A thread on navigating @Uber and @lyft's customer service support for sick leave for drivers quarantined by Covid. All docs shared w/ permission of driver, who I'll call H.

H. obtained a doctor's note on March 16, advising that he has Covid symptoms and should quarantine. He submitted it to both Uber and Lyft because he works for both. Here is Uber's criteria, which his note(s) clearly meet.

. @Uber claimed that the note didn't meet their eligibility requirements & asked for more. H also reports that the Uber phone reps claimed it wasn't valid because he needed a note from a public health authority, like the CDC. The note was sufficient to get him deactivated tho.

However, @lyft determined, based on the first doctor's note, that he was eligible for financial assistance, and said they put $500 into his account on March 25. (Note: sometimes drivers have trouble cashing out those deposits because their accounts are on hold). Win!

H. obtains a second doctor's note on March 24 from the same provider, based on the same initial visit, and submits it to @Uber. He calls all the time, and has submitted his docs repeatedly to the link they keep sending him to submit.

On March 25, H. submitted new vehicle registration docs. On a call with Uber Support, which he shared with me, the rep advised him that his account is actually deactivated because his vehicle reg docs are pending review...

...even though his account was clearly deactivated more than a week earlier, due to his self-reported and medically documented Covid quarantine. He's still waiting for financial assistance from Uber.

As someone who has studied Uber drivers and their working conditions since 2014, I can tell you that terrible customer service is not new. Except your livelihood is on the line, and you're trying to get missing pay, resolve unfair deactivations, etc.

Uber got a lot of credit for making big promises to drivers & to the public. It offers to provide 14 days of paid sick leave to Covid-quarantined drivers.

Uber uses philanthropic gestures to demure the fact that it may misclassify drivers, who would be *owed* workplace benefits. And drivers are reporting that they can't easily get assistance anyways! *end thread*