A Doordash glitch gave some California delivery workers thousands of dollars in extra pay — before the company yanked the money back.
Some of the delivery app’s workers saw $3,000 to $4,000 extra dollars appear in their accounts and then vanish into thin air, according to a series of online posts by employees first reported by Vice.
For some drivers, the fleeting bonus was worth more than a month of pay.
“My jaw dropped when I saw over $3,000 in my account,” a Northern California DoorDash driver named Dave who typically earns that amount in five weeks told Vice. “I thought maybe they’re giving me backpay.”
While some drivers momentarily received extra money from the glitch, others apparently had thousands deducted from their accounts. In a Reddit forum for DoorDash drivers, a worker who had not received an accidental bonus posted a screenshot showing a negative account balance of more than $6,000.
“You cannot transfer because you currently owe -$6,339.32,” read a message displayed by the app.
Doordash deliverers, which the company does not classify as employees, vented their frustration with the situation online.
“We aren’t employees to [Doordash],” wrote one member of the Reddit forum. “We’re officially slaves to them.”
Doordash did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
This is not the first time the company has caught heat for alleged mistreatment of its food-fetchers.
After reports that the company was allowing customers enter tips through its app and then pocketing the money instead of giving it to delivery workers, a series of lawsuits were filed, resulting in a $2.5 million settlement in Washington D.C., the Mercury News reported.