Uber passenger charged $990 fare after she fell asleep and driver ‘went the wrong way’ in 78km detour

Ashleigh was out in central London when she ordered an Uber to take her home. She never thought it would be the most expensive ride of her life.

A stunned Uber customer was charged $A990 after she fell asleep and the driver took a 79-kilometre detour.

Furious Ashleigh Cooper was out in central London for her work’s Christmas night out when she used the Uber app to book her ride home.

The accounts manager was quoted around $A374 for the journey from St James’s Park to Gillingham, Kent, which should have been 65km.

But the 27-year-old nodded off in the vehicle when the driver decided to take a massive detour via the M25.

The route taken shows the driver headed west along the M25 when he should have gone southeast. Picture: BPM Media

She even woke up at one point with the car stopped at a petrol station as he refuelled.

Ashleigh was charged a whopping $A990 for a 143-kilometre journey after the driver headed west first before making his way round the entire southern half of the M25.

She said: “I knew it would be past an hour, it was really dark and I don’t drive in London.

“I don’t know the area so it was only by length of time. I wouldn’t have accepted that journey if it came up on the quote.

REFUND REFUSED

“The first thing I did the next morning was take it up with Uber and I finally got a call back four days later.”

Uber admitted their driver took her on an extended route but said they were unable to give a refund.

Instead, she was offered $A515 in Uber credit.

Uber staff also told her she would have to take up any issues with Transport for London (TfL).

Stunned Ashleigh says Uber has refused to give her a refund in cash.

Ashleigh added: “After all the bad customer service, I want compensation.

“Their ‘compensation’ offer of Uber credit to use for future rides is insulting.

“I don’t understand; I paid by card, I have never had Uber credit, I wanted to get paid back the way I paid.”

She has also criticised the cab-hailing app for not looking after females travelling solo on their service.

She added: “Me and my friends have taken Ubers from London home before and it was over £100 ($A187).

“I don’t use Uber that often, I would have got the train normally. I don’t want to use them again.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission