Santo Domingo Uber Scam (Among Others)

[Lucky]

Flyer Talk reports:

Although the overwhelming number of rideshare transactions go off without a hitch, knowing the signs to be on the lookout for can help to head off trouble before an Uber or Lyft driver is tempted to take advantage of a traveler far from home. A check of the Flyertalk forum finds that the myriad of ways riders can be conned are almost as creative as they are varied. It also turns out that where you are in the world can also make a difference in what kind of shakedowns are most likely.

The Phantom Tollbooth

Here’s what happened to one FlyerTalker:

I took a POOL trip on Wednesday to SF. $15. He didn’t pick anyone else up. Felt kind of bad for the driver, but so it goes, not my problem.

At some point last night/early this AM, UBER sends me an updated receipt with an extra $15 for tolls/surcharges/etc. There’s a $4 bridge toll at the hour of my trip. I inquired, and the reply was the “I-80 Surcharge $15.” This is a load of crap, because there’s no such surcharge.

And, they’re not alone. Several other rideshare users in the forum reported the same issue, and a lot of back and forth with Uber (I went 4 rounds with UBER – including UBER telling me it could be from Toll, HOV use, etc. All a load of crap, because the route doesn’t permit under 3 in the HOV lane at any price during HOV hours, and anyone can use during non-hours) to get the phantom tollbooth charges refunded.

But, one FlyerTalker who drives for Uber added, phantom tollbooth charges are not always due to unscrupulous drivers: I’m not familiar with SFO tool charges, so I can’t comment on that, however, I can say that I myself have been shortchanged on toll fees as well. And they also had a fair deal of back and forth with Uber in order to be reimbursed.

But, whether you’re the victim of a misapplied toll or a driver who knows that it’s hard for you to dispute a toll, it pays to pay extra attention to your bill (and your route) when you’re taking an Uber in New York City, San Francisco, or other toll-heavy cities.

How to avoid it

• Never tell the driver you are from out of town.
• If you aren’t familiar with the route, research the journey on a map (or ask a local).
• Always double-check the final bill for accuracy.
• If the rideshare company won’t reverse the charges, then consider appealing to your credit card company.

Vomit Fraud

One particularly prolific and long-standing Uber driver scam has been around for years. In fact, the Miami Herald first warned of the shady practice in July of 2018. This con involves Uber drivers fraudulently claiming that riders were responsible for causing a mess in a vehicle, allowing the driver to collect a $150 cleaning fee charged to the rider’s account.

How Very Frequent Flyers Avoid this Scam

• Take a picture of the vehicle interior before and after the ride.
• When possible, avoid using rideshare services late at night or from nightlife hotspots.
• Pay close attention to driver ratings – there is usually a reason drivers are consistently receiving low scores from riders.

Cash Please

Several FlyerTalkers traveling in the Dominican Republic have reported a similar scam: They request a ride and Uber quotes them a set price. But then the driver “accidentally” cancels the ride somewhere along the journey. Then they demand cash–and, in one case, wouldn’t let their passenger get their bags unless they pay. And often, you’ll pay more than double.

In this canceled ride case, “Long story short, after we show up to my house, he demanded cash or he wouldn’t open the back of the van for me to get my bags. To which I gave him 10 USD. No email receipt or anything, so I figure ‘OK Uber didn’t charge me twice. An hour later I get an email from Uber receipts showing a charge of 1603 pesos. The mother fracker drove all over the Santo Domingo with the meter running.

I, of course, contacted Uber right away, who refunded the 2nd trip (not the first canceled one) and gave me a credit of 550 pesos which is about 10 dollars.”

 

[likeohmygod]

It happens even here on Brazil, the driver's rating in some cases is useless and Uber is contribuing insted of trying to prevent this shit.

Last time I got scammed was during the last weeks of February, coming back to Jardins to Guarulhos airport in SP.

A 4.91 stars driver with over 3000 rides, arrives at the airport and picks me up... I was so tired about the flight (canceled flight at night, closed airport, flight diverted to GRU instead of Congonhas airport) I wasn't paying attention to the road and the driver certainly thought i was an unaware gringo. After 15 min we approach to a tollgate, and inside my head an alarm starts ringing. I check my position on google maps, and this fucker was bringing me OUTSIDE Sao Paulo.

Since my Uber's account is linked to a prepaid card which I can freeze, realtime using my smartphone's application, I secretly locked it, and then asked the driver for explanations.

In Sao Paulo, the more you go to East from Guarulhos airport, the more you're approaching to dangerous areas of the metropolitan area, so I have been very carefull about the way i was talking to the driver, who unscrupulously lied to me, saying that we were actually going to my destination. Not very smart since I was clearly holding my phone in my hand.

After a ride of 80 minutes, 2 detours, and a total distance 1.5 times the usual and a declined charge on my credit card of 1.3 times the original amount (like 140 reais instead of 60), we finally arrived to my address. But before we arrived I had plenty of time to take countermeasures...I wasn't sure about what could have happened once we arrived at destination...the driver could have asked me for more money in a not very friendly way, so I asked a friend, who is an MMA fighter and a policeman to wait me in front of my building.

I highly doubt that the guy will ever do this joke again to anybody else, Uber's support proven to be very helpful, but if you believe that Uber is a 100% danger free way of transport...you're wrong. It's safer and more transparent than regular taxis, BUT it's not immune to scamsters.

And I believe that the drivers ratings are affected by a huge flaw. The majority of the customers doesn't realize they got scammed and/or forgets to report and rate the driver. And more importantly with a 4.910 (4.91) rating and over 3000 rides completed, a 1 star rating for a single ride means absolutely nothing, decreasing the average to 4.909...still a displayed 4.91 rating, This means that there might be some drivers who deliberately try to scam the customers (the foreign ones in particular), because they're aware that the cost/benefit ratio for them is favourable in terms of reputation.

I don't know how Uber acts after you report a driver for such a shitty behaviour, but It they were a serious company, the first thing they should be doing is deactivate the driver's accounts.

.

Edited March 6, 2020 by likeohmygod

[Walker]

The most often issue I encounter is the wait time.  Drivers sit and idle after they accept your request.  I could never understand what they benefit from this.  Are they hoping customers would cancel and get charged cancelation fee of less than a dollar each time?

[paborn]

On 3/6/2020 at 8:01 PM, Walker said:

The most often issue I encounter is the wait time.  Drivers sit and idle after they accept your request.  I could never understand what they benefit from this.  Are they hoping customers would cancel and get charged cancelation fee of less than a dollar each time?

I've used Uber in Santo Domingo dozens of times and they come in roughly the time shown and you can track the car on the map. I don't understand how you experience this.

[Riobard]

I have used Über once there. A disaster, reported it back in March. 

I cannot comment on the delay issues, but I agree it is hard to scam the app. The scams are outside the app “jurisdiction”, eg, different license drives up. 

Riders can and do hold out for better/longer trips. They have the prerogative to cancel if they get a more favourable ping. Then your request resets. So this may what Walker experienced.