JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Getting a ride to big events can be expensive depending on where you are coming from. But after last weekend, a lot of people feel like they were ripped off.
Uber is a car service that operates all over the state, including Jacksonville. Some customers told News4Jax they were charged ridiculously high rates the weekend of Georgia-Florida, leaving them very unhappy.
Uber is an app you can download to a smart phone. You can then use it to request a ride. However, when there is a high demand for rides, especially on a busy weekend such as Halloween or Georgia-Florida, something called surge pricing can raise your bill.
The convenience of using your phone to click, type and swipe your way to a ride is one of the things that makes Uber so popular. After Georgia-Florida weekend, Uber's Twitter pages were packed with complaints from people who used the service. Many of them said their rides were hundred's of dollars more than what they expected.
Paul Wood said a 4-mile ride earned him a $400 charge.
"All my friends use it in the area. But on Halloween they, I don't know, they went out of their way to overcharge a lot of people," said Wood.
The "over charge" is called dynamic pricing. It means rates will go up on a busy night. Marcus Blount is the CEO of First Coast Corporate Transportation. He said what Uber is doing is unfair to customers.
"They're paying for a ride, give them the service. There's no need to raise your rates just because it's a busy night. If you advertise at a certain rate, that's what the customer should get," said Blount.
Blount also said Uber needs to join his business and become regulated by the city.
City Councilman Stephen Joost wants people to be aware of the dynamic pricing but said his priority is making sure the company operates the right way.
"What we're trying to determine is that the car has been inspected, they have the proper amount of commercial liability insurance, and that there was a background check conducted on the driver," said Joost.
Wood said after emailing back and forth, the company was willing to lower his bill by 25 percent. But still, he said it is too little, too late.
"Oh my business with Uber is done. And everyone I know's business is done. I'll never use them again," said Wood.
An Uber representative in Jacksonville sent this statement:
"Uber ensures a safe, reliable ride, wherever and whenever, and dynamic pricing allows us to remain the reliable choice, even on the busiest nights of the year. Our in-app features ensure dynamic pricing is repeatedly communicated and approved before any trip is confirmed."
He also said customers need to keep in mind that when surge pricing is in effect, this will be notified in bold print before their ride is confirmed.
