SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Speaking to a live person is not as simple as picking up the phone, dialing a number, and waiting to get ahold of a representative.
With tech applications on the rise, big name companies like Facebook, Google and Lyft make it difficult to speak directly to a live person.
Melissa Izykowski experienced the reality of not having a live phone rep to talk to after she was overcharged for an Uber ride in New York City.
“I kept getting the same canned response,” she said. “We say that you accepted it.”
Izykowski was charged 78-dollars for a 10-dollar Uber she requested.
Rami Raslan, a Syracuse University student and Lyft driver says that the drivers sometimes run into problems too.
“The person put the wrong address in directly on the highway,” said Raslan. “It didn’t lead me to the right place, I get there, and she canceled.”
He says tried to contact Lyft about the issue for some type of compensation for the mishap but did not get a response back.
Adjunct Syracuse Professor Lee W. Mcknight says that these new age companies are following a business model that makes them the most profit.
“For many of the latest high-tech companies, they view any human labor as an unnecessary expense,” said McKnight. “They’re focusing on information technology infrastructure and software and systems.”
In other words, this business model makes it difficult for consumers to contact them while companies like Uber, Lyft, and Google continue to profit.
After a lengthy process, Izykowski was issued a refund for the overcharge.
Uber did not return a request to comment on the matter.
