Viral TikTok Exposes Uber Eats for Overcharging Customer by $57 for a Group Order

Any time you run into an issue with a company that made an error and refuses to correct it, a TikTok video may be a feasible solution. After TikTok user Alex Mutammara exposed Uber Eats for charging him an extra $57 for placing a group order, his video went viral and the company eventually gave him a refund.

However, it wasn’t until after the TikTok video caught the attention of more than 1 million social media users that Uber Eats was willing to rectify the issue. Keep reading to find out more about the TikToker's experience and what you can do if Uber Eats overcharges you for an order.

Although Uber Eats’ group ordering feature is meant to take the hassle out of placing an order for multiple people, it appears many have run into issues, one of which includes being overcharged. In his TikTok video, Mutammara says that as the group leader, or creator of the group order, he came across an unexpected charge of $57.24 on his account.

TikToker @alexmutammara then shared a screenshot of his order, which totaled $24.88, followed by the additional charge. Unsure as to why there was a separate charge of $57.24, he reached out to the company via the app for help. Although the Uber Eats support team attempted to be sympathetic toward Mutammara’s situation, they did nothing to resolve it.

After several unsuccessful attempts at getting his money back from Uber Eats, Mutammara deemed it a loss. To his surprise, however, after his TikTok video gained significant attention (1.9 million views as of Dec. 6), he was then contacted by Uber Eats.

After making a fourth video exposing the online food ordering platform for charging him an extra $57 and having his content go viral, Uber Eats decided to refund him the $57.24 he was overcharged.

The company also sent Alex this message via the app: We’re sorry to hear that you were overcharged for your group order. This is not the experience we want our users to have and can understand your frustration.” The message continued: “We want to make things right and we’ve gone ahead and refunded you the $57.24.”

In addition to helping Mutammara get his money back from Uber Eats, TikTok users also shed light on recurring issues they’ve experienced while using the food ordering app. Here’s what a few had to say.

Have you ever wanted to place a group order but you don't want to front the money for the entire order and wait for everyone to pay you back? This is precisely why the Uber Eats group order option was created. The feature allows multiple people to place their orders together, and each is responsible for paying for their own meals.

So, if you and a few co-workers decide you want to order from the same restaurant, you can without one person having to pay for it all. Here’s how group ordering works on Uber Eats.

1. Choose a restaurant and click Start Group Order. One person will need to initiate the order so that others can join in.
2. Invite people to order. After a group order is created, a link is generated and can be sent to anyone you want to join in on the order.
3. Pay and track your order. Each person who places an order in the group order will be required to pay their own bill.

As convenient as it sounds, some customers have experienced some issues while using the group order feature on the Uber Eats app or website.

If you’re overcharged for an Uber Eats order, you can send the company a message via the app in an attempt to get the issue resolved. If the company refuses to address your issue, you may then want to contact your bank. Most banks protect their customers from certain unauthorized charges.

So, if Uber Eats charges you for your meal (plus fees and tip) and you find another charge on your statement, report that one as unauthorized.

Depending on who you bank with, the financial institution may issue you a temporary credit while it conducts an investigation.