Teh One Who Knocks
11-04-2014, 11:23 AM
BY Nina Golgowski - NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
http://i.imgur.com/62beeecl.jpg
Halloween night is expected to have its share of horrors — but a $539 bill for an 18-mile ride home?
That's apparently a spooky reality that's proving especially frightful for one Uber customer who fell victim to the transportation company’s little known “surge pricing.”
"Me and my bank account got taken for a ride last night," Elliott Asbury told KDVR of the astounding bill he encumbered Friday night.
No matter how many times Asbury squints and blinks while looking at his receipt, Uber stands by the charge while admitting to hiking costs by more than seven times during peak, holiday hours.
"Surge pricing allows us to remain reliable, even on one of the busiest nights of the year," they state on their website of their prices, which they explain as affected by an area's supply and demand.
For Asbury, who said it was his first time using the company, he was expecting something between $40 and $100.
http://i.imgur.com/rMKgpL0l.jpg
Elliott Asbury said he was charged a premium rate that was more than seven times the cost he would have paid
during off-hours and not on Halloween night. He recommends hiring a helicopter instead.
And he says his driver was too.
"(The driver) was shocked, he was embarrassed actually," Asbury told KDVR of the bill. "He gave me his card and he was like, 'Make phone calls. Get in touch with customer service. This can't be right.'"
The company, which is accessed by a mobile app, reportedly defended that Asbury was warned of the price hike before he agreed to the ride.
They also note his claimed error of choosing a more expensive vehicle to pick him up, rather than one of their more economical options.
That option, as well as the one to get an estimate on his ride before booking, went unnoticed by Asbury, he said.
"It would have been a good button to hit last night, had I known it was there," he said.
As for going forward, Asbury said the car service has offered him a 25% discount for getting swept up in the price surge while a first-time customer.
That discount would knock $134.75 off Asbury's fee — bringing it to $404.25.
Despite that small relief, Asbury said he won't be using the car company again.
"Don't bother man, rent a helicopter!" he laughed.
http://i.imgur.com/62beeecl.jpg
Halloween night is expected to have its share of horrors — but a $539 bill for an 18-mile ride home?
That's apparently a spooky reality that's proving especially frightful for one Uber customer who fell victim to the transportation company’s little known “surge pricing.”
"Me and my bank account got taken for a ride last night," Elliott Asbury told KDVR of the astounding bill he encumbered Friday night.
No matter how many times Asbury squints and blinks while looking at his receipt, Uber stands by the charge while admitting to hiking costs by more than seven times during peak, holiday hours.
"Surge pricing allows us to remain reliable, even on one of the busiest nights of the year," they state on their website of their prices, which they explain as affected by an area's supply and demand.
For Asbury, who said it was his first time using the company, he was expecting something between $40 and $100.
http://i.imgur.com/rMKgpL0l.jpg
Elliott Asbury said he was charged a premium rate that was more than seven times the cost he would have paid
during off-hours and not on Halloween night. He recommends hiring a helicopter instead.
And he says his driver was too.
"(The driver) was shocked, he was embarrassed actually," Asbury told KDVR of the bill. "He gave me his card and he was like, 'Make phone calls. Get in touch with customer service. This can't be right.'"
The company, which is accessed by a mobile app, reportedly defended that Asbury was warned of the price hike before he agreed to the ride.
They also note his claimed error of choosing a more expensive vehicle to pick him up, rather than one of their more economical options.
That option, as well as the one to get an estimate on his ride before booking, went unnoticed by Asbury, he said.
"It would have been a good button to hit last night, had I known it was there," he said.
As for going forward, Asbury said the car service has offered him a 25% discount for getting swept up in the price surge while a first-time customer.
That discount would knock $134.75 off Asbury's fee — bringing it to $404.25.
Despite that small relief, Asbury said he won't be using the car company again.
"Don't bother man, rent a helicopter!" he laughed.