Uber and Vomit Fraud

[Marshall & Moonshine]

I only hurl in a real taxi, and I pay in cash.

I at least puked out the window. I tipped like a billionaire, though.
It was Christmas Eve in Oakland.
Could it ha e gone any other way??

 

[rxbandit]

Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

Never said it doesn't exist. But this is a fringe example, don't think it's anywhere even close to common

 

[Roberteaux]

I wonder how the average Uber driver would react if one took a picture of the interior on their phone upon exiting the car? For that matter, taking pictures of the car, license plate, driver, and everything associated with the trip, just to keep the dirtbags at bay.

Granted, once the kidnapping has occurred, the phone is gonna be the first thing destroyed.

The female journalist mentioned in the OP (who managed to get a refund) did all those things.

But somehow, I suspect that it was her status as a journalist-- and the fact that she did a story on the fraudulent episode-- that had a greater influence on the outcome of her case than the photos she took.

Just to keep things level in this thread, I should mention that I know one MLP member who has used Uber on many occasions with no particularly bad outcome for having done so. If one were to compile statistics to show the percentage of cases in which fraud is alleged versus the number of times an individual engaged Uber for ground transportation services with no negative consequences, it's probably the case that Uber might not look so bad.

I should also mention that in my original draft of the OP, I spoke of how often we used to bust cab operators of the more traditional variety for numerous offense types... everything from regulatory gaffes such as no valid D.L., to operating with a false or forged city permit, to DUI.

Some were fond of giving clueless tourists a lengthy, roundabout sort of ride instead of a direct course so as to jack up the fare they'd be charging, and we used to stroke 'em for crap like double loading and so forth quite often as well.

We also made various arrests for assignation or solicitation of prostitution, and various other misdemeanor offenses of that sort. Sometimes a cabbie might be popped for a little bit of small-time drug dealing.

In the more major felony department, we also popped one guy who robbed his clients at gunpoint while using a counterfeit taxi. And then there were two cases I'm personally aware of where a Daytona cab driver actually raped and murdered his clients.

I didn't include all that information because I wanted the post to be shorter. But those things did indeed happen. The little stuff, frequently-- the major stuff, once in a while.

Hell, we used to have an old cop who was ready to retire stationed at the airport to serve as a cab starter, because those guys were so prone to ripping each other off that it became necessary to have a cop right there all the time to babysit them. That same cop usually also told the passengers just what the actual distance to their destination happened to be as well, just to keep the "scenic route" driving to a minimum number of occurrences.

Here, I am not attempting to champion one form of commercial ground transportation over another, however.

But again: I actually made cases against traditional cabbies for all kinds of stuff. You had to be an especial dullard as a cop to be unable to pinch a cab driver for some kind of shit or another. Some of them were dedicated scum who loved a scam more than an honest buck.

Nothing's perfect in this world, that's for sure.

--R

 

[RedSkwirrell]

RACIST!

LOL!!!

 

[cybermgk]

I wonder how the average Uber driver would react if one took a picture of the interior on their phone upon exiting the car? For that matter, taking pictures of the car, license plate, driver, and everything associated with the trip, just to keep the dirtbags at bay.

Granted, once the kidnapping has occurred, the phone is gonna be the first thing destroyed.

I was thinking video, showing you leave.

 

[dspelman]

Never said it doesn't exist. But this is a fringe example, don't think it's anywhere even close to common

Let's hope so.

On the other hand, I've hopped into some NY cabs and hopped right back out again.
Naaaaasty.

 

[dspelman]

I at least puked out the window. I tipped like a billionaire, though.

The few billionaires I know are notoriously chintzy. Unless they're trying to impress someone.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

I never had a problem with Uber. There was one car/driver, one time that I think the dude was too old (and tiny and frail) to even be driving. But that's one trip out of like....I don't even know,..maybe 60 trips?

I use Uber for everything, it's way cheaper than: Car, Tax/tags/title, gas, insurance, maintenance, licensing, etc.

 

[Marshall & Moonshine]

The few billionaires I know are notoriously chintzy. Unless they're trying to impress someone.

I was fucking HAMMERED FLAT from top-shelf Christmas tequila.
Wasted billionaires can be a little unpredictable.
“I lyike yoo, man... shoo know wha ahm gunna do??... ahm gonna BUY this FUHKING CUMPENNY an juss GIVE IT t’ YOOOUU!!! YER the one who shud be running things, man!! Cuz YOU know how it REALLY FUHCKING IS!!!”
“Hey, listen, asshole... put $10 on it and gtfo of my cab...”
“Shhhhhuuur, bro.... MURRRRY CHRISTMA.... ***BLEHHHHH!!!*****”

 

[Brians Evil Twin]

Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

Tat's right, and anyone who uses Craigslist will be murdered in their sleep.

I seen it on TV...

 

[Roberteaux]

The few billionaires I know are notoriously chintzy. Unless they're trying to impress someone.

