Why Can't I Accept an Order I Was Notified About?

It can be frustrating to receive an exciting push notification for a new order, only to open the app and find that the order is completely gone—or to see it on your screen, tap accept, and get an error that it’s no longer available.

Because Poplin is a fast-moving, competitive marketplace, orders are claimed quickly. Here is a breakdown of why this happens and how the order offering system operates behind the scenes.
 

The Dynamic Priority Pipeline (Internal Rank)

Poplin doesn't blast a new order notification to every local Laundry Pro simultaneously. Instead, the platform uses an internal ranking algorithm to offer orders sequentially based on performance metrics, creating a “prioritized list” of Laundry Pros for that customer. 

• Prioritized Laundry Pros: The highest-ranked Pros whose radius includes the customer’s location will receive the first notifications for the order. 
• Minute-by-Minute Rollout: If those initial Pros don't accept it, the system automatically notifies one additional prioritized Laundry Pro every single minute down the list. After 30 minutes, the system begins batching notifications to groups of the remaining prioritized Pros.
• What this means for you: Because new Pros gain access to the order every 60 seconds, a Pro who was notified just ahead of you or at the same time may have opened the app and claimed it while you were opening yours.
   

The Preferred Laundry Pro Window

If a customer manually requests you as one of their Preferred Laundry Pros, you get specialized priority access—but it still doesn't guarantee you will get the order.

• The First-Ranked Preferred Laundry Pro: The customer's top-ranked Preferred Pro gets exclusive primary access and has up to 60 minutes to accept.
• The Remaining Preferred Laundry Pros: If they pass, the order is offered to the customer's other Preferred Pros, who each get a 10-minute window.
• The General Pool: If no Preferred Pros claim it, the order moves to the prioritized list for nearby Pros.
• What this means for you: Even if you were requested, another Preferred Pro might have tapped accept faster than you, or your exclusive priority window may have expired, sending it to the general pool where it was quickly claimed by someone else.
   

The "First-to-Tap" Rule

No matter where an order sits in the pipeline—whether it's still only being offered to a Preferred Laundry Pro or has made it to the general local pool—it is instantly awarded to the very first person who hits accept. Once a Pro successfully accepts it, the order is removed from the system for everyone else.

Because of understandable millisecond delays, if you try to view or accept an order that was just seconds ago claimed by another Pro, it may result in the app showing an error code or a blank screen. 

If you consistently experience issues with accepting orders, we suggest performing some basic troubleshooting, to see if that resolves the issue. If that doesn't help, please reach out using the in-app Help Chat, or email us at [e-mail], so Concierge so we can take a closer look.
 

How to Secure More Orders

While you can't control how fast another Pro taps their screen, you can position your account to receive notifications earlier in the pipeline:

• Boost Your Internal Rank: Prioritize on-time pickups, seamless deliveries, and top-tier presentation to earn 5-star reviews. Higher metrics push you into earlier notification waves.
• Build Your Preferred List: Share your personal referral link with new clients. When they sign up using your link, you’re automatically set as their Preferred Laundry Pro, giving you the earliest possible notification windows for their future orders.
• Act Fast: Treat order notifications as time-sensitive. If you see an opportunity pop up, open the app immediately to secure it before the order becomes available to more Laundry Pros.