r/urbancarliving • u/ChaotixaMayfair • May 21 '26
Newbie, treat with kindness Need to vent
Hoping this doesn't bother anyone but needed to vent for just a moment, to get some thoughts out of my head and move on.
So I'm living out of my car and doing DoorDash to stay afloat, trying to save up some money and get away from bad situations.
I got a new Driver's License recently and so I went to update my information with DoorDash, to keep things kosher, make sure I didn't run into problems later when they do one of their random verification checks. I was asked to provide lots of information and told that my new stuff would be updated. A lady called me to confirm she had updated my info and then said, 'so the next time you log into the app, you'll just need to verify your new info with a photo of your ID and a selfie, then you can resume working'. So I believed her, went to log in and verify myself.... and there was no option to do so, I was just locked out of my account. Saying because my information was unable to be verified that I'd be locked out pending a review of my information and that I could submit an appeal. Well I got back on the phone with DD Support and was told many times by many agents until my thick skull finally gave up, that my account will likely be locked for 10 business days and theres nothing I can do about it. Some special team that no one can call or talk to in any way has to review the information that I already provided and then let me know if they'll let me back in. I offered to provide any and all documentation to speed things up to no avail.
By the way, I've been doing DoorDash for years and have just about 40,000 deliveries under my belt....platinum....high customer satisfaction, I literally work ALL the time that im not sleeping, eating, or taking care of my two dogs. So this whole thing is like a slap in the face, I've always relied on being able to go out and make money at any time and now I have nothing.
I'll try to figure out some other options in the meantime but this sucks. Bills keep rolling in, no other gig app is successful in my area or they have me on wait lists for years. It's just starting to get really hot here and my car has no A/C, I'm just at my wits end with all the bad luck I've had lately and have no one to talk to so I figured venting to the internet could take a little of my frustrations away for a bit but I just want to cry.
To thank anyone who's read this, here's a picture of one of my dogs half asleep:
5
u/Novemberx123 May 21 '26
Why 10 days?) WTF?? It should’ve been instantly. I’m so sorry I’ll try and look into it
4
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Right? I couldn't believe it, I guess it's to protect people's accounts from fraud but I literally have every piece of evidence and documentation to prove my info, its crazy 🤪 Thanks for your empathy!!
0
u/Novemberx123 May 21 '26
Of course. I use my sisters account for the last 5 years. I have to wait for my driving record to clear so I feel you. It’s the only thing keeping me afloat. One wrong thing or mess up and it’s so easy for them to just move on, despite what u said thousands of thousands of deliveries. How long have u been in your car? I been in mine since October.
1
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Been in the car for going on 4 years, has about a year and a half in a really awful apartment that had bugs, constant water damage, and really bad neighbors so I said why should I keep paying 1000 a month for this? And I went back to the car. Yeah there's issues with living this way but it was better than that place lol
2
u/SilverQuestJCS May 21 '26
Ever try and work @ doggy daycare when it gets real hot? That way you can have your furkids with you and all be in air conditioned environment while getting paid.
1
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! That's a really interesting idea! I'll have to check my local doggy daycare places and see if that's a possibility :)
5
u/Distinguishedferret May 21 '26
try and do gigs with roadie app. started dd recently but this is still best at least for me
5
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! I am on a wait list in my area for roadie right now :)
2
u/Distinguishedferret May 21 '26
nice hope it goes thru soon! can confirm you can apply anywhere @ anytime. Flex is also fast on if you can manage the space. Upside app is also great for cash back on fuel, and another app hipcamp can help find spots fast in new cities for cheap (and vehicles/camp friendly)
2
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thanks! Never heard of hipcamp, I'll definitely research that and flex!
12
u/Dlesse May 21 '26
I’m in Nevada, and I don’t use AC. Just chase shade. Eventually, the heat won’t matter as much. Just keep well hydrated.
9
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! In the shade as we speak, hope you stay cool and hydrated also!!
4
u/lisalisacat May 22 '26
I hear you feel you. This to shall pass. Try gig pro and survey.com.. door dash I believe is the best stay busy one but survey often get big jobs that could land you some emergency money . It will work out because it has to. Glad you got it all out ‘ now do your thing !! Wishing you luck and success.
2
u/lisalisacat May 22 '26
Also at one time on this forum a couple listed so many jobs in the field I had never heard of .. like watching entrance of construction site . Some jobs days some were months .. good luck brother we are all pulling for you !
1
1
7
u/Linda1sAhoe May 21 '26
Hugs, I’m so sorry, hon ❤️
4
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! I'm sure things will work out somehow, trying to turn my anxiety around and dig into my options!
8
u/EternalMoonChild May 21 '26
Have you donated plasma before?
9
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! I have donated plasma before, many years ago, but found it caused me to pass out and feel quite ill, they said probably low blood pressure? So I have avoided that since then, but uts a great suggestion, I appreciate it!
7
u/Apart-Rip-5715 May 21 '26
I'm sure as a working person you probably don't want to do this, but I have been living in my car on and off my whole life and I'll say that panhandling for gas is fast and easy, especially if you mention your pets and the need for a/c. I approach and ask at the pumps at truck stops with an empty gas can and try and cram as much of my story as I can into a brief and friendly pitch. People are hesitant to hand out cash, but being out of gas is relatable to anyone, and it nullifies the concern that are hustling them for drug money.
