# I stopped working Amazon Flex because...



## outface

They recruit over saturated drivers and grab a block is next to impossible.
The app teases you the peekaboo way to despise and waste your time. The app shows you the available offerings. No matter how fast you grab it, the result is the same. Sorry, this block has been taken already. One minute later, that ALREADY GONE offering will show up again. You still have no change to grab it. This will repeat over and over for 3 or 5 times before that damn offering rest in peace forever.
The warehouse despise and waste your time to keep you WAITING IN LINE to grab a rack. 15 minutes waiting is usual. 30 minutes is not a surprise. Occasionally, they **** you waiting for 45 minutes or even one hour. Amazon will not pay you this damn waiting time. You still need to complete your deliveries regardless of your waiting (wasting) time.
While scanning a tote, what you have scanned is deviated from what the actual packages inside the tote. This error rate is about 20%. Always notice if any discrepancy between the scanned quantity and actual count inside the tote. If they are different, you have to scan the packages individually inside the tote. This is another way Amazon despise and waste your time.
The warehouse theft does exist. The package is not taped well. The inside content was stolen already. Sometimes, you will deliver an empty box or envelop to the customer.
I do not want to waste my time to bring up more problems with their inefficient and disorganized warehouse management. Amazon is no difference that any other companies that treat you as an contractor instead of an employee. Under current hot stock market, I can easily profit $3,000 a month. Trading Amazon stock will be profitable than driving for Amazon Flex.


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## imfatandold

bro its a gig no one ever hired you. you can stop when ever you want.


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## outface

imfatandold said:


> bro its a gig no one ever hired you. you can stop when ever you want.


Amen. I already quit driving Amazon Flex. Just bring up few facts to anyone who are still interested in driving Flex.


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## Placebo17

Did you really cut your chest hair like your face? Maybe that's your future career. Gl


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## Flex89

1.So they recruit "oversaturated" drivers. What did I do to be oversaturated?

2. The app teases and plays peekaboo with me

3. The warehouse despises me

Man, this gig sounds depressing  but kinda kinky


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## soupergloo

1. Lol your sentence doesn't make sense, but I get what you mean - they oversatured the market to make it nearly impossible to grab blocks.

2. If you *really *wanted to continue doing Flex, you would have found another method to grab blocks when the original tapping stopped working like the rest of us. There are MULTIPLE threads on this forum on other ways to grab blocks that don't require endless tapping.

3. They're still paying you hourly and you still collect the tips from the stops you complete on your route (assuming you're at a Prime Now warehouse), but I agree, leaving that late into the block is unfair considering you have less than 2 hours to now complete a full route.

Amazon Flex is full of problems, and it's only getting worse. If you've found something else that's more profitable for you, more power to you


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## oicu812

outface said:


> Amen. I already quit driving Amazon Flex. Just bring up few facts to anyone who are still interested in driving Flex.


Not facts but your opinion.


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## Vmiyoshi

He is right, lets be honest about it. 
Looking at this objective you got some good points with amazon, but you also got a lot of bad. 
1. They change stuff way to much. It seem that people like me, that have been doing this since the beginning, have been adapting and evolving along with Amazon, but I think we are about at the tipping point. 
2. The block thing is a real problem. Amazon sold this as a part time thing, and I have used it as such. Once it got hard to get block like outface writes in his post above. You do one or two things. A. Complain about it, or B. Find a better way, or maybe C. quit all together. 
Like a lot of us here I found a better way. But as more people learned about it, it started to be less automatic, but still do able. Then the first email came out. Switched to an even better way, now I'm hearing of a new wave of emails. 
I haven't received anything so far, but let's just say I do. Should I go back to tap tap tapping my phone, just hoping for a block? Taking my reserves from Amazon, if I get them?? I hate to be negative, but the shit is going down hill fast. I don't know if this program will be around another year. I think if amazon does a massive deactivate of everyone that uses some automated way of getting a blocks. They are saying bye bye to some of their best drivers, and don't even know it. 
Also you know how many people I still see with Frep right on their phones, after the first email came out, walking around the warehouse. Sometimes I stop them and tell them, they need to at least hide that shit.


