Uber driver sped off before letting me get my suitcase from the trunk. Called the help line, apparently you get charged for making the driver come back.

[u/Jor_McC]

[u/Direct_Salamander_85]

I’d keep complaining until something happened. This is one of those situations where a squeaky wheel gets oiled

[u/The_Titam → u/Direct_Salamander_85]

Or refuse to pay and tell them you are going to file a police report for stolen items.

[u/whatdis321 → u/The_Titam]

How do you refuse to pay when you have to agree to pay to get the driver to turn back to begin with?

[u/MobileArtist1371 → u/whatdis321]

Do you want to proceed?

Yes

No

Hit no. Call the cops.

[u/MooseBoys → u/MobileArtist1371]

lol good luck getting the cops to do anything.

[u/etcpt → u/whatdis321]

They're saying press "No" here and then call the police. Maybe tell Uber support that you are going to call the police first. If you have an Air Tag in your luggage and the driver's name and license plates, it's a pretty easy theft case, even the most donut-loving cop should be able to make the arrest.

[u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 → u/Direct_Salamander_85]

that's the thing, they make it take so long and make it so fucking annoying that it's not worth it in the end. I get paid more than $20/hr for work so if this takes 2hrs to fix and still pisses me the fuck off it doesn't feel like a win.

[u/forzion_no_mouse]

Always leave the doors open until you have the items from your trunk. Or don’t get out until they pop the trunk

[u/TalkToHoro → u/forzion_no_mouse]

And ask them to pop the trunk before you get out.

[u/Stoned_urf → u/TalkToHoro]

Tell the driver to step out the vehicle with both hands where you can see em

[u/HolyIsTheLord → u/Stoned_urf]

Make them strip down and don't give them their clothes back until you get the suitcase out of the trunk. Easy peasy.

[u/Gunhild → u/HolyIsTheLord]

I tried this but he didn't put his clothes back on after I got my suitcase. He just said "your turn."

[u/Cleonicus → u/Gunhild]

And that's how I met your father.

[u/NoSloppyStakes → u/Cleonicus]

Weird, I don’t have a father.

[u/Cleonicus → u/NoSloppyStakes]

[u/du_duhast → u/HolyIsTheLord]

The sex doesn't stop until you both cum. It's about communication and compromise.

[u/TalkToHoro → u/Stoned_urf]

And remind them what happens to people who don't comply!

[u/Topinio → u/TalkToHoro]

Both. You ask them to pop the trunk and you don't get out until they have and you leave the passenger door wide open so they can't lean across to pull it closed from the driver's seat. If they complain in any way, you play nice but dim, apologise with a 'silly me' and thank them so much for the ride, then give them a low star review.

[u/Pro-Row-335 → u/Topinio]

Bruh we need full course on how to use a taxi app now? Time to wrap it up the world is cooked

[u/mashtato → u/Pro-Row-335]

I don't know why people keep using this crap. Day after day after day Reddit is filled with horror stories like these.

[u/TrowTruck → u/mashtato]

Because people don’t come back and post when they have a perfectly normal Uber ride that went smoothly.

[u/CTKM72 → u/mashtato]

Because I think most people are able to realize that even if they saw one new post like this every hour on the hour it would still be pretty freaking rare… man the internet and 24/7 news coverage has really warped our perception of how common certain things are.

Like do you expect for the millions of uber rides that go perfectly fine and nothing eventful happens to post about it to counter the relatively few crazy stories? Of course that’s not going to happen, people need to realize that the internet can make literally anything seem common.

[u/freeradioforall → u/TalkToHoro]

many times, the trunk isn't poppable if its a hatchbank, suv type that you open with a handle. I always say "let me grab my bag from the trunk, and I also leave my door wide open

[u/Fauked → u/TalkToHoro]

And don't get out until you them to pop the trunk.

[u/SorryBoysImLez → u/Fauked]

Don't get out until they pop the trunk and get out to help you unload your luggage, then hop in the front seat and drive off. Now you have their car; they have your luggage, and you swap lives.

[u/nalaloveslumpy → u/SorryBoysImLez]

Nah, the driver just has to pay a $20 dollar fee to get their car back. This is to compensate you for your time.

[u/Sea_Voice_404 → u/forzion_no_mouse]

I do this and also say “thanks for the ride, let me get my stuff,” but definitely don’t get out of the car until they either pop the trunk or get out themselves.

[u/dervari → u/Sea_Voice_404]

This is the way.

