4 ms·
This is kind of a tangent, but one of Lyft’s explanations [0] is that the victim’s first (and only, from what they claim they know) complaint to them was how th
by danso 7y ago
This is kind of a tangent, but one of Lyft’s explanations [0] is that the victim’s first (and only, from what they claim they know) complaint to them was how the trip took 80 min instead of 15, and how it strayed far away from the requested destination. And that for Lyft apparently wasn’t enough to elevate the issue (though they did reimburse the extra part of the fare).
The victim’s lawyer argues that, among other things, the excessive trip should alone have warned Lyft. But I guess that unexpectedly long trips, without driver error, might happen often enough that Lyft doesn’t automatically flag them? I can think of one time when I asked the driver to go through the In-N-Out drivethru on the way home (adding maybe 20 min to my trip). I’m sure a non-infinitesimal percentage of riders request lengthy detours (to pick up or drop off a friend).
I was surprised that Lyft quickly gave her the reimbursed fee, but without doing any extra follow up with her. At that point, neither she nor Lyft knew that the main issue wasn’t just user error, but an apparent kidnapping and rape. The victim claims Lyft failed to acknowledge her follow-up complaints. I know Lyft might get countless customer messages on any given day, but it’s a surprise to me that a user who reports a large service disparity isn’t (at least temporarily) elevated in the system. Because the unexpected surcharge may likely be a symptom of a bigger problem, as it seems obviously to be the case with he author here.
[0] https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vb57w8/lyft-allegedly-kept-a-driver-on-the-platform-who-held-a-passenger-at-gunpoint-while-two-other-men-raped-her https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vb57w8/lyft-allegedly-kep...
- rolltiide 7y ago> I was surprised that Lyft quickly gave her the reimbursed fee, but without doing any extra follow up with her. I consider that amazing customer service tbh, and it has solved many of my grievances with trips. I am contributing to this conversation to let you know what some others users like me do, and what Lyft sees.
- danso 7y agoYeah, I did mean I was “surprised” in a good way, though the policy obviously wasn’t helpful in this specific situation. Do the drivers still get to keep the overcharge?
- rolltiide 7y agoDuring the trip its not clear to me what the expected behavior from the service would have been. The suggestion that the customer should be notified or driver questioned when off track just doesnt seem like something a court would agree is a standard expected right now. The idea of negligence would go out the window as soon as they show how many rides go way off track, and how many customers considered that great service because their own requests changed mid trip. The victim here is saying this is part of Lyft’s nonchalant and dismissive attitude to bolster her case, I think it hurts her case, whereas other parts are stronger for reprimanding Lyft.
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago> At that point, neither she nor Lyft knew that the main issue wasn’t just user error, but an apparent kidnapping and rape. Did you intend to write that she--being Alison Turkos--didn't know she had been kidnapped and raped? Perhaps I've misinterpreted what you've written, or you've made a mistake?
- Lazare 7y agoThat is what Alison Turkos claims, yes. According to her, she initially had no idea anything had happened. Her first clue was the unusually large Lyft bill, which she contacted them about. They couldn't provide any info, suggested the driver may have forgotten to mark the ride as complete, and refunded the excess. It was only after this she began to put two and two together, realised she was very still and sore, noticed persistent vaginal pain and bleeding, went to the police, and eventually during the course of the investigation realised she had been raped.
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y agoOh, right, sorry, my misunderstanding.
- Ayesh 7y ago> I was surprised that Lyft quickly gave her the reimbursed fee, but without doing any extra follow up with her. I haven't used Lyft, but from my experience with Uber, most of such support requests don't get a follow-up. Even if I deliberately ask my driver to take a scenic route and add an hour extra, if I complain to Uber that the driver took a longer route, I can get reimbursed without a follow-up. You can't keep doing this every time, but Uber sometimes just doesn't want to deal with an investigation and tend to make the driver lose the money. Uber doesn't lose money in this case, so it's an easy decision.
- brokenmachine 7y agoSo the driver has no recourse when a malicious actor does that? I'm assuming the driver pays for the extra time. That sounds a lot like theft to me.