DoorDash Deactivation – 12 DoorDash Contract Violations To Avoid
If you’re currently driving for DoorDash or are thinking of becoming a DoorDash driver, you probably know the general rules you have to follow to remain an active Dasher.
But, Dasher deactivation can still happen. And, if you lose this gig economy job, it might put you behind on your finances for quite a while.
So, if you've recently been deactivated from DoorDash or want to know how to avoid deactivation in the first place, this is the post for you.
We're covering the different types of DoorDash contract violations that can result in deactivation, and, more importantly, how to effectively submit a DoorDash deactivation appeal.
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- Instacart – Make extra money delivering groceries as an Instacart Shopper!
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What Is DoorDash Deactivation?
DoorDash deactivation is a process where DoorDash disables your access to make food deliveries on your account. In other words, it’s a way of saying that you violated some sort of DoorDash policy and you can’t continue working for them.
There are a ton of reasons why you might have gotten your account deactivated (which we will cover later).
When DoorDash deactivates you, you receive an in-app notification and email, notifying you that your account is deactivated along with a chance to appeal the decision.
This is your best bet to getting back to making money with DoorDash, so don't lose hope quite yet if this has happened to you!
How To Know If DoorDash Deactivates You?
It's very obvious when DoorDash deactivates you since you can't accept deliveries or go online when you open the DoorDash driver app and are deactivated.
Again, you get an in-app notification and email, so look for both those signs if you can't go online for some reason.
You usually get deactivated from DoorDash because you commit one or several DoorDash contract violations during your time as a delivery driver.
We're going to cover the most common violations, how to avoid them, and how to submit a DoorDash deactivation appeal if you aren't able to dash.
DoorDash Contract Violations – What Are They?
DoorDash contract violations are notices that you have gone against one (or a few) of the deactivation policy rules. Whether it was intentional or not, DoorDash keeps track of any contract violations against your account. If you get enough serious contract violations, you get deactivated from DoorDash.
Now, there's proof of certain Dashers who have still been able to work for DoorDash after five or more contract violations. So, it's not like one single violation means you get deactivated.
Ultimately, it really boils down to the severity of the violation when it comes to determining deactivation.
For example, you may get away with a few “item was never received” violations, but will likely get deactivated immediately if your rating goes down too low or if you commit a serious violation (more on these down below!
DoorDas Contract Violations List – What Can Get You Deactivated From Dashing
There are 12 main reasons why your account may have been deactivated. Each one will be discussed in more detail below…
1. DoorDash Driver Agreement Violations
To save you from the hassle of reading through the entire contractual agreement, let’s break down the main points.
This is an agreement that all dashers have to sign before starting to work as an independent contractor for DoorDash.
You are essentially agreeing to the following terms:
You will…
- Follow all guidelines
- Notify DoorDash of any account changes
- Complete orders in a timely manner
- Use your own equipment to complete deliveries
- Pass the DoorDash background check
- Maintain current insurance policy
- Not sell any of DoorDash’s property
These are the basic principles within the driver agreement. Most of the other information is pretty straightforward and can avoid violation just by being a “good person”.
2. Low Dasher Rating – The DoorDash Deactivation Rating
A low DoorDash rating is one of the biggest reasons for DoorDash deactivation amongst delivery drivers.
You must maintain a rating of at least 4.2 stars after completing a minimum of 20 orders.
Note: DoorDash customers rate drivers after each delivery, so your rating is an average of your last 100 ratings.
So, don't be disheartened if you mess up one delivery really badly and get a bad review; you have plenty of time to make up for this.
However, getting under a 4.2 rating may result in immediate DoorDash deactivation.
Luckily, DoorDash notifies you when your rating is starting to drop close to that threshold.
However, they still recommend that you remain responsible for monitoring your own rating and keeping an eye out for sudden changes.
3. Customer Complaints
Another common reason for DoorDash to deactivate you is lots of customer complaints.
Similar to your DoorDash rating, any complaints made about you on the app can have a direct effect on your deactivation.
One customer complaint might not be enough to get you off the app for good, but a few recurring complaints will clearly show a pattern.
This usually goes hand-in-hand with your rating, so keep making customers happy and you’ll never have to worry about it!
The most common customer complaints on DoorDash are about not getting their food in a timely manner, missing items in the food bag, and poor communication from the driver.
4. Stealing Food
A very obvious reason for getting deactivated is stealing people’s food that they ordered.
For example, you accept a DoorDash order, go to pick up the food, and just drive home to eat it yourself.
This is surprisingly common for DoorDash drivers to do, and it’s extremely easy to catch.
That order will be marked as incomplete and will not only result in an open case, but also a bad rating and customer complaint.
By the way, ordering your own food on the DoorDash app and picking it up yourself to make money is also considered stealing!
Extra Reading – DoorDash Driver Tips & Tricks.