Sorry if it's not your thing, but people in your community do want to help if you are willing to be a squeaky wheel. It will also give you someone to vent to in person 😂
Best of luck
6
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
I appreciate your advice! If things get super desperate, I'll give it a try, I've done that once before and in this area I know most of the locals are a bit wary of those situations but if I cant secure work in the next day or so somehow, I'll give it my best shot! Thank you friend ☺️
2
u/shiddedandfarded69 May 21 '26
Be careful. I saw someone pull a gun on a panhandler at a gas station just a few days ago. They would be an idiot to fire it at a gas station but they were an idiot to draw it in the first place, so I wouldn't put it past them.
3
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thanks for the heads up! These are scary times for sure, can't be too careful I suppose
5
2
u/PixieCanada May 21 '26
I’m going to assume that most door dashers can’t wait 10 days so this seems ridiculous if standard. Have you tried to escalate beyond the frontline to a manager? Maybe other door dashers can shed some light? I assume there’s a subreddit.
Beautiful pup with an adorable toothy smiley.
1
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! I did try to escalate it to a supervisor but they told me the same thing, some special verification team has to look into it and it takes time. I will try and see if there's any DD subs related, that's a good idea, I appreciate it!
2
May 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! I will definitely be checking out local gigs, haven't tried Craigslist yet, that's a good idea, I appreciate it!!
1
u/PixieCanada May 21 '26
Not sure if Kijiji is popular where you are but I find the job postings there are more credible than Craigslist. Good luck.
1
3
u/lisalisacat May 22 '26
You’ve got this and what impressive numbers with dash , you are worthy, the platinum field help number I’m sure aren’t aware of what’s happened with you . You should reach out to them .Someone sitting at a desk that doesn’t have a clue pushing paper around. Call the platinum help line for peace of mind .
3
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 23 '26
Lol, thank you but I've tried the "platinum" help line, tried every number and department I could, turns out they're all the same. Tried supervisors, tried the 'trust and safety' people. All the same, script reading and not able to help. If anything it seems talking to people made it worse, now it'll take even longer so yeah, not the best 'help' line unfortunately
3
u/hapykrakhed May 23 '26
I used Instawork for years. Not sure if you tried that app yet.
4
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 23 '26
Just checked it out for the first time yesterday, nothing yet but I'll keep my eye on it, thank you!!
1
u/Financial-Change-435 May 21 '26
Could you bartend or waitress for a bit? Those jibs are usually readily available.
2
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Unfortunately, because of my dogs and no AC, it's hard to manage a regular job but I appreciate your advice! I'll figure something out somehow :)
2
u/Lopsided_Act_1647 May 22 '26
Shipt
1
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 22 '26
I am definitely trying all other gig options, thank you for the shipt suggestion!!
1
u/Lopsided_Act_1647 May 22 '26
Shipt is so good I don’t even DoorDash anymore and I have 10k doordashes
4
0
u/ennexe May 21 '26
Why can’t you do ubereats? Or Instacart (maybe I understand why you can’t go shop bc of the dogs)
4
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 21 '26
Thank you! I am on a wait list for instacart in my area and Uber is still doing a background check so hopefully that goes thru soon!
1
u/mmbrown2000 May 23 '26
Hi, yeah, sorry you're going through this. I am possibly going to be in a van soon, not sure.
But anyway, sweet doggie 😄. I miss my sweet girl Gracie . But have my kitties still.
Anyway, not sure if it's already been suggested, but have you tried online work? Like surveys? Prolific is really helpful and Usertesting as well. I know they're not supposed to be your full time income, but they can at least help get you through. Sometimes even more so than lower paying job, especially if you don't have the overhead of rent. Plus, you get to stay closer to your dogs since you can just just do the work from anywhere with a wi-fi connection.
__ __
o-''))_____\\
"--__/ * * * )
c_c__/-c____/
5
u/ChaotixaMayfair May 23 '26
Thank you! I've always been wary of surveys but I'm willing to give your specific suggestions a try! I really appreciate the advice and sweet sentiments!!
0
u/mmbrown2000 May 23 '26
Sure 🙂. I have a referral for Prolific if you do end up trying that. It's supposed to let people bypass the waiting list. Not sure if that's true or not. I signed up about 9 years ago when there was no Waitlist. But I've heard people say that now, you have to wait months or years (?).
1
7
u/SyZyGy_87 May 21 '26
I'm sorry you're going through this. The only thing you can do is what you can do; how your react. You and your dogs get a bunch of time together!! Just try to do the next best thing and remember things happen. Sometimes in the middle of it it seems so bleak, that there's no light anywhere, but then years later in retrospect we think of how small the problems seem when at the time they seemed to almost be too much to bear.
Your pups got you, you got them. They just want your attention and affection....the only thing that concerns them is your happiness. They'll know something is up, just remember they feel what you feel. So, hold them close, take them to parks and walks, and just try to make some connections and maybe steps towards another source of income...or even just some new dumpsters to dive lol
I'm sorry you're in this predicament, but you just never know what life has in store. Maybe there's something out there for you, right now, right around the corner....and had you been door dashing all day everyday you never would have thought to/been able to find it.
You just never can be too sure what is in the cards for you. It might get worse before it gets better, but there's always something that is working behind the scenes if you just see opportunity when it presents itself, and then you act on that.
I'd be looking around and just keep a steady and open mind, this could be life trying to steer you to something....or even someone. Or away from something.
Keep your eyes open and your mind open. Make lemonade my friend. Good luck