Alright! You’ve done the online orientation. Passed the background checks. And you just received notification that you can now enter your available times on the App’s Calendar. Exciting! Although you may think the shifts will begin rolling in, that’s not always the case. Unless you happen to be in a new location that’s just starting out.
If you are in a new location you most definitely will get some scheduled shifts as the 2 hour delivery goes into full swing. You may also get a few push notifications to pick up some blocks due to customer demand for the new service. If you onboarded really early you may even do some dummy deliveries to help the warehouse get all the kinks sussed out in preparation for going live. These shifts will pay you the stated rate for the blocks, but there will not be any tips. It’s ok though because you will still get a feel for the driving, the app and also the process at the warehouse.
If you onboarded in an area that has been up and running you may not see any scheduled shifts. It is not uncommon to get zero blocks when the schedule goes out Thursday afternoon. Even if you said you are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you may still get zero. But that’s ok, because as you will soon find, being scheduled is great, but not a necessity to get the hours you need to make very good money.
I hear lots of complaining from other drivers about not being scheduled. Tons of people call and email the Flex people to complain. Don’t do this! This helps no one. Just expect not to get scheduled and when you do it’s gravy. Some people seem to think they deserve scheduled hours…don’t be one of them. When something pays this well for delivering packages, you should expect to have to fight to get hours.
And just in case you are wondering why more people aren’t scheduled for blocks, the simplest answer is…business. Why on earth would any company risk being over staffed and pay people to sit and do nothing when they can schedule 2 drivers and then add drivers as needed once they see the orders for the block?
Very helpful information! Thank you for your amazing work! I have a question about pre-scheduling one’s availability in the app’s calendar: If I am indeed available 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week, should I show that in the calendar? OR, should I only pre-schedule my availability in the calendar for 2-4 hour blocks of time (per day). The reason I ask this is because I just recently completed everything to deliver in the Phoenix area. I set my first weekly availability for 40 hours per week (and from 6am to Mid, daily). However, I was not pre-scheduled for any shifts. Upon attending an Amazon Flex Q&A session recently, I respectfully asked whether I had misunderstood how I should be showing my availability in the app. The Host shared that “if he had set his calendar for a week, and THAT particular calendar did not get him any shifts, then he would change his calendar for the next week”. In other words, do you think I am I putting myself at some king of disadvantage by representing my availability as completely open from 6am to Mid daily? Thank you in advance, Sharon
Hello Sharon! I’m not sure I agree with the Host on this one because the system is supposedly random, so making your available hours as 24/7 seems to give you the largest chance of getting a scheduled block. Giving your availability as 6am to Mid. (Midnight, I presume?) seems like a good chunk of the day where you will eventually get some hours. I, like you, give the widest range possible each week and have left it that way since the beginning. Some weeks I have gotten 20 hours scheduled, some weeks 6 hours and some weeks 4 hours based on the wide range. But I also have gone 4 straight weeks with zero hours scheduled. It was that stretch that really made me focus on picking up the blocks that came available and not worrying so much with the scheduled hours. I will admit that it’s nice to have them, but certainly don’t get hung up on not getting them. As far as adjusting your hours to see if there is a different result, you may want to give it a go and if it seems more successful stick with it. In my opinion though I would stay with at least an 8 hour block per day if you could. Hopefully I answered your questions and good luck to you!
You are a special kind of person to provide a frustrated and confused person like myself a way to ask questions about what may be the most confusing thing of all time. I drive for Caviar.. The sign up process and communication is superb. No flaws. No issues.
Now I’m just going to ask you flat out if there is a way I can just email you through private email so I can go into great detail about the vast areas that I am confused and also doubting my status as an active driver. If that is not possible then I’ll fill this message board with all the questions I have and not be slightly offended. As I said however, it may be easier for me to send one email to you with all of my questions.
I believe you have my email from when I sign in here. If so please please please do me a favor and allow me just one fully explanatory email and I’ll pray for you to answer my questions and concerns.
As a quick look my questions involve…
Is the app even installed properly
Should things be saving in the menus?
Do the videos in the app matter in terms of completion?
Why have I not gotten one delivery, nor one notification, nor even a confirmation that I am certain to get a delivery?
