This Guy Had The Worst Day Of His Life When His Uber Driver Left Him Alone On A Highway
"I have never felt more vulnerable in my life."
By Nandini Balakrishnan — 10 Jun 2016, 07:14 PM — Updated over 8 years ago
Uber reaches out to rider who was left stranded by the Senai highway
Responding to the incident, Uber got in touch with Loh on Friday evening for clarifications about the unfortunate incident.
Speaking to SAYS, Loh said that the online transportation company will be refunding him with RM100 worth Uber credit. The driver in question has been suspended pending further investigation.
"In the rare instances when riders or drivers have issues with their Uber experience, our dedicated support team works around the clock to connect with both parties and find solutions."
"When we learned of Lc Loh's experience, we reached out to him to explain our policy and refund his fare, and are investigating the driver in question, who has been temporarily suspended from the platform until further notice," explained Uber representatives.
10 JUNE: Since Uber was first launched in Malaysia back in 2013, locals have been singing praises about its impeccable service and system
As the service is generally doing pretty great locally, most social media posts about Uber and its drivers have been positive, until we came across this guy's disturbing encounter a couple of days ago
A facebook user named LC Loh posted a status detailing his experience with his Uber driver in Johor and it was anything but pleasant.
Confident with the service, Loh had requested for a driver on Wednesday evening, for a trip from AEON Tebrau City to the Senai International Airport.
"I was scheduled to fly out of Johor, back into KL, at 7pm. I was in Johor for work," explained Loh.
He had apparently called the driver at 5pm and had asked the driver to pick him up from the entrance he was waiting at.
The status was posted yesterday evening on 9 June and it has been shared for 109 times.
While waiting, he received a call from the driver and found out that he was waiting at a different entrance from the one Loh had mentioned earlier
"He was at the wrong entrance. Instead of point A, he was at point B, which was all the way at the other end."
Assuring himself that the driver might have just misheard the name of the entrance, Loh took a brisk walk over to where the driver was waiting at.
"Thankfully AEON Tebrau was not enormously big. I was thinking, 'That's OK. He probably got confused when we spoke'," added Loh.
When he got there, Loh realised that the driver's car was in less than satisfactory condition.
"You know how some cars are clean, tidy and pleasant - The type that makes you feel comfortable when you step in...This was quite the opposite."
One of the main reasons why most people opt for Uber is due to how its drivers' cars comply to a certain standard of cleanliness and comfortability to ensure the the riders have a decent ride.
Dismissing his thoughts, Loh reminded himself that he needed to rush to the airport to catch his plane at 7pm and the trip would be a short one as the airport is only about 30 minutes away.
Upon entering the car, Loh had asked the driver to use the navigation app Waze's directions to the airport. The driver refused to and insisted on using Google Maps instead.
Assuming that the driver was more familiar with Google Maps, Loh sat patiently while the driver started the trip.
"The drive was fast. I took a peep and saw that he was going at about 120 to 130km/h. I was secretly quite happy about that, because it means that I would reach the airport sooner!" read the post by Loh.
Looking at the brighter side, Loh was happily contemplating grabbing a snack and taking a mini rest before boarding. That was when pretty much everything went downhill.
"At some point during the drive, he started searching through his belongings and checking his phone. Before I realised, he took a wrong turn and we lost our way."
Making matters worse, the driver's cell phone ran out of battery and died. Loh explained how the driver had two different phones, but only one was equipped with the Google Maps app and that happened to be the one that ran out of battery.
"I didn't know where I was and coincidentally, the UBER driver didn't know either."
Relying on his "keen sense of observation", Loh managed to get them back on to the highway thanks to the road signs.
It wasn't 6pm yet and Loh was pretty certain they would get to the airport a little after the clock strikes six.
He was feeling better and calmed himself down with thoughts of how he'll be home and in bed latest by 10pm.
That's exactly when the driver told Loh that his car was running out of fuel.
"I got a little worried. I asked him in return if we will be able to make it to the airport safely."
The driver confidently answered that they will make it to the airport and that "everything will be fine."
"I trusted him... unfortunately, the UBER driver was wrong," wrote Loh, adding that the car came to a halt, out of the blue, in the middle of the Senai-Desaru Expressway.
The driver was panicking and appeared confused and unsure about how to proceed. Realising that, Loh told the driver to call the helpline for assistance but he apparently wasn't able to communicate the message to the operator.
