[JSM0713]

Logic tells me there's something fishy going on at the MIA Geozone on 22nd street just east of 37th Avenue.

A group of guys are hanging out just off 37th Ave and 22nd street, I assume they're Uber drivers, just standing around chit chatting. I've observed numerous cars pulling up, stopping by the group. One of the group goes up to the car and the driver pulls down his window and hands over his phone to this person.... Later, these same cars pull up, get their phones back from the group, and are off to the arrivals gate ( I assume).

Please help me understand the logic of this. Is this some kind of scam? Are they redistributing phones? How does this help a driver avoid or speed up the queue.... I don't understand how this helps or hurts anyone. Even IF they get a ride request, it HAS to be on their own phone.... What the hell are they doing? Something is wrong, it makes no sense.

 

[OdyUber]

i've not confirmed this in person, but here is how it works.. each driver has 2 phones, leaves one behind with a handler when he departs on a trip. As soon as the passenger is delivered, he goes offline, and calls back to the other phone to get the uber app turned on and that way the wait time is reduced by half.

A similar scheme operates in LAX where there's a maximum numbers on places in queue, and has been described here at length. Then there's the GPS and Cell phone jamming of other drivers who don't participate in the consortium.

 

[Mrodri0173]

I can vouch with what OdyUber is saying about that group near the airport. I hang out with them here and there but do not participate in the two phones gig.

 

[ChevyVolt]

Wow. Thanks for sharing details of the scams!

 

[IsleDrive]

Of course if it's happening at LAX there's plenty of potential for it to happen at MIA. Anyone care to tell us how much the payouts are to the handlers and runners?
There was another thread last week with someone posting pics of drivers at MIA skipping the line. Perhaps this sheds light for all those airport drivers patiently waiting and wondering wtf did that guy just do. Shouldn't be long before it happens at FLL as well.

 

[Mrodri0173]

Lol.

 

[Xxx sucker]

Whatever it takes to break the Bully's control is very Welcome!

 

[ChevyVolt]

Tienen 2 telefonos. Cuando termina el viaje prienden el segundo en el geozone

 

[ChevyVolt]

Si. Tenes rason. No me gustan MIA o FLL. Pero si veo a los que esperan por horas en los geozones. No se porque se desesperan por esos viajes. Creo que LAX es differente. Pues en California y NY hay mucho crimen y locos.

 

[command3r]

Ud Tienen una mentente llena de imaginación, porque mejor no asumen que cuando le envían el mensaje de que se aproxime a la terminal, dejan el teléfono ahi , para buscar el carro y no salirse de la geozone y luego pasan a recojer su telefono.

Si. Tenes rason. No me gustan MIA o FLL. Pero si veo a los que esperan por horas en los geozones. No se porque se desesperan por esos viajes. Creo que LAX es differente. Pues en California y NY hay mucho crimen y locos.

 

[EagleEye]

This kind of fraud should be easy for Uber to spot if the wanted to. They know when and where someone logs off. If they log on a couple of minutes later at the airport then either they broke the sound barrier or they are scamming! But Uber probably doesn't care. It doesn't affect them, just other drivers.

 

[hangarcat]

i've not confirmed this in person, but here is how it works.. each driver has 2 phones, leaves one behind with a handler when he departs on a trip. As soon as the passenger is delivered, he goes offline, and calls back to the other phone to get the uber app turned on and that way the wait time is reduced by half.

A similar scheme operates in LAX where there's a maximum numbers on places in queue, and has been described here at length. Then there's the GPS and Cell phone jamming of other drivers who don't participate in the consortium.

What if the "idle" phone is pinged before it's driver gets back to pick it up?

 

[jicome]

Jajajaja aqui no estamos hablando sino escribiendo, primero pienza ante poner un post

 

[ChevyVolt]

Ne čeština taky. Opravdu. Díky moc

 

[Mrodri0173]

Why the Spanish responses when the topic was in English? If you want to show off then let's do so:

Je peux aussi parler dans une autre langue si vous voulez?

o forse si preferisce questo?

bitte weiterhin das Thema für diejenigen, die kein Spanisch sprechen .

 

[ChevyVolt]

Proč? Why? Levity, boredom and being quite fond of linguism, I never gave it much thought. As they pointed out in Spanish, rather than the sanctimonious, demeaning reply, they could have simply asked.

 

[Adav]

All that work for 10 bucks

 

[Adav]

Anyone having issues at MIA picking up

 

[JSM0713]

Anyone having issues at MIA picking up

The problems I've experienced at MIA and FLL are such that I have totally abandoned waiting on the queue any longer. The wait is made all the more disgusting when the timer gets down to 0-10 mins and you find yourself still sitting there 30 minutes later waiting for a ride request, if it comes at all. If you read through this thread you'll see I posted that there's a group of drivers who are gaming the queue system using two phones and a person or persons who hold the 2nd phone within the geozone. The system cuts their wait time in half, screwing up the queue. I've personally watched this crew in action... scroll up to see how it works. I wouldn't exactly call it a scam, but it messes with the wait times of other drivers.

 

[JSM0713]

i've not confirmed this in person, but here is how it works.. each driver has 2 phones, leaves one behind with a handler when he departs on a trip. As soon as the passenger is delivered, he goes offline, and calls back to the other phone to get the uber app turned on and that way the wait time is reduced by half.

A similar scheme operates in LAX where there's a maximum numbers on places in queue, and has been described here at length. Then there's the GPS and Cell phone jamming of other drivers who don't participate in the consortium.

OdyUber........ thanks for the reply. I have some comments.... I wouldn't exactly call this a scam or fraud. I'd rather describe it as gaming the queue system. For instance, if a driver gets a long ride, over 30 minutes. On the way to the pickup he drops off phone #2 with the handler, picks up his pax.... He drops off the pax, calls the handler and can't make it back to the queue before the next ping comes in. Does the handler accept the ride request if the driver is not there? Now, the "handlers" are getting paid something for this. Nobody is going to tell me they're doing this for nothing. Do you know how much the handlers cut is for this service? Is it worth it? Also, what if the driver picks up a short trip? You'd be giving up most of your pay for the ride to the handler... is it worth it.
Also, you mentioned there's someone jamming GPS and Cell phones of other drivers who don't participate in this consortium. I doubt that.... they would have to require some very sophisticated hardware and software to jam ONLY those using the Uber app. Let's say it is possible... THAT would be totally illegal, as in criminal... criminal conspiracy, fraud, privacy violations, you name it. If I found out someone was messing with my phone like that, I'd be in the State Attorney Office in a heartbeat demanding an investigation and criminal arrests for those found guilty. They would love a case like this, would make some big headlines.
Personally, the whole thing isn't worth it. I'd rather drop off riders at the airport and....... leave. There is nothing so wonderful about airport pickups. There's no surges for one and having to deal with the queue is another. I just received a message that they're going to continue with the system that has you drive to the terminal for your ride request. The system is horrible because half the time THERE IS NO RIDE REQUEST! The ask that if you do not get your request to go back to the queue...... WHY? It wastes gas, and you may very well find you've been dumped to the bottom of the queue again! This is worth what to me???? NOTHING BUT A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME.
Now that Uber has deliveries, this wasted time at the airport is a total loss of revenue for any driver. I'd rather leave the airport to the bozos who are in their consortium..... I'm too old to deal with this bullshit.