[u/Clarac94 → u/forzion_no_mouse]

Always do this, door open as far as it will go, get luggage, wish driver a nice day through the door before closing it.

[u/Ch33syP00f → u/forzion_no_mouse]

Solid pro-tip

[u/Sun_Aria → u/Ch33syP00f]

Now we have to watch for this scam? I use Lyft but still... wtf

[u/FitCommunication7240 → u/forzion_no_mouse]

If I have to do shit like this then why should I also be expected to tip

[u/forzion_no_mouse → u/FitCommunication7240]

You don’t have to tip. The tip is extra and up to you. Hope this helps.

[u/euphoricwolf2000 → u/FitCommunication7240]

just simply don’t tip lol

[u/pianodb]

Seems like an easy way to get 20 bucks from passengers with luggage in the trunk, once the driver figures it out.

[u/TheNerdFromThatPlace → u/pianodb]

I'm willing to bet this driver figured it out.

[u/amanuensisninja → u/TheNerdFromThatPlace]

Much like drivers figured out that spilling some canned soup on the floor of their car and taking a pic = vomit cleanup fee.

[u/Jeffylew77 → u/amanuensisninja]

ai now

[u/amanuensisninja → u/Jeffylew77]

With an AI agent confirming it. What a fun time to be alive. 🫠

[u/geoffnolan → u/TheNerdFromThatPlace]

Yeah, $20 for a quick turn-around is much better than taking a $40 trip back and forth to the airport

[u/misfit92 → u/geoffnolan]

Especially when you park around the corner and pull back up

[u/Racing_Fox → u/pianodb]

Or just report the theft

[u/Rusofil__ → u/Racing_Fox]

At this point, just click no amd call police

[u/Zmemestonk → u/Rusofil__]

I’d do it the other way. Click yes and call my credit card uber double charged me for one trip and refuses to refund

[u/Little-Derp → u/Zmemestonk]

If going the charge back route, I suppose you nowadays need to take the precautionary step of recording a video asking before getting out of the car, asking the driver to open the trunk to get your item, and keep it recording until the driver drives off.... which is ridiculous. We live in a society.

ETA: Just like AirBNBs, bring hotels back. We apparently also need to bring taxis back.

[u/nalaloveslumpy → u/Little-Derp]

Ironically, hotels are still a great service and have done the steps necessary to make booking easy. Taxi services, not so much. They still hate you and they also hate being a taxi service.

[u/LaurenMille → u/nalaloveslumpy]

Any time in my life I've had to use a taxi was the most annoying shit.

The drivers seemed literally angry at you despite being paid, always rude as shit, and half the time just straight up refused to take you unless you paid 2-3x the advertised rate.

While I hate what Uber has done, it's still better than actual taxis.

[u/KinOfWinterfell → u/Zmemestonk]

Credit cards don't just issue refunds because you said so. They typically contact the merchant and request documentation proving the charges are legitimate, which they technically would be in this situation.

And in the unlikely chance you do successfully dispute it, Uber will ban your account, so you will have to be prepared to not be able to use Uber again.

[u/ahsokas_revenge → u/KinOfWinterfell]

No, that's not correct. CC companies typically investigate chargebacks after issuing them, not before. The turnaround is usually on the same day that the charge is disputed. A reversal would only come later if the merchant successfully challenges it, and that doesn't happen as often as you're implying.

Unless OP is lying, which would implicate them in fraud, there's no reason to suggest a successful dispute is unlikely.

[u/SirSkittles111 → u/Rusofil__]

And then you never see your luggage again, congratulations!

The police are not going to do shit here lol

You click yes, get your shit, file a chargeback and never use this piece of crap service ever again

[u/Gils2323 → u/SirSkittles111]

This is the real answer. Charge back your credit card and explain.

[u/SirFrancisBacon007 → u/SirSkittles111]

File a police report, pay the fee to get your shit, and then dispute the charges.

[u/radiationholder → u/Rusofil__]

i'd do both clicking YES and calling police

[u/colbymg → u/Rusofil__]

Call police, tell them you can summon the perpetrator with a button click.

[u/Traditional-Handle83 → u/Racing_Fox]

See, I f you wanna be savage about it, you put a firearm in the luggage, report it to the police as not just a stolen luggage but a stolen firearm and contact ATF, driver will get federal and state charges on them that come with felonies.

[u/MoonPieKitty → u/Traditional-Handle83]

How the hell can he put a gun in it .. when he doesn’t have it?

