Uber is a poorly run organization
Or just a really easy target
With an overwhelming number of what seems like a never ending stream of lawsuits one has to wonder is Uber poorly run by management or just an easy target?
Uber is well known for it’s ability to get you a ride wherever you are, whenever you need it, they are more reliable than a actual taxi.
Uber is also well known for the number of lawsuits it’s been hit with since it started back in 2009.
That begs two questions:
Is Uber so poorly run by it’s management that, that is the reason for the many lawsuits
Or
Is Uber just a really easy target for now? Easy to sue because like with the McDonald’s famous coffee lawsuit, right now the warnings that might prevent such lawsuits simply do not exist?
Currently, Uber has 70 and counting, Federal cases in the US awaiting trial and with so many in various states that it’s difficult to count let alone keep track of.
The suits stem from Governments, employees, customers and competitors for a plethora of different reasons.
Government's Crack the Whip
While Uber rushes to set up shop everywhere that they can, they often times ignore rather blatantly regulations until the Government comes after them that is. So it’s don’t ask but just do and say sorry later for these guys when they set up shop.
A huge no-no for Uber
One of the largest cases against Uber currently is a class action lawsuit where employees were denied benefits because Uber classified them as contractors yet treated them like employees. Employers who hire contractors often make the mistake of treating the contractor as an employee therefore they open themselves up to lawsuits over lack of benefits being offered.
Background Checks
In Austin, Texas both Uber and Lyft stopped servicing the area because they would have been required to conduct more thorough background checks on drivers they hire. So rather than suck it up and agree to the background checks, they stopped service and the employee’s are suing over it.
Uber just runs a person's name and social security number and critics say that just running the two are not enough because things can be missed.
Which is true if you work in HR. What is Uber really running, are they running the info to see if the individual has a legal right to work in the US, or are they running a full and complete background check on it’s drivers?
Customers
So while some of us love Uber and have zero complaints, numerous customers have sued them over issues caused by the drivers. And Uber names the drivers as contractors, meaning that legally, only the individual driver could be sued, yet despite that, Uber is almost always named in the lawsuits filed against it’s drivers.
Whatever you do, Do Not drink the complimentary bottle of water...
Uber has faced more lawsuits for sexual assault, rape and attacks since it’s inception that I have lost track of just how many they had, have or that are currently pending. A woman in 2014 says that she drank a “complimentary” bottle of water in her Uber ride and woke up the next morning in her hotel room, naked. The driver had sexually assaulted her.
Why are good background checks are needed?
~ A driver ran over a 6 year old little girl in 2013 and killed her.
~ Just recently it was discovered that a driver in Boston was a convicted sex offender.
~ A part-time Uber driver was recently charged with DUI in Maryland.
~ A Toronto Uber driver was recently accused of assaulting two people
~ An Australian woman fled for her life after having been strangled by her Uber Driver
The list is long and extensive but if you want to view it, hop over to "Who’s Driving You" they keep a pretty comprehensive list of incidents from both Lyft and Uber. You'll find the link at the end of this story.
You don’t need your service animal, besides the less you see or hear, the less likely you are to sue
Uber has been sued for not allowing service animals by the National Federation of the Blind for not allowing service animals. They had reports of drivers refusing to pick up riders who had service animals and one report of a driver who actually put the service animal in the trunk.
Price fixing???
No, after everything Uber has been accused of they wouldn’t dare price fix? Think again, Uber has been sued for price fixing, and in the essence of a good drama back in July evidence was provided to the court that Uber and CEO Travis Kalanick hired a private investigator to look at the complainant in some odd attempt to discredit what they were suing them for.
So why hasn’t the Government shut these guys down?
As far as employment laws are concerned, an infraction in terms classifying seemingly true employees as contractors simply isn’t enough to shut any organization down. Even more clearly, the fines associated with Uber mis-classifying individuals aren’t even enough to shut them down.
Because for every single complaint or lawsuit against Uber, the majority of the issues are stemming from the drivers. Cities and states that allow Uber to operate must be the ones to put a nail in the coffin and demand that Uber run strict background checks and when they don’t, they must be the one’s to hold the drivers, Uber and it’s CEO accountable.
Uber’s business model is clearly rush in, ignore any and all regulations until we are slapped lightly on the wrist for doing it. Set up shop and hire anyone that we can to drive regardless of his or her background and bring everyone in as a contractor until we are told we cannot classify them as contractors.
One would think it would be much less costly as a business to actually play by the rules than to shell out all the legal fee’s Uber has for not playing by the rules, but I guess Uber has some sort of lifetime supply of disposable income rolling in.
To answer the question of whether or not Uber is a poorly run organization or an easy target? Well it’s neither. It’s a brilliant idea that has been allowed to get away with ignoring or sidestepping the rules.
Cristal M Clark
@thecrimeshop
IOS users can find The Crime Shop on Apple News
Want to see who’s driving you? Check out http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/rideshare-incidents
