If you’ve been dashing for a while, you’ve probably noticed a new rating showing up in your account this year: On Time Rate. It replaced the old On Time/Early Rate and it’s been causing a lot of headaches for dashers.
Let me explain how it works and why so many of us feel like it’s unfair.
How On Time Rate is Calculated
The On Time Rate tracks the percentage of your last 100 deliveries that were completed within the original estimated delivery time shown when you first accepted the order.
Notice the keyword here: original estimated time. That’s the timestamp the system locks in, even if things change later on.
Here’s where the problem comes in. As dashers, we all know that so much can happen during a delivery. You might get stuck at a restaurant with a long wait, traffic could suddenly build up, or maybe you hit a road closure.
Normally, if you report a long wait at the store, the app will adjust your time and you won’t get a contract violation. This adjusted time is the basis for not getting contract violation.
But with the On Time Rate, that doesn’t matter. The calculation is still based on the time you saw when you first hit “accept.”
That’s why more and more dashers are being penalized. We’re out here doing our best to be on time, but because the system doesn’t account for real-world issues, we still get tagged as late.
How On Time Rate Affects Status and Income
What makes this worse is that your On Time Rate affects your dasher status in many markets.
Imagine being a Platinum dasher, with the ability to “Dash Now” anytime, then suddenly dropping to Gold or Silver because of On Time Rate due to delays you couldn’t control. That can mean losing flexibility and even losing income.
I’ve personally called support several times to ask about this. At first, most agents didn’t seem to know how On Time Rate worked. Eventually, one explained the process to me, and after doing my own research, I can honestly say it feels unfair. We’re basically being judged on something outside of our control.
Can you dispute On Time Rate?
Now, support does say you can dispute late deliveries by going to the Ratings tab, clicking On Time Rate, and submitting a dispute.
But here’s the catch: the app only allows you to dispute a limited number of late deliveries. Once you hit that limit, you’ll see an error saying you’re ineligible and need to complete more deliveries. Super frustrating.
And if you’re hoping support can fix it for you, they really can’t. They told me everything is system-generated and they don’t have the ability to adjust On Time Rate manually.
So what can you do? Unfortunately, not much.
The best thing right now is to understand how it works, dispute the late ones you can, and just keep moving forward. It’s not fair, and it puts a lot of stress on dashers, but right now, there’s really not much that we can do.
FAQ: On Time Rate on DoorDash
1. What is On Time Rate?
On Time Rate measures how many of your last 100 deliveries were completed within the original estimated time shown when you accepted the order.
2. Why does my On Time Rate drop even if I reported delays?
Because the system only looks at the original estimated delivery time. Even if the app adjusts after you report a delay, the On Time Rate doesn’t take that into account.
3. Can I dispute a late delivery on my On Time Rate?
Yes, you can. Go to the Ratings tab, click On Time Rate, and select the order to dispute. But keep in mind, you can only dispute a limited number of late deliveries.
4. Does a low On Time Rate affect my status?
Yes, in many markets it does. A lower On Time Rate can move you down from Platinum to Gold or Silver, which may remove benefits like “Dash Now.”
5. Can Dasher Support fix my On Time Rate?
Sadly, no. Support has no control over it. The system generates the rating and they can’t adjust it for you. Tried calling support about this many times.
I just noticed this tonight, and it became pretty frustrating. I’m docked a whole 10 points from my overall rating just in this category alone, and like you said, nothing we can do.
I’ve already submitted one feedback to doordash support,
and from here on, with every Dash I do, I will give that thumbs down for “how did it go,” and write something along the lines of “the new on-time rating is stupid unrealistic nonsense, and it’s killing my overall rating.”