For these unscrupulous individuals, it seems that coupons are not enough. But, these coupons are still the safest route to get more advantage. Nonetheless, there’s this evil trick that some customers are doing in the expense of food delivery riders. Here’s the story.
Sneaky trick
The deceptive practice that’s currently being passed along is known as tip baiting. In Texas, a certain Uber Eats driver confronted a customer after he reportedly decreased his more than $15 tip to literally $0 upon the delivery of a grocery order worth $143, which included five cases of water. This has been going on for ages, as the viral video where the confrontation happened was on TikTok in 2024.
Another driver took to Reddit last summer, complaining after a customer took back a $60 worth of tips for a Shop and Pay grocery order that took them a whopping two hours.
“This is how I got Uber to give me my tip after the customer did not tip. The original tip was supposed to be $60, for a shop and pay order, which took 2 hours. Note: I would only do this for large tip baiting, you don’t want to keep complaining, they could just ban you from the platform, and if you only do this once in a while, they will take you more seriously,” the Reddit post read. “I used the chat help, I did not call…”
Reddit customers are, of course, sympathizing with the poster, with one saying, “That’s my love-hate relationship with DD. The only company that doesn’t allow tip baiting.”
Another gig worker cried, “I wish God would make you learn somehow,” in October after being tip-baited for more than $15 while delivering for Uber Eats for the first time in a new city.
Nice thing that the delivery riders are not being silenced by this practice. Well, there’s social networking apps to air their grievances.
The deceptive practice, known as “tip baiting,” threatens the hardwork of these delivery workers since they will literally earn less for the time and effort they worked.
Tip-baiting on food delivery apps involves a customer promising a large tip to encourage a driver to prioritize their order, then removing or reducing the tip after the delivery is completed.
In other words, customers enter a big tip amount on the app so they’d receive quick service, and when the rider is approaching, they just replace it with a nominal amount or totally remove the gratuity once the order has been delivered. It’s like finding a loophole to what’s legal, and using it to their own advantage – and, against the delivery riders.
This practice is not economically sound for all the parties involved. It seems that some customers are not happy with the savings they can get with coupons, right? But then again, there’s another loophole, since this habit is technically not illegal. It is just seen by many as unethical and a form of fraud.
Has Uber Eats taken action?
Part of the blame is upon the food delivery apps, of course. Why would they provide a leeway for some customers to tip-bait, right?
Nevertheless, actions are already being taken. Uber Eats told Ridesharing Forum it has the “Tip Guarantee” policy launched in November 2025 “designed to address” this issue by placing a guaranteed badge on some orders. Some orders.
At the very least, for orders bearing this badge that see the tip reduced, Uber covers the difference. However, on standard orders, customers can still change tips for up to an hour. The Ridesharing Forum team is on top of the developments regarding this matter.