DoorDash Deactivated Me for 78% Completion Rate - Can I Appeal? (2025)

Got the email this morning that my DoorDash account was deactivated for low completion rate. They said I was at 78% and the minimum is 80%. I've been dashing for almost two years with no issues until now.

Here's what happened - over the past month I had to unassign a bunch of orders because:

• Restaurant wait times were 30-40 minutes on several orders (way longer than estimated)
• A few orders had wrong addresses that would have taken me 15+ miles out of my zone
• One order the customer wasn't responding and the restaurant said they couldn't make the item

I didn't realize how quickly those unassigns add up. Is there any way to appeal this? I've seen people say DoorDash deactivations are permanent but others say they got reactivated. Anyone been through this?

I got deactivated for completion rate back in October and successfully appealed. Here's exactly what I did:

Step 1: I submitted an appeal through the DoorDash app immediately. You have 30 days from deactivation to appeal, but do it ASAP.

Step 2: I wrote a detailed explanation acknowledging I fell below the threshold, explaining the circumstances (long restaurant waits, app glitches), and promising to maintain above 85% going forward.

What I wrote (roughly):

"I understand that my completion rate fell below the required 80% threshold. This occurred because I encountered several situations where restaurant wait times exceeded 30 minutes and I had to unassign to avoid negative customer experiences. I recognize that I should have contacted support in these situations rather than unassigning. I am committed to maintaining my completion rate above 85% and will use the 'wait time too long' feature in the app going forward. I have been a reliable Dasher for 18 months with over 2,000 deliveries and would appreciate a second chance."

Got reactivated 5 days later. The key is taking responsibility while explaining the circumstances. Don't just blame DoorDash.

Just want to clarify the difference between completion rate and acceptance rate since a lot of new dashers confuse them:

Acceptance Rate: The percentage of orders you accept out of those offered to you. DoorDash cannot deactivate you for low acceptance rate. You can decline orders all day. This is protected because you're an independent contractor and can choose which jobs to take.

Also worth knowing: completion rate is calculated on your last 100 deliveries. So if you're at 78%, you need to complete 2-3 deliveries without any unassigns to get back above 80%. Unfortunately if you're already deactivated, you can't do that.

Just want to give a reality check here. Not everyone gets reactivated.

DoorDash's deactivation policy states that completion rate violations can result in permanent deactivation. I've seen people in other forums who appealed multiple times and never got their accounts back. It really depends on:

• How far below 80% you were (78% is better than 65%)
• Your overall account history
• Whether you've had previous warnings
• How well you write your appeal

Also be aware that if you DO get reactivated, you're on thin ice. Another completion rate violation within 6-12 months and you're probably gone for good.

In California, you might have some additional protections under Prop 22 which requires a human review of your appeal. Make sure to request that specifically if you're in CA.

For anyone reading this who hasn't been deactivated yet, here are my tips for managing completion rate:

Before accepting an order:

• Check the restaurant - some are notorious for long waits. Decline those upfront
• Look at the delivery distance and compare to the pay
• Check customer instructions in the widget if visible

If you need to unassign:

• Contact support FIRST and explain the issue. Sometimes they'll remove the order without it counting against your completion rate
• Use "order not ready" or "excessive wait time" buttons in the app - these are tracked differently than manual unassigns
• If the restaurant says 20+ minute wait, mark it in the app and then contact support

General rule: Keep your completion rate above 85% so you have a buffer. If you're hovering at 80-82%, be extra careful about which orders you accept.

While you're waiting for your DoorDash appeal, definitely sign up for other platforms. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Good alternatives:

• Instacart: Grocery delivery, pays well in busy areas, different customer base
• Grubhub: Similar to DoorDash, they're often hiring when DD is saturated
• Uber Eats: Easy to sign up, lots of orders in most markets
• Spark (Walmart): Good base pay, less competitive in many areas
• Amazon Flex: Package delivery, different workflow but decent pay

Most experienced gig workers run 2-3 apps simultaneously. That way if one platform deactivates you or has a slow day, you have backup income.

Just make sure you understand each platform's completion requirements before you start. They all have different thresholds and policies.

Update for anyone who finds this thread later: I submitted my appeal following the advice here and got reactivated after 8 days!

Here's what I think helped:

• I acknowledged the issue and didn't make excuses
• I mentioned my 2,000+ lifetime deliveries and 4.9 rating
• I explained what I'd do differently (contact support before unassigning, be more selective upfront)
• I specifically requested human review since I'm in California

For now I'm being super careful. Keeping my completion rate above 90% and only accepting orders I know I can complete. Also signed up for Instacart and Uber Eats as backup per the suggestions here.

If you're in a similar situation, I'd also recommend looking into your rights under your state's gig worker laws. Found some helpful info on deactivation appeals and gig worker protections. Worth knowing what options you have.

Thanks everyone for the help!

