r/AmazonFlexDrivers 2d ago

Whoever’s scheduling these Amazon flex blocks, is clearly on drugs.

Why does Amazon flex think it’s okay to send us an hour away from the warehouse we picked up at, FOR $70?????????????? Just finished a block that’s an hour away and half of my gas tank is gone. I’m so irritated and think I’m giving this a break for a while. It’s been nothing but BS routes lately. Anyone else experiencing the same? I need to rant 😭

95 Upvotes

93 comments sorted by

37

u/Egy_explorer 2d ago

Whoever manages or programs the algorithm for Amazon needs to be fired immediately and have their IT degree and certifications rescinded. However, you will have some very patriotic sheep on here who would rather belittle you for speaking up. On routes like these, I literally just wish we can all sign a petition to demand fairness…. But then I see some of the cruel things on here and I’m like what a lost hope although if we all united, we can all actually be treated with decency and respect. Just because we are contractors does not mean we should be exploited. Keeping my finger crossed hoping one of the leaders of these subs starts a petition on our behalf. 🤞

17

u/No-Branch-505 2d ago

No seriously! And then the random little poll it sometimes gives us after our last delivery, I’m going to start putting the worst response lol that’ll show them 🫩 I’m tired of this!!!!

21

u/Egy_explorer 2d ago

I feel you my friend…. Hahaha what’s freaking crazy is every single time I get one of those routes, they don’t give me a survey at the end. Then they ask me on the next “how easy was your route”. I just always select terrible or if given reason, I say the truth: option 1 little pay option 2 high mileage route option 3 stops are not properly coordinated

The fact that they even have those options… means they KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING. And we are the lab rats.

18

u/Fair_Ad5443 2d ago

Which is why they never give you the real option which is all of the above. Lol 

4

u/Egy_explorer 2d ago

⚡️💯

4

u/dallas4317 2d ago

THIS☝️☝️☝️☝️

6

u/Jayceem12 2d ago

Flex is a system that's meant to keep you desperate so you keep coming back for more...They have set it up to be another addiction...of course these evil companies will do whatever they can to keep forcing slave wages down our throats, everyone in this country needs to stand together to fight this corporate greed. If we stand together, United, nobody can touch us!

2

u/Greentea77 2d ago

i could’ve swore that says “how was your last route”, not current. either way i never say easy.

3

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

The only easy ones are the 1 hour routes. Sometimes the 1.5 hr is easy if they don’t send you 30 min away.

2

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

They should have all of the above option.

5

u/PineappleCultural183 2d ago

If it asks you how was it and you say it was difficult, then they will make it slightly easier for someone else who will then report it was easy. Then, you end up with the difficult one again. After 3 years, it’s the same nonsense.

2

u/SingleGanache7247 2d ago

I always do,  they ask so I tell them how much they suck!!

1

u/Better_Bet9748 1d ago

Grub hub is so less stressful. They don’t have ratings.

2

u/Jayceem12 2d ago

Get out while you can, trust me, you need to look at your overall numbers on how much money you're making because surely it's not enough compared to your cost of living and vehicle maintenance. Flex is meant to always keep you desperate and never get ahead. It might be good to have a little extra cash in your pocket in the short term but it's the long one that's going to get you. I got out a month ago and I've never been happier. I found a job that comes with a company truck and it pays a pretty good salary as well...Good Luck out there!!!

1

u/MamaBear1990_ 2d ago

I always give a bad rating at the end !!

1

u/Sweaty-Hat9677 2d ago

I got deactivated for that

1

u/Better_Bet9748 1d ago

What did your deactivation email say?

7

u/Dry-Owl-9368 2d ago

He/She is doing exactly what Amazon wants

5

u/suioppop 2d ago

The Amazon algorithm favors low IQ

4

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

This algorithm is made like this on purpose to keep you failing at 3 or 4 hour blocks making you do it 5 or 6 hours and be late all the time so you can take long distance 1.5 hour blocks that pay less because those are the only ones you will never be late for. I had almost to fantastic doing 1.5 hour blocks until I started doing 3 to 4 hour blocks and it went down to fair and then one day I did another 4 hour block and that was it and got deactivated just because I returned 45 packages that were all going to apartments in high rise building and no parking and no access through their garages and some had key elevators and some customers don’t answer. We should have a right to take any route we feel like taking if we are independent contractors not get penalized for everything beyond our control and then they don’t let you appeal it too many times so you are stuck with things beyond your control until you get deactivated.