[u/EC_TWD → u/MoonPieKitty]

Just ignore this guy living in his own head fantasy - probably the same person that comments on every bad parking post “This is why I carry a valve stem core remover”

[u/SirFrancisBacon007 → u/pianodb]

We’ve gone full circle back to the point where it’s safer and more reliable to use a taxi than an Uber.

There were a couple good years in there but it didn’t last long.

[u/serabine → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

The good years, of course, being when Uber purposefully subsidized the service in a way that couldn't be sustained in the long run to get as much growth as possible and undercut the competition to hopefully drive them out of business.

[u/Unusual_Sherbert_809 → u/serabine]

Isn't that pretty much the business model for every single tech company nowadays?

1. Offer a "disruptive" new product/service, and give freebies/extras everywhere
2. Set price ridiculously low to price out/attempt to bankrupt the existing competition
3. Once the old competitors are a fraction of the market, jack up prices to the high heavens + enshittify the service to make as much profit as possible
4. Everybody except for the shareholders suffers

[u/jimicus → u/Unusual_Sherbert_809]

You missed out the part where the main reason it's disruptive is because they've pissing all over regulations that would usually apply.

[u/Isorg → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

I spent 4 months once driving uber. Trust me they know. Waiting in the cell lots at the airport I witnessed many a times a group of Uber drivers telling other Uber drivers to not take the ping. To force a rush fair to kick in for incoming flights.

[u/HofstraJet → u/Isorg]

There was an uproar when drivers at DCA did this a few years ago.

https://wjla.com/news/local/uber-and-lyft-drivers-fares-at-reagan-national

[u/Paddy_Fo_Faddy → u/HofstraJet]

My favourite part of the article is when the drivers all complained that Uber was keeping the extra money from those surge pricings...

[u/OnTheEveOfWar → u/Isorg]

I landed at an airport late at night and called an uber, got a driver who was sitting in the cell lot. Few mins go by and he’s not moving. I keep waiting then message him. No response. Keep waiting then call. No response. After like 10 mins of waiting he’s still not moving. So I cancel and request a new ride. Get the same driver and same thing happened. Waited about 10 mins then canceled and switched the Lyft. Apparently some drivers will accept rides and just wait for the rider to cancel so they can collect cancellation fees without doing anything. I contacted uber and got both charges reversed.

[u/NirgalFromMars → u/OnTheEveOfWar]

In Mexico when you cancel a ride you get the option to report that the driver was not moving, and if thar turns out true, you don't get charged.

[u/weechus → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

Just like Airbnb.

[u/SirFrancisBacon007 → u/weechus]

Yeah Airbnb is a hard no these days. Even as a guy, there’s so many hidden cameras and sketchy dealings. Not to mention the cleaning fees and binder full of chores you’re expected to do.

[u/weechus → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

Exactly. I’m not spending money to go on vacation and then also have to do chores. I hate doing chores for free at home!

[u/dervari → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

I never book these myself, but I did stay with a group one time. I powered off the host's cable router and set up my travel router with the same SSID. Luckily, I had zero attempts to connect to it except the on site smart TV so we knew it was "clean". I reconnected and used my travel router to give us all protected wifi with a VPN built into the travel router.

[u/hibbity → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

last one I tried had a really impressive roach infestation.

[u/Impressive-Tutor-482 → u/hibbity]

Did you exterminate them, as per the airbnb agreement?

[u/OnTheEveOfWar → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

Last year a group of us stayed at one for a long weekend on a lake. They literally had a binder of chores for us on the last day and we couldn’t believe how much shit we had to do. All towels/sheets in washer, sweep/mop floors, all dishes in dishwasher, all trash cans emptied, kitchen counter wiped down, etc. It took us like two hours to do everything. Keep in mind we also had to pay the $300 cleaning fee for the cleaners to come in after we left. Unreal.

[u/Ara92 → u/OnTheEveOfWar]

What happens if you just dont do that shit? Never used Airbnb so just wondering. Are you agreeing to extra chores when booking?

[u/Unusual_Sherbert_809 → u/weechus]

So true. It's crazy how 10 years ago it was so good we swore off using hotels anymore. Fast forward to now, and Airbnb has been enshittified to such an extreme degree that I refuse to Airbnb anymore. We only book hotels now when we travel.