5. Tampering With Deliveries
You may get your DoorDash account deactivated if you tamper with anybody’s DoorDash order.
This includes opening, consuming, altering, or using any of the items included in the order. Customers will likely complain about this if they see any tampered items.
You should also deliver all food in an insulated food delivery bag to safely transport items during your drive.
This also falls under the contractual agreement to use your own equipment (car and insulated bag) as a courier for DoorDash.
6. Background Check Changes
DoorDash runs a background check on new drivers to check your criminal record and any major driving violations.
But, even if you pass this background check, you're not in the clear forever.
If there's some sort of change that would’ve gotten you declined from the background check from the start, you can still get deactivated.
It’s usually hard to appeal this case, especially if the reason for being declined from the background check is severe.
However, you might be able to appeal a small change or mistake that was recently put on your record.
7. Abusing the Platform
Abusing the DoorDash platform can mean many things, but the two main forms of abuse are:
- Fraud
- Abusing your DoorDash Red Card
Examples of fraud include providing false information about yourself or creating multiple driver accounts.
Similarly, purchasing anything other than ordered food from the DoorDash app with your Red Card will result in the same consequences.
Finally, using software to try and retrieve private data from DoorDash is also a massive violation of their policy.
Again, unless you're purposefully intending to abuse the platform, you likely won’t run into any of these issues.
Extra Reading – Does DoorDash Pay For Gas?
8. Abusing DoorDash’s Referral System or Promotions
There's usually a sign up bonus for first time DoorDash drivers, and you can also make money by referring new drivers to the platform.
Manipulating any DoorDash referral programs such as customer referrals, Dasher referrals, or Dasher pay promotions results in immediate deactivation.
For example, if you’re utilizing some sort of software or platform to send unlimited referrals to people, you will be picked up by DoorDash’s algorithm.
You can also get deactivated from DoorDash if you create multiple accounts to refer yourself to the platform to make extra cash from referral bonuses.
9. Always Being Late
Always being late for deliveries is another common Dasher deactivation reason.
This is because Dashers that are always late with their orders are most likely to receive low ratings and customer complaints.
After enough times, you will be breaking the DoorDash contract violation in more than just one way.
To avoid this in the future, keep DoorDash as your main focus while completing orders. Sometimes, combining multiple delivery apps at once usually ends up in late delivery times.
So, while it might be tempting to double-app with other gig apps like Uber Eats or Grubhub, be careful if this constantly makes you late for your deliveries.
Extra Reading – DoorDash vs Uber Eats.
10. Falsely Marking Deliveries As Complete
DoorDash is super strict on this rule, so never break this one!
If you have to wait a long time for a customer to accept your delivery, you must make the effort to notify them within the app and send DoorDash a notification.
When the customer doesn’t show up, you can either leave it in front of their door and let them know or process a return for the order.
You have to follow these steps and take a photo of where you leave the food within the DoorDash driver app; you can't just cancel the order and disappear into the night.
And, you're not allowed to take the food for yourself: DoorDash states you can't do this in their article on how to complete deliveries if customers are unavailable.
You should familiarize yourself with this document so you know the steps to take rather than risking deactivation from DoorDash because you falsely mark an order as complete.
11. Unsafe Driving or Being Under The Influence
Any form of unsafe driving is another cause for DoorDash deactivation. This includes:
- Texting and driving
- Not pulling over to accept an order
- Failure to drive safely with navigation apps
If you get into an accident while driving for DoorDash, this might be a sign of unsafe driving unless you have proof to show otherwise.
You can use this proof for the appeal as well if you’ve already been deactivated before getting a chance to explain what happened.
And, of course, use of alcohol or other substances while completing orders is an extreme violation and is a cause for immediate deactivation from DoorDash.
12. Low Completion Rate
Finally, another very common reason for DoorDash deactivation is having a low completion rate that falls under 80%.
Your DoorDash completion rate is the amount of orders you’ve completed relative to the amount of orders you accepted.
This is different from your DoorDash acceptance rate, which can be as low as you want without suffering repercussions (unless you want to join the Top Dasher program.)
Now, you can still cancel orders sometimes as long as you cancel the order before picking up the food.
DoorDash understands there are occasions where you need to cancel an order you've accepted, like if the restaurant is going to take another 45 minutes to get the food ready.
But, do this sparingly and don't risk falling below a 80% completion rate.
You receive a notification when your completion rate is falling close to 80%, but you should try to monitor it on your own.
What is the DoorDash Deactivation Appeal Process?
When you receive your DoorDash deactivation email, there are instructions along with an appeal form link on how to appeal your case.
Some reasons for deactivation don't let you submit an appeal at all, while others give you the option if you have to dispute an issue.
The appeals form outlines everything you need in order to resolve your issue. Expect to hear back from DoorDash within a week of sending the appeal.
