Travel Solutions: Lyft surprised me with a $150 cleaning charge. Is this allowed?

Initially, my bank flagged the charge as fraud. But when I contacted Lyft and asked for an explanation, the company claimed that I caused damage to the car. Lyft also sent photos that the company said the driver had shared.

I did not cause any damage whatsoever, and the photos did not depict any damage I actually caused. I’d like my $150 fee to be refunded. — Jared Hakimi, Briarwood, New York

A: Lyft should have notified you immediately of the damage and sent you evidence that you were responsible. It could have sent you time-stamped photos of the vehicle’s interior showing the alleged damage.

This looks like another case of the Lyft vomit scam. (It’s called a vomit scam because drivers frequently claim that passengers have vomited in the back of their cars.) Drivers charge their passengers anywhere from $80 to $150 for a “cleanup,” even when there’s little to no evidence of a passenger’s guilt.

You can avoid the vomit scam by taking pictures of the back of your car before and after your ride. I know this sounds extreme, and it’s probably unnecessary for most rides. So, let’s just say that you’ll probably know when it’s necessary. The moment you say “hello” and open the door, you’ll just know.

I’ve been on a few rides like that, where the car is not well-maintained, the driver complains about how little money he makes with ridesharing, or he’s tip-baiting you by griping about how much he relies on gratuities to earn a living.

You could have appealed this to one of the executives at Lyft. I list their names, numbers and email addresses on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

You reached out to one of the executives at Lyft. A representative wrote back to you:

“We’ve completed another review of the cleaning fee request and the details you shared with us. After a second review, I have forgiven the $150 damage fee you had on your account.”