually lost desire and continued back to Dashing and putting the issues in the past. But with #DECLINENOW seemingly becoming a trend, and the issues arising this week with DoorDash's servers, I feel the time is now to attempt to enact change and make a statement to DoorDash that Dashers like myself cannot be taking what they are giving to us anymore. Something needs to change in order for Dashers to be able to help themselves, and their families, develop an income that can sufficiently sustain a living. Also, something needs to change so that—while Dashers can be making an income to sustain a living for themselves and their families—Dashers can dash with a piece of mind, knowing they deliver for a company that has their back as far as they can feasibly go. Obviously, if a Dasher truly did not complete an order in the correct manner—or behaved in a way that defies what should be expected from the customer's point of view—they should dealt with in an according manner. But, to have support from the company who allows you to deliver orders for them is what goes a long way to get more people on board. DoorDash needs to provide ample support to those they allow to deliver for them, and that should not be a hard concept to grasp and put into practice.

While I know this is a long read, I really do appreciate the effort you took to hear my whole story and the reason I've chosen to stop accepting the experience DoorDash is giving to Dashers—including myself. Dashing has become something dear to my heart; therefore, I don't want to simply step away and enter some other occupation simply because DoorDash isn't giving me the experience I deserve anymore. This petition is to stand up to Anthony Xu, Andy Fang, Stanley Tang, and the rest of the DoorDash organization and call for change. Pandemic, or not, now is the time to start offering higher Base Pay and Peak Pay to Dashers. Now, is the time to start reconsidering how Customer and Dasher Support operates within DoorDash. Now, is the time to hold those fraudulent customers accountable and stand behind Dashers who take time out of their days and nights to deliver orders to make a living. According to Reuters, DoorDash debuted on the NYSE at $71.3 billion this past December. Simply put, DoorDash has enough money to suffice giving larger portions to those they allow to deliver their orders; as well as giving the utmost support to those same people—myself, included. I do hope this effort reaches out to Dashers, and all food delivery drivers, who feel the same exact way. I'm done. It's time for change. Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates, but specifically DoorDash, it's time to listen to your delivery drivers and enact change before they feel they need to leave for something else. There is no more out, it's time to listen and change accordingly. It's time to give us all orders with valuable pay, and allow us to deliver those order with the piece of mind that you will defend us and allow us to flourish in this 21st Century occupation.