Why Is DoorDash So Slow & How To Fix? (2024 Update!)

If you have worked as a Dasher for DoorDash before, you would have experienced slow orders on the platform sometimes. But still, why is DoorDash so slow sometimes? Why are you not even getting enough orders?

Companies like Postmates are taking very few drivers now. And Instacart recently had to opt for an Instacart waitlist, as it failed to accommodate all the applicants.

So, it is an undeniable fact that the demand for delivery jobs is at a record high right now. But still, more and more people are coming!

Although the oversaturated industry and post-pandemic financial crisis are among the main reasons, there are other reasons that can also affect the overall order receiving or delivery time of DoorDash.

So, let’s take a deep dive to know the actual reasons behind it.

 

 

 

Why Is DoorDash So Slow For Dashers?

So, let’s first address this question: Why is DoorDash so slow, especially for Dashers?

DoorDash works slowly for dashers where it doesn’t get enough orders to assign to all active dashers in a particular area. Simply in other words, “Less Orders and More Dashers.“

And for that reason, many Dashers can’t get enough orders to make a good living. But yes, it is also true that there are many reasons behind it. Let’s check out the top 5 reasons!

Read – 13 High-Paying Jobs like DoorDash

 

1. Not Being A Top Dasher

Most platforms that provide food delivery jobs prefer their top-rated delivery drivers. And DoorDash is no different! During peak hours (with peak pay), DoorDash ensures delivery priorities to top dashers, while regular dashers get fewer orders.

Becoming a top dasher is not easy! Here are the current requirements for being among the top line.

• 100 completed deliveries in the last month.
• 200 completed all-time deliveries.
• The order acceptance rate should be more than 70%.
• The completion rate should be more than 95%.
• Average customer rating of 4.7 or higher.

But being a top dasher has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s check all the good, bad, and ugly!

• Upside: You’ll get orders during busy hours and even when there are many dashers present in the same area.
• Downside: Due to the requirement of a high acceptance rate, you need to take even low-paying orders.

My Findings: The need to be a top dasher depends on the respective market. But it is really fruitful if you live in a busy area or where there are so many DoorDash orders going on a regular basis.

 

2. Delivering At Non-Peak Hours

Most dashers don’t understand why DoorDash is so slow, even while delivering at non-peak hours. Yes, that’s the main reason!

In any of the jobs like DoorDash, you’ll encounter a peak-hour non-peak-hour system. In these peak hours (or busy hours), people tend to order more, that too, with a larger volume.

So, if you start dashing during these peak hours, you’ll get more orders than at other times.

You can use the “Dash Now” feature of the app to get the current heat map of your city. And depending on that, you can select your preferred delivery time and location.

As of 2023, there are four peak hours in DoorDash in general (expectations can be there)!

• Breakfast: 8 AM to 11 AM, Monday to Saturday
• Lunch: 11 AM to 2 PM, Every day
• Dinner: 6 PM to 9 PM, Every day
• Weekends: Throughout the day

If you manage to work in peak hours, you can easily make $500 a week with DoorDash working in your free hours. Full-timers earn even more working during peak hours and taking breaks during non-peak hours.

DoorDash has also introduced the “Peak Pay” feature (unavailable to all dashers). And with that, you’ll get incentives on top of the base pay, which can be as much as $3/order. So, always choose the best times to DoorDash to maximize your profit.

 

3. Not Taking DoorDash Hotspots In Your Advantage

All companies that provide legitimate driving jobs identify their target regions to ensure a better acceptance and completion rate. And for DoorDash, these busy areas are called hotspots.

There are two types of DoorDash hotspots you can see on your map…

• “Dynamic Hotspot,” which is currently busy,
• “Historical Hotspot,” which has a track record of being busy very frequently.
  

You can track them with the little flame icon on the map. Now, these hotspots help you to identify the places where the probability of getting more orders is relatively high.

My Take: If you can’t find any hotspot in your location, simply move closer to a college, university, multi-office building, and large residential complexes. These locations are generally busy throughout the USA.

 

4. Too Many Dashers Present

You won’t get more orders at any place if the competition is fierce. DoorDash follows the same principle, as their algorithm is also designed that way.

It is to divide the total orders equally among all the available dashers in that area. So, if you see a lot of dashers in any hotspot or close to any restaurant or food joint, move out of that place.

Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting your time even when there are so many orders going on. I’ve talked about this issue in detail in my latest DoorDash hacks blog!

My Findings: To avoid this competition, you must pre-schedule your slots. DoorDash now gives you the freedom to schedule your delivery slots up to five days in advance.

