MIAMI, FLORIDA: DoorDash drivers typically earn a base pay ranging from $2 to $10 or more per delivery. However, this seemingly wasn't sufficient for one enranged delivery person, who was discovered spitting on a customer's meal as a repulsive act of revenge due to a meager tip.
This disturbing incident transpired when Elias Crisanto utilized DoorDash to place a food order for both himself and his mother at their apartment in Miami, Florida.
The 13-year-old Crisanto decided to leave his DoorDash delivery driver a $3 tip, considering it a 'good' gesture for the relatively short half-mile journey.
Crisanto monitored the delivery in real-time using the Ring doorbell camera, and initially, everything appeared routine.
The delivery person, dressed in flip-flops and shorts, casually approached the door, placed the food down, and took a picture to confirm the delivery.
However, the Ring camera captured the DoorDasher crouching down and spitting on the food, not once or twice, but three times.
The Spanish-speaking deliveryman was then observed walking away, audibly complaining about not receiving a decent tip for the effort of transporting the food just half a mile.
How did DoorDash respond to this situation?
Crisanto told Telemundo 51 that he and his mother felt a profound sense of disgust after witnessing the incident through the security camera app on his phone.
“He got angry because maybe he thought the tip was small, and he spit in the food,” said Crisanto.
"If it wasn't because of the camera, no one knows. I wanted to vomit, because who does that?" the teen asked.
The Florida Anti-Tampering Food Act states that tampering with anyone's food is a crime in the state.
If a person is convicted of food tampering it's considered a second-degree felony, which could result in penalties including up to 15 years in jail or $10,000 as a fine.
Later, Doordash responded to this situation with a statement, saying: “While we empathize with the frustration of not receiving a tip, this behavior is unacceptable and falls far below the high-quality experience we aim to provide.”
“We have removed the Dasher from our platform and have reached out to the customer directly to help make things right.”
Another DoorDash driver fired over tip dispute
This incident marks a recurring pattern where delivery drivers have been caught seeking revenge by tampering with food orders. Just a few months prior, another DoorDash delivery driver faced termination for verbally abusing a customer who had offered a $5 tip.
The individual, known only as "Dasher Corey," was captured by a Texas woman named Lacey Purciful's doorbell camera as he delivered her family's dinner on the evening of June 30.
“Respectfully asking for a tip is acceptable but abusing or harassing someone is never acceptable,” DoorDash said in a statement, adding: “We’ve removed this Dasher from our platform and reached out to the customer.”