Again thanks in advance and I’m genuinely excited to have found this place and you with your info. Please email me once and I’ll send you whatever you want or need…. My cat? Food? My last remaining money? I hope to hear from you.. Thanks
Hello schoone718. I will definitely do my best to answer your questions and try to help with your confusion. I think it will be best to post the questions on the board just in case others are wondering the same thing, but for some reason are not asking. As far as your app being installed correctly, if you can log in and view the home menu with your name as well as have the ability to view the videos, then I would say it is installed correctly. The videos do matter. You have to watch them all. You also have to fill in all your personal information for the background check to be cleared before you can deliver. If you have gone through that process and have gotten a message stating you are now ready to start delivering, then you should be able to open up the schedule and select days and times you are available. A grey dot will show on the days you select and each Friday you will get a notification of any shifts for the following week. For shifts you get booked, the dot will turn orange and if you weren’t scheduled for any blocks, the day just be blank. Definitely read through some of the other posts on the site. As noted, I’ve gone weeks without a scheduled shift but have still worked plenty. I have done my best to explain the process of picking up blocks without being scheduled. If you have further questions about anything just let me know.
Happy to discuss everything here, just didn’t want to y with the amazing amount of confusion I have.
To summarize and explain why I have no idea what is going on, the first easy answer would be: I was under the impression that this was a slam dunk and there would be so many jobs (it’s a part of Amazon and to be honest I’ve read enough comments from people about the amazingly high amount of expected deliveres some people claim to have that if some are overburdened, the rest of us should be getting tons of options). However what happened in my case went something like this :
– saw opening to sign up
– got immediate response to sign up
– went to webinar orientation almost immediately, filled in bank info, watched videos (different than the ones on their now) and as I did all of these things, I could see things advancing and check marks appearing as well as waiting only a couple days before I asked about my background check and was told that I was ready to go……..
Then I got the reminder about commercial drivers insurance. I added that asap and this now sits as a more expensive insurance than the personal I had…. BUT WITHOUT A SINGLE DELIVERY OFFER.
Which brings me to some of the current issues. Firstly I am a massive Amazon supporter, Prime user and part of my frustration is that this app.. This service….. Is the single part of amazon that has been incapable of answering the most simple Questions that I have asked and those include very clear reasons for being unsure and also include screenshots.
After sending in all the necessary information and insurance requirements, I was told that I was ready to go yet I would go to the app obsessively and these are the things that would happen and still do. Now please also note that I have a version of the app that has the newest release version yet when I went to my first Q&A session I was sent a link to an entirely different versions. Even though it was older, I thought ok now I’m getting something done. Alas…. No. Same issues so I returned to the newest version and hoped. But nope… Here is what I truly do not understand…. :
– Everytime I go into the menus of the app, I am asked to reinsert my license ID. Same with my direct deposit bank info.
– I have “set my availability” with massive blocks of time that I can work and yet I have had the next week become blank and lacking a single orange dot every week for at least 3 weeks now.
– I have not received a single push notification indicating an available time.
– I have not received a single delivery weeks after being told that I am set and ready
– I have sent screenshots of the app and menus to support and I unfortunately receive a standard clipped reply that doesn’t answer nor help.
So I’m happy to be patient if I’m going to at some point know that everything is good to go and I am not receiving offers because of the amount of drivers. I’ve seen the idea of clearing cache. That didn’t work. I didn’t know if I should clear data so I didn’t do that. I have seen the best idea is to go to a pickup site and that is what I have decided to do. I simply need to speak to someone.
Now I am hoping you guys can advise me and I’m thrilled to even find others to speak to. If I didn’t make it known, I’m signed up for Brooklyn, NY Prime Now. Please assist… I beg you. I will owe you forever. I can answer any questions or send screens. If you agree that I should go to a site please let me know if you know which one is best. I just want to get started and was excited abut this. Now I’m frustrated as can be and paying more insurance money for it.
Thank you very much in advance
I want to confirm that you indeed signed up for Amazon Flex delivery vs. Amazon Logistics delivery. Also, I want to confirm that you signed up independently vs. signing up through a delivery company that is contracted by Amazon. For now I will just comment assuming you signed up with Amazon Flex as an independent driver. Certain states require the added insurance for you to deliver. I’m not sure why you have to enter your license ID and bank info every time. Are you talking about your insurance license ID or your driver’s license ID info? Make sure you are clicking all the way through and submitting. As far as the version of the app goes, even if you get an older version, you should automatically be updated to the latest version upon login. In the beginning we were able to choose when we updated to a new version, but now it’s automatic. Make sure your phone is running the latest Android version. Once you enter all your information as it is requiring you to do, you should then be able to start using The Method as written about here: https://flexdrivertips.com/2016/03/30/ready-to-deliver-today-the-method/
I will do my best to answer your points above as noted by the “-“:
– I have no idea why this happens to you, definitely use the feedback portion of the app to ask the question and give it about 5 days before you can expect an answer.
