#INeverLeaveMyCar

Originally posted on Craigslist (Sacramento/Personals/Strictly Platonic), but was flagged and removed. I hadn’t set out to blog about my journey. I was just planning on sharing it on Craigslist. The flag and removal of several posts prompted me to create a blog, where I have a voice, that can not be controlled.

I have copied and paste my original post on Craigslist. Posted 8/7/17 @7:18pm

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Hello…

Call me B. For the sake of everything I’m about to divulge, I’m not going to say my first name. I’m in a really tough spot and could REALLY use a friend. I’m alone, 24/7, with the exception of occasional clients. Given the nature of my current situation, I plan to use this section of CL to document my journey, hopefully without judgement (although expected), and meet new people in the process, even if we only virtually connect.

I’m single.

I don’t have children.

I’m a woman.

Luckily, it’s just me, because in this current situation, if I were in a relationship or had children I’m not sure how things would turn out. Sometimes, you just have to see the bright side of things. If it weren’t for laughter and a positive attitude, I’m not sure how I’d survive.

I had a business, that failed.

I currently drive for Lyft.

I live in my car.

Years ago, my pride and joy failed. Last year, I started driving for Uber, then eventually Lyft. I made the mistake of getting an ‘xchange lease’ (Uber car lease)… Despite the fact that my credit was good (at the time). I rationalized the decision, saying that I didn’t want to buy a car with a traditional loan, and then have a car with a million (or close to it) miles. I knew given the number of miles I expected to put on it that a regular lease wouldn’t be possible. Ask anyone who drives Uber in the Sacramento market, you don’t make much money after expenses. I not only had the Uber lease (paying $185/week), but thinking I was getting a deal, I used the Uber gas card, that took the gas money right out of your pay. I was really left with nothing, plus I couldn’t get instant payments like other Uber drivers. Any Uber driver with an Uber lease, has to wait and get paid weekly, although you have daily expenses.

Long story short, I thought I was making a good decision to sign up for Lyft, where, because my lease was through Uber, I would get paid up to 5 times a day, with money being instantly in my account. I also decided to drive to the Bay Area, which was the closest profitable market for me. I couldn’t just get out of this driving stuck, I had a financial obligation to Uber. I still have said obligation, although I don’t, and will never drive for them. I am behind on my car payments, no I AM NOT ASKING FOR, NOT DO I WANT HELP…… I drive for Lyft to live and to pay down my debt. But in the meantime, to not have a repo on my credit report, I live in my car (sleep, use the bathroom, wash up, eat fast food, pick up Lyft passengers, shop at CVS – who brings the stuff I order to my car, etc.)…. And when I have things that need to be done outside the car, like I recently went to court for a red light ticket in the Bay, I drove to Sac to pick up my sister, who sat in my car while I went to court. I’ve had several run in’s with repo men (and the finance followers…. Finance companies will have people follow you, who call the trucks whenever you are not around)…. I have stories I will share at a later time, which include me calling the cops on the repo guy, who tried to repo the car with me in it…. When all was said and done, he had to unhook the car. I know my rights. Matter of fact, I’m in Reno and have been for about a week… A repo guy came to the door about an hour ago…. He left, without the car….. I know my rights. Car is in the garage, with a 2017 Cadillac CT6 blocking the garage. Anyhow…. The fact that I live, work, eat and yes shit in my car, as a means to protect my credit, until I pay down my debt, is why I rarely leave my car… And this is why I am lonely.

Before the emails come, yes, I am 100% responsible for my debt and have every intention of paying it down. I’m not a deadbeat looking to bail on my responsibilities. I’m just a single, 20 something year old woman looking to save her credit, pay off her debts and not be lonely in the process.

If you are open to befriending me (I’m simply looking for someone to chat with occasionally, not someone to help me), respond to my post. I’m not the monster you might think. Or, if you’re just curious, look forward to reading more posts, as I will share my journey, future and past, on here. Honestly, I’m hoping the repo companies that have my account, the finance followers and/or people from the finance company get wind of this…. I’m making this very clear, they aren’t dealing with a dummy….. Months later, many followers and repo stalkers later, every time I exit my vehicle and someone else is in it later…. many pisses in my car taken right in front of repo men covering nothing…. Much gas bought only credit or debit….

I told you….

#INeverLeaveMyCar

 

New Lease On Life

The end of last year, I had unexpected events arise, that set in motion some of the BEST things that have happened to me in the past year.

 

I’m no longer driving for either Uber or Lyft. As noted in previous posts, I decided to stop driving for Uber last year, when I realized that I literally could not survive and meet the terms of their predatory Xchange lease. With having the leased Xchange car, I could only get paid weekly. So, to buy GAS and FOOD (because I couldn’t get money), I had to use the Uber gas card….. Both of which made it so that I haven’t been  paid cash money from Uber, the money I should be paid, has to be paid to them (they keep it), from the necessity of using the Uber gas card and being locked into the Uber lease.

