{"id":663,"date":"2025-11-29T19:35:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T02:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paultcottey.com\/Blog2021\/?p=663"},"modified":"2025-11-30T06:21:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T13:21:31","slug":"be-wary-of-uber-asking-you-to-book-return-trips-from-an-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paultcottey.com\/Blog2021\/2025\/11\/29\/be-wary-of-uber-asking-you-to-book-return-trips-from-an-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"Be wary of U*er asking you to book return trips from an airport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U*er has been pestering me every time I book a ride to the airport to reserve a ride for the way home upon arrival. I had resisted this until now because I never saw the point of doing it. This last trip out, however, U*er, once again, asked me to reserve the trip home, and so I did it. They assured me that I could click a button saying that I had arrived, and that a driver would pick me up and take me home. Seems pretty simple if you are in the ride sharing business, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, it apparently is not. I waited until I got my baggage and clicked the “I’m ready” button. U*er assigned a driver that was 24 minutes away. This is the Friday after Thanksgiving, so it was possible, I suppose to have no drivers, but Lyft would have had a driver there in four minutes, so, for whatever reason, this driver accepted the U*er ride. Well, he sort of accepted it, because five minutes later, he cancelled picking me up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the driver cancelled, the ride then went into a “Priority pickup confirmed. Your driver will meet you soon” state, and it sat there for 30 minutes. I called U*er, and talked to an agent who said that U*er had an issue on their end and that the only thing I could do was cancel the original trip and book a new one. She said she would document it so that U*er would “try to” honor my reservation’s rate. Well, so after an elapsed 60 minutes or so, I was in a $55.66 U*er instead of a $15.44 U*er, but I thought U*er would make good on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After going back and forth literally a dozen times, this is what U*er has to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I’m sorry to hear about the confusion regarding your ride fare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve reviewed your trip and can confirm that the amount you paid, $55.56,<\/strong> is within the estimated price range you were shown before requesting the trip. We’ve verified that you weren’t charged more than the estimated price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have any further questions or believe there was an error, please feel free to reach out to us. We’re here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for being a loyal member of U*er One. We appreciate your understanding and patience.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

They said that six different times, using the same language. The automated agent said it. The agent through U*er “Help” said it. The agent through direct messaging on X said it. What it comes down to is “F-off! You had a reservation, we screwed up, and you are stuck with it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, a few conclusions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n