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Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

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Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#11

Post by auctiontheory »

gphil wrote: post #9
crbnw00ts wrote: post #5

> All of Uber's old school power users have gotten used to Uber and simply expect our service as a baseline at this point. What I mean is that as you have gotten used to Uber, your expectations of basic fundamental service have risen. Yeah ... no. I got fed up with taxi service in SF about 2 years ago and started using Uber. At first I was astounded: very clean cars, very nice drivers who were accommodating and pleas…

This is a great analysis, I've observed some of the same trends. When there was less demand for the black cars, they could still operate like limos. Now it seems like they've just turned into glorified taxis. A theory of mine is that disruptive startups always evolve to look more like the incumbents as they scale, and I think this might be another case in support of that.

A theory of mine is that disruptive startups always evolve to look more like the incumbents as they scale

Good insight. And that's another reason (not just thinking of Uber here) why startups shouldn't be exempt from the rules and regulations that incumbents need to follow. They're in the same business. Alternatively, if the rules are bad, scrap them for everyone.

Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#13

Post by smackfu »

That's confusing that he pulled a response to someone else's post into a standalone post, without quoting this Noah person for context.

Here's the original complaint:

============================================================

I'm a huge #Uber fan, but the service has been getting really bad lately. Anyone else experiencing these issues?

-App shows a car 2 minutes away, and when I reserve, it then says the car is 8 minutes away

-Drivers who increasingly have no knowledge of the city and/or driving routes

-Drivers who increasingly have trouble communicating in English

-After booking, the car gets further away (significantly) before it gets closer on their way to pick me up.

-Surge pricing becoming the norm--even during traditional "non-peak" hours

Again, I've been and continue to be a huge fan of Uber, but the past couple months have been disappointing. On the plus side, I had an awesome Pakistani driver yesterday who had a great story to tell about how he emigrated to America and is making twice as much driving for Uber than his old taxi. Pretty cool.

https://www.facebook.com/noah.lichtenstein/posts/10100797782...

Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#14

Post by tolmasky »

crbnw00ts wrote: post #5

> All of Uber's old school power users have gotten used to Uber and simply expect our service as a baseline at this point. What I mean is that as you have gotten used to Uber, your expectations of basic fundamental service have risen. Yeah ... no. I got fed up with taxi service in SF about 2 years ago and started using Uber. At first I was astounded: very clean cars, very nice drivers who were accommodating and pleas…

> and worst of all, they don't know their way around the city at all.

This is my main concern. I am notoriously bad at directions and hate having a driver that I basically need to direct. Especially because that just means I'll be pulling out my Maps app instead of him using the navigation that I can clearly see sitting on his dashboard (I am SO confused by this behavior). Sometimes they'll just get frustrated with me (because I don't know how to get there!) and then finally type it in themselves as if its some huge inconvenience.

Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#15

Post by Nicholas_C »

crbnw00ts wrote: post #5

> All of Uber's old school power users have gotten used to Uber and simply expect our service as a baseline at this point. What I mean is that as you have gotten used to Uber, your expectations of basic fundamental service have risen. Yeah ... no. I got fed up with taxi service in SF about 2 years ago and started using Uber. At first I was astounded: very clean cars, very nice drivers who were accommodating and pleas…

I can imagine, like you said, that the growth is forcing them to hire less qualified drivers as the pool of great drivers has already been tapped. Here in Dallas Uber is still a great experience, for now.

Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#17

Post by Yhippa »

pg wrote: post #2

It's a sign of strength in a company when the CEO can talk candidly about problems like this. Every company has problems, most worse than this, but they rarely talk about them except in the blandest, most evasive way. Conspicuous candor.

It's got to be nice to be a straight shooter about your company and not "spook the market" when you're honest. You have analysts clinging on to your every word even in niche industries, ready to make some kind of recommendation.

Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#18

Post by andrewf »

tolmasky wrote: post #14
crbnw00ts wrote: post #5

> All of Uber's old school power users have gotten used to Uber and simply expect our service as a baseline at this point. What I mean is that as you have gotten used to Uber, your expectations of basic fundamental service have risen. Yeah ... no. I got fed up with taxi service in SF about 2 years ago and started using Uber. At first I was astounded: very clean cars, very nice drivers who were accommodating and pleas…

> and worst of all, they don't know their way around the city at all. This is my main concern. I am notoriously bad at directions and hate having a driver that I basically need to direct. Especially because that just means I'll be pulling out my Maps app instead of him using the navigation that I can clearly see sitting on his dashboard (I am SO confused by this behavior). Sometimes they'll just get frustrated with m…

UberX drivers seem increasingly inclined to expect me to pull out the maps app and navigate for them. It is annoying. Aren't you the one being paid to drive?

I have not necessarily been to a particular destination before. Even if I have, I might want to have my attention on something (my phone, my laptop, how much I want to go to bed..) other than the road.

Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#19

Post by annon »

Perhaps the reason that the quality numbers have been mostly flat is because drivers have been pushing to get 5 star reviews.

In case you didn't know, as a customer of uber, the driver gives you a star rating just like you give the driver. A lot of people in SF have figured that out, and a lot of time I'll get an offer of "5 for 5." The drivers are letting you know that if you give them a 5 star rating they will give you one.

On top of that, drivers more and more push for a good rating, trying to make you feel bad if you don't give them 5 stars.

I can't recall these pressures in the past, and if they are working, then quality numbers staying flat actually mean they are quite down.

----

That said, I am still an avid user of Uber, using it almost every day. My biggest concern is the same others have voiced, the drivers have no idea where they are in the city. I'm not talking cross streets, I'm saying a lot of time they don't even know how to get to a whole neighborhood. They also don't appear to be good 'city drivers,' and frequently seem to put bikers at risk due to that.

Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality

#20

Post by samstave »

crbnw00ts wrote: post #5

> All of Uber's old school power users have gotten used to Uber and simply expect our service as a baseline at this point. What I mean is that as you have gotten used to Uber, your expectations of basic fundamental service have risen. Yeah ... no. I got fed up with taxi service in SF about 2 years ago and started using Uber. At first I was astounded: very clean cars, very nice drivers who were accommodating and pleas…

I was a very early user of Uber, and the initial experience started the same as yours; living in Presidio, then upper Noe Valley - I could never get a cab. I was actually banned from several cab companies as I would call two or three to get a cab to my house, as most would never show up.

Recently, a few weeks ago, I used Uber to go from Mtn View to SF, then later from SF to Alameda. While I spent nearly $300 in cab fees that night, the experience was just as fantastic as always (It was my first date night out with my wife after our latest child was born - so her first night out in nearly a year).

The driver from Mtn View to SF was fantastic and accomdated us wanting loud music playing the whole way.

I Love Uber - what I have a tough time with is cost -- but really because I think everything is overpriced.

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