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Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

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Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#381

Post by seanp2k2 »

prawn wrote: post #278
ClassyJacket wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you believe that in Australia and Europe, restaurants and taxis are non functional because they don't have tipping? I've eaten out hundreds of times in my life, never left a tip, and never thought I needed an incentive system directly between me and the waiter. Same with taxis. There are only so many ways to screw up bringing food to a table. I've never once though "wow that waiter really brought my plate to me ba…

I believe they do tip their hairdressers in the US. Rest of the argument stands though, and I agree with you.

Hairdressers, massage places (the fancy ones (e.g. resort spas) give you an envelope which explains tipping for foreign travelers), sometimes auto mechanics, maître d's (fancy restaurants get expensive when you have to tip the person who sat you, the waiter, the chef, and the sommelier), valets, parking garages where they park your car since it's so tight that all the cars are in a grid (common in e.g. SF), bell persons, hotel rooms (customary to leave some cash on the dresser, again fancier places usually have an envelope explaining it), pit bosses at casinos (you're buying favor), baggage handlers at the airport, gardeners / pool cleaners, repair persons in some cases...

Yeah, it's crazy and dumb and not changing drastically any time soon.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#382

Post by [deleted] »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #342
Shalle135 wrote: post #341

I'm from Sweden and generally I never tip anything for any service available - neither does the absolute majority of my countrymen - with the exception of being on vacation in other countries or eating at some real fancy restaurant. I were in US a couple years ago and found it pretty emberrasing how people are expecting a tip. I understand that they're paid less and i've spoken with some of them and waitresses etc ma…

Tips are often a major source of compensation for wait staff and other U.S. service providers. Employers often pay these employees lower wages in anticipation that tip income will provide a significant portion of the employees' income. Customers should realize that they are not auotmatically paying 'more' (due to tipping). In non-tipping countries, the tips are simply built into the price of the food. An advantage to…

[deleted]

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#383

Post by solidsnack9000 »

Steeeve wrote: post #340
wutbrodo wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Passenger and driver ratings having the same distribution is an extraordinarily bizarre assumption.

Quotes from uber drivers discussing: > I picked up a 4.5 tonight and guess what is was a 4.5 type of ride. 2 stars bucko > 4.5 or below are usually problem passengers in my market > Usually I'll pass on anyone lower than a 4.5. > I check the score and if they are below a 4.6 I text and inform them that THEY need to cancel and request another driver. > 4.6 and below? Sorry about your luck. Let the next Uber driver pic…

Where did you see this?

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#384

Post by tempestn »

aianus wrote: post #94
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…

I drive for Uber part time even though it pays literally 8x less than my day job. It's relaxing and gives me an excuse to drive my car while someone else pays for the gas and mileage.

Interesting idea! Maybe when Uber finally comes to BC I'll give it a try too.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#385

Post by borplk »

grecy wrote: post #352
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.

As a non-American this is how I feel about tipping in general. It's so much easier to just pay people a decent wage, include it in the cost of things and then not have the pressure of tipping. That, and tipping is akin to having paid servants. i.e. " if you do a good job, and if I feel like it, I might give you some of my wad of cash. Or not, sucker.". (Of course, I do tip because the servers rely on it, I just don't…

Exactly. As a non-American tipping seems like such a crappy concept to me.

Why should service providers be subject to arbitrary decisions of random customers?

A service has a price. Either it is provided adequately and you are happy with it in which case you pay the full damn price for it and move on with your life.

Or there's a specific problem in which case you can complain specifically and ask for a discount or refund/partial refund.

From a business perspective tipping can also be seen as an admission of failure and weakness. In the sense that the business is admitting that the quality of the service is so variable that it calls for a variable judgement of its value. Like maybe you get a crappy waiter and you don't tip, maybe you get an excellent one and now you must leave a good tip.

It is also "lazy" because it dumps the responsibility to the consumer. "Just judge how well we do and tip accordingly".

Instead as a consumer I want to have certainty and confidence that a given service provided by a business has a predictable and consistent level of quality.

And also as a consumer I want the employees to not be subject to my arbitrary personal judgement on a day to day basis. If there's a particular problem I may complain, otherwise just move on with your life.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#387

Post by solidsnack9000 »

blhack wrote: post #89

I'd love if an economist of somebody with a better financial background could comment on this: 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 p…

Tips avoid taxation, so employees can earn higher wages than they otherwise might, with customers spending less than they otherwise would, and owners paying out less than they otherwise would.

Now, tips are not supposed to avoid taxation but it works out that way...

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#388

Post by kaybe »

ClassyJacket wrote: post #187
walru wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is good service and hospitably an antiquated notion? I'll happily give a bartender, server or a driver an extra buck or two when they make the experience pleasant/informative/friendly because, far too many people treat their jobs not as a privileged but a chore. Without tipping far too many would take your money for granted and the quality of service would decline across the board because there is zero incentive to p…

Do you believe that in Australia and Europe, restaurants and taxis are non functional because they don't have tipping? I've eaten out hundreds of times in my life, never left a tip, and never thought I needed an incentive system directly between me and the waiter. Same with taxis. There are only so many ways to screw up bringing food to a table. I've never once though "wow that waiter really brought my plate to me ba…

In Germany at least, it is common to round up. Probably because we like paying with cash, since it's just less of a hassle if the price is odd. Round up to the next full Euro, or the next 5/10€ if it's close/you're feeling generous/don't like coins. AFAIK this is a common mode for the other European countries as well.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#389

Post by test1235 »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #368
hueving wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You left out the part where they are still guaranteed minimum wage if they don't get enough tips.

Try working at a restaurant and actually getting them to pay you that. They don't.

is the minimum wage not legally enforced?

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#390

Post by homakov »

roel_v wrote: post #363
martinko wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow that eerily reminds me of the s02e01 of black mirror. No way am I gonna optimize my behavior to get some higher 'rating'.

What in this list would you do differently? I'm probably a weirdo with insufficient empathy, but I have a hard time imagining how a civilized person would behave otherwise.

I get into the car, surf the web and never talk to the driver. Occasionally if driver starts a discussion I give short answers so it stops quickly. My rating is fine and I enjoy no human interaction
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