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Uber rolls out in-app tipping

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#311

Post by yebyen »

creepydata wrote: post #283
kelnos wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My rule of thumb with Lyft is that if the driver mentions giving them a good rating or tip, they get no tip. Directly asking for a tip (and thereby creating a guilt-ridden obligation) violates the implied social contract around tipping. (Think about other services where a tip is expected: it is rare for anyone to verbally mention a tip.) When I used to use Uber, my policy was that if a driver asked for a tip, I would…

Tip jars are never tasteful, putting a tip jar out is equivalent to panhandling, IMO. A business is a place for business transactions, not begging.

I can only assume that you have never worked in any industry in a customer service capacity. Tipping is a totally normal thing, that you are free to engage in or abstain from.

If you are especially pleased with a service on a particular occasion, then you should tip. If you are the type of person who is never pleased with anything, then you should certainly feel no obligation to tip, ever.

This whole exchange reminds me of an episode of Black Mirror.

* (edit: Then again, after reading some more of the impressions on this page, I think I may be privileged that I am in a relatively small midwestern city where Uber and Lyft both offer service. I have never been asked to tip, by any of the drivers I've used on either service. It sounds like that is far from the norm, at least in areas where HN users are.)

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#312

Post by criddell »

gambiting wrote: post #307
criddell wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mean you won't tip in the app, or you just won't tip?

I've never tipped Uber drivers(it would be extremely weird giving the uber driver cash if the payment for the fare is done through my account, do other people tip their uber drivers?), and will continue not doing so - will just ignore the option in the app. I do tip in other industries and situations.

I try to use Lyft, but have used Uber before and yes, I tipped with cash.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#313

Post by snowwrestler »

askafriend wrote: post #226
snowwrestler wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It's not about a few extra bucks, that's not the big issue with tipping. I would be completely fine if a service costed 30%-50% more if that meant the employees would get paid a decent wage. The onus should be on the employers -- not on the employees and the customer to figure it out. I hate tipping. The whole experience of it just sucks in every way. It doesn't bring joy to anyone. Both parties lose. The service pro…

It's literally tapping one extra button in the app UI. I'm really surprised at how hard this seems to people.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#314

Post by thanksgiving »

adjkant wrote: post #236
thanksgiving wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry but I find Lyft irrelevant because the writing is on the wall. They will not exist as an independent company in the next decade. Any culture that get may have will die if GM gets control of the company.

1. It doesn't look like Uber will at this point either. Lyft is partnered with Waymo already - seems like pre-acquisition to me. 2. You cite zero evidence. Your speculation isn't very convincing from what I have seen anecdotally, which it seems like is all you're going off of. To me, Lyft is surging in popularity in the US and is on the upward trend as everyone jumps ship from Uber, drivers and riders alike.

Sorry for being so cynical. I'm sure Lyft will continue to exist in some form but I fear it will have the same amount of culture and values left as Costco would should it get acquired by some evil Corp like Walmart.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#315

Post by ck425 »

abvdasker wrote: post #137
nym wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Everyone wins except the riders. And possibly the countries where there's no absurd tipping culture and that starts to encourage it.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#316

Post by snowwrestler »

TuringNYC wrote: post #219
snowwrestler wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ra…

My perspective is that, if I think drivers should be paid more, tipping gives me the capability to make that real for my drivers.

The model of Uber is in fact that the driver is an independent service provider to me, the rider. Uber is just the matchmaker. So if I want my driver to make more, I pay them more.

I think the mindset of "I won't tip but at least I think Uber should pay their drivers more" is just rationalization. Merely thinking things in our heads doesn't change anything.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#317

Post by ck425 »

snowwrestler wrote: post #313
askafriend wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about a few extra bucks, that's not the big issue with tipping. I would be completely fine if a service costed 30%-50% more if that meant the employees would get paid a decent wage. The onus should be on the employers -- not on the employees and the customer to figure it out. I hate tipping. The whole experience of it just sucks in every way. It doesn't bring joy to anyone. Both parties lose. The service pro…

It's literally tapping one extra button in the app UI. I'm really surprised at how hard this seems to people.

How do I know what to tip? How do I estimate before getting an uber how much it's going to cost? Tipping is the worst part of visiting the US. You go to restaurant and the menu for your meal says $x, but it's not $x, it's $x plus taxes plus tips. As a consumer I just want to know up front how much something is going to cost. No other country in the world makes this as ridiculously hard. And if you screw it up your "cheapskate".

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#318

Post by lordCarbonFiber »

pheldagryph wrote: post #304
cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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.

> "I really hope I can pay more to get from A to B", said nobody. Oh, that's me! Here's a few reasons I'd want to have the option to pay a driver a bit more: - I forced them to drive a stressful route - I forced them to drive waaay off the beaten path - They helped me schlep large items in/out of their vehicle - I inconvenienced them somehow to where it makes their next ride a bit less likely to tip / star (like maki…

Tipping is a repugnant practice full stop. Tweak the algorithm to charge more for high stress or off path routes and remove the onus on the customer to have to go through this pointless ritual.

I'd much rather know my driver is paid a fair wage (and pay more upfront) by their fucking employer rather than have to be responsible of making up the difference.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#319

Post by snowwrestler »

ck425 wrote: post #317
snowwrestler wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's literally tapping one extra button in the app UI. I'm really surprised at how hard this seems to people.

How do I know what to tip? How do I estimate before getting an uber how much it's going to cost? Tipping is the worst part of visiting the US. You go to restaurant and the menu for your meal says $x, but it's not $x, it's $x plus taxes plus tips. As a consumer I just want to know up front how much something is going to cost. No other country in the world makes this as ridiculously hard. And if you screw it up your "c…

This thread is full of people who work in technology, who think of themselves as smart capable people, complaining bitterly about choosing between 15%, 20%, or 25% in an app.

Just tap the middle option. You can't go wrong, and your driver will have a slightly better life than otherwise.

Re: Uber rolls out in-app tipping

#320

Post by snowwrestler »

oconnore wrote: post #187
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…

Tipping exists because employers (in this case Uber) don't pay enough. Not tipping once you are already stuck with that system doesn't solve anything, but expanding that system makes things worse.

Uber repeatedly and forcefully reminds the world that it does not employ its drivers, they are independent contractors to whom Uber is providing a service: matchmaking with riders.

According to Uber, when you get in a car, that driver is actually working for you.

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