Uber, the ride-hailing platform that is in hot water in London and which has withdrawn from several markets, has an issue with scammy drivers in Mexico City (and elsewhere in Latin America).
We have previously written about several issues with Uber in Brazil (read more here), Buenos Aires (read more here), and vomit scam (read more here).
I have been in the Mexico City for the past week and used Uber 16 times, of which two ended up with scammy drivers representing 12.5% of my rides (small sample):
Here’s are the incidents:
1. Driver doesn’t end trip & claims excess passengers
We took a Black Uber from a hotel in Mexico City to Teotihuacán. The driver never ended the trip, and I canceled it (Uber it then supposed to charge per the original quote).
The email for an additional charge arrived a couple of hours later. I used the in-app support, and Uber told me that the extra fee is for an excess number of passengers. There is an extra charge when there are more than four passengers in addition to the driver. The only problem was that there were only two passengers.
The Uber in-app support adjusted the drive back to the original quote after a couple of rounds of messages.
2. Driver ends the trip two hours later
I took a ride from JW Marriott in Polanco to Sofitel Reforma hotel. The journey took 10 to 15 minutes in light traffic.
I thought that all was good until I received an email from Uber while typing away at the Club Millesime. The driver hadn’t ended the trip when I arrived at the Sofitel but two hours later.
Original ride:
Ride per Uber:
And then the issue with Uber support started:
Where do they hire these people? Are they complicit to the scam that these drivers engage?
Here are some other issues with Uber:
Conclusion
It seems, based on my personal experiences, that Uber has severe problems in Latin America with its driver and customer support quality. Uber in Brazil refuses to deal with feedback that is not in Portuguese even when the rider is not from the country.
Uber should make it easy to report and erase these badly behaving drivers from the platform. Undoubtedly they have scammed other riders too. I guess that they must believe that customers outside of Mexico don’t care or notice.
And what is the quality of Uber’s in-app support? It doesn’t bode well for the longevity of the service.
I’ve used Uber for over 5 years here. Never once had this problem. Seems you’ve been unlucky
“here” means where? US?
Probably Mexico
As expected, individual disrupters are disrupting the far away original disrupters.
It’s how it goes when you relinquish local control of your rides to a company in another country.
Well I’ve been living in Mexico for 3 years and use Uber as my main transportation method, and have never encountered and issue with it. The only time they have updated the fee is when we go through a toll which makes sense.
If I encounter any issues (which I have but on Uber Eats) then customer service simply refunded my money no question asked.
Uber drivers in Mexico are also very kind and helpful compared to the ones I’ve encountered in Miami and Houston
I think you just got bad luck and it can happen anywhere in the world. Just sharing my experience of 3 years using it here 🙂
I believe that they target non-Spanish speakers. If the latter incident would have been a mistake, the driver could have simply adjusted it.
Exactly. Jesus got bad treatment in the US for probably the same reason that a gringo would get bad treatment in Mexico. If you aren’t a “local”, you are more apt to be treated worse. Hopefully, Jesus just encountered rude drivers—rather than dishonest like John did in Mexico.
Paul Theroux just came out with a book about his car travels in Mexico. He mentions having to pay Mexican police off four separate times. Was it because he was a gringo (wiht American plates)?—probably. Corruption is rampant in Latin countries.
I already had issues like yours never ending trips in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, going to wrong local (santiago airport in Chile, there are many addresses in uber around the airport) knowing that is not there the passenger wants to go, turning other streets to take more time and money. I always wait the driver end the trip and ask support when things are not ok and recalcule the trip.
I already had issues like yours never ending trips in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, going to wrong local (santiago airport in Chile, there are many addresses in uber around the airport) knowing that is not there the passenger wants to go, turning other streets to take more time and money. I always wait the driver end the trip and ask support when things are not ok and recalcule the trip.
i had a scam trip in Paris recently. The driver never came to the pick up spot (therefore did not pick us up) and submitted the ride to Uber. Uber reversed the charge completely. The other sketchy experience was in Amman. I summoned an Uber, and after I got in the car, he gave me some tale about needing American dollars /cash to buy gas. I told him that I had no intention of stopping for gas on the way to my hotel, and to cancel the ride and that I would find a conscientious driver, instead. He then, suddenly, had a full tank of gas. The whole thing smelled funny and I found another driver.
I do not get out of the vehicle until the driver ends the trip on his phone and it shows as ended on my app, from there I rate the driver and add tip..
I probably need to start this practice too in Latin America.
I should do this too. Thanks for the reminder.
That’s smart!
I have had problems on in the UK and in Argentina. Never in the US, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Egypt, etc.
I will continue to prioritize my use of Uber over Taxis, and will continue to bej extra vigilant in Latin countries—hate to generalize like this, but it is what it is,
I really prefer Uber over taxis, but wish that there wouldn’t be these issues.
I haven’t had any issues in Mexico, and I travel there 4 times a year, with about 8 Uber rides per trip. The only real issue I had was a driver who accepted my pick up at the airport but didn’t start driving towards me for over 5 minutes, so I cancelled the ride, which earned him a cancel fee. I disputed this and was refunded instantly. A driver in Minneapolis charged me a clean up fee even though we didn’t make a mess. I am not sure if this was a scam or he didn’t know which customer had made the mess, but it definitely wasn’t us. The fee was refunded eventually, but I had to go back and forth a few times. Now I have to take a photo of the inside for each ride to prove it was clean!
