Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On November 8th, 2023. I requested a ride to work with Empower, something I have been doing every morning since February. I made the call at 6:37 am, the wait said 4 mins. I was ready and on time. When the driver arrived I heard the sound on my phone and ran out, he was not in front of my building. I waved my hand and he slowly came to where I was. I got into the car, he drove off and about seconds later he told me the App is telling him we have arrived, I said no we have not, he asked if I was going to **** ****, Lanham, I said yes…I had forgotten my phone at home but knew where I was going…it is something I do everyday. He said, anyway, I just got another call for a ride so I have to leave. I had to walk back to my house and call another ride to get to work, I got to work late because of that. This is not the first problem I have encountered with an Empower driver….some of them are very dishonest in their dealings…I have called on occasions where you request a ride, get a fare and then the fare will go up…I have consistently experienced cancellation, which again has inconvenienced me with regards to reaching to my teaching job on time. In checking my account, I couldn’t believe I was charged for a ride that never happened….I would like my money refunded because he never completed the ride, he drove 0 miles…. I am very upset about this and I am hoping this can be resolved ASAP. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  Hi *******,

  Thank you for letting us know about this poor experience.  I have let the Customer Support team know about your complaint and they are taking the appropriate steps with the driver and have already refunded you for the fare.  It can take a few days for the funds to appear in your account however they are on the way.

  If you ever have questions about Empower please do not hesitate to reach out to our Customer Support team directly at [email protected].  We have an amazing team that are ready to support anyone using the Empower platform.

  Kindest Regards,

  *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/01/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I called a ride on the app. The driver had her music up very loud, proceeded to yell, and curse at me, and then was speeding and swerving in and out of lanes. I did not feel safe and asked her to drop me off early. She said she would refund me and I was charged for the full amount. I would like a full refund and I would like to report her misconduct and unsafe driving.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  Hello *******,

  I have looked into this complaint and see that you already corresponded with our customer support team who completed a full refund for you on November 5th. 

  I have confirmed that the refund was processed correctly and you should have received the fund back to your account.  The Acquirer Reference Number (ARN) for the refund is ***********************

  If you have any additional questions for concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

  Kindest Regards,

  *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/14/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Thursday September 13th I attempted several times to request a ride with empire but a message to contact customer support popped up. I was at the auto repair shop during my first attempt to request a ride at 8 am. I was unable to request a ride or reach customer support via email which is their only form of contact. Fortunately my baby's daycare was in walking distance and the temperature was not too hot. Customer service reached out two hours later at 11 am saying I had 2 accounts which is against their policy. I then let them know that when I downloaded the app there was no option to sign into my account and asked how do I resolve this so I can get a ride still no response the next day. I reached out to customer support again at 2:20 PM on 9/13/23 received an automated message assuring me I would receive assistance which I did not even after letting them know that I was attempting to pick my baby up from daycare as my car was still at the auto repair shop.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/22/2023

  Hi ******,
  
  Again I am sorry to hear about your bad experience.  As per the email we sent to you on the 13th, our system is designed to block the creation of multiple accounts for a variety of reasons.  Your original account remains unlocked and is available to you at any time.  Please reach out to our support team if they can provide you with any additional information.
  
  We appreciate your support of the community of drivers using Empower.
  
  Kindest regards, 

  *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/23/2023

  I attempted to sign into my account several times and was unable to. I still to this day never received a response when I reached out to customer service. I have been extremely inconvenienced and I do not feel valued or appreciated by this company.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/24/2023

  I would just like to point out that customer service never gave me a resolution for the issue and I was unable to get a ride and had to walk miles on end and in the heat when I had to pick my baby up from daycare and the temperature had risen.

  I am still attempting to log into my account and reached out to customer service yet again to be told that I have multiple accounts to which I responded that I only have one with no response or resolution.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/24/2023

  I am trying to understand how this makes sense I explained that I only have 1 account therefore I am not violating your rules but you still keep my account locked. What is the reason? If there is a second account can you share ot with ** because I'm oblivious to this other account which you say belongs to me.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2023

   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the company's response is not true. I have still not received any help. I am still locked out of my account for no reason. I do not have more than 1 account. They never respond when I ask to see or know the information from the multiple accounts they claim I have. Please see attached screenshots.

  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2023

  Empower will reach out directly to help ****** access her primary account and remove the duplicates.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/29/2023

  When is empower going to reach out directly and help me because I have just received the same automated response. I responded and received no response 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/04/2023

  My issue has gone unresolved for nearly a month. Despite Empower's promises to reach out and correct this issue I still can not get a ride with their service. They continuously send automated messages saying I have multiple accounts when I do not. They never respond when I ask for these multiple accounts they claim I have. Currently I have been waiting two days since the last correspondence. If you want to ne treated like you don't matter use Empower.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/06/2023

  My issue has now been resolved. 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2023

  Per my previous update,  Empower had a team member follow up directly with ****** to resolve the problem of accessing her account.

