UBER...Is this trick a scam or not????

[Budgiesmuggler]

Not my typical post but would be interested if anyone else has experienced this.

If i am on a seeking.com or normal date, one of my usuals places to meet the lovely lady is the Ned. At the end of the evening I always get them an uber home. Sometimes its fairly local say islington or clapham, but a couple have been £100 plus fares to hertfordshire, essex or mid-kent. Three times the following has happened.

The fare is accepted and car turns up...usually a merc or bmw. Girl gets in and sets off while i trot off to the station miserable i havent pulled. 10mins down the line, the girl calls me to say the uber driver says the booking has been cancelled. I speak to the driver who obviously says they dont have a clue why, a girl who thinks im an idiot for not booking the uber correctly so usually i then say let me try and rebook it from your current location. They never accept it (usually someone else does) so then what always happens is the driver says, hes happy to still take her to the location but i can pay in cash by transfer when she gets there. They never ask for the money upfront always and give me the spiel that she will be safe. I ask for a photo of the number plate and a photo of their driving licence to be whatsapped to me. I also obviously have the booking details on the app, albeit cancelled so feel she is safe, although i get its not ideal for insurance, but at 1am or something there arent many other options. On each occasion, the girl has called me to say she is safely home and then driver sends me paypal or bank details for me to do a transfer for around the same price as was the original fare.

First time it happened, i thought it was an uber issue. Second time i thought it was a coincidence. Third time i still played along but smelt that this is some sort of scam. I can only assume they do that as they get all the fare rather than having to pay X% to uber, etc. Cant think any other reason why they would do it.
Never happened when ive pulled and gone back with the girl, only happens when they are alone in the car.

Interested if anyone else has experienced this or if my intuition that this is to scam uber is correct.

TIA

Budgie 

[harryhavanagh]

I wouldn't be surprised if they are avoiding paying Uber. A quick search on Google shows that Uber can take 50%+ of the fare you are paying to them. This is called the "take rate" and is bundled up in BS like insurance (which is an Uber company anyway), fees and other BS.

[southcoastpunter]

So the cost to you op is about the same as the uber rate? ( you aren’t charged more or otherwise out of pocket )?

I don’t think Uber themselves would cancel the journey once it is underway and if a driver did that ( without good reason ) I don’t think he would last long with uber! I suspects an “arrangement “ made between girl and driver !

[Mr Garmin]

This is a well known trick by Uber drivers to avoid paying the company for the job.  Report them to Uber.

[juzz]

This is a well known trick by Uber drivers to avoid paying the company for the job.  Report them to Uber.

If Uber are taking 50%+ (greedy bastards) then its surely inevitable their drivers will try 'workarounds'? The main risk is to the passenger though.

[daviemac]

I thought Uber cars had trackers, so how can the driver say the journey's cancelled but still be seen at the destination?

[Mr Garmin]

If Uber are taking 50%+ (greedy bastards) then its surely inevitable their drivers will try 'workarounds'? The main risk is to the passenger though.

They don't have to work for the company, they knew the terms when they took on the job.  Stealing from your employer is usually considered a sackable offence.

Obviously the bigger jobs are the more attractive ones to do this with as the extra money will be significant.

[Iamforreal]

Can Uber cancel the booking after the client is in the car and driving for 10 minutes just because it is too far?
I thought once accepted they can't cancel for that reason, only under safety reasons, if the driver is in danger or vehicle emergencies.

[scutty brown]

the answer is simple: somehow the girl is cancelling the Uber job and getting her mate / boyfriend / pimp to pick her up.
She's probably only traveling a short distance - the supposed long journey is just BS

[southcoastpunter]

Looking at the way Uber work ( taking between 25% and 49% with dynamic charging) and the fact that if a long journey is cancelled after one mile it is treated how that journey would have been charged as if it was booked in the first place!
So scutty is probably right and it is likely a side “scam” by the girl and her “friend/pimp /whoever “ and not involve either Uber or the driver!

[Mr Garmin]

Looking at the way Uber work ( taking between 25% and 49% with dynamic charging) and the fact that if a long journey is cancelled after one mile it is treated how that journey would have been charged as if it was booked in the first place!
So scutty is probably right and it is likely a side “scam” by the girl and her “friend/pimp /whoever “ and not involve either Uber or the driver!

And how would the girl and her pimp benefit exactly?  The op is reporting that this is with SBs & civies, generally they don't have others controlling them.

The driver cancels the job reporting that the fare didn't turn up.

