If anyone thought that mobile apps would solve the problems with scammy taxi drivers, that one would be very disappointed. Customer complaints have recently started to accumulate for app-operated taxis. According to them, some drivers seem to do what they want. For example, they charge higher prices or want to get paid for trips that have not occurred.
TV Nova reporter Simona Šimková has a similar experience. Modern taxi services are in many ways advantageous, but only until the driver asks for a significantly higher amount than previously agreed.
For example, a Bolt driver asked two hundred more than agreed upon. “I just want you to give me back as much as you are supposed to,” the reporter demanded. The driver threw the money at her and left. She had her account blocked the following day and it claimed red numbers.
“The application is more or less indicative and drivers come up with different tricks to get around it. If the customer does not know and does not have the opportunity to check, he can be easily scammed,” says Daniel Tarljovski of the Association of Taxi Dealers.
A frequently mentioned problem is drivers canceling drives. The driver has the opportunity to cancel the ride at any time, in case, for example, the UBER application is looking for another alternative driver. It is not uncommon for another driver to accept the job, following which you will wait for 10 minutes and then the ride gets canceled. The application, in these cases, does not guarantee that you will really get the driver to come to pick you up.
David from Prague, for example, was charged for a trip he had not even taken. “I waited for the driver for about 15 minutes. But I saw on the map that he was elsewhere. The driver was convincing me that he was at the very spot. Then, the taxi driver told me he was leaving and the payment was made,” describes David.
For example, UBER charges a cancellation fee for late-canceled journeys. However, you have the right to claim this cancellation fee if you think the driver was waiting in the wrong spot, etc. UBER then always refunds the money in the form of a credit.
Sometimes the driver does not complete the ride and the price keeps increasing even after you leave. “He has completed the ride only after I have contacted him. It has already happened to me on multiple occasions, as well as to my girlfriend,” says yet another customer.
“I don’t want to defend it. Any such case is wrong. When we identify such a case, the driver is fired,” responds Roman Sysel from Bolt. “If there is a mistake on our part, we compensate for the trip,” claims Liftago director Ondřej Krátký.
This was also confirmed by the reporter. Once the situation was reported, her debt was deleted and the account restored. But such an approach is, according to social media, missing from Uber. “Hello, I would also like to join those who complain. As long as everything works, it’s ok. If you have a problem, it’s just your thing. You can kiss your ass. There is no contact. There is so much crap about Uber being here for you, but no one responds,” complains one of the customers on a social network.
We have contacted Uber and the reporter went to the company headquarters in person. However, we did not receive any response.
UBER EATS, as well as other food delivery platforms, are also problematic. Almost non-existent customer support prevents you from claiming anything. Have they brought you a wrong meal or anything other than you ordered? Have they brought your food late or not at all? It is difficult to make a claim and all you can do is to claim an unfulfilled payment transaction via the bank, claiming the service was not provided to you.
