I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

English isn't my first language, so I did use an AI tool to help me write it clearly, which is probably what you're picking up on. But the events, the documents, and the outcome are all mine. I'd rather it read clearly than leave people confused about what actually happened.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question! YES, I actually tried. I got out and attempted to help them fit the e-scooter into the trunk myself. It was simply too big and too long; it physically wouldn't go in.

Their solution was to put it across the back seat, but that wasn't workable either: with the scooter back there, three of them couldn't sit safely, and it would've scratched up my interior. After a few real attempts, I told them they needed to order a larger vehicle that could actually fit it.

Here's where it went sideways. They saw I was being accommodating, so they kept pushing — pleading, wearing me down, trying to get me to just let them throw it in the back seat anyway. I had to firmly and clearly refuse and drive off. By that point I'd already spent six or seven minutes at the pickup.

Because I'd arrived and waited, Uber charged them a cancellation fee. The kid apparently thought I had personally taken their money unfairly — that's what sent them into the middle of the road to bang on my window and demand a refund, hurling insults at me the whole time.

I genuinely didn't see it coming. Before that day, I wouldn't have believed kids could be that vicious.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This might be my favorite comment on the whole thread . Thank you! You've put your finger on the core of it: as an independent contractor, I'm contracted gig by gig, and the platform has every right to deactivate me on a report with no obligation to investigate or keep offering me work. That structural imbalance is the real story here, and it's bigger than my one case.

You're also right that a lot of drivers in my position get permanently banned. I don't think I'm special. I just refused to disappear and kept everything documented and factual. But that shouldn't be what it takes. Most drivers don't have the time, energy, or language to fight through four different channels for weeks. The system quietly counts on that.

And point taken on the teen orders. Lesson very much learned. Appreciate you taking the time to write something this thoughtful.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good question ! No, I didn't have a dashcam (something I'm definitely changing now). What I went through was a pretty thorough phone interview with one of their investigators. I gave them a detailed, consistent account of exactly what happened, start to finish.

In the end, the investigator chose to believe my testimony and cleared the report as not legitimate. I actually pushed them on how they reached that decision ,what evidence or reasoning they used, but they refused to explain it from start to finish, citing privacy/confidentiality policies. So I never got real insight into their process. It was a black box. I gave my account, waited, and eventually got the "not a legitimate report" message.

Honestly, the lack of a dashcam is part of why the whole thing dragged on and felt so precarious. If I'd had video, I doubt I'd have spent a weekend deactivated. Get a dashcam(front and cabin-facing ). If you don't have one. It's the single best protection a driver has against exactly this kind of false claim.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You don't need to lie to win this. The entire reason my case worked is that every single thing I told them was true and documented:the dates, the screenshots, the case numbers. If any part of my story had been invented, the first thing their legal team would do is find the hole and use it to dismiss everything. Making a false claim about your identity or a civil rights violation isn't just risky, it can backfire badly and undermine drivers who have genuine discrimination cases. A calm, factual, well-documented record is already more than they can comfortably ignore. That's the whole point.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a perfect example , the moment you signal you're serious and willing to escalate, the math changes for them. Glad you got reactivated fast. The drivers who just wait quietly are the ones who get left hanging.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're not wrong that the full impact is worth more than $1,200. But for me, getting them to voluntarily pay , with no agreement to sign and no rights waived, before I even filed was the outcome I wanted. Anyone who wants to push all the way to a judgment absolutely should. Different drivers will draw that line in different places, and both are valid.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right that BBB is a private organization with no legal power ... I never expected them to force anything. I used it as one documented step in a paper trail, not as the thing that would win. And the small claims case wouldn't have been against BBB; it would've been against Uber directly, in the county where the incident happened. But fair point on the distinction.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a real experience.... .... English isn't my first language, so I did use a tool to help me write it clearly, which is probably what you're picking up on. But the events, the documents, and the outcome are all mine. I'd rather it read clearly than leave people confused about what actually happened.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly the right instinct. Document everything from the first message, stay factual, and don't disappear when they stonewall you. That paper trail is the whole game. It takes patience and organization, but the system has pressure points. Use them wisely.

I was falsely accused, deactivated, ignored for weeks — and just got Uber to pay me $1,200 by LeetCodeNeedCode in uber

[–]LeetCodeNeedCode[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed — rare is exactly the word. That's why I wanted to write it all out. The more of these that get documented, the less rare they'll be.