r/Sparkdriver

Not kidding. The online coach is having loaders tell drivers today that she is just going to start cancelling pickup orders if we’re waiting in the parking lot. Apparently, she’s not able to do her job adequately and her pickup wait times are too high. WE aren’t giving her enough time to get them staged and loaded in a timely manner.
It couldn’t possibly be because she’s an idiot or the fact that in the evenings they go from multiple employees back there to 2 and then only 1 after a certain time… but we’re the problem. Who do I report this c*** to?

I think it's bullsh*t how they added gmds to grocery pickup and we caint even see what the hell it is. Had to cancel an order due to it having 3 55inch TVs with 6 other packages and 2 big grocery together! Wtf before I pretty much avoided gmds because of the fact you caint see what the hell it is just stuck with grocery pick up. Now we caint even f do that.

All right so I'm not going to go full on conspiracy. I'll leave that up to you guys.

I'm at the store after doing a delivery. I've waited around about 5 to 10 minutes with no offers or so decide I need to go in and get some items I need. As I'm walking around the store, I see another spark driver. She looks like she's shopping herself. No basket just couple items in her hand and I see her phone. There are two offers on her screen that she hasn't accepted I have none I've been there at least 15-20 minutes by now and I haven't had a single offer. but on her phone we're two offers one for 22 another for 24 that she hadn't accepted.

Smh. Seems like the labor cost to clean the parking lot would be higher than the labor cost to empty 6 trashcans twice a day.

Worse yet, pooh filled diapers are making a comeback at Wally's parking lot. It is disgusting.

Anyone else noticing really weird Spark behavior this past week?

I’m not talking about just “slow days.” I mean the whole flow feels different.

For me, it started right around the time Spark updated to version 4.40 last Thursday.

Here’s what I’ve been seeing since then:

• Long periods of complete silence
• Way fewer Round Robins / “Just for You”
• FCFS offers appearing randomly
• Some decent offers disappearing instantly
• Other bad offers sitting there
• Map still showing activity, but actual flow feels off
• Sam’s and multiple Walmarts acting inconsistent

What’s strange is I’m surrounded by multiple stores (4 Walmarts + Sam’s), so normally at least ONE location is active. But lately the whole zone feels different.

I even tested side by side today with my wife’s Spark account on another phone just to compare behavior, and her account also wasn’t getting flooded with offers either. That made me think this may be more of a zone/dispatch/algorithm issue instead of just one account.

Support keeps saying: “Your metrics are excellent.” and “It may be something affecting your area right now.”

So now I’m wondering:

• Did version 4.40 change dispatch behavior?
• Are more drivers seeing less visibility per account?
• Is Memorial Day traffic changing the algorithm?
• Is anyone else seeing more fragmented/random order flow lately?

Not trying to sound conspiratorial. Just genuinely trying to figure out if others are seeing the same thing and what usually happens after this.

Does it normalize after a while? Does Spark eventually recalibrate? Or is this just the new normal now?

Preface - I am a driver, not a customer ranting after a subpar experience. Made a post this week on shitty driver behaviors — namely the basic-ass notes customers leave to get the bare minimum expectations met (examples: make sure you’re at the right address; don’t leave in front of the out-swinging door).

Just had one happen live on a delivery. I pull up to my stop, it’s a newer multi-floor apartment that has the touchpad entry system. As I’m approaching the door, I see a gentleman with a Walmart bag and case of soda (I’m in a paper bag state, they have certain bags for Spark orders so I know he is a driver). He is already huffing and puffing about the locked entry. I tell him my customer has a note with pin, I proceed to get us in the building, and we share the elevator up to our floor (which he tells me “floor 5” and I’m also going to 5). He airs his gripes about customers and these buildings. I proceed to exit, look at the signage to find which hall to use, and head to my unit (I had wished him well as he set his stuff down to get his phone out). I finish up my drop and head for the elevator, and he is approaching my hallway and asks if I know where 502 is — well guess what, I just dropped off to 502….so the customer had two orders apparently.

Here’s the rant - this driver HAD THE SAME FUCKING NOTES I DID and was acting like he was dealing with a customer-caused situation the whole time. What the actual fuck! The inept nature of some of the driver pool is actually astonishing. I have no clue what this guy would have done had I not shown up to let him in the building but can take a couple guesses, non of which would have been to the customers satisfaction (such as leave at front of building or return the order).

I’m in a zone that gets every rollout dead last apparently and we still don’t have the new tiered rewards system here. I was doing really well for a while there with most of my orders coming from repeat customers- all shops with decent tips. If I was online I’d be sent offers pretty steadily. Now things have gotten so bad with every decent order going directly to first come first serve and me going hours not seeing any “just for you” timed offers at all, let alone any for regular customers/orders that I’d actually accept. I was looking forward to the tier rewards (my stats are perfect minus 99% items found, but that still qualifies for Sapphire) because of the promised order priority- but for those of you who have it does it seem to make any kind of difference at all? Do you feel you are getting priority? Or decent JFY offers? Anything? I still can’t wrap my head around why they made the switch to damn near everything going directly to first come first serve (especially pretty much right after launching the retooled rewards program) when it’s not benefiting good drivers which in turn means it’s not benefiting good customers either. I’m beyond frustrated with this app right now.

My post about the tip manipulation was removed after 30000 views and 100s of comments. Hi corruption. Already gave an interview and screenshots of everything.

Im so sick of my screen being filled with a bunch of BS. I miss real orders cause they get lost in the mess.

I had a camper van and I was doing deliveries and that but it had problems I had to sell it but I had so much room to do stuff exercise discreetly but now I'm stuck in the trailblazer in one position bored as hell stuck playing Delta Force or watching a series on a tablet and time flies so fast and I'm not even having fun just wasting the day away. What are y'all doing your free time between orders?

I’m so confused this is the first time it’s happened to me. I’ve accepted 5 different orders and as soon as the pickup timer hits or shortly after I accept it, the order gets cancelled. it was raining super hard here for a while idk if that has anything to do with it.. anyone else have this happen?

So, how much higher does the offer have to be than the mileage for you to take it? I've seen a bunch for me since I started an hour ago and I've just been tossing them as they pop in. Just feel that with gas being as expensive as it is, it needs to be much higher than simply being 1:1

PS- wording this in a way that didn't flag the don't discuss what you make rule took more effort than I thought it would