-Getting scheduled blocks is very rare. There are a lot of drivers looking for the same shifts and the system is random. Scheduled blocks are just gravy. You have to begin picking up the blocks.
-You most likely will never get a push notification unless it is just incredibly slammed at a weird hour. Not to mention, I believe the warehouse can only use that option one time for a driver. Don’t quote me on that one though. If that is the case then they would save it for desperate times.
-Again, you need to start practicing the Method which is in the link above. The shifts aren’t just given out unless you get lucky with a scheduled block.
-When you submit your feedback, just go one question at a time. They seem to be bogged down and don’t always answer. Make it easy for them. They will not answer questions like, “why aren’t I getting shifts,” because they don’t know. They are not designing the app. They are just service representatives for the drivers. Make your questions short and to the point. And make them ones that they can answer. Your next question to them should be concerning entering your bank info and license ID each time you login. Try some of the above and let me know what happens. Good luck!
Thanks man I mean I’ve been trying the method obsessively since last night. No success. Thing is it’s been harder to know why anything happens when you’re not offered even one single shift. The fact that I won’t get blocks in advance makes some of the things make sense but I guess I just thought it would be a very very good idea to get someone a block early in their hiring so they know how to do this. I’ve seen so many YouTube vids and blog posts that say “I haven’t gotten much or anything in a long one but I got one when I first started. If they just gave me a single orange dot or single offered delivery I’d know at least that I will again. Until I get one I’m sitting here unsure if I can or if there is a problem.
Since I can’t get answers to my explained problems, that is insanely frustrating.
Thanks again and you can be sure I’ll be spending lots of time here giving and taking advice
Sorry to continue asking more and more things however as they come to mind I want to post them here….
I watched the first video in the app and one of the first things it says is that in the app menu your see a button to “Start Delivering”. Has everyone seen this? Has anyone seen this? I’ve never seen that. Should this be a concern?
The main time to use the method is within the timelines outlined on Where Most Luck is Found. I have never personally had much luck getting shifts the night prior. I always use the Method in advance of the shift I’m trying to get. The shifts only come up on an as needed basis once the warehouse has time to gauge the orders for the block and how many drivers they have on. Start trying at about an hour and 15 minutes before the start of the block you are looking for and see if you have more success. As far as the start delivering button goes, it may have been one of the first buttons after the app was loaded on my phone, but I can’t remember. The one you are looking for it the Schedule Open Blocks.
This may sound like a silly question but is there any way for me to easily find out where the warehouses are because I plan on actually going to one or more and trying to see if a supervisor or someone who is an actual driver can look at my app and tell me I’m at least using an app that isn’t impossible to get delivery offers through because something is incorrectly set up. Until I get a single offer I’m not going to think it’s actually working.
The only time I see the address for the warehouse is when I have a pickup and the app routes me to the location. When you onboarded they definitely would have given you the address. Did you try today to pick up a block? Don’t forget, you are refreshing your screen as fast as your phone will allow!
Hey,
That last thing you said was kind of tough to understand. You said when I I was “onboarded” they would have given me a list of pick up locations? But then you said you don’t find out until you get a pickup….. But in all your posts you talk about going to the warehouses and waiting there. I came to understand that meant I wouldn’t really get blocks unless I was close to or at the warehouses.
I spent literally stretches of an hour refreshing and have gotten zero deliveries. This is unfortunate because I do have the will to be patient and I would enjoy this, be good at it and would have tons of time to do it and yet it’s just difficult to keep doing something like trying to get a delivery block when I get zero.
Im just tired of it and i thought this would be such a huge help to me. This has been unfortunate. I’m just going to ask you if you have any other ideas….
I should maybe know tjis but what 6 city are you in?
