Top ways a canceled delivery can impact courier ratings
It happens more than one would think. It seems like the tech in today’s world would be beyond old school scams. But not so much. Not only are the scams still active, but also it feels like they are getting harder to avoid. Furthermore, the courier has more than one front to guard as the delivery process plays out. Sometimes it’s not possible to catch the scam until it’s happening in real time. And usually by then it’s too late.
This means the courier has to be diligent. However, it isn’t necessarily for the reasons one might think. For example, the courier may not get scammed directly, but will suffer consequences nonetheless. In fact, when it comes to a canceled delivery, it shouldn’t be the courier canceling it. This is part of the scam. If the courier cancels the delivery, particularly because someone else picked up the order, it will go down in history as the courier’s fault.
Although it might seem like a small infraction, it can get the courier barred from the app. The more times it happens, the more likely the chance a courier will get banned. Yet there is a major drawback. And it has to do with the delivery app and the management of a canceled delivery. The courier arrives to pick up the delivery. Then the courier clicks the ‘arrived‘ option and the pickup proceeds. Sometimes there is a wait for the courier. Unless the delivery picked up has already happened.
The Challenge of a Canceled Delivery
The courier arrives at the pickup location. After checking in with the app the courier will pickup the delivery order, and ultimately deliver it to the delivery customer. Except the order is no longer there. Furthermore, the merchant staff says the pickup is already out the door. Now what? The courier doesn’t have the delivery, but it’s still in the courier’s queue.
Furthermore, there is no menu option for a missing delivery pickup. Even with careful searching the courier will find that the options lead back to a canceled delivery. That’s the courier canceling the delivery. Keep in mind that canceling a delivery without a good cause is the same as an incomplete delivery. It’s a serious blow to the courier’s ratings. And that’s only one of the problems. A delivery app doesn’t give the courier an option for declaring the delivery pickup missing or stolen.
The courier can quickly cancel the order. But that is all. Upon review, the courier will have no defense. Just the record of a canceled delivery, with no reason why.The good news is there is a way to avoid this scenario. The bad news is it’s time consuming. However, many couriers feel it is worth it to keep the completion rating in good shape.
Best Workarounds That Drivers Use
There is really only one way to keep a canceled delivery from impacting ratings. A support agent must mark it as cleared on their end. If this sounds like a call or chat with a support agent, it is. This should happen before canceling the order. Furthermore, depending on the app, the courier will have to search for a way to chat with a support agent. However, once a line is open here is a straightforward process for keeping the canceled delivery off the ratings.
- Immediately contact support via chat or phone (don’t just cancel in-app first).
- Explain Clearly: “The restaurant confirms the order was already picked up by someone else. This appears to be theft or fraud. Please remove the order from my queue without affecting my cancellation rate.”
- Ask for a supervisor if the first agent pushes back. Some can manually adjust or note it, as not your fault.
- Document everything (screenshots of chat, restaurant confirmation).
- If it happens repeatedly, it might cause the courier’s account to be flagged, but persistent reporting, helps the delivery apps investigate patterns.
The idea is to get right on it. Furthermore, it does take additional time. It’s time consuming to go through the chat process with an agent. However, it’s worth it to keep a bad, and unnecessary rating, off the official record. In fact, it helps keep the same thing from happening to other unsuspecting couriers. Definitely worth a few extra minutes. Stay safe out there.
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