Let’s say you’re an Uber Eats driver, and you get a new delivery offer. The offer says “$10, includes expected tip.”
You’re close to the restaurant, and the customer isn’t too far away, so you accept the order. All goes well.
But a few hours later, you review the order and find that the final payout dropped to $4!
The app says, “The estimate was $10, including an up-front tip, but the customer reduced the tip after delivery.” Ouch!
A classic tip bait. From $10.14 to $3.44. Credit nat_7 on Reddit
Congratulations, you’ve been tip baited. It’s a frustrating phenomenon that happens to Uber Eats drivers when customers tempt them with a tip only to take it away after the order is complete.
Are you worried about tip baiting? Read on to see what it is, why it happens, and if there’s anything you can do to avoid it.
What is tip baiting on Uber Eats?
Tip baiting is when a customer enters a tip when they place the order, then removes the tip after the order is complete.
On Uber Eats, drivers see an upfront payout estimate before they accept an order request. The estimate includes some or all of tips left at checkout. In other words, delivery drivers can see if you tipped.
Customers can change or remove the tip up to one hour after the order is complete. So the driver is expecting at tip based on the estimated pay, but the final payout is lower than than the estimate.
An Uber Eats driver may accept an order with a $10 estimated payout only to see later that the payout dropped to $4 after the customer removed the tip.
When a tip is reduced, the earnings statement for a delivery will say “the customer reduced the tip after delivery.”
When the tip is completely removed, the earnings statement only shows the original estimate. It does not mention anything about the customer reducing or removing the tip.
Below is an example of a typical tip bait. The driver initially saw an offer for $10.10, but was ultimately only paid $5.50 after the customer removed the tip.
From $10 to $5. Ouch. Credit Pauly-B on Reddit
How long does it take for tips to appear in driver earnings?
Customers have one hour to add, adjust, or remove their tip. Tips typically appear on the delivery earnings statement around one hour after the delivery is complete.
There can be other issues that cause tip delays, but most tips will appear after one hour.
Some drivers immediately check their earnings after a delivery and get upset when the payout doesn’t match the estimate. Make sure to wait at least one hour to see the final payout.
How to get compensated when customers remove your tip
Uber may pay you some or all of a removed tip if you contact support and complain that you weren’t paid the correct amount.
You may need to escalate or ask for a supervisor. Politely but firmly insist that Uber did not honor the upfront price.
You may be compensated $10–$25 to make up for the tip bait.
Drivers report that this method works, but success isn’t 100% guaranteed. If you’re upset about a tip bait, it’s worth trying.
It worked for this driver: “Just keep saying you got an incorrect amount. They will keep transferring you till you get to a manager of some sort and he/she will credit you with 15$ of an apology and will report that account. Happened to me 2 weeks ago”
But it didn’t work for this one: “Most of the time they won’t do anything though. I’ve been tip-baited about half a dozen times and never received compensation”
Why do customers tip bait?
We could not reach any perpetrators of tip baiting for comment, so we’ll have to try to do our best to dive into the mind of a baiter.
A few reasons come to mind: Customers might change their tip because they were unhappy with some part of the service.
It could have been the problems with food quality, a long wait time, or their experience communicating with the delivery person.
A more cynical take is that dishonest customers tip bait on purpose to get faster service. These savvy users know that a high up-front tip will get them better results, so they dangle the tip only to pull it back once the order has arrived.
I believe that most customers change the tip to express frustration about something from the delivery experience, even if it’s not the delivery person’s fault.
It seems more rare that a customer knows enough about the system to tip bait intentionally to get better service at a discount.
Unfortunately, drivers end up taking the blame for issues that may have been caused by the restaurant or factors out of their control.
More examples of tip baiting on Uber Eats
The payout below dropped from $10.67 to $2.67. That’s less than $3 for 21 minutes of work. This driver would not have accepted the order if the up front estimate was only $2.67.
Credit natalie1518 on reddit
Baited at $7.97 dropped to $4.14. Not a pretty sight.
