Sudden drop in Uber rating

Old May 23, 2017, 4:02 am
  #31  
 
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Originally Posted by darkhound
Exactly.

Tipping is for service. Driving is a low-skill job that requires zero service, which is why they will all be replaced by driverless cars within 5 years, max. I just need a nice silent ride, and a computer can provide that perfectly.

The only exception is when the driver gets out to help with baggage or my stroller, but that is very rare.
Originally Posted by Explorer789
Not tipping does not somehow justify giving poor rating as an act of petty revenge. This makes the drivers guiltier imo.

Most of the time, drivers are just college students or middle-age adults just trying to make a few bucks on the side. They are hardly broke and most seem quite happy and friendly, which is why I just give a token 5% at most for a standard ride but not always.

Regardless of the monetary status of the rider, it is not our job to participate in this "trickle down economics" scheme while corporations get rich. If these blue collar workers do not like whatever they are getting paid, then they should be complaining to the company they work for or find another job.
Sigh.

Ok fellas.

You're right. Uber drivers are all doing this as a side hustle by choice, earning a few bucks to supplement their massive primary incomes.

Do yourself a favor and actually talk to a driver here or there. I've met more than my fair share who are really working their tails off to make a living. Yes they may be replaced by computers one day, but that doesn't mean they don't have a family to support right now.
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Old May 23, 2017, 9:54 am
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by Miami305
Sigh.

Ok fellas.

You're right. Uber drivers are all doing this as a side hustle by choice, earning a few bucks to supplement their massive primary incomes.

Do yourself a favor and actually talk to a driver here or there. I've met more than my fair share who are really working their tails off to make a living. Yes they may be replaced by computers one day, but that doesn't mean they don't have a family to support right now.
They also voluntarily signed up to work in a system that has no method of tipping in it, and is advertised as entirely cashless system, so shouldn't expect tips as a result. To me, that sounds like the drivers fault for getting into a system that doesn't yield what they expect. (And I've known a couple of people that have driven for uber, none of them still do, largely because they found it wasn't worth what they were earning.)

I don't know how long you have as a passenger to rate the drive, but the obvious answer to this blackmail by the drivers is to wait until they've rated you, and if you can determine that your rating went down because you didn't tip, rate the driver a 1. It's far more critical that the drivers maintain the higher rating, because they'll get kicked out if it goes too low, so if enough passengers made a stand and did this, maybe the drivers would get the message.
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Old May 23, 2017, 10:30 pm
  #33  
 
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Originally Posted by Miami305
Sigh.

Ok fellas.

You're right. Uber drivers are all doing this as a side hustle by choice, earning a few bucks to supplement their massive primary incomes.

Do yourself a favor and actually talk to a driver here or there. I've met more than my fair share who are really working their tails off to make a living. Yes they may be replaced by computers one day, but that doesn't mean they don't have a family to support right now.
This is a joke, right?

How hard you work has nothing to do with how much you get paid. You're not entitled to a living wage. You are paid what the market wil bear. If these career Uber drivers are unhappy with their career, they should change it. Tipping in the US is ridiculously out of control as it is. And let's be honest here... we're not talking about a tip, we're talking about a ransom... $5 for 5 or nobody will ever pick up your fare again.
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Old May 24, 2017, 6:57 am
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by kb9522
This is a joke, right?

How hard you work has nothing to do with how much you get paid. You're not entitled to a living wage. You are paid what the market wil bear. If these career Uber drivers are unhappy with their career, they should change it. Tipping in the US is ridiculously out of control as it is. And let's be honest here... we're not talking about a tip, we're talking about a ransom... $5 for 5 or nobody will ever pick up your fare again.
No I'm not joking.

Spend 5 minutes in your next Uber trip talking to the driver. You'll come to appreciate they are another human being trying to make a living. If it was as simple for everybody to change careers as you make it seem, then I'd be an NBA player by now. For many who were not blessed with an opportunity for higher education, Uber is a way to make ends meet. Their alternatives (e.g., working at a McDonalds) may prevent them from being able to see their kids as much etc.

Tipping in the US is embedded in the culture. I don't like it, but I happen to live here and will adhere to norms. A $1-2 tip to my Uber driver does not dent my bottom line, and I sure as heck don't do it because I want a 5 star rating. I do it because it is a nice thing to do for another person. I recognize it's not a lot of money (almost always <10% of my fare), but the Uber driver's smile and gratefulness for a small gesture always makes my day.

TLDR: Being nice to others when you can afford to is apparently not a common thing, judging by the recent posts.
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Old May 24, 2017, 7:01 am
  #35  
 
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I stumbled on this by accident, I had wondered why my Uber rating had dropped to 4.5 for no good reason. Uber needs to stop advertising as cashless, I assume the tip was built in to their fees, but clearly it is not. No other reason for my rating to be so low.

I love the cashless concept, we do have another company in Montreal called Teo that is truly cashless, I will use them more often as they pay their drivers an actual salary.

I totally am happy to tip drivers, but I want to be able to do it on the app. Works well for my kids too.
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Old May 24, 2017, 8:55 am
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by Bogwoppit
I assume the tip was built in to their fees...
The tip *IS* built in to the fee, just like a train ticket includes the compensation for the driver etc and airplane ticket includes the compensation for the pilot. No extra tipping needed for the driver/pilot. When I compare prices for a route in Uber and Lyft, usually the Uber comes out as more than Lyft, but when adding a tip to Lyft then the prices are about the same.
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Old May 24, 2017, 10:45 am
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by Miami305
No I'm not joking.

