Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes • Hacker News Board

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#631

Post by diminoten » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 8:06 PM UTC

brandonbloom wrote: post #183

diminoten wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem here is your cancel reflects poorly on you in Uber's rating system. But otherwise you're absolutely right. I have taken rides from two people who've called, asking for my destination, and I refuse to tell them. It hasn't caused me any problems in those two instances.

> 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…

https://newsroom.uber.com/updated-cancellation-policy/

It looks like you get charged $10 for canceling now, after 5 minutes of having a driver assigned.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#632

Post by nommm-nommm » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 8:07 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #597

seanp2k2 wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 pers…

I'm actually having a hard time thinking of any service job in the US where it's not customary (and/or expected) to tip.

Fast food, cafeteria staff, receptionist, fast casual (Chipotle-like places), coffee shop (this is debatable), tech support, cable repair person, salesman, public bus driver, any cashier, bagger, phone support, librarian.

It's so arbitrary though, order a Pepsi from McDonald's no tip, order a Pepsi from a pub, $1 tip minimum. Tip the person who hands you a bottle of beer but not the person who makes your sandwich.

(Self serve soda machines are common now in fast food, but when I worked at McDonald's we poured the soda, no machines, and no tips)

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#633

Post by nommm-nommm » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 8:19 PM UTC

roel_v wrote: post #362

brandonbloom wrote: post #133

I'm only a little surprised that nobody has suggested this, but: If the driver does something shady, just get out of the car. Immediately. Don't even give them the opportunity to apologize for it. I've had drivers call ahead to ask where I'm going. I just hang up on them, cancel the ride, then order another ride. While I'm in the car with a new driver, I report the incident using the in-app system and, on many occasi…

Never used Uber, what's the problem with someone knowing where you're going? Doesn't the app tell the driver before they pick you up? (Well I guess not, or they wouldn't call you...)

The risk that they cancel you/reject the ride if they think you aren't going far enough, going too far, going somewhere they are unlikely to get a fare, going into a bad part of town, etc. Uber wants to provide service to where you want to go, not where it is most profitable for the driver to go.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#634

Post by jamestnz » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 8:33 PM UTC

dnautics wrote: post #629

kazagistar wrote: post #491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like tiping is a regressive tax against lower class "suckers".

or it could be a means to communally help each other. not applicable in the case of lyft, but for cash tips, it has the added benefit for being stealthily tax free (except for waitstaff). Each dollar that goes horizontally between the "lower class" gets to work one step harder within the "lower class" to go before being sucked away by the wealthy.

> Each dollar that goes horizontally between the "lower class" gets to work one step harder within the "lower class" to go before being sucked away by the wealthy

This is an interesting point, and reminds me in a way of the Bristol Pound (and other "community currencies") which are essentially the same as regular Pounds Sterling, but are only accepted by locally-owned businesses within a local geographical area (more specifically: anyone can accept them, but only locals can ever exchange them back to Pounds Sterling, at a pegged 1:1 rate). Local branches of mutli-national corporations, and public (listed) companies, cannot participate.

Local residents can open an account in Bristol Pounds, and pay their local taxes in them. Some locals can be paid their salary in them.

The stated goal (and this has apparently worked quite well) is a localised economic stimulus, by encouraging residents to spend at local small businesses, and those businesses in turn to seek local suppliers, etc. This sees the money doing a few more rounds locally before being sucked away to a multinational.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/07/the-innovat...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Pound

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#635

Post by packetized » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 9:06 PM UTC

packetized wrote: post #171

cortesoft wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if this varies by region? I ride with uber quite a bit here in Los Angeles, and I have never once been asked for a tip. I wonder what makes it different?

You're definitely an outlier. In San Francisco, tips are sought more than 10% of my trips.

Clearly, at least in this thread, I'm the outlier. Interesting.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#636

Post by buu700 » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 9:08 PM UTC

vostrocity wrote: post #601

buu700 wrote: post #473

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like how Lyft was when I last used it, but doesn't contradict what I meant. I'd rather take care of the tip right away (or as soon as I have a chance) than have to remember to do it well after the fact, but in either case I'd much prefer to not have to remember it at all and just be done with the whole thing the second I step out the car. (There's also the rating thing with both Uber and Lyft, but at leas…

If I remember correctly, Lyft's tip options are No Tip or +$1 or +$2 or +$3, so it's not much math. I usually use Lyft, and one reason is that I get the option to tip the driver.

Ah, okay; I'd thought the options were based on percentages, but if that's the case my then point about the fare transparency is a bit off.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#637

Post by posterboy » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 9:09 PM UTC

codedokode wrote: post #560

losteverything wrote: post #515

I guess most of HN never were so broke that they can't put themselves in the place of a worker who can receive a tip. Tips go directly to a person. Often a low paying or second job. It is about generosity and helping a fellow person. It's not about economic theory or even JUST how they served you. The tip -$1 or $2 or $5 gets the person a gallon of gas. A meal. A cup of coffee. It helps pay off a bill. It is savings…

If someone can afford owning a car they probably are not that poor.

they probably hadn't been, prior to paying for the car.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#638

Post by snark42 » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 9:54 PM UTC

developer2 wrote: post #267

dawnerd wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

>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.

You think the company doesn't have access to the meter records for fares if keeping a percentage is part of the deal? If the driver keeps 100% of the cash, why pay 7% for a credit card?

I know in Chicago most of the drivers who rent their cab by the hour/day/week prefer to use square because the fees are lower and they get paid in a week or less, not the couple months the cab company takes to pay them, if they ever do.

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#639

Post by Cub3 » Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 10:21 PM UTC

turtles wrote: post #455

wiwofone wrote: post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The destination shows up when the ride starts (i.e. you get in the car). Calling beforehand is a an indication that the driver might want to cancel the ride if the destination is "inconvenient" (e.g. from city center to a remote suburb).

This is a big problem with taxi drivers is australia. At 2am you'll be lucky to get a taxi home, because they change over at 3, so they don't like to go 10 minutes in the opposite direction. I'm glad there is the Uber alternative!

It turned into a safety issue too with stories about women being stranded because the fare was 'too low' or 'in the wrong direction' for the driver

Re: Uber Driver Tip-Hustling Schemes

#640

Post by Sohcahtoa82 » Fri, Mar 17, 2017, 12:12 AM UTC

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.

Surprised this comment is 15 hours old and never got the "But they're legally required to! Complain to the Department of Labor and sue them!" response.

While I'm sure most restaurants stay legal, there's a non-zero number of restaurants with owners that don't make up the missing pay and let workers end up making less than minimum wage, but the workers don't complain because they're truly desperate for work, or their local government won't do anything about it.

Now I'm remembering the Amy's Baking Company episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares where one of the owners, Samy, admitted that he takes all the tips his wait staff make, despite being illegal (Source: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.htm)