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Uber apologized after an internet troll posed as a company representative and replied to a user complaint with a racial slur.
The disturbing incident came in response to a customer’s complaint about a ride refund. A fake customer representative apologized, vowed to look into the incident, and then called the customer the n-word.
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Uber was quick to address the matter after the rep’s response went viral, assuring users of the platform that they do not use vile and offensive language when responding to complaints and other concerns.
“We apologize for this offensive tweet and are disappointed our process to prevent something like this from happening was not effective here,” an Uber spokesperson told Mashable. “Our support team is taking additional steps to help ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
As it turns out, a troll using the Twitter handle @realTheeCheney sparked the controversy by using the racist slur as his display name and then changing it after receiving the bot reply from @Uber_Support. The troll is a rabid Trump supporter who retweets racist comments and replies from other right-leaning users, Complex reports.
Back in October, Uber suspended a driver after actresses Tara Strong and Rena Sofer accused him of verbal abuse and becoming erratic upon learning that they were Democrats, according to Yahoo.
A video of the incident reportedly shows the driver saying to the women, “You are racist. The lefties have a mental disorder.” He also told them that they “ruined America.”
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In a statement to a Yahoo Lifestyle, an Uber rep said driver’s access to the service had been temporarily blocked while the situation is being investigated.
Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft are no longer accepting new drivers in New York City after laws were recently passed to curb the growth of ride-sharing companies, Politico reports.