Couple urges Uber to take action after imposter driver gets busted at Port Everglades

A couple flew to South Florida for a cruise vacation and hired a driver to take them to the port But they were driven straight into a scary situation with police s Heather Walker investigates Going on a cruise can be a lot of fun Natasha Roosekrans We had an amazing vacation Randy Roosekrans That s true Randy and Natasha Roosekrans say their cruise to Europe was smooth sailing but getting to the ship was a rough ride Randy Roosekrans I apologize I was trying to make it easier Officer You re not so keep your mouth shut at this point Back in April Randy and Natasha flew from Georgia to Fort Lauderdale for a three-week cruise They decided to Uber from their hotel to Port Everglades It was their first time using the app Randy Roosekrans When we were thinking back about everything that happened that at any point during the process of the ride our lives were potentially at vulnerability They say everything seemed legit at first Natasha Roosekrans It was the right car that was advertised and it had the Uber sign Randy Roosekrans It matched the number The driver even had Randy s Uber confirmation code a four-digit pin number drivers and riders get when a trip is booked Randy says it didn t take long before things took a wrong turn Randy Roosekrans Ten minutes in the driver starts kind of looking around himself and you know feeling over on his seat He commented Well I seem to have left my wallet somewhere ' Port Everglades requires everyone over to show an ID at the checkpoint including rideshare drivers The driver pulled over and appealed Randy to get behind the wheel Randy thought he was helping Randy Roosekrans He announced You ve got your passport on you and so why don t you just switch places with me and drive in Well he got into the rider seat I came out of the backseat and got in the driver seat The plan didn t work The officer at the checkpoint inquired everyone in the car for their ID s The Uber driver was sitting in the patron seat next to Randy Things kicked into high gear and Natasha caught it on video Officer Where s your ID Driver I try Officer Produce it Produce it for me now Don t play like you don t understand what I m saying Driver No No Officer You wanna play that contest I ll put you in handcuffs and tow your car Officers took the driver s phone and checked his Uber account Officer I can t verify your account so it sounds to me like you re operating on somebody else s account and not your own I m writing you a notice of violation because you don t have identification that matches with your Uber account That s a dilemma An officer then recounted Randy and Natasha their driver was using a family member s account to pick up fares Lady Officer What s happening right now is illegal okay Randy and Natasha had to get out of the car and find another ride to the pier Randy Roosekrans It was embarrassing for us Natasha Roosekrans We re standing there with our luggage just in the middle of the street To add insult to injury when they filed a complaint with Uber and requested a refund the company stated them this trip isn t eligible for a refund Randy Roosekrans Illegal driver you know not his car petitioned the traveler to drive him in got detained by the police We were escorted out by the police If this doesn t qualify for a refund I m gonna have you tell me what does We emailed Uber to ask why Randy and Natasha weren t eligible for a refund A representative reported they would look into the complaint and the couple got their money back the same day But Natasha says it s not really about the cash Natasha Roosekrans It has to do with the safety of passengers What if it s a young kid that s Ubering someplace Things may have started off rough but Randy and Natasha didn t let it wreck their vacation They just hope rideshare apps work harder to pump the brakes on bogus drivers Heather Walker News Broward Sheriff s Office issued the driver two citations and a trespassing warning He will also have to pay a fine