A MUM claims she ordered a ￡4,500 taxi to Ukraine to help during the conflict with Russia after "one too many drinks".
Leoni Fildes says she was only saved by having "insufficient funds" in her account to make the 1,700-mile journey - though Uber tried to charge her nine times.
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Mum-of-two Leoni Fildes claims she tried to order an Uber to Ukraine after 'one too many drinks' Credit: Kennedy News 5
The taxi would have cost her up to ￡4,758 Credit: Kennedy News
The 34-year-old had been out to celebrate her friend's birthday on March 12 when talk turned to Ukraine.
She claims she had already downed a "few double pink gins" and "shots of Sambuca" when she drunkenly decided to visit to "help" the cause.
The dog grooming business owner says she tried to order a cab, estimated to cost ￡4,578, but was told there wasn't enough money in her account.
It wasn't until the following morning when her bank phoned to say they suspected her card had been used fraudulently that she remembered what she had almost done.
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Mum-of-two Leoni, from Worsley, Greater Manchester, said: "I'm 34 - I should know better.
"The next day I didn't remember doing it. I was like 'oh my god'.
"I woke up to my bank ringing me, thinking my card had been.
"Uber tried to take the payment nine times out of my account. They were pretty determined.
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"I had a little flashback when the bank called and I said 'I think it was me - sorry'.
"Normally, Uber allow a trip in advance but they've recently stopped it so I was lucky.
"I remember when we were looking, we said 'oh, we'll get the comfort one'. That's dearer - the XL one."
Leoni had become involved in the political chat when she was asked if her boyfriend, who is in the military, might be forced to fight if the UK entered the war.
She claims the conversation soon spiralled and she decided to order a taxi to Kyiv, the city at the heart of the conflict.
If Leoni had ordered a regular UberX, it would have cost her between ￡2,564 and ￡3,313.
But if she had splurged out on an UberXL, it would have cost between ￡3,688 and ￡4,758.
Uber's Comfort option, which offers extra legroom, temperature and conversation choices, would have left her between ￡3,014 and ￡3,891 out of pocket.
'ONE TOO MANY DRINKS'
Leoni said: "I'd gone out with one of my friends in Swinton. We came up with the conversation about the war in Ukraine.
"My boyfriend's in the military and we were talking about if he had to go. I said, 'if he goes, I'm going with him'.
"One too many drinks later, we were trying to get a taxi home. We said 'shall we get a taxi and go help them?'.
"We'd been out for about four hours so I'd had a few double pink gins, and quite a lot of shots of Sambuca and a bottle of prosecco. I think that might have tipped me over the edge."
Leoni continued: "I don't know what I'd do if Uber had let me order it. I don't think I'd have got in but you don't know after a drink.
"I might have piled into the taxi and realised when we got further out.
"It would have been coming out of my account and I don't know where I'd have woken up."
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An Uber spokesperson said: "We can confirm that no trip requests were successfully made in this instance.
"We are looking into this further to understand what happened."
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Leon said conversation turned to Ukraine while on an night out with a friend Credit: Kennedy News 5
No money left Leoni's account because she had 'insufficient funds' Credit: Kennedy News 5
The dog grooming business owner claims Uber tried to charge her nine times Credit: Kennedy News
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