 

So why am I no longer driving for Lyft?

 

Things with Lyft were going great…. I was making money and surviving…. Being paid cash….. Until the last day before my insurance expired. Even though Lyft paid me, my earning, over time, had dwindled…. Due to market saturation (drivers). Many drivers, like myself, had to drive from unprofitable markets, such as Sacramento, Fresno, Modesto, etc., to make ridesharing profitable. As expected, that worked for a while, but as time went on, and more and more drivers started coming to the Bay Area, without there being an increase in ridership, as you can imagine, revenue share for drivers individually decreased. Anyhow, based on my daily earnings and expenses, my plan was to work the entire last day if my active insurance, and before it expired, renew. The money I earned that day, since Lyft allowed me to immediately be paid, would go towards my insurance. I assumed I had until that evening with Lyft, because my insurance expired the next day. I was wrong. Mistake on B. By 3pm(ish), about 75% of the way to the money I needed to renew my insurance, Lyft disabled my account, until I updated my account with new insurance information. Had I had just a few more hours, I’m certain I would have been good to go. I thought about calling family and asking to borrow the money.

 

But then I thought about it.

 

Maybe this was the push I needed, to see that there was really NO WAY out of this game, in which Uber and Lyft were the real, and only, winners.

 

Did this mean I was going to whistle at the follower parked across the street and tell them to come pick up the car?

 

Nope.

 

I changed my entire plan…. Well…. ALMOST my entire plan. I decided that while I would still pay to get out of this Xchange lease, my means of doing so, would have to change. I could not, and would not, try and pay down my owed lease payments, to get current and surrender the vehicle, by means of driving for these companies. All I was doing was physical and emotional damage to myself, that honestly, tho this day, I’m not certain I can ever undue. Based on the MASSIVE amount of weight I’ve gained alone, my health is at risk. A family member looked at me and said, “B, you’ve blossomed…. And not in a good way.”….. Ouch!

 

In the moment, I decided to immediately execute a new plan of action, which included:

1. Ending my relationship, as a driver, with BOTH Uber and Lyft
2. Turning back to my passion to make a living (and pay down my debt)…. Business (for myself)
3. Leaving the open road (and staying with family…. which had ALWAYS been an option, from day 1, when I left my house…. But I thought I could work every day, and have no rent, etc., and make money…. and my problems would be solved)

 

As soon as I made those decisions, I left the parking lot (McDonald’s) I had been sitting in, weighing my options.. I waved at the finance follower (which I frequently did) and went to Chevron to get gas. I was leaving the Bay Area, and the state. I was done. My ride from Chevron to the garage where my car now sits, was the most relieving and stress free ride I’ve had in a while. I felt like the universe said “Now”…. I heard it loud and clear. I’ve been trying to control things, the WRONG things, for far too long.

 

Now, I live a semi-normal life. In October, I started a for profit business. We’re still not as profitable as I’d like, but we are turning a profit. And based on my calculations, soon, like next month, I should be able to start putting a dent in my debt to get out of this predatory lease. I also have, and have had for some time now, a political action committee. While my PAC has not had any activities, as indicated in out FEC filings, I plan to use my PAC to take on some of the practices done by these “rideshare” companies in the near future.

 

I will keep you updated.

 

Looks like I will be soon, but for now….

 

#INeverLeaveMyCar

 

 

Updates

Hey all!

Apologies for not keeping up to date on posting, I’ve been SUPER busy. A few things have been going on:

FINANCE FOLLOWER CHANGES

Since posting and sharing my journey on Twitter, I’ve come to notice differences in the behavior of the Uber Finance Followers. I won’t get into specifics, but I will note that they are definitely operating in a manner inconsistent with previous operations. Essentially, they have scaled back visibility, I assume ultimately hoping that it might spur a change in my habits (aka being more careless in how I operate, leaving the vehicle, etc.)…. But I know better. I continue to act as if they are still literally on my tail.

CT6’ING IN CALI

I needed to get a few things done, requiring me to be out of the vehicle. So…. I drove to Reno, parked my car in a secure location with family and took off to Cali in the CT6…

For a full 2 days, I did what I needed to do, as well as took a little time for myself, that included getting my nails done and a good waxing….

SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY

Today, Sunday, I’m back out of town, celebrating the birthday of a family member.

 

You know where to find the car…. 

I told you….

#INeverLeaveMyCar

Fixed: Side View Mirror

Hey all! I’ve been super busy the last few days. One of the tings I had to do, was repair my side view mirror.

Remember, as shared in They Track Me Via GPS, I explained how I repair my car, and do maintenance work while trying to keep Uber and XChange Leasing from ruining my credit…

“Now, repo men can’t tow another car to get yours, nor can they cause damage to other property in the process of obtain your car. So, I remove my car from the garage, block the driveway with the 2 other cars, and my mechanic does the work.”

