When there is too much demand and too few cars on the road, on-demand car service Uber raises its prices.

Saturday evening, while sleet and snow pounded the East Coast, Uber's surge pricing kicked into effect. The prices were unusually high — seven to eight times normal charges in some places — and people took to Twitter to scream.

Former NBC and ESPN host Michelle Beadle is normally a fan of the car service. But not last night.

Love ya @uber, but $132.00 to get across town last night?! I'm not made of money! — Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) December 15, 2013

Spark Capital investor Mo Koyfman was annoyed by the absurd prices too.

.@uber is loved by customers, but charging 4x - 8x in inclement weather is unacceptable. is that one day's margin > customer experience?!? — Mo Koyfman (@mokoyfman) December 15, 2013

A social media manager, Jessica Gioglio, was forced to pay $91 for a 3-mile ride.

Love @uber but a $91 black car from Back bay to central Sq during the snowstorm last night = price gouging: pic.twitter.com/ybTSgBXWXV — Jessica Gioglio (@savvybostonian) December 15, 2013

Another unhappy customer took a picture of the absurd Uber prices in Brooklyn.

The Uber situation in Brooklyn right now is not particularly great pic.twitter.com/OAABfMhDfJ — Bryan Bonczek (@itsbonczek) December 15, 2013

A few days ago, a "thinkfluencer" parody Twitter account said it couldn't believe it was being asked to pay so much for a ride either. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick responded, explaining the surge pricing and the fact that no one can escape it.

@ProfJeffJarvis everyone's treated the same with surge pricing .. Even you.. More cars come out, more rides, Fewer ppl stranded /@Uber_NYC — travis kalanick (@travisk) December 12, 2013

Uber has explained multiple times how its surge pricing works, often after popular days like Halloween and New Years Eve when Uber raises prices and people cry out on social media.

"By *raising* the price you *increase* the number of cars on the road and maximize the number of safe convenient rides. Nobody is required to take an Uber, but having a reliable option is what we’re shooting for," Kalanick wrote in January 2012. He points out this pricing structure is something all sorts of businesses do to manage spikes in demand, from hotels to airlines to car rental services.