Credit Afraid-Maintenance60
How common is tip baiting?
It’s easy to find examples of tip baiting online, but it’s just as easy to find comments from drivers who say it’s not a very common experience.
Many drivers go hundreds or even thousands of deliveries without being tip baited.
This thread on Reddit has a few replies from drivers who say that tip baiting is actually quite rare.
You can understand why frustrated drivers rush to the internet to share screen shots of a tip bait. When you get burned, you want to share your story.
The opposite of tip baiting: When tips increase
The ability for customers to change a tip after the order can have positive consequences too. Some drivers experience the opposite of a tip bait, which is when the tip actually increases.
Below, this driver was pleasantly surprised to see that the $9 estimate increased to $17.
Credit DanSensei on Reddit
The driver below started the order expecting $32 and received $77—one for the record books.
Credit Slight-Salt-1578 on Reddit
How can drivers avoid tip baiting?
Tip baiting will remain possible as long as Uber Eats includes tip info in the upfront estimate and allows customers to change a tip after the order is over.
One potential way to avoid tip baiting and bad ratings is to cancel on an order that is going poorly.
If a customer is upset or unreasonable before you even have their food in hand, you can cancel to avoid a bad rating and a tip reduction.
An even worse end to tip baiting would be if Uber stopped including tips in the estimated payout. You can’t get baited if the tip info isn’t there in the first place!
In the bad old days, drivers only saw the base payout from Uber and got no up front tip information at all. It’s always better to get as much info as possible before you accept an order, so it’s best if Uber continues to share estimated tips.
More reading for Uber Eats Drivers
adam charles says
It’s happened to me more and more lately. It probably happens at least once a day now. The frustrating thing is we’re providing good service and any issues they have likely have nothing to do with us. And a lot of us know who did it and their exact address. I’m kind of surprised customers are okay with that knowing we know who they are. WE can mark Google maps to let us know if the address we’re going to is a tip-baiter then cancel that delivery. So those customers could ultimately wind up waiting longer because they’re scumbags.
Alex says
If you tip bait, you’re not a human being you are a filthy cockroach in karma is a bitch.
CHI-TY says
This has happened to me 3 times. Each time, the deliveries were short distances with no wait, at the vendor. I say the customer baited deliberately, and the broker had prior knowledge because of the algorithm.
Sometimes, I think the delivery brokers are suspect in how they disburse the deliveries. I have only had one business type delivery, and I think my ratio should be higher. When I started accepting less, I started getting less deliveries of fair pay in a certain area. I added an app to compensate, and I actually make more with the second app because the majority of their customers tip better, and because I can roam without logging in and out of my area. I am not sticking with that one solo only because some of the vendors and delivery areas are crowded with limited parking spots.
Julia says
Got my first tip bait today, they ordered makeup from the mall. Walked all the way in to get it as it was a 26.00 trip, drove it 23 min away into the country to only get 13 dollars for the trip because they took back the tip.
Christopher says
It has happened to me often mainly late at night it’s horrible I am at point if it keeps happening will only do ubber people gas is almost 4 dollers a gallon ubber could simply look at average time it takes for every driver to do delivery if your in that time frame not allow people to do this if it keeps happening I will stop doing food delivery I’m 5 star driver fast know that it shouldn’t happen to o me
Maurice J Whiteside says
Dont order then if you cant afford it
CHI-TY says
I agree. Most of the time it does not happen I think I was just baited by two customers. I remember them and will not deliver to them again. They got their food fast and tip baited, which costed me 12 on already bad day. Nobody can drive for free.
Leah says
Since drivers aren’t afraid to say how they’ll mess with orders or not pick them up for certain tips, I honestly don’t feel bad for tip baiting lol.
If I’m traveling & don’t know the area well, I’ll only use ubereats. I’ll tip 20% to get my order fast, then I’ll take it off completely.
Maybe drivers will learn you either take the order or don’t, but cherry picking won’t always work out in your favor.
