Uber passengers in multiple cities were startled Wednesday when they were charged 100 times the advertised fare for short trips, a glitch that sparked jokes about surge pricing gone wild.
One social media user reported that Uber maxed out her husband’s card with a charge of $1,905, when it was supposed to be $19.05. “Not cool, especially on his birthday,” she added.
Another woman posted to social media that she was charged $1,308 for a $13.08 trip. The charge was so high it triggered a fraud alert, according to a screen shot the rider posted on Twitter.
One passenger’s bank noted it was a known problem that several callers had reported Wednesday.
WTF, @Uber, you charged $1,308 to my card instead of $13.08?! (Second screenshot shows the same route fare a moment later; it’s #ComicCon so it’s fluctuating rapidly.) pic.twitter.com/2S6sxRmnRc
— Kelley | 🚀🌌🛰💛 (@Astro_Kelley) July 17, 2019
Uber said the glitch has been fixed. The company said the fare would be corrected so riders are charged only the amount for their actual trip, though they may temporarily see an inaccurate trip fare on their credit or debit cards. Passengers won’t need to dispute the charges with their banks.
@Uber I just got charged over $1000 for a $15 meal and there’s no way to get my money back since you don’t have contact info. #scam #fraud
— Scargon231 (@Scargon231) July 17, 2019
“We understand that this has been frustrating,” Uber said in response to one of the riders’ complaints. “There was a known issue that caused your authorization hold to be very high. Our team has already fixed this issue. Thank you so much for your patience.”
In one of the worst instances, a man said his wife was charged $9,672 for a trip that would have cost $96.72.
Hey @uber, you charged my wife $9672 for a ride that was listed as $96.72, and there’s no way to get in touch with you.
— Aaron Himelman (@AHimelman) July 17, 2019