In certain markets, Uber will charge a “surge” rate during busy times that is in excess of what a passenger normally pays for a ride. But one Chicago Uber customer says she had no idea she’d be charged $925, nearly eight times the standard rate, for her lengthy trip.
The customer tells Chicago’s ABC-7 that she is relatively new to using Uber, and didn’t realize that the 100-mile ride she took to get home after a concert was being charged at a sky-high surge rate.
“I think it’s absolutely crazy and ridiculous,” she told ABC-7. “That’s like a house payment.”
While it was a long ride — with an added stop at O’Hare airport — that journey would’ve normally cost just $117 without surge prices in place.
She says she contacted Uber through the app, but the situation wasn’t resolved until the news station contacted Uber.
Uber called the situation a “perfect storm” that was partly the result of the woman changing her destination and added the airport stop after her car arrived.
“We have refunded the rider for the charges related to her ride including the additional 93 miles she added to the trip,” a spokesperson told ABC-7, adding that the company encourages riders to “input all desired stops into the app upfront to receive a correct fare estimate.”
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist