Driving for Lyft

All my friends want to know where I've been--the answer? Driving for Lyft.

Firstly, it's so much fun. Literally, it has restored my faith in humanity and restored my belief that humans are good and interesting and amazing!

Secondly, it has solidified the idea in me that big business is corrupt. Totally and completely corrupt. Does that mean you can't still have fun in its system with the right attitude? No. You can, but you need to be aware they are making money off your stupidity and your ignorance. So, watch carefully and realize you cannot win unless you adore lawsuits. But, lawsuits can be terrible too. Lots of injustice takes place in the world and the court systems and its participants are terribly corrupt, so you might have to sue, then get a corrupt judge, then appeal, then go to the supreme court when instead you should be making dinner and cuddling with your boyfriend. So.... it works sometimes. But, not in the way where you prove your case and they give you money. It is a life-sucking proposition. I have done it and won, and I have done it with corrupt judges and lost and appealed and won. Both take away from the joys of life, but it can be done and I encourage you to sue only if the wrong is totally egregious, because winning makes you feel better and winning money is GOOD. But, only if you don't have something more fun to do. And only if you like to fight.

Back to my story about Lyft:

I didn't have the right car of the right year. So, I started by renting, which cost a lot of money because I was also doing a movie and estate sales, my two other jobs. Rentals cost 206 per week, but literally you have to do it because you do need to know if you have the right personality type to drive full time and you do need to see if you can make money. So, I recommend renting and they will bonus you the car supposedly, but that didn't happen for me because I was working two other jobs.

However, you can also try new cars this way and see which ones you like. I wanted the Kia Soul, but you can't rent that one under Lyft's provisions.

However, after I determined I could drive and liked it, I bought an adorable Kia Soul and I'm driving. Actually, my mother bought it for me and I'm paying her back to avoid the insidiousness of the finance fees.

I want to get to the salacious stuff in a minute. But, first let me tell you how Lyft cheats their drivers.

I am making great money, that is true. However, Lyft is a cheat and that's why they get sued a lot. They have a new arbitration agreement. You need to tell them in writing that you opt-out of that clause for the right to sue them. Which I did repeatedly upon being informed of it. You should be clear that you are opting out of the arbitration agreement, but still want to drive for them. Do it in writing by mail. I did it by email, but that doesn't count if I go to court, so I'm not fully protected like you should be. So, do I as say, not as I do.

Bonuses:

They only SOMETIMES honor some of them.

My mentor added me a day early. I am in a bonus program and My mentor accidentally or on purpose added me a day early to the app, a day before I had a car even. When I pointed this out to Lyft, They keep claiming I am asking for an extension of time, though I really started on August 16 and they added me on August 15.  So, they are in effect stealing a day off the time I have to do the rides and pretending they can't fix it.

That is untrue. That is just what they are trained to say. They can and do fix everything in the app.

The bonus program I am in says if I do 1000 rides in 90 days, I get five grand. However, though it is almost impossible to do, I might be able to do it. They are cheating me out of a day though and every time I ask them, they act like they don't understand the question.

I told them I will sue, and you guys know me, I totally will, but what sucks is I like working for Lyft. They just have horrible support. They are a lot like AT&T. Seriously.

When a Rider Cancels They Will not Help you:

I've had a million riders cancel. That doesn't matter to me, however, when it does matter is when they are in your car and cancel. If they cancel and tell you, you pull over and ask them to re-ask for the ride. Which if they do, you think I've only driven for three blocks, it shouldn't be a worry. However, Lyft refuses to honor it. If you take a screenshot (which they require for any help) they still won't honor it. They say to you, the rider must not have liked you and even if you tell them, no, they made a mistake, I picked them up from their location and they asked for me again. They won't count it as two rides or honor the entire trip. So, they actually get the money, but we, as drivers don't. My fare, Anita didn't mean to cancel, but Lyft is the one that wins in that scenario. It's not worth fighting unless you have a mentor like I do and can go scream at him at Hertz, which I am going to do today. In front of 40 people. At that point it might be fixed but he will first tell me no. That is why he is a manager and I am not. I don't have it in me to be that corrupt.

Rental Bonus Not Being Honored:

I gave 65 rides in the week I was supposed to, in order to get the bonus. Lyft told me I got the bonus but still Hertz charged me $189 dollars and told me Lyft would pay me back. Lyft never did and Hertz never did. So, each week I go to ask about it, they claim it is administratively an error and they don't know what to do. Lyft is a Billion dollar company. What they should do is pay me and fight with Hertz themselves. Instead I paid and the bonus was not honored. Lyft sucks on levels like that, but I need to earn money so I keep driving.

After I bought A Car I was Charged for a Rental:

This one is crazy. I turned in my rental car on a Monday, but my mentor charged me two extra days in the app 77 dollars. Even when I pointed it out he only wanted to give me back half. I said I turned it in a day early, here is proof. I showed him a screenshot and he calmly  explained how Lyft steals if you aren't smart or careful. Um.. no. We charged because you didn't turn in the car by Tuesday. Only I did and a Paid for it despite having the bonus. So, I had proof in my bank account (that the money came out and in the app (showing I had a brand new car). He finally gave me back my money but I would have lost it had I not audited their app very carefully and gone in to throw a fit.

Lyft-Line Rides are not counted toward the bonus:

Lyft-Line is a cheaper way to get a ride. People share time in the car, but you still take them to two different destinations. This is a crappy way to cheat people out of bonuses.

WHAT? Seriously. If I give four Lyft-Line rides it is counted only as one. I asked for an audit, but Lyft is a big business and the only way you can do this is in a court of law. They will not provide me with one. They just cheat you out of the rides and then at the end, will say you didn't do them. I lost 35 rides this way counting toward my bonus. That makes me not want to give Lyft-Line rides at all. Lyft's response is, sorry, we don't understand the question.

I'm going to start posting their responses on here so you can see what I am actually dealing with.

If you want to write to them on my behalf and tell them how they need to fix my issues, their email is lyft@support.com or dassini@lyft.com (my mentor).

That's all... Up next, the time I drove a male prostitute... :)