What Happens When You Need a Refund on Uber?

Uber route mapLast weekend, I got the surprise pleasure of heading out to Orlando and getting to spend a bit of time at Walt Disney World. Naturally, since I flew out and have still not rented a car in my life, my brief visit consisted of quite a few Uber rides (gotta get that 2% cash back!). As they always have in my experience, most of these went swimmingly… but I did run into one problem.

On Sunday morning, I stood out front of my hotel and requested my ride. Not really knowing my way around Orlando, I thought the route we were taking toward Magic Kingdom looked a bit different but not enough to worry. Moreover, I spent most of my time in the car playing on my phone since my driver was far less chatty than what I’m used to.

Anyway, long story short, we ended up reaching an entrance to Walt Disney World that was blocked off, presumably due to the runDisney marathon being held that morning. After lots of circling and calls made to friends to offer insight, I was finally able to direct the driver back to the proper route and made it to my destination in a mere 95 minutes (it was meant to be a 20 minute ride). While I was surprisingly chill about the whole thing once I made it the park safely, that peace faded when I learned that this roundabout trip cost me $60 instead of the $18 it was initially quoted.

Given that this was my first experience with such a thing, I was relieved to see that there were prompts in the Uber app to request a refund. Unfortunately, me mentioning that the problem with the route involved road closures forced the app to initially deny my request for a refund. However, I was able to scroll down to the “I had a different issue” prompt where I just asked Uber to contact me.

Less than a half hour later, a push notification from the Uber app informed me that the company had e-mailed me. From there, I was able to go into detail about the experience and why I didn’t think the $60 fare was just. Soon after that, they responded with an apology and let me know they had adjusted my fare back to the $18 as I had requested. Being the nice guy that I am and still feeling a bit bad that my driver spent 90 minutes with me for $18, I did still end up tipping him my customary $5 as well.

The moral of the story is, while my issue was fairly minor considering some of the horrific headlines you see from time to time, Uber was very helpful in getting my problem resolved. It’s also worth noting that, while it became all too clear that there was a problem with the route I was on, others paying less attention might have gotten ripped off and not even really known it. That’s why it’s nice to know that there is an easy way to view your route (you can see my craziness up above), fare, and request a refund if you’re Uber ride doesn’t go as planned. Hey — it was still cheaper than a taxi!

Author

Kyle Burbank

Kyle is a freelance writer and author whose first book, "The E-Ticket Life" is now available on Amazon. In addition to his weekly "Money at 30" column on Dyer News, he is also the editorial director and a writer for the Disney fan site LaughingPlace.com and the founder of Money@30.com.

Other Articles by Kyle Burbank

Alaska Airlines plane

Travel Tuesday: Alaska Airlines is Offering a Status Match Challenge to Delta Elites

A few weeks back, Delta announced numerous changes impacting their most loyal customers. While I personally focused on the SkyClub entry rules and restrictions that are on the way, the adjustments made to the SkyMiles program were arguably even more disruptive. Not only did the airline move to a model...
Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

My Quick Review of the Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

A couple of weeks back, in my column on Fioney, I somewhat lamented a recent splurge purchase — not because I was necessarily upset with what I bought but what the process of doing so said about some of my personal finance failings. The item in question was the Fellow...

Should You Buy, Lease, or Finance Your Next Smartphone?

Remember a few years ago when you thought that friend of yours who always had the latest model iPhone was crazy for spending that much? That’s changed in recent years as carriers and others now allow you to essentially lease your device. Taking a page from the auto industry, you...

Hi my name is Jerry, yesterday I was charged $25.98 for a ride that was approximately (3) miles. I went from 15th st to Chinatown in NYC, I feel that there was an error made and I’ll appreciate you looking into this matter because I feel like i’m entitled to a partial refund, thank you in advance for your understanding

Hey Jerry, sorry to hear about your issue. Unfortunately, this site is in no way affiliated with Uber so I can’t help you out. I’d try going into your Uber app, selecting your ride, and filing a complaint that way. Good luck!

Comments are closed.

The "Email" field is empty, you must enter some text to proceed.The text you entered in the "Email" field appears to be invalid, please edit it and try again
Get Posts in Your Inbox
Featured Articles
Alaska Airlines plane

Travel Tuesday: Alaska Airlines is Offering a Status Match Challenge to Delta Elites

A few weeks back, Delta announced numerous changes impacting their most loyal customers. While I personally focused on the SkyClub entry rules and restrictions that are on the way, the adjustments made to the SkyMiles program were arguably even more disruptive. Not only did the airline move to a model...
Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

My Quick Review of the Fellow Ode 2 Coffee Grinder

A couple of weeks back, in my column on Fioney, I somewhat lamented a recent splurge purchase — not because I was necessarily upset with what I bought but what the process of doing so said about some of my personal finance failings. The item in question was the Fellow...

Should You Buy, Lease, or Finance Your Next Smartphone?

Remember a few years ago when you thought that friend of yours who always had the latest model iPhone was crazy for spending that much? That’s changed in recent years as carriers and others now allow you to essentially lease your device. Taking a page from the auto industry, you...
Bilt and Curve credit cards

Bilt Has Seemingly Shut Down Rewards on Curve Transactions

Ya know, some weeks I really struggle to find a quick tip post to share. And then there are weeks like this that are so overflowing with news that I don't even know where to start. So, since I trust you've already read about the big news regarding Delta SkyMiles...