I don't know about how chintzy most billionaires are... but then, I've only been up close to one of them. Still, he was a trip and at the risk of derailing my own thread, I feel an urge to speak of him... so:

There's a billionaire dude in Orlando, who hired a custom cabinet maker of my acquaintance to do some work in a mansion the money man had built on North Orange Blossom Trail, where the billionaires hang out. I tagged along as an assistant to the cabinet maker for grins and a few easy bucks. His regular assistant was sick with the flu.

While at this place, I met the main man's majordomo... this guy was a sort of assistant to the big man, and handled a lot of his private business, along with keeping the rest of the guy's staff in line. He hired and fired the butlers, the maids, the cooks, the gardeners, and the security thugs who patrolled the property.

This majordomo turned out to be a very chatty type, and we somehow managed to connect and so arrived at an unlikely rapport of sorts. I think it's because the majordomo and myself were both ex-cops, who shared a similarly cruddy world view.

So, one day the dude was talking to me about what a pita the big guy's racing team happened to be. I learned that the guy had a couple of Porsche race car bodies, three or four racing engines and various parts and pieces... there was an entire pit crew and a few drivers on the books as well.

I remarked that the big guy didn't seem like the sort who would be very into racing.

The majordomo advised me that no, Mr. Moneybags wasn't really into racing at all. In fact, since he purchased the team he had only been to two races-- one in Sebring, Florida, and the other at Monte Carlo... or some such place as this in Europe. And while the rich man was in attendance at those two events, he barely paid any attention to the races at all.

"Damn!" I said, a bit surprised. "The dude lays out millions of dollars for a pro racing team, but he's not even interested in the races? Why in the world does he even bother?"

The reply came back as, "Oh, it's just like the reason he owns a G4 passenger jet that he almost never flies on... it's just that his rich friends have all that kind of stuff themselves, and he's maintaining parity."

"Damn!" I exclaimed again.

The majordomo grinned and said, "It's all the same with his thoroughbred race horses, his yacht, and most of the rest of the high-dollar junk he seems to own for no particularly good reason at all..."

"Must be nice," I shrugged. "So what is he really into?"

"High dollar hookers, mostly, though he's also a major wine snob," the majordomo said with a smile.

But then he rolled his eyes, sighed, and said, "And even that turns into a pain in the ass for me. You know, I have to check the girls out, keep the scam artists and their scumbag boyfriends out of the old man's wallet, and there are times when I feel as though I'm little more than a glorified pimp."

This billionaire had a trophy wife who was probably about forty years younger than him. We saw her from time to time, usually with her mom in tow, as they inspected the new mansion while it went up.

So I grinned and asked what the trophy wife thought about the old man's canoodling with pricey professional poozle.

My informant chuckled and said, "Are you kidding? Better them than her! Have you ever really looked at the old man?"

I was laughing my head off as I said, "So... she's just in it for the bucks?"

"Yes-- and so am I," the majordomo told me with a snort. "And so are you, for that matter!"

"Well shucks-- now I'm depressed!" I said, still laughing.

"You won't be when you get a look at your paycheck! He's drastically overpaying both of you, just so he can brag about how much his cabinets and the shelves in his library set him back!" the majordomo said with a wink.

"If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning."
--Aristotle Onassis

--R

 

[Dolebludger]

Oh, I agree that it is probably a localized problem in Miami, Fla. Still, I don't like their "permanent credit card authorization" system one bit. Never took Uber. Never will.

 

[MSB]

I just don't like to do business with a company where I must have an account permanently backed by a credit card. It's like giving somebody full access to my bank account. Dangerous.

Do you use Paypal?

 

[Dolebludger]

No.

 

[Olds442]

Oh, I agree that it is probably a localized problem in Miami, Fla. Still, I don't like their "permanent credit card authorization" system one bit. Never took Uber. Never will.

and they got hacked. i wonder what the hackers were after.

edit: and in all fairness to uber, i've had cabs rip me off. once it was a chicago cab that dropped me off in prospect heights, wanted to charge me 1.5 x the fair. i called the prospect hieghts cops as the cabbie wasn't going to take the single fare and hand over my bags from the trunk.
he tells the propect heights cops it's a "law in chicago at o'hare".
prospect heights cop tells him "this is prospect heights, not chicago". and offered him a ride in the cop car. lol

i got my bags, paid single fare.

 

[MSB]

No.

after the other day, I don't blame you. Sold some stuff on here, went to "claim" my money and they wanted me to put my social in..... ummm, nope, they've already got enough of my info. I sent it to my account, and that apparently was ok, so we'll see tomorrow if that works, but if i have to give them my social, I'm done with them.

Only a matter of time until you'll have to be fingerprinted to buy groceries.

 

[SixAngryStrings]

To solve this, Uber will soon be adding a new service; Uber Vomit.

It’s a little pricier, but you can pretty much do whatever you want in it.