Do you shudder at the prospect of contacting Uber driver support? Many of us do. Long waits for a human being to answer (assuming you make it past the series of keypad exercises you have to endure), lack of understanding of what drivers need, and other communication challenges are just some of the things that irk drivers.
In this blog post, we’ll make things easier for you by sharing what we know about Uber driver support, so you can learn to get faster, more efficient service when you need it most.
Here’s what we have for you:
- Reasons drivers might call Uber driver customer support
- What can happen when you and Uber customer service can’t connect
- How to contact Uber customer support
- How Uber (and Uber drivers) can do better
Reasons drivers might call Uber driver customer support
Most of the time, things go smoothly for Uber drivers. They get calls for rides or deliveries, they pick up their passengers or orders, and then they make money. That, like we said, is most of the time.
When things don’t go as planned, drivers need help from Uber. Here are just a few reasons why you’ll need Uber customer service:
- A quick question. This could involve anything about how to use the app, to asking when your background check might be cleared.
- Routing issues. The way the app gets drivers around is pretty amazing, but it isn’t perfect. There will be times when you have questions about why a destination isn’t where the app said it is, or how you’re supposed to complete a ride or delivery when the app is taking you miles away from where you’re supposed to be.
- Payment issues. This one is especially important. When you don’t see the pay you expect being transferred to your account, you will probably need to get in touch with Uber driver customer service, and fast!
- Resolving customer complaints. Uber drivers and their customers usually get along quite well, but there are times when arguments and bad experiences may occur. When disputes arise, Uber customer support has to settle arguments and make sure everybody is treated fairly. Drivers can complain about customers, and customers can cause drivers some major problems. It’s important to make sure you know how to get in touch fast when you have to stand up for yourself and avoid being deactivated by a customer who just wants a free ride, or worse, just wants to get one over on you.
- Reporting accidents and incidents. This is something drivers never look forward to doing, but when accidents and incidents happen, Uber driver customer service can be your biggest ally. Of course, when you’re on the receiving end of a customer complaint, you might not find them to be so friendly. Regardless of how things turn out, you must contact Uber driver support when you’re involved in an accident, or when there’s an incident such as a crime being committed in or around your vehicle while you’re driving for Uber.
What can happen when you can’t connect to Uber customer service
If you’re thinking, “I get really, really, ticked off,” that’s only a small part of the story. If you and Uber customer service can’t connect at critical times, some rather unpleasant things can occur. You might get terminally lost while trying to find a customer’s location. Or, you might be out a few hundred dollars, at least until you can get hold of someone who can make things right.
Perhaps the biggest danger of not getting what you need from Uber customer service is deactivation. Drivers should never underestimate the extent to which a customer’s complaint can taint their record, or even put their job in danger.
When a customer says you did something to insult them, or cheat them, or otherwise make you out to be a no-good, lousy person, you have to defend yourself! You might not even know about an accusation until you hear from Uber driver support.
Here’s how it happens. You remind customers of a rule, such as not asking for unscheduled stops, or not being able to take more than a certain number of people at a time. The customers simply don’t like it. They proceed to contact Uber customer support to say nasty things about you. Uber might give them a free ride or some other kind of reimbursement, and as for you…
You’ll probably get a message in your app, informing you of the infraction, whether it’s real or imaginary. Then, you might learn that you’re in big trouble with the company.
Yes, this is quite a shocking and upsetting thing when it happens, but what can you do? You need to tell your side of the story! This is when you really need to connect with Uber customer support. But…what if you don’t give them your response in the right form?
For example, you might call Uber support and convey your message by phone, but the representative could get it wrong, or make a mistake while recording it for later consideration. Or, you might send an email to the wrong department of Uber customer support, meaning that your side of the story never got to where it needed to be in the first place.
Obviously, when you’re talking about something as serious as the possibility of being booted off the Uber platform, when you contact Uber driver support, you’re going to want to know what you’re doing. That’s why we’ve assembled all the information you’ll need in the next section.
How to contact Uber customer support
The easiest way for drivers to get in touch with Uber driver support is right in the Uber app. This screen shows you all the topics the Help center covers.
When you click on “Help” on the drop-down menu that appears when you touch the three white lines at the top left corner of your app screen, a whole world of support opens up. Click on one of these topics, and you’ll see individual articles. Glance through an article, and your answer could be right there.
If it isn’t, you can tap on the blue phone icon that appears in the article, and get connected by phone to customer support. This article about getting an “invalid vehicle” error message shows you how to find the link to phone-based support:
This works great…if you have access to the app. But let’s say a true catastrophe has occurred, such as losing your smartphone. Then how would you get in contact with Uber customer support?
Fortunately, you can go to the Uber website on a different device.
Sign in, go to the article that covers your issue, and you may get an answer – or at least gain access to a way to send an email with your request.
Insider tip: If you’re a premium member, i.e. a Diamond driver, then you can use this number: 1 800 314 2308. At this point in time, this is the only Uber Customer Support phone number we could find that you can punch in on your phone rather than find it through the app.
If you’re not a diamond member, you’ll be stuck using the help center to get to a phone link or an email page in order to get in touch with Uber customer support.
You might be wondering…What about Greenlight Hubs? Until spring 2020, drivers were able to drop in at a Greenlight hub and get their problems solved and questions answered. Unfortunately, that’s not so easy nowadays. Many Greenlight hubs were closed due to the pandemic. In addition, Uber was forced to lay off nearly 4,000 customer service and Greenlight hub workers. This has had an impact on customer service overall, and has resulted in a new way of handling driver issues: through email and topic-specific phone help. Greenlight hubs may or may not reopen. Given last year’s layoffs, and the fact Uber is still struggling to attain profitability, it doesn’t sound like something we can count on.
How Uber (and Uber drivers) can do better
In general, it’s rather easy to contact Uber customer service. While it may not be convenient to have only limited access to an Uber phone number, it’s not like there isn’t any access at all. It can be frustrating for drivers to ferret through articles on the app or Uber website, but at least there is hope of getting help on the other end of the line.
Uber could do better, by allowing drivers to get actual email addresses and phone numbers they can use to get help more quickly. And of course, reopening the Greenlight hubs would be a big help for many drivers.
Uber drivers can do better by being courteous at all times when they contact Uber customer service. Not being able to find proper support when you have a problem can add to your frustrations. Try to remember that Uber employees are not to blame. Your courtesy and your ability to follow the procedures will go a long way toward getting you what you need and want. Isn’t that what good customer service is all about?
Get even more of what you want with Gridwise
Gridwise knows what drivers need and want, because the people behind Gridwise either have been or are still drivers today! That’s why the app is packed with so many useful features. Get airport information and event schedules, weather, traffic reports, and alerts that keep you savvy about the roads you travel.
Track your earnings, mileage, and expenses with Gridwise, simply by syncing your driving app with Gridwise, and signing on before every shift. Your earnings and mileage will be effortlessly logged, and you can enter every expense you encounter along the way. When you need to see what you’re earning, how many miles you’ve done, and how much you’ve spent in expenses, count on Gridwise to display spectacular graphs like these:
Tap on the Perks tab to get deals and discounts for drivers, and easy access to our blog. Join us on Facebook, too. Don’t miss out on the awesome community of drivers and the gas card giveaways that are going on all the time.
We can’t imagine why you haven’t done it yet, but just in case… here’s a link where you can download Gridwise now!
