Uber Mistakenly Charged a California Couple Nearly $30,000, Left Them With 'No Money' in Another CountryA romantic vacation turned into a nightmare.

ByMadeline Garfinkle

Key Takeaways

  • After being charged in U.S. currency in another country, Uber and the couple's bank are engaged in a blame game.
  • The couple believes that social media played pivotal role in expediting the charge reversal.

Douglas Ordonez and Dominique Adams had envisioned a romantic and unforgettable vacation to reaffirm their vows. Instead, they found themselves trapped in an unexpected financial pinch.

Having eagerly planned to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary in Guatemala, the couple was left penniless in a foreign country due to an Uber charge of nearly $30,000, KTLAreported.

Adams'videorecounting the nightmare experience went viral with over nine million views on TikTok.

The ordeal began when Adams, who was in Costa Rica, hailed an Uber to the airport, intending to meet her husband in Guatemala.

"I took an Uber, everything was fine," Adams told the outlet. "It was like a 30-minute ride. I didn't think twice about it."

However, as soon as she arrived at the Costa Rican airport, her husband frantically called, saying his card had been declined while attempting to purchase coffee. The 30-minute Uber ride had resulted in a charge of nearly $30,000.

"I sat down and looked at what the heck was going on, and that's when I noticed the $29,000 charge on our account," Ordonez told KTLA. "I didn't believe it at first, but obviously, it was actually true."

When converted to U.S. dollars, ₡30,000 of Costa Rican currency, colones, amounts to about $55 in U.S. dollars.

The Uber ride was mistakenly processed as $30,000 in U.S. currency instead of colones, with Uber blaming the couple's bank for the conversion error, leading to a frustrating back-and-forth between the bank and Uber about the issue's origin and the security measures that failed to catch it, according to the couple.

Although the bank informed the couple they could dispute the charge, it would take seven to ten days to resolve the issue.

With limited cash and no access to their account, the couple was forced postpone their vow renewal and had to make do with the meager cash they had brought along, scrimping and saving throughout their vacation.

@dominique.xo.xoTrying not to let this ruin the remainder of my trip, but…. Yes! @Uber charged me $29,994 for a single ride! Correct conversion should have been $54, but was charged 600% more. Contacted Uber: They replied w/ "Do not worry", but did not provide any further assistance I cannot find a customer service number anywhere. They have ignored my messages & I have only received pre-generated messages. Yes, I contacted my financial institution @Altura Credit Union immediately. They said there is nothing they can do about it at the moment as I have to wait another 4 days for the amount to possibly convert to the correct amount. Cannot believe they allowed a payment of this amount to process. Failed security measures & negligence. So now I am on a trip out of the county with no way to access my funds Pray for me Just trying to enjoy my vacation ##emotionaldamage##horrorstory##乌兰巴托erscam##乌兰巴托er##fyp##viral##travelhorrorstory##wtf##traveltiktok♬ Song Oh no oh no oh no no no - Hip Hop

After four arduous days and countless phone calls, the charge was finally reversed. Adams believed that the social media attention they garnered played a significant role in expediting the resolution.

She stated, "Personally, I believe it's because we posted it on social media. We were sharing our story. I think that's why there was that urgency for someone to fix this."

Uber issued a statement acknowledging the mistake and attributing it to a bank error in processing the charge, and noted the refund processing time was contingent on individual bank policies, per KTLA.

雷竞技手机版has reached out to Uber for comment.

Madeline Garfinkle

Entrepreneur Staff

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

'Quiet Cutting' Is the Latest Workplace Danger — Here Are 3 Signs You'll Be Out of a Job Soon

Sometimes, a role reassignment is a more cost-effective means of termination.

Business News

'Need to Know Information': Baggage Handler Shares Hack For Ensuring Checked Luggage Doesn't Get Lost

The airport employee is going viral for his little known tip about the stickers on your baggage.

Business News

Smucker's Employees Actually Want to Go Into the Office — Here's Why The Company's Return-to-Office Policy Works

Unlike other companies that have mandated strict in-person attendance, Smucker's strategy allows its 1,300 corporate workers to be on site primarily during 22 designated "core" weeks each year.

Green Entrepreneur

Silicon Valley Tech Titans Are Building an Experimental City In Northern California

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is among the billionaires who paid $1 billion for land near an Air Force base.

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

企业家是不能过度指雷竞技手机版望太多a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Business News

Netflix Is Shuttering a Beloved, Old-School Service — And Giving Customers Something for Free

The company has been mailing DVDs to customers for 25 years. But not anymore.