Sudden drop in Uber rating
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K and PP, AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Uber One
Posts: 1,346
Sudden drop in Uber rating
My Uber passenger rating had been between 4.79 and 4.81 for quite a while (12+ months). Then recently, in a 4 week period, it has moved down to 4.72. I noticed a big drop all of a sudden (to 4.76) and then a gradual lowering. My travel patterns, and behavior, have remained the same (IMHO).
Has anyone else seen similar? Has uber changed how they compute your average? Given the approx 1800 rides I've taken, I'm not even sure how this change is mathematically possible.
Has anyone else seen similar? Has uber changed how they compute your average? Given the approx 1800 rides I've taken, I'm not even sure how this change is mathematically possible.
Last edited by ikwia; Oct 26, 2016 at 8:48 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,374
I don't think Uber has ever said how this "average" is computed. We don't know if it is weighted or some such. Uber says a driver's rating is "based on an average," not explicitly a straightforward arithmetic mean, of only the last 500 trips.
Personally, I've been at the same passenger rating, give or take a hundredth of a point, ever since I've started checking. So I can't personally corroborate your experience, but it matters not -- a passenger's rating is damn near useless. I know people rated 3.xx stars and even people rated 5.00 stars (all of whom are women, gee I wonder why...); their Uber experiences are identical.
Personally, I've been at the same passenger rating, give or take a hundredth of a point, ever since I've started checking. So I can't personally corroborate your experience, but it matters not -- a passenger's rating is damn near useless. I know people rated 3.xx stars and even people rated 5.00 stars (all of whom are women, gee I wonder why...); their Uber experiences are identical.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Boston, MA, USA
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As an occasional weekend driver, I would disagree with this. If a rider has a rating less than 4.5, I don't pick them up. It's rare but it's a sure indication that they're consistently a problem. Every time I've picked someone up with a rating <4.5 I've regretted it almost instantly.
So if drivers are not accepting your trip request, it will get bumped further and further away from you, and your wait time will increase.
So if drivers are not accepting your trip request, it will get bumped further and further away from you, and your wait time will increase.
#4
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: NYC
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As an occasional weekend driver, I would disagree with this. If a rider has a rating less than 4.5, I don't pick them up. It's rare but it's a sure indication that they're consistently a problem. Every time I've picked someone up with a rating <4.5 I've regretted it almost instantly.
So if drivers are not accepting your trip request, it will get bumped further and further away from you, and your wait time will increase.
So if drivers are not accepting your trip request, it will get bumped further and further away from you, and your wait time will increase.
#5
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: LA
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Posts: 600
My Uber passenger rating had been between 4.79 and 4.81 for quite a while (12+ months). Then recently, in a 4 week period, it has moved down to 4.72. I noticed a big drop all of a sudden (to 4.76) and then a gradual lowering. My travel patterns, and behavior, have remained the same (IMHO).
Have you used different Uber products (e.g., more POOL? less BLACK?). This can impact your rating.
Personally, I've been at the same passenger rating, give or take a hundredth of a point, ever since I've started checking. So I can't personally corroborate your experience, but it matters not -- a passenger's rating is damn near useless. I know people rated 3.xx stars and even people rated 5.00 stars (all of whom are women, gee I wonder why...); their Uber experiences are identical.
But drivers do care if your rating is in the 3.xx range. I know of many drivers who will not accept rides from passengers rated below a certain level because it means the passenger often makes drivers wait etc. That level is far below the 4.7 the OP is mentioning, so they have nothing to worry about.
As an occasional weekend driver, I would disagree with this. If a rider has a rating less than 4.5, I don't pick them up. It's rare but it's a sure indication that they're consistently a problem. Every time I've picked someone up with a rating <4.5 I've regretted it almost instantly.
In NYC, I've heard from several drivers that a passenger who does not tip is automatically gets a lower rating. Which brings us back to the whole Uber/tipping argument that I will steer clear of.
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,785
An Uber driver will know immediately after the ride if you tip or not because it has to be in cash. So it became more like a bribing system. If you tip well, you will get 5 stars... if you don't then it is up to the driver....
#7
Join Date: Dec 2013
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#8
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, NY
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Well ideally it's supposed to be a gratuity for great service. If a driver does the bare minimum of just driving me from A to B with no communication and no proactive trying to get through traffic they get what the system quotes. But when I get a driver that engages me and tries to provide a better service I like to tip. I like Uber for the network & the 2x Amex MR points but I like Lyft's platform for the tipping option as I don't always have tip money on me. Especially after a night out.
I noticed a ranking drop after my trip to LA where I used Uber Pool often because it was often ridiculously cheaper than UberX. But now I'm back up to 4.9.
I noticed a ranking drop after my trip to LA where I used Uber Pool often because it was often ridiculously cheaper than UberX. But now I'm back up to 4.9.
#9
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
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#10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, NY
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Engage can come in many different forms. From the long conversation (which I generally wish to avoid) to things like asking route preference, cabin temp, if I wanted a water or to charge a phone. I had a driver the other day that asked if I wanted music, news or no music. The simple things can make for a much more comfortable ride.
I've also had drivers turn off or decrease volume of the radio when they notice I got a call. That helped and was worthy of a tip to me.
I've also had drivers turn off or decrease volume of the radio when they notice I got a call. That helped and was worthy of a tip to me.
#11
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 415
As an occasional weekend driver, I would disagree with this. If a rider has a rating less than 4.5, I don't pick them up. It's rare but it's a sure indication that they're consistently a problem. Every time I've picked someone up with a rating <4.5 I've regretted it almost instantly.
So because I travelled outside my little bubble now I have to wait longer and longer for a car? I may not even get picked up at all because drivers are snobs that consider anything less than 4.5 as not worth their time?
#12
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: SFO
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Posts: 2,239
I don't use Uber much (only 18 rides before said trip) and when I took a trip to LA and used Uber a few times, I noticed my rating fall dramatically from 5.00 to almost 4.5. So I did the math and found I was getting 3 stars almost every time; I tried tipping once and got 5 stars. Then I started checking my rating after every ride and doing the math and if I got only 3 stars and didn't tip, I would rate the driver 1 star. I suggest you all do the same if you take few enough Uber rides to be able to tell what the driver rated you from your rating before and after the ride to try and weed out those drivers who give everyone 3 or 4 stars for not tipping.
#13
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: LA
Programs: Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Delta Platinum Medallion, AAdvantage Platinum Pro
Posts: 600
I don't use Uber much (only 18 rides before said trip) and when I took a trip to LA and used Uber a few times, I noticed my rating fall dramatically from 5.00 to almost 4.5. So I did the math and found I was getting 3 stars almost every time; I tried tipping once and got 5 stars. Then I started checking my rating after every ride and doing the math and if I got only 3 stars and didn't tip, I would rate the driver 1 star. I suggest you all do the same if you take few enough Uber rides to be able to tell what the driver rated you from your rating before and after the ride to try and weed out those drivers who give everyone 3 or 4 stars for not tipping.