Uber customers are unprotected against any overcharges or complaint against the company. This is assured by authorities in the field of transport and regulation.
CRHoy.com revealed Karina Monge’s case: Uber charged her 84,000 colones for a 4.5-kilometer travel. Although the application promised to return her the money, it hasn’t occured.
But what can users do? According to Carolina Mora, ARESEP spokeswoman, Uber customers use the application at their own risk.
The user should remember that there are regulated utilities and in that case, they can file complaints, their rights will be respected. However, any other irregular or illegal service, is exempt of right or complaint. It’s like buying a stolen phone: the user has no protection from any state institution, since it is not a legal service,
declared Mora.
Executive director of the Public Transport Council (CTP) Mario Zarate infomed that both the fee and the charge wil depend on the provider.
Since it is an illegally-provided service, there are not rates. It depends on the citizen who wants to use it. People are exposed to arbitrariness and abuse and their rights can’t be protected,
said Zarate, who recommended people only use the services authorized by the institution.
Transport-specialist lawyer Miguel Jiménez stated that the only option for users is a civil lawsuit. However, since there is not a formal representative, the process could be fruitless.
The lawyer declared that the solution would be to implement a law to regulate these processes.