Adrian Youngblood
- Gig workers often get booted from apps they use to earn a living with little warning or explanation.
- One worker for Walmart Spark said he was deactivated after a car accident when he wasn't at work.
- He said it raises questions about how independent gig workers really are.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Adrian Youngblood, an Ohio-based gig worker who formerly delivered for Walmart's Spark delivery service.
Business Insider has verified Youngblood's identity and former work for Spark. The story has been edited for length and clarity.
I was going to the gas station on November 17 in my car, which I owned. There was a deluge of rain. There were bushes over to my right and a dog came out from behind them, a big dog. I had no choice: I had to swerve. I went right over the curb, right into a telephone pole.
I don't see what choice I had — that's your reaction, to swerve to miss hitting something.
I wasn't logged into Spark at the time. I had completed my last delivery a couple of hours prior because I don't like delivering in the rain.
The car was totaled, but I gave no thought at all to whether this was going to be a work problem until December 21. That's when I got a "pre-adverse action" email from Spark, which had found out after running a background check. It said: "You have seven days to tell us your side of the story."
Then, only about 20 minutes later, I got a text saying, essentially, "You're deactivated."
I thought, "They'll see my side of it. Maybe the computer just automatically deactivates you when something like that comes in, and it needs a human being to look at it."
I didn't get an answer from Spark until I emailed a bunch of people at the corporate office. I tried to call the driver's support, but they had no idea what I was talking about. They can't help you.
Thirty-seven days after the accident, I finally got an email back and set up a meeting with an attorney. He didn't really want to hear my side of the story. He said to me, "I hate making these phone calls, but Walmart's not going to budge on this." Since then, I've heard from another lawyer who said she was going to recommend that my account be reactivated, but that was two weeks ago, and I haven't heard anything since.
I still think I should be able to work until they make their final decision.
If you're going to deactivate somebody, you need to say what the grounds are. For example, Spark's terms of service say nothing about a driver's license record. I've heard the words "clean driving record" before, but that's subjective.
Walmart could make rules clearer by specifying the number of points you can get on your license or maybe saying you have to take a defensive driving class.
It makes me feel the lines are getting very blurred here about what we as independent contractors can do. They shouldn't be able to tell me what to do when things happen outside work.
If I was delivering for Spark and I caused an accident, I would not fight it at all. But that's not what happened. Walmart doesn't insure me or my car or anything, so they can't claim that I'm going to cost them more going forward.
I don't think they get it. This is my full-time job. This is how I supported myself.
A Walmart spokesperson told BI: "Spark Driver app users are regularly screened in accordance with local law to review their criminal history or motor vehicle or moving violation record, and if they fail to meet the eligibility requirements, they may be rendered ineligible to use the Spark Driver App, per the Terms of Use. We take safety seriously, and we have these measures in place to protect our customers and the drivers on the Spark Driver platform."
Do you deliver food, groceries, or other items as a gig worker and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com