SAN FRANCISCO: DoorDash has responded to a lawsuit alleging the company deliberately charges iPhone users more than Android users, deeming the claims as “blatantly false.”
Earlier this week, several news outlets reported on the class-action lawsuit against DoorDash. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, says the food delivery platform engages in “deceptive, misleading and fraudulent practices.”
DoorDash vehemently denied the accusations in a blog post on Thursday.
“Let’s set the record straight: DoorDash does not charge more based on the type of phone you use. Period,” the company said. “Any allegation that we deliberately charge iPhone users more than Android users is blatantly false and frankly ridiculous.”
The company added that, given the lawsuit “was drafted as a wandering and baseless rant,” the plaintiff’s legal strategy is clear: “throw spaghetti against a wall and see if anything sticks.”
“We categorically reject the untrue claims in the lawsuit and look forward to vigorously fighting them,” DoorDash said.
The company’s VP of communications and policy Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean also shared the blog post on LinkedIn and called the lawsuit “bonkers and untrue.”
DoorDash’s fees have previously come under the judiciary spotlight. In 2021, the city of Chicago accused both DoorDash and competitor GrubHub of using “bait-and-switch” tactics, showing small delivery fees initially and adding in extra fees at the end of the order.
At the end of its response to the most recent suit, DoorDash clarified how its fees work.
“Simply put – fees help us operate our platform. Fees go to paying Dashers, powering our app and platform, and providing our community with the best experience possible,” the company said.
It also emphasized that fees are disclosed throughout the customer experience, including on each restaurant storepage and before checkout.
Regarding why iPhone users are occasionally shown different prices than Android counterparts, DoorDash cited its experimentation with new features and different promotions, such as seasonal promotions, limited-time menu offerings or deals with merchant partners.
“As such, there may be times when a user sees different features or promotions than other users,” the blog post concluded.
DoorDash’s revenue increased 40% year-over-year to $2 billion in Q1, with total orders up 27% to $512 million, according to a company statement.
A DoorDash spokesperson declined further comment but said the company's response was crafted without agency support.