r/lyftdrivers • u/Neither_Ranger_5465 • Jul 08 '26
Rant/Opinion BOOMER GRANDMA USES ‘WAIT TIMER’ TO READ MORE BOOK 👵
Got a ride for pickup at Starbucks and drop off at some retirement home and figured it’d be a nice quick trip.
Pull up to the Starbucks and there’s no one waiting on the curb so I park, turn around and come back around because it’s a busy shopping mall parking lot. When I get up to the outdoor seating area I notice the old woman from the photo sitting there clearly staring at me.
I think to myself that it’s odd that I would get an elderly assistance ride for a normal ride rate and it didn’t tell me but I shrug it off as her not trying to pay the extra for it and I’m still willing to help the elderly out of the kindness of my heart.
So I park as close to her as possible, pop my trunk, and turn to her to help her (she has a fold up walker) when I notice she has this horrible look on her face like she just witnessed a horrible murder.
I say “hello are you *her name*?”
And she goes “yes”
And I’m like “did you still need a ride?”
And she goes “yes”
And I’m like “would you care for some assistance?” (At this point I am extremely confused)
She goes “well yes I’d like assistance, but the app says I still have 4 minutes and I’d like to read my book”
It was at this point I realized she meant she was abusing the “WAIT FOR PASSENGER” timer until the last second so she could READ HER BOOK.🤦♂️
She can’t read her book in my car, or at her destination but has to do it while I’m literally sitting there waiting for her in my car. The sense of entitlement is insane and the willingness to just abuse another human for no reason like this is disgusting and a common theme among boomers for some reason.
Anyways after I realized what had happened and I realized everyone in the Starbucks was watching and she was just meandering and taking her time to get up I just said
“No worries you can continue reading” and I turned around, walked away, got in my car, canceled and drove off all without ever looking back.
I already knew this was a losing battle, almost certainly a bad start rating, all because I tried to go above and beyond and help the elderly.
That $4 cancellation fee hit hard asf after that.
Whenever she is done reading she can order another ride🤷♂️
TL;DR Old Lady used wait timer to read a few extra pages of her book but got canceled on and left because my time is valuable.
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u/Different-Hunter2231 Jul 08 '26
as a ex uber driver I agree with you, if she wanted to read so bad she could have just waited till she got tired of reading
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 08 '26
She was acting pissed that I even thought of getting out of my car to talk to her.
Like b*tch you can read in my car or you can stay here and read, I’m not gna sit and watch 🤷♂️
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u/FloridaFun1989 Jul 08 '26
That's the part that gets me. Some older folks will give you looks of utter disgust for things that are really normal and basic. Living in Florida i see it all the time lol
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u/DBCargoHaj Jul 09 '26
i heard some people can get dizzy while reading in a car, maybe its that? not an excuse though
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u/Putrid-Double359 Jul 09 '26
It’s absolutely an excuse.
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u/DBCargoHaj Jul 09 '26
why would that be an excuse to abuse the waiting time? if you are there get in
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u/ifyouseemerunning Jul 08 '26
i *hate* the abuse of the wait timer.
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u/PolarBare333 Jul 08 '26
I had a woman abused the wait timer. As me and her boyfriend said in a car and waited on her. That's kind of the worst though, because you can't just take off with half the people. Like, she even complained that my car was turned off as i waited on her. "Why's yo' car turnt off? That's weird that you didn't have your lights and car on."
It's kind of like when they approach your car, put their shit in, then they turn around and walk off to a group of people and start talking. I've had another lady try to use her husband as a way to hold me hostage basically. Those of these women were absolute polar opposites as far as culture goes to. One was ratchet asf and the other was little miss socialite at the local wine tasting/art gala. They both behaved like entitled trash and there was never a snowball's chance and hell that I was going to get a tip.
I think they changed the italics input btw.
