Beware of Uber !
I have experienced fraudulent activities by Uber in Hyderabad, India. I am sure there are many other ways Uber can fleece you. If you know any other ways you have been fleeced, let me know by email drpartha@gmail.com.
1. Uber has no contact centre where a customer can call up, if they have a problem or complaint. The mobile app. used by Uber is defective in many respects and cannot be used for lodging complaints or reporting issues which are not listed in the app. Of course, there is no email address or street address (in India), where a customer can report issues. Their website has only a few limited issues which you can report. You may be sufferiing from an issue not listed in their web pages.
2. When you book a cab, the driver may not even reach your pickup point. Instead, he would report a “no show” and charge a cancellation fee. Although the driver has your contact number, he will not even call up to warn you or alert you that he has been waiting and is aborting the wait and he will charge a “no show” fee. There is no way that a customer can prove that the driver did not reach the pick up point. The customer has no option other than paying the “no show” ransom.
3. When you finish your trip and pay the driver by cash, the driver can still make a claim using your cashless payment option (UPI, ewallet, PayTM). The claim will obviously fail for want of authentication and a “payment pending” notice will hang on your app forever until you pay up.
4. Violating all norms of corporate decency or ethics, Uber has no channel for complaint escalation, appeal, or arbitration. There is no “nodal officer”, “ombudsman” or similar person who can be contacted for grievance redressal.
5. You have no scope for posting your suggestions, remarks, or queries to Uber. So, Uber can do it again and again.
There is no way to complain or raise a dispute, since Uber has insulated itself very cleverly (see point #1 above).
Next time you book an Uber cab, be prepared for some nasty surprises. No wonder they call their drivers as “partners”. A better term would be “accomplices”.
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