This is another issue with Uber sometimes. Drivers don’t start moving hoping that you cancel after the grace period is over allowing them to collect the fee. You should always report this and, at least in my case, Uber has always credited/refunded the fee.
Brazil is notorious for credit card fraud. Cab drivers should always be paid in cash. Uber fraud doesn’t surprise me. In South America everything is a hustle
pretty much the same situation in India as well. Ubers support for customers is useless and they dont solve your queries. Their checks for drivers are a farce with drivers doing double shifts with someone else driving their cars. No wonder they were banned in London.
i had a scam trip in Paris recently. The driver never came to the pick up spot (therefore did not pick us up) and submitted the ride to Uber. Uber reversed the charge completely. The other sketchy experience was in Amman. I summoned an Uber, and after I got in the car, he gave me some tale about needing American dollars /cash to buy gas. I told him that I had no intention of stopping for gas on the way to my hotel, and to cancel the ride and that I would find a conscientious driver, instead. He then, suddenly, had a full tank of gas. The whole thing smelled funny and I found another driver.
The customer support at Uber is BULLSHIT , even for the drivers we get that same BULLSHIT run around . It’s like they are not even fucking human , it’s like fucking robots , Uber is just a big fucking scam in itself. I haven’t seen or read stories like that happening in Canada, but I wouldn’t doubt that it does happen
So expressive you are! Does your colorful language make you feel better?
I’ve been using Uber in Mexico City since February 2018, and have never had any issues of scams. I always make sure they end the ride before I get out, but I do that in every country.
The only problem I’ve had was one of the drivers (car pool category), was pissed that I didn’t tip him more, because he picked me up in Polanco and took me to Coyoacan (two higher end neighborhoods) and probably thought I had money and could afford to give him even more than I did. So, he took my rating down from a 5.0 to a 4.7, but it’s up to 4.9 now. I won’t ever get a car pool Uber again, even though I was the only one in it, they may get paid less with only one customer, and think I should make it up.
But, Uber in Mexico City has been fine. I moved there last year so I’ve definitely have lots of experience with Uber. I even had a driver accidentally cancel out the ride when he hit the wrong icon on his phone while I was in the vehicle, and drove me all the way across town and received only the minimum, because he was do embarrassed to let me out and not complete his trip, and he kept apologizing. I tipped him, but couldn’t leave a review because it was a cancelled ride. Also, initially the app charged for the entire ride, but once he accidentally cancelled it, the amount was adjusted automatically later that day.
2/12 is not 12.5%
Should have been 16 rides. Fixed it. Thanks!
I’ve used Uber in Mexico City dozens of times in my numerous visits since 2017, and I’ve never had a problem. I’ve also used them many many times in Cuermavaca without issue. Sometimes drivers don’t want to go from Mexico City to Cuernavaca – understandably because of the distance and they aren’t allowed to pick anyone up for a return trip – and then they simply cancel the ride. I’d absolutely keep using Uber in Mexico City as my first choice for transportation. I think you’ve just been unlucky.
You get what you pay for so What do you expect from Uber? Try a real limousine service next time. SMH… Do you also buy goods made in China and expect heirloom quality craftsmanship? Look the guy that started the company just took 2.5 billion in stock out sold it and resigned from the board and wish them luck. Do you know any other company that can survive and losing almost 3/4 of a billion dollars every single fiscal quarter since its inception? Uber is nothing but a scam
Recently a Facebook group of supposed Uber drivers was exposed, yes, they do this, sell accounts, make fake verified drivers, and many of this cases, were of men trying to rape a woman.
Uber in Mexico is a total scam.
So did you get them to refund you after that long back and forth?
I tweeted Uber about this issue the other day and they asked me to send them a DM. No response yet. The in-app support stopped replying.
Unfortunately is a problem everywhere now. Had the same issue twice in Portugal as well.
On Lyft in US I had a driver keep not picking me up, but when I cancelled it and put the request for a driver out again, he kept picking it up. but he would not come any closer than a block. 3 times this and then I saw him on the map driving my route to the station as though he had picked me up. I was still waiting on the street he never came near me. I contacted Lyft and told them of this fraud. They checked and quickly refunded me plus a USD5 voucher. The one thing Lyft would not do, was agree to cancel or censure that driver. I would still use Lyft again as overall better experience than Uber.
Let’s see. I would have to buy a smart phone which may cost hundreds of dollars so I could possibly pay 3 times more for a ride then I would just taking a taxi? Nope. Not me.
Could be worse. I had lyft outright refuse to refund cancellation charges. I was right at the rideshare pickup point on booking and somehow the driver (who never came) managed to cancel within 30 seconds and I get charged the $5 cancellation fee. Even my email proof shows it was literally under 1 minute , less there (garbage) cancellation policy of 2 minutes waiting. Went thru literally 20 messages back and forth and the lady just kept saying she understand but we do not refund. So yea at least Uber can refund you, Lyft at least in vegas, drivers are free to do cancelation scams all day with no recourse.
(Other then having a good credit card to easily dispute, I had it on amex, so they refunded it instantly with just a few clicks online)
Had some of these happen with uber in las vegas, and san francisco as well, but Uber was always cool about refunding them. (and no with there loyalty program you get some guaranteed ones, tho I’ve noticed they are not automatic even when the driver cancels on you and you rebook within 5min so still a bit crap)
I was going over all your Uberscam posts just to get an idea what to expect. I know this was a while ago but it would help if you reformulated your messages to Uber better. You are just repeating the same thing over and over so obviously the Spanish customer support is having trouble understanding.