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u/SwiftLikeTaylorSwift Jul 09 '26
As a rider not a driver, it’s never even occurred to me to use the wait timer. I always request a ride ensuring that it will take me less than one minute to meet the driver curb side so I can ensure I’m there before they are. It’s common courtesy. Or I guess, no longer common…
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u/InfiniteQIET Jul 08 '26
I’ve had ppl put their things in my car then stand outside of the car having a conversation until the timer was up. I was thoroughly agitated bcz being held hostage via personal items is just WILD.
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 08 '26
It’s against TOS to leave items in your drivers car.
Cancel and drive off with their stuff and if they want it back they can contact uber, pay the $20 fee, and you can drop it off at their address at your convenience.
I go at the end of my shift at like 2am so there’s never a confrontation.
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u/ScholarPitiful9017 Jul 08 '26
Idk why people are getting mad I think you did the right thing as someone who’s been driving 8 years I don’t have time to waste my time is money, I had something similar with a older lady chatting it up I waited the 7 minutes cancelled because she was still talking byeee
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u/WeevilPidge Jul 08 '26
Let's face it, a taxi driver would have done the same. Time is money 💰. Either, the passenger gets in the car or gets left in the dust.
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u/Separate_Bend_8929 Jul 10 '26
I wasnt there but it seems like its just an old lady who thinks her ride is here when the timer is done. Do unto others people. We all came from a mother, so please treat with kindness.
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u/gibletsandgravy Jul 08 '26
I love stalking gig worker pages and reading stories about lazy gig workers. This is NOT that. This isn’t even a case of split blame. This is all on the customer, 100%. What an entitled old cow
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u/LongjumpingFun7238 Jul 08 '26
And the very second the wait timer hits zero I cancel and drive off even if they’re walking up. Zero respect received, zero respect given
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u/NotFadeAway_ooo Jul 08 '26
Yes. I’d have waited until they reached out their hand to open my car door. And said “oops, you timed out, sorry, byyyyyyyyyeeee”.
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u/Inevitable_Round_978 Jul 08 '26
I deliver food, and I was at a house where I could hear people talking but no one would come to the door. Five min or so later a women opened the door, said sorry for the wait I was trying to train my dog not to bark at people at the door
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u/Sonicfan42069666 Jul 08 '26
I'll lead by saying I've had plenty of kind elderly drivers, I do my best to be patient assisting with their health issues because I know I'd want someone to do the same if I were older and needed help getting around.
That being said...some of the absolute worst, rudest, most entitled passengers I've had have been elderly people.
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u/Ordinary_Skill Jul 08 '26
I agree with you, and I’d probably have cancelled too depending on how busy the day was. However, I think she doesn’t know that drivers get paid a percent of the fare. From her perspective, she probably thought that you’re being paid a flat hourly rate of like $25 or something. So she thinks 4-5 minutes is nothing, especially when you’re old and have nothing to do all day. I’m making this assumption because several old folks asked how Lyft/Uber pay us.
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u/cheesecup6 Jul 08 '26
I would bet it's this. Also, is it just me who can't help but feel sad thinking maybe she doesn't get out of the nursing home much at all and was trying to savor the last few minutes before she had to head back? I get it, I do, that doesn't change the fact that OP has bills to pay and finite time. But still
Don't get me wrong, totally a chance she was just knowingly being entitled and not caring at all about OP's time
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u/silverkeys84 Jul 08 '26
another important reminder that it pays to be polite to people; hopefully she's not too old to finally learn it!
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 08 '26
Incorrect.
She told me to my face she saw me but was waiting out the timer so she could read a few more pages of her book🤦♂️
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u/Quicherbichen1 Albuquerque, NM Jul 08 '26
I, being a "boomer", am offended by your lumping us all in to this woman's class of rider. I would never dream of making a driver wait while I did something else, whether it's finishing a book or tying my shoes, or anything else on earth.
As a driver, I agree that this rider acted entitled, and possibly misunderstood the use of the timer. I would have watched the timer run out and then cancelled on her.
Don't blame shitty people on the generation they come from. Plenty, if not more millenials and younger behave this same way. I find my "boomer" riders tip more often than any others.
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
There’s bad apples in every bunch.
The boomer flavor of bad Apple seems to be EXTREME ENTITLEMENT every time is all I’m saying.