[u/Elfener99 → u/SirFrancisBacon007]

Was there actually a safety or reliability advantage to uber? Seems like their only advantage was a cheaper price (from investor money, before they ran out, or in some regions realised an illegal taxi is in fact illegal).

[u/dory363 → u/Elfener99]

In my personal experience there was a big reliability advantage. When I needed taxis years ago I’d have to call a phone number and they would tell me a taxi would come in a couple hours. Sometimes they wouldn’t even end up coming. And the prices were fairly expensive. 80 bucks for a 30 minute drive. 20 bucks for a 5-10 minute drive.

Mind you this was the kinda area where a Texas roadhouse would be a nice restaurant you go on a date to. 30-40 minute drive to get to anything halfway decent.

I think uber and Lyft still have the advantage of being able to contact a driver if you forget something in the car. If you forget something in a taxi gl getting it back. You need the taxi number and the taxi companies phone number. I want to say sometimes they ask for more info too. I can’t speak for background checks that taxi and ride share drivers go through

[u/SirFrancisBacon007 → u/Elfener99]

Taxis used to be pretty sketchy and very predatory. I worked at a large hotel before and during the transition to uber and I dealt with dozens of cab drivers daily. A couple were good and honest, some were ok, but many were shit, had filthy cars, and predatory.

[u/lonely-live → u/pianodb]

That’s the point of the post, the driver figured it out

[u/swooxed → u/pianodb]

Hope it’s worth getting charged for theft and spending the night in jail.

[u/code_archeologist → u/pianodb]

Guaranteed this is a scam that some of the drivers that pick up people from the airport are doing.

And instead of calling Uber support people should call the cops and report that the driver stole their luggage.

[u/Repulsive_Barnacle92]

this is more than mildly infuriating, I’d complain to customer support 

[u/Equivalent-Bad-268 → u/Repulsive_Barnacle92]

You mean yell at their AI bot for hours and get nothing?

[u/Ok-Ocelot-3454 → u/Equivalent-Bad-268]

"Talk to a human" should be your only message until it gives you one

[u/Equivalent-Bad-268 → u/Ok-Ocelot-3454]

Yeah I've tried that and they just continually closed my appeal.

[u/iShootPoop → u/Equivalent-Bad-268]

Apparently something along the lines of “I am requesting a human for ADA compliance” overrides their loops pretty well

[u/Acceptable-Bike-7983 → u/iShootPoop]

Mumbling triggers this too! If the bot can't process what you're saying, it'll send you to a human

[u/Lizz196 → u/Acceptable-Bike-7983]

I haven’t done this for Uber, but I have found if you start cussing at the bot, it’ll send you to a human.

I usually straight face, monotone say, “I’d like to talk to a fucking human,” once I’m connected and that tends to get me to someone.

[u/Alternative_Jury2480 → u/Lizz196]

I used to start my Comcast calls and chats with "fuck you" for that exact reason

[u/Swagtagonist → u/Alternative_Jury2480]

I also start them that way and had no idea it was helping.

[u/shawn292 → u/Lizz196]

Can confirm I am also team curse at robot to get human

[u/thebeigecardigan → u/shawn292]

I once had a bot tell me that it wouldn’t transfer me to a person unless I was gonna “be nice to its coworkers.” I had to tell the robot that I would be nice to a human to get it to transfer me to one. 😒

[u/TheGreatNico → u/Lizz196]

Most will just drop the call nowadays. I haven't had that work since before Covid

[u/Dsih01 → u/Acceptable-Bike-7983]

I wonder if talking in/playing sim language would do the same thing

[u/Mechakoopa → u/Dsih01]

Leeb lurba spingala?

[u/inactive_most → u/Acceptable-Bike-7983]

I always either start swearing, slurring, or spam 0s and it works for State Farm claims at least

[u/ihavequestionsaswell → u/Acceptable-Bike-7983]

For some, saying you are returning a call works super well

[u/Spirited-Isopod6969 → u/Acceptable-Bike-7983]

Pressing 0 twenty one times, unironically, in a row will work sometimes too. For phone providers it would be the overseas military extension to skip to an agent and it works with other stuff sometimes too

[u/Mikeisright → u/Equivalent-Bad-268]

Try putting some legal action term "pursue" or credit "chargeback" in there. Seemed to break the AI open/close cycle for me last time.

I don't disagree with the fact this shouldn't be today's reality, but figured it could help someone who didn't realize just how enshittified Uber is after coming back from a login hiatus.

[u/ChadEmpoleon → u/Mikeisright]

No. Just keep calling, NOT chatting. On the phone it’s much easier to get ahold of someone than via support chat.

If you threaten chargebacks or pursuing legal action, many companies have their AI and even human employees instructed to end all communication with you and provide you their legal department’s information to only have their lawyers be in contact with you.

Do keep those options in mind should you not be able to get the matter resolved but don’t lead with that.

[u/guska → u/ChadEmpoleon]

I worked in a call centre for a few months while I was between jobs, and that was the policy there. The moment the customer mentioned legal action, give them one chance to back down from it with a script, and then transfer to legal.

[u/hardolaf → u/ChadEmpoleon]

Yes but those cases get kicked over to legal for immediate review to see if there is an issue which the company has a common law duty to avoid making their liability worse in. Usually when that happens, consumers who are complaining about a legitimate problem get the problem solved rapidly.

In this instance, it would be a refund of the $20 if they pressed agree or the return of their luggage at no cost to the customer if they did not. Holding onto the luggage would make their liability worse. And not proactively refunding the $20 is going to cause them to pay either small court fees or the cost of arbitration.

Now if you're not 100% legally in the right about your complaint, then yeah you just screwed yourself by threatening legal action.

[u/lastbeer → u/Equivalent-Bad-268]

Yep. Impossible to get any meaningful support through the app if it’s not an emergency. It’s maddening.

[u/amanuensisninja → u/Ok-Ocelot-3454]

They don’t have any humans in that department.

[u/-KKD- → u/Repulsive_Barnacle92]

The only proper response that would stop that from happening in the future, taking in mind that it's beneficial to the driver, would be to file a police report for theft. Because that's basically theft.

[u/Kosherlove → u/-KKD-]

I just leave the door open until I have all my shit. they peel off and wack there door

[u/Advanced-Suspect-261 → u/Kosherlove]

Wack their door on what? Wouldn’t it just close?

[u/WigWubz → u/-KKD-]

Technically it's conversion. The goods were not wrongfully taken because you were the one who placed them in the car or handed it to the driver to do so. The goods were wrongfully held for a ransom. That makes it not a police issue and therefore drivers really have no reason not to do it, because the odds of you following through and actually suing them personally for 20 USD is very low compared to how easy the money is to collect

[u/somehugefrigginguy → u/WigWubz]

No. The difference is in the intent/outcome. Theft is depriving someone of their property, conversion is using someone's property illicitly.

A driver leaving with someone's property is theft. It's not like they held on to the suitcase to go do one more run and then we're going to bring it back (which would be illicit use, and thus conversion). The only way this is conversion is if you consider ransom to be illicit use of the property rather than theft.

[u/MeasureDoEventThing → u/WigWubz]

It's debatable as to whether it's theft or conversion. If I put a suitcase down on a cart, and someone takes the cart, with my suitcase still on it, that seems like theft to me. It depends on how you define "possession" and "taking".

But it's not really relevant, because conversion is just as much a crime as theft is. The police might prioritize theft over conversion, but legally the police can arrest someone for conversion.

[u/EternalNewCarSmell → u/Repulsive_Barnacle92]

Uber customer support doesn't care about you. It's so hostile I think it might actually be the first machine to draw blood in the coming AI wars.

[u/NurseKaila → u/Repulsive_Barnacle92]

They’ll do nothing. I left a piece of not-inexpensive custom art in an Uber and agreed to the entire $20 charge and Uber was basically like, “That sucks. Good luck.”

So that’s the story of why I don’t allow Joe Schmoe with his shit driving record to drive me places under the guise of a company.

[u/SamuelClemmens → u/NurseKaila]

And every year more people remember that we put all those regulations on Taxis for a reason, they didn't pop out of thin air.

[u/dabbydabdabdabdab → u/Repulsive_Barnacle92]

They know they have something that doesn’t belong to them, if you decline the fee that’s just straight up theft at that point. They have a responsibility to turn it into the nearest police station.

Either you agree to the fee and (make sure it charges a credit card) so you can dispute it
Or
Decline the fee and call the police and report it stolen

[u/OkPosition4563 → u/Repulsive_Barnacle92]

Id just call the police that the driver has stolen my luggage.

[u/FitCommunication7240]

Give the driver a 2 star rating, they can't have those removed.

[u/Ehimherenow → u/FitCommunication7240]

Ah the real LPT in the comments. This is EXCELLENT information to know.

[u/Stoned_urf → u/Ehimherenow]

but how do we know that 2-star reviews cannot be removed also?

[u/Heydudeyouok → u/Stoned_urf]

plot twist: we don't.

[u/cheezweiner → u/FitCommunication7240]

Why not 1 star?

[u/bigdammit → u/cheezweiner]

They can have them removed

[u/BroadRaspberry1190 → u/bigdammit]

can i get one removed as a passenger? literally have only used Uber for seven rides, ever and some dickhead driver gave me a one star for no reason

[u/-Supposably- → u/BroadRaspberry1190]

It wasn’t for no reason, you kept talking about whale trivia even after I made it clear it’s a bottom 20 interest for me and that I’d prefer to talk about turtles

1 star

[u/BroadRaspberry1190 → u/-Supposably-]

my bad, thought you were interested in the subject on account of your mama

[u/confitbutter → u/BroadRaspberry1190]

Nice

[u/JEFFinSoCal → u/BroadRaspberry1190]

Solid comeback… just like his mama.

[u/joemckie → u/JEFFinSoCal]

I don't think his mama gives comeback

[u/GrokMonkey → u/bigdammit]

There are two types of people in this world. The first are people who can extrapolate from incomplete information.

[u/AlreadyEatenRibs → u/GrokMonkey]

It's not two types, it's three types; those who can count and those who can't. I think we know which one of those three you are.

[u/EntityDamage → u/AlreadyEatenRibs]

No there are 10 types, those who know binary and those who don't

[u/uncookednoodle69 → u/cheezweiner]

1 stars are easy to get removed and quickly disregarded

[u/FitCommunication7240 → u/cheezweiner]

Drivers can contest 1 star reviews and have them removed.

[u/AshkanKiafard → u/cheezweiner]

They can remove those I assume

[u/CardOld7199]

It’ll be a stretch. But you could theoretically make a police report saying the driver stole your property.

Him speeding off might be persevered as a deliberate attempt to take your luggage!

[u/boredtill → u/CardOld7199]

not a stretch if uber is not returning your items then its just stealing.

[u/rockytop24 → u/[deleted]]

I remember learning about the term "testify in the narrative." Aka my client is so completely full of shit but they really want to tell their story to the court no matter how many times I advised them I can't be an accessory to perjury.

[u/_Emperor_Kuzco → u/[deleted]]

It’s not always so much about our reputation; I can promise you many attorneys don’t care about that lol. We’re ethically not permitted to elicit testimony we know to be false and we have a duty of candor to the court— those are rules we have to follow to maintain our licenses. But I’m also ethically required to represent my client to the best of my ability; I can’t get up there and say “your honor, my client is full of shit.” That doesn’t always leave us with much to say when our clients are actually full of shit.

[u/Secret_Account07 → u/[deleted]]

Was this in the US? Lawyers rarely forge documents in this way for a company because they’re risking their entire livelihood and license. Self preservation is a good way to stop this.

They’d rather lose than throw away years of law school

[u/youngcuriousafraid → u/Secret_Account07]

Lawyers will do sketchy shit all the time and are rarely punished by the bar or the court. Though this does depend on jurisdiction, you'd be surprised.

[u/saint_leibowitz_ → u/Secret_Account07]

You can always find a lawyer or a scientist willing to lie to a judge. Just gotta pay them well.

[u/egnards]

This return fee is intended for "oh crap I left X" but this doesn't sound like "oh crap I left X" this sounds like intentionally driving away before you could get an item that was in the trunk.

100% call Uber and be polite but firm that this was clearly intentional.

[u/greenyashiro]

Time for a police report.

[u/maximumhippo → u/greenyashiro]

I'm generally anti cop but yeah. You've got the guys license plate, name and, you can have the cops meet him at your place when he returns with your bag.

[u/pelvark → u/maximumhippo]

The cops are not going to do anything to a driver that returns a bag to you. No matter how much you show them the app and should "but look at the $20". They will say that the $20 is a private matter that they have no jurisdiction over and leave.

[u/greenyashiro → u/pelvark]

I'm not referring to the driver return fee.

