Deactivated from Amazon Flex? 14 reasons why, and how to get reactivated

Getting deactivated from Amazon Flex is a major disappointment that often surprises most Flex drivers.

Here’s how it usually happens: One day, you open the app and see a notice that you were deactivated. Amazon will also email you when you’ve been deactivated.

“Deactivated” means that you can’t do any more deliveries—your days as a Flex driver are over!

Amazon has an extensive independent contractor terms of service outlining all policy violations that can lead to deactivation.

You can be instantly deactivated for major accusations like serious complaints about unprofessional behavior. Commonly, you’ll receive a policy violation notice from Amazon warning you about behavior that can get you deactivated.

And if your standing is At Risk and you continue to get violations, Amazon may deactivate your account.

There is hope: It’s possible to be reactivated! To get reactivated, contact Amazon and ask them to review the decision. Many drivers have reactivated their accounts, but there’s no guarantee of success!

Article contents

• Why Flex drivers get deactivated
• Policy violations that don’t always lead to deactivation
• How the Standing system works
• How to get reactivated

Why Flex drivers get deactivated: The top reasons

The issues below are the most common reasons for policy violations and deactivation.

Cancelling or no-showing too many blocks

To avoid policy violations, you must cancel scheduled blocks more than 45 minutes before the block start time. And if you accept a block within 45 min of the start time, you only have 5 minutes to cancel.

Failing to arrive at your scheduled blocks is one of the top reasons for deactivation. You can no-show a few blocks, but you risk deactivation after missing around 5 blocks.

Frequently late to blocks

You are expected to arrive and check in within 5 minutes of a block start time. Being late isn’t as serious as no-showing a block, but it can still lead to deactivation.

Not selecting the accurate reason when a package is undeliverable 

Amazon expects you to attempt to deliver every package. And if a package is undeliverable, you are supposed to select the correct reason. You can get deactivated for frequently making up a reason to skip a delivery.

For example, some drivers select ‘business is closed’ to quickly get out of a difficult delivery. That can trigger deactivation if you make it a habit

Unprofessional behavior at pickup or drop-off locations

Complaints from Amazon facility employees, customers, and apartment managers can be one of the fastest ways to get deactivated without warning.

You can usually get away with undelivered packages or the occasional no-show, but you might not get a second chance if you get a major complaint from a customer or Amazon employee.

Failing a background check

As part of the independent contract agreement, you authorize Amazon to run your background check ‘from time to time.’ New issues on your criminal or driving records could trigger a deactivation.

Amazon doesn’t refresh your background as often as other gig apps, so it’s hard to say when they will detect a new issue and exactly which violations will get you deactivated.

One minor moving violation—like a speeding ticket—probably won’t cause a deactivation, but several tickets, a license suspension, or a new criminal violation could get you in trouble.

Failing to return undelivered packages on time

Amazon expects you to return undelivered packages to the pickup location by 10 AM the next day. Failure to return the packages on time could lead to a fast deactivation.

Amazon is somewhat flexible on the return time, so you won’t get deactivated if you miss the 10 AM cutoff by a few hours. But expect a quick deactivation if you fail to return the packages at all.

Delivery to a mailbox

Federal law states that only the USPS can deliver to mailboxes. Deliveries to mailboxes by unauthorized shippers like Amazon Flex drivers is a serious issue that can quickly lead to deactivation because it can cause big problems for Amazon.

Don’t deliver inside mailboxes, even if the customer requests it!

Failing to follow proper steps for an alcohol delivery

Alcohol deliveries are another highly-regulated delivery with strict rules, and violations can lead to a quick deactivation. Always follow every step in the app.

If you aren’t able to scan the customer’s ID, you have to manually enter the ID details. Don’t scan your own ID, even if the customer is clearly of legal age.

Using third-party software (bots) to claim offers

It’s against Amazon policy to use software tappers or bots to claim offers. Typically Amazon will warn you if they detect that you are using bots, but you can be deactivated if they continue to detect bots.

Common policy violations that don’t always lead to deactivation

Most Flex drivers will eventually receive these policy violations, but they don’t typically lead to deactivation unless you continue to get violations without 

Too many undelivered packages, even if you returned them to the warehouse

You are expected to deliver every package. If you don’t deliver a package you will see a flag in your Delivery Quality metrics and a reduction to your standing.

However, you are unlikely to get deactivated as long as you attempt to deliver the package and either contact the customer or support during your delivery attempt.

You will still get a flag even if you mark a package as undeliverable and return it to the warehouse. Failing to deliver a package then returning it isn’t a big issue. But failing to deliver and NOT returning a package will lead to deactivation.

Too many packages marked as not received by the customer, or delivered to the wrong address

You will get a flag on your account or a policy violation notice if customers marked that a package wasn’t received, or was delivered to the wrong address.

While it may sound like a serious violation, unreceived packages won’t immediately lead to deactivation. You will only be deactivated if you continue to get reports about misdelivered packages.

Did not follow customer instructions

Customers can leave delivery notes with instructions for delivery. If a customer complains that you didn’t follow their instructions, you can get a policy violation and a flag to your Delivery Quality standing.

