I trust my Uber drivers more than I probably should. I’ve confessed my innermost dreams and passions, my greatest fears and anxieties, and even my deep-rooted daddy issues to many Uber drivers — partly because I know they don’t know me and I’ll never see them again, but mostly because they have no choice but to listen to me if they intend on getting paid. While I should probably stop doing this and get a therapist, I only do it because I feel so comfortable on those rides home from the bars, thanks to a few too many vodka sodas.
Hannah Warman recently felt so comfortable (or maybe so tipsy) in her London-based Uber ride that she accidentally fell asleep. Her Uber driver then took advantage of her unconscious state in the worst way. Okay, maybe not the WORST way if you’ve ever seen an episode of Law and Order: SVU, but it’s still pretty bad. He turned what should’ve been a five minute ride into a 35 mile, hour and a half joyride all around London while Warman was taking a nap. He was obviously trying to fatten his wallet at the expense of this poor (probably drunk) and exhausted girl. She screenshotted her trip summary and tweeted about her awful Uber ride, tagging Uber in the tweet.
Her little cat nap cost her a whopping 84.95 pounds (or 112.73 dollars) — and during a price surge no less! I’ve woken up with a hefty Uber ride cost more times than I can count, but it was always a result of my own impatience for not waiting until a massive surge was over. Uber replied to her tweet and worked with Warman to resolve the situation. An Uber spokesperson stated:
“We have given the rider a full refund, and are speaking to the licensed driver to establish exactly what happened. However, our systems show that the requested destination changed three times during the trip. Unlike other transport options, Uber’s technology records every trip and sends riders a receipt with a map of the route taken. This transparency and accountability means, if there is an issue it can be quickly resolved.”
This means one of two things: either Warman’s is remembering what happened on her Uber ride incorrectly and it was her who changed the destination during the trip, causing the exceptionally long ride, or the Uber driver changed the destination as a way to cover up his shady business practices. Who knows what really happened, but from the replies to Warman’s tweet, it’s clear that this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. People shared their own stories of their Uber drivers taking the “long way” home and it’s pretty shocking how blatantly unethical some Uber drivers are.
From now on, I’m going to be checking my trip summary very carefully. .
[via Refinery 29]
Image via MikeDotta / Shutterstock.com
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Cristina Montemayor
Cristina is a Grandex Writer and Content Manager. She was an intern for over two years before she graduated a semester early to write about college full time, which makes absolutely no sense. She regretfully considers herself a Carrie, but is first and foremost a Rory. She tends to draw strong reactions from people. They are occasionally positive. You can find her in a bar as you're bending down to tie your shoes, drinking Dos XX and drunk crying to Elton John. Email her: cristina@grandex.co (not .com).
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