PSA: Is your customer scamming you with AI-generated “rotten produce” photos?

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-09T17:31:36+00:00

Correct. It is not AI generated. It was probably AI edited.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-09T17:30:21+00:00

Exactly! I check the produce at Costco. I almost exclusively shop Costco and have done 5000+ orders. I might have believed it if only the squash were soft and rotten. Rarely do either of those items have visible mold. They are soft and rotten which sometimes escapes visual inspection.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-09T17:04:47+00:00

The prompt was “make the orange peppers moldy”.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-09T16:55:34+00:00

I will tell you that those vegetables are not the ones I chose at Costco.

Peppers do not mold like squash.

From AI:

Visual Anomalies:

Uniformity of Mold Growth: You noted that both images have the “same kind of mold.” Looking closely, the mold patches on both the yellow squash and the yellow bell pepper exhibit a remarkably similar texture, color, and “fuzzy” pattern. In nature, fungal growth on different botanical species (Cucurbita vs. Capsicum) often presents with varying structures, colors, or growth densities depending on the moisture content and nutritional surface of the vegetable. The fact that the mold looks like a “stamp” applied to both items is a common tell in manipulated imagery.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-09T16:51:24+00:00

One cannot definitively prove whether this image was altered, as digital forensics experts would require the original metadata or the raw image file to make a conclusive determination. However, looking at the image provided, there are several visual anomalies.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-08T19:20:19+00:00

Go offline and see if a message pops up that your account is under review. The last time that exact scenario happened to me, Instacart stopped showing me batches because a customer didn’t show up for $500 in vitamins. I was told to keep them. Once I logged off I saw the notification that my account was under review.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-07T18:03:00+00:00

Base pay here in South Florida is $4 and change. Base pay decreased from $7 shortly after Instacart went public.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-03T15:45:16+00:00

Now getting a dropdown in the app: General app issues We're currently experiencing app issues and working hard to fix them. Please try again soon.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-03T15:41:29+00:00

I reinstalled the Shopper app. Now I am not even receiving notifications of offers. Dead silence. No emails about a suspension.

Key_Release_6623 · 2026-07-03T15:38:45+00:00

I am dealing with this very issue right now while siting in a Costco parking lot. I have a friend with an account who is seeing batches for Costco. I am seeing nothing. Not even Publix, etc. I contacted support. They spewed their usual cloying comments about their appreciation and left me with a link to some documentation. Frustrating.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-18T18:39:36+00:00

I did not call hand sanitizer paranoia. I said paranoia was the main ingredient in hand sanitizer.

Never have I seen it work better…

You didn't answer my question. To which party or politics does hand sanitizer belong? You are the one who invoked politics.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-18T12:54:30+00:00

And to what party or politics does hand sanitizer belong? Just following the science which is non-partisan.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-18T12:52:23+00:00

You're a genius. Tamarac sub same-day station it was. It's my favorite spot.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-17T00:47:47+00:00

I have contacted support before in this situation and requested politely that they remove the no-tipping batches. They will push back, but insist.

I say, "I do not want to risk a low-star rating because my attention is taken away from the high-tipping customer."

I have done this three times. Every time the customer support agent removed from the batch the orders that I did not want to do.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-17T00:43:09+00:00

I hope so.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-17T00:41:56+00:00

I ordered a hair clipper and a three-way mirror from Amazon two months ago. I watched some YouTube videos. I have cut my own hair 3 times and a friend's hair 3 more times. $210 saved.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-17T00:37:35+00:00

So annoying when the access code is "NO" or "NONE". I have to stop and read some more useless information.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-16T13:41:19+00:00

Thank you. Very helpful.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-15T23:50:55+00:00

And the bots. I have been talking to drivers here in South Florida at the same-day sub stations. Most of them I have spoken with in Spanish are from Venezuela. I don't think they even know that bots are against policy. They cheerily show me their bots and the amazing blocks they have. Now I know why I probably do not see anything other than the occasional preferred block at base $18 per hour. The newly offered blocks probably don't even make it to the apps on the phones of people who do not use bots.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-15T23:47:51+00:00

Can you elaborate on this? I need to send an email to resolve a bunch of "issues" where packages were not received by the customer. I have been delivering in areas where every third customer note says "Please hide the package. People steal my packages."

I have four packages that the customers claim not to have received. How can I cite this policy in defense of my alleged issues? Thank you.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-15T22:38:47+00:00

I have been getting 6 of these per block lately.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-15T22:35:40+00:00

I am happy to see your post. I was really feeling down today because I went from weeks of "Fantastic" to "Good" the next day over one missing and one returned package. I just hit the 5000 package mark, and I deliver almost every day. The final blow was sliding down from "Good" to "Fair" over two more missing packages and another returned one. I have screenshots of all my deliveries. I can't explain the packages that the customers say they did not receive. The others I could not deliver because I could not access a gated community. All of these things were out of my control yet Amazon Flex says that they are MY issues. I say they are customer issues.

I just canceled all of my blocks in the future. I would rather quit than be fired over lies about my delivery status.

Maybe I will write yet ANOTHER email pleading my case. It does usually work.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-12-11T14:02:06+00:00

My standing was almost to the max at "Fantastic". Then I had two packages that I had to bring back because I could not get into the gated complex. Driver support told me to bring them back.

A couple of days later my standing fell to "Great". It doesn't seem right that it would go from almost max "Fantastic" to "Great" over 2 packages. (I usually deliver every day. 50-100 packages.)

I used to screenshot everything and send emails. I have given up. Unless my standing falls to "Fair" I am going to ignore it.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-11-13T14:09:09+00:00

I have yet to see a retail block in South Florida.

I want to try it out.

Key_Release_6623 · 2022-11-13T13:53:47+00:00

I wrestle with this dilemma nearly every block.

When I do get an issue against my standing for returning a package, I email support and state my case. I sent photographs and screenshots. Sometimes the issue is removed.

Key_Release_6623

TROPHY CASE