Instacart and Physician Office Over Charges

It’s sort of like being a sleuth. Getting a bill for something unexpected or being overcharged for a product we didn’t order can be frustrating and time consuming to rectify. That was the case with insurance coverage for lab work and for crab cakes at Instacart. My blood work was sent to the hospital rather than Labcorps. I knew my insurance covered Labcorps and that the doctor office uses Labcorps. So when the $180 plus and another $90 bill came in I waited for the insurance claim and also notified the billing office about my concern. Luckily they said they would adjust the balance. Let’s see what happens. We also made sure my husband requested Labcorps when he went for blood work last week to avoid this situation again. Then we requested crab cakes at Harris Teeter through Instacart. We did get crab cakes, but for half the price for a different product. But we were charged double that for the original requested item. So I got on chat, described the issue - along with a photo of the product we received in error - and they finally realized that we were overcharged. We were promised a $10 plus credit for that along with another $5 for a wrong rice product. I’m just glad I noticed the discrepancies and didn’t just pay them off. It does take a lot of time but in a way I’m glad I challenged the inaccurate bills. I’m sure it’s not the last time it will happen. I prefer using chat and emails for documentation purposes and taking photos always helps. These things are bound to happen, but why so often? 

Peapod, Instacart, or Amazon Fresh?

Unusual times bring on a whole different way of life. Only last week we were still going to the grocery store during the day. On Saturday night we decided a 1 AM run would be a good idea, so we ran in and out for a few items that hopefully will last for awhile. We have also been walking outside every morning but after watching the news from California we decided to stay indoors because we are in the at risk group. Every little twinge, sneeze, or cough raises concerns. So we thought we would finally try a grocery delivery service. I narrowed it down to Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Peapod. Because we do most of our grocery shopping at Giant we thought we would try Peapod. The on line process was smooth enough, but in the end we had to pick one available time slot for a delivery for next week Wednesday - a week away. I’m not sure what the routine is, but everything was completely booked. On top of that, we live in a condo building with a concierge service. Rather than we picking up any packages in the lobby, the concierge will now be delivering to our door. We are trying to figure out the best way to “tip” for these unusual services. We are fortunate that there is no where we need to be and can stay at home without major disruption. We feel for everyone who needs to carry on outside - health care workers and service folks. I’m not sure what people do who have no resources, or internet, or family, or neighbors. Hopefully something good will come from all this. Until then, we can only take one day at a time.