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Some shoppers, though, have resorted to emotional pleas, begging customers to withhold tips instead of leaving a rating that could haunt them for weeks. Sopher has since left the app because of his frustrations and also because of car issues -- though he said he might return.

“I do believe there should be some way to hold shoppers accountable,” Sopher explained. “You're paying for a service, and you need to filter out any shoppers who are untrustworthy or who are constantly messing up the job.”

But, he added, “Customers don't know how harmful even a 4-star rating is, so the average person might think a 4-star rating is a good thing.\"

“Oh, my gosh!” Instacart customer Dia Rucco exclaimed as ABC’s Faith Abubey relayed shoppers’ frustrations with the ratings system.

“That makes me feel bad,” said Rucco, who used to spend Saturday mornings at the grocery store and now mostly uses Instacart instead.

Rucco said she couldn’t have appreciated the grocery delivery service more during the pandemic.

“It's just kind of been a lifesaver,” she said. “Even now that things are opening, it's just so much easier to get groceries done during the week instead of trying to fit it in on a weekend with kids in the house.”

Rucco said she didn't realize that as a customer, she had so much power over the livelihood of the Instacart shoppers and now that she knows, she supports overhauling the rating system.

“I definitely understand that it's a business,” she said about Instacart. “Take care of the customer. I get all those things, but I also think you have to take care of the employee.”

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