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## outface

Sorry for my negative opinions about the Amazon Flex program. But at least the warehouse can do the following immediate improvements:

Have the racks (or carts) ready before calling in the drivers. Our job is delivering, not waiting. Keep us sitting in the car and waiting in the long line to check in is not right.
They run driver's performance report on a weekly basis. They know who are the good performance drivers. I guess that's why I always get 2 or 3 reserved blocks every week because my performance is always 100% (on time), 0 (count for package not being received) and 100% (reliability). Instead of recruiting more drivers, they'd better keep the good drivers and weed out the bad drivers.
Stop the warehouse theft. Make sure packing is good and taped properly.
When checking available blocks, change the "REFRESH" bar location from static to dynamic. In other words, the refresh bar will be moving into randomly location after each tapping (clicking). This will make the robotic app cannot predict the screen location of the next refresh bar.


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## UberPasco

Vmiyoshi said:


> I hate to be negative, but the shit is going down hill fast.


Here is some hope:
*Amazon deactivates the bots*
We no longer have people who can barely make a phone call miraculously working 40 hrs a week for over a year. Seriously, we have couples who work together that can't use the app because they can't SEE the screen to click 'Check in".
*Amazon deactivates the multiple accounts*
A LOT of people have multiple accounts, either running bots or having someone grabbing for them. I know of one guy who paid his daughter $5 per block she grabbed ( back before bots).

Amazon know who the good drivers are. They need to stop being afraid of identifying them, officially. They unboard poor drivers readily, now they need to reward good drivers.

Two things they need to bring back: "Deliver more today" where you can string blocks together once you win the lottery for the first block ; and a consistent 24 hr drop so we can plan ahead. They moved away from this because of too many no-shows. Reimplement, deactivate the no shows, and reward the shows.


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## imfatandold

UberPasco said:


> Here is some hope:
> *Amazon deactivates the bots*
> We no longer have people who can barely make a phone call miraculously working 40 hrs a week for over a year. Seriously, we have couples who work together that can't use the app because they can't SEE the screen to click 'Check in".
> *Amazon deactivates the multiple accounts*
> A LOT of people have multiple accounts, either running bots or having someone grabbing for them. I know of one guy who paid his daughter $5 per block she grabbed ( back before bots).
> 
> Amazon know who the good drivers are. They need to stop being afraid of identifying them, officially. They unboard poor drivers readily, now they need to reward good drivers.
> 
> Two things they need to bring back: "Deliver more today" where you can string blocks together once you win the lottery for the first block ; and a consistent 24 hr drop so we can plan ahead. They moved away from this because of too many no-shows. Reimplement, deactivate the no shows, and reward the shows.


sadly that is not how the gig economy works everyone is equal no matter how good or bad you are.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect

1. I call it growing pains. I saw this at another job. New product to build, a bunch of newbies trying to figure out what to do. I already been there tem yrs and the same questions the newbies asked and the same answers from management made meetings a pain. But what the hell, I'm getting paid good money sitting on my a$$. 

In the lyrics of Getty Lee, New World Man. Conform or be cast out.


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## Tank_Driver

All valid points. Unfortunately, the longer you've been doing this gig, the worse you have seen it get. There's a reason so many Uber/Lyft drivers also do Flex - and you'll continue to see Amazon take a more Uber-like approach to it. Expect more 4 hours of work for 3 hours of pay, less offers greater than $18/hour for insane routes/hours, and more waves of drivers willing to work for less and less.

The reality is that this is not a job that rewards performance or experience (in fact, it's not even a job). You can be the greatest "contractor" in the world, and yet everyday, you are only bad block from deactivation. And with the low barriers to entry, you're just as disposable as the next.

imfatandold makes the best point about the "gig economy," which is really the broader issue here. There's a reason why Uber now pays about $0.70c/mile before expenses in LA: because as long as hordes of drivers are willing to do it, Uber is proud to offer it. Let's be honest - if this gig paid $10/hour before expenses, there'd still be people clicking all day for blocks; it's the nature of the gig economy, and why large corporations are now embracing it. Everyone has their own motivations, but the cumulative effect is the same.

Until then, let's hope they start with a few of the recommended changes. None of us know where they're headed with the recent wave of threatening e-mails, but regardless of outcome, we're all well aware of the current state of Flex.

Don't rely on these gigs for anything, and count on them for nothing.


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## outface

Tank_Driver said:


> Don't rely on these gigs for anything, and count on them for nothing.


