A South Florida driver took a break from work to change his lifestyle and get healthier. He lost so much weight the company he drove for didn’t recognize him. When he couldn’t go back to work, he called Help Me Howard with Brandon Beyer.
Sergio Lavya has been a gamer since he was a kid.
He built a whole room in his house for machines so the entire family can enjoy.
Sergio Lavya: “We play [Nintendo] Switch as a family. Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros.”
Of course, like most of us, he has to work too.
And one of the ways Sergio makes money is as a ride-share driver.
He enjoys visiting with his passengers, even offers advice when asked and has a go-to when new parents hop in.
Sergio Lavya: “I always say this, ‘Just as your child is learning to be a child, you’re learning to be a parent, so you’re both learning together.’”
Another thing to know about Sergio is that he’s battled with his weight for most of his life.
Sergio Lavya: “I’ve always been big all my life, ever since I was a kid.”
Just a few years ago, he weighed 370 pounds.
Sergio Lavya: “I just didn’t take care of myself, eating fast food, not watching what I eat.”
When it started causing back problems, Sergio decided to do something about it.
He took a break from driving, had surgery, and changed his lifestyle.
Sergio Lavya: “I was more focused on my health than I was worried about income because again I wanted to be mobile, I wanted to be active.”
In two years, he lost nearly 200 pounds.
Sergio Lavya: “I don’t recall the last time I’ve ever been this small.”
Now healthy, he was ready to get back to work.
Sergio Lavya: “At night again, a couple hours here over the weekend.”
But when he went to reactivate his account, the company he drove for didn’t recognize him.
Sergio Lavya: “All of it got accepted except the photo of me.”
“I told them like ‘Hey, it is me, I can prove to you whatever I need to prove to you.’”
But nothing worked; his account was closed.
Sergio Lavya: “I see an email that says that ‘Your account has been permanently banned’ and I was like ‘What?’”
Howard, he tried to appeal, but it was denied. How can he get back on the road again?
Howard Finkelstein: “Drivers are independent contractors, so they have no employer/employee protections in place. There’s no real [human resources] department for them to go to. In Sergio’s case, it seems the ride-share company is simply not physically recognizing him due to his weight loss. The key? Getting in contact with the right person at the company. And it can be time-consuming and difficult.”
We reached out to the company Sergio drove for and heard right back. They said they’d take a closer look into his situation, and the very next day his account was activated.
Sergio Lavya: “You guys escalated it to where they had another team look at it, and they were able to tell that it was actually me.”
Now he’s back behind the wheel and once again earning money.
Getting to the right person who can help you solve your problem can be tough, especially when you’re dealing with [artificial intelligence] these days.
Howard says the trick is to be persistent.
Hey, got a problem and need a hand? Here’s how to find us below. It’s Help Me Howard. I’m Brandon Beyer, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD
Email: [email protected]
Reporter: Brandon Beyer at [email protected]
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
Source: News Miami – Fox News
