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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

#21
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 was candid, but before I'd call it conspicuous I'd like to see him explain the driver on-boarding process and the level of knowledge it requires of city routes. This especially applies to UberX. I think it'd help everyone adjust their expectations.

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

#22
post #16

2 and 8 minutes? Are you serious? Sure you're being promised something and getting something else, but.... At least it's better than being promised that a cab would come in 15 minutes, and then having to wait in the rain for 50 minutes instead.

Here was the original comment he was responding to:

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

The only way that seems like it would happen is if the driver who was 2 minutes away rejected the call.

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

#24
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

I've experienced this far too often in the past few months, it's starting to become a bit unbearable. Just not sure why Uber continues to onboard drivers who seem incompetent and have no sense of direction.

It'd be nice if I can get in the car and get to my destination without feeling like a got damn TOM TOM by the time I arrive.

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

#25
post #19

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…

> In case you didn't know, as a customer of uber, the driver gives you a star rating just like you give the driver.

Wow. As someone who has never used Uber, this surprises me. It's repeating an obvious mistake that it took Ebay ages to correct.

> if they are working, then quality numbers staying flat actually mean they are quite down.

Exactly.

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

#26

> 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…

This happened to me twice with Uber black and that was enough to abandon the service. Weird that I've not observed this behavior among Lyft drivers (who I'd expect to be part timing it).

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

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

This happened to me twice with Uber black and that was enough to abandon the service. Weird that I've not observed this behavior among Lyft drivers (who I'd expect to be part timing it).

That could be a huge edge for Lyft, "rides from locals."

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

#29
We started using Uber this year to get to the airport. Though we are happy with the price, and very happy with the ease of scheduling, every single ride has made me uncomfortable with the safety and comfort of the service.

Over four rides to the airport this year, these things have happened:

1) Three of the times the drivers claimed the AC wasn't working, and we had to drive on the interstate with the windows down.

2) The driver missed the exit for SFO, and drove through the median to get to it

3) Two drivers did not know how to get to OAK

4) I (a pregnant woman) was traveling alone with my infant son. Driver did not help load stroller and luggage into the trunk. Threw luggage out of the trunk onto the curb when we arrived at the airport.

Transportation always kind of sucks, and maybe this is the best you can buy for $72 from Berkeley to SFO. My Uber experiences have been uniformly worse than my taxi to/from airport experiences. But they are slightly cheaper and easier to schedule.

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

#30
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 was candid, but before I'd call it conspicuous I'd like to see him explain the driver on-boarding process and the level of knowledge it requires of city routes. This especially applies to UberX. I think it'd help everyone adjust their expectations.

Knowledge of city routes isn't THAT relevant when you can easily depend on Google Maps. Almost every time I use Uber, the drivers have used Google Maps if they didn't readily know where I wanted to go and I didn't mind them using it either. It instill confidence in me that they're following an optimized route provided by Google.
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