I’m a huge fan of Uber since it’s so much easier and cheaper than taking taxis. With just a few clicks, you can order and pay for your ride. It’s so much better than a taxi because you can track the driver’s proximity, the drivers are friendly, it’s a cashless service including the tip, and the cars are generally cleaner and provide more legroom than most taxis I’ve been in. If you need more reasons, here’s my initial post about Uber, including a link for first-time users to get your first ride (up to $30) free .
But the other day, I had my first negative experience with Uber when I landed at New York’s JFK airport. Admittedly, it was partially my fault. Here’s what happened: The moment I stepped off the plane, I tried to request an Uber car and was informed that my credit card on file had been denied. That’s because I foolishly lost that credit card a few weeks ago and though I immediately canceled it, I forgot to let Uber know. FYI: I have so many credit cards since I’m always trying to maximize my miles and earn free travel that I have a difficult time remembering which card is on file where. (Here’s a list of some of the credit cards I use.)
So I quickly scanned one of my other credit cards but was then alerted that my account has been banned. That’s right, BANNED FROM UBER! I thought it was a mistake since I’m always nice to the drivers and I don’t do anything illegal. I logged in and out of my account but it still said that my account was suspended. Suspended is better than banned, but it’s still bad. The message prompted me to email the Uber team at support@uber.com, which I did (I also tweeted @Uber) but I wasn’t waiting around since I was in a hurry to get downtown. I wanted to make phone calls along the way but the taxi line was long and moving ridiculously slowly (BTW: Wait time for an Uber car was just four minutes). So I decided to do what I usually do and just jump on the Air Train to the E train (here’s directions and cost).
When I arrived above ground in Midtown and my phone began working again, I had a tweet back from @UBER_NYC requesting I email them. I heard back from Yvonne, the Community Operations Manager, the following morning saying:
Hi Johnny,
Apologies for the trouble, but yes it does look like your account was disabled due to a credit card on file being deemed invalid.
Do you mind sending over photos of:
A) Your valid photo ID in the same name as your account
B) The valid credit card on this Uber account in your name with only the last four digits, your name, and expiration date showing? (You can cover the rest with paper or your finger.)
We’ll be happy to clear up your account as soon as we verify this payment method and identity. Let me know if I can help with anything else.
Best regards,
Yvonne
A few minutes after I sent the information she’d requested, she emailed me back saying:
Thanks for verifying your information. Your account is all set to log into. Be sure to add your new payment method as soon as possible so our system does not auto-ban your account again. Let me know if you have any questions.
So now I’m back in business. The lesson learned here is to make sure your credit card is valid before requesting a car, especially outside of your hometown. I live in Los Angeles and I used Uber to get to the airport that morning and had no problem but that’s because I live there and have a large credit with Uber since I keep referring friends/readers. I hope this helps and I hope Uber will read this—and consider changing the way they tell people their credit card needs to be replaced.
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Haven’t used Uber yet? Here’s my code (UberJohnnyJet) that will get you $15 off your first ride (I also get a $15 credit).
Want to earn more money by driving for Uber? Here’s how to sign up!
I just ran into this as well, and here is my problem. Emailing a photo of your ID and credit card means that you have just opened yourself up to identity theft in the easiest way possible. Your email is sent in the clear, and a copy of those images will live forever on every server it passes through between you and Uber. This is why no other company – no banks, no retailers, no rental agencies, and none of Uber’s competitors – will ever ask for something like that. There are now a ton of companies providing essentially the same service without this kind of profoundly unsettling customer service experience.
Those are exactly my thoughts. Who would be mad enough to send a picture of his ID and credit card? Uber’s not here for long, I’m afraid. This will have happened to others. I’ve asked them to cancel my account.
agree
Agree. I had my identity stolen 12 years ago. No way will I open myself up to that again. When uber disabled my account and wanted me to send my ID I LOLed and registered with Lyft.
My account has been canceled too. I’ve sent emails to support@uber.com, but I get NO response at all! I don’t even know why they banned my account. They should at least give me a reason… I don’d know what to do now.
Me too Bro my account is too banned
This just happened to me. I emailed and tweeted to them yesterday and still no response.
The fact is Uber’s customer service is terrible. There’s no reason for them to not allow me to update my CC info via the app or their website (like every other website or app!). It’s just poor design and implementation. This could be the fatal flaw in their busy model that ends the company. You can’t have poor customer service when providing service in a service industry. It’s business 101. If Uber doesn’t get that, it’s doomed to fail. And this is a trend:
http://jalopnik.com/uber-just-got-a-failing-grade-from-the-better-business-1645622537
Agreed. Exactly. Imagine your only experience with Uber is account failure no fault of our own, no warning, after spending time to set it up and try their service. Really poor tactics on their part. How’s Lyft?
Well my account has been disabled since last Thursday and I sent 10 different emails but no reply from uber pathetic !!
I had the same issue. My solution, hailed a cab deleted the app. Nobody has time for aggravations like this.
This exact thing happened to me since I had a card cancelled and reissued to me by my bank due to some data breech, I forget which. Then the last minute Uber fail with no warning when the card on file had long been bad.
