This is not simply a customer review; it is a formal complaint regarding a situation that raises serious concerns about consumer rights and the handling of customer funds by Yassir in Algeria.
To begin with, I want to make it clear that I appreciate the existence of ride-hailing services in Algeria. Yassir operates on a model similar to Uber, and from a service standpoint it provides an extremely useful transportation solution. Having such technology available in Algeria is a positive development.
I also understand that, at the moment, adding a credit card directly to the application is not always available or widely used. That limitation may be due to the local banking infrastructure or regulatory framework, and I do not attribute that issue directly to Yassir. Instead, the company introduced a workaround known as “Yassir Cash.”
In principle, Yassir Cash is an excellent concept. It functions similarly to a gift card system commonly used in the United States and other countries. A user can add funds to the application in advance, and the ride fare is deducted from that balance instead of paying cash directly to the driver. This model is practical in Algeria, where obtaining exact change can often be difficult. It also provides convenience for parents who may order rides for their children and pay in advance through the application.
However, the problem arises when a user changes their phone number.
In Algeria, it is common for mobile numbers to be automatically deactivated after approximately 90 days of inactivity. This situation frequently affects people who travel abroad for several months. When they return to Algeria, they often obtain a new phone number from a local mobile provider.
In most modern applications worldwide, users can simply update their phone number while keeping the same account, history, and balance. Unfortunately, Yassir does not allow this. According to the company’s current system, the user’s account is tied exclusively to their phone number, rather than to their identity or email address.
As a result, when a phone number changes, the user is forced to create a completely new account.
The consequence of this policy is that any remaining Yassir Cash balance becomes effectively inaccessible. In my case, I had approximately 2000 Algerian dinars remaining in my account.
When I contacted Yassir customer support by email, the response I received was both surprising and concerning. I was told that since the phone number was reassigned to another person, I should attempt to contact the new owner of that number and ask them to transfer the remaining balance to me.
This suggestion is clearly unreasonable. It implies that a customer should contact a complete stranger and explain that funds linked to their number actually belong to someone else. Not only is this impractical, but it also raises serious privacy and security concerns.
After several exchanges with customer support, I was repeatedly told that Yassir “has no control” over the funds remaining in the account. This explanation is difficult to accept. The funds were not deposited into my phone number; they were deposited into the Yassir platform and collected by the company. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that those funds remain under the company’s control until they are used or refunded.
To be clear:
I deposited money into my Yassir account, not into a phone number.
A phone number should not be the sole identifier of a customer account.
Any unused balance represents customer funds held by the platform, not revenue belonging to the company.
Given the number of Algerians who travel abroad or experience phone number deactivation, it is reasonable to assume that many customers may face the same issue. If those balances cannot be recovered or transferred, the cumulative amounts could represent a significant sum of customer money that remains permanently retained by the platform.
At the very least, customers should be able to:
Update their phone number while keeping their account and balance.
Recover or transfer their existing credit after verifying their identity.
Receive a refund or credit transfer when their phone number changes.
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Yassir is the leading super App for on demand, ride-hailing, last-mile delivery, payment services and more, set to change the way daily services are provided. It currently operates in 45 cities across Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, France & Canada with expansion plans to more MEA region countries.
It has raised $150 million in Series B funding, five times what it raised in its previous priced round last November with world-class investors such as BOND and Y Combinator, which is the precursor of the likes of Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Doordash, among others. We offer on-demand services such as ride-hailing and last-mile delivery.
Yassir offers ride hailing, food and grocery delivery and payment services to more than 8 millions users with the help of 150,000 partners around the world.
We’re about creating a marketplace to bring people what they need while infusing social values.See more
