Here’s Why You Should Take Pictures of the Car Before and After a Ride-Hail Service

Living in Southern Indiana, I haven't really had to use ride-hailing services much. And, if you're like, "No, it's ridesharing," I recently learned there's a difference. Ridesharing is more like carpooling, while ride-hailing is when you call for a ride.

Anyway, whenever I've used ride-hailing apps on vacation, I've never had any issues. In fact, it's always been pretty great - the cars are usually cleaner than taxis, and the drivers have always been friendly. But, it seems there have been claims that some ride-hailing drivers are taking advantage of their riders.

I was in this Nashville Tourism group on Facebook, and someone posted about their experience. They said they took a five-minute ride-hail from Broadway to their hotel. They didn't have drinks or make a mess, but the driver charged them a whopping $160 cleaning fee. They disputed it, but they were curious if anyone else had a similar experience.

Now, I can't verify if the post was true. Maybe the rider did something wild in the car, who knows? Maybe they vomited, stomped on it, and lit it on fire! We'll never know...

What stood out to me was the flood of responses from people who had also been unexpectedly charged cleaning fees after what they described as normal rides with no mess. Some even fell victim to the same driver the poster had named. Curious about how widespread this issue might be, I did a quick Google search and found numerous threads on Reddit and stories from across the country detailing similar experiences with popular ride-hailing apps.

According to frommers.com, a well-known travel guide, this isn't a new scam. They also reported that a few years, ago, Uber started requiring photo evidence as well as a bill for professional cleaning. Currently, Lyft only asks for three photos. 

How to Protect Yourself from Fraudulent Ride-Hail Cleaning Fees

There were also tips on how to avoid having to pay the fee.

• First, one person suggested taking "before and after" photos of every ride. Document rips and stains in the car. Take a clear photo when you leave the car of the entire back seat and the outside of the car upon exit. Even if your driver is nice - it's a good idea to protect yourself. Then you'll have proof that you didn't make a mess or damage the outside of their vehicle.
• If you are hit with an unfair fee and didn't get a photo, you can dispute it with the company and ask for photo or video proof with a time stamp. You can also ask the company to check if a driver has asked for multiple cleaning fees on their account.
• Some people who have been hit with unfair charges have used video proof from Ring doorbells or other cameras to prove they didn't damage a car or were inebriated enough to vomit.
• Finally, if you are confident you shouldn't be charged, you can contact your credit card company and report fraud.

Now if you are like me, you might be thinking that taking a photo before and after might be awkward and unnecessary but some ride-hailing services allow drivers to charge up to $150 for cleaning fees and I just don't want to deal with that extra expense. Do you?