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!
Unable to book Uber Cab. I get this message whenever I Confirm the booking “Uber promotion code has been deemed invalid for this account and all trips will be charged at the full price”
What does this mean? Getting same message on my wife’s account too.
It just means the promotion code you entered isn’t valid any more and you will pay the normal Uber rate.
i’m too
Uber is just collecting the bank details and other information of people on the name cab services. I am afraid in which way they can misuse the details (bank atm details and photp id and mobile details)send by me
Had a card replaced by my bank last month. Next time I went to use Uber I got an alert that my card needed to be updated (I have two in their system) so I deleted it…switched the other card as default and then added the new one (and could have changed that one to default had i chosen to). No account suspension.
So I guess the takeaway is have a backup card in your uber profile.
I hate to say that Uber dose not have any proper system in place from where they find why account is disabled.
After having many mail communication for reason they don’t have proper answer and they are not ready check for this.
Along with this they have removed Wallet balance as well from my account.
Now I don’t know to whom I will contact further to resolve this issue.
Here’s my Uber nightmare story:
When I made my account on the app I come to find out someone elses name, credit card info, and phone number were listed on my account. When I went to email Uber asking them what was going on or why that was they told me to change the details in my account settings. When I tried the app would not let me it kept saying “we are unable to update your account details at this time.” When I email Uber back to let them know it did not work they insisted I go back into the app and update the info myself even though I told them I tried 3x and the app would not let me.
So finally someone emails me back and says my phone number is being used by another Uber account to which I responded that this can’t be considering this is my first Uber account ever and I had not heard of Uber until 2 weeks before. So I get another email back after that assuring me everything was all taken care of and that I could use my account again so I go to my account and clicked on the “request Uber X” button only to find a pop up shows up that says my request cannot be completed because my account has been suspended. No reason as to why or what was going on.
So today I finally get a response back telling me that it was an Uber error and that they accidentally suspended my account but that the suspension has been lifted so I can use my account again. When I go back to my account still suspended. When I go to the email to reply back I realized the name at the top that displays my name in the message reply I sent them before shows the name of the other person whos account info was originally listed on my account. Go figure what a joke. All this running around and here I am a week later and I still have not been able to resolve the account issue let alone request my first ride. Uber you are not only garbage but the worlds biggest joke and yes I am still under suspension even though Uber insisted this was their mistake…!
Somewhat similar experience:an endless nightmare of email exchanges and empty resolutions without accountability. Daunting too how it is all but impossible to speak with anyone outside of their online “support .”
I would love to be able to use it every now and then but I’d have to use a different card, phone and email to get that to happen and they were never able to explain why!!
Basically the same here, my email address was already used by someone, however with no activities on the account. And I’ve never even used UBER before. Asked to delete the account for security measures. New user registrations get disabled whenever I try to request a car. Now I get “riders,account_banned” message on the app and can’t log in afterwards. Countless emails back and forth with UBER only led to the information that my account has been blocked permanently.
2 DAYS BACK I GOT THIS MAIL FROM UBER,,,,CAN U PLS HELP ME
It appears you have multiple accounts linked to you sharing the same details. You can only have one Uber account. As this is a violation of our terms of use, your account has been suspended indefinitely
I got the same thing as I used my partners phone to order Uber. I have no idea how to get it reinstated. I wish Lyft would come to Canada! :-)
I hate to say it, but this wasn’t, as you describe it, “partially your fault” that you got banned from Uber – it was your fault. Have some fiscal responsibility. You cancelled a credit card and then tried to use an invalid card with Uber (many online sites I use will alert you if you have a card on-file that’s about to expire, but if you cancel a card on your own – stolen or not – they have no way of knowing what happened, just that you tried to use an invalid card). I agree that Uber should have told you just that the card was invalid and that you needed to enter a new one before banning you and making you jump through a hoop to get back in. However, the onus is still on you to have the correct credit card info on file – it’s ultimately your driver that needs to get paid. I know I’ll sound like my mother, but if you can’t keep track of what credit card is linked to what accounts (by a list or otherwise) then you have too many credit cards.
I call BS on this. Credit cards expire and get cancelled constantly in real life for all. The proper response is what Amazon does, they say “your card didn’t go through, please click here to update your payment information”
Not, ” something wasn’t perfect, so we’re making it impossible to finish your transaction.
This is 100% Uber’s fault for not having a strategy in place to deal with common typical hiccups in modern payment systems. This is very easy to do right, they do it in a considerate manner everywhere else!
Completely agree with you. I lost my credit card that was on file with Uber. There’s no monthly fee for uber so I didn’t even think to notify them and assumed that I would just have to change the credit card info the next time I went to schedule a ride, just like every other transact based service (eg, amazon). I had no idea that they would disable my account just because my card was reported lost. Why are they even checking my card when no transactions are being processed.
Actually, if this is similar to what happened to me then I would say that it’s completely on Uber. I reported my card lost to the credit card company. Uber identified the card I had on file as lost and disabled my account. This was done before any transaction was made. uber doesn’t charge a monthly fee so they shouldn’t be even checking my card unless I have made a transaction (or attempted to make a transaction).
Johnny: how can I get from Appleton WI back to dntwn Chicago, cheap? There are NO trains, and rental cars want over $200 for One WAY!!!
Thanks,
Have you tried MegaBus or Greyhound?
My account has been Disabled I have sent 5 to 7 emails to uber support but there is no response. Why the customer service is so poor. Please check the problem soon.
The same thing happened to me two days ago. I was told to send over copy of my ID and the C card because my account was disabled due to security on my card. I called my bank and they did not have any security alert on the card I used. I emailed Uber offering a different card, but I declined to send over a copy of my ID. In the prompt reply, they told me I can cover any sensitive information on my ID. Now, if I cover my address and DL number, what is there to verify? I am very disappointed with the customer service and will not be sending over any pics of my id. Its sad because I did enjoy the service.
Awesome info- turns out that’s why my account had been banned.
I had my first experience with Uber 2 days ago and LOVED it. The service is awesome. If only I could get the money I spent on cabs over the years back.