Same boat almost exactly. Got hit at 79% after a string of restaurants that took forever. I appealed the same day and just acknowledged it instead of arguing. Reactivated in about a week.

One thing nobody told me: take screenshots of your stats BEFORE you appeal if you still can. I couldn't pull mine after deactivation and it made writing the appeal harder.

Quick question for OP, did you ever get any warning emails before the deactivation? I remember getting one when I dipped to 82% saying I was close to the threshold. Wondering if they skipped that for you.

I got the warning at 81% and ignored it like an idiot. Two days later I was off. So if you got a warning and kept dashing, mention in the appeal that you took corrective action after the warning even if your number didn't recover in time.

The reviewers seem to respond to 'I understood the problem and changed my behavior' more than 'it wasn't my fault.'

Update from my own case since people keep asking in these threads: appealed at 77%, denied the first time, appealed again with a calmer letter and got reactivated 18 days after the original deactivation. So a first denial is not always the end. Just don't spam them five times in a row, that seems to backfire.

The part that frustrates me is the 30-40 minute restaurant waits being our problem. We didn't cause the kitchen to be slow. But the system counts the unassign against you regardless of fault.

What actually helped me was using the long-wait report button in the app every single time instead of just backing out of the order. Those reports seem to be logged separately.

Following up on my earlier post. A general point that applies in a lot of states, not legal advice: your relationship with the platform is governed by the independent contractor agreement you accepted when you signed up. That contract usually controls what the company can do and what your appeal rights are, so it is worth actually reading the deactivation policy section.

Completion rate enforcement is generally permitted under those terms because you agreed to it. The realistic fight is almost never 'they cannot do this,' it is 'please exercise discretion and reinstate me.' Frame your appeal accordingly.

Anyone know if the 100-order window resets if you get reactivated? I'm worried I come back at 78% and immediately get flagged again before I can climb back over 80.

When I was reactivated my completion rate was still showing the low number, but they gave me a short grace period to bring it up. I basically completed every single order no matter how bad for the first week. Came back over 80% in about 3 days of steady dashing.

The math works in your favor here because it's a rolling 100. A few clean completions push the old unassigns off the back of the window fast.

OP did you mention the wrong-address orders specifically in your appeal? Those are a strong point because you can frame it as protecting the customer from a 15 mile detour and a cold delivery. That reads as responsible, not lazy.

Reactivated update: 9 days, single appeal, took responsibility, mentioned my 2 year history and delivery count. The number of completed deliveries you have seems to matter a lot. They are more willing to reinstate someone with thousands of clean deliveries than someone three weeks in.

Reminder for everyone landing here from search: this thread is people sharing experiences, not official DoorDash policy. Platform thresholds and appeal windows change. Always check the current deactivation policy in your app before you act on anything here.

Also keep it civil. A few off-topic venting posts were removed. Stay on the completion-rate appeal topic and you're good.

My appeal was denied and I never got it back, just being honest so this thread isn't all success stories. I was at 71% though, which is a lot worse than 78%. The closer you are to the line the better your odds seem to be.

If you're reading this and you're at like 81%, do NOT coast. Bank a buffer now.

Does anyone actually reach a human when they appeal, or is it all automated? My first denial came back in like 4 minutes which felt way too fast to be a real review.

On the human-review question: in California, app-based drivers covered by Prop 22 generally have a right to certain deactivation protections, which can include notice and an opportunity to be reviewed by a person rather than purely an algorithm. This varies and the exact mechanics have shifted, so do not quote me as gospel, but if you are in CA it is reasonable to specifically request human review and reference that you are a Prop 22 covered worker.

Outside California those specific statutory protections generally do not apply, so your leverage is mostly the contract terms and the company's own discretion. Not legal advice, just the general landscape.

San Diego dasher here. I did exactly what the attorney above said, put the words Prop 22 and human review right in the appeal. No idea if it's why, but I got a slower, more detailed response the second time and was reinstated. The first auto-denial was instant, the second one took a few days.

Honestly the single biggest thing that fixed my completion rate going forward was just being pickier at acceptance. If a restaurant is known for long waits I decline at the offer screen. You can't get dinged on completion for an order you never accepted.

It feels counterintuitive when you want every dollar but a $4 order that ties you up 35 minutes and tanks your rate is not worth it.

Tip that saved me: if the restaurant tells you they can't make the item or it'll be 30+ minutes, message support IN the chat and get them to remove it. Get the confirmation in writing. A few times that removal did not count against my completion rate at all.

If you just hit unassign yourself, it counts. The difference is whether support pulls it or you bail.

OP any update? Did the appeal go through? I'm at 80% on the dot right now and reading this thread in a panic.

Going to start completing everything for a week to build a cushion. This thread genuinely helped, thank you all.

Reactivated after 31 days, which is the longest I've seen in here. They actually waited until almost the end of the appeal window to respond. So if you're at day 20 and heard nothing, don't assume you're denied. Sometimes it's just slow.

