Oluwaseun Oyelakan, a Lagos State resident, has explained how he was debited by Bolt for a ride that never happened. He narrated that the ride-hailing company deducted sum of N3000 from his Fidelity Bank account.
I suddenly received a debit charge of N3,000 from my Fidelity Bank account through the card payment method being used on Bolt app.
Here's what happened; Oyelakan told FIJ that after he booked a bolt in December 2023 via the bolt app, one bolt driver accept his request and few minutes later, the driver suddenly cancelled his order without prior notice.
However, next thing he received after ride cancellation was debit alerts from Fidelity Bank. Oyelakan further explain and said "when I examined the debit notification closely, it was for the ride that never happened."
He immidiately contacted Bolt's customer care in the ride-hailing app to request for an explanation for the unexpected deduction for ride that was cancelled. When Bolt replied via email, they told Oyelakan that "the dubious deduction" from his Fidelity Bank account was a pre-authorisation charge that was aimed at verifying the validity of his Bolt-linked debit card.
On the other hand, Oyelakan explained that the bank card was never to be debited for pre-authorization charges as he has been using the card on the bolt app for a very long time and several other ride-hailing companies in the city.
Bolt further told me that the money would be reversed to my account within 14 business days. The official added that if there was a reversal delay from the card-issuing bank, which was Fidelity Bank, after the stipulated period, I should visit any of the bank’s branches.
However, the money was not reversed when reversal given period elapsed. He then re-contacted Bolt customer service to ask for update. Bolt then gave him another 14 to 30 days reversal period, cited that the reversal procedure depends on how his bank chose to refund the money.
When Oyelakan noticed that Bolt isn't willing to refund the money, he visited his bank to lodge complaints. "I visited two Fidelity Bank branches on two different days in December 2023 to lodge complaints on the matter. The Fidelity Bank officials then gave me clear-cut responses about the transaction and my complaints, saying the charge was not from their end."
He also cited that his bank told him that "the only solution would be for Bolt to initiate the refund from their end because the money was already in Bolt’s account."
Oyelakan added that his money hasn't been refund yet. Infact, "I saw similar complaints on Bolt’s official X (Twitter) account when I tried to lodge a complaint on their handle."
Have you ever experienced similar issues with Bolt or any competing ride-hailing companies in Lagos? Let's us know via the comments section. You can also learn how Bolt Payment works in this our comprehensive guides.