Because some customer instructions are unreasonable or impossible to follow, this policy violation won’t immediately lead to deactivation unless you show a continued pattern of ignoring instructions.

Did not pick up all orders assigned to you

You are expected to pick up every package assigned to you at pickup locations. You can get a policy violation if you forget to pick up some of the items from your batch.

When you pick up your route, you can look at the delivery route and see if any parts of the route are unreasonably far away. You can ask the route manager to remove that delivery instead of just skipping it or returning the package later.

Reports of speeding and unsafe driving

Amazon customers or warehouse employees can report you for unsafe driving, but it’s unlikely to lead to deactivation unless you get repeated reports.

Will you still get paid if you get deactivated?

Amazon will pay you for your completed blocks even if you get deactivated. The only exception is if they suspect major fraud or manipulation that would pay you for work that you didn’t actually do.

Your account can be paused for an investigation

Sometimes, the Amazon Incident Response team can pause your account while investigating a major incident. You won’t be able to sign in and do deliveries while your account is paused.

Typically your account will be paused if you were accused of unprofessional behavior. Amazon takes the time to collect statements and info from the accuser and the driver, then sends a final decision within 6 days. 

A quick refresher on the Standing system

Amazon tracks your performance with Standings metrics, which measure you in several key areas.

Your standing can be Fantastic, Great, Fair, and At Risk. As the name suggests, you may be at risk of deactivation when your standing is At Risk.

You can also be deactivated even if your standing isn’t At Risk if Amazon determines that your violation was severe and calls for immediate deactivation.

The two major categories in the standing system are Reliability and Delivery Quality. 

The Reliability metric consists of On-time arrival and On-time cancel. For On-time arrival, your standing will decrease if you don’t arrive within 5 minutes of a block start time, or if you no-show a block.

For On-time cancel, your standing decreases if you cancel less than 45 minutes before a scheduled block time.

The Delivery Quality metric consists of Delivery Completion, On-Time Delivery, and Delivered and Received.

Delivery Completion measures undelivered packages. On-Time Delivery measures whether you deliver your packages at the scheduled times. Delivered and Received measures whether delivered packages were actually received by customers.

Our full guide to ratings: Amazon Flex ratings: About standing, reliability, & metrics

How many violations can you get before you get deactivated?

Amazon does not say the exact number of violations that will trigger deactivation, so there’s no way to precisely predict when you will get deactivated.

You might also wonder how long you can stay at the At Risk standing before deactivation. Again, Amazon doesn’t offer any precise info. You risk deactivation if you continue to get violations while you are At Risk, but nobody can say exactly when a deactivation will happen. 

Some Flex drivers even brag about how many violations they have with no deactivation. It confirms that some violations are more serious than others.

When do policy violations fall off your record?

It can be frustrating and scary to see a long list of problems in your History of issues. When will they fall off? When are you in the clear?

Once again, Amazon doesn’t provide any precise info. Issues do eventually fall of your account, but Flex drivers report 

Some say that issues fall off your record after 500 individual package deliveries or 20 blocks, but that is not 100% confirmed.

Issues will fall off your record if you continue to deliver, but nobody knows exactly how long it will take. One driver even issues that stuck on their account for over 2 years!

How to get reactivated

It is possible to get reactivated after your account is deactivated, but success isn’t guaranteed.

To get reactivated on Flex, contact Amazon support ([email protected]) and ask to be reactivated. Provide as much relevant detail as possible and promptly respond to any replies from Amazon.

There isn’t a special appeals process or a dedicated deactivation team that you can contact. Instead of a specific appeals process, Amazon only instructs you to send an email providing additional information within 10 days of your deactivation.

If you’re fortunate, Amazon may reactivate your account. Keep your messages with Amazon short and professional to increase your chances of success.

Reactivation success stories: It’s possible!

Here’s an example of a Flex driver on Reddit who was reinstated after a deactivation.

Another Flex driver was deactivated for missed blocks and late deliveries but was reactivated after contacting support and asking for an appeal.

 

How to prevent deactivations and policy violations

You can’t avoid every policy activation, and some deactivations can come by complete surprise. But there are steps you can take to prevent issues.

• Always show up on time or cancel more than 45 minutes before a block
• Always attempt a delivery and follow all steps if something is undeliverable
• Always return undelivered packages promptly
• Take careful photos of deliveries. support can see them later 
• Don’t confront/argue with customers or property managers
• Leave a paper trail: Call and text customers, call support, take great pictures
• If you notice a repeated issue with a business or drop off, ask a warehouse employee to remove it from your route
• Have a backup gig. Other delivery apps are great backups

What to do after you get a policy violation

You don’t always need to take action after you get a policy violation, but it’s worth contacting support if you believe the violation was in error.

You don’t have to contact support for simple violations like being late or returning packages.

But when a policy violation is an error, tell Amazon your side of the story. Remind them to check your delivery photo or ask if the same address had other deliveries that may have been mixed up with yours. There’s a chance that another driver misdelivered a package, and you took the blame for it

When something goes wrong, always email support to begin a paper trail. If you proactively communicate with support about your issues, most policy violations for typical delivery issues won’t lead to deactivation.