[eridius]

They're paying cancellation fees. If I order a bunch of pizzas from Pizza Hut in order to find out who the drivers were, and paid for them, then there's no issue. Even though I don't intend on eating the pizzas, I still paid for the service. In this case, Uber is paying the cancellation fees for the privilege of booking, then cancelling, a Gett ride.

[avalaunch]

If you order pizzas and pay for them, you're completely the transaction as expected. If you order a car from a car service and then cancel it, you're not. The fact that a cancellation fee exists doesn't give you the right to use the system in such an unintended manner.

A better analogy than the pizza analogy might be a "customer" repeatedly buying clothes with the intent to wear and then return them. Despite the fact that there is a return policy in place, the fact that the customer never intended on keeping any of the clothes makes his behavior fraudulent.

[eridius]

There is nothing illegal about repeatedly buying clothes, then returning. If I do that enough the store may bar me from the premises for being exceedingly annoying, but they certainly can't charge me with anything.

[yapcguy]

Another example is a cafe.

Get a bunch of people to repeatedly queue up but when they get to the counter decide they don't want to order anything.

Just the sight of a long queue outside the door is going to put off legit customers

Clearly Uber are engaging in activities to disrupt and cause harm to the business of their competitor.

[avalaunch]

I said it was fraudulent, which it definitely is. Whether or not it fits the legal definition of fraud is debatable.

[aidenn0]

Some localities do have laws forbidding buying something with the intent to return it.

[goldenkey]

With the intent to disrupt business. They can be easily sued for this practice. This isn't a consumer doing so, this is a company having their employees vehemently attack a competitor.

[yapcguy]

Exactly.

Legit customers can't book cars because they're busy and when they do the drivers might bail because they think its yet another fake order.

Screw Uber. Theyre not a tech start-up, they're an illegal car service masquerading as a tech company.

[brianmcdonough]

Thank you for making it clear why this practice is bad corporate practice for those who are not as moral in their perspective. Uber seems hell bent on becoming the only game in town and then raping their customers during peak periods.