InstacartReviews 2,486

I wish I had seen these reviews before I tried this service!
I have no car and I was sick at home and needed a few items.

I got a few surprises when I tried to make an order. First, the prices of the groceries are increased to cover the cost of the service then the fees are more than they say they will be.
The clincher was when I clicked on PLACE ORDER and in small print, below that button, they inform you that they have just charged your card for $35.00.
THAT INFORMATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE HOME PAGE BEFORE ORDERING GROCERIES!
I called right away to cancel the order and they did but since I didn't have enough money on my card to cover it, my bank account may be overdrawn.
I took my banking information off their website and will close my account as soon as I get word that this matter is resolved.

I HOPE THEY GO OUT OF BUSINESS!

The delivery person was the only good part of this experience. I will now buy directly from Costco for delivery. Never from Instacart. Here is why:
1) I ordered a carton of 8 Fuji apples; two arrived fully rotten and covered in mold which was quite visible; the "Packed By" date was more than a month before the delivery (see photo).
2) The 2.5 pound package of organic celery showed a "Use by" date of Mar 29; delivery day was today, Mar. 30. (See photo)
3) two carton of ice cream bars were melted; I thought they would be packed in ice; they were not.
4) I thought I was paying Costco prices; I did not realize Instacart jacked them up, some almost $3 per item.

Pro: Same day delivery.
Con: Can take 5+ hours.

Pro: Can list substitute items
Con: Some shoppers don't both getting either options even though you might know it's in stock because you were there recently.

Con: Shoppers pack in plastic bags, there is NO other option listed on the website and you are charged for the bags even when they double triple bag. You will notice that all of their ads show a person delivering groceries in green recyclable bags and uniforms (they don't use uniforms and when I ask them about recycled bags they look at me like I'm crazy).

Con: Customer service was response to the 3x times I was either not given an item or was given a damaged product. They said I would have a credit on my account but I have yet to find it.

Con: After trying the 2week free delivery option you are charged A LOT. Take the time to check the extra charges. There is a delivery fee, delivery tip and a service charge (for weight of bags, time takes to fill an order and gas mileage). Total usually comes out to $20.

BETTER OFF GOING ELSEWHERE FOR DELIVERIES OR SIMPLY DO IT YOURSELF!

Words can describe what I went through with this service. I had planned to fix a nice dinner and they never showed up with any food. I kept watch in the status from their app and apparently someone named "Fred" was finally loading my cart 3 hours after my scheduled delivery time. Needless to say the driver "Fred" never showed up and I had a low blood sugar episode because I feared leaving to buy food thinking he might eventually show up as the text message indicated he would.

At first we thought the costco items marked up 22% to 40% was because we didn't have our costco membership card entered under loyalty cards. We tried it again after entering our costco membership number in their app. It made no difference. Sometimes your time on your weekend maybe worth paying extra if your time is worth more but the way instacart obfuscates the fees with 3 different types of fees and the 3rd, the markup on the store products, is not listed anywhere so you don't know until it is too late. Very deceptive and this should be shut down for consumer fraud.

I needed To send a friend groceries and they accepted my form of payment, once I edited my cart they put hold on my account and requested form of ID and statement showing my address, which mind you was never asked from beginning, so I did... THEN... wanted confirmation with a selfie holding my ID... RIDICULOUS! My friend will be receiving his groceries from walmart delivery because this company couldn't resolve the issue... in addition all this was done via email because customer service was unable to help. Way too much of a hassle to help out a friend.

Instacart - fix your policy to confirm identity before hand and perhaps a LIVE fraudulent customer representative to handle matters efficiently. Very disappointed!

I have had three deliveries. Two were from Wegmans and one from Aldie. The shoppers were polite, efficient and on time. Although it is a bit pricey with tips and fees it is convenient as I walk with a cane and getting groceries into my townhouse is a chore. I was delighted UNTIL
I looked at my receipt and saw I was charged $2.59 for cantelopes on sale for 99 cents each and 99 cents for avocados on sale for 59 cents. I called and was told Instacart does not honor store sales. The price you see when you place the order is it. So they paid 99 cents when they checked out and they charged me $2.69. It is not a huge amount but stiffing me for $3.20 on top of the other fees irks me.

