Uber says glitch charged some passengers $1,300 instead of $13 in San Diego

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Saturday, July 20, 2019
Uber's $1,308 mistake
Some Uber riders got a major case of sticker shock when they discovered how much they were being charged

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Some Uber riders got a major case of sticker shock when they discovered how much they were being charged for their rides.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kelley Rowe and two others were trying to get from the airport to the convention center to get to Comic-Con.

Rowe, who flew in from Wisconsin, clicked and approved an Uber ride for $13.08.

She says moments later she got a text from her credit card company asking if it was fraud.

"Uber tried to charge $1,308 to my credit card," she said.

The pending charge on her credit card was 100 times the actual cost of the ride.

Her bank put a hold on the charge and the ride never happened. But her credit card was suspended during a week when she needed it.

"I'm very lucky I had a credit card attached and not a debit card," said Rowe.

Others may not have been so lucky. Some customers tweeted the ride drained their accounts.

According to the Washington Post, an unknown amount of riders in San Diego and Washington D.C. experienced what Uber calls a glitch from a 'known' issue.

Uber called it a system error in a message sent to Rowe. The company said the overcharges will be reversed.

But Rowe says the company needs to be more forthcoming and apologize. "They should be explicit about what the problem was, the scope and what they're doing to prevent it in the future. An apology would demonstrate some form of accountability and remorse," said Rowe.

Experts suggest riders not link debit cards with rideshare companies.

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