In recent months Spark, the app Walmart uses to give delivery jobs to drivers, has hit a rough patch due to persistent technical glitches and low-paying delivery offers. The issues are causing frustration among drivers and raising questions about the sustainability of the company’s delivery service.

While Walmart remains one of the most popular retailers in the country, the Spark delivery app issues threaten to impact customer satisfaction. Delays and incorrect delivery addresses caused by the app’s malfunctions have led to a higher rate of customer complaints.

Spark has seen a significant surge in complaints from delivery drivers who claim it frequently malfunctions. Reports from drivers describe challenges such as crashes during deliveries, incorrect navigation routes, and long response times for customer support. For drivers, these tech issues are compounded by what they describe as unsustainable pay rates.

“There are days when I’ll be in the middle of a delivery, and the Spark app just freezes up or gives me the wrong directions,” Travis Gary, an independent delivery driver in Joplin, said. “Sometimes I lose an hour trying to sort it out, and when you’re being paid per delivery, that really eats into your earnings.”

Gary, who started delivering for Walmart Spark full-time last year, explained that the low-paying offers often aren’t worth the effort.

“The Spark app will offer eight dollars for a twenty-mile drive plus a ten-minute wait at the store. After gas and time, I’m barely breaking even,” Gary said. “Also, for that same eight-dollar offer, there are three separate customers grocery orders to deliver, eight dollars is not enough.”

For drivers like Gary, the glitches and pay structure make it difficult to rely on the Spark delivery app as a primary source of income. According to drivers, the average offer in the Joplin area ranges from $4 to $6 which, after expenses, can fall below minimum wage.

Charles Andrew, a Joplin-area Walmart outbound delivery manager, has a different perspective than the drivers as he watches an $8 offer sit unfulfilled.

“I cannot see how much an offer is on my end, all I can see is that it’s backing up orders, and I might have to tell someone to re-pick the perishable items if the order sits too long,” Andrew said. “We understand the need for competitive pay, but the amount for each offer is determined by a third-party company and Walmart corporate.”