The games never end .
Here is a new game (this is a true story, it could happen to you) played by Uber, the taxi-cab company. Also read my earlier post, to get the whole picture about Uber.
Consider yourself lucky, if the taxi ditches you, like in this current case. You may have just escaped other horrors like molestation, rape, indecent and rude behaviour, or robbery. You can expect anything from Uber.
To avoid getting hurt by Uber ::
- Never engage in phone conversations with Uber: They will confuse you and muddle the issue with clever language. You will have no trace of what they told you or what you told them. Use emails, so that you can trace the entire episode chronologically. Do NOT let them wriggle out of all blame, with their clever play of words and cunning falsehoods.
- Never give up : They will try to dilly-dally and delay the matter, until you get fed up. This is exactly what they want. Your persistence can defeat their plans to swindle you and get away with it.
- Always use cashless payments : BHIM-UPI is best, since it has no intermediate agencies (like ewallets etc.) It has no other cost overheads.
- Enable internet banking : You can always cross-check transactions directly with your bank. You can pin down Uber, if they try to bluff you.
- Make screenshots of your booking and the confirmation (driver name and vehicle number): Before you commence the trip, email/share the screenshots with a friend or store a backup copy in your email inbox or cloud storage. This can come in handy, if there is a serious trespass, crime or accident.
- Use social media platforms to warn/alert others.
- Never trust Uber, if your mission is urgent or is time-bound (e.g. catch a flight, board a train, visit the doctor or hospital, appear in an exam) .
- When the taxi arrives to pick you up, make a picture of its number plate and the car body. Copy the picture by email or SMS to a friend. Never mind if the driver sees you doing this. He will know that he can be caught, if there is any incident.
- If your mobile phone gets stolen, snatched away or vandalised while you travel, the fallback copies you made by email or SMS can help you follow up with law enforcement agencies.
Your vigilance and your precautions are your only hope, when you deal with unscrupuluous people.
Moral of the story :
Next time you have to travel for an important reason (e.g. catch a flight, board a train, visit the hospital etc.), you will be better off if you take a bicycle, or hire a bullock cart. Beware of hi-tech swindlers like Uber. Publicly accessible transportation is a vital service, and can often be a matter of life and death. It should not become the unreliable and undependable pastime of dishonest business houses.
As a covert admission of guilt, Uber takes some more steps to protect its clients from its own accomplices/partners. Maybe this is just another eyewash.
There are a hundred other ways Uber (or its drivers) can swindle you .
In any case, take your own precautions. Don’t take chances.
Get in touch with drpartha@gmail.com if you have had any unpleasant experiences with Uber taxis. You have a right to defend yourself, and a duty to warn and alert others.
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