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Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

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Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#261

Post by gabesullice »

gk1 wrote: post #67
dataminded wrote: post #33

I don't agree with the argument that passengers should tip because Uber isn't paying their drivers enough. That sounds like welfare for Uber. If the pay sucks, Uber should have trouble recruiting drivers.

The same is true for tipping in restaurants and bars; it may seem like you're helping the server/bartender, but actually you're subsidizing the business.

This is like saying, "paying for your food is subsidizing the business." No customer can "subsidize" a business. If anything, you're hurting the business by tipping your servers. If you were to pay the bar directly and not tip, you can't assume that 100% of that would go directly to the bartenders. Profits are generally seen as some percentage of revenue, so those would be taken out, then the inceased wage would mean the business would have to pay more in payroll taxes, so that gets taken out as well. The only way to ensure the bartender doesn't _lose_ money from the change would be to pay the bar _more_ than you would have tipped. But in that case, you'd buy fewer drinks. In the end, the only one who profits is the tax man while you get less beer and fewer appletinis.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#263

Post by shostack »

redm wrote: post #4

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.

On the bright side, this will be solved forever with the first full auto taxis.

Unless Johnny Cab suddenly starts asking for Bitcoin...

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#264

Post by defen »

bitwize wrote: post #230
tlrobinson wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you located? 15% for average service is definitely customary at sit-down restaurants in the United States.

Do you know anyone who actually works in food service? I do, and they'd be pissed if everyone skimped with a 15% tip. It's 20% for adequate service, 25% for excellent.

I agree that 20% is the new normal. 10-15 years ago, it was 15% for adequate, 20% for excellent (that's my memory of major US cities on both coasts). Tip inflation is real.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#265

Post by URSpider94 »

Gorbzel wrote: post #244
pmorici wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I stopped using Uber and switched to lyft exactly because Uber doesn't allow in app tipping. The problem is you aren't paying more for each fare to avoid tipping Uber is just using it's duoploy pricing power to put the squeeze on drivers.

I try to upvote rather than +1, but chiming in to point out how wrong the parent comment is assuming they shouldn't tip. Of course, scrolling down the thread just shows that waaay too many HNers live in their own bubble pretending to be Mr. Pink with their mightier-than-thousplaining that justifies their miserliness. No matter how disruptive moving livery to cashless may have been, the truth remains: Uber's current b…

Tell that to Europe, or Japan. Tipping a Tokyo taxi driver would be an extreme insult. Or I should say trying to tip, they arent going to let you leave the cab without exact change to the Yen.

Tipping is in no way necessary to ensure good service -- a fair wage is.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#266

Post by URSpider94 »

Larrikin wrote: post #192
thesmallestcat wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The implication is that 20% the widely accepted minimum "good tip" rate, and consistently tipping 15% is consistently being cheap. Especially when you're a tech worker FFS. Let's break out of our echo chamber a bit. In the US, tipping isn't "paying more than required," it's basic manners. You can argue until you're blue in the face about how businesses are to blame, but the vast majority of society, who have no big b…

It is not basic manners and nobody cares what you tip except current and former waiters that were getting ripped off by the owners. 20% extra on top for doing your job shouldn't be expected.

Did you know that in most states wait staff can be paid as low as $3 per hour, under the assumption that tips will bring them up above minimum wage? The law literally assumes that customers will tip them. It's not just a nice custom, it is fully expected in the transaction.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#267

Post by developer2 »

dawnerd wrote: post #24
redm wrote: post #4

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.

I deleted my Uber account over all the bad press and a few bad rides last couple months. There's definitely a trend for the drivers to be either really really bad at driving, or super aggressive with tips. Do drivers really expect people using a cashless system to... carry cash? I actually had one driver accepts tips using stripe.

Taxi drivers in my city are notorious for, at least in my experience, attempting to swipe your credit card with Stripe on their personal cell phones. Not just for the tip, but for the entire fare. They openly commit fraud against their company by trying to steal the fare for themselves without reporting it to their company.

I've refused to pay for, and reported to their company, 4 separate drivers in the past 2 years for this practice. I have to assume that the companies somehow don't care that their drivers are going rogue, or else this wouldn't be happening so frequently. Where is the threat of dismissal, or even better, prosecution? Same thing goes for unlicensed taxi drivers moonlighting with a friend's car - taxi drivers here are required to hang their licensed ID on the side window, and the frequency with which you find someone driving "off the books" is downright reprehensible.

The worst part is, I feel my personal safety is at risk every time I report these criminals. They are likely to know it was me, and they know where I live. It's irresponsible, potentially dangerous, and unacceptable to permit them to operate in this way.

Our taxi companies are hook, line, and sinker in the pockets of our government. We have a history of corruption here, and taxi companies are definitely part of the equation.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#268

Post by brandonbloom »

Steeeve wrote: post #248
brandonbloom wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> your cancel reflects poorly on you in Uber's rating system This is simply not true. I just checked: My rating is 4.73. I've probably taken a few hundred rides with Uber. I assume they adjust ratings for bad experiences, especially if you're a regular rider. By the way: It's not that hard to get consistent 5 stars as a passenger. Be respectful of the driver and follow these steps: 1) Say something like "Hi, are you…

4.7 is low. 4.6 is where drivers get fired. At 4.5 a lot of drivers won't pick you up.

At least according to this, 4.7 is quite typical for passengers:

http://valleywag.gawker.com/we-asked-you-for-your-uber-score...

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#269

Post by taneq »

snowwrestler wrote: post #158
taneq wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you can explain something that I've never understood. I see drivers saying "driving for Uber is terrible and a waste of money". I see them saying "after expenses I'm basically working for free." But they keep doing it . They keep driving for Uber even though they know that they're basically just working for free, in order to make money for Uber. If you take vehicle depreciation into account, you're probably not…

The implied social judgment whenever Uber drivers come up is a bummer. Yes, people prefer to make a little bit of money instead of not having money. This is surprising? And when someone earns a little bit of money, they might wish that they made more money. Again--not news. I think before getting critical about why Uber drivers are so dumb, it's worth thinking about why you don't drive for Uber. The answer probably s…

I'm not being judgemental, and I'm not saying they're stupid to drive for a small immediate profit instead of doing nothing.

I'm just perplexed when they say they're losing money (or making so much less than minimum wage that they may as well be) but they keep on doing it instead of stopping. If they're not just blowing off some steam with hyperbole, they would literally be better off staying home on the couch.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#270

Post by trevyn »

coolsdude2282 wrote: post #156

I just made an account to post this, a factor that isn't really being brought up by any of the comments I've seen in this conversation is drugs and other illicit practices used by Uber drivers to make money. I have known several drivers who sold marijuana, small individual shot bottles, smoking papers, flavored cigar papers, and other 'party related favors' out of their cars to make their Uber driving more profitable…

While I don't doubt this happening, where are you located? I've taken over 1,200 Uber rides in the Bay Area and LA, at all times of day, and have not once been solicited for drugs or smoke shop/convenience store items. (Plenty of other hustles, though.)
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