INDIANAPOLIS — Christal Silver is a single mom with a busy schedule. She recently ordered groceries and had them delivered from Kroger in Mooresville.
Silver used her Kroger app to go online, order her groceries and have them delivered to her home. She hoped it would be something convenient for her family. However, she said the entire situation turned into a nightmare.
"I felt very violated, I did," Silver said. "And helpless at that moment. I started going down the receipt and it started showing me what people were buying for theirself. There was Nicorette gum, car chargers, air fresheners."
All items Silver did not order and did not notice were added until after their delivery. Her estimated cost was $115, but the final amount charged was $173.
"This is hard-earned money," Silver said. "I mean, if I could spend $173, I absolutely would at a time."
Kroger uses a third-party delivery service called Instacart, which also delivers for more than a dozen Central Indiana stores like Meijer, Aldi and Costco. Their shoppers pick out the items, check out and deliver the groceries.
Each shopper receives a payment chard from Instacart that is capped at the amount needed for each order. Although there is a credit line for item replacements, which is how the shopper was able to add more items. The final amount is then charged to the customer's account.
"I thought I was safe with Kroger. It was a Kroger app. I just did not know that they dealt with Instacart," Silver said. "I think about my grandmother, or my parents. People that don't understand that or haven't noticed that their money is gone. You see the Kroger logo and you think you are safe."
All shoppers are notified that Kroger uses Instacart for delivery services before submitting their order. They receive a notification that says, “I accept that my delivery will be made by my store’s delivery partner, and I may be contacted by them about my order.”
Silver now warns others to always check their final receipt and bank account.
An Instacart spokeswoman said the shopper who took Silver's order has been suspended and deactivated from the platform. Silver's bank has refunded her while the investigation is ongoing.
