Uber charged me a £110 cleaning fee - but I didn't vomit
A MAN has accused Uber of "vomit fraud" after being charged a cleaning fee for his 'apparent sick'.
Freddie Rossi-Parish used the Uber app to get a ride from Sunbury to Hackbridge at around 11 pm on October 31.
He says he noticed a total of £137.80 had been deducted from his bank account after he was dropped off to his destination.
Confused, Freddie complained to Uber which is when he was sent a photo of vomit all over the cab seat.
"The journey itself was uneventful. I was a single passenger and had my Crystal Palace football club mask on," says Freddie.
“This is criminal activity and has caused me stress and frustration.
"Also, the total embarrassment of proving that I haven’t been sick in an Uber."
Freddie shared the incident on Facebook after Uber reportedly refused to amend the fee on November 5.
"I have had to fight so hard with endless phone calls and messages," he said.
"The post was shared 230 times and I believe this is why Uber finally refunded me the cleaning fee on November 9."
Freddie believes he has been the victim of a trend known as “vomit fraud”.
"Vomit fraud" is when customers are sent a notification to say that they have been charged for a "cleaning fee".
It is believed that when the customers complain to Uber, the company send them a photograph taken by the driver, of what they claim to be sick stains.
"I feel that Uber has brushed this under the carpet," Freddie said.
"Uber hasn’t apologised, disciplined the driver or offered compensation.
"I hope that sharing my story means riders can be more vigilant next time."
A spokesperson for Uber has indicated that if they find a confirmed case of fraud, they take appropriate action which includes removing the driver from the app.
However, Freddie believes that the driver is still operating with Uber.
He is urging customers to take 'before and after pictures' whilst using the service.
A spokesperson for Uber said: “Participating in fraudulent activity of any kind is a clear violation of our Community Guidelines.
"We are constantly evaluating our processes and technology related to these claims and will take appropriate action whenever fraud may be detected.”
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