Product Review for Uber Pet: Disappointing Experience with Cancellations

When Uber Pet launched, I was excited about the idea of a service tailored to pet owners. The convenience of hailing a ride without worrying about whether my dog would be accepted seemed like a game-changer. However, after my recent experience in Lisbon, I’ve realized that the reality of using Uber Pet can be far more frustrating than expected.

The Struggle to Get a Ride

On the day of my dog's grooming appointment, I planned ahead, giving myself what I thought was plenty of time. My Lagotto Romagnolo, who needed a much-overdue trim, was ready to go. I booked an Uber Pet ride and got an estimated wait time of five minutes. But just as I was expecting the driver to arrive, I received a cancellation notice.

No big deal, I thought—I’d simply request another ride. But then the next driver canceled. And the next. This pattern repeated itself multiple times, stretching what should have been a quick ride into an infuriating 45-minute ordeal. Each time I secured a car, the driver either canceled after a few minutes or simply never moved toward my location, forcing me to rebook again and again.

Unreliable and Stressful

By the time I finally secured a ride that didn’t cancel, I was running embarrassingly late. What was supposed to be a smooth trip turned into a stressful rush, with my carefully planned schedule completely derailed. The entire experience left me wondering—if Uber Pet isn’t a reliable option, what’s the alternative?

The inconsistency of the service is what makes it most frustrating. Uber Pet exists to offer pet owners a sense of reliability, yet in practice, it seems to suffer from a major flaw: drivers can cancel at any time with little accountability. While I understand that drivers have the right to decline a ride, the unpredictability makes it nearly impossible to depend on the service, especially when you’re on a tight schedule.

What Needs to Change?

Uber Pet could be a fantastic solution for pet owners, but it needs serious improvements. If drivers are opting into the Uber Pet service, they should be required to honor the ride once they accept it, barring emergencies. There also needs to be more transparency—if certain areas have few willing drivers, users should be informed upfront rather than left waiting through multiple cancellations.

Until then, my trust in Uber Pet is shaky at best. If you’re in Lisbon and considering using the service, my advice is to allow for extra time—and be prepared for cancellations.