Man Slammed with Insane $600 Uber Bill After Being Stuck in Storm
Cold Fronts Are Bad But Atleast Your Not This Guy
We have been getting a few cold fronts lately, and sure, they're uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as what one Virginia man received after a pretty cold day.
Icy Roads = Highway Standstill
Virginia was hit with a pretty gnarly snowstorm recently. Many people were stranded on highways as roads became too icy to continue driving on.
Vehicles that found themselves on a road ended up at a standstill for up to 24 hours. People were shutting off their engines in the freezing weather to preserve the little fuel they had. Many didn't have any food or water to eat while they were stranded.
An Uber Disaster
Andrew Peters, from Richmond, Virginia found himself in a pretty bad pickle. He had just flown in from San Fransisco and caught an Uber ride home from the airport. He nor the driver realized the severity of the weather and went on their merry way.
Stranded on For Hours
At some point during the drive, the ride stopped on I-95 in traffic. Cars were piling up as roads were becoming unsafe and piled with ice. Peters ended up in his Uber waiting for 9 hours on the highway until traffic and ice cleared.
“It was kind of scary,” Peters told WTOP News, “We didn’t have any food or water.”
In an interview with Live Now from FOX, Peters described what happened while people waited for roads to clear, "A lot of people just walking around hanging out people were peeing in the middle of the road, everyone was just waiting."
Free Atlast, But Not Really
Peters finally made it home after a grueling 9 hours but was then hit with something even more massive. He was initially charged $200 for his long Uber ride, but then the company suddenly tacted on another $400 charge.
“I’m still trying to find somebody to talk to, to understand why they feel like they could charge me this,” said Peters.
It is not uncommon for fares to change. According to Uber, “heavy traffic may cause your trip to take longer than expected, and to compensate your driver for the additional time, your fare may change.” That's understandable, but a $600 total seems excessive, especially for something completely out of the rider's hands.
Imagine Being Stuck During a Flood
Let's break it down into Texas terms. Imagine catching an Uber during a thunderstorm. Your traveling on 59 when suddenly roads begin to flood and you're stranded for hours, only to be hit with a massive bill for the drive, I know I would be livid.
The Aftermath
Peters began to dispute the additional charge, “I’ll probably be banned from Uber but, you know, whatever,” Peters said. A representative for Uber told USA TODAY Peters was refunded but did not disclose the amount.