Surprise Charges Hitting Canadian Uber Users
Ottawa residents who rely on Uber for rides or food delivery may want to take a closer look at their credit card statements. Across Canada and the United States, Uber customers are reporting unexpected recurring charges for Uber One — the company's monthly membership program — that they insist they never knowingly enrolled in.
Multiple customers reached out to CBC News after noticing strange charges from Uber on their accounts. In many cases, the charges had been quietly appearing for months before the account holders caught on. Some discovered the issue only after a diligent review of their bank statements; others were alerted by a single unfamiliar transaction.
What Is Uber One?
Uber One is a subscription service that costs around $9.99 per month in Canada. It offers perks like discounts on rides and food delivery, waived delivery fees, and priority customer support. On paper, it sounds like a reasonable value for frequent users — but only if you actually signed up for it.
The customers who spoke with CBC News are adamant they did not. Several described clicking through app prompts without realizing they were agreeing to a paid subscription, while others say they have no memory of any such prompt at all.
Uber Pushes Back
For its part, Uber denies enrolling customers without consent. A spokesperson told CBC News that no one is added to Uber One without explicit agreement, and that the company has processes in place to prevent accidental sign-ups.
But that explanation isn't sitting well with the customers who say they've been charged. Some have had difficulty getting refunds, while others report spending hours navigating customer support to resolve a problem they didn't create.
The situation raises broader questions about how subscription services are presented within apps — particularly when sign-up flows are embedded in routine checkout or onboarding processes where users may not read every screen carefully.
A Pattern Worth Watching
This isn't the first time a major tech platform has faced scrutiny over subscription practices. Dark patterns — design choices that nudge users into actions they didn't intend — have become a growing concern for regulators in Canada and abroad. The federal Competition Bureau has previously examined misleading subscription practices across various industries.
For Canadian consumers, the situation is a reminder to audit recurring charges on a regular basis. Subscription fees, especially small ones that fly under the radar month after month, can add up quickly.
What You Can Do
If you think you've been charged for Uber One without your consent, here's what to do:
- Check your email for any Uber One confirmation message, which would have been sent at sign-up.
- Log into the Uber app, navigate to your account settings, and look under subscriptions or Uber One.
- Contact Uber support through the app to request a refund if you believe you were enrolled without consent.
- Dispute the charge with your credit card provider if Uber does not resolve it to your satisfaction.
Uber says it will issue refunds to customers who were enrolled by mistake, though some affected users say the process has been more difficult than it should be.
Source
Reporting based on CBC News investigation. Read the original story at CBC.ca.
