# Uber phone # now **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711 "2019-01-31T07:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/1 "2019-01-31T07:27:32Z")
I abodolutely need to SPEAK with an Uber rep. Their app has no options. Their PHONE # is for nothing except death emergencies. I paid 19.00 to travel 1.3 miles from Ventura Bl to Moorpark St. Ventura Bl means you better be standing somewhere in the woods near Mulholland dr. 7 miles away. WTF. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/2 "2019-01-31T08:08:23Z")
The website says you cannot contact them via phone. There are 2 ways to request a refund on their app. Google Uber refund and they give instructions. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/3 "2019-01-31T08:41:32Z")
Tried that, as instructed by their inefficient app. The only choice that was close was incorrect pickup. Left my phone number 72 times and requests to personally deliver “flowers” to their nearest address. I would think most people would know about Ventura Bl in CA. PEOPLE… not apps. But I’m charged evidentially because when I texted, “I’m not even near there. My add is 14365 Ventura”, I see a cancel driver message. Then another and another. Those rides, up near Jack Nicholson’s house are charging me. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/4 "2019-01-31T09:04:14Z")
Did you use cash or c.c.? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/5 "2019-01-31T11:08:49Z")
How would you use cash, under the circumstances? Must be a cc. You can dispute charges with your cc company. Also, anyone care to translate "…requests to personally deliver “flowers” to their nearest address. " into English? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/6 "2019-01-31T14:21:38Z")
The message is a bit garbled but I gather that you feel you were overcharged for a short trip. I have only used Uber a couple of times but each time it quotes me the exact amount I will pay before I commit to ordering the trip. If you still ordered the trip knowing how much it would cost, then you will not be successful in a credit card dispute and you will probably not get anywhere by complaining to Uber. You would have more luck if your pickup were extraordinarily late, no-show, or some other severe service problem. > [@](#): > > Ventura Bl means you better be standing somewhere in the woods near Mulholland dr. 7 miles away. I can’t figure out the meaning of this at all. > [@](#): > > But I’m charged evidentially because when I texted, “I’m not even near there. My add is 14365 Ventura”, I see a cancel driver message. Then another and another. Those rides, up near Jack Nicholson’s house are charging me. You are not even near where? Did you get charged for rides you never took? And what’s Jack Nicholson really like? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/7 "2019-01-31T15:04:07Z")
I’m not surprised that the app didn’t understand **Locrian**. I do not, however, share his confidence that a human would understand him. I _think_, best as I can reconstruct, that he requested a ride, with the starting point specified merely as “Ventura Boulevard”, without regard for the fact that a street is one-dimensional, and thus can represent many different locations. The app parsed his request to the best of its ability, presumably by placing his location at the midpoint of that street. A driver then went to the specified point, found no passenger, and entered it as such. **Locrian** is now being charged as a no-show, because he wasn’t where the app assumed he would be. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/8 "2019-01-31T15:26:42Z")
… aaaaaand this is precisely why they do not have a phone number. Can you imagine the costs to staff customer service reps, to work through THAT? Sorry, O.P. but you don’t need to speak to a person. If you wanna try using Uber again, give them an address involving street numbers, and follow the instructions given on screen from there. Nobody’s gonna translate your Jack Nicholson forest spiel, especially not a CSR who likely won’t even be located in California, let alone be familiar with the weird geographic idiosyncrasies I think you’re trying to describe. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/9 "2019-01-31T15:32:21Z")
I have no idea what’s going on in the OP, either. Sounds like maybe he ordered Uber multiple times and feels he’s been charged by several cars? I haven’t the faintest clue, but that’s all I could parse from the “cancel driver” part of his inscrutable OP. There are cancellation fees with Uber. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/10 "2019-01-31T15:35:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not surprised that the app didn’t understand **Locrian**. I do not, however, share his confidence that a human would understand him. > > I _think_, best as I can reconstruct, that he requested a ride, with the starting point specified merely as “Ventura Boulevard”, without regard for the fact that a street is one-dimensional, and thus can represent many different locations. The app parsed his request to the best of its ability, presumably by placing his location at the midpoint of that street. A driver then went to the specified point, found no passenger, and entered it as such. **Locrian** is now being charged as a no-show, because he wasn’t where the app assumed he would be. I’m not sure that’s possible with the app, IIRC when I’ve requested an alternate pickup location I’ve had to drop a pin where I actually want the uber to meet me. I’m also confused as to what the OP is on about but I’d love to find out. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/11 "2019-01-31T15:42:14Z")
And there is a way to dispute cancellation fees online, if that is the case. Log into your account in a web browser, go [here](https://help.uber.com/riders/article/am-i-charged-for-cancelling-an-uber-ride-?nodeId=5f6415dc-dfdb-4d64-927a-66bb06bc4f82), and click on “Review My Cancellation Fee.” You must be logged in for it to link to the correct form, otherwise, if you’re not logged in, it will send you a generic information screen. Yes, I know it doesn’t answer the OP’s request for a phone number, but it’s a start if that is indeed what the problem is. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/12 "2019-01-31T16:05:18Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > I’m not sure that’s possible with the app, IIRC when I’ve requested an alternate pickup location I’ve had to drop a pin where I actually want the uber to meet me. > > I’m also confused as to what the OP is on about but I’d love to find out. What I suspect happened is that the OP manually overrode the pickup location for an unknown reason, got a call from the driver looking for the OP, the driver got the new address from the OP and started the ride, then drove to pick up the OP and then on to the destination. What should have happened is either the OP cancels the ride or the driver waits for a few minutes then cancels the ride as a no-show. Either would rightfully incur a no-show or cancellation fee. The driver isn’t supposed to start the ride in advance of actual pickup for any reason. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/13 "2019-01-31T16:28:23Z")
When using the passenger app, always enter the physical address or the name of business. Do not use the “my location” pickup option as that will lead to problems. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/14 "2019-01-31T17:26:02Z")
As a former Uber driver I am shocked! Shocked that there is customer dissatisfaction with the app and customer service! Now excuse me as I go to cash in my earnings. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/15 "2019-02-02T14:35:37Z")
Maybe you need to stop taking flowers to Jack Nicholson’s house so often. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2019, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/16 "2019-02-03T05:59:26Z")
Dispute it with the credit card company. Use service not as described. If you linked to a debit card, your options are less. Never use a debit card to purchase things. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2019, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/17 "2019-02-03T06:30:22Z")
I’m familiar with the area the OP describes, and I’m guessing that there was some wild discrepancy with either the pickup of the drop-off. I rarely use Uber, but I have seen some small glitchy location things on Lyft. If OP was going into the hills (maybe? not clear) it’s possible the satellite or cell-tower location was wildly off, though GPS usually works well even when there’s no cell signal at all. In my limited experience, if you make a significant complaint about a ride (more than “the driver wore too much cologne”) you can get a refund. That doesn’t make up for the inconvenience the OP seems to have experienced, of course. Then again, “ride shares” are an artificially cheap service which will go away completely when venture capital and the stock market finally realizes there’s no there there. Then it’s back to the insanely shitty, unreliable, and dangerous licensed taxis of Los Angeles. TL;DR If you absolutely have to get where you’re going in LA in a timely and comfortable manner (say, early AM LAX flight), you have to pay for it–private car hire services are it. Much more expensive than Lyft/Uber, but only slightly more than the shit-ass taxis, and they will show up on time in a nice car. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2019, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/18 "2019-02-03T06:52:22Z")
I can’t help the OP either but I’m absolutely adding “abodolutely” to my lexicon! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2019, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/19 "2019-02-03T07:12:52Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > Ventura Bl means you better be standing somewhere in the woods near Mulholland dr. 7 miles away. > [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I can’t figure out the meaning of this at all. This is what the OP is going to say when s/he calls the Uber phone #. It’s a legal doctrine which obligates them to refund the $19.00. Or maybe it’s just the way people in the Valley talk now. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711/20 "2019-02-03T14:04:57Z")
Another factor is that the app subtly gives you a little marker pip you can move around. You don’t have to hit accept with a pickup point in the middle of the woods - you can move it to where you actually are. I have had trouble with this myself, forgetting to do this. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-phone-now/828711.md?page=2)