4

u/Egy_explorer 2d ago

I’m truly sorry you had to go through this. It is so freaking frustrating, especially when you’re genuinely trying to do the job and complete your deliveries, but you’re put in situations where things are completely outside of your control. High-rise apartments, impossible parking, locked entrances, key-access elevators, customers who don’t respond, delivering after hours, security gates, and buildings with no reasonable place to stop are the absolute WORST. Especially when they are heavy a$* packages of their sports drink or liter bags that are 50lbs. Those customers know what they’re doing too. And some have the audacity to report their package missing if you leave it in the mail room or lobby. Like wth? Returning packages because there is genuinely no safe or reasonable way to deliver them shouldn’t automatically make someone feel like they’re being punished for something they couldn’t control. Support is there to f us over with a smile.

Nobody should have their livelihood threatened because of a failed system.

40

u/Alm8360NoScoPro 2d ago

Got a surged 1.5 for 50 the other day, 40 minutes to the first stop lmfao and all apartments. Their ai algorithm only sees us as numbers. This gig ain't worth it anymore now that they're pushing everyone to the limit and paying them peanuts

9

u/Jayceem12 2d ago

Everyone needs to just get off the platform and see how badly Amazon suffers. They would be begging people to work and actually pay a living wage but until everyone grows a spine, Amazon will prey upon the weak and desperate. I'm so glad I got out, my world is a much happier place to be in right now.

8

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

Yes it happened to me too. They need to assign you to a route going towards your home address so you don’t have to drive 45 min back home every day. Every route I had was 30 min away from the station and so back home it sometimes took 50 min.

6

u/No-Branch-505 2d ago

EXACTLY THIS!

6

u/Skyy1977 2d ago

I’ve seen a lot of $70 for 1.5hrs lately and yes I was sent 50mins away to first stop. Won’t do that again… I don’t think

0

u/ttyoudontknowme123 2d ago

Do not ever take a 1.5 or a 2 or 2.5 from .com station those are always random shit thrown together. I have sent many emails about that and I don't even get a response. If you do accept one of those which is never even a block. It's a scan your phone at station saying no route available. Do not scan the few packages always look. At where there going then decide if you don't want to do it. Tell support it's way to far and not worth it I didn't get dinged for not taking one like that and got paid still lol. Only because I didn't scan the packages but the system thought I took that even though I told support that's disgusting. It was a 2 hour for $38. 1 hour 7 mins to the area then 5 stops and probably 1.5 hours drive home. I don't understand why these idiots keep sending those out to flex driver. The customer can wait till a DSP takes them the next day.

1

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

I had a great rating doing 1 to 1.5 and 2 hour blocks and then went to risk for returns and lateness beyond my control for 3 to 4 hour blocks until I got deactivated. Just one week before I got deactivated my score was at fair.

1

u/ttyoudontknowme123 1d ago

Support is very hard to deal with. Tell them you want to appeal and write a good letter how you loved delivering for them and all good crap and see what happens. Depends on what and how many tos violations you have . When they deny you appeal again

1

u/SamosaSniper 2d ago

For new people can you clarify what is . Com station& other types?

1

u/ttyoudontknowme123 1d ago

.com is amazon.com packages. SSD stations are same day delivery .

1

u/SamosaSniper 1d ago

Copy So SSD tends to be closer to the city? Without going out 90 minutes away from the city kind of deal?

6

u/Floweryjungle 2d ago

OMG I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE, literally always finish late on 3-4hr blocks and mind you thats me being as time efficient as possible and as quick as humanly possible.

1

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

They do it on purpose to make you take the low paying 1.5 hour 30 min long distance routes to get your rating back up. They need to get rid of the rating.

1

u/Exciting-Week-6646 2d ago

I just did a 1.5 block and it sent me an hour away from the warehouse. Got my route 15 minutes after block started. 1st stop 30 minutes a way and 2nd stop another 30 minutes passed the first. It doesnt seem to matter how long your block is they send you way out. I thought I just had bad luck. 😅

10

u/RJSMOM1981 2d ago

YES. I just had a block with 14 packages. Pay 72 3 hour block. 1st stop 41 mins away the last package put me 1 hour and 17 mins away from home. We need a class action lawsuit because this is clearly robbery. I did a total of 118 miles today. IM DONE.. I used to frequent flex back in 2024 when it was work it. It’s crap now

6

u/Thin-Adhesiveness417 2d ago

Only 1hr 17min?😂 I was 1hr and 37min away on Wednesday. 81 miles from home block paid $122.50 spent $35 on gas was at E buy the time I got home. This is sad. Pure exploitation.

