81–90 of 670 posts
Did Uber change the way they deal with driver ratings? Their "rank and yank" system [1] was once the object of considerate consternation. You would think that it would have been quite effective at dealing with "aggressive, tip-hustling" drivers. [1] http://www.ridesharingdriver.com/low-uber-driver-ratings-a-c...
I drive Uber from time to time. I've only gotten a tip once over ~50 rides. A lot of the time the traffic conditions mean that after costs (I assume $0.40 per mile costs for mileage, gas, maintenance, etc.) my hourly is closer to $8 an hour (because after I drive for a while sometimes I need to drive a long way back as well on my own dime), which is below minimum wage. That's not including having to pick up plastic b…
It sounds like the current rates aren't sustainable and uber needs to charge more.
> Then I’ve discovered first-hand that more and more Uber riders are calling ahead to ask for your destination to see if it’s “worth it” to pick you up. When I use Uber the first question it asks is the destination. I assume this is seen by the driver, no? Why would they have to call?
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Service industries. It's pretty simple. Any job where the worker is unlikely to be appreciated by their boss for going above and beyond but it makes a big difference to me.
The cook in the kitchen gets no tip. Unlikely to be appreciated, gets no share of the tip, and could make my dish a delight, or spit in it. The guy/girl says "i'm gonna be your waiter tonight", and that's the last time you see them, others bring the dishes and clean the table. And by law, they cannot share the tip. When I pay for service, I'd like the employer and the market to figure out for me what's a fair wage. D…
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I treat tips the same way that sales managers treat commissions. (I wouldn't be surprised if that's the model it came from, actually.) If you pretend to care about me and my company while we eat at your restaurant (or whatever) and do all that you can to make the experience a good one for us, then we will tip you well and we will more than likely come back. 20% is usually my minimum, but I've tipped 50-100% sometimes…
So even when someone treats you like shit (your words) you still give them more than you owe? Why?
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I do feel the same way! But Uber's relentless fare-cutting has made it such a bad deal for drivers that I feel the awkwardness has come right back, since I'd pretty much have to tip in order to not feel like I'm taking advantage of the driver.
You're not taking advantage of the driver. Uber is. It's the same thing with restaurants - you're letting yourself be guilted into subsidizing a corporation's business strategy, with the justification that it's either you that gets screwed, or their employees.
EDIT: Following some comments here, I feel I need to add that I'm in Canada where 15% is considered "normal".
I really wish uber would just charge more. Part of why I fell in love with the service was because it sounded like the drivers were really happy.
No Tipping is one of the main reasons I liked Uber; no cash, no pressure, you just get out of the car and walk away with everyone happy. I would rather pay more for each fare and have Uber aggressively prohibit tipping. I suspect many people feel the same way and if Uber doesn't get it under control, it could be the biggest challenge they face.
When you're giving a tip, you're effectively giving money to the people who own the company (or participate in profit sharing). Tips allow employers to pay their employees under market rate. By paying enough tip to bring the employee's wage up to the market rate, you are subsidizing the company's profit, not the employees profit.
Tips are bad for employees because they are inconsistent, bad for consumers because the price of goods are not well-indicated, and good for employers because it allows them to offset their labor cost by hiding it in tips, which they have convinced consumers are going to the employees as a perk.
So I don't know that I agree that the Uber app should implement tips (from a consumer or an employee standpoint). They should charge me more money (or rather, charge me the same as I am paying now, just make it more consistent), and pay their employees more money.
I wish they would do both of these things.
Serious question for those who are pro-tipping...where do you draw the line? How do you choose which products/services are tip-worthy and which aren't?
Service industries. It's pretty simple. Any job where the worker is unlikely to be appreciated by their boss for going above and beyond but it makes a big difference to me.
A bunch of others expand with a communal tip jar, but it's very rare for anyone to care about putting something in the jar. You don't tip cafe workers, convenience store workers, retail workers and so on even though they get paid the same minimum wage.