This Week in Rideshare: Refunds, Eats, and Baits.
Auto insurers lose big, and customers are “Tip Baiting” and an app to make you money. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
MONDAY 4/6/20
As the roads have gone empty, the risk of accidents has dropped, which lead to insurance companies like Allstate to refund millions back to customers. Fox News Reported:
According to the journal, American Family customers drove 40 percent fewer miles in the last three weeks of March, resulting in fewer claims.
Allstate estimated the program at $600 million, while American Family said it will return approximately $200 million to its customer base.
TUESDAY 4/7/20
As the pandemic drags on the issues have begun to compound. For drivers, it’s become a struggle just to survive. Vice reported:
Already, nearly half of drivers in the Tri-state area have requested help getting food, according to a survey conducted in March by the Independent Drivers Guild, which represents nearly 200,000 app-based drivers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
WEDNESDAY 4/8/20
On Wednesday, Uber announced it would officially release Uber Eats for business. What does that entail? Venturebeat explains:
Uber Eats for businesses differs slightly from the consumer-focused incarnation. It’s aimed at travelers who want to order food to their hotel or Airbnb while on a work trip, people staying late at the office, or staff at that big lunchtime meeting. Through a dedicated dashboard, company admins can set parameters for things like per-meal allowances, location, and what time of day meals can be ordered.
THURSDAY 4/9/20
LegalRideshare was in a unique position when we uncovered that Instacart Shoppers were being “Tip Baited”.
The process goes like this: 1) Customer submits an order with a $50 tip. 2)Shopper takes the order (and risks going out in public) and delivers the groceries. 3)Customer modifies the tip to zero.
We pushed the story to the media and CNN shed light on the issue:
“It’s truly evil to bait and switch in this type of environment,” said Bryant Greening of LegalRideshare. “Their livelihood and well-being are on the line. When these shoppers and drivers see a high tip, it’s an opportunity for them to put food on the table, so they’re more willing to take a risk on their health to achieve that goal.
FRIDAY 4/10/20
As drivers and gig workers struggle to make ends meet, we decided to highlight one company that’s entire goal is to maximize gig workers earnings. We interviewed Brandon Sellers of Gridwise to tell us more.
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.
