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Father, son get surprise Uber fee after NFL game

A Charlotte customer brings up a cautionary tale of after he and his son took an Uber to an NFL game. The day after the customer was shell-shocked by the price and the reason for it, he decided to "Get McGinty" to get answers!

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It’s been reported that 40 million of us use Uber and other ride-sharing services.

A Charlotte customer brings up a cautionary tale of after he and his son took an Uber to an NFL game. The day after the customer was shell-shocked by the price and the reason for it, he decided to “Get McGinty” to get answers!

When you take an Uber or another ride sharing service, do you snap a picture of the car? After you hear this story, I bet you will and here’s why.

It was a rainy October Sunday in the Washington D.C. metro. The Redskins were playing the Cowboys in what would shape up to be a soggy birthday surprise for Chris McGady and his 17-year-old son Matt who drove up for the game from Charlotte.

“This was a huge gift for him and the smile on his face was something to be treasured forever,” Chris said.

Being out-of-towners, Chris did what a lot of us might do, they called Uber to get to the game from their hotel.

The Uber got Chris and Matt to and from Dallas’ 33-19 win over Washington, but the next morning, Chris woke up to a huge surprise.

He had been charged an additional $150 for a cleaning surcharge. He felt he’d been sacked!

“According to Uber’s own policy, one must have vomit, bodily fluids or urine, something like that,” Chris said.

“But there was none of that?” I asked.

“Absolutely not,” Chris responded. “We got the car slightly wet.”

Chris and his son were wet from the game, but no wet than the hundreds of others who took Uber home. And the driver, he could have called an audible and refused them admission to his car had they been “that wet.” If the water was an issue, why was he working in the rain? Did he expect dry passengers at the end of this rainy NFL game?

“He never raised an issue with you being wet?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think he engaged us in any conversation at all,” Chris said.

Chris tried to fight the penalty by disputing the charges but Uber backed the driver’s call. The total charge of fare, plus cleaning of $189 stood.

Chris McGady the emailed me and I emailed Uber. And within six hours, Uber had a big and very sudden change of heart.

Uber refunded him the cleaning fee of $150 and they refunded the fare for the trip, another $39, and they gave Chris a $20 credit for future rides.

Chris McGady, your problem has been solved!

This instance serves as a reminder that taking the photo of the car’s condition will help you prove your case. Always save your documentation until the bill is finalized.

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