5 ms·

In the US one would consider escalating to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, since this seems like lying (the price before the button press is different

by cbhl 5y ago

In the US one would consider escalating to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, since this seems like lying (the price before the button press is different from the price after). Not sure if the UK has a similar ministry you could appeal to? Though one would consider the risk of being banned from Uber Eats over $4.

SllX 5y ago
Risk being banned from a service that stole your money and refused to give it back? You chargeback and move on with your life.
- paulgb 5y ago
  Yeah, this is a slam-dunk chargeback; the user has documented the disparity and documented their attempt at going through the businesses’ preferred channel. Assuming that what’s presented is true, of course. I guess chargebacks are less of a thing in the UK?
  - bserge 5y ago
    They're not a problem in my experience. At worst you'll get banned by the merchant. Bank never required proof or anything the few times I charged back (for not delivering the items for over a month, pre Covid).
  - cabalamat 5y ago
    Chargebacks are a thing in the UK, and the only time I've ever gone to my credit card company with one they resolved the issue properly.
  - boros2me 5y ago
    Chargeback is exactly what I'm going for, but need to wait until the payment settles (couple of days) and then I can start the dispute process (called my credit card provider right after I realised UberEats is not willing to refund), which with my credit card provider is the following: - Hold the phone for 40 minutes - Explain the situation - Wait for a paper letter on the post that includes an empty printed form with a return envelope - Fill out the form with the exact information I provided on the phone - Post the return envelope - Wait Fortunately I don't mind playing along and I'm pretty sure having this deliberately crazy process (instead of an online form) is a much bigger pain for my credit card provider (who are hoping for churn and people abandoning the process) than myself. Well, not me. It's not the £4, it's the principal.
    - SllX 5y ago
      Good on you, mate! :)
- runnerup 5y ago
  I thought chargebacks also result in bans typically? If anything, I'd expect CFPB arbitration to be less likely to result in a megacorp ban than a chargeback. But I don't have any first or second-hand experience.
  - SllX 5y ago
    Even if it did, why would you want to continue a relationship with a company that has taken your money and won’t return it? Especially if they banned me from their service for getting my money back. This isn’t a complex calculus. Don’t do business with companies that steal from you, especially when they get upset that you took your money back.
    - runnerup 5y ago
      This is a bit simplistic and dismissive. If Uber and Lyft both mischarge me once, I may still find myself needing at least one of them while in a potentially tight spot.
      - SllX 5y ago
        And that’s a bit hypothetical, but who you choose to do business with is your choice. Lyft in my experience has been pretty happy to give me my money back whenever I’ve had a problem. That’s the problem the OP ran into: Uber Eats didn’t just “mischarge” him, they refused to remedy the situation claiming impotence on their part. That’s what turns it from a “mischarge” into theft, and something a chargeback is both justified for and the correct remedy to resolve the situation.
      - aronpye 5y ago
        Is there a place on Earth where there are Ubers but no local taxis?
        runnerup 5y ago
        Tons. One of the main problems that Uber solved was taxis who would pick you up but then refuse to take you where you wanted to go because it wasn't in a high-volume tourist area. My friends and I played outside in the front lawn of a house in "Mid-City" district of New Orleans and called taxi cabs all day as an experiment. Every 30 minutes we'd call another taxi to come pick us up. Not one taxi arrived all day. All of them claimed they came, honked in the driveway, but no one came out. Again -- we were outside the whole day, with full view of the street and driveway. Also, a month earlier, the only taxi driver who once did drop me off there tried to illegally charge double until I called the police, who arrived after he left. Uber/Lyft we had no trouble with at all!
petesergeant 5y ago
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/ https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/rep...
azalemeth 5y ago
The other thing the UK has is the small claims court. Many large companies have insurance terms that mean that they have to be represented by competent lawyers, and unlike other tracks in civil law costs are not recoverable in the small claims track. So large companies often don't have any option but to lose money if you start to take them to court -- either spend a lot of money on lawyers, which is sunk forever, settle out of court, or don't show up and pay the bill when the order comes from the judge. If I were in the OP's position I'd report Uber to trading standards, threaten to take them to court, and quite possibly follow through with it, representing myself. They're an odious company and have quite clearly just nicked money here with no recompense.

by cbhl 5y ago

SllX 5y ago

Risk being banned from a service that stole your money and refused to give it back? You chargeback and move on with your life.

paulgb 5y ago
Yeah, this is a slam-dunk chargeback; the user has documented the disparity and documented their attempt at going through the businesses’ preferred channel. Assuming that what’s presented is true, of course. I guess chargebacks are less of a thing in the UK?
- bserge 5y ago
  They're not a problem in my experience. At worst you'll get banned by the merchant. Bank never required proof or anything the few times I charged back (for not delivering the items for over a month, pre Covid).
- cabalamat 5y ago
  Chargebacks are a thing in the UK, and the only time I've ever gone to my credit card company with one they resolved the issue properly.
- boros2me 5y ago
  Chargeback is exactly what I'm going for, but need to wait until the payment settles (couple of days) and then I can start the dispute process (called my credit card provider right after I realised UberEats is not willing to refund), which with my credit card provider is the following: - Hold the phone for 40 minutes - Explain the situation - Wait for a paper letter on the post that includes an empty printed form with a return envelope - Fill out the form with the exact information I provided on the phone - Post the return envelope - Wait Fortunately I don't mind playing along and I'm pretty sure having this deliberately crazy process (instead of an online form) is a much bigger pain for my credit card provider (who are hoping for churn and people abandoning the process) than myself. Well, not me. It's not the £4, it's the principal.
  - SllX 5y ago
    Good on you, mate! :)
runnerup 5y ago
I thought chargebacks also result in bans typically? If anything, I'd expect CFPB arbitration to be less likely to result in a megacorp ban than a chargeback. But I don't have any first or second-hand experience.
- SllX 5y ago
  Even if it did, why would you want to continue a relationship with a company that has taken your money and won’t return it? Especially if they banned me from their service for getting my money back. This isn’t a complex calculus. Don’t do business with companies that steal from you, especially when they get upset that you took your money back.
  - runnerup 5y ago
    This is a bit simplistic and dismissive. If Uber and Lyft both mischarge me once, I may still find myself needing at least one of them while in a potentially tight spot.
    - SllX 5y ago
      And that’s a bit hypothetical, but who you choose to do business with is your choice. Lyft in my experience has been pretty happy to give me my money back whenever I’ve had a problem. That’s the problem the OP ran into: Uber Eats didn’t just “mischarge” him, they refused to remedy the situation claiming impotence on their part. That’s what turns it from a “mischarge” into theft, and something a chargeback is both justified for and the correct remedy to resolve the situation.
    - aronpye 5y ago
      Is there a place on Earth where there are Ubers but no local taxis?
      - runnerup 5y ago
        Tons. One of the main problems that Uber solved was taxis who would pick you up but then refuse to take you where you wanted to go because it wasn't in a high-volume tourist area. My friends and I played outside in the front lawn of a house in "Mid-City" district of New Orleans and called taxi cabs all day as an experiment. Every 30 minutes we'd call another taxi to come pick us up. Not one taxi arrived all day. All of them claimed they came, honked in the driveway, but no one came out. Again -- we were outside the whole day, with full view of the street and driveway. Also, a month earlier, the only taxi driver who once did drop me off there tried to illegally charge double until I called the police, who arrived after he left. Uber/Lyft we had no trouble with at all!

petesergeant 5y ago

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/ https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/rep...

azalemeth 5y ago

The other thing the UK has is the small claims court. Many large companies have insurance terms that mean that they have to be represented by competent lawyers, and unlike other tracks in civil law costs are not recoverable in the small claims track. So large companies often don't have any option but to lose money if you start to take them to court -- either spend a lot of money on lawyers, which is sunk forever, settle out of court, or don't show up and pay the bill when the order comes from the judge. If I were in the OP's position I'd report Uber to trading standards, threaten to take them to court, and quite possibly follow through with it, representing myself. They're an odious company and have quite clearly just nicked money here with no recompense.