I was scammed out of £120 when Uber driver claimed I was sick in cab
Welcome to our money advice column where we ask you to send in your customer service gripes and money saving questions - and we help solve them
I ORDERED an Uber while on a work trip to Miami last week, but the driver didn't show up.
You can imagine how annoyed I was to find that I'd been charged a $6 (£4.60) for a short ride even though I didn't get into the car.
The next day I noticed my account had been hit with a $156 (£119) charge.
To my horror the phantom driver who I hadn't so much as laid eyes on was now accusing me of vomiting in his cab.
The charge he made against my account was a "cleaning fee" and he'd even staged photos to try and prove his case.
When I Googled "Miami Uber scam" I found out that I wasn't the first person this had happened to.
I complained straight away via the app and went back and forth with messages telling them I hadn't even set foot in his taxi, let alone thrown up in it.
Uber eventually agreed to refund the fee, but a few days later it tried to put the charge through on my credit card again.
My bank blocked it as suspicious but this meant I couldn't use my card again until it was resolved.
Now when I email all I get is the standard automatic message saying it's being looked into.
Can you help me get my money back and ask Uber what exactly it is doing to stop these scams?
Will Hide, London
Leah Milner replies: What a nauseating scam on every level.
You'd think Uber would be doing everything in its power to stamp this out and to put things right for any passengers affected.
But the global taxi giant put the brakes on issuing you with a refund.
It was only when I got involved that it finally cleared up this mess and gave you your money back.
There was also a credit of £22 with no explanation, which I guess we can assume is a good will gesture, although it would have been nice if the company had said so.
Do you have a money problem that needs solving? Email Leah at Money@The-Sun.co.uk
How insulting to be accused of vomiting in a taxi and then to be sent disgusting photos just to really hammer the point home. Bleurgh.
It's shocking how far this rogue driver went to try and frame you for this sticky situation.
Yet the pictures don't prove anything - they could have been taken at any time - so why would Uber try to use these against you?
An Uber spokeswoman said: "Participating in any kind of fraudulent activity is not allowed on the Uber app and the driver’s access has been removed.
"We’ve been in touch with the rider to correct his account and continue to enhance our internal processes for investigating these claims."
But as you say, you are not the only passenger to be charged in this way.
I found plenty of other customers on Twitter complaining they'd similar accusations made against them.
Paid by credit card? Use Section 75 to get a refund
Luckily, Uber eventually gave you a refund, but if it hadn't you could have made a claim against your credit card provider instead.
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes the card provider jointly liable if you pay for something worth between £100 and £30,000 that isn't delivered or is faulty.
In your case, you were being charged for a service that wasn't provided - a clean-up fee for a mess you didn't make.
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If you had paid by debit card you could have also tried to get the money back from your bank by a scheme called "chargeback", although this isn't a legal right but rather a voluntary scheme between banks.
I'd like to hear from anyone else this has happened to so please get in touch at the email address below.
And do let me know if you have encountered any other scams while on holiday.
What isn't covered by Section 75?
WHILE Section 75 offers great protection for consumers, there are a few things you need to be aware of.
- In circumstances when you've paid for goods through an agent or a third party, then you may not be able to claim under Section 75. For example, if you buy concert tickets direct from the venue with your credit card, then Section 75 may apply but if you bought them via a ticketing agency then it may not. This is because the card provider could argue that as the payment wasn't paid directly to the supplier of the goods or service, it doesn't apply, as it doesn't have a "direct relationship" with them.
- Another grey area is when you pay with your credit card through services like PayPal. If the company you are buying from has something called a "Commercial Entity Agreement" with Paypal then you may still be able to make a claim. Paypal also has its own refund system, so consumer should use that in the first instance.
- Although Section 75 doesn't cover debit cards or payments under £100, there is another refund scheme which can help called chargeback. This however isn't a legal right, so if you're making a big purchase it's always best to use your credit card to make sure you're covered.
Do you need our help with a customer service gripe or money dilemma? Email us at money@the-sun.co.uk and don't forget to include a daytime phone number. If you're complaining about a particular company, please include a line to say you give the firm in question permission to speak to The Sun about your case so that we can look into it for you. We cannot take any legal responsibility for the guidance given and it does not constitute financial advice.