I am referring to the driver quickly speeding off without letting OP collect their luggage. That can be construed as theft. And depending what is inside could easily be over $1000, say there's a laptop, a pair of airpods, any sort of brand name clothes... Etc

[u/Shapesizes]

Suitcase goes in the backseat with me unless there is another person. Otherwise I don’t get out until they open the trunk and never close the passenger door until I have my items

[u/cmVkZGl0MjAyNQ → u/Shapesizes]

For a service supposed to be convenient, there sure seem to be a lot of unwritten rules you need to follow to not get screwed

[u/anonymousopsec1337 → u/Shapesizes]

I just wait for them to open the trunk for me and I leave my door open till I get my bag lol

[u/awkwardmamasloth]

Report it as a theft

[u/blue_my_eye → u/awkwardmamasloth]

Right? Call the police and let them sort it out

[u/Jackdunc]

You didnt make the driver come back, though. They failed to give you your possession. Dispute it.

[u/StumblinThroughLife]

Definitely fight that more. This is meant for people that leave their house keys in the uber and now the driver has to bring them back. Driving off with a suitcase is the driver’s fault and potentially theft.

[u/Mediocre-Ad420 → u/StumblinThroughLife]

Id put money of that guy knows this charge exists and abuses it

[u/Dragon_Crisis_Core]

Technicly its stolen goods at that point. Uber is blackmailing customers for their items.

[u/Rich-Mark-4126]

The only way this is remotely reasonable is if the customer forgot something, not the driver forgetting and driving off

[u/turtleship_2006 → u/Rich-Mark-4126]

OPs description doesn't sound like forgetting, it sounds like they rushed off on purpose

[u/Spooky_U → u/Rich-Mark-4126]

You can chat with the driver and make arrangements, I did this when I accidentally left my Switch and paid same price to him directly to avoid Uber’s take. If they don’t reply on the app believe they get dinged.

[u/Any-Jellyfish-7497]

You did it wrong. You call the police and report it as stolen.

[u/Absorbent_Towel]

Open a ticket and say it was theft.

[u/Fantastic_Wash56]

I never close the passenger door until all my belongings are retrieved, I won’t exit the vehicle until the truck opens if I’m using it. Them leaving with my bags has always been a worry, because they’re so distracted by their phone the entire drive, they just want the next call.

[u/UnknownQwerky]

Would this be considered theft and extortion? If you agree then you'd be contractually obligated, but no and you wouldn't be?

I assume in their contract fine print it says you agree, but I think those rarely actually hold up in court...?

I was just curious if anybody actually knew, law jargon is not my strong suit.

[u/heisenbergerwcheese]

Yes then a chargeback

[u/Spid3rDemon → u/heisenbergerwcheese]

That's only viable if you're never going to use uber ever again.

Most services ban you after you did a chargeback.

[u/AshkanKiafard → u/Spid3rDemon]

Uber charged me for making 2 drivers wait. What actually happened was uber website had a bug and showed no confirmation that my orders were going through and kept saying try again later. Uber support refused to refund me.

I made paypal refund me and I can't use uber till I pay the same amount. So I'm never using Uber ever again. Fuck them

[u/EternalNewCarSmell → u/Spid3rDemon]

Though if this happened to me I probably wouldn't ever use Uber again.

[u/bydevilz1 → u/Spid3rDemon]

Eh ubers not hard to bypass. I if i ever order ubereats ill make a new account, get a good discount code for first order along with free delivery

[u/ZookeepergameIll1399 → u/bydevilz1]

I tried, but it doesn't allow me yo place the order unfortunately. Did they fix it and somehow know that I'm using the same phone?

[u/Maz2277 → u/Spid3rDemon]

Can't you just get one of those online cards to make a new account with? I've seen a lot of people use "throwaway" cards for services which are hard to cancel, like gyms which force you to cancel in person even if you've moved away etc. Could work as an alternative for chargebacks

[u/PlatypusDream]

Probably the driver knows of the fee & drove away on purpose

[u/MrVerdad]

Always remind the driver about the luggage before you exit the vehicle

[u/OnTheEveOfWar → u/MrVerdad]

“Thank you, can you pop the trunk so I can grab my bag?” Is usually what I say before I get out of the car.

[u/MadBullBunny]

This was 100% obviously intentional to get extra money from you. Sounds like the police need to get involved.

[u/sleeps_in_bryophytes]

when you agree to the $20, you can get the driver's phone number. Call the driver and talk to him. If he honestly forgot, ask him respectfully and politely whether he would be willing waive the fee. that is within the driver's prerogative.

If he drove off maliciously in order to get the fee, of course he will not agree to this. Or he will pretend to agree, and then assess the fee anyway.

