Horror in paradise: Couple charged nearly $30K for short Uber ride

Costa Rica - Was thus trip worth it? A young couple vacationed in Costa Rica. However, when the two checked their bank account one morning, their minds were blown.

Douglas Ordonez (r.) and his wife Dominique experienced a vacation fiasco in Costa Rica.
Douglas Ordonez (r.) and his wife Dominique experienced a vacation fiasco in Costa Rica.  © Screenshot/Instagram/douglasordonezjr

For a vacation abroad, you sometimes have to dig deeper into your pocket, especially if it's for a vow renewal!

How much money Dominique and Douglas Ordonez from the US had to spend on a ride seems more than strange.

However, this is not due to unrestrained and wild party nights with champagne and booze, but to an unbelievable mishap of the ride-share company, Uber. According to the New York Post, Uber had charged no less than $29,994 from the couple for a car ride.

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But was this a silly mix-up, a typing error, or did the couple actually fall for a scam?

The cause is still not entirely clear, and the affected couple made a shocking statement on TikTok about the situation.

"@Uber charged me $29,994 for a single ride! Correct conversion should have been $54, but was charged 600% more," the woman shared, noting that the ride was 29,994 Costa Rican colones, which should have been converted to roughly $55.

Uber vs. the bank

Uber blamed the bank, while the bank blamed Uber. (Stock image)
Uber blamed the bank, while the bank blamed Uber. (Stock image)  © Unsplash/@austindistel

As it turned out, it was an annoying mistake on the bank's part, yet the bank pointed the finger at Uber.

However, Uber's customer service didn't see itself as responsible. To make matters worse, the bank suddenly took aim at the couple themselves, saying it was their fault for alerting the bank of out-of-country travel, which allowed them to use their debit cards while there.

The money disaster didn't seem to be solvable anytime soon either, as the bank employees on the phone told Dominique and Douglas that it could take up to seven days to process their complaint. Far too long!

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But what happened next for the frustrated couple?

TikTokers finally get reimbursed lost funds

Thanks to their video series on TikTok, however, the mega-expensive mistake was somehow handled by their bank five days after the annoying incident took place.

"All of a sudden, the charge was fixed, the charge was reversed. I ended getting all of my money back. Obviously, I had a lot to say to them because I have a daily debit card limit, and this bypassed all of the security measures that were in place with my bank," a relieved yet irritated Dominique tells her followers.

The bank also apologized via email.

What is still pending, however, is a change of bank and a civil suit for gross negligence.

Cover photo: Screenshot/Instagram/douglasordonezjr

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