Uber and Uber Eats debited seven unauthorised payments, totalling more than £100, from my debit card. I have a business account with it but had made no bookings or received notifications. My bank told me to get email confirmation from it so the payment could be swiftly reversed. I phoned Uber’s business accounts line and got an automated message to say that, as I had no live bookings, my call was not a priority and that I needed to contact it via its app. I did this, and was told that my account was not recognised, so I tweeted it to report that its app was useless and got a reply asking me to complain via the app! This happened seven times.
I found a business customer support email address and sent an email but, again, received identical generic replies directing me to the app. Eventually, I found the contact details for the British chief executive and, some time later, got a call back from one of his team. I was promised a refund; instead, more payments were taken.
MB, Brighton, East Sussex
You have hit hard against the implacable wall of progress. You’d hope that a business of this size could afford a responsive helpline, at least for cases of suspected fraud, but Uber ensures it is impregnable to customers with a complaint. Channels of communication are restricted to web and app forms, bots churn out identikit responses that don’t even address the question, and internet forums resound with the frustrations of multitudes who have encountered the same impasse as you.
Uber acted with predicable speed when I sought out the press office. It says: “We are sorry that the user has been a victim of fraud and subsequently had a poor support experience with us. We have refunded all the fraudulent charges that were flagged.”
Your bank has questions to answer, too. It transpires that fraudsters gained access to your debit card details, rather than your Uber account, since the card that was charged was not the one you have registered with the firm. That’s why your account was not recognised on the app when you complained, although that does not excuse Uber’s stonewalling.
Card issuers are expected to refund unauthorised payments by the end of the next business day, and yours had no business waiting while you chased Uber. I suggest you order a replacement debit card since it looks as though yours is at risk of further abuse.
Email your.problems@observer.co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions