Can a ridesharing service cost you for damage to a automotive even in case you’re not accountable? Just ask LeeAnn Hicks, who lately hailed a Lyft in New York. A number of hours later, Lyft charged her bank card $150 for “cigarette burns” within the automotive seat.
“I did not cause the damage,” Hicks fumed.
Hicks couldn’t have triggered the damage as a result of she doesn’t smoke. But none of that appeared to matter to Lyft, which insisted on charging the $150 damage fee.
Is this a rip-off? Can rideshare corporations like Lyft and Uber arbitrarily cost your bank card with out your permission or asking for your aspect of the story? And how do you struggle an frivolous damage fee?
Why Lyft charged her an additional $150
The circumstances surrounding Hicks’ Lyft experience are a little bit odd. At 1:15 a.m. on June 21, Hicks hailed a experience in New York, in line with the corporate’s data.
At 5 a.m., a Lyft consultant emailed her with the next discover:
I’m reaching out about one in all your most up-to-date rides with Lyft. At this time, your driver particularly recognized you because the requesting passenger for a experience throughout which cigarette burned the seat [sic] occurred.
We’ve connected images of the damage supplied by your driver for your overview. The driver additionally supplied anecdotal proof of the scenario.
Per our phrases of service, we cost a damage fee to assist drivers restore, remediate, or clear affected areas of their automobile.
Lyft additionally enclosed two low-resolution images of the alleged damage.
![](https://www.elliott.org/wp-content/uploads/lyft-damage-2.jpeg)
“I did not cause any damage to your vehicle”
Hicks was outraged. In her thoughts, the Lyft experience was routine. And she hadn’t burned a gap within the automotive seat as a result of she doesn’t smoke.
She requested for the report her driver had filed.
To which a Lyft consultant responded, “I totally understand where you are coming from. However, we’ve already reviewed this case and in this instance, no adjustments will be made to this claim.”
Hicks appealed, asking for a name from Lyft.
“I did not cause any damage to your vehicle,” she wrote.
So Hicks blocked Lyft from making any extra costs to her bank card, which prevented it from making an $80 cost. That triggered a warning electronic mail.
“To continue using Lyft, please update your payment information in the app to settle your balance,” it stated.
In different phrases, pay us the remainder of the cash we are saying you owe, otherwise you’ll be blacklisted from Lyft.
But Lyft reviewed her case one other time. Presumably, that meant a consultant learn the driving force’s report that they’d not share with Hicks and seemed on the images.
That prompted a ultimate rejection:
Thanks for the follow-up nonetheless, as per our Terms of Service, we cost a damage fee to assist drivers restore and clear affected areas of their automobile, as soon as drivers present proof.
We re-opened your case and after in depth overview of the data supplied by each you and the driving force, no changes can be made to this declare.
Reading the paper path between Hicks and Lyft is infuriating. It looks like Lyft had already made up its thoughts. It wouldn’t share the proof of her alleged wrongdoing and stored sending her canned responses.
“I have never experienced where a company can just take your money without justified proof,” she says.
How might she have averted this? And was there a means out?
What do Lyft and Uber cost for damage?
Both main ridesharing corporations have insurance policies that permit them to cost your bank card for damages, actual or perceived.
Uber costs riders an “inconvenience fee” of as much as $250 based mostly on the extent and nature of the damage.
According to Uber, the damage fee depends upon the kind and dimension of the mess. It bases its numbers on nationwide averages {of professional} cleansing companies.
Here are the present fee quantities:
- $20 for small quantities of liquid spills contained in the automotive reminiscent of drops of espresso, grease from meals, different drinks excluding water, sand or filth on flooring mats.
- $40 for a “significant mess” which might embrace bodily fluids like vomit, paint, or in depth sticky or staining liquid messes excluding water, gum and different sticky supplies outdoors the automobile which requires an exterior automotive wash.
- $80 for “significant liquid messes” together with espresso, greasy meals, drinks excluding water, or gum and different sticky supplies contained in the automobile that require steam cleansing and particular merchandise.
- $150 for “extensive liquid and smelly messes” contained in the automobile together with bodily fluids that require element and/or steam cleansing, in addition to airing and/or drying for lengthy durations of time.
Lyft has a sliding scale of damage:
- $20 for “minor” damage reminiscent of mud, filth, or animal fur within the automotive.
- $30 for “moderate” damage reminiscent of meals, drink, or biowaste outdoors of the automotive.
- $80 for “moderate” damage reminiscent of liquid, biowaste or bodily fluids within the automobile.
- $150 for “major” damage like biowaste all around the automotive or bodily damage to fixtures inside or outdoors of the automotive.
It additionally specifies what it gained’t cowl:
- Cleaning up meals wrappers or empty water bottles.
- Unpleasant smells left behind by a passenger.
- Wear and tear on the automobile.
- Time spent cleansing the automotive.
- Time spent not driving due to damage.
What’s the damage reporting course of?
The ridesharing corporations have types on their websites the place drivers can report damage to their automobiles.
Lyft has rigorous reporting necessities:
- Submitting a written report earlier than accepting one other experience. They should file it inside two hours of the experience.
- They have to notice the passenger or experience through which the damage occurred, together with the time and date.
- They should take at the very least two clear images of the damage.
- They additionally should report any particulars about how the damage occurred.
Failure to satisfy any of those necessities means Lyft would possibly deny the declare.
Uber requires a number of objects for a profitable damage declare:
- An in depth description of the incident that resulted in automobile damage.
- Three images of the damage taken from completely different angles inside three enterprise days of the journey.
- An expert restore estimate and receipt inside 5 enterprise days of contacting assist.
The estimate and receipt should have a number of particulars, together with the identify and speak to info for the store, the date of the estimate or service, and the 12 months, make, and mannequin of the automobile. In different phrases, an Uber driver can’t ask Dad to wash the automotive after which ship the “bill” to the corporate.
The remainder of the damage declare appeals course of is a black field.
How do I dispute a damage fee on Lyft or Uber?
We’ve mediated a number of of those claims right here at Elliott Advocacy. Although the businesses don’t launch any info on the declare and attraction course of, right here’s what we imagine:
Drivers report damage to their automobiles via a webform on the positioning. We imagine ridesharing corporations overview these circumstances manually, though there’s some proof of automation and synthetic intelligence. Unlike the dispute course of for refunds or missed rides, the damage claims course of unfolds over a number of hours, versus days.
An organization consultant then determines the worth of the declare and whether or not it’s legitimate.
Lyft and Uber then notify the shopper of the cost, often by electronic mail. You can even attraction the method via the ridesharing app. For occasion, on the Uber app, there’s an choice to provoke a dispute by clicking on the journey with the damage declare. And on the Lyft app, you may faucet “Get Help” and “Request a Review” for info on methods to dispute the fee.
But from there, issues get murky. There’s proof that an inner appeals course of exists. In different phrases, you probably have a declare that you just imagine is invalid, Lyft or Uber will ahead it to a supervisor for overview.
The course of itself is opaque. Passengers don’t get entry to any documentation that helps the declare. For instance, Hicks requested the driving force’s report. Lyft didn’t even acknowledge her request, and it supplied no extra proof.
There’s no Lyft or Uber ombudsman to whom you may attraction your case. The present damage declare course of basically permits ridesharing corporations to be decide, jury and executioner.
When Lyft or Uber say you’ve broken one in all their drivers’ automobiles, that’s often it. You don’t have any selection however to pay.
What occurs in case you don’t pay Lyft or Uber’s damage fee?
The ridesharing corporations don’t publicly say what occurs when a buyer disputes a damage declare. But based mostly on our circumstances, we’ve got a fairly good concept. If Lyft or Uber rejects your dispute, the system robotically blacklists you from the ridesharing service till you pay the complete quantity of your cleansing invoice.
This form of auto-blacklisting exhibits the ability and vanity of ridesharing corporations. They don’t have any downside ending a relationship with a buyer over a $20 declare for minor damage, and so they routinely do. Good luck discovering a rideshare to the airport.
What is the ridesharing vomit rip-off?
The downside with the system is that ridesharing corporations are accountable to nobody. And that has led to some mischief — and, one would possibly even say, scams — amongst rideshare drivers. Some say the rideshare corporations are accomplices in this scheme.
For the final a number of years, rideshare drivers have filed frequent (and generally frivolous) claims towards riders. The most typical situation is a rideshare driver who accuses a passenger of vomiting within the automotive.
There have been information experiences of passengers wrongfully accused of puking in a Lyft or Uber. Usually, the rideshare firm backs down when a client advocate calls or a buyer threatens to take it to courtroom.
Rideshare drivers have a distinct tackle damage charges. In one 2017 weblog put up, a rideshare driver admitted he wished extra barf-prone passengers and recommended the claims could possibly be worthwhile.
“Last year, I made over $1,100 in cleaning fees,” he wrote, including, “that means I increased my take-home pay by over 10 percent just by being ready for pukers.”
Do I actually should pay $150 for these cigarette burns?
The case towards Hicks had just a few holes in it.
For starters, her driver had submitted three images to Lyft. Two of them had been similar. Had this been an Uber case, that wouldn’t have been sufficient.
On nearer inspection, the images additionally didn’t seem to point out the identical damage or even the identical seat. (Notice the placement of the seam of the primary and second picture.)
And lastly, the metadata for the images was lacking. That knowledge would have proven when, the place and by whom the picture was taken. Missing metadata makes it a lot more durable to show that’s the identical automotive seat through which Hicks sat.
There’s additionally one thing incorrect with the narrative. If a Lyft driver picks me up at 1 a.m. in New York and I gentle up a cigarette, what is going to occur? The driver will pull over and ask me to exit.
So I requested Hicks level clean:
Me: I should ask you, do you smoke? Did you smoke within the automotive?
Hicks: I don’t smoke. I didn’t smoke within the automotive.
I was additionally sad with the best way Lyft dealt with this dispute. It refused to share the written criticism with Hicks or with me. Had it completed so, we would have understood the circumstances of this damage declare.
But add all of it up — the inconsistency of the pictures, the lacking metadata, no written report — and it definitely seemed like this was an invalid damage declare.
How to guard your self from a ridesharing damage declare
Could this ridesharing fiasco have been prevented? Maybe. Here are just a few methods:
Read the scores for your driver
You can’t display screen an Uber or Lyft rider based mostly on their scores. But when you hail a rideshare automobile, you may see the driving force’s score. If you’re uncomfortable with the score, you may cancel the experience. Make positive you do this quickly after hailing the rideshare so that you don’t waste the driving force’s time. For instance, Uber might attempt to cost you for rides canceled on the final minute.
Don’t eat, drink or smoke in your experience
Anything that might doubtlessly trigger damage to a automotive — don’t do it. Some issues, like getting right into a automotive with muddy sneakers on a wet day, could also be unavoidable. But you may eat that tuna sandwich after you’ve reached your vacation spot. A bottle of water is likely to be OK, however steer clear of candy sodas or alcoholic drinks which may stain the upholstery. It’s not simply good manners. A sudden cease can ship that purple wine spilling on the white seats. That’s positively going to be a damage declare.
Take an image of the automotive and your seat
“Before” and “after” images are important for rental automobiles and trip houses. But they’re additionally now vital for automobiles. It’s finest to say your intention to the driving force. That places the driving force on discover that you’re recording the automotive’s situation earlier than your experience and will deter the driving force from submitting a frivolous damage declare. Be thorough. Take pictures of the ground mats, the seat cushions and the entrance seats — any areas that might doubtlessly turn out to be future claims.
Report any damage to your driver instantly
If you see a tear within the upholstery or a stain, let the driving force know as quickly as doable. You’ll have a possibility to ask if the damage was pre-existing and discover out if the driving force intends to file a damage declare. You would possibly have the ability to settle the declare with out getting Lyft or Uber concerned.
Note: If you had an accident in your Lyft or Uber, please don’t use these methods to get out of paying for the cleansing. Own as much as it — and pay up.
What to do in case you’re falsely accused of damaging a automotive
If a ridesharing firm falsely accuses you of damaging a automotive, don’t fear. I’ve carried out an in depth overview of rideshare damage claims, and it seems this is a rip-off run by amateurs. They file fast claims for $20 with flimsy proof that you would be able to simply debunk. Rideshare corporations usually fold when confronted with questions on these poorly documented claims.
Here’s what to do:
Keep a meticulous paper path
Retain all textual content messages and emails between you and the rideshare firm. You may have it later if you need to attraction to an govt — or go to courtroom.
Review the images rigorously
As with Hicks’ case, the proof in these circumstances is commonly missing. Photos don’t have metadata or present the incorrect aspect of the automotive or a distinct automotive. Clearly, this is a rideshare driver attempting to make a fast buck and hoping you aren’t paying consideration.
Present your case concisely and politely
The ridesharing firm ought to offer you an opportunity to current your aspect of the story. At this level, you may notice any inconsistencies within the declare. Show any images that you could have taken. Offer your aspect of the story, however persist with the information. Avoid saying issues like, “I’m scarred for life after my last Uber ride.” That form of hyperbole will undermine your argument.
Appeal to an govt
If Lyft or Uber denies your attraction, take it to the subsequent degree. I record the names, numbers and electronic mail addresses of the Lyft executives on this web site. I additionally publish the Uber executives. A quick, well mannered electronic mail to one in all them with the paper path and your notes would possibly persuade them to drop the declare.
Take your case to social media — or to us
We have a number of circumstances the place mild social media strain, totally on Twitter, made a false declare go away. It’s value a attempt, however I suggest staying well mannered {and professional}. ALL UPPERCASE or threatening messages have a means of getting filtered out or simply ignored. You can even ask us for assist. Here’s methods to contact us.
I contacted Lyft in your Hicks’ behalf.
“After a thorough investigation into the claim, we found that the description of the events did not warrant enough proof that the passenger created the damage, so we elected to refund the damage fee,” a Lyft spokeswoman advised me.
Lyft dropped its declare towards Hicks.
About the artwork
When artist Aren Elliott noticed a draft of this story, he instantly imagined the Marlboro Man hitching a Lyft experience in 2022. “Mind if I smoke?” he’d say. Now that can be a damage declare.