This Week in Rideshare: Baiting, Mix ups and Duopolies
Instacart shoppers get burned, Airbnb causes confusion and senators put the breaks on Uber. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
MONDAY 5/18/20
Tip baiting continues to be a problem as customers tease shoppers with big tips, then drop them to zero. ABC 7 interviewed LegalRideshare’s Bryant Greening to weigh in.
TUESDAY 5/19/20
It looks like more massive layoffs for Uber. On Tuesday, the CNET Journal reported Uber had cut another 3000 jobs, adding:
Along with cutting jobs, Uber is also shuttering offices and winding down some of its side projects. It’s closing roughly 45 offices worldwide, including its prominent Pier 70 office in San Francisco.
WEDNESDAY 5/20/20
As Instacart shoppers remain on the front lines, they’re finding it hard to claim Instacart’s paid “sick leave.” CNET’s Dara Kerr explains:
Dozens of other Instacart shoppers say they’ve also had doctor’s notes turned down and were told to get a letter from a public health agency, according to advocacy group Gig Workers Collective. They say Instacart’s sick leave policy creates a catch-22 because it’s nearly impossible to get that documentation.
THURSDAY 5/21/20
An odd mix-up in Oregon almost had guests, not hosts receiving COVID-19 relief. The article added:
When Seaside property owners Andrew Hura and Josh Money didn’t receive funds from Airbnb, they reached out to the company. At least two Airbnb representatives responded by telling them that Seaside was asking Airbnb to refund the money to their guests instead.
FRIDAY 5/22/20
As the Uber-Grubhub deal heats up , senators jumped in to cool it down. Motley Fool reported:
The letter expresses concern over “the exorbitant fees that these online delivery app companies charge to restaurants, which are then forced to pass these excessive costs on to consumers.” It also says that even following recovery from the pandemic, the deal “would create an effective duopoly” potentially leading to “higher fees, reduced services quality, fewer choices, and less innovation.”
LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, bikeshare and e-scooter accidents and injuries.
