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Uber rolls out in-app tipping

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#131

Post by _1 »

doublevea wrote: post #128
smileysteve wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because tipping is racist, sexist, and classist --- tips don't correlate with levels of service and reduce predictability in working and using a service.

> Because tipping is racist, sexist, and classist Surely this has to be facetious? If not I would love to hear you elaborate?

http://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic...

> consumers of both races discriminate against black service providers by tipping them less than white service providers

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#132

Post by _1 »

j4kp07 wrote: post #41

Wow. There are a lot of people in here that have never worked in the Services industry or done the math for an Uber driver's take home pay after taxes/gas/maintenance. It's ironic how the same people who say they don't mind paying a higher price vs tips, are choosing Uber because they are cheaper than a Lyft/Taxi.

I don't take Uber because it's cheaper ... I take it so I don't have to worry about a "broken" credit card reader, getting an accurate receipt, or worrying about what is considered a "fair" tip. With Uber, I assume if the driver accepts the trip, then they are okay with their cut from Uber.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#133

Post by doublevea »

_1 wrote: post #131
doublevea wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Because tipping is racist, sexist, and classist Surely this has to be facetious? If not I would love to hear you elaborate?

http://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic... > consumers of both races discriminate against black service providers by tipping them less than white service providers

This is hardly a scientific study and does nothing to prove that the practice of tipping in itself is racist/sexist.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#134

Post by linkregister »

wcummings wrote: post #118
linkregister wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, all the tipping advocates are probably not aware that most countries don't have tipping. Restaurant staff are paid according to local wages. So a racial minority won't be paid less than someone from the majority race. European and Australian restaurant staff aren't depending on arbitrary tips. They know exactly what they are going to make at the beginning of their shift. They don't feel like they're working for…

I think most restaurant staff split tips, so no one will be paid less than anyone else if they get low tips.

I don't know what percentage of restaurants do that. From my anecdata, few restaurants do it. Also, California law prohibits it.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#135

Post by hungerstrike »

This change probably won't make me any more or less likely to use Uber. The main thing that keeps me away from Uber is their terrible UX.

Getting a ride is way too streamlined - every single time I have used the Uber app (infrequently), I was not sure if I had committed to requesting a ride yet. This is the most annoying thing. Also there is no obvious means of scheduling a pickup time.

Lyft UX is a lot better and the company seems to not be run by assholes, so I like to support that whenever I can.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#136

Post by thereare5lights »

wcummings wrote: post #119
andrewmutz wrote: post #19

I really don't like our tipping culture and enjoyed avoiding it with Uber. I'd be happy to pay 20% higher prices across the board in order to avoid tipping.

You can just tip 20% every time, its done through the app so its not really any more work, maybe one additional finger tap when you're rating the driver.

and that removes the social pressure how?

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#137

Post by abvdasker »

nym wrote: post #60
abvdasker wrote: post #24

If you've ever talked to a driver this is the thing they always say they want Uber to change. Props to Uber for listening, even if it took them a while.

What if they just got paid more?

Tipping, if done right, is a better solution. Some fraction of customers today want to tip without being prompted as an expression of gratitude or appreciation. Some fraction of those customers don't have cash and are then unable to tip their drivers because the app didn't provide a mechanism to do that.

This gives riders that option without hurting Uber's bottom line. Paying drivers more is all well and good, but an increase in fares on the rider side would reduce marketplace demand and might actually hurt drivers more than it would help. The alternative is for Uber to eat the cost of paying drivers more, but that simply isn't viable for a company that's already losing as much money Uber does. Put simply, Uber is a business that can't really afford to pay drivers more.

There's a lot that could go wrong with tipping and it remains to be seen whether Uber rolls this out everywhere, but it's possible that this could end up being a feature where everyone wins.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#139

Post by rosstex »

Consultant32452 wrote: post #91
objclxt wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The few Uber drivers I know expect a tip. I think this varies a lot by city. I don't know if you're in San Francisco, but it's never been my experience here that drivers expect a tip. But when I fly down to Las Vegas nearly all the Ubers I've taken have notes taped up in the back stating the driver expects to be tipped (in cash).

I suspect a lot of that has to do with culture. Consider how differently you might expect these three people who are expecting a tip to behave: an Italian from New Jersey, a middle class hipster in LA, and an illegal immigrant driving under an Uber account they share with a legal worker.

I'm more curious what happens when they walk into a bar...

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#140

Post by anth1988 »

splintercell wrote: post #70
opportune wrote: post #7

Now I'm going to start using Lyft again. The tipping model is terrible and given the option I'll always shy away from it. Even though Lyft has the same feature, they pay better, so I don't feel bad for not tipping them. Also having to deal with some of the shadier/creepier drivers expecting tips sounds like something I'd rather not deal with.

I loved Lyft's tipping feature and used it over Uber because many times I had to take my cats to the vet and it was nice to be able to tip the driver for the extra hassle. Same was true if I ever took Lyft while taking my sick wife from her work to home and she threw up in the car. Except, my Lyft ratings kept on tanking, and I didn't even know. At one time I tipped a guy nearly 60% of the tab. Despite of this, my Ub…

> many times I had to take my cats to the vet and it was nice to be able to tip the driver for the extra hassle

Perfectly reasonable reason to give a tip.

It's not the option that bugs me, it's the expectation.

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