The internet's full of people reporting it happening to them
External Link/Members Only

[southcoastpunter]

And how would the girl and her pimp benefit exactly?  The op is reporting that this is with SBs & civies, generally they don't have others controlling them.

The driver cancels the job reporting that the fare didn't turn up.

That is not how I read the OP’s report - the (long) journey started and then the driver reported the trip was cancelled! The girls tells the op that the somehow the trip has been cancelled ( which would appear to be not true - other than she cancelled it) so please send the balance of the trip money to xxxx! So the girl and or a “friend “ gets most of the trip! But I guess there are variations of this depending on circumstances!

[juzz]

They don't have to work for the company, they knew the terms when they took on the job. Stealing from your employer is usually considered a sackable offence.

Obviously the bigger jobs are the more attractive ones to do this with as the extra money will be significant.

Sadly, many of the people they hire are unlikely to read the terms. Or are so desperate they have to just swallow it.   Similar with the food delivery gigs. And the restaurants/takeaways are left with little choice too.

It doesn't mean its right.

[Mr Garmin]

They may be too thick to read the terms and conditions but they know how to defraud.

We have many people here for whom corruption is ingrained in their philosophy.

[Budgiesmuggler]

Thanks all for the feedback…100% it wasn’t the girl as I saw each of them several times again and they just don’t give off that sort of vibe…I could be wrong but like I said, just don’t think that was the case.

[juzz]

They may be too thick to read the terms and conditions but they know how to defraud.

We have many people here for whom corruption is ingrained in their philosophy.

True, but there is also many people who are honest and desperate (and maybe thick too). I am not saying the drivers the OP's experienced are that definitely in either group.

[juzz]

Ouch.. what a couple of glasses wine can do Too late to edit, so:

True, but there are also many people who are honest and desperate (and maybe thick too). I am not saying the Uber drivers the OP's experienced are that definitely in either group.

[Hurley]

The uber driver has cancelled it so that Uber don’t get paid and he gets cash, complain to Uber because the journey is now not covered by insurance as there is now no booking.
Uber changed the terms of service to the driver a few months ago allowing them to take up to 49% of the fare agreed with the passenger
Drivers are going mad about how little they are now earning from each job they do

[Watts.E.Dunn]

The uber driver has cancelled it so that Uber don’t get paid and he gets cash, complain to Uber because the journey is now not covered by insurance as there is now no booking.
Uber changed the terms of service to the driver a few months ago allowing them to take up to 49% of the fare agreed with the passenger
Drivers are going mad about how little they are now earning from each job they do

Maybe set up UBER MK 2 then?..

[scutty brown]

that would presumably be named UNTER

[Mr Garmin]

The uber driver has cancelled it so that Uber don’t get paid and he gets cash, complain to Uber because the journey is now not covered by insurance as there is now no booking.
Uber changed the terms of service to the driver a few months ago allowing them to take up to 49% of the fare agreed with the passenger
Drivers are going mad about how little they are now earning from each job they do

The attitude of the UBER driver used to prevail in British industry "I'm being ripped off by my employer, I won't bother to build a good car and I'll nick parts to take home and sell down the pub"

Anybody that is justifying this action probably fits into the same category.  Whether you like it or not the driver wouldn't have even got the job without the company and he will also get other benefits like free/subsidised insurance.

If someone isn't happy with their job/employer they should start their own company and take 100% of the profits but also have 100% of the work/hassle/expense.

That's what I did and it paid off in spades.

[juzz]

The attitude of the UBER driver used to prevail in British industry "I'm being ripped off by my employer, I won't bother to build a good car and I'll nick parts to take home and sell down the pub"

Anybody that is justifying this action probably fits into the same category. Whether you like it or not the driver wouldn't have even got the job without the company and he will also get other benefits like free/subsidised insurance.

If someone isn't happy with their job/employer they should start their own company and take 100% of the profits but also have 100% of the work/hassle/expense.

That's what I did and it paid off in spades.

Bollocks. Just because someone has a little insight and can see when potentially abusive practices are affecting others, it doesn't mean they would necessarily behave in the same way. It just means they can understand human behaviour a little more.  If your logic was followed to its conclusion, many charities wouldn't exist.

Perhaps some people are a little more understanding of people and their behaviours than you? For me, employers should be fair, that's all. I don't advocate illegal behaviour, but sometimes I can understand what leads people to it. Given the lack of insight you've shown on this thread, I hope you don't have employees in your business.

[Mr Garmin]

Thanks for proving my point Juzz

[juzz]

I really didn't. Perhaps reading is a skill you need to develop too.