I think going with another service provider is the best solution. Uber is not taking care of us, they are not thinking about the customer experience to manage it this way. Big FAIL, Uber. Bye.
In this day of prevalent identity theft, there is no way I would email a picture of my license to Uber. Who knows who has accesses to it and what controls they have in place. They use Zendesk for their support tracking… perhaps that could be compromised. It’s bad enough that they have your name, address and credit card info.
Oops, I meant to say “advocate for us.” Thought I’d edit my comment in case the grammar police are in the vicinity ;)
Hi Johnny- The latest issue of New York magazine has an in-depth article entitled “Hail Storm” {July 28-Aug 10 issue; pages 30-37} which gives a comprehensive comparison of all the smartphone apps, including pricing, plus the pros and cons of each. There’s an entire page called “Is Uber Worth Its Obnoxious Customers?” Just thought you and your readers would appreciate the comprehensive review of the current ride apps wars.
As always, Johnny, thanks for the helpful travel tips, for providing honest reviews of airlines, hotels, etc., and for being an advocate for we, the traveling public.
I don’t understand them asking your for your valid card on file, when your card on file (the one they disabled your account for being invalid) was lost and you had canceled it?
Yes, I lost and canceled the one on file
Sorry, maybe I’m reading it wrong. You’re saying, when you called them, they asked you for your card on file, which of course was not valid, as you had canceled it? Or were they asking you for a new card? I want to get this, in case it happens to me. You wouldn’t have the card to read them if you had lost it. I’ve run into this craziness before with big corporations, not sure if this is the same.
My card on file was canceled by me. I forgot to alert them.
What stylieone is saying is, Uber’s email reply asked you for a picture of “the valid credit card on this Uber account”, when you (hopefully) told them you lost that card. This implies they asked for the CURRENT credit card, which is impossible since it’s lost.
They wanted to know he was who he said he was. Anyone could make an ID, but they would probably not know the credit card Uber had on file. Asking for that as well as the ID helped to guarantee he was the owner of the account.
Thanks all. I don;t think if I lost a card I know that info off the cuff. Well done! Love the site and daily emails :)
I’m late to the party, but I have also been banned because my credit card was stolen, and when I tried to enter a new one in the app, while trying to book a ride in another town, it didn’t accept it and banned me.
The Uber site states the same thing as Johnny says.
“If your account has been suspended, please send an email to support@uber.com with:
– a copy of your photo ID in the same name as your account
– a photo of the credit card on your account with only the last four digits and your full name showing”
I emailed customer service, asking what to do. The rep reopened my account, I was able to log in on the site and change my payment method. He did this without making me send ID or cc info. Looks like they’re trying to make this a little less painful now.
Well here we are in 2016 and Uber is an $60 billon company and things do work so well for us banned customers. I have never got an account to work with Uber and not one of my 5 attempts have been unlocked to date. Sorry Johnny. Party’s over for Uber customer service.
i created an Uber account in Canada to use on my Mexican vacation I’m currently on. I had two successful trips and canceled a third and was somehow banned, they said, because of a payment issue with the canceled trip. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with my card. I’ve been using it all over the Yucatan Peninsula for the last week with no problems. My customer service experience has been an endless litany of exchanging emails and sending proof of identity, proof of credit card, proof of phone number, each separately on three separate occasions spanning four days!!
I finally decided that hopefully if I delete my account, perhaps I could start from scratch. I wrote a critical but inoffensive letter going away letter in the window asking why I was leaving and wouldn’t you know it…it started working again but then customer service explained that they were able to fix the problem and that my account would be deleted but I could in fact start over again. Two days and ten emails later, their websites won’t accept my name phone or phone number and my phone seems to be ip blocked from their support site!
I’d love to be able to use it one day but wow, what a nightmare.
I use different cards too. Some are business, others personal. They need to fix this. They’ve lost 2 rides they could have had today already because my account was disabled too. Frustrated
Perhaps you should have fewer credit cards. That way you could keep tract of them.
I’ll never use Uber again
Tried to look for ride from Arlington Hghts IL to ORD. They said they could do it right now but I was just checking to see how it’d work.
I then tried 2.5 hrs ahead of my flight and it came back no rides were available!!!
Now there was not time to get a SuperShuttle(Mysteriously they don’t come to Arlington Hghts) so I had to order a cab during rush hour in the rain.
Learned my lesson!
Uber works all demand, so there’s no way to “book” in advance. You just open the app and request a pick up when you’re ready to go.
Yeah you’re not really understanding how Uber works – it’s not for booking in advance. In my experience it may take a few tries to get an available car during heavy rush hour. But it’s never taken me more than a few minutes for something available to pop up.
Hope you don’t abandon Uber because it didn’t work out that time! It’s a life saver here in Boston.
This is Kim Montesano from Pompano Beach Florida I’m truly fed up how Uber and Lyft have treated me. At least with a cab there licensed and insured. And you know they have a camera.
I feel safer with drivers I know. But Uber and Lyft are helpful for many people.