I've purchasee from instacart twice through kroger. First one was ok but they took 75$ out of my account i didnt even use and i had to wait 3 day for my money back. Second time my sister ordered and she was suppose to get free delivery as well but they charged her the 12$fee. The items came after i tried to cancel. Damaged. And customer service gave me attitude for trying to get my refund and said it was my fault because i didnt order directly through instacart even though the site is connected to kroger. I DONT RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE. Unprofessional, UNORGANIZED just HORRIBLE!

Ordered groceries to be delivered to my daughter at the University of Washington campus. A map on their app confirmed (correctly) where the groceries would be delivered. Instead, they delivered the groceries to my home address at 3 or 4 pm. I was at an evening workshop only to arrive home@ 11pm to discover items strewn around my yard and ripped into by the neighborhood stray dog. Not only did my daughter not get her groceries, I had a huge mess to clean up which included melted ice cream and a carton of milk which had been bitten open and leaked all over the porch. These people still have not refunded my money. WORST COMPANY EVER!

When you think if a brand it should resonate a feeling of happiness and quality or disgust, and agony. Instacart just makes me feel like a bad relationship I need to stay far away from. It's like the ex who you breakup with and then a few months later they come crawling back begging for forgiveness. You say what the hell, I still love 'em, let's give it a go. Only to find what's in the past should stay there. Here is a company that can forgo dramatic changes to its infrastructure and I would never think to do business with them again. I've never had any issues with the shoppers but their management is poor. $9.99 for a monthly subscription, only to get unsure times of delivery or no delivery at all. Three times I had to send my kid to bed without eating nothing more than a pudding, yogurt, or jello waiting on my groceries that never showed up. When you call customer service the amount of ridiculous excuses they give you would think your dealing with a four year old. "Here's $10 towards your next purchase". Seriously?! I'm paying you for a service, if you can't deliver your end of the bargain then your word is shot to hell. I've never had an order delivered within the hour as advertised. The fastest was two, the longest - within a five hour window. Those I can deal with because I know I'm not the only person waiting for groceries. But, when an order is placed at 4pm to be delivered at 6pm but rescheduled for 11am, the problem lies in communication. I'f this whole system is based on independent shoppers - then let the shoppers tell the customer when they can get there so everyone can plan around each other. Otherwise, put up an out of business sign because that's where this company is headed. Their retention ratings are low all the way around the board, and they don't show any apathy or empathy when losing a long term customer or shopper. Guess we'll be walking eight miles to the grocery store until I get some new wheels. That or pay $80 on cab fare.

Not only did Instacart charge me for delivery (when my order was free) but they put on a recurring charge my grocery bill, delivery charge and a 99.00 monthly service fee. When I attempted to contact them, with the same information I ordered with, they could not find me in their system which resulted in my having to close my credit card and open another.

Don't use them! Even though I really loved their personal shopper experience, the shopper could not even update the app with exceptions.

Did you know most grocery stores in your city deliver groceries for a fee, but the grocery prices are less through them and you save more despite the fees? Did you know Instacart has sizes made for them that are much smaller than the sizes you're used to seeing, so you end up paying the same as you would the normal size for a much smaller version. Did you know Instacart once recommended 10% tip, but changed it to 5% then started recommending 5% service fee that went to the company. Did you know that there was backlash for this change so they took away the service fee, but still recommends 5% for tips. Did you know you can put things in your cart that have coupons attached that can change the next day if groceries aren't delivered on the same day? Did you know Instacart can say they're charging $. 13 per banana or any other item and then in small print charge you $2 a lb. or whatever they want to charge per pound. These are just a few of the experiences I've had over the past 3 years using their service. I was an express delivery member, but I will not be upping my subscription this year. I ordered my groceries through my local grocery store and compared prices. I saved $25 for my order through my grocery delivery service over Instacart for the same or smaller items. Instacart is not a company with integrity. It is our job as consumers to find other businesses to support and not allow corporations to continue to make money without doing the right thing for both consumers and their employees.