Keep in mind that things such as low DoorDash ratings or completion rates are not likely to allow you to appeal. Same goes for dangerous driving, some background check changes, or serious accounts of stealing food or fraud.
How To Avoid DoorDash Deactivation
The first step in remaining an active DoorDash driver is to re-read your DoorDash driver contract so you know what's expected of you. It's important to know the different DoorDash contract violations as well so you can avoid committing them.
Additionally, consult this list again and check all of your current stats/completion rate/driver rating to see if anything is placing you in danger.
Really, the best ways to avoid being deactivated from DoorDash are to:
- Focus on providing great customer service
- Trying to be on time (so be careful with double-apping)
- Not stealing food or doing anything fraudulent
- Being a safe driver
If you can do these things and use common sense, you should never get deactivated from DoorDash.
What Real DoorDash Drivers Say
I was curious about what other DoorDash drivers have experienced with being deactivated or appealing the process, so I took a look at Reddit to see what drivers are saying.
For starters, this thread once again outlines the risk of double-apping and that if you're always late, you risk deactivation from DoorDash.
I think this is good advice, so be careful with double-apping and try to be on time!
In another thread, DoorDash drivers share if and how they got reactivated.
Some anecdotes from drivers include:
- Hecateswolf says: “I got deactivated because a customer accused me of ‘tampering with food' which was a load of horseshit. I appealed it and got reactivated, but it took a week or two. It will probably take a bit longer with the current state of things due to limited support.”
- Kvngsoph says: “Got deactivated and reactivated in the same day. Chat with support through the app that’s how I got my account back.”
- Ladyhoneyblu says: “my account got deactivated because of a ticket I recieved 4 years ago which was two whole year before I even started doordash. I appeal but was told the deactivation will stand. I'm completely heartbroken. To be clear I had perfect ratings and zero complaints. I took a state safety course to restore my record and my license is in perfect standing.”
Some of these points should be very encouraging since it looks like chatting with DoorDash support or even taking safety courses in the case of a bad driving record can get you reactivated.
Honestly, a lot of this seems like a case-by-case basis, but the good news is that it's possible to appeal a DoorDash deactivation successfully so you can keep on dashing!
DoorDash Alternatives If You're Deactivated
If your DoorDash appeal isn't successful but you still want to make extra money with the gig economy, you're not out of luck.
There are numerous DoorDash alternatives you can use to start another side hustle. Some popular driving and food delivery apps include:
- Amazon Flex – Earn $18 to $25 per hour delivering packages for Amazon.
- Instacart – Earn $15 to $25+ per hour delivering groceries as an Instacart Shopper.
- Grubhub – This pays slightly less than DoorDash but is still a massive food delivery app. Read our DoorDash vs Grubhub post for more information.
- Gopuff – Deliver food and everyday essentials for Gopuff customers.
- Uber Eats – Deliver fast food with one of the most popular food delivery apps out there.
- Cornershop – Another popoular grocery deliver job like Instacart.
It's possible to diversify your income by using a variety of apps like DoorDash, so don't feel too defeated if your DoorDash deactivation appeal doesn't go your way.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're still wondering why your DoorDash account is deactivated or how to appeal the deactivation, this list of short answers to common questions people have will help.
1. Can You Get Fired From DoorDash?
When you deliver for DoorDash, you work as an independent contractor. This is the same as most driving gig apps like working for Instacart. And because you're not a DoorDash employee, you can't technically get fired. This means you don't get severance pay, and you don't need notice before getting “fired” either.
However, having your account deactivated for violating DoorDash’s policies is essentially the equivalent of getting fired from DoorDash.
2. Can You Apply For DoorDash After Being Deactivated?
It's not common for deactivated DoorDash drivers to get a second chance to drive if their initial deactivation appeal gets denied.
You can still email DoorDash support to ask or try applying down the line, but again, the odds aren't great.
3. What DoorDash Rating Gets You Deactivated?
Any rating under 4.2 will get you deactivated from DoorDash.
Additionally, having a completion rate under 80% can also get you deactivated.
4. How Many DoorDash Contract Violations Before Getting Deactivated
DoorDash doesn't state how many contract violations you need to get before you get deactivated. And certain contract violations are more serious than others. For example, changes to your criminal record or stealing food can result in immediate deactivation, whereas contract violations like consistently being late takes longer to get you in trouble.
Final Thoughts
Depending on what you got deactivated for, there is still a chance to get out of it.
Fill out that appeal form as soon as possible and hope that your reasoning is allowed to be appealed.
Worst case scenario – you can’t use DoorDash anymore. On the bright side, there are tons of other delivery driving apps that you can choose from to continue making money.
Companies like UberEats, Postmates, and Grubhub are all excellent DoorDash alternatives. Plus, being deactivated from one company has no effect on the others!
It’s safe to say that you’re in the clear no matter what outcome your appeal results in.
Best of luck with your DoorDash deactivation appeal, and thanks for reading!
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