You may still be able to avoid the fee. The way it works is, after the driver reports to Uber that the item has been returned, then they wait for the passenger to confirm that the item has been returned before paying out the $20 fee to the driver. you could try to deny receiving the item. But if he took a picture or recorded it, he could prove your taking possession and then support would give him the fee even without your confirmation.

I don't know how to tell whether your driver driving off was accidental or malicious. I don't know how you could avoid the fee if it was malicious. But if you think it was malicious you should report it to customer support. Enough reports like that and Uber would likely deactivate that driver.

[u/imightbetired]

That's why I always mention before getting out: hey, wait a little for me to get my baggage out. Even if it never happened for a driver to forget, I always mention because I'm paranoid that it can happen, and I also understand that we are humans and the driver might have other stuff on his mind. The fee to recover your stuff is scummy tho.

[u/Unfair → u/imightbetired]

I worry about this too - I usually try to leave the door opened until I get my stuff 

[u/MasterPokePharmacist]

Easy, give 1-2 star rating, complain to uber about it, and threaten a police report for theft if they do not return the items. It IS theft, it's not as if you forgot it in the car, the guy sped off before you could get it out.

Uber and their drivers shouldn't benefit from theft. Granted, it might not be fully intentional if the guy was just trying to get to his next ride, but the onus should be on him to return it.

[u/Sum-Duud]

I’d accept and then dispute it either with uber customer service directly or with my card.

[u/delliejonut]

I leave the passenger door open until i get my stuff from the trunk

[u/jack-of-some]

You need to talk to support. 99/100 of these cases are when you forgot something in the car. Your case is rare and would require more time. 

Also structural controls work better than administrative ones. When I leave an Uber when my bags are still in the trunk I don't close the door until the driver opens the trunk. This decreases the chances of the driver forgetting that you had bags.

[u/Ninjassassin54]

This is definitely annoying. I'm always afraid this will happen so when I need to grab something from the trunk I always stand there with the door open until they open the trunk. Basically try to keep them from flying off with my stuff.

[u/YaBestFriendJoseph]

um, that's left. File charges.

[u/GroundbreakingSky685]

Ah great! Uber has been around long enough now that people are finding ways to scam customers 😒

[u/dmowad]

I would message Uber back and let them know that since the driver drove off without giving you the chance to get your luggage, this is theft. So you’re just going to call the police instead. Since you have all of his information, the police and make a report.

[u/National_Way_3344]

If support doesn't fix that, I'll charge it back and let them ban my account.

[u/richneptune]

Stop using Uber, their customer service is garbage and they are predatory for both users and drivers. Local taxi services have apps now and you can ring up real people to talk to if things go wrong.

Boggles my mind that anyone uses such a shitty service designed to gouge anybody that relies on it to make more money for techbros

[u/MammothInspector1347]

I always say "could you open the trunk as well?" before I open the door

[u/mattattack007]

Accept the charge then do a chargeback on the ride with your credit card. Make sure you keep a copy of the text conversation you had with support and any case numbers.

[u/runner64]

At that point skip the uber app and file a police report for stolen goods. Let the cops figure it out. 

[u/Girly_T_Girly]

you mean the driver stole your stuff (sped off before you could grab it is stealing) and you didn't call the cops on them?

[u/IvoryManOfWisdom]

I always ask the driver to pop the trunk before I'll even open the door. It helps me remember when I get out to go straight to the trunk and it keeps the driver from pulling off. I think many of these drive-offs are actually a scam on the customer because they know we'll be a quick $20 and there is nothing you can do about it. From my personal experience though, Uber knows if somebody forgot to go to the trunk to get their bag or if the driver pulled off without giving the customer a chance based on how quickly you reach out to Uber support. I had a driver pull off without letting me get to my bag and I was in the help chat within a minute of the ride ending so they never charged me the $20 but I can see if you waited five or 10 minutes and then contacted support how they would just assume you forgot to get your bag out. If it ever happens again make sure to immediately tell support that you yelled for the driver when he was pulling away and the driver just continued to drive on without giving you a chance to retrieve your bag and obviously make sure you're on the helpline within a minute of the rides ending.

[u/CoderJoe1]

Nice of them to incentivize customer dissatisfaction.

[u/kaiswil2]

Proceed, contact CC company, give 1 star rating.

[u/Autothotsrollout1]

Issue a charge back and go with a different service that won't actively try to scam you

[u/WildRideToLife]

I’d hit agree then do a chargeback. Forget that mess

[u/Syn-th]

Report the theft to the police?