Echoing the run-multiple-apps advice from earlier. While my DD appeal was pending I leaned on Uber Eats and kept the lights on. Do not sit there refreshing the appeal status for two weeks with zero income.

Each platform has its own completion and cancellation policies though, so don't carry the same bad habit over and get deactivated twice.

Question, when you write the appeal do you do it in the app or is there an email address that works better? I've heard mixed things. My in-app appeal button was grayed out so I had to find another route.

@jrod_pdx mine was grayed out too. The deactivation email itself usually has an appeal link or replies to a specific address. Use that. Submitting through the generic support chat got me nowhere, the dedicated appeal channel is what actually got reviewed.

One thing I'd add to the great appeal template earlier in the thread: keep it short. My successful one was about five sentences. Reviewers are reading hundreds of these. A wall of text explaining every single unassign actually works against you.

Acknowledge, explain briefly, commit to a higher rate, mention your history. Done.

Adding a careful note since people are asking about legal angles. Generally, an independent contractor does not have the same wrongful-termination protections an employee would, so 'they fired me unfairly' is usually not a winning frame by itself. The classification question (contractor vs employee) is litigated, but that is a long, complicated fight and not something an individual driver typically wins quickly over one deactivation.

For most people the practical path is the appeal, plus, in California, asking for the Prop 22 review. If real money or a pattern of misclassification is involved, that's where talking to a lawyer in your state makes sense. This is general info, not advice, and it varies by jurisdiction.

Circling back to my earlier alternatives post, a few people DMed asking which paid best while waiting. Honestly depends entirely on your market. In mine Spark and Instacart out-earned DD on weekends. Test them all for a week and keep the two that pay.

And read each one's cancellation policy first so you don't repeat the completion-rate mistake on a new app.

Got reactivated and want to warn people about the after part. You come back on a watch list essentially. I dipped to 83% two months later and got a much sterner warning than a normal driver would. They remember.

So if you get a second chance, treat 85% as your hard floor, not 80%. The buffer is the whole game.

Did anyone here have their earnings or any pending pay held when they got deactivated? Mine paid out normally on the usual schedule but I've seen people online claim funds got stuck. Curious what's actually typical.

@miriam_h mine paid out completely normally. Deactivation for completion rate isn't a fraud flag, so they generally still owe you for work already done and it came through on schedule. Different story if you're deactivated for something like fraud or a safety issue, then I've heard pay can be held while they investigate. But a clean completion-rate case shouldn't affect money you already earned.

Reactivated in 6 days. The thing I wish I'd done sooner was stop arguing about whose fault the slow restaurants were. The reviewer does not care. The second I rewrote my appeal to 'I get it, here's my plan to stay above 85%,' it went through.

Still waiting on mine, day 12 no response. This thread is keeping me sane honestly. Will report back whichever way it goes so the data keeps building for the next person who searches this.

OP back with an update for everyone who asked, thank you for all of this. I appealed the day after I posted, kept it short like people suggested, took responsibility, asked for human review since I'm in CA, and mentioned my almost 2 years and delivery count.

Got reactivated on day 14. My completion rate is still showing low so I'm completing literally everything for the next week to climb back over 80. Genuinely grateful, this thread is the only reason I knew to ask for the Prop 22 review.

Congrats OP! And update on mine: reactivated day 19. Single appeal, no second attempt needed, it was just slow. So to anyone in the waiting period, no news really can just mean no news yet. Hang in there and line up a backup app meanwhile.

For anyone coming late to this: the most useful single takeaway is the difference between hitting unassign yourself versus getting support to remove the order. Self-unassign counts against completion, a support removal often doesn't. That one habit alone keeps you off the threshold.

Reading this whole thread before I appeal mine. I'm at 76%. Plan: short appeal, own it, commit to 85%, mention my history, and since I'm in Texas I won't bother with the Prop 22 angle since that's California only. Will report back.

Anyone outside CA had luck with anything that substitutes for the human-review request? Or is it just the standard appeal for us?

@sunnyD_atx outside California there generally isn't an equivalent statutory human-review right, so your leverage is mainly the platform's own discretion and the contract terms you agreed to. A few states and cities have been adding gig-worker deactivation rules, so it's worth a quick check of your local law, but in most places it's just the standard appeal.

The good news is the standard appeal works for a lot of people in this thread regardless of state. Tone and a clean history seem to matter more than any legal hook. General info, not advice, and it varies by where you are.

Bookmarking this for the next person. Summary of what actually seems to work, pulled from the whole thread: appeal fast, keep it short, own it, commit to 85%+, cite your delivery count and tenure, and in CA ask for human review under Prop 22. Use support removals instead of self-unassigns going forward, and run a backup app while you wait.

Thanks to everyone who reported outcomes good and bad. The mix of success and denial stories is way more useful than the all-or-nothing takes you see elsewhere.