"After speaking to the operator I found out that he called the wrong helpline. He dialed the helpline number for PLUS Highway instead of Senai-Desaru Expressway."
"I searched with my phone and found the right number. I called, then explained to them our situation and gave them our location," narrated Loh.
The highway patrol arrived sometime later with the fuel and to Loh's surprise, the driver didn't have the money to pay for it
In a note of desperation, Loh handed the patrol officer RM10 for the fuel.
"The UBER driver was quiet. I was half expecting a 'Thank you' or 'Hey! I'll pay you back when we get to the airport', but nothing. He didn't say anything," wrote Loh.
Frustrated with the evening's less than pleasant events, Loh called a friend to pick him up from where he was at.
It was past 6:30pm and Loh knew that he'll miss his 7pm flight anyway.
"I called my friend's sister who was staying in Johor for help. She was shocked and told me that she would come and pick me up. I was glad that I know someone staying in Johor."
He then went on to inform the driver that he wasn't going to continue the ride and asked him to cancel the trip.
All the driver said was, "Ok" and got into his car and drove away.
Loh was all alone in the middle of the highway with nothing but his backpack and it was almost nightfall.
"After all that he put me through, he could have at least offered to wait with me until my friend's sister came to pick me up," said Loh.
"Because of this Uber driver, I was late, I had to pay for his petrol and I missed my flight. But no. He did not wait. He just left."
"I have never felt more vulnerable in my life. I felt abandoned, with literally no where to go."
Thanking his lucky stars that his phone was still working, he called his friend's sister and she told him that she was half an hour away.
When she arrived, he rushed into her car and finally felt like he was safe again.
"When I got into her car. I felt saved. I was finally safe," said Loh.
Just as he felt the sense of relief wash over him, he got a notification saying that he has been charged for the entire ride by the Uber driver
"The Uber driver who got us lost, drove on an empty tank, couldn't pay for his own petrol and left me alone on the highway, charged me for a trip that he did not even complete. I was lost for words."
The friend was kind enough to take him out for dinner, console him and drop him back at the airport afterwards.
He booked another flight at 9pm and it ended up being delayed till 10:15pm. Loh wrote how he only got home around midnight and that he had an early flight to catch the next morning at 7am to Kota Kinabalu.
Moving forward, while speaking to SAYS, Loh revealed that he has already sent complaint letters to a couple of Uber support emails but has not gotten any replies so far
"I have written to [email protected] and [email protected], even left comments on UBER apps but no one replied. Tried to look for a contact number as well but I don't think UBER ever make it public."
His post on his unfortunate experience, was accompanied by a reminder to fellow Uber users on how it only takes a single bad situation to ruin the entire experience of using the service.
Loh also highlighted the three things he's seeking from Uber following the incident:
- A refund for the trip.
- The RM10 that he gave on behalf of the driver for the fuel charge.
- Compensation for his flight back to Kuala Lumpur that he has missed that evening.
Loh also went on to leave a few gentle reminders to Uber drivers on using Waze, ensuring that their cars are fueled up and carrying a car charger
Loh's post read:
"To a small percentage of UBER drivers out there, though not as relevant to my trip yesterday (because his phone would have ran out of battery anyway), please be more open to the idea of using Waze (it's really quite reliable), even if you are very familiar with the area.
"It doesn't hurt to check. One additional function that Waze has is that it focuses on a social network where drivers can share information about accidents, police officers, road closures, and more. Who knows, there might be an unexpected traffic jam somewhere. You might save more time with Waze."
"Also, please make sure your tank is at least half-filled, have an in-car charger for your phone and at least have some cash on you," said Loh.
"Through it all, I am thankful that I was safe. I am thankful that I have friends in Johor that helped me and finally, I am thankful for the good weather yesterday."
Loh's sunset shot that was taken while he was waiting for his friend's sister to pick him up
Image via Facebook/Lc LohUber is available in five major Malaysian cities including Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru, Ipoh and Kota Kinabalu
The app's user friendly interface became a major rival to local taxi services that have seen better days. Complaints have been pouring in about Malaysian taxi drivers that have been accused of overcharging, ill behaviour and a lack of interest in the passenger's safety and comfort.
Uber's launch in Malaysia was well-received by the locals, with many commending the transportation service for it's friendly drivers, fare rates that come with frequent promotions and well maintained cars.