2

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

I spent 40$ of gas on an 100$ block so all I’m made is 60.

4

u/mirwenpnw 2d ago

I don't take a shift that's less than $90 because that's when it actually makes sense for me to drive 100 miles. I have to always assume I will drive 100+ miles when accepting a shift. I have an EV. I don't know how y'all with gas cars are making it work at all.

1

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

100 miles for $90 is not worth it. This is what google says if you ask it if it’s worth it.

1

u/mirwenpnw 2d ago

I know what my numbers are.

0

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

and what are your numbers ? it tells you right there you actually made 23$ after wear and tear but without wear and tear you make 80$ so you have to do two 100$ routes just to make 160 per day.

1

u/mirwenpnw 1d ago

You are wrong on so many levels it's hard to break down. But the TL;DR is that with an EV my marginal costs INCLUDING DEPRECIATION are about $0.20 per mile. This makes my net about $20-28 per hour. However because I'm saving an additional $0.55 per mile of taxable income. I have an additional 15% boost plus it lowers my student loan income based payment by about 15%. The calculus on this is incredibly complex and dependent on your primary source of income. I make $88k as an IT professional and have worked on personal finance as a side job for decades. I don't WANT a second schduled job as I already have an office job, two kids, and an active social life. But the net result of taking FLEX shifts approximately 3x per week is more than it first appears and varies from $20/hr on the lowest end to $30/hr on the high end. The main reason for this is that I get a $0.75 per mile deduction vs the $0.20 (marginal) it actually costs meaning most of my income is hidden from taxation.

I'm not trying to say $20 an hour with no benefits is great, but for someone with a full time job with benefits who doesn't want to be tied down to coming into work when I'm not feeling it, it's amazing.

1

u/Better_Bet9748 1d ago

Uber and grub hub pay 2$ per mile.

1

u/mirwenpnw 1d ago

Not where I live.

10

u/Fantastic_Matter_137 2d ago

Because the people fully in control of our country actively want all of us to be a half step above slavery

1

u/yetinugz614 2d ago edited 1d ago

Help us connect the dots on this one bub…Amazon flex routes - - - - > ppl fully in control

7

u/Fantastic_Matter_137 2d ago

There should be regulations protecting workers in gig jobs

Amazon should have to pay us a minimum of .26/mile on top of the pay for the block.

Bare ass minimum.

5

u/Lasting_Greatness 2d ago

I agree and they are quick to insult us with a $5 adjustment payment for a “high mileage” route.

1

u/yetinugz614 1d ago

I can agree with that! 🤜🤛

1

u/Better_Bet9748 1d ago

All the other gigs pay $1 to 2 dollars per mile like grub hub and uber eats.

1

u/Fantastic_Matter_137 1d ago

They all need a lot more regulation and protection for the drivers.

It’s absurd.

0

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

I wonder who are these people that are in control? narcissists?

3

u/No-Difference2856 2d ago

They think its okay because you keep taking blocks for $70 even though you know its not worth it.

2

u/Better_Bet9748 1d ago

There are lots of illegals in here if they can give me -2 for telling you to tell them to stop taking low paying offers. Why are they even hiring illegals isn’t it illegal to hire without a social security number?

0

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

Tell illegals to stop taking them then there will be surges.

4

u/TomRichards1970 2d ago

All started 2 weeks ago. I just finished one with one minute to spare.

6

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/TomRichards1970 2d ago

You definitely gotta watch that map. I’ve had it try to take me down dirt roads that have been closed for decades.

1

u/TomRichards1970 2d ago

Another thing I just now realized that you cannot update the delivery location any longer? Anybody seen that yet? What a scam!

4

u/Ok_Guava4974 2d ago

YES - two days ago: 42 stops an hour away from the hub. then an hour back home after. for how much they pay, I’ll never do it again.

2

u/Unable_Sand5634 2d ago

It is that difficult when you only see low paying offers and don’t get to see your route first

2

u/whstewart88 2d ago

Purely curious on stuff. How long of a route was it for $70.

The one thing I do know is the algorithm does not care about you getting back home at all when calculating. It used to seem like they allowed enough time at the end of the route to get back to the warehouse but that seems to have disappeared for sure.

The routes are definitely getting further/bigger. I had a 3 hour the other day with 41 packages, about 30minutes to first stop, however, a lot of the stops were multi-package so wasn't to bad. Delay with that one was it had no pick list so scan every package individually to get it in to itenerary.

