Uber, and all of the ride-sharing apps like it, have made our lives easier in innumerable ways. For patrons and for drivers alike, being able to connect one-on-one to someone when you need a ride, or to pick someone up when you could use some cash, has been a life-changing opportunity.
There are downsides like safety concerns, of course, but for the most part, people love it and it sure seems as if the practice is here to stay.
If you’re someone who uses Uber regularly, though, you might want to be aware how certain actions – like canceling your ride – can affect the driver half of the occasion. At first, the $5 fee you might be charged for canceling might not seem like enough to deter you (or maybe it does), but Uber’s existing policies aren’t so great for drivers who are canceled on last minute.
Uber drivers aren’t making that much to begin with, and it turns out only $3.75 of that cancellation fee actually goes to your driver. Worse, if you dispute the cancellation fee, you’ll receive an alert stating that the driver might lose out on money if you continue with the dispute – even if the reason you’re canceling has to do with an issue with the app, say, and not because you don’t need a ride or the driver was late.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5yM6yxhvF-/
At least one driver on Reddit shared that cancellation fees can be – and have been – withheld without any disclosed reason.
“I have had three instances now where I waited over five minutes before canceling, took screenshots to prove I waited the full time, canceled the ride, and then never received the fee.
This is completely different from the consumer’s side, where if a passenger simply says ‘My driver was under the influence of alcohol with no evidence, the passenger gets a refund, that driver can lose the pay from that ride, have their account immediately suspended for a minimum of three days, and possibly even permanently deactivated.”
First of all, I can’t believe there are sh*t people out there who are so intent on getting something for nothing that they would ruin another person’s livelihood to save a couple of bucks.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5IM-5BpZ__
Second of all, I can definitely believe that a corporation like Uber would come down on the side of the consumer…or actually, on whatever side is going to benefit them the most financially.
So the next time you have an issue, think of your driver before you cancel or request that refund – though if it’s truly the driver’s fault, go ahead and protect your own assets, of course.
Just do your best to exercise common sense first.