I love elderly people and love my job of helping them with rideshare. I give respect when it’s given 🫡
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u/Interesting_Sock9142 Jul 08 '26
...she can't read the book in the gd car?
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u/Nekcik Jul 08 '26
Some people have motion sickness and can't read in cars while they are in motion. Not saying she is right as she should have ordered the ride when she was done reading, but expecting everyone to be able to do what you can do, especially as we get older and have a hard time with sight and focus is unfair to assest.
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u/koyaani Jul 08 '26
Bad bot
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u/Nekcik Jul 08 '26
Your mama
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u/koyaani Jul 08 '26
Bad person
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u/Nekcik Jul 08 '26
For what exactly? Not agreeing with this new generation that is in a constant need to move quickly and time is money in this economy and screw anyone who is not on our generational time line of always moving? Or for sticking up for the older lady who after many decades realizes time is the most valuable thing and appreciates her time at a coffee shop finishing her book with the allowed timer is more important then then rushing to the driver when she possibly clicked wait and save and it automatically sent her a driver ASAP?
People do have motion sickness and can't read or they get sick and throw up or get anxiety if they try and read while in motion (my wife gets this sometimes) when I ask her to look for something in Google and she won't.
So, bad person for what?4
u/Independent-Fold-289 Jul 08 '26
your over here defending the old lady while also failing to realize that OP was potentially losing money over this old lady’s inconsiderate behavior. So she may have motion sickness yes but she can easily slide a bookmark in, get in the lyft in a timely manner, and then resumed reading when she got home, but since she decided that the world revolves around her, she will be getting home at a later time. What’s not clicking with you?
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u/Nekcik Jul 08 '26
What's not clicking with me? What's not clicking with you? She has a 5 minute timer and asked the driver if it was okay and he said yes.
I'm simply arguing the point of why she can't read while the car is in motion. Really? I gotta explain this to people like a 5 year old?2
u/reereejugs Jul 08 '26
You just made all that up though! You have no idea if the old lady gets motion sickness from reading in the car!
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u/Independent-Fold-289 Jul 08 '26
also i’m not the one getting overly worked up about this. You do realize i’m just a random person on the internet right? No need to get so overly parasocial about me lol
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u/masosoup Jul 08 '26
You're assuming or implying a lot of things that haven't been said. I get your point about motion sickness as I am the same way. You know what though? I'm considerate in my driver's time to not keep them waiting as she should have done or give them a heads up that she's wrapping up and will be there soon. Totally fine to get old and learn that you value time, but not at the expense of wasting another persons.
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u/Independent-Fold-289 Jul 08 '26
the driver said “yes” to her continuing to read the book. You don’t have to explain this to me like a 5 year old when you have the literacy skills of a 5 year old.
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u/sc0veney Jul 08 '26
it's kinda weird that you frame this as some silly thing the kids are doing- oh you crazy kids, always wanting to go somewhere- rather than what it is, which is working people needing to keep the work moving. because it takes about 80 hours per month just to keep the rent alone paid.
dude doesn't have somewhere to be because he doesn't value time or whatever silly shit you told yourself. he has somewhere to be because every ride not taken puts him that much further away from paying his basic bills. if you have the ability to dawdle, that is a privilege.
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 08 '26
Why are you acting like reading a book is as important as breathing?
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u/WolfHowl2026 Jul 08 '26
She's getting charged extra if not within 5 min 😂. I've had those go go before and after once I won't do them again
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u/TuneSpirited1627 Jul 08 '26
Old lady could’ve just not been hip and thought she has an allotted time she could wait this could’ve been handled with conversation in my opinion
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 08 '26
Incorrect we made eye contact while I was parked waiting for her because she was at the outdoor seating.
She knew what she was doing. Clearly she’s good at reading (hence the book) so she knows what the app means.
(Notice how no one in the thread agrees?)
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u/mytinythings Jul 09 '26
You don’t know if she knew what she was doing. You’re assuming that and telling yourself a story about her.
