The Problem

There are a hundred different reasons why you might want food (or some other goods) delivered to your house. If you’ve had a long day then the thought of going out to eat–not to mention cooking–can seem daunting. If you’re hosting a party then leaving to get ice, drinks, hors d’oeuvres is impossible. If you’re sick then leaving your house to purchase your most basic needs–medicine, kleenex, chicken noodle soup–can be dangerous.

Unfortunately, your options in these situations are limited and never very appealing. If you want food delivered you have a few standard, unhealthy choices such as pizza, Chinese food, etc. If you are the host of a party you’ll have to rely on your guests to resupply the fun. If you’re sick you’ll have to ask close friends and family to go out of their way to serve you and care for you.

A whole host of crowd-service apps/websites have hit the market over the past few years. You can get a ride using Lyft or Uber and you can hire someone to perform basic tasks like painting a fence or babysitting your kids using Task Rabbit. So it follows that finally you can get almost anything delivered to your door using Favor.

The App

Favor is a mobile app available for Android and iOS that connects its users with “Favor Runners” who accept delivery requests through the app. Favor Runners use their personal vehicle to run the favor, use their personal smart phones to interact with customers, and use their personal debit/credit card to purchase items for customers.

The customers then use the Favor app to reimburse and tip the Runners for their services using a credit/debit card that the app has on file.

The backend process might seem complicated and likely it is; however for the customers it’s been incredibly simplified. Favor streamlines the ordering process so that any other conceivable method would make it more complicated.

Customers simply press the “Anything” button on the app home screen, type in the name of the business they want goods purchased from (a grocery store, liquor store, restaurant, etc), type in a list or description of items they want, select a previous or new address to have the items delivered to, and then hit send. Done.

The app immediately matches your order with an available runner. It alerts you when the runner is headed to pick up your items, when the runner has them, and when they arrive at your place. You can also use the app to call or text the runner at any time with updates to your order or if you want to cancel.

The Experience

I’ve used Favor somewhere between 50 and 100 times over the past two years. I hate cooking; I hate fast food; I hate wasting time driving across town, finding a parking space (hopefully) and waiting impatiently for my food, staring at my inactive smartphone, hoping anything will distract me from this void of productivity. I’m a man of extremes. I either like a long, luxurious, multi-course meals with friends or I want some healthy nutrient-dense “food” that can easily be chewed and swallowed in less than five minutes.

All of that might explain why I use Favor so often but the truth is probably closer to this: I like to have fun after work and I don’t want anything getting in my way.

Regardless of my reasoning, rest assured that I have a lot of experience with Favor and Favor Runners.

Here is a catalog of my negative experiences:

1. One time I ordered a milkshake and when it got to me it was soupy, almost warm. Favor reimbursed me fully and gave me a credit for a free Favor.

2. One time the Favor Runner forgot the extra BBQ sauce. Favor reimbursed me fully and gave me a credit for a free Favor.

3. One time the Runner got lost inside my apartment complex for half an hour (my complex is a square, I don’t know how that could have happened). Favor reimbursed me fully and gave me a credit for a free Favor.

That’s right, three negative experiences. At most, 6% of my interactions with the entire process have left me slightly annoyed.

You might have noticed a pattern with each experience. Favor is on a customer service crusade, it seems. In each of the instances named above I didn’t ask for any compensation. I just told them what happened in the customer feedback form that completes every order. Favor came to me with the offers every time. In one case they even asked if I wanted anything else to “make it right”. I couldn’t. I would have felt guilty.

Every other experience has been positive. The food is usually on my table 20 minutes after I hit send. In instances where it takes longer, the Favor Runner calls or texts me letting me know why it’s taking longer. I’ve never had to reach out to them.

The Flaws

Favor isn’t just a new app it’s a new service model. Though the Runners work for Favor, Runners provide most of the operational overhead. You need your own car, an iPhone, and a credit or debit card to get started. Runners are also forced to use their personal cell-phone numbers to communicate with customers. That’s not at all a setback from the customer’s point of view but if you were thinking of donning one of their blue tuxedo shirts in the near future then it’s something to consider.

The service range for Favor right now is extremely limited. If you want to use the app you’ll have to order from somewhere within their borders and you’ll have to live their as well. If you live in the ‘burbs then you’re out of luck, for now. Favor has already expanded well outside of their initial coverage area and they’ve even moved into markets outside of Austin.

The greatest flaw with Favor is the pricing. A typical Favor order results in a mandatory $5 service fee that goes straight to Favor and an average tip suggestion of $5. If Runners provide everything but logistics services then perhaps the service fee should be reduced or at least part of it should be redistributed to the Runners themselves. This hasn’t prevented Runners from signing up and hasn’t prevented customers (like myself) from ordering. Maybe the fee helps cover the cost of their generous reimbursement policy.

The Verdict

Beware. If you consider yourself to be a lazy person then Favor will bring your laziness to new lows. Imagine an entire Sunday spent binging a whole season of your favorite show on Netflix while having gourtmet foods brought to your home by cheerful young college students. It’s a slippery slope. Suddenly working remotely sounds more attractive. Before you know it you could be selling your abandoned vehicle to cover Favor delivery fees.

Favor is a godsend. It fulfills a market gap decades in the making, only possible now with the onset of broadband internet and smartphones. If you haven’t downloaded the app, do so now. As with anything potentially addictive, your first time is free.