Uber passenger slapped with £80 cleaning bill after ‘dropping Skittles in back of taxi’
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9555527/u ... -skittles/
Image: The Sun/Lydia Williams/Twitter
A WOMAN is raging after claiming Uber slapped her with a £80 cleaning bill for dropping 20 Skittles in the back of a car.
Lydia Williams, 24, was left with a sour taste after her boyfriend accidentally spilled the sweets on the floor and they were hit with a hefty fine.
The cleaning charge works out at a whopping £4 per Skittle.
Lydia tweeted an email which she claims she received from the taxi giant as it billed her £80.
Uber said the mess was so bad it “required professional cleaning”, but Lydia is furious at the fine.
She tweeted: “Can’t believe I’ve had an £80 charge from@Uber for ‘the severity’ of some spilt Skittles.”
In another tweet she said she’d even bought the driver a meal deal and drink as he drove them home.
She added: “We dropped a few and if the driver had told us it was that much of an issue of course we would’ve picked them up.”
In response to her tweet, one person joked: “That’s about four pounds a Skittle.”
Another added: “That’s an expensive Hoover.”
A third said: “£80 to pick up less than 20 skittles. Wow! In that case, my Mrs owes me about 2 billion quid for all s*** she leaves about for me to pick up.”
'THE CHARGE IS RIDICULOUS'
But others criticised Lydia for not picking up the sweets when she left the Uber.
One blasted: “You think throwing food around a vehicle is polite? Why didn't you just pick them up?”
Another added: “The charge is ridiculous but why didn't you pick them up?”
Uber’s message said: “When a cleaning fee request is submitted by your partner-driver, we assess and charge the cleaning fee in accordance with the extent of the mess and the reasonable cost of cleaning.
“Due to the severity of the incident on the trip, a cleaning fee of £80 was applied.”
An attached photograph shows a handful of the colourful sweets scattered in the footwell of the car door.
An Uber spokesman said: “The Uber app is based on mutual respect for both riders and drivers.
"For licensed drivers who use the app, their vehicles are their place of work and any damage or mess can mean they are unable to continue working.
"When a driver claims a cleaning fee, they are required to provide us with the details of the trip and the incident as well as photographic evidence and a validated cleaning receipt."
Image: The Sun/Lydia Williams/Twitter
UBER RULES ON CLEANING FEES
"In order for riders to enjoy safe, comfortable rides, drivers work hard to maintain clean vehicles.
"Riders are responsible for damage to the interior or exterior of a vehicle caused by incidents such as vomiting or food spills.
"Cleaning fees are assessed and charged according to the extent of damage.
"Cleaning fees are based on nationwide industry averages for professional cleaning. These fees are paid in full to the vehicle's driver.
"In the event you are charged a cleaning fee, you will receive an updated trip receipt."
