Multiple states have joined a lawsuit against Uber after a “free trial” scam cost customers hundreds of dollars.
The lawsuit, originally filed by the Federal Trade Commission in April, alleges that Uber enrolled people in its Uber One subscription program without permission and made it too challenging to cancel.
Members with Uber One pay $9.99 per month or $96 per year for a range of perks, including cash back on Uber rides and free delivery fees on Uber Eats.
According to the FTC, multiple customers alleged that Uber signed them up for the service without consent or charged them for the service before their free trial period had ended.
In at least one instance, the lawsuit said that a person was charged the monthly fee even though they didn’t have an Uber account.
The FTC also noted that Uber requires users to take at least 12 different steps on at least seven different screens to cancel Uber One — and cancelation gets even harder within 48 hours of the billing date, requiring as many as 23 screens as well as contacting customer service.
At the time, Uber said in a statement that its sign-up and cancellation process is straightforward, simple and lawful, and that it doesn’t charge or sign users up without permission.
Now, 21 states and the District of Columbia filed an amended complaint joining the FTC, alleging that Uber charged people for Uber One without consent, made it difficult to cancel, and failed to deliver promised savings and perks, including the $0 delivery fees.
“Free trials should actually be free – not traps that lock Marylanders into unwanted monthly charges,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said. “We’re filing this lawsuit to stop Uber’s practices that we believe are deceiving consumers and costing them their hard-earned money.”
“Particularly when costs of living are higher than ever, no one should ever be stuck paying for a subscription they do not want,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement.
“We are joining this lawsuit to stop Uber’s deceptive and illegal conduct and to ensure that the more than 100,000 DC residents who are paying for Uber One subscriptions have an easy way to cancel if they no longer wish to use the service.”
In addition to the District of Columbia, states that joined the lawsuit include Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
“Deceptive enrollment and billing practices have no place in the marketplace,” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a news release.
