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Most costly Uber fare ever

Having just landed in the U.K. after a trans Atlantic flight, I was in no mood for the shenanigans that were about to unfold. 

I had booked a rental car through Expedia using a company called Advantage Rental Car. The info I had was that the agency was in the airport with a 24-hour desk. This is important because I would prefer not to drive 10 kilometres to get to the agency frankly. 

To make matters worse, my bag had not arrived and so a painstakingly slow process of filing the claim for the bag had already put me an hour behind schedule. 

I follow the signs to the rental car area, which, it turns out, was a very long walk from the terminal. 

No company called Advantage was in the lot, just the usual premium brands. Gnashing my teeth, I walked back to the airport to check and make sure I had not walked past a desk or booth. On verifying that I had not lost my mind I called my Expedia help line. 

The process with Expedia continued to include lengthy hold times and so I hung up knowing they would call me back with info and decided to get an Uber and go to the Advantage address shown on my Google maps. 

I booked an Uber for the princely sum of £9 and walked back to the rental car area again which was the Uber pick up point. 

My driver showed up and I jumped in the back making sure I was as cheery as possible, there was no reason to give him a bad day. He confirmed we were going to Advantage Rental Cars. I said yes.

He then drove 50 metres and advised me we were there.

I argued that the address I put in was still showing it was 10 km away. He was unable to explain why but insisted I was there. 

I had already had enough so I said thanks and I would try and figure it out. 

I walked in to the rental kiosk area and asked in a loud voice if anybody knew who Advantage Car Rental were, the guy behind the National Rental Car counter looked at me and asked:

“Are you Mark Jennings-Bates?”

Now I was ticked. 

It was at that time that Expedia called me back and said they had spoken to Advantage, who put them on to National who said they could not find my booking. They politely offered me $25 for my troubles and left me to figure it out with National. 

Eventually I was released.

No, I did not get any refund or discount from Uber, which means that my trip cost the equivalent of $320 per kilometre.

I hope the driver enjoyed a coffee on me.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

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About the Author

Mark has been an entrepreneur for more than 40 years. His experience spans many commercial sectors and aspects of business.

He was one of the youngest people to be appointed as a Fellow of the prestigious Institute of Sales and Marketing Management before he left the U.K. in 1988.

His column focuses on ways we can improve on success in our lives. Whether it is business, relationships, or health, Mark has a well-rounded perspective on how to stay focused for growth and development.

His influences come from the various travels he undertakes as an adventurer, philanthropist and keynote speaker. More information can be found on Mark at his website www.markjenningsbates.com

He is a Venture Partner with www.DutchOracle.com a global Alternative Investment company.

Mark Jennings-Bates:
[email protected]
 

Photo credit: www.SteveAustin.ca 



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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