I lost referral credit of $50,000
BLAKE JAREDS, a 25-year old from New York City, managed to collect around ~30 lakh ($50,000) worth of referral credit in his Uber account. One day, he discovered the company had frozen his account ‘until further notice’. In an edited e-mail interview, he tells Business Standard his story.
How did you manage to get credit worth $50,000?
I built up my credit by distributing my referral code to friends, via large email lists, and online communities. My referral page/code was highly ranked on Google as I had used search engine optimisation technique to promote it. New riders got a $20-30 in credit for their first ride when they signed up on this referral page. I, too, got the same amount for each person (it started at $30, then changed to $20).
The money piled up from January to April 2014 before Uber took notice. I had earned credits from people signing up in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and Mexico.
When did Uber notice it?
I was unable to log into my Uber account in early April. I e-mailed them about the issue and they said my account was frozen until further notice.
Based on your experience, what are the things Uber takes into
account for red-flagging users?
Uber is likely to flag an account if you give a driver a low rating or if the driver rates you low. They like to know why rides did not go as planned and will look into these rides. Your account will also likely be reviewed if, all of a sudden, you start taking very expensive rides and accumulate $100's of charges when your account typically doesn’t have that type of activity.
When Uber blocked your account, what was your reaction?
I did feel cheated when they explained why they locked my account. I tried to fight it but it was clear they were not looking to argue or negotiate with me. I am confident that if I took them to court over the issue, the ruling would be in my favour, as their policies were very vague around the whole referral program when this initially happened (these have since been revised).
If you were to start all over again, how would you distribute the coupons to get maximum referral credit and which is also in line with Uber’s policies?
I would change my referral code to something generic that is easy to remember and appears official. Then, I would make up a postcard/flyer/business card. I would stand outside in a busy area or outside a stadium after a match and hand these out. I don’t think this is against their policy. You might not earn $50,000 in rides doing this but do you really need that much?