How to Use Shipt Rating Forgiveness To Avoid Getting Deactivated

Shipt Shoppers and Drivers (read about the differences) need to maintain a high customer rating to stay on the platform. However, sometimes customers will give an unfairly low rating. Shipt’s rating forgiveness program addresses that issue by allowing Shoppers and Drivers to request a low rating to be removed. 

Shipt uses Star Rating as one of its metrics for assessing how well Shoppers are performing. Customers rate Shoppers on a scale of one to five based on their experiences. A Shopper's average rating is then combined with other metrics like on-time delivery and order completion rates to shape their overall performance profile.

Shipt tends to prioritize higher-rated Shoppers when assigning orders, meaning that maintaining a 5-star average will help you maximize income opportunities. This helps incentivize Shoppers to provide exceptional service to customers.

Sometimes, Shoppers may receive ratings they believe are unfair. Issues like inventory shortages or customer misunderstandings can lead to negative ratings that don't accurately reflect the shopper's service quality. 

Fortunately, Shipt understands this possibility and has a rating forgiveness system that offers Shipt Shoppers a recourse for contesting unjust customer ratings. 

Customer rating requirements for Shipt Shoppers

Shipt requires its Shoppers to maintain an average rating of at least 4.7 stars based on the latest 50 orders as part of its official rules. 

“Good customer service for good customer ratings is definitely something Shipt rides on, especially to compete with Instacart,” says Catherine Meyers, who’s worked with Shipt for two years and more than twice as long with Instacart. 

She further explains that “the platform emphasizes constant courtesy and communication with customers. That’s why some of the core buttons on order screens are for initiating conversation to keep the customer updated about their order. Shipt even has pre-written prompts just to make it easier.” 

High customer ratings also help Shoppers qualify for the Summit Seeker rewards program, which rewards high-performing Shipt Drivers and Shoppers with various perks, such as cash back on gas and grocery credits. 

The program includes three rewards tiers: Wayfinder, Trailblazer, and Summit Star. The lowest tier rewards Shoppers with a minimum rating of 4.70, a 90% on-time delivery percentage, and 10 orders completed. 

Customer ratings also impact the member matching system, which is meant to reward reliable and high-performing Shoppers. High ratings increase the likelihood of being matched with preferred customers, who place larger or more frequent orders.

If your customer rating drops too low, you might get deactivated

If you fall below the 4.7-star average, Shipt may deactivate your account — that’s the Shipt equivalent of getting fired. 

Catherine notes that underperforming accounts are usually not deactivated immediately. “From what I've seen, Shipt tends to give a warning to these Shoppers first. I have never dropped below a 4.93, but I’ve learned from the experiences reported on Reddit by other workers. They do get a warning and a chance to rectify things for the most part.”

James Tuliano, who’s been doing Shipt since 2020, says, “this is true and this is also probably the most strict requirement of any gig app. Excellent customer service is expected much more on Shipt than on Instacart, DoorDash, and the like.”

As your average Shipt rating drops, so does your access to orders, as the Shipt platform prioritizes Shoppers with higher ratings when distributing orders. That means your earning potential is directly tied to your average rating. 

Catherine says that the drop in order volume is fast and steep. “I’m in the process of appealing a bad review that dropped my rating from 4.96 to 4.95, and orders have slowed for me.”

Low Shipt ratings will also lower your chances of being matched with preferred customers. The resulting reduced visibility may then create a cycle of receiving fewer quality orders, thus making it harder to improve your ratings and regain access to more lucrative opportunities.

Matthew Desmond, a part-time Shipt worker of three years, says that any rating “under a 3 means you will never get that customer again. The system will automatically unpair you.” 

Rating forgiveness vs. late forgiveness

Both rating forgiveness and late forgiveness counter the negative impact of unjust ratings, but they cater to different performance aspects.

According to Matthew, “one bad rating can tank your earnings. And then you have to struggle to get another 50 orders rated to remove that one bad rating [since Shipt removes the lowest of every 50 ratings].”

Rating forgiveness specifically targets customer ratings. It's intended for situations where Shoppers receive unfairly low ratings due to factors they can't control. The goal is to prevent one-off negative experiences from disproportionately affecting a Shopper's overall rating and order access.

Late forgiveness, on the other hand, deals with delivery timeliness issues. If a Shopper's on-time delivery percentage falls below the standard threshold, typically around 90%, they can seek late forgiveness to remove damaging entries caused by external factors like traffic or store delays.

