There was a bit of a letdown for some customers as the app faltered in a number of big cities, throwing a wrench in early lunch. You could tell something was up as thousands put in trouble tickets to see if DoorDash was down for the day. The company is on record that we are back in business, though you can’t help but wonder about the reliability of it all.
What users saw this morning
It started with the mobile app not having any of it. We saw a run of complaints from people who couldn’t get in, put in an order or follow a delivery. It was mostly a smartphone issue; the website didn’t see the same kind of trouble.
DoorDash was on top of it and let us know they were looking into a platform issue and would have it sorted. They put out an apology and said to keep an eye on their support for more on it.
The extent of it
If you look at the numbers from Downdetector, over 36,000 people made a report around a.m. ET on Tuesday, June 16. It was a steep rise in calls to action right before the lunch hour, which only made it more of an inconvenience for those with a midday order in mind.
You could see the reports piling up in the large metros. Folks in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas and L.A. were some of the ones feeling it most, so this was no small, local hiccups.
Where the app let them down
The type of feedback we got told the story. Some 73% of the issues on Downdetector were with the app, which is to be expected given how much the whole operation runs on it for the customer and the Dasher.
The heaviest volume of grumbling came in around a.m. ET. People were hitting refresh, trying to re-order, and then heading to third-party sites and support to make sure of it.
According to DoorDash, it’s over
Late in the morning the word from DoorDash was that they had it under control. They are making sure any affected orders or Dashers are taken care of, and if you are still having a hard time, they want you to call in.
With things back to normal for the most part, the complaints have dried up. Still, there has been no word on what set this off, so some are left in the dark.
For the rest of us
Put in an order while the system was down? Here is a way to make sure you don’t get caught off guard:
– Have a look at your order history for anything amiss
– If it doesn’t add up, give support a ring
– See if there is anything new from DoorDash Help
Why it is a deal for some
They picked a bad time to go down. When you are in the thick of planning a lunch and the office is getting in its deliveries, even a short-lived problem stands out.
You can’t put food on the table without a stable app and good logistics. With 73% of the noise coming from app trouble, it is a point of vulnerability for everyone involved, from the diner to the Dasher.
Bottom line
Today was a nudge to check on your orders when things are in flux. If you need a meal on time, it pays to monitor the status of the service and the support lines.
So, is DoorDash down? For a while, yes. The company has put the matter to rest and is tending to any loose ends. As for why it happened, they haven’t said.