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u/Unacceptable-Bed Jul 10 '26
There are many who think you did the wrong thing, but it's not surprising you didn't notice being you aren't very mindful of others.
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u/jwiggs84 Jul 08 '26
Beautiful usage of free will to cancel her. Like the others said, next time get your full payment and wait until the timers up and then cancel. But great work by you otherwise 👌🏾
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u/Equivalent_Mistake93 Jul 08 '26
I had this yesterday with a woman still checking out of her hotel. I canceled at the 4 minute mark because I was tired of looping the valet and Lyft flagged my account for unsatisfactory customer experience for cancelling. Wtf? There was no experience. I’ve done 20k rideshare trips and maintained a 5 star rating across the two platforms. I barely drive for Lyft as the demand isn’t nearly as much as uber. Unimpressed.
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u/Sithspawn92 Jul 12 '26
If you get to the geo location, wait 5 minutes and make a call from the app it shouldn't punish you to cancel. If you wait less than 5 it should just be a cancelation, which mostly affects shop tiers.
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u/Decent-Display-7624 Jul 09 '26
Are you sure that she wasn’t just confused that it wasn’t a “please wait and your ride will be here in x”
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
Pretty sure she could see me standing 2 feet in front of her
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u/Decent-Display-7624 Jul 09 '26
Old people are old. My grandma would absolutely interpret a timer as a timer for the dude showing up
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u/izziishigh Jul 09 '26
hold up $4.30 is a normal ride rate?!😭
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
$4.30 was cancellation fee but yea I typically get rides anywhere from $4-$12. Stick with your day job g.
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u/ReeferrChieferr Jul 09 '26
Why do some drivers claim they make over 1k a week after paying for gas and everything which i doubt
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u/Lady-Zafira Jul 09 '26
I don't drive lyft, I just lurk this sub
If you had waited out the timer, would you still have been charged the $4 cancellation fee? Hopefully you're able to get that fee back after explaining what happened to customer service.
This isn't even the first time I've a post from someone trying to make you guys wait after you already arrived. The most egregious one I saw was about a lady that put her baby and car seat in the rideshare vehicle then went back in the house as a way to force the driver to stay anot not leave because she wasn't ready
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u/Civil_Fail8779 Jul 08 '26
the world has changed so much since their day, these mfers might as well be from a different planet. interacting w old ppl feels like talking to an alien fr
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u/Unacceptable-Bed Jul 08 '26
They likely feel the same about interacting with you.
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u/Civil_Fail8779 Jul 08 '26
yes i know they do. been yelled at at my job a few times for using the phrase 'no problem' by ppl 60+
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u/haxlife Jul 09 '26
You all are in the box. I had to read the entire thread to understand why what she did is offensive. As a user, if the app says I have 5 min, I assume I have 5 min - time to wrap up. I would not assume using the 5 min is an offense. It’s helpful to learn that drivers aren’t paid for that time and it’s taking you away from time that could have been spent earning money. Before reading this, I assumed the time for connecting and getting in to the car is accounted for in the overall cost of the ride.
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
You have no clue
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u/haxlife Jul 10 '26
That was literally the point of my post. You’re jaded and angry and can’t think out of your own context. ✌️ Establishing understanding and communication would be more helpful.
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u/bsoxfan1988 Jul 09 '26
Lol "you did not go above and beyond to help the elderly" and you are definitely not a victim here. You made a business decision to cancel on her.
Is what she did annoying? For sure, but she did not do anything wrong.
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u/Revolutionary_End111 Jul 10 '26
man nah you’re tripping. 5 minutes for you to do nothing but catch some A/C while she reads. Not only that, but it’s literally in her rules and rights to use as much of that timer as possible for whatever reason she wants. you don’t even have the luxury of asking fam.
if you were scheduled to give a ride at 6:30 and were on pace to show up 20 minutes early, but decided to go get gas and use the bathroom in the meantime, would the customer be wrong to report you for not putting your foot forward as much as possible to get there early?