You are absolutely right. We, the CONTRACTORS, made these companies (Amazon, Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Grubhub, Postmates, and so on) greedy and evil. Many a little makes a mickle. Unless you are desperate for the pennies they threw to you, just say "No" to these unreal jobs. Invest your time and money to the stock market will reward you much more. Be your own boss instead of their disposable slaves.


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## Brandon Wilson

UberPasco said:


> Here is some hope:
> *Amazon deactivates the bots*
> We no longer have people who can barely make a phone call miraculously working 40 hrs a week for over a year. Seriously, we have couples who work together that can't use the app because they can't SEE the screen to click 'Check in".
> *Amazon deactivates the multiple accounts*
> A LOT of people have multiple accounts, either running bots or having someone grabbing for them. I know of one guy who paid his daughter $5 per block she grabbed ( back before bots).
> 
> Amazon know who the good drivers are. They need to stop being afraid of identifying them, officially. They unboard poor drivers readily, now they need to reward good drivers.
> 
> Two things they need to bring back: "Deliver more today" where you can string blocks together once you win the lottery for the first block ; and a consistent 24 hr drop so we can plan ahead. They moved away from this because of too many no-shows. Reimplement, deactivate the no shows, and reward the shows.


I have no idea what happened between July and now but the process of getting blocks just sucks now. I never had to think about it before, I would usually have a block nabbed the evening before or at the latest, right before the station opened. Now I see nothing. I'm guessing my station shifted over to a large vehicle preference since around the time they started sending emails about 5hour blocks is around the time the offers dried up.


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## Woohaa

The sole drawback is Amazon stopped jacking up pay to get people to drive undesirable shifts.


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## outface

Amazon keep sending me three or four reserved blocks every week. I will always cancel them 45 minutes prior. So, get ready to grab the following block declined by me.


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## jcris7

Because DLA5 is a ghost town now for Flex drivers. When the Chino station opened up and morning routes to the East (Redlands, Banning/Beaumont) were re-assigned to the cargo vans, we lost a significant portion of our routes and income started drying up. For those who had integrity and refused to bot ended up being defaulted to the sidelines with no blocks. Now it seems Flexers get the scraps with the hideous night route re-attempts and dangerous deliveries to the cliff boonies and dirt roads.


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## outface

Rainy day for the same base rate at $18/hour. Sorry Amazon, I will forfeit it 45 minutes prior.


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## imfatandold

bro you are such a rebel! hope the goverment never pisses you off!


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## outface

imfatandold said:


> bro you are such a rebel! hope the goverment never pisses you off!


No problem. You are quite welcome to take my spot to deliver in rainy days for the base rate at $18/hr. Amazon love you.


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## oicu812

Good that you forfeit. It'll just be increased rates later for other drivers.


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## outface

oicu812 said:


> Good that you forfeit. It'll just be increased rates later for other drivers.


You must be kidding. Rate never increased after Labor Day.


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## oicu812

You must like attention. Don't you have something else better to do?


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## Shangsta

I drive a lot less now that the gig isn't as profitable as it once was for me but some people are making it work so why try to rag on it for them? Flex will go on without you.


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## Memorex

Why are you here?


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## outface

Amazon really love me. They reserved blocks to fill up my AVAILABLE time. As always, I will forfeit all these blocks 45 minutes earlier. 











Shangsta said:


> Flex will go on without you.


Vice versa. I can move on without Amazon Flex.


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## imfatandold

outface said:


> Amazon really love me. They reserved blocks to fill up my AVAILABLE time. As always, I will forfeit all these blocks 45 minutes earlier.
> View attachment 174839
> 
> 
> Vice versa. I can move on without Amazon Flex.


its funny isnt it? the less you work the more blocks they send you i got 4 reserves i havent flex in like a month


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## outface

I got 3 reserves in a WEEK.


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## imfatandold

yup got them for mon tues wens thurs i picked them up just incase i have time to do them if not im releasing them 45 min befire start to be a rebel like you! thatll teach amazon


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## Movaldriver

I'd be happy to take them I didn't get any


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## outface

Game rule changed. Bye bye Amazon Flex.

1. Veterans will ONLY receive RESERVED BLOCKS based on PERFORMANCE.
2. In-app blocks will be shown to NEW DRIVERS only. After you delivered 500 packages, you will be moved to VETERANS group.
3. Keep each driver works no more than 15 HOURS A WEEK.

