Another Good Reason To Always Check Your Uber/Lyft Receipts
Uber and Left have definitely changed the way people travel. Mostly for good, but there are downsides. You’ll hear plenty of folks talk about how the drivers aren’t fairly compensated. I’ve never driven for a Uber or Lyft, so I can’t be sure. Judging by the number of people lobbing fireballs at me in this thread, I’d say there’s plenty of sentiment around lack of great pay.
It really irritates me when a driver takes me on a route other than the one I specify, especially when their decision costs me more time. As a business traveler, time is the most valuable commodity I have. Well, Lucky from One Mile at a Time had that problem, and then some:
Yesterday I had a driver try to pull a stunt that I’ve only had happen once before. The driver was an arrogant schmuck, he asked which way I wanted to go, I told him which way I thought would be fastest, and then he said “no, we take _______, it’s faster.” It wasn’t. The ride should have taken maybe 25 minutes, but took 40 minutes.
I didn’t argue with him or anything, I said thank you, and I gave him five stars. 10 minutes later I received an email from Uber saying that my fare had been corrected:
Ben goes on to tell that he received notification shortly thereafter that Uber had adjusted his fare to SUV rates since he had more than 4 passengers. Except there were only 2 people in the car. The driver just chose to try to steal a few dollars by increasing the fare after the fact.
The Final Two Pennies
I’m not sure why this irritates me so much, but it does. I don’t know how complicated the process is on the driver’s part to get Uber to readjust the fare after the fact. I’m pretty sure it isn’t something you can do by accident. If that’s the case, then the driver should be suspended. Maybe I sound too militant. However, I doubt he got caught the first time he tried to inflate a fare. This is theft, pure and simple. It should be treated as such.
The post Another Good Reason To Always Check Your Uber/Lyft Receipts was published first on Pizza in Motion
First world problems, get a grip, it took 40 minutes instead of 25? For real……
That’s a 60 percent time overage. If you went to a restaurant and it took 40 minutes to get your salad instead of 25 minutes like usual, would you complain? And then get charged $14 instead of $10?!?! Uber gives you an estimated time of arrival at your location — it is reasonable to assume +/- a few minutes here and there for traffic, but especially if you give directions that are informed AND THEN the driver has the audacity to modify the fare! I generally give a bit of leeway to contract workers and don’t complain, but this is egregious and Uber did the right thing.
ajs, nailed it. Uber is in the service industry. This driver is not.
Robbo, and the driver stole from him. Maybe you missed that part.
Ed, uber has changed to up-front pricing last year. What you get charged is the final amount you should pay, regardless of time/distance traveled. Why did your price get adjusted? In other countries, this plays into the equation, and MAYBE all states are not the same. But most drivers get about 40-60% of the total price, and only THAT compensation is variable when yours is fixed. I’d challenge why your fare was adjusted, IMO
Derrek, it wasn’t me. It was another blogger. They adjusted the fare to an SUV fare, claiming he had more riders than he actually did. That’s how he got around the fixed pricing.
Got an Uber to go to a cruise port and the driver said he had to cancel the fare. He didn’t want to go due to traffic. Fine. Got out, but he didn’t cancel. He drove a bit and then marked some random dropoff so I’d be billed.
Nun, I hate that. Haven’t had it happen at a cruise port but have definitely had it happen for other pickup spots. It’s frustrating.
I was at a cruise port and ordered an Uber in Hawaii. When the driver accepted, she told me to walk somewhere out of the port instead of picking me up where I ordered it. I didn’t want to walk at all (why I ordered the Uber) so I told her to cancel. So she charged a $5 cancel fee and wouldn’t change it. I then disputed it with Uber which refunded the $5 fee. I think this is a racket this driver does – accepting rides from the port.
Karen, that’s just pathetic. Why would you want to walk somewhere to pick up a ride? That’s the whole point of ordering an Uber.
Last time I looked I didn’t see anyone holding a gun to my Uber drivers head. It’s a free country. Either work for Uber and follow the rules. Or don’t work for Uber. Pretty simple. The real issue is there’s no consequence for bad behavior.
Rjb, couldn’t agree more. I don’t understand people who stay in jobs they don’t like. If you don’t like the rules, find another job. Unemployment is low right now. Plenty of people looking for employees.
Ive had uber drivers just flat add 15 minutes after I was dropped off at an airport before. The “dropoff” time on the receipt was literally the same time i was through my tsa precheck money line at MCO in Orlando. Uber refunded the extra fare amount but i got a poor rating grom driver dropped my rating from like 4.8 to 4.48. You have to watch these people. It added literally $25 over the initial estimate (plus driver took a crazy long route)
Rabbmd, I wasn’t aware that drivers could adjust the fare by adding time after they dropped you off. I thought it was flat-rate pricing?
I both drive for and use Uber/LYFT. Advise for riders: insist that driver takes the route you want, watch your driver begin the ride and watch until they end your ride on the app on their phone. You will get a message with both times quickly.
As a driver, pls know we cannot always pick you up where you are located. At airports and other areas there is a rideshare pickup point. We are fined for picking up elsewhere. By law, we cannot pick up minors without an adult nor can we drive any child without a child car seat.
As far as pickup point it can literally take me 30 min to get thru traffic and show/sports attendees for the driver to get to you. I text or call to ask my riders at a busy venue if they want to walk 5 min to the nearest corner (away from cars/people) or wait for me for 30?
Also, rarely are we paid 60% of the passenger fee. Often what is shown to the driver as the amt. the passenger paid is much less than what the rider actually pays.
And yes. There are bad apples both driving and riding. But overall I think kindness and respect go a long way. Travel on!!
Leah, respect does go along way. Well said!
go lyft brah