Thousands of local Instacart drivers are owed a refund following a settlement the D.C. Attorney General’s Office reached with the delivery service, but only 50 have filed a claim so far.
In 2020 the attorney general sued Instacart for misleading consumers about service fees and failing to pass the full amount of tips left by consumers to the workers. Instacart paid a $1.5 million penalty to resolve the lawsuit.
“Our lawsuit revealed and was based on the fact that Instacart was charging people for fees, leading people to believe those fees were going to the drivers who were delivering meals when in fact those fees were going back to Instacart, which was a violation of our consumer protection laws,” Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb said.
Full-service Instacart workers who made deliveries in D.C. between Oct. 1, 2016, through April 30, 2018, could receive refunds of $150 or more depending on how long they worked for Instacart and how many deliveries they made. The attorney general’s office believes there are possibly 10,000 eligible claimants, but they only have until Saturday to file a claim online. Those who file will be asked for proof of when they worked.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Instacart said it strongly denies the District’s allegations and they’re pleased to put the matter behind them after phasing out the waivable service fee more than four years ago.