So how did my side view mirror get damaged?

One night, while working for Lyft, on my way to pick up a passenger (important fact), at SFO, ANOTHER LYFT DRIVER hit me while trying to merge into my lane. He was logged in and on his way to pick up a passenger as well.

When you, as a rideshare driver, have logged into your app, and accepted a ride, when in route to pick up your passenger, you are covered under the insurance provided by the rideshare company (commercial insurance). That considered, when I was hit, I was covered under Lyft’s insurance, which has a $1,000 deductible. So, Lyft’s high deductible, coupled with the predicament where I can’t just take my car to a repair shop (where the Repo men could just come and pick it up) lead me to make the decision to just repair out of pocket, which was SOOOOOOO much cheaper anyways!

Costs for me to repair:

• Side View Mirror: $54 (dealership quoted me $419)
• Skull Cap for mirror (I wasn’t aware that my side view mirror would come with one, so essentially this was an unnecessary expense): $28
• Paint Job for Skull Cap (painted BEFORE attaching to car, so I would not have to take the entire car to the paint company…. Also, took picture of color code, in car, in driver side door, and took to company, so I didn’t have to take my car to the paint place at all, and it could remain secure at all times): $50
• Mechanic to install new side view: $50

TOTAL FOR ME TO REPAIR: $182

… As opposed to Lyft’s $1,000 deductible and the dealerships $419 JUST FOR PARTS… 

Looks good, like new, doesn’t it???

… Yes there are 2 Cadillac’s (a CT6 and an STS blocking my car…. Welcome to the house of Cadillac)….

Post repair, moving cars to original “storage” position.

Tucked away nicely….. (I washed her since this post)…. Washing and detailing are done via the same “secure” method…

Say goodbye, as she’s going to be tucked away a few more days before we head “home” (the open road).

She’s safe and secure. Any attempt to break into this locked garage to retrieve her is breaking and entering…. But to even commit that crime, the Uber repo men would have to illegally tow the CT6…

Garage closed. Both Cadillac’s parked. Back to the regularly scheduled program…

I told you….

#INeverLeaveMyCar

They Track Me Via GPS

Originally posted on Craigslist (Sacramento/Personals/Strictly Platonic). This post was fun to write and really exposed various personal aspects of my current journey, dealing with the Uber Repo Men (and Finance Followers). At the time I am writing this blog post, the Craigslist Post is still active. 

I have copied and paste my original post on Craigslist. Posted 8/8/17 @3:29pm

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Hey CL…

It’s me, B. I want to start by thanking you all for the positive and encouraging replies to my last post.

(see: [REMOVED BECAUSE LINK IS NO LONGER ACTIVE, WAS FLAGGED & REMOVED] )

I expected to get more than a few negative and unfriendly responses. I didn’t receive one. I’m truly amazed and appreciative of the the positive vibes from the CL community. So many of you are interested in my journey thus far, which I had planned on sharing. Such expressions of interest reiterate my desire to be open and share this journey with you all. I won’t post every day, as I don’t seek to ‘take over’ the forum, but I will be sure to keep you posted at least every few days.

In the responses I received, I got asked questions that shared common themes, on various subjects. People wanted to know about everything from me using the bathroom, how I stay entertained, even (as expected) how I fulfill the desires all grown women have. Today, I’ll share the 411 on the top 10 things I was asked about….

1) DO I EAT A LOT OF FAST FOOD?

Unfortunately, I am confined to eating either fast food, or I can order from places (like Applebee’s , Outback, etc.) that allow you to pay on an app, or over the phone, and they bring the food out to me when I arrive. I have thought about, but have not yet experimented with ordering food via a delivery app, and having them deliver to me, in my car.

2) HOW DO I KEEP CLEAN?

Keeping good hygiene is definitely a challenge, but not impossible, especially as a woman who is still in her child bearing years. In the mornings, I typically wipe with baby wipes in the morning, do my hair, brush my teeth, put on makeup etc. Evenings, I have a bucket that I use. I fill it with water and liquid soap. I wipe down. Then, I dump the water and wipe down with just water. I repeat this step twice, making sure to leave no soap behind. When I go #1, I often use cups from drinking (aka McDonalds Large drink for $1). For #2, I use saved plastic bags. I scoot my front seats up and get in the back. For this, I cover my windows, not all the time tho, depending on my location. I put the torn and spread plastic bags (typically use 2) on the floor, kneel/squat and go. I use wipes for cleaning.

3) WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I NEED TO GET OUT THE CAR?