Spend 5 minutes in your next Uber trip talking to the driver. You'll come to appreciate they are another human being trying to make a living. If it was as simple for everybody to change careers as you make it seem, then I'd be an NBA player by now. For many who were not blessed with an opportunity for higher education, Uber is a way to make ends meet. Their alternatives (e.g., working at a McDonalds) may prevent them from being able to see their kids as much etc.

Tipping in the US is embedded in the culture. I don't like it, but I happen to live here and will adhere to norms. A $1-2 tip to my Uber driver does not dent my bottom line, and I sure as heck don't do it because I want a 5 star rating. I do it because it is a nice thing to do for another person. I recognize it's not a lot of money (almost always <10% of my fare), but the Uber driver's smile and gratefulness for a small gesture always makes my day.

TLDR: Being nice to others when you can afford to is apparently not a common thing, judging by the recent posts.


I talk to my Uber driver all the time. I usually don't get a sob story, but even when I do, it doesn't change the fact I'm paying a fair market price for a service.

If you don't understand the reasonable difference between switching from being an Uber driver to a vocational profession vs. becoming an NBA player (which Jeremy Lin did through sheer hard work, by the way...), then this will be a very short conversation.

You're right, tipping is embedded in the US culture... It's wildly out of control. For that exact reason, people should not be spreading it like a disease to services that do not require a tip! There are threads here about people tipping GAs and FAs! It's absolutely ridiculous. I tip where a tip is due per the culture.

You seem to think that what people who are comfortable in life earn or what they are worth is solely for the benefit of others. This is an absolutely ridiculous assertion, and if you stopped letting your emotions cloud your judgement for one second, you would see that as well.

Make no mistake about it... tipping, as far as Uber is concerned, is blackmail/extortion... A tip in exchange for a rating.
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Old May 24, 2017, 10:54 am
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by heffa
The tip *IS* built in to the fee, just like a train ticket includes the compensation for the driver etc and airplane ticket includes the compensation for the pilot. No extra tipping needed for the driver/pilot. When I compare prices for a route in Uber and Lyft, usually the Uber comes out as more than Lyft, but when adding a tip to Lyft then the prices are about the same.
Train conductors and pilots make a very comfortable living wage. Uber drivers delivering you safely from one place to another do not.

I am an Uber driver, and while I do not give out low ratings for not tipping, if you've made me wait, or done anything else for me to consider giving you a lower rating, and you do tip, you'll still get 5* from me.
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Old May 24, 2017, 11:14 am
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by fighterfoo
Train conductors and pilots make a very comfortable living wage. Uber drivers delivering you safely from one place to another do not.

I am an Uber driver, and while I do not give out low ratings for not tipping, if you've made me wait, or done anything else for me to consider giving you a lower rating, and you do tip, you'll still get 5* from me.

Well for me for sure it was the tip. I wait outside and look out for the car, I am gentle with the car, I do not eat in the car. I will chat if they seem to want to and be quiet if that is the vibe. I would prefer a comment along with the rating, that would be far more useful.
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Old May 24, 2017, 1:57 pm
  #40  
 
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Using Uber and Lyft is like going into a bar and never tipping your bartender. You'll get a drink the first couple times, but after while you may notice it get's harder to get the bartender's attention for your next round.

More and more ridesharing driver's are taking a star off passenger ratings for not tipping. They also look at passenger ratings as part of the decision process for accepting your ride request or not. The lower your rating goes, the harder it's going to be for you to get a ride.

If there are no issues with my ride, I always tip my driver. I really wish Uber would change their app to accommodate including the tip on my charge card.
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Old May 24, 2017, 2:06 pm
  #41  
 
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Originally Posted by heffa
The tip *IS* built in to the fee
No.

"The Uber app does not include a tip when billing you for a trip fare."

https://help.uber.com/h/f7385bf5-174...f-3d9b62facc45
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Old May 24, 2017, 2:09 pm
  #42  
 
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Originally Posted by kb9522

You seem to think that what people who are comfortable in life earn or what they are worth is solely for the benefit of others. This is an absolutely ridiculous assertion, and if you stopped letting your emotions cloud your judgement for one second, you would see that as well.
No. I think that people who are comfortable in life have a duty to help others less fortunate.

This is perhaps a life lesson you should consider.
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Old May 24, 2017, 2:34 pm
  #43  
 
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Originally Posted by Miami305
No. I think that people who are comfortable in life have a duty to help others less fortunate.

This is perhaps a life lesson you should consider.
That is an absurd statement. And one that is clearly rooted in deep seated emotions rather than any logical explanation.

I am not going to be everyone's nanny just because they made some less than optimal life choices.
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Old May 24, 2017, 2:43 pm
  #44  
 
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In NYC, at least, the pricing structure for UberX is designed to roughly match taxi fares, including a tip for taxis, but not for Uber. In other words, the tip is built in. I see no reason to tip on top of that.
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Old May 25, 2017, 12:23 am
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Originally Posted by Miami305
No. I think that people who are comfortable in life have a duty to help others less fortunate.

This is perhaps a life lesson you should consider.
Why stop there? Why tip the Uber driver when you could be donating that money to feed a dozen starving children in Africa/Asia? I mean, uber drivers are neither starving or homeless.

I get there are less fortunate people in the world, and I never forget how grateful I am to have the life I have. But I also believe people must help themselves to get where they want in life through hard work and overcoming their own unique set of obstacles. I would rather pressure companies pay decent wages and have the tip baked into their pricing model rather than putting the burden on the customer, and then penalizing them if they don't tip.
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