MONTREAL - A Quebec legal clinic has served formal notice to Uber demanding the company reimburse consumers who paid higher than normal ride prices on New Year's Eve.

The president of Juripop says he sent the notice Thursday and is ready to pursue a class action lawsuit if Uber refuses to give Quebec customers their money back.

Marc-Antoine Cloutier says the clinic's lawyers will invoke Quebec's consumer protection laws and the province's Civil Code if the case is brought before the courts.

He says about 20 customers have already come forward.

Clients across Canada and the United States have taken to social media to complain after paying several times the normal rate for rides on Dec. 31 due to surge pricing.

Uber has said it warned customers beforehand about the rise in prices during peak times.