A TikTok user who believes he caught COVID from an Uber driver is gaining attention online after sharing what he feels is the company’s less than ideal response.
In a video shared on Tuesday, Markus Harwood-Jones, known on TikTok as @markusbones, explained how he and his roommate used Uber to go get their booster shots last week and both ended up experiencing symptoms several days later.
After both he and his roommate tested positive, Markus sent a message to the ride-sharing company to let them know that the driver had not been wearing their mask properly and may have been smoking in the car prior to their ride.
Uber responded by stating that it would remind their driver of the company’s mask policy, which requires both drivers and riders to wear face coverings throughout each trip.
“We’re sorry to hear this driver wasn’t wearing a mask,” Uber said. “We’ve sent them a reminder about our mask policy, and drivers who receive multiple reports will lose access to the app.”
Unhappy with the response, Markus asked to be given a refund for the ride instead.
“Not looking to get anybody fired,” Markus recalled in his video. “Just I’d love my $16 back so I can spend that on some food because I can’t go anywhere.”
But instead of giving a refund, Uber instead appears to have temporarily banned Markus from using its services due to his positive test.
“To ensure the safety of all of our users, your rider account has been placed on a temporary hold,” the company allegedly wrote. “If you have an Uber Eats account, you can still use the Uber Eats app to order food (Uber Eats has a ‘leave at the door’ option).”
Markus says he was also told that his account would not be reactivated for 10 days.
“That’s it,” he added. “Nothing else about the driver, nothing else about a refund.”
In a statement to the Daily Dot, Markus said that he had “messaged Uber several times but not heard back anything since their last message locking my account.”
Uber declined to discuss the video on the record with the Daily Dot.
The video from Markus has since been viewed more than 52,000 times.
This post has been updated with comment from Markus.