Darrell says
Please everyone a favor and get your food yourself. Some of us drivers are working three jobs and trying to build a business. Don’t be a jerk and add insult to injury. Your a crappy human being if you do that
Jigg says
You are a piece of crap. I am trying to start a business and raise my daughter so I do deliveries when I can and can’t stand people like you. I have no help because my parents passed away before I was 10 and have done everything alone the right way and you would do stuff like that!?!?! Karma is a mirror and if you ever wonder why things don’t work out for you, well there you go.
Out to get you says
There are sad human beings on this planet. Unfortunately standard Uber fees don’t even cover car expenses, let alone a wage. That’s the reality. The other reality is that WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE… since we were there just an hour ago. Don’t tip bait or you just never know…
adam charles says
I once worked with a guy at a pizza place that got upset with how many times one customer screwed him out of a tip. He drove to their house late at night in his WRX, lights off on his car, and did donuts all over the lawn. lol
Rafael says
If you continue to do this drivers will eventually take notice and I did. There was a customer at a certain address that always reduced the tip after delivery. Trust me, we know who the repeat offenders are. I reached out to Uber eats and explained them my situation and they looked into it and found that in fact on the 6 previous deliveries this customer always reduced the tip. You will get black listed.
CHI-TY says
Well, you should because drivers are not picking up low tipping orders with high mileage because we have cars that require gas and are not driving for free. If drivers are picking up low paying orders it is most likely because they are rookies or the order was paired with a higher tipping customer. I actually keep track of the non-tippers, so I can save my gas for someone who is appreciative.
adam charles says
So because you read something about some drivers anecdotally you’re okay with fucking over drivers that never said that? I hope you get sneeze muffins delivered.
Shade says
Just happened tonight. Dude wants a wall plug and charge cord for his phone, he’s at the motel. Walgreens is out of wall blocks. Dude says “sorry to waste your time. I’ll hook up the tip if you can track me down a wall plug.” I tell him I’ve got one of my extras in my car and you can have it. We all know how shitty it is to not be able to charge: especially travelling. When I get to the hotel he doesn’t answer. Desk calls his room and his cell. I tell her I just spoke to him as I left the store 10 mins ago….Is maybe he hurt? She knocks, waits and let’s him know she’s gonna open his door, it’s bolted inside….so he’s in there. So I just leave them with the clerk, hoping he will be a decent human. I get home and the oblig hour passes and Uber lets me know that he adjusted my tip. I check and he lowered it. So a $18 run turns into a $9 run.
I call the desk to see if he picked up his shit yet….Im happy to report he’s the owner of a $20 cord and no wall plug to use it with cause my petty ass drove back up there and took my shit home with me. 🍆 Head
Tommy says
It happen to me 3 times in 1 week. Always happen when it’s a stack order. I’m thinking of leaving Uber eat. They need to protect the drivers earning. Pretty soon they won’t have a good business of hiring. We need to voice out.
Charlie J Pearsall says
Well said and agreed 100 percent because it’s frustrating.
Amy says
It’s happened to me this week, as well. Totally agree with you. Is there a way for us to rate the customer after the fact??? It’d be nice if there was some way to track these things.
CHI-TY says
I think you can salvage your earning potential if you drive with more than one app. I also drive with Door Dash. The problem with Door Dash is: I can’t roam from different areas without logging in and out of a zone; that. is insane because if the delivery takes me out of the zone, I should automatically get deliveries on the way back in. I just work with the other apps to keep a steady flow.
Leog81 says
to all you tip baiting scammers don’t cry when one day the delivery driver comes back to your house to bust your head in
Tipping Is A Scam says
Lol that is a risk you take when you accept the job. Not saying it’s your fault, it’s everyone’s fault. But the food delivery companies are to blame. We all put up with them and blame each other. Instead of fighting customers who might also have financial struggles for a tip, fight the delivery food companies for better wages!
Josh says
That is a bullshit excuse. If they don’t have the money for a tip, they shouldn’t be listing that they are adding a tip to begin with.