  ****** has confirmed that she can login to her account again.

  Please let me know if I can provide any additional information about this experience.

  Best,

  *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/04/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I used the rideshare service and have been a loyal customer for almost a year. I requested a ride on November 24th in the evening, and after waiting a significant amount of time, I called the driver. I saw on the map that he was pulled over down the street a ways and had incorrectly signaled he had arrived. The driver became aggressive with me and when I started explaining my location, insisted that he couldn't drive further down the street. I watched traffic drive past me and other rideshare services pick up their customers and I knew he was lying. I was charged a cancelation fee when the driver ultimately cancelled after again being aggressive on the phone with me. I contacted customer support, and they told me they wouldn't be able to refund me the ride cancelation fee. I explained to them the situation and they still responded they couldn't refund the $5 cancelation fee. I let them know that it wasn't me who cancelled the ride, and that I'd like to file a complaint and receive my money back. I asked to speak with a supervisor, and the representative stopped replying to my e-mail. I then e-mailed the company three more times and have not received a response. I have not been refunded and I let them know that I would be contacting you, because they can't treat customers like this. They aren't even recording the details of the ride itself correctly as I had to correct their info a few times.I want a complaint to be filed so something is done about their customer service, and their driver. And I want my charge refunded, as I have no responsibility to pay a fee for a driver who refused to complete the ride I requested, and then cancelled the ride.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  October 13, 2022. From my phone I used my app to call a empower ride share to take me to work that, Morning. The driver came. His app on his phone was not working properly. The app on his phone would not allow him to take me to my location at work (********************************************, Silver Spring MD **********. So, he had no choice but to take me home. He picked me up at my home address, which is ********************************, Hyattsville, MD **********. In other words, the driver picked me up from my address and dropped me off of my address. 0.0 miles is what the driver drove. I was charged $17.65. They have yet to refund my money. I've reached out to them several times through email. They owe me a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/14/2022

  Hello,

  We very much appreciated the report and have handled it in accordance with our company's policy. We find this type of feedback to be very helpful as it enables us to further improve our product and service.

  Our team has been in correspondence with the consumer who was generous with all the information and were able to discover the issue that has already been remedied. After taking a closer look, it appears that the consumer was charged for the fare that was never completed for which the consumer received a refund back to their form of payment. We hope that this explains the issue adequately. 

  Should there be any questions or concerns regarding this matter, our team can be reached out at [email protected].

  Sincerely,

  Kerim B**************

  Head of Customer Experience at Empower

  **************@rideempower.com

  [email protected]

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/14/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Yesterday I paid for my Mother & I to be taken to ****** ****** ****** & back home from her appointment for her upcoming ****** Therapy Treatment. Both times the company charged me $20, plus the original price of the fare & I paid both Drivers for the Empower Rideshare a $5 tip from my ****** account using my ****** debit card. 2 different drivers both times. I opened up the ****** app on my phone & checked my account & saw what was happening to me being overcharged. I sent them an email while at ****** about it, then when the Driver showed up to take us home the same thing happened again & I sent them another email. The exchange between me & an a Empower Representative by way of email is also attached to my complaint. I checked my ****** account while I'm up now early this morning & they still have not placed back into my account the $30 I was overcharged. As I stated to the Representative, they had never done that before, my Mother was the one who referred me to use them last year, then I referred my Best Friend & my Cousin. None of them were charged a $20 hold plus the fare. The purpose in the public typing into these rideshare apps their debit card info to be in their account, is to pay for the transportation. Just that, for the fare & whatever tip immediately. So for this company to justify taking a ton of extra money from that person's debit card, I don't care if it's prepaid or not, as some form of deposit, is financial abuse to that Person's funds/bank account.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/12/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This letter is an urgent complaint and request to Empower about my ride @ 2:04pm. I was in route to a Production of which I managed, and had gotten into the car where my Empower driver accidentally completed the trip. Disallowing me to share my location with my team who were expecting that to track my ETA. I had to give him the address so that he could type into his personal GPS. You can track the time i he got to my house and when he completed the trip. Next, as he turned on his personal GPS untrustingly so did I. After I informed him of a turn he insisted on going his own way, and had to make a U-Turn, adding on unwarranted time to the commute. To conclude as we were in the vehicle, the driver almost crashed into the back of a ******** **** Trucks driver while we were on I-** ******* ******* Bridge. He abruptly slammed on brakes two separate times, jerking me around in the back seat, and making me feel concerned and unsafe in the vehicle. This ride was super unprofessional, and during the commute I was not comfortable at all, and did not feel safe.