Amazon will keep recruiting new drivers. New drivers will become veterans after delivering 500 packages without any mistakes. Then, use performance review to automatic weed out the low performance veterans because they cannot receive any reserved blocks.


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## Movaldriver

None of that is even true geez


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## outface

The new game plan will make sure Amazon holds a large pool of drivers and keep recruiting young blood. Only the top performance veterans will survive. Smart move.


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## oicu812

Movaldriver said:


> None of that is even true geez


Ignore. He's only looking for attention at this point.


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## Movaldriver

Y


oicu812 said:


> Ignore. He's only looking for attention at this point.


 You're right shame on me lol. Been ignoring him until now.


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## Amsoil Uber Connect

Movaldriver said:


> None of that is even true geez


Well the Physic part was entertaining. lmao....


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## imfatandold

how do you guys know its not true? amazon is so full of shit everything he said might be true.


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## outface

Don't do Amazon Flex after dark (6 pm or so in my area). Don't do it in rainy days. Don't do it in traffic hours. Don't do it in holiday seasons or weekends.

Unless Amazon raise it to $25/hour, please keep the above principles. Amazon is smart. They will listen and improve. 

Drivers, you need to respect your time. Others then will respect your time. If you accept $18/hr for whatever conditions, why Amazon need to raise the rate? Supply and demand. Amazon believes what the data shows.


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## imfatandold

outface said:


> Don't do Amazon Flex after dark (6 pm or so in my area). Don't do it in rainy days. Don't do it in traffic hours. Don't do it in holiday seasons or weekends.
> 
> Unless Amazon raise it to $25/hour, please keep the above principles. Amazon is smart. They will listen and improve.
> 
> Drivers, you need to respect your time. Others then will respect your time. If you accept $18/hr for whatever conditions, why Amazon need to raise the rate? Supply and demand. Amazon believes what the data shows.


hey bro you should start a union! ill join! gig workers unite!!!


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## dantiv

outface said:


> Game rule changed. Bye bye Amazon Flex.
> 
> 1. Veterans will ONLY receive RESERVED BLOCKS based on PERFORMANCE.
> 2. In-app blocks will be shown to NEW DRIVERS only. After you delivered 500 packages, you will be moved to VETERANS group.
> 3. Keep each driver works no more than 15 HOURS A WEEK.
> 
> Amazon will keep recruiting new drivers. New drivers will become veterans after delivering 500 packages without any mistakes. Then, use performance review to automatic weed out the low performance veterans because they cannot receive any reserved blocks.


Hmmmmmm I bet what you posted here is closer to truth....I'm at Vet who no longer receives any offers since November 1st. Something clearly changed. Well if this is the way Amazon is operating then good luck always recruiting new drivers in the future. I will have them close my account.


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## outface

dantiv said:


> Hmmmmmm I bet what you posted here is closer to truth....I'm at Vet who no longer receives any offers since November 1st. Something clearly changed. Well if this is the way Amazon is operating then good luck always recruiting new drivers in the future. I will have them close my account.


Amazon doesn't want us to work 40 hours or depend too much upon them. They will cap our working hours no more than 15 per week. More work, more complain or lawsuit. Less work, less complain. That's what Amazon believes. Amazon is a respectful company. They keep learning and improving. If Flex drivers can be United together, Amazon will pay us reasonable rates. Uber and most other gig companies are all jerks. That's why they won't be successful as Amazon.


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## dantiv

outface said:


> Amazon doesn't want us to work 40 hours or depend too much upon them. They will cap our working hours no more than 15 per week. More work, more complain or lawsuit. Less work, less complain. That's what Amazon believes. Amazon is a respectful company. They keep learning and improving. If Flex drivers can be United together, Amazon will pay us reasonable rates. Uber and most other gig companies are all jerks. That's why they won't be successful as Amazon.


I will just quit Amazon and move on. I won't sit around and be an occasional patsy. So one less driver here.


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## outface

Sad to say, the gig business does not look for loyalty, quality and reliability. They need new, clueless, exciting, hopeful fresh blood for less headache and easier management. Just like you go to the bar, you look for a all new one night stand but not a long year committed marriage.


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## oicu812

Gigs are temporary. Unless you treat them as such, you will go no where but down.


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