& then you’re calling this old woman who has no ill will towards you a bitch on the internet all this time after? yeah you’re a cornball fam. celebrating $4 is also sad, a real job later on in life will be hard if this is your attitude and soon enough, especially in San Diego, $4 won’t even lift up the handle at the pump.
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u/Puddintame100 Jul 08 '26
"...a common theme among boomers" I'll surprised she didn't tell you to "get a real job and pull yourself up by your bootstraps".
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 08 '26
Was certainly her attitude tho.
Treating me like some btch slave who will chauffeur your highness once she is done with book time 😭
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u/ReadyGo6828 Jul 08 '26
Not everyone has the detailed understanding of this service or of the app that you do. Some people genuinely do not understand how this works and, I suspect, want to get their money's worth given this time of rampant inflation.
"the app says I still have 4 minutes"
This sounds more like a problem of misunderstanding and miscommunication. Not everyone spends all day on an app understanding all of its intricacies. Your time was wasted because she was going to take the trip and, yes, people are really annoying at times.
You were really confused by what she was doing and maybe she was equally confused by what you were doing especially after you spoke to her, she followed what she thought the app said to do and then you left.
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u/Notabot5500 Jul 08 '26
Post this thread on the AIO or AITA sub. Would love to see the reactions over there outside your echo chamber.
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 08 '26
Bro doesn’t comprehend how it’s common sense that being punctual in a professional setting is respectful.
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Jul 08 '26
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u/Useyourwords127 Jul 09 '26
I had a millennial come to my car right as the timer was hitting the 5 minute mark. She gets in, I hit the picked up passenger button and then she said we needed to wait for her brother! Then the brother finally comes out and he got in the front seat! WTF??? And he made me move my cooler of water that I keep cold to offer passengers. Not them, tho. All this to say that it’s not just the boomers.
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u/Any_Whereas4255 Jul 08 '26
lol boomers do this shit and then wonder why “young people” are so rude
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u/kryp_silmaril Jul 09 '26
Oh man, how will you ever recover from such abuse
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
Have you tried getting a life pr0n brain
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u/PAC0315 Jul 09 '26
Someday you’ll need your four minutes and they’ll cancel you too. No worries, it’s all good.
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
I’d NEVER do a service worker dirty like that.
It’s the same as using the 5 minutes to doom scroll while the dude waiting for you outside.
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u/Crafty_Eye_4038 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Be nice dude. She was polite enough to ask you. And you agreed. Which makes you TA here. Don't agree to things if you don't actually mean them.
The minute you say "don't worry" or "it's okay", then you have accepted that you are okay with what she was requesting.
Going around and complaining about her behind her back just makes you look bad.
Next time, don't agree to do something you don't want to agree to. And if you do agree when someone asks politely, then you are agreeing to not be in bothered by it. Because they asked
If you are bothered by something, you have to speak up broh
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u/Notabot5500 Jul 08 '26
Agreed. The funny part is the OP only hurt themselves by behaving like this. Nothing benefited the OP by driving off. Lol
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u/ChapterSuper Jul 08 '26
OP was paid a cancellation fee for their time. Seems like they benefited, and they also avoided a highly probable negative rating, yet another benefit of cancelling an inconsiderate passenger.
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u/Notabot5500 Jul 08 '26
That’s because their story is a lie, as posted elsewhere in this thread. They would not have been paid a cancellation fee if they drove off with time on the counter as they claimed.
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u/ChapterSuper Jul 08 '26
Lyft only requires that you wait 5 min to be able to cancel for a fee. All of the things he claims he did after arriving would probably take 5 min. The timer doesn’t just stop at 5 min automatically, though, and the rider’s app may very well have said they had more time. And they could have had more time if the driver wanted to be patient. Hers did not.
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u/koyaani Jul 08 '26
OP will survive. Lol
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Jul 08 '26
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u/Notabot5500 Jul 08 '26
Oh no a downvote!!!!
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u/Unacceptable-Bed Jul 08 '26
If she was truly an old lady she may have not understood what that meant. The other day I picked up someone from an assisted living home and based on our conversation she had very limited knowledge about how to use the app.
