[Noemie]

Hi all,

I'm at a loss as to what to try next, so thought that this forum might be able to help out.

Here is the timeline of my problem with Lyft:
- Friend tells me there is a $500 (for both) referral bonus and forwards me an e-mail with referral code
- I go to the Lyft web site and find the sign up page
- I somehow miss the box for the referral code, but proceed with adding all my information, thinking that the referral code info will come in later (kind of like a coupon at checkout thing I guess...)
- I see nowhere to enter my referral code, and immediately contact Lyft to ask if I can add it
- Lyft says "sorry, we can't do that" (yeah right, I bet you could if you wanted to), and "you can refer someone else and earn the referral bonus that way" (yeah right, I don't know anybody else who wants to drive, but thanks)
- Very disappointed, I do not proceed with the mentor session
- Later, I get an e-mail saying my application will expire if I do not finish the steps
- Hopeful, I let it expire
- After it "expires", I try again with a different e-mail address, and make sure I add the referral code in the box (promo is still ongoing). This time I go through with the complete application and am approved
- Both my friend and I get a confirmation e-mail saying that all is good and that we'll get the bonus if I complete 50 rides in 30 days
- Thrilled, I get cracking and drive 75 times in less than 30 days
- I check in with Lyft to see what's up with my referral bonus, and attach the confirmation e-mails we both got
- Lyft says "sorry, your referral code did not register" (yeah right), and "you can refer someone else and earn the referral bonus that way"
- I get a little pissed and reply with a sterner e-mail
- Dead silence on the other end
- I get an e-mail a couple days later saying my "case" was closed, and can I please rate my interaction with customer service?

All other customer service contact attempts after that get the silent treatment.

Anybody have any suggestions as to how I can get through to them? Anybody had this problem and found a way to get them to pay up? I realize that my chances are very slim...

Thanks,
Noemie

 

[rjenkins]

It's very unfortunate, but this seems to be their policy. They are good about paying referral bonuses if it's done within the letter of the rules (I've made several bonuses, myself), but I've talked to many disappointed applicants (I'm a Lyft mentor) who neglected to enter the code at the very beginning.

I know this is little consolation, but if they didn't have such a rule in place, they'd be dishing out extra large bonuses to people, left and right, who are trying to game the system. Your mistake may have been genuine, but consider this. As a mentor, I could ask all my applicants if a friend had referred them. If not (and this is the case, surprisingly a lot of the time), I could just give them my code and tell them to enter it. Lyft would then be paying out an extra couple thousand dollars a week. Nice for me, but you see my point. They have no way of knowing who's telling the truth.

In direct answer to your question, I have never heard of Lyft (or Uber, for that matter) paying out a bonus when the code was entered incorrectly, or not at all.

 

[Noemie]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate your somewhat insider view.
I'm still pretty disappointed, considering that I was totally honest about this and really did sign up because I was referred, but your angle makes sense.
Noemie