Last week, a California couple celebrating their five-year anniversary in Central America was forced to put their vacation on pause when an Uber ride in Costa Rica – that should have cost them $50 – charged them almost $30,000.


Posting to Twitter, Douglas Ordonez exposed Uber and Altura Credit Union for allowing the charge to go through. Apparently, the $29,994 was never converted to US dollars and instead was charged in colón.


“Now I’m in Guatemala with a negative balance on my 5-year anniversary,” he said.



His wife Dominique posted a series of TikToks elaborating on the mistake, and the abhorrent customer service from each corporation that followed. Apparently, her card’s travel notice had allowed the charge to process unflagged.


“My bank and Uber were basically blaming each other,” she said.


@dominique.xo.xo Replying to @user485530046132 ‼️‼️ Part 2 (posting part 3 rn) I always use my credit card for international charges. Unfortunately, I was rushing & didn’t realize my debit card was attached to my @Uber ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim


@dominique.xo.xo Replying to @Chanel ‼️‼️ Part 3 Still haven’t heard from @Uber …. While this was being “resolved” my account was on hold & I had no access to $$ while traveling internationally. @Altura Credit Union refused to send me anything that outlined the policy, but replied w/ an email after I outlined the negligence & failed security measures they had taken place. Still trying to get answers... Side note: If you haven’t visited Guatemala, make sure you do. It’s beautiful here! ✈️ #emotionaldamage #horrorstory #uberscam #uber #fyp #travelhorrorstory #traveltiktok ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim


She also stated that while both Uber and Acura had commented on her husband’s viral tweet, neither had personally contacted the couple or followed through with their messages.


“$30,000 should never be allowed to go through. Travel or not,” Brooke Love commented.



Ultimately, after four days of surviving in Guatemala with no money, the funds were reinstated. But the next time the couple needs to take a taxi in a foreign country, maybe they should just pay with cash.