Lyft driver drove off with $800 package. Lyft and Police Are No Help, what should I do?
A week ago, I ordered a Lyft with two stops: first for my girlfriend (who has a broken foot and was using crutches) and then for me. At my stop, I put an $800 package in the trunk because there wasn’t enough room in the car due to her crutches. When we got to her destination, I helped her out of the car and with her crutches—but before I could retrieve the package from the trunk, the driver drove off.
At first, I thought it was an honest mistake. But things have gotten sketchy.
- I contacted Lyft immediately. They said they’d reach out to the driver and get back to me. Days passed with no updates, so I reopened the case several times. Each time, they told me to wait 24 hours because the driver might be busy.
- After no response from the driver or Lyft, I went to the police. I provided the driver’s first name, picture, and license plate number (luckily I had screenshot it to text my gf the ride info). The police told me the license plate wasn’t registered to him, and the address tied to the plate is in a nearby suburb. They said they would have done a courtesy knock at the house if it happened to be in our city, but in this case it's too far. They also said they can't do much without a last name, and at this point in time, it kinda just comes down to a he said she said.
- Today, after waiting on hold with Lyft for 45 minutes, they claimed the driver had just responded, saying he couldn’t find my “lost item.” They also claimed to have emailed me earlier about this, but I never received anything. When I asked for proof (timestamp, email address, or the official email itself), the rep refused, just copy-pasting a generic message about lost items. He also said he will not be helping me further.
Lyft has a policy that they aren’t responsible for lost items, but I feel this is more than that. I have a witness (my girlfriend) who saw the package go in the trunk, and the value is significant. I don’t think the driver just “didn’t notice”—the whole situation feels off.
What should I do next? Should I call the police again? How can I get Lyft to take this seriously? If anyone has dealt with something like this, I’d love to hear how you handled it.