Sometimes, the customer is not available when the Postmate arrives at the drop-off location. In this event, Postmates takes the following steps to do our absolute best at reaching the customer to complete hand-off:
Nobody Available: If the Postmate arrives at the drop-off location and is unable to locate the end-customer, the Postmate will select Nobody Available within the Fleet app. This will start a 5-minute countdown during which time the Postmate will remain at the drop-off location and attempt to reach the customer. Note that the Postmates Fleet app requires that the Postmate contact the end-customer at least once (via masked call or text, as available) in order to pass through this stage in the app.
If at any point during this stage the Postmate locates the end-customer, s/he will select Customer Found to indicate handoff was successful and complete the delivery.
Customer Not Found: If the end-customer is still not found after the mandatory contact and 5-minute waiting period, the Postmate will indicate this in the app and Complete as Undeliverable.
Undeliverable Actions: The following options are available in the case that an order is undeliverable, set at an account/API key level:
- Return items: All undeliverable orders will be returned to the pickup location. Charges will apply for the return delivery. (Note: this automatically applies to any orders that require ID scan.)
- Discard items: All undeliverable orders will be kept or discarded by the Postmate.
- Leave at door: All undeliverable orders will be left at the drop-off location; Postmate is required to upload photo proof of delivery in-app. (Note: any delivery requiring signature, age verification, or return when customer is not available at drop-off cannot be left at the door.)
Contact our Support team for more information regarding undeliverable actions and Settings.
Note: Postmates strongly encourages the use of regular status updates and delivery tracking links to ensure customers are kept in the loop on delivery progress and reduce incidents of customer not available at drop-off. For more information, see How can my customer track a delivery?