Uber Support Sucks, a Horror Story

TL;DR is that Uber has no customer support. This pretend they do but it is just a trick that wastes customers’ time.

My work gave me a $50 Uber Eats gift card for my birthday. That seems nice, I can order some food. Little did I know that this was a curse that would cause me to waste crazy amounts of time. Not because I care so much about the $50, but mostly because a scummy organization like Uber doesn’t deserve to get it.

In the future I know to reject any gifts involving Uber.

The trouble first started because Uber wouldn’t let me order until verifying my phone number, which they require installing their app for. So I install their very-likely spyware to input my phone number into a text field. However it rejects my number for an unexplained reason. I tried using their support but it was clearly robots that eventually started complaining that I wasn’t responding from the correct email. (I was using the same email the sent the message to, I triple checked.) Eventually I gave up.

It is worth noting that I have had an Uber account for about 7 years. I have spent a lot of money including in University and when traveling in the US for work. No human with two brain cells would think that my account was fraud in any way.

Anyways a couple of months go by and the fact the Uber has my $50 is bugging me and someone recommends me a restaurant that only delivers via Uber Eats. Well it is as good a time as any to try again and to my surprise it accepts my number! This all seems good, I prepare my order and submit!

But no dice. I get the worlds most generic message that just says to go to their help site. Not a deep link, not even a link. I reluctantly install the app but it doesn’t work either. So I remove the app and go to the help site.

The help site doesn’t have anything close to relevant, and no contact info. So I do what is unfortunately required these days and go to Twitter. I DM Uber_Support and surprisingly they respond in a couple of minutes. Here is the conversation from there.

Chat Log

February 5th 16:40

Me: Hi, I got a gift card but when I place an order it says it fails and to go to http://help.uber.com. Of course there is nothing there anywhere close to related. Please fix it.

February 5th 16:47

Uber: We definitely want to take a closer look. Please send us the screenshot of the error you received, so that we can assist you.

Me:

February 5th 18:45

Me: Hello?

February 5th 19:48

Uber: Thank you for the information. We are currently reviewing your concern and will be in touch via in-app and email as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience.

February 6th 12:16

At this point the conversation switches from Twitter DMs to email.

Uber: Hi Kevin,

Thanks for reaching out. I’ve checked your account and everything seems to be in order.

If the issue still persists, we request you to try logging in from a different device or use a different payment method so we can check whether the issue is with the device, the payment method, or the app.

Please write to us with a screenshot if you are still facing an issue and we would be happy to assist you further.

Thank you for your patience.

February 9th 12:31

I didn’t need food for a while so I finally put in the order and surprise, surprise it gave the exact same error.

Me: It still doesn’t work. The first time it made me reset my password, which I did. The second time it still failed with the exact same error.

[Basically identical screenshot]

February 9th 12:55

The AI (pattern matching the string “reset password” I assume) triggered on this request so I got a useless help answer.

Uber: Happy to help reset your password.

You can reset your Uber account password by going to t.uber.com/forgotpassword. You will be sent a link to enable you to reset your password.

The link will expire after a certain amount of time. If it’s not working, just fill out the form again and another email will be sent to you with a new link.

Please note that this new password will be reset for both your Eats and Rides accounts.

February 9th 13:15

Me: That was not the issue. Please send this to a human.

February 9th 14:58

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for reaching out.

I’ve checked your account and everything seems to be in order.

I apologize for an additional task, but following these steps should be able to resolve your issue:

1. Please delete the app and reinstall the app, this would be a good first step. This ensures you’re using the latest version available.
2. In case an older version has been downloaded, ensure to update the app to the latest version.
3. If the issue still persists, we request you to try logging in from a different device so we can check whether the issue is with the device or the app.

Please write in to us with a screenshot if you are still facing an issue and we would be happy to assist you further.

Thank you for your patience.

February 9th 15:04

Me: I tried again from a fresh private browser window and it still failed.

February 9th 15:06

A long message that contains nothing of substance. However they appear to think that they have resolve my issue at this point.

Uber: Hi Kevin,

I understand that situation like this is not acceptable for any person and we really don’t want valuable consumers like you to suffer just because of this thing.

If this thing would have been with me so I would have done in a same manner. So definitely its a thing of a concern.

No worries, we will try our level best so that at least we can overcome this you should not suffer just because of this issue. We never wanted to give better customer service to you, rather we wanted to give best customer service you’ve ever experienced in your life.

Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us opportunity to once again serve you with our best.

If I missed something or you’ve got additional questions, you are most welcome to write us back on same email thread and we would be glad to reassess the problem. Have a safe day ahead.

February 9th 15:08

Me: I don’t understand what you are trying to say at all. Please resolve the issue.

Alternatively you can transfer the gift card balance to a friends account and I’ll close my account.

February 9th 15:41

At this point it is clear that there is nothing I can say that actually gets me into touch with a human.

Uber: Hi Kevin,

Thank you for your email and for bringing this to our attention. I am sorry that you’re disappointed with gift cards and not satisfied with our service. It is our intention to help you with the best possible way. I’d love to help where I can and work on your suggestions.

I understand how frustrating it can be to be in such a situation and not have it meet your expectations, so hopefully, we can get this sorted out for you.

Thank you for using Uber Eats.

February 9th 15:43

Me: Your response is not clear. Will you get back to me with a solution?

February 9th 15:54

At this point the robot assures me that it has read my emails. However they do ask me to state what I want. I am doing something else anyways so why not converse with the AI for a bit?

Uber: Hi Kevin,

I read through your previous emails, and I apologize for the trouble with the back and forth responses, and for the support you have received on this issue so far. Even though I am a customer, I understand how it feels.

Words cannot express how sorry we are for the disappointment, inconvenience that you experienced. We are committed to you, our valued Uber Eats members and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us.

Can you please elaborate on how we can serve you better on the problem which you are facing. I’ll be happy to review and assist you further. We assure you to serve a better experience.

February 9th 15:56

Me: Yes. I would like to use my gift card balance. Could you either:

• Fix my account so that I can place orders.
• Allow me to transfer my gift card balance to a friend’s account.

February 9th 16:01

Uber: Hi Kevin,

I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you.

When you want to use your Uber Cash balance towards orders, you’ll need to toggle on Uber Cash under payment methods. To do this:

1. Put together an order
2. Tap your payment method
3. Toggle on “Use Uber Cash” When selected as your payment method, Uber Cash will automatically be used on your orders. If you don’t have enough Uber Cash to cover an order, the remaining cost will be charged to the primary payment method on your account.

Please respond to this email to let us know if the resolution we provided doesn’t straighten out your issue, and we would be glad to reassess the problem.

February 9th 16:04

Me: Please see the earlier discussion. Checkout is not working.

February 9th 16:09

And they send me the exact same template but with the instructions bolded this time!

Uber: Hi Kevin,

I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you.

When you want to use your Uber Cash balance towards orders, you’ll need to toggle on Uber Cash under payment methods.

To do this:

1. Put together an order
2. Tap your payment method
3. Toggle on “Use Uber Cash”

When selected as your payment method, Uber Cash will automatically be used on your orders. If you don’t have enough Uber Cash to cover an order, the remaining cost will be charged to the primary payment method on your account.

Hope this resolves your concern. You also might wanna to check out our Help Page, where you can find answers to many of our frequently asked questions. If you can’t find the answer there, feel free to shoot me an email. I’m here to help.

Please respond to this email to let us know if the resolution we provided doesn’t straighten out your issue, and we would be glad to reassess the problem.

February 9th 16:11

Yes, those are the same steps that were sent last time and they don’t work.

February 9th 16:14

Uber: Hi Kevin,

Our company aims to offer the best possible service and we know we’ve let you down. We hope you can accept our sincere apologies for this experience.

We are committed to you, our valued Uber Eats members and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us.

Thank you for your email and for bringing this to our attention. I am sorry that you’re disappointed with gift cards and not satisfied with our service. It is our intention to help you with the best possible way. I’d love to help where I can and work on your suggestions.

Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us opportunity to once again serve you with our best. If there’s anything else we can do, please get in touch on same thread.

Thank you for using Uber Eats.

February 9th 16:16

Me: At least when you talk to a brick wall it doesn’t have automated replies to make you hope that it is sentient.

February 9th 16:19

Uber: Hi Kevin,

Thanks for reaching out.

I’ve checked your account and everything seems to be in order. I apologize for an additional task, but following these steps should be able to resolve your issue:

1. Please delete the app and reinstall the app, this would be a good first step. This ensures you’re using the latest version available.
2. In case an older version has been downloaded, ensure to update the app to the latest version.
3. If the issue still persists, we request you to try logging in from a different device so we can check whether the issue is with the device or the app.

Please write in to us with a screenshot if you are still facing an issue and we would be happy to assist you further.

Thank you for your patience.

February 9th 16:21

I figured that maybe the AI is looking for a screenshot so I took a new one. There may be the slightest chance that this progresses me through some flow chart.

