Uber + Paytm = one hell of a ride!

A big Uber fan

I was one of the earliest users of Uber in India, and had recommended Uber to many of my family members and friends. Not for the sake of referral bonus, but because I believed that Uber’s predictability is more trustworthy than other aggregators.

One day, I visited my hometown, Hyderabad. After setting up the phone for my father, I thought of installing Uber for them to travel peacefully at their whim. So I used my credentials to set up an Uber account for them, and paid for it with my credit card.

The context

One simple middle class tradition in India is that kids try to make their parents comfortable once they start earning. They take care of their parents’ expenses by providing a luxury or a new kind of experience and pay without informing them. It is for this reason that I linked my account to my dad’s phone, so he could book as he wished and I would pay for it through my Paytm account.

We had a few rides in Hyderabad and all went smoothly. It was a great experience, up until the last ride. My Paytm wallet had a 123 rupees (US$1.80) balance, but my last ride was around 194 rupees (US$2.90), so the amount didn’t get deducted. I figured that it would get deducted as soon as I recharged my wallet.

Frustration ensues

One morning, while on my train back to Bangalore, I tried booking an Uber from the station to my flat. It said insufficient funds. I tried transferring from another Paytm account. I had two Paytm accounts since I was exploring it, and put money into whichever account was logged in on the phone.

There was about 170 rupees (US$2.50) in that account and I tried to send it to my Uber-linked Paytm account. So, the total amount was 293 rupees (US$4.40), which was neither deducted for my previous balance, nor permitting me to book a new cab!

Fed up by trying repeatedly and seeing the same message stating “insufficient funds”, I got the idea of creating another account on Uber by linking it to my 2nd Paytm account. It didn’t work, so I tried switching between both accounts.

Nothing worked, and I finally got a message saying that I was logged out, and not allowed to log in at all! Till then, I didn’t even have Ola or TaxiForSure on my phone, as I am a UX fanatic and always believed that Uber beats any other aggregator in UI/UX.

Uber support

When I came home, I mailed Uber support and only received standard auto responders. Nothing happened, so I tweeted a couple of Uber employees, and finally someone responded. I opened my uber account and it seemed fixed — Wow … I am able to login now! I thanked that person and got off the conversation. This happened on February 5.

After a week or so, I had to book a cab for my parents that evening for them to reach the airport. Whenever I tried to book an Uber, it said insufficient funds, or when I tried to pay off the dues, it said, unable to deduct from Paytm wallet.

It was a pressing moment for me as they were getting frustrated with the time for checking in getting closer and without a cab booked. I had to resort to Ola and that was yet another frustrating experience because of its unpredictability.

Frustrated by this event, mail exchange started between me with the Paytm and Uber support team as follows:

Me to Uber

In the interim …