When I did my online orientation they gave my group the address of the warehouse so we could be prepared and familiarized with the location. And when I have a block it gives me the address for my pickup when I alert the app I’m on my way. Some drivers go to the warehouse or wait close to the warehouse when they don’t have a shift so they can try and pick one up and be in close proximity. And just so you can gauge your efforts, as I mentioned, I have been shut out for three days straight having not seen one shift offered to pick up. That doesn’t mean there were no shifts to pick up. It just means someone was faster than me. Sometimes I even see a shift, but don’t click fast enough and again someone else will get it. In the process to get a block on those three days of nothing, I tried for one and a half hours before the start of the block I was looking for, which means I was refreshing my screen for over 6 hours each day. I guess that’s why I consider that the job.
How does the 8 hour block work?
A lot of times the 8 hour block is a scheduled shift. It works in the same way each 2 hour block works except you return to the warehouse after your route is complete no matter what time it is during your first 3 blocks. You only need to sign in once at the beginning of the shift. After your 4th block route is complete you can head home or back to the warehouse if you need to return items. You can easily link 8 hours into one day by picking up the next block, but in this case you need to sign in each time. Let me know if you have further questions. Have fun!
Hey dude…I wanted to update you and your readers.
So just as a follow up I wanted to show some sort of proof that I was in fact not losing my grip on reality… The first thing is I want badly to think that my discussions with their support staff led directly to the far more clear and detailed explanations in the app and procedures. For instance :
“
kind of lost you there…you’re breaking up. Are you in a bad cell area?
I have situation, I did the online boarding session pass the background check, the problem is I signed up for biking and they have the wrong location pickup. I tried emailing them through the app but it says it’s not setup. I am in NYC location Amazon flex. Any suggestion. Thanks
Hello Albert,
I would email the support and give them your real name and user login. Let them know the situation and maybe they can manually adjust your pickup spot. Tell them you are having trouble logging in and that is why you are not contacting them through the app. Use your email they should have on file so that they can confirm you are a driver. Good luck!
I actually don’t have their support email. Also on my app I can not send email because it says ” your email is not setup”
I have picked up the material for deliveries from Manhattan location. Talked to tech support face to face told them what happened, they will try to fix, if they remembered. If not I might as well visit that location and ask again. Btw do you have amazonflex support email?
Much thank you for your response before much appreciated.
amazonflex-support@amazon.com You should definitely email them from the account you signed up to deliver with. Or in this case, the one they should have. Also, the email you login to the app with should be from your Amazon account, the one you use when you order things on Amazon. (If you’ve ever ordered anything.) Give that email a try if you haven’t already.
Thanks for your advice and tips. I have already email twice just in case. I will visit the Manhattan location where I picked up the materials and talk to the tech person and ask him to again help me fix it. I will give it another week or so, if nothing changes then I will just uninstall it. Thanks again.
Hi thank you for this useful article. I delivered in Dallas but I recently moved to a different city where amazonFlex works as well. My initial region is Dallas. I tried to update it in the app by changing my address and yet my delivery options are in Dallas. I e-mailed the support e-mail but nothing has changed. Any advice?
They should get back to you. I know of lots of drivers who were able to move to another city and continue to deliver. How long has it been since your email to them? It could take up to a week for them to get back to you. Also, you have to take into consideration how saturated the new market you are entering is with drivers. It’s definitely doable though.
Hello . To whom it may concern, I’m interested in becoming a flex driver. I’m located in Baltimore Md. I recently summitted my basic information on the website , however I haven’t gotten a response yet. Is there a contact number I can call to actually speak to someone ? I’m ready to get the ball rolling. Thanks
Unfortunately there isn’t a number you can call at this point. The only thing you can really do is wait. I know it takes them a while, but it all depends on your area and their need. You could try to email support, but the response times for current drivers is very slow so I’m not sure if they will respond at all. Good luck!
Help so I was sent an email saying I’m on board I go to the app log in and a screen comes up asking me what location I want to pick up and deliver. The page won’t let me respond. Tap the block to answer and it just highlights no keyboard to type comes and that’s it. It’s stuck there when I log out and log back in later it goes to that page but won’t allow me to go any farther…
Others have been having this issue as well. Did you try rebooting your phone? Maybe someone can comment on how they fixed the issue. Otherwise try to email support and let them know. They have to have a fix as this point. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Does anyone have the email for support?
amazonflex-support@amazon.com
Can a get the email to support??
amazonflex-support@amazon.com
am i the only one that seems to take 4 hours to complete a 3 hour block?
No. It’s very common. Part of their overloading initiative. All joking aside. You just have to take the good with the bad. Some days routes are great. Some days they suck.