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Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

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Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#81

Post by auctiontheory »

mikeash wrote: post #48
jdminhbg wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> taxi pricing is transparent Hilarious.

Thank your for your informative and thought-out rebuttal. Every taxi I've ever ridden in clearly lays out the initial charge, how much distance is included, how much additional distance is charged, how much idle time is charged, and any additional fees.

If you've never been ripped off by a cab driver in a strange city, you either haven't traveled very much, or you've led a very charmed life. (Or you have been ripped off, but you didn't realize it.)

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#82

Post by wooster »

mikeash wrote: post #57
jdminhbg wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's really useful if you know what the distance is to your destination off the top of your head, or know that the driver is taking the shortest route to it. Also useful if the taxi driver actually engages the meter, or doesn't claim that the credit card reader is "broken." The idea that taxi regulations somehow make pricing transparent or predictable is completely divorced from reality.

Failing to engage the meter is easily observed by the passenger. Credit card readers have nothing to do with this discussion, and are clearly just you being whiny. That price list I discussed is posted precisely because the law requires it.

Accepting payment by credit card is one of those regulations taxis in SF find unfair and inefficient, and so flaunt regularly. So, from that perspective, I think it's germane.

I've also had drivers in SF smoke, refuse to give me a ride, and try to charge me extra fees, all of which are, AFAIK, against the law.

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#83

Post by athst »

I really dislike these kinds of posts that try to dramatize things with statements like Uber "has no customer service." It feels like you're trying to hold up the company by stirring up the mob. You should have given them more of a chance.

I had a problem where I rode in an Uber and the GPS tweaked out, causing the distance to be 2x what it should have been. I responded to the email, and they refunded me for the difference that was overcharged within a day.

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#84

Post by chrishepner »

dbloom wrote: post #80
chrishepner wrote: post #51

I am permanently banned from Uber. About 6 months ago, I noticed I was unable to log in to my account. Resetting the password did nothing, so I sent an email to the local support address. Almost two weeks later, I finally get the following reply: I looked into this situation and it appears that this device has been used on 25 different Uber accounts, which is a major red flag for us. We will not be reactivating your…

Why not just use Uber via http://m.uber.com , or via SMS? (see http://support.uber.com/entries/22340336-Requesting-a-Ride )

Because my entire account is banned, not just the device. If it were just the device, it wouldn't have been a problem - I could've just turned off the IMEI blocker and it would've been fine. Sadly, that's not the case!

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#85

Post by chrishepner »

jrockway wrote: post #74
chrishepner wrote: post #51

I am permanently banned from Uber. About 6 months ago, I noticed I was unable to log in to my account. Resetting the password did nothing, so I sent an email to the local support address. Almost two weeks later, I finally get the following reply: I looked into this situation and it appears that this device has been used on 25 different Uber accounts, which is a major red flag for us. We will not be reactivating your…

If they don't know your real IMEI, how can they permanently ban you? They don't ask for a copy of your social security card or anything. I can see why you might want to permanently ban them , though. Blaming you for a bug in their software.

They don't ask for a copy of your social security card, no, but I have to have a cellphone tied to my account and I only have one of those.

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#86

Post by richo »

ddrmaxgt37 wrote: post #3
richo wrote: post #2

When I had issues I just put it through their "how was the ride" thing that pops up after every ride, and they sorted it for me that day.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the ride that was the problem. It was how much they charged me. I had already submitted the "how was the ride" form.

Oh, now I see what you're driving at.

I'm still pretty stunned you weren't able to get in touch with them.

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#87

Post by kelnos »

mikeash wrote: post #43
nostromo wrote: post #31

I'm long on Uber and Lyft but their approach to billing is lacking. Uber really should provide some sort of cost breakdown on your previous rides. (They provide quotes, but not itemized receipts.) But at least you can get a sense for how much they charge on their website. Lyft, hilariously, doesn't tell you how much they charge! At all! What on Earth is their thinking behind that? Is it miles? Minutes? Am I charged b…

It's amusing that various local taxi regulations, which Uber and friends have long decried as being unfair, inefficient, outdated, etc. are pretty much the sole reason taxi pricing is transparent.

Er, what? The Uber pricing is listed right there in the app, in the same way that taxi pricing is listed: base fare, per-mile fare, and per-minute fare. And if surge pricing is in effect, there's even an extra tap-through step that tells you what the multiplier and final costs are, and asks you to confirm that it's ok.

There's even a trip cost estimator in the app that you can use by telling it your destination.

When the trip is over, you get an email receipt with the total time and distance with the charges listed, as well as a map with the route drawn.

I'm not sure how you can get more transparent than that. What else are you looking for?

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#88

Post by kelnos »

bicknergseng wrote: post #41
nostromo wrote: post #31

I'm long on Uber and Lyft but their approach to billing is lacking. Uber really should provide some sort of cost breakdown on your previous rides. (They provide quotes, but not itemized receipts.) But at least you can get a sense for how much they charge on their website. Lyft, hilariously, doesn't tell you how much they charge! At all! What on Earth is their thinking behind that? Is it miles? Minutes? Am I charged b…

One of the reasons why I've been using Sidecar more lately. You put in your pickup and dropoff locations and are given an estimated donation recommendation (Sidecar let's you pay what you want) before you actually request a pickup. There's a lot to be said for setting expectations like that early.

... which you can do in the Uber app, as well, though of course it's not a pay-what-you-want service, and the fare estimation in the app is just that, an estimation.

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#89

Post by [deleted] »

athst wrote: post #83

I really dislike these kinds of posts that try to dramatize things with statements like Uber "has no customer service." It feels like you're trying to hold up the company by stirring up the mob. You should have given them more of a chance. I had a problem where I rode in an Uber and the GPS tweaked out, causing the distance to be 2x what it should have been. I responded to the email, and they refunded me for the diff…

[deleted]

Re: Beware: Uber Has No Customer Service and Still Has Bugs

#90

Post by robryk »

Mithaldu wrote: post #62
ericd wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Come on with the phone number zealotry. It's very hard as a rapidly growing small-medium sized business to provide great phone service (on the level of being able