DoorDash: Contract violation with no clear reason given deactivation appeal

What this deactivation means

The notice only says you violated the Independent Contractor Agreement or the Deactivation Policy, with no incident named. Before anything else, check the deactivation email and the Ratings tab in the app: DoorDash usually shows the category there even when the notice is vague. This matters because you get one appeal plus one re-appeal after 90 days, and a letter aimed at the wrong thing wastes one of them.

Where and when to appeal

The evidence that moves this reason

• The exact wording of your deactivation email (screenshot it)
• the violations or ratings screen from the app
• your completion rate and rating
• your last few weeks of deliveries
• any earlier warning emails

What actually works

Pin down the category before you argue. If the email or the app names one, answer that one thing with your proof. If it truly names nothing, write to your record: your rating, completion rate, and delivery history, state plainly that you know of nothing that breaks the agreement, and ask them to name the specific incident so you can respond to it.

You can win this one, but only with strong, specific proof; a form letter won't move it.

If DoorDash denies the appeal

Denied: wait 90 days and re-appeal with NEW evidence. If the background or driving report is wrong, dispute it directly with the company that made it (usually Checkr). The law (FCRA) makes them recheck it, usually within 30 days, and the fixed report goes to the platform automatically. Fixing a wrong report is often the easiest win there is. Binding arbitration requires first emailing dasher.informal.resolution@doordash.com (60-day informal step, mandatory). Seattle's App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance (Jan 2025, upheld by the 9th Cir. 2026) gives 14 days' notice, records access, an appeal, and reinstatement+backpay if unjustified; NYC has narrower food-delivery protections (Dec 2025).