(WSVN) - Have you tried Lyft or Uber? Many South Floridians have and love the ride sharing services, but one South Florida woman has a problem. Not with getting a lift, but getting paid by Lyft, which is why she called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Five years ago, if someone said “Lyft,” you might have said, “I don’t need one.” Today, you hit the app and wait for their driver to show up.
Myra Perez, Lyft driver: “I’ve done over 100 rides. I’ve gotten great references.”
Myra and her husband are both drivers for Lyft. A good way to make a little extra money.
Myra Perez: “And when I wasn’t working, I can do it a few hours a day while I look for work.”
With Lyft, Myra doesn’t have an office, a boss or get paid on a certain day. It’s electronic, so after driving for a few hours, Myra goes to the Lyft app.
Myra Perez: “And when it came time for my pay, there is a button that you express payout, so I paid it out.”
But the $117 didn’t show up in Myra’s Wells Fargo bank account.
Myra Perez: “I reached out through email. And they’re like, ‘Well, it went into an account ending in 0557,’ I think they said. I said, ‘I’ve never had an account ending in that.'”
Myra checked her husband’s account. It didn’t end in 0557. She emailed Lyft again.
Myra Perez: “They finally traced it and said it’s TD Bank.”
Myra used to have a TD Bank account. She closed but it didn’t have the letter 0557 anyway.
So back to emailing Lyft.
Myra Perez: “Now I need a letter stating that the account is closed. Got the letter that it’s closed. Send it to them. Now they’re saying that is not good enough for them.”
Myra is really frustrated, in part because Lyft does not have an office or a person to contact. It’s all email.
Myra Perez: “Because, of course, you don’t talk to the same person again. It’s all from the beginning again, and the whole thing over and over again.”
Well, Howard, it’s a new age company with an age-old problem. Myra can’t make it through their bureaucracy to get her money.
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “And the law is the same law it has always been. If Lyft sent it to the wrong account like Myra says they did, they have to resend the money to Myra’s correct bank account. And if she gave them the wrong information, Myra does not get paid till Lyft gets the money back from the account it was sent to.”
After a few emails back and forth from Lyft, a spokesperson told us this issue has been resolved.
A couple of days later, Myra got an email that indicated they blamed her for providing the wrong bank information. An employee wrote, “As a one-time exception, I have bonused you out the amount of $117.14.”
She added, “Be sure your bank information is always up to date to prevent this from happening in the future.”
Myra Perez: “It wasn’t my fault.”
It’s a “he said, she said,” but at least Myra can say, “I am getting my money.”
Myra Perez: “I am really happy that I called Help Me Howard.”
Glad we could help. Myra is adamant Lyft made the mistake, and clearly Lyft thinks she made the mistake. But give Lyft credit for giving her the money before they got it back from wherever it ended up. It was nice of them to do.
Got a problem requiring “Uber” support? Need a “Lyft” solving it? Deposit it with us. We will drive up and give you a free ride.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
On Twitter: @helpmehoward7
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