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Uber rolls out in-app tipping

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#211

Post by mikeklaas »

bogomipz wrote: post #209

I ask this because it is my understanding that drivers can and do rate passengers on Uber(not sure about Lyft.) Is it possible that someone who doesn't tip what the driver believe is enough or if they don't tip at all they will receive a bad passenger rating now, even if they are courteous and respectful? I had some hope that the tipping parts of the world would maybe move away from the practice and just pay people w…

Usually these systems are set up so the driver rates before they find out what the tip is

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#212

Post by bogomipz »

mikeklaas wrote: post #211
bogomipz wrote: post #209

I ask this because it is my understanding that drivers can and do rate passengers on Uber(not sure about Lyft.) Is it possible that someone who doesn't tip what the driver believe is enough or if they don't tip at all they will receive a bad passenger rating now, even if they are courteous and respectful? I had some hope that the tipping parts of the world would maybe move away from the practice and just pay people w…

Usually these systems are set up so the driver rates before they find out what the tip is

I see, that would make sense. Thanks.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#213

Post by pvg »

throwaway055 wrote: post #162

Posting on a throwaway because of tipping stigma. I take close to 1,000 Uber trips per year. The biggest disappointment about this change to me is that I won't be having conversations with Uber drivers anymore. Uber drivers will now be obligated to make pleasant conversation with me. I have no interest in speaking to somebody who's obligated to make pleasant conversation with me. When you add tipping, you're essentia…

Uber drivers are already sufficiently obligated to make pleasant conversation with you. Do you really believe the lack of tipping somehow made your chats with Uber drivers more sincere and meaningful? A full-time driver for hire has dozens of these a day. They're not doing it for the sincere conversations.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#214

Post by walshemj »

linkregister wrote: post #134
wcummings wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think the op meant the Tronc European style system for distributing tips.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#215

Post by walshemj »

Simulacra wrote: post #104
linkregister wrote: post #82

I used to abhor the in-app tipping option in Lyft. But increasingly I would be asked to tip cash by drivers when I used Uber. My rating started to get lower as the cultural expectation to tip cash took hold. It turns out the Lyft model, where the driver doesn't know whether or not the rider tipped, is better for the rider. The rider doesn't have to carry cash in order to avoid getting extorted for a 5-star rating. Ti…

This is precisely the reason I switched from Uber to Lyft. I never carry cash, even though I desperately wanted to tip that Uber driver who picked me up at the subway station in the middle of the night and dropped me off at my house 20 miles away. I appreciate this option, even if I don't always use it.

Why never carry any cash? I can see not wanting to carry large amounts but what if your card or cards fails and you are left stranded.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#216

Post by cocktailpeanuts »

smt88 wrote: post #194
cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #183

It is sad that companies like Uber are being pressured into making these stupid decisions because of "social justice". For me the main benefit of using Uber (as well as all other on-demand services like Doordash, Caviar, etc.) was that everything is included and I don't have to think. Companies like Uber should be focused on building a product that consumers want and nothing else. These decisions are nothing more tha…

Uber is building a product consumers want. That product must have a brand that consumers don't find repugnant. You seem to want a free market, but not a market that prioritizes things (e.g. tipping) that you don't care about. You can't have it both ways. The market has spoken and Uber has responded.

"I really hope I can pay more to get from A to B", said nobody.

Also I don't know where your assumption "The market has spoken" comes from.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#217

Post by veridies »

cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #183

It is sad that companies like Uber are being pressured into making these stupid decisions because of "social justice". For me the main benefit of using Uber (as well as all other on-demand services like Doordash, Caviar, etc.) was that everything is included and I don't have to think. Companies like Uber should be focused on building a product that consumers want and nothing else. These decisions are nothing more tha…

If they're being bullied into this decision (and I don't think they are), it's not because they're too timid to stand up to the media. It's because their customers might leave them, because their customers prefer companies that act more justly.

You're arguing that a company should act only in its own rational self-interest. That's a reasonable point of view. But there's zero evidence that this is not in Uber's self-interest.

EDIT: I saw your comment in response to smt88. I do want to pay more for a taxi. I want to be able to control how much I pay according to how good of a service was provided, and I want to feel like the taxi driver is getting a decent pay rate. That's one of the reasons I typically use Lyft, and if it weren't for a terrible experience with Uber customer service, this decision would make me more likely to use Uber again.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#218

Post by aaronbrethorst »

baddox wrote: post #159
cjslep wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That kind of disconnect and isolation is really well explored in the movie Fight Club: "Everywhere I travel, tiny life. Single-serving sugar, single-serving cream, single pat of butter. The microwave Cordon Bleu hobby kit. Shampoo-conditioner combos, sample-packaged mouthwash, tiny bars of soap. The people I meet on each flight? They're single-serving friends."

Isn't that just making the same point, that pretending to be friends with an obviously very short-term acquaintance is silly?

It's not about "pretending to be friends." It's about making a connection to another human being.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#219

Post by TuringNYC »

snowwrestler wrote: post #191
losteverything wrote: post #175

Tipping helps people who need it. It is simple. Voluntary. Binary. A $1 or $2 tip may not seem like much, but if it gets saved (which often tip receivers do) it adds up. Like found money. Do uber drivers make a lot? Could $1 $2 $3 help them? It is not about guilt. It's not about service quality. It is not about greater things. It is about helping someone who most likely needs it. You could get on a high horse and mak…

I wish this comment was higher. I think it's a bummer to see developers who make way over the national median income complain they "don't want to think" about maybe giving a couple extra bucks to people who could use it.

>> I think it's a bummer to see developers who make way over the national median income complain they "don't want to think" about maybe giving a couple extra bucks to people who could use it.

Numerous comments here are indeed suggesting "don't make me think" but to be fair they are also suggesting higher prices and wages for drivers. They are not saying "don't want to pay", they just want to not think about it and rather let it be part of the payment formula in the first place.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#220

Post by TuringNYC »

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.

This is an anecdote, but I do not choose an Uber because it is less expensive. I choose Uber because it is easier than hailing a taxi. It provides more certainty. You dont need to fight other people on the street for a taxi. You dont need to wait 30minutes for a cab to arrive (or never arrive) despite the dispatcher saying "5 minutes." You dont need to begrudgingly hand a $20 note for a $6 ride to a cabbie who "doesn't have change." You can reimburse corporate trips because the cabbie is never out of receipts. There are so many reasons I use Uber rather than traditional taxis.
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