Uber disaster: charged £105 for journey that should have cost £15

Daniel Kaizen, a 26-year-old bartender from North East London, got into an Uber cab in the early hours of Easter Monday, for what he thought would be a £15 journey up the road from Old Street in central London to Wood Green.

He had been out drinking, and during the journey, he dozed off. It was only when he woke up that he discovered his driver had taken the scenic route - at a cost of £102.17. His credit card was eventually charged £105.

Instead of opting for the quickest route, his driver somehow ended up going far too far east, before joining the North Circular, and going far too far north. He finally dropped down into Wood Green, after racking up a bill of more than £100. Kaizen took a screenshot of the journey, and the fact he paid £105 for it.

He wrote on Facebook: "Well, I was drunk, but DAAAAAAAMN UBER £105 for a £15 journey". He saw the funny side of it, and added in the comments: "If only I was awake, I think I may have enjoyed the scenic tour," and he said: "He just wanted to spend more time with me, I understand."

Refund

His friends urged him to contact Uber customer services, and after he did so, he added to the thread that Uber had called, and apologised. The company has a policy of keeping records of all journeys and a map of the route, so that any issue like this can be resolved quickly.

It said it was looking into what had happened in this instance, but Daniel told his friends on Facebook he was unlikely to be much help in any investigation, as he was a bit worse for wear at the time.

Fortunately Daniel is happy with his refund - and his brush with fame. He can also take some comfort from the fact that while there is always the chance that your Uber driver won't know the way, the route will be recorded, and you can challenge it.

You will get an estimate of the likely fare when you hail an Uber - which takes into account the company's 'dynamic pricing' - which charges more at busy times. If the final fare you are charged is vastly different, you can get in touch to query it.

Rip offs

The same cannot be said for every form of transport in central London. And while the row between Uber drivers and black cab drivers is likely to rage on forever, there is another set of drivers who face far fewer controls - and whose charges can be breathtaking.

We reported back in December on the rickshaw driver who charged £600 for a 30 minute ride on Oxford Street in London. And in July last year there was the case of the mother and son who were charged £206 for a three minute ride.

It all starts to make £105 for a short hop to North London seem far more reasonable.