Uber driver uses passenger's phone to rate himself five stars and add $100 tip

Uber driver uses passenger’s phone to rate himself five stars and add $100 tip

Philadelphia, USA — A New Jersey couple took to Facebook to share a negative experience they had with an Uber driver on a ride home. Apparently, the Uber driver had given himself $100 tip and a five-star rating without her knowing.

According to the post, Donna Wilson-Booker and her husband were returning home from a holiday. Thus, they booked an Uber ride from Philadelphia International Airport and went home. However, she became wary of the driver during the trip home.

While he seemed to be a nice and talkative guy, he began asking the couple a series of personal questions. And soon after, the driver started to miss obvious turns despite using a GPS.

Then the driver asked for her phone to ‘correct the path’, claiming Uber is strict about drivers taking non-authorised routes. “He said would you mind, can I use your app, cause of the recent incidents with passengers Uber has a problem when we go off track or off route. I just want to adjust the route,” she says. “I said, OK, no problem, because the guy was pretty nice, seems sweet.”

The unsuspecting lady gave him her phone. “He took it, did something, thanked me, and left,” Ms. Wilson-Booker said.

Only by the time they got home was when she noticed something strange. “Later while at home, I checked the app to rate and give a tip and I noticed that it didn’t come up as usual. I looked at the trip and saw that the driver gave himself a five-star rating and a $100 tip!” she posted on Facebook. “I was furious and immediately contact Uber with my complaint. The nerve of him to do that, I have his license plate number and his name, so I don’t know why he would do something that stupid.”

Despite the evidence, the ride-sharing company would only give her a $100 credit on the account, not a refund. “I’m still mad about this cause I’m still responsible for that bill on my credit card, and I don’t use Uber much to use that credit,” she says.

An Uber spokesperson has released a statement saying, “Uber is deeply committed to the safety of our riders. We have issued a full refund to this rider and have removed the driver’s access to the app.”

Despite getting her money back, Ms. Wilson-Booker says the incident was highly frustrating. “It’s a lesson learned for other people that there are scam artists out there like that,” Ms. Wilson-Booker said.