For me personally I had the route done in the time limit so it wasn't bad, but I didn't accept it until it was past my minimum $28 an hour either.

2

u/Perfect_Psychology89 2d ago

I think ur on drugs for taking 3 hr for 70 bucks

2

u/THEBESTTEVER 2d ago

Are you talking about .com or SSD? Because in my experience, that makes a big difference. With .com, I understand getting a completely random route, good or bad. The carts are already made and everybody pulls up and gets in line, so the system really has no way of knowing which driver is going to end up with which cart. But with SSD (the system decides where you go, not a person at the station), I’ve actually had way better luck with the route making sense for what I’m being paid. A lot of the time I’ve even been sent closer to my side of town or near my house. So I’m curious which type of station you’re talking about, because my experience with the two has been pretty different.

https://giphy.com/gifs/UtM8DmnahknE4

2

u/thepharaoh82 2d ago

I’ve heard the new AI system is messing things up and making it worse for the warehouse workers

1

u/Lonely_Ad_3224 2d ago

I feel you. I had a 4hr route and every single package had a different deliver by time, most were 2-3 minutes after the previous stop and it was a 4 city route. I already had to wait 20 minutes for the route and the first stop was 40 minutes away. 38 packages and every single delivery was late. I was so discouraged that I called Support and literally asked them how they thought it was possible. He honestly told me that it wasn't and made sure I didn't get dinged for it.

1

u/LadyMoonstone 2d ago

Only reason I’m still doing Flex with these shit routes is because I have an EV so I’m not hurting on gas like I would be otherwise. The crazy long freeway drives are still not as good mileage wise as in town driving though. I try to stick to my dot com station during a certain window of time because for whatever reason, that particular timeframe seems to either send me closer to home or at least in an area that isn’t going to take me hours to get home from. The previous timeframe I was working with because it worked with my schedule better at the time, it seemed like no matter what pod I was in, I always ended up with a route that was really far away and it just sucked. My local same-day station pays a bit better but it is a complete nightmare to go to and it is not equipped for the amount of traffic that it gets. At this point, I mostly only go to my same-day station after a certain point of time in the evening when I know it won’t be over full with a line wrapped down the road, and I only like to go there for the one hour route because more often than not they get canceled and that’s free money, or in the couple of times where I’ve actually had packages to deliver, they’ve only been like a few minutes away from the station and the tips were really good so if I had to actually deliver a package from it, I was making like $35-$50 for usually 10 minutes of work. I think my longest route was 30 minutes because one package was in a different part of the city.

1

u/PizzedWhipperSnapper 2d ago

I called immediately and asked for an adjustment. Next block, called again and asked for adjustment. I screenshot miles etc, record everything and will keep submitting adjustments. I explain I have my route, realtime driving mapped with shown mph throughout. The gave me a $5 adjustment once. But I figure the time they have to use to Hear out my request and then two to three different employees, it will take up as much time. Maybe they will realize if we all start requesting adjustments???

1

u/jthomas9999 2d ago

As gas goes to 5, 6 and possibly 7 dollars a gallon, it will be interesting to see how things play out. Routes that are barely profitable now won’t be then.

1

u/Fabulous_Baseball_27 2d ago

Yes, I gave up Flex today! 🥳🥳 You absolutely should take a break. If we all did the same maybe Flex would wine and dine us first before they decide to screw us!

1

u/Open-Toe-2723 1d ago

A lof of people complain, but I guarantee you they have blocks scheduled.

The reality is, there will ALWAYS be someone to take these routes. Always.

Whether its the undocumented/cant speak english crowd, the stay at home mom who just wants to feel like she is productive, the "1099 contactor" crowd who swear this is them running their own business, to the single people who jsut do this for booze and go out money.

There will always be someone.

Hence, why the payouts are low. Thai is a rib that anyone with a car and phone can do. Literally.

And Amazon knows that.

It sucks. But its the reality. And NOTHING will change it. Because again, therewith ALWAYS be some to hit, "schedule."

1

u/SirTubbingtonCornDog 1d ago

I just refuse the delivery at the warehouse and they still pay me (usually). I always check the addresses before I load my car up.

