you don't like uber dude, we get it

You're a cantankerous moron that has never liked me and passive aggressively likes to make posts like the one you just made, I get it

j,

Uber seems to be a pretty evil company hell bent on maximizing their market share and profit at all costs. However, I don't think what you wrote qualifies as one of those things (and there's no shortage of things). Their whole pitch is a simple all-included price to get from place A to place B, all handled easily and efficiently from your phone. Having to deal with tipping is one of the things they've eliminated by including the tip in the amount they charge you.

Now, you can argue that makes the amount left for the driver ridiculously low and nowhere near what they claim, sure. But I don't see how you can say it's ****ty of them to inform customers that the tip is included in the price.

Because the tip isn't included in the price??

How can you say it is included, any more than it is included in any standard cab fare?

But the tip isn't included in the price. People would still use the service if they felt obligated to tip, uber is just trying to take as much market share as they can right now and that's one of the ways they can squeeze out more riders.

Right now they're hurting for drivers. That's why you hear BS ads all day for drivers that are flat out falsehoods or at the very best serious misrepresentations of fact, and people get exploited. So yea, i'll shout long and loud about how ****ty they are because many people have no idea.

They're very savvy, i would not be surprised at all if an astroturfer pops up if this thread goes long enough.

I don't see how you can say tip is included in the price when compensation per mile/minute is astonishingly low and going lower and uber takes 20% off the top of every ride you do.

Its not terribly significant, but what the ****s the point? When you have to spend $30+ each day to do your job as it is.

El D,

Not sure why you think the "tip is included" in the charge.

In Seattle, Uber costs were literally less than 50%, for mileage, meter drop, and wait time, than all the taxis. For a far superior service.

I totally get the whole, don't take out your wallet on the trip thing. But its super easy to let the rider enter a tip on the app.

Just as a little anecdote, I would say probably 2-3% of my riders tipped.

One of my recent Uber drivers was driving a company car from his 9-5 that has all gas/maintenance paid by the company. So he only drives Uber during prime time and basically has zero expenses. I'm sure companies offering company cars will catch on to this sooner than later but he's got a helluva gig going right now!

repost in the every day scams/justified theft thread

What measures would the average Uber driver take to keep the backseat upholstery free of vomit, urine, and other bodily fluids? Are plastic seat covers pretty much mandatory, or would the passengers resent the implication and leave bad reviews?

One thing you have to remember about Uber is, to get a ride, you need to be someone who is capable of having a smartphone and credit card. So that alone keeps a large number of ****birds out of your car.

Interestingly, I'm the only person to have thrown up in my backseat. I consumed a capsule with Rick Simpson oil. Was not good. One time I had to pull over for a guy to get out of the car and puke on the side of the road. Only sort of close call.

fwiw, this is what the lyft tipping screen looks like.

i prefer the convenience of an all in one price, and if current uber prices per mile are not high enough to sustain a population of drivers, then i'd be happy to see them raised to a level that are. unlike most foreigners, i'm totally fine with US tipping culture (and tip well), but pretty much all the negative experiences i've had have involved vegas taxi drivers being dickish because they thought they deserved $5 instead of $3-4. anything to distance ridesharing from this is a good thing imo.

lastly, it's a minor point for most people, but given uber are trying to establish themselves as the world leader in this market i think having a 'no tipping' policy worldwide makes sense. if i go overseas and decide to use the app it's great to have the convenience of not having to consider local tipping etiquette.

jmakin - have you ever driven for uber? it sounds like you have and i'd like to hear your stories!

I have never had anyone do much more than eat in my car. I have leather seats which are easy to clean, and keep a small bag of wipes and a portable vacuum for when it's needed.

$20/hr is after expenses. My car is fuel efficient (36 avg mpg over 10k) and extremely low maintenance. 2015 Honda accord fwiw

chill, j, Big:

It's simple. Uber has always marketed that for UberX and UberBlack that the tip is included in the fare. Their marketing to consumers has always been very clear, the price you are charged is ALL INCLUSIVE, INCLUDING GRATUITIES.

Now, as you state, that's kinda BS, and a judge agreed with you. That's why there's a lawsuit against Uber for deceptive marketing practices, and they've changed their marketing language from "tip is included in the charge" to "there is no need to tip."

I agree that Uber rides are very cheap, compensation to drivers per hour is very low, and they take a high percentage (this is now going from 20% up to 30% for part-time drivers and everyone's first x rides per week). I also agree that Uber seems to treat drivers quite poorly. But none of that changes the main point, that Uber is very clear about the fact that their charge is all inclusive and no tipping is required.

It's very reasonable of you to think that the end result of that is that Uber is a ****ty company to work for, that's what everything I've read about Uber leads me to believe. If enough drivers agree with that, the better drivers will move to Lyft, and the riders will follow (assuming Lyft can keep up with Uber in other areas like routing/matching software). This is a pure commodity service with zero switching cost to the consumer.

Fuel efficiency and low vehicle maintenance / depreciation costs seem like the obvious keys to profitability. Along with being in a favorable market of course. So it sounds like you're (re: UHaul) doing it right. The bodily fluid worries may have more to do with my lack of faith in humanity than anything else.

I would venture to say that the statement "The tip is included" is self-contradictory and therefore impossible to be true under any circumstances, at least as far as my understanding of the useful definition of a tip.

chill,

That's silly. Gratuity or service included is quite common in many situations.

Many limo companies add an auto 20% tip.
Some restaurants include a set service charge in the price rather than have tips.
Many restaurants add an auto-grat to parties above a certain size.

I could come up with plenty of other examples.

I Uber occasionally. Wouldn't do it as a full time job though. I only do it during surge pricing, and wouldn't do it other than that, unless you find a magic formula which I think I found.

http://uberpeople.net/threads/making...whaaaat.20600/

this thread is amusing for quite a few reasons


eddy - what's your hourly?

From the time I leave my house til I get home I've never done worse than $27 an hour. Best was $42.

In my experience, all uber drivers lie about their hourly, similar to poker players, or they just don't understand the true cost to drive.

It just started up in Portland, thankfully. I asked the young guy who drove me the other day how it's been so far and he jovially said it was awesome making $30/hr! Haha.

Also, if you use uber and don't have the quicksilver card yet, along with the standard 1.5% cash back you get 2x $30 uber credit and 20% off all uber rides until April 2016.

Diablo, my definition of tip contains the concept of it being discretionary, not required. Those instances (while all silly, IMO) are pointong out some amount that is presumably passed through to a front line service person, without any taken out by the owner of the establishment. It is arguable whether this actually happens in those cases, but Uber makes not even a pretense of a certain amount going to the driver over and above his normal pay).

Uber seems like an awful company to work for and I would happily use an alternative if one with similar convenience existed.

This is pretty confusing. So, you wouldn't Uber full time. Not unless you found the "magic formula", which you think you have. On confirmation that you have indeed found the magic formula, you will then Uber full time?

I think the tipping discussion would make for an interesting new thread