 

5. Technical Error/Glitches

Do you know why DoorDash is infamously called DoorCrash?

This is because the app still crashes almost every day. And if the demand is high during peak hours, the app starts behaving even more weirdly.

So, why is DoorDash so slow? It is because the app might have faced another bug, glitch, or error (And I’m tired of that!).

You should keep an eye on the official Twitter handle of DoorDash to check if the app is currently down. Besides, you can also use third-party services like Down Detector.

But if there is no glitch from the server side, you may try a few things to fix this!

• Restart your phone and relaunch the DoorDash app.
• Put it in airplane mode and revert it after 2 minutes.
• Log out from your account and log back in.
• Update your DoorDash app.
• Disable any antivirus/firewall running in the background.

If you can’t solve the glitches even after trying the above methods, you must contact DoorDash Dasher support or give them a call at 855-431-0459 (USA).

 

Why Is DoorDash Not Giving Me Orders?

If you are a dasher, you must have already known why DoorDash is so slow for you. The first reason is surely not being among the top dashers in your town!

Delivery driving is considered an easy job, and that’s why there is always a steady stream of manpower supply. So, you’ll find immense competition among dashers in peak hours.

You are dashing in a low-demand area, which could also be the reason. So, it is better to position yourself close to any popular restaurants during peak hours.

 

Why Is DoorDash So Slow For Customers?

Not just for dashers, DoorDash can even sometimes become extremely slow for customers. And here are the top 5 reasons behind it.

 

1. Not Giving Tips

Although it is recommended, you are not bound to give tips in any order on DoorDash. Dashers also don’t see tipping amounts when they receive or decline an order.

But on the upside, any experienced dasher can guess if their order has any tips or not by looking at the pay estimate. This estimate shows a bit higher than usual if there are any tips added to it.

If you are ordering a bulk one, such as 50 products in a single order, it is highly recommended to give some tips. And if you do it, many dashers will receive the order quickly.

 

2. Dasher Stuck In Traffic / Took A Detour

If you are ordering from a high-traffic or congested area, your dasher can get stuck in heavy traffic even after accepting your order. And there is no way to avoid that!

According to my experience, places like New York and Miami see heavy traffic on weekdays. And DoorDash is usually slow in this area.

Your delivery may even get delayed if the dasher takes a detour for some reason. DoorDash always recommends all dashers follow the directions given on the map. But the final call is always for the dasher.

 

3. You Are Ordering At Peak Hours

If you have previously done any jobs like Instacart or DoorDash, you may already know that the rush is immense during busy hours, such as lunchtime and dinnertime.

And this rush in any particular area or restaurant can heavily influence the overall delivery time of DoorDash.

So, try to order a bit quickly (around 15 minutes prior to lunchtime and dinnertime) to ensure faster delivery during peak hours.

 

4. You Live In A Non-Popular Area

Although DoorDash is now present throughout the USA, some places may not be covered well by DoorDash. And if you want to know why DoorDash is so slow, you need to check your area first.

If you live out of town or far from restaurants and eateries, Dashers can take a bit more time to deliver your order. Besides, many Dashers may not even accept your order if it is too far away from the restaurant.

My Take: DoorDash doesn’t pay dashers for mileage. So, top dashers will always try to be cost-effective in terms of total distance and time travel. And in that way, they can secure a better profit.

 

5. Driver Is Picking Up Multiple Orders

Do you know anything about “batched orders?” It is when a dasher takes multiple orders that fall on the same route.

It ensures the best opportunity for dashers where they can increase their overall earnings while delivering at the same route. This minimizes their effort while increasing the total order volume.

However, it is possible to restrict the batched order from the customer’s side. But you can order from any nearby restaurant to avoid that to a certain limit.

 

Final Note

You must have already understood the possible reasons why DoorDash is so slow! So, if you are a Dasher, try to follow the things I’ve mentioned above, such as delivering more while the peak pay kicks in or staying close to a hotspot.

And if you are a customer, try to encourage dashers to take your orders fast by adding some tips to your order amount. Experienced dashers can guess that, and you must take advantage of it.

 

FAQs

What are the worst times for DoorDash?

Monday mornings are historically the worst time DoorDash delivers, and experienced dashers never opt for this slot. However, Monday to Wednesday is traditionally slow in DoorDash, especially during breakfast and dinnertime slots.

Holiday eves and festivals are also slow, as people tend to go outside with their families during these times.

 

Does DoorDash Provide a refund for a late DoorDash delivery?

If your order arrives much later than the estimated delivery time, you can contact customer support to get a complete or partial refund. DoorDash does provide full refunds in most cases, although it is not guaranteed!

 

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