Whenever it is mandatory for me to get out the car for an extended period or a long distance from the car, most often, I pick up family, who will drive the car while I handle my business. If I just need to do something really quick, like when I had to sell a gift card for cash, I pay a homeless person a few bucks to sit in my car. If I am not near a homeless person, I can find other people who, let’s say, might need a ride, or a few bucks, who are willing to do it. Whatever the case, I don’t get out my car, even to get food, or throw away trash, if I have to go more than a few feet. I have literally driven in front of a garbage can, leaving my parking space, to throw something away, all while leaving the door open, in case I have to jump in the car. Plus I always take the keys with me, even if only getting out to get something out the trunk. When I need to go the the bank, I only go to the drive thru teller or atm. When I get gas, I never pay cash (will share a story where the tow truck tried to come and swipe the car when I was buying water at the night window another day), I only pay by card so I can hang up and go if need be…. And remember, my door is always open. If I go to the other side of the car… I open a door on that side too. I try not to have a schedule or be predictable, although there are many places I go to frequently, but only because of the advantage I have at said location.

4) HOW DO I GET THE THINGS I NEED?

I used to only buy things I needed when traveling back to Sac, where family would drive for me while I ran in walmart. I recently discovered an app that allows you to buy things from CVS, pay with your debit or credit and the CVS reps bring the loot to you. In the past, I have also given homeless people money and a shopping list, and paid them for their services. But I’m really loving the app I’ve discovered…. I can order from CVS, pizza hut and Sephora. Makeup, miscellaneous items and pizza. What more could a girl ask for?

5) HOW DO I HANDLE SEXUAL TENSION?

Before this situation came along, when I was living a normal life, I got one of those books filled with merchandise, from a retailer offering me a credit pre-approval. Nothing appealed to me, other than what looked like a tube of lipstick, that was really a small vibrator. It’s the only way (other than daily meditation), I keep my sanity. The love of my life broke my heart before all this started, so I luckily don’t have to contend with trying to make a relationship work under these circumstances.

6) HOW AND WHEN DO I WORK OUT?

Well, unfortunately, I have gained weight. I know its not good, but my options for working out are really limited under current circumstances. So, I have a system in which I open a door on each side of the car, periodically, and walk around my parked car. I make sure to do this in an area that gives me a strategic advantage and the ability to see the followers and/or repo guy. I hate to say it, but thats about as much working out as I can logically do given my risk assessments of doing other things.

7) DO I SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS?

Friends have basically been relegated to social media and the phone. Ask any of them, and its like I’ve dropped off the face of the earth. Family, select members, I see often, but again, usually under the guise of drive me here or there, so I can do this and that. But I do have close relationships with various members, and I talk to them multiple times a day.

8) WHAT DO I DO FOR FUN?

Of course, as you can imagine, I am limited on the fun I can have. But I have my phone and tablet, on which I play games (words with friends, fallout shelter, etc.). I also watch tons of youtube, HBO (subscription) and Starz. I read a lot as well.

9) HOW DO I HANDLE CAR MAINTENANCE?

Well, this one is actually applicable to this very moment. Right now, I need to fix my side view mirror… Another story for another day. I have a mobile mechanic who comes and does all my work. I’m at a family members house, who has a small front yard, on
a public residential street. Now, repo men can’t tow another car to get yours, nor can they cause damage to other property in the process of obtain your car. So, I remove my car from the garage, block the driveway with the 2 other cars, and my mechanic does the work. For the work I’m getting done this time around, I had to call and get new parts, as well as get a part painted. I already got my parts. Part is already painted. Now, mechanic is coming to make the repairs. I’ve done my brakes this way, oil changes, windshield replacement, and now replacing a side view mirror. And believe it or not, most places, being mobile means lower overhead costs, and you actually save on repairs. And, because I’m me, very logical and always assessing risk, my door is always open, the mechanic has a key… But so do I…. I don’t know if he can be bought.

10) WHAT IS MY EXIT STRATEGY OUT OF THIS MESS?

I have 3 main options out of this (I talked to an attorney right after I called the cops and filed an FTC report during the incident where the repo guy attempted to kidnap me): bankruptcy, turn over the car immediately or turn over the car after caught up on payments. Bankruptcy, while I understand what it is for, have had 3 family members file and don’t judge anyone who had filed, I opt not to do it if I can help it, given the long and short term implications, although I’d immediately benefit from an automatic stay (creditors have to stop collection attempts). Turning over the car gets me out the car, but get’s a repo on my credit and overall damage for years to come. No thanks. So, that considered, my plan is to catch up on the payments. At which point, I can put in a 2 week notice, then return the vehicle and walk away like nothing happened.

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I hoped you all enjoyed reading about some of the things I was most asked about. I look forward to bringing you all along with me on this journey…. OH….. For the record, my car, as I agreed, has a GPS, which I have located (right under my steering wheel), which is how the people follow me. Until next post my friends…

I told you….

#INeverLeaveMyCar