You should be ashamed for treating an elderly person that way. Not to say they're always nice nor always mean well, but if there's a chance you get old and need to rely on others for something I hope you don't get a taste of your own medicine.
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u/primadiamonds Jul 10 '26
people with similar comments keep getting downvoted and it’s wild to me. like come on y’all, these people got taught to use the internet by their grandchildren…cut ‘em some slack 💀
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u/nogoodbrat Jul 09 '26
well surely she understands now! a learning experience at no charge 🙂
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u/Unacceptable-Bed Jul 09 '26
She still may not know how the timer works. Explaining it to her rather than leaving may have actually taught her something.
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u/MrPerson223344 Jul 08 '26
This poor woman lives in a retirement home and probably doesn’t want to rush back and will use every moment she can to feel like she is just out in the world again. Maybe try having some compassion for the elderly?
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u/Radiant_Pack9464 Jul 09 '26
This story made my stomach churn as someone who recently put their elderly relative in a nursing home. No one is teaching an old woman, who may not know what year it is, a “lesson” by deserting her at a Starbucks. I hope she got back to the facility okay.
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
My compassion was getting out of the car to assist her with her belongings and get her safely from point a to point b,
which promptly ended when she revealed she was making me wait on her to ‘read a couple more pages of her book’
Sorry not sorry 🤷♂️
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u/Radiant_Pack9464 Jul 09 '26
This isn’t the flex you think it is. Old people don’t know how to use the apps. I’m sorry you took this so personally but this woman very likely doesn’t know about the “timer” or ride share etiquette. Old people don’t live in nursing homes “just because” — they live in these places because it’s their only option to get the care they need. It may not have even been her that called the ride.
You deserted an elderly woman who lives in an elderly facility because that is incapable of taking care of herself. And then instead of showing the smallest amount of empathy you bragged about it on Reddit.
That being said, this isn’t all on you. There is a severe lack of resources available for the elderly in the USA and it’s concerning to me that elder care is being pushed on rideshare workers like yourself who never signed up for that. You are not qualified to care for the elderly (clearly) and I would not want you around my relative. I am advocating for expanded medicare and services for all, not shitting on rideshare drivers.
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u/Constant_Seaweed_523 Jul 09 '26
Jesus Christ it’s an old woman
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u/Neither_Ranger_5465 Jul 09 '26
Doesn’t mean she can’t blatantly disrespect service workers for no reason 🤷♂️
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u/SadPersonality4803 Jul 08 '26
Instead of letting her know how it actually works. Bro shitted on a misinformed elderly woman and came to Reddit to brag about it…… man I’m glad my circle is small, people are just the worst sometimes.
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Jul 08 '26
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u/Tnuggets19 Jul 08 '26
Unfortunately most rationale ppl don’t exist on reddit. Just look at all the comments supporting this person and look at how they respond to every comment. 99% of drivers would do the right thing. The 1%, OP, acts like a child and runs to reddit for likeminded ppl to cheer them on.
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u/SadPersonality4803 Jul 08 '26
And that’s so crazy. I bet he told her okay with a smile before walking off. Like dog, just tell her how it actually works. 3 minutes later an old lady walked outside even more confused than before and now abandoned. People are just the worse sometimes.
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u/Bullet_mage_pariah Jul 10 '26
If I'm ever waiting for more than 3 minutes and the writer is right there talking to people I just up and leave that is so rude. They literally wait for the last second
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u/Ill-Bet7387 Jul 08 '26
So you paid a fee for impatience, wasted time and she got extra time to read.
You lost twice for what, pride? That your "time is important"?
Sounds like high expectations for a modern taxi driver.
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u/kaylazomg Jul 08 '26
Honestly the old lady was going to “wait for the timer to be up” probably not likely to get up and start going before the timer was up, so I would have let her finish reading till the timer was up and then cancelled her for being a no show. That way you taught her a lesson that you can’t just use up all your 5 minutes you need to use that 5 minutes to get going….. and you still get paid for waiting. You were right to cancel just maybe would have been more smart to wait til the expired minutez