https://amp.cbs46.com/story/38133714/uber-driver-arrested-after-turning-in-phone
Published: May 7, 2018
A metro Atlanta Uber driver said a passenger left a cell phone in her car.
"When I found the phone, being that the office is so far, I normally wait until I get a collection of things because people leave things all the time, so I could make one trip," the driver, who did not want to be identified said.
A few weeks later, she said she dropped the phone off at the Uber office near Clairmont Road.
"At that time we didn't have anything in place where you could contact the rider and give them their phone back," she said.
She said in February of 2017, she received a text message from someone claiming to be a detective looking for the phone.
"I told them the phone is at Uber," she explained. "They said that they had contacted Uber and there was no record of the phone being turned in so at that point I told them if you are the police, they would not have told you that so at that point I did not believe them."
Fast forward to last Thursday, on May 3, the woman said she was pulled over for speeding in Cobb County by a state trooper.
"He said umm you're not being arrested but I'm going to have to detain you, there's a warrant out for your arrest in Dekalb County."
The warrant was for theft of lost/mislaid property and the offense date is January 1, 2017. The passenger who left the phone behind went to police. After being detained by state troopers, Cobb County police took her to jail, where she spent the night.
"It was a horrifying experience," she said. "It was very degrading, very embarrassing."
The next day she was transferred to Dekalb County, where the warrant was issued. After bonding out, she said Uber shut deactivated her account.
"I've been with Uber almost four years, it'll be four years in July. I have over seven thousand trips under my belt. I have, out of a five star rating, I have a 4.92 so I'm not an irresponsible person."
There really is no clear-cut policy for retrieving items left behind in an Uber. By phone, an Uber spokesperson said the best way to get something back after a trip ends is to "work it out with the driver".
On its website, Uber washes its hands clean of missing items, stating
Drivers are independent contractors. Neither Uber nor drivers are responsible for the items left in a vehicle after a trip ends. We're here to help, but cannot guarantee that a driver has your item or can immediately deliver it to you."
The driver said she has lost hundreds of dollars over the incident.
"Hopefully this will help me get my account activated because I have not done anything wrong," she said. "I've done exactly what i was supposed to do."
Uber responded to CBS46's requests for comments Monday afternoon. A spokesperson confirmed the driver did drop the phone off at the Atlanta driver support hub.
We're told the rider was able to retrieve the phone from the hub. The spokesperson goes on to say the rider did not inform police that she had picked up the phone.
Published: May 7, 2018
A metro Atlanta Uber driver said a passenger left a cell phone in her car.
"When I found the phone, being that the office is so far, I normally wait until I get a collection of things because people leave things all the time, so I could make one trip," the driver, who did not want to be identified said.
A few weeks later, she said she dropped the phone off at the Uber office near Clairmont Road.
"At that time we didn't have anything in place where you could contact the rider and give them their phone back," she said.
She said in February of 2017, she received a text message from someone claiming to be a detective looking for the phone.
"I told them the phone is at Uber," she explained. "They said that they had contacted Uber and there was no record of the phone being turned in so at that point I told them if you are the police, they would not have told you that so at that point I did not believe them."
Fast forward to last Thursday, on May 3, the woman said she was pulled over for speeding in Cobb County by a state trooper.
"He said umm you're not being arrested but I'm going to have to detain you, there's a warrant out for your arrest in Dekalb County."
The warrant was for theft of lost/mislaid property and the offense date is January 1, 2017. The passenger who left the phone behind went to police. After being detained by state troopers, Cobb County police took her to jail, where she spent the night.
"It was a horrifying experience," she said. "It was very degrading, very embarrassing."
The next day she was transferred to Dekalb County, where the warrant was issued. After bonding out, she said Uber shut deactivated her account.
"I've been with Uber almost four years, it'll be four years in July. I have over seven thousand trips under my belt. I have, out of a five star rating, I have a 4.92 so I'm not an irresponsible person."
There really is no clear-cut policy for retrieving items left behind in an Uber. By phone, an Uber spokesperson said the best way to get something back after a trip ends is to "work it out with the driver".
On its website, Uber washes its hands clean of missing items, stating
Drivers are independent contractors. Neither Uber nor drivers are responsible for the items left in a vehicle after a trip ends. We're here to help, but cannot guarantee that a driver has your item or can immediately deliver it to you."
The driver said she has lost hundreds of dollars over the incident.
"Hopefully this will help me get my account activated because I have not done anything wrong," she said. "I've done exactly what i was supposed to do."
Uber responded to CBS46's requests for comments Monday afternoon. A spokesperson confirmed the driver did drop the phone off at the Atlanta driver support hub.
We're told the rider was able to retrieve the phone from the hub. The spokesperson goes on to say the rider did not inform police that she had picked up the phone.