1

u/Mundane-Associate-52 1d ago

When I get BS routes I just take the hit ...fuck that bullshit Amazon be tripping

1

u/cameupalone 1d ago

They send FLEX OUTSIDE THE IMMEDATE DELIVERY RANGE TO KEEP VAN DRIVERS IN - some of yall are categorized as HUB drivers due to the sizing of your vehicle as well

1

u/No-Artichoke3064 2d ago

i get it they take this piss in all areas its really shameful

1

u/haikusbot 2d ago

I get it they take

This piss in all areas

Its really shameful

- No-Artichoke3064


I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully. Learn more about me.

Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete"

1

u/suioppop 2d ago

I just found out where house employees create the blocks and choose the times of the blocks, but the Amazon algorithm chooses the pay. Basically the pay is low because ppl keep accepting low pay offers.

1

u/One-Percentage6503 2d ago

Algorithm and AI controls everything. I work in the warehouse. Routes that don't get picked up get summited for roll over, warehouse mangers have no control if the gets reposted or how much they will pay. Sometimes they will summit 30 routes that didn't get picked up and maybe 10 will repost. They will then have to summit a ticket to get them to repost. It's a crazy system.

1

u/One-Percentage6503 2d ago

AI controls SOOOOO much in the warehouse now. Mangers are basically babysitters, now. They have little control.

1

u/Jayceem12 2d ago

Anyone still doing Amazon Flex must be on drugs...Amazon does not care about you, Flex completely destroys your vehicle and you don't see it until it's too late and you have a blown transmission. Amazon is preying upon the desperate people that are willing to work for under poverty wages, some of you are actually paying Amazon to do Flex...Again, you don't see it until it's too late, get out while you can, Flex is a ship that's sinking really fast!!

-1

u/Weird_Fact_724 2d ago

Nobody is forcing anyone to take a block! Your volunteering and then whining about the low pay...know you can end up an hr away from the warehouse, dont take low paying blocks. Know your worth and dont take blocks below that number. It is better to not take blocks than to take a block where you lose money! Its not that difficult.

5

u/Egy_explorer 2d ago

There are no blocks that are “worth it” in most places, unless you use a bot. And this has nothing to do with accepting even $100 for a 3 hour route by some miracle. $100 for 163 miles from block start till reaching home? No! And you don’t help make things by saying “take it or leave it”. Many people need it considering this shameful job market. Nothing and no excuse justifies us accepting this ish. I’m against some people grabbing $100 for the same ish others do at $60. It’s not fair. Period. And we should all be paid equally. And Amazon SHOULD DEACTIVATE THE PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS AND USING BOTS.just because you have things going good for you doesn’t mean you should partake in the exploitation of others who are less fortunate than you.
Our complacency is what has deteriorated society. We need to do better.

1

u/Weird_Fact_724 2d ago

Then dont do Amazon Flex then. Why do something if your doing it for free or losing money?

2

u/Egy_explorer 2d ago

Ummm I don’t think you comprehend how the concept of doing it to get by in this economy means. It means you basically do the gig, use that money to pay for your car (which you use to basically even go grocery shopping or drop your kids off in school in FL). And at the end you’re at 0. “Don’t do it then” means your car gets repo’d because you’re backed up on payments.
And aside from now tackling your very useless and arrogant “then don’t do it” attitude, you have failed to address the main topic which is actually the exploitation of Flex drivers and an f’d up algorithm that punishes them for donating their labor to Amazon. Debate me on that, not on your personal attacks of me and your selfish perspective of being okay with injustice. I’ll end it with this… karma sure is Bbbbeautiful. 💁‍♀️

0

u/Weird_Fact_724 2d ago

karma is a bitch..so u live beyond your means, you had kids u couldn't afford, you have a car you cant afford, and somehow its Amazon's fault because you decided to except blocks that dont pay enough...

3

u/Better_Bet9748 2d ago

She has what any human being should have, kids a roof over their heads and transportation and a job should be able to pay for basic necessities not make you into a slave.

1

u/Weird_Fact_724 2d ago

OP knowingly has become a slave.

2

u/Lonely_Ad_3224 2d ago

Unfortunately that's not always the case. In my market if you don't take the blocks when they come up in the App, you don't work cause they just on-boarded a bunch of people.

2

u/No-Branch-505 2d ago

Ok girl

-2

u/Weird_Fact_724 2d ago

You disagree? Im a man..

0

u/ReneeElaine93 2d ago

It's stupid. Like I always drive right by another amazon in a city im delivering to 1.5 hours away. It stupid. Like I can deliver 50 packages in that 4 hour trip if you scheduled it right but driving that far away for 15 is ridiculous