When you're driving lots of passengers, you're bound to have some issues.
This video is specifically about cleaning fees but there is also a damage fee
that you could be assessed. In Lyft they fall into the same category, but on Uber
it's a separate "inconvenience fee" which could be up to $250. However, I've seen
lots of drivers reporting that their claims were denied because they were
called "normal wear and tear." Now for the cleaning fee, the types of damage that
are usually covered are things like mud, puke, urine, spilled food or drink. I have
actually seen one person get a cleaning fee for water but then other people had
the same kind of thing denied so you never really know. The first thing that
you need to know is how to protect yourself. Seat covers and floor mats are
the biggest things. These protect your actual car from these specific types of
damage. It is a lot cheaper to replace some $60.00 seat covers than it is to
replace your seat. Another way to protect yourself is be aware of the passenger
and look for the warning signs. If the passenger is falling asleep or they're
having difficulty speaking, these could be signs of alcohol poisoning which
usually result in puking. If they start to roll down the window, this could be
that they're looking for a place to puke. Do not let them roll down your windows. I
keep my windows locked because I do not want anyone rolling down my window to
puke. Although it is tempting to let them puke outside, what will usually happen is
they will not get it all the way outside and it will go inside your door. Puke
inside your door means that you have to take the door apart in order to clean it
and this is atrocious. You do not want that, it is a huge hassle and can be very
expensive if you're not comfortable doing it yourself.
The two biggest ways that I protect myself are: One, I have a huge trash can.
This nice big trash can has super cheap liners and I clip it on. This way they're
not gonna accidentally puke inside the trashcan, they're gonna just get it in
the liner. And when someone pukes in my liner, I make them take it with them. I
don't want that in my car. I've got more liners in the bottom of the basket. That
trash bin sits right at the feet in the middle seat in the back. The majority of
the time, my car isn't filled up so it's not a problem. Sometimes I'll move it to
the trunk but if people have been drinking, I'll make one of them hold it.
Whoever's most drunk. Another way I protect myself is by having puke bags
available. Although I was pretty comfortable with my liners, I actually
had some samples sent to me and these are amazing. These puke bags are by Vomex.
They're a bit pricier than some of the other puke bags out there but
significantly better. The biggest thing is that they're huge. They're basically
the same size as my trashcan. So the best thing to do when you think someone might
puke is you pop it open and you ask them to hold it. Sometimes they'll be annoyed
by it but if you remind them that there's a cleaning fee if they puke, they
usually don't mind. So these are pretty cool because they pop open kind of like
those cloth frisbees. Like I said, they're huge you can definitely fit your whole
face in there. It's hard to miss. And they have a little strap to hang around the
offender's neck. How convenient! You're basically like a horse with a
feeding bag. Anyway, these are like $5 each I think, and way better than having
to clean your car. And if it doesn't get used, it's pretty easy to just fold back
up and put back in the box.
Like I said, Vomex sent me these free samples, They didn't pay me otherwise and
I told them if I liked them I'd promote them. And I was surprised to learn I
actually liked them so here they are! I have three so I keep one in my door and
one in the back pocket of each seat. To protect yourself from non-puking, do not
let people bring food or drink into your car. This also protects you from a really
hefty ticket if they happen to have alcohol. Depends on your state, but an
open container could be your responsibility so protect yourself the
best you can. Now if the terrible tragedy happens and someone does puke or pee or
spill their drink, the first thing you need to do is take photos. A bunch of
photos, a ridiculous amount of photos maybe even video. The more you have, the
better it is. For Uber you can get up to $150 but you are not
guaranteed to get any of that and if you do, it could be as low as $20.
Lyft it's the same situation but theirs actually goes all the way up to $250. If
you report this issue, you may not be allowed to take rides until you've
proven that it's cleaned. This is when having both apps comes in handy because
if you report it on Lyft, you can still drive for Uber and vice versa.
This fee is charged to the rider, it is not paid by Uber or Lyft so be aware of
that when you are requesting this fee. Some drivers do what's called "vomit
fraud" where they claim their passenger has puked in their vehicle but they did not.
This is obviously atrocious and anyone who does it should be canceled
immediately. Situations like that make it harder for
other drivers to get the claims that they need. So in order to actually
request the cleaning fee, you need to go into the app and find this specific ride
where you'll go down to the Help section and find the specific aspects and then
submit the ticket. You also can always submit the help
request via the phone or their websites. When it comes to getting it cleaned, if
you can't do it yourself you can contact a place to get it cleaned. However, if you
do tell them that it is vomit you will be charged a lot. Bodily fluids always
have a higher fee. If you're going to do it yourself, I recommend a heated rug
cleaner. I got one when I got my dog so that was really helpful. Mine was like 80
bucks. And a tax write-off! I hope this is helpful. As always, if you have any
questions feel free to email me at Munchkym@gmail.com. I also have a website now
which is kind of cool, I'm selling a board game.
You can put things in the comments but that's not the fastest way to reach me
and YouTube's notification system is not very good so I can't really hold
conversations in the comments very easily. Email is the best. I also recently
started actually using my Instagram so if you wanna follow me at some places
there's some things in the description. And you'd like to generally support my
content, I do have a Patreon account. Thank you to everyone who has supported
me so far, I really appreciate that. It's nice when people value the work
that you're making and so I appreciate that, as you know because I message all
of you. As always, drive safe and have a lovely day!
I need to stop recording.