Let me walk you through something that happens more often than we’d like. You’re out on a delivery, on time, focused, and ready to pick up your order, when boom: the restaurant staff tells you they’re having system issues and can’t accept any Doordash orders right now.
So now what?
If you’re new to dashing, your first instinct might be to unassign and move on. I get it. Time is money, right? But here’s the truth from someone who’s been doing this for over five years. Don’t unassign right away. Trust me, I’ve made that mistake, and I don’t want you to go through the same thing.
Don’t Just Unassign the Order
When you unassign an order, it might seem like the fastest way to move on to the next opportunity, but here’s the catch. Unassigning affects your Completion Rate.
Let me break that down a bit. Your Completion Rate is the percentage of accepted deliveries you actually complete. If this falls below 90%, your Dasher account could be at risk of deactivation.
And guess what? If you unassign, you don’t get paid.
You already drove to the store, used up your gas, and spent your time getting there. Don’t throw that effort away.
Call Doordash Dasher Support right away.
Open the Dasher app, go to the current order, and hit “Help” → then call support. Tell them exactly what’s going on:
“Hi, I’m at [store name], and the staff told me they’re having system issues and can’t process Doordash orders right now.”
Let support take care of it.
They’ll either try to call the store to confirm or check on their end. If they verify that the store can’t fulfill the order, they’ll cancel the order for you.
Get paid, yes, even if the order is canceled.
When the cancellation goes through because it wasn’t your fault, you’ll still receive half pay for the order. And even better, your Completion Rate stays safe. Win-win!
A Quick Story from Experience
Back in my early days, I didn’t know any better. I showed up to a store, got told “our system is down,” and without thinking twice, I unassigned the order. I thought I was being efficient.
Big mistake.
Not only did I not get paid, but my Completion Rate took a hit, and when you unassign a few too many times like that, it adds up real fast. That was my wake-up call.
Now, anytime there’s an issue at the store, I make that quick call to support. It takes maybe 5–10 minutes tops, but I get compensated, I protect my account, and I keep dashing without stress.
Final Thoughts
Being a Dasher means knowing how to handle bumps in the road like this one. So remember:
✅ Don’t unassign.
✅ Call support.
✅ Let them handle it.
✅ Get your half pay.
It’s a small step that can make a big difference in your long-term dashing game. Stay smart out there, drive safe, and don’t let a system glitch mess with your hustle.
