My UBER Disaster: When “Disruptive” Goes Wrong

I arrived at JFK at 9:00 pm. a few days ago after a business trip and saw the long taxi line. I decided to try UBER for the first time. At many conferences, including the one I had just attended, I had heard entrepreneurs and digital mavens talk about the amazing success of this service that is disrupting the taxi industry.

I opened the app and called an UBER car. Within 2 minutes he was there and I was on my way home, expecting to make the 35–40 minute trip by the time I would have gotten my taxi. The driver put my address into two GPS systems. I asked the cost of the ride but he told me that I’d know when we got there.

He chose a route that supposedly had no tolls or traffic. It was a different way than any of the scores of taxis I have taken over the years chose but after all, this was UBER the amazing start-up that everyone seemed to be raving about.

I asked about the fare again after about 15 minutes and again got the response that he would take the most efficient route and let me know when I got there.

My rides, based on whether I start at my home or at the airport, have cost between $65 and $80 depending on the route and tip. At the end of a ride that took over twice as long and landed me in some of the worst traffic and roundabout routes I have ever been in, my UBER driver looked up the cost and simultaneously charged the card on file. The cost $185.00 for the trip.

But that wasn’t the most absurd part of the experience. The companies I know and patronize that have been the digital darlings of the last few years have been known for their excellent customer service. I expected that my complaint to UBER would be swiftly reviewed and the fare either eliminated due to the exceptionally poor experience or significantly reduced.
It took three days to get a miniscule deduction after the route was reviewed and found to be “less than optimal.”

After my experience, I looked at ratings and reviews on Yelp, tweets about the company and news stories about the company. Numerous cities are moving to ban UBER and it’s not because they are trying to protect the taxi industry. UBER is unregulated.

I guess I’m lucky that I just paid triple the price for a taxi ride. When I realize that I got into a car with a stranger who may not have been properly insured and who could not even give me an estimate of the trip cost to my home, I guess I’m lucky I got there at all.