An LA man called Waymo support from inside one of its new blue cars to report a mess on the back seat, and was asked if he wanted to keep riding

Seth (@sethonthescene), a Los Angeles resident, was excited to try out Waymo’s new blue fleet until he got into one and found what appeared to be human waste on the back seat. His post about the ride has since drawn more than 1.2 million views across Instagram and TikTok.

In the post’s overlay text, he wrote, “Somebody s— themselves in this Waymo.” The video shows him calling customer service from the front seat and bluntly telling the representative who answers that someone had pooped in the back seat. He also cuts in footage of the car and a brown stain on the seat.

The representative sounds taken aback and hesitantly asks whether Seth is comfortable continuing in the same car. Seth says he’s almost home anyway, and the representative promises to send the car back to base for cleaning right after the ride and to make Seth’s next ride free for the inconvenience.

The internet did not agree with how Waymo fixed things

The free ride came as a credit of up to $40, and Seth seemed fine with the resolution, though he told the representative he had just been excited to try the new blue cars. The representative acknowledged his frustration, noting that some riders behave in “such a crazy way,” and thanked him for reporting it so it could be fixed for others.

On Instagram, many viewers were baffled that Seth stayed in the car. One called it a “mobile biohazard” and argued that Waymo should have sent a replacement car, rerouted the dirty one for disinfection, and refunded the trip on top of the free ride.

TikTok users were just as stunned, with one writing, “You stayed IN IT!” Another found it baffling that Waymo would even ask if he was comfortable continuing the ride. Others questioned how the mess went unnoticed given the cameras on Waymo vehicles, which were also at the center of a three-car Waymo pileup in San Francisco last year.

The account comes from Seth’s own post and can’t be independently verified, and Waymo’s side beyond the support call isn’t available. Cleaning bodily fluids out of a vehicle is one of the toughest jobs a technician can face, since they can soak deep into upholstery fibers and foam, per ToolSource.com.

The site notes that surface cleaning isn’t enough, because the proteins and salts in these fluids need to be broken down with enzymes. Left untreated, they can bond with fabric and cause lasting odors, which is why professionals recommend enzyme-based cleaners and high-powered extraction equipment.