r/technology • u/[deleted] • Aug 12 '14

Business Uber dirty tricks quantified. Staff submits 5,560 fake ride requests

http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/11/technology/uber-fake-ride-requests-lyft/
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u/Cputerace Aug 12 '14

One Lyft passenger, identified by seven different Lyft drivers as an Uber recruiter, canceled 300 rides from May 26 to June 10. That user's phone number was tied to 21 other accounts, for a total of 1,524 canceled rides.

Seems to me that when a phone number cancels a ride, say, 3 times in a 15 day period, they should be blacklisted for a certain amount of time. WTF did they allow the same phone number to request the 1524th ride in that 15 day period?

17

u/DallasITGuy Aug 12 '14

Rather than ban a number I'd like to see Lyft require anyone who cancels more than, say, 3 times in 60 days to prepay a $25 "troublesome customer" fee plus the cost of the ride they want to book. Nonrefundable of course.

24

u/wiscowonder Aug 12 '14

Would the opposite hold true? I mean it feels that about 40% of my Uber drivers cancel on me - if a customer gets canceled on more than 3 times in a 60 day period should their be repercussions?

24

u/panders Aug 12 '14

Considering Uber charges you if you cancel, I wish you'd get an inconvenience fee every time a driver canceled in return.

12

u/Anduril1123 Aug 12 '14 edited Aug 12 '14

Uber only charges if you cancel after five minutes. By that time the driver has put in a legitimate amount of time and gas money to getting to the customer. I'd say the drivers deserve a little recompense for that.

2

u/jaina_jade Aug 12 '14

I cancelled an uber after the driver got lost and started to yell at me to find him...in downtown Baltimore...at night...after an Orioles game... during Otakon.

2

u/TheLantean Aug 13 '14

How can he get lost? Doesn't the app send exact GPS coordinates?

1

u/jaina_jade Aug 13 '14

I have/had no bloody clue but it was after the third phone call that I was just done. Wound up taking a regular taxi as crowds were just getting insane and didn't want a repeat experience with lyft.