Me: Yes, you’ve already sent me that exact message and I have done the steps.

[Basically identical screenshot]

February 9th 16:26

Uber: Hello Kevin,

I read through your previous emails, and I apologize for the trouble with the back and forth responses, and for the support you have received on this issue so far. Please accept my sincere apologies. I’m happy to help and make things right for you.

As a growing company, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve the support experience based on consumer feedback. We will continue to do everything we can to speed up and improve our consumer service delivery.

We are constantly aiming to improve our service to you, and your feedback will help us do so.

I appreciate your patience and professionalism. If there is anything else you need assistance with, just to make sure I have taken care of anything, do let me know.

February 9th 16:27

Me: Help, I am stuck in a loop.

February 9th 16:30

Hi Kevin,

Our company aims to offer the best possible service and we know we’ve let you down. We hope you can accept our sincere apologies for this experience.

We are committed to you, our valued Uber Eats members and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us.

Thank you for your email and for bringing this to our attention. I am sorry that you’re disappointed with gift cards and not satisfied with our service. It is our intention to help you with the best possible way. I’d love to help where I can and work on your suggestions.

Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us opportunity to once again serve you with our best. If there’s anything else we can do, please get in touch on same thread.

February 9th 16:32

Me: How about you start by having a human read my message about your issue and actually support your paying customers?

February 9th 16:42

Uber: Hi Kevin,

Our company aims to offer the best possible service and we know we’ve let you down. We hope you can accept our sincere apologies for this experience.

When you want to use your Uber Cash balance towards rides, you’ll need to set Uber Cash as your payment method. To do this:

1. Put together an order
2. Tap your payment method
3. Tap “Change” under “Profile” if you’ve setup a profile
4. Tap “Uber Cash”

When selected as your payment method, Uber Cash will automatically be used on your orders. If you don’t have enough Uber Cash to cover your order, you’ll be given the option to buy just enough to cover your order, or buy a set amount of Uber Cash and receive a discount on the purchase.

Let us know if you have additional questions.

Please respond to this email to let us know if the resolution we provided doesn’t straighten out your issue, and we would be glad to reassess the problem.

February 9th 16:43

Me: I don’t know why I bother replying.

February 9th 16:49

Uber: Hi Kevin,

I understand that situation like this is not acceptable for any person and we really don’t want valuable consumers like you to suffer just because of this thing.

If this thing would have been with me so I would have done in a same manner. So definitely its a thing of a concern.

No worries, we will try our level best so that at least we can overcome this you should not suffer just because of this issue. We never wanted to give better customer service to you, rather we wanted to give best customer service you’ve ever experienced in your life.

Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us opportunity to once again serve you with our best.

If I missed something or you’ve got additional questions, you are most welcome to write us back on same email thread and we would be glad to reassess the problem. Have a safe day ahead.

February 9th 16:50

At this point I went back to Twitter as it seemed plausible that the responses were coming from humans.

Me: Is there any way to actually speak to a human? I’ve been stuck in your auto-responder making loops without making any attempt to actually resolve my issue.

February 9th 16:52

Uber: Sorry to hear about this. We’re still ramping up our phone support and currently available in select locations. Please send us the phone number associated with your Uber account as well as additional information regarding your concern, and we’re happy to have a closer look.

February 9th 16:53

Me: The account is {phone-number}. I have an ongoing support case with a robot where I detail how I can’t place orders or use my gift card balance. I would like to either have my account fixed or transfer my gift card balance to my friend. 4:54 PM

February 9th 17:39

Me: Hello?

February 9th 18:37

Me: Hello?

Shit, I’m getting ghosted.

February 9th 18:52

Time for the Hail Mary. I send them an email.

Me: Legal action

February 9th 19:07

No luck.

Uber: Hi Kevin,

Sorry to know about the trouble caused here. The situation you have described is certainly not the experience we expect you to have.

We understand that a situation like this is not acceptable for any person and we really don’t want valuable customers like you to suffer just because of this thing. We suggest following the troubleshooting steps:

Log out of the app, then log back in to the app Restart the app Restart the device Redownload the app Update the app

Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope this information is helpful to resolve your concern.

We always value your patience and understanding with regard to this matter. Please respond to this email to let us know if the resolution we provided doesn’t straighten out your issue, and we would be glad to reassess the problem.

Thank you so much for using Uber Eats. Have a wonderful day.

To be continued…

I’ll see if they respond on Twitter. I also might see if there are some gift card consumer protection laws that I can report them to. But I know that I’ll never give them a cent again.