“This is much harder to get,” claims Matthew. “I've only had two instances where I have gotten late forgiveness and both were due to app issues. Shipt will put an estimated shop start time in the system, and if you aren't at the store and shopping by that time, you most likely will not get late forgiveness, unless you can show that the customer added a ton of items to their initial order.”

How to request rating forgiveness

Rating forgiveness is available to all Shoppers, including new recruits. However, with a larger order history, it's easier to identify outlier ratings that may not accurately reflect a Shopper's service quality and may be considered for forgiveness.

Shoppers should periodically review their order history and identify any low ratings that don't reflect the quality of service provided. You can also look for customer feedback patterns that might suggest the ratings were unjustified.

Matthew says that although there is no way to guarantee that Shipt will forgive a bad rating, “Shipt is getting better in this department — your lowest out of your last 50 will not count against you. They also are granting rating forgiveness for ratings from customers who habitually rate low.”

Keep in mind that Shipt’s customer ratings are anonymous. “When submitting a rating forgiveness request, you’ll have to guess which of your customers gave you the low rating,” explains James. “You should include all of the order details for the one that you think rated you low.”

To begin the forgiveness process, submit a rating forgiveness request through the Shipt Shopper app. Here’s how: 

1. Open the app, and tap the menu icon.
2. Select Help, followed by Shopper Hub. 
3. Use the search function in the Shopper Hub to find Rating Forgiveness Requests. You’ll then see a link to the request form.

Alternatively, you can start the process by using the online rating forgiveness request form. 

Shoppers must provide detailed information about the orders they want forgiveness for, including order numbers, delivery times, and service details. If available, attach all forms of evidence that support your case, such as screenshots or messages. You should also explain the context of the order in question while emphasizing any mismatch between the service quality and the received rating.

Shipt's team will then examine the request and exclude the low ratings from your profile if they are found to be unjust. Once unfair entries are forgiven, the Shopper's performance scores improve and they can enjoy increased profile visibility and access to orders. 

You can usually expect a decision within 48 hours

Shipt normally reviews and follows up on rating forgiveness requests within 48 hours, although it’s possible for it to take longer. The review time may extend during peak seasons or due to high request volumes.

Shoppers should keep an eye on their email for updates from Shipt regarding the company’s decision. You’ll receive a notification confirming whether your case was approved or denied. 

What outcome should you expect?

When a Shopper submits a rating forgiveness request, Shipt conducts a thorough review of the order's context, the shopper's interaction with the customer, and any special circumstances affecting the rating to ensure fairness and accuracy. 

Of course, the outcome of rating forgiveness requests can vary — some requests are approved and unfair ratings are subsequently removed, while others may be denied after failing to meet Shipt's assessment criteria.

One Reddit user, for example, said her request was rejected the first time but approved once she reapplied. Another said that he was able to have his request approved on the first attempt. So, it’s a bit of a toss-up as to how your application will turn out. If you’re denied the first time, don’t be afraid of resubmitting your request — it may land in front of a different representative who will approve you. 

“I also had this happen on my most recent request,” says Catherine. “It was denied the first time, but approved the second time.”

According to her, “sometimes Shipt shopper support is rushing through things. So, it doesn't hurt to try again and hope the next person is more thorough.”

Shipt’s criteria for rating forgiveness

The success of a Shipt rating forgiveness request largely depends on the Shopper's ability to convincingly demonstrate that a low rating was unjust. This is best done by supporting your claim with detailed communication logs, delivery pictures, message screenshots, etc.  

Shipt reviews all aspects of the Shopper's interaction with the customer, and they’ll check to make sure you let the customer know about out-of-stock items, made reasonable substitutions, and that everything else was properly handled during the order. 

James shares his experience with the rating forgiveness program:  

“I was shopping for a fairly small (10 items) Publix order and I asked the customer if they wanted me to add anything while I was there, which is the standard procedure.” 

“They asked to add cigarettes to the order, but I told them I couldn't (as Shipt doesn't allow the delivery of tobacco products). They then responded claiming they’ve done it before and that they were willing to pay for the delivery in cash.”

“I however apologized again and insisted that I still couldn’t fulfill the request due to Shipt’s restrictions, but I was on my way with the rest of the groceries.”

“I got my first one-star rating the day after and I knew it was from that customer. So, I filled out the form and explained everything using screenshots from our chat. Shipt responded that very same day and removed the one star.”

If you have a consistent record of high-quality service and adherence to Shipt's standards, you may have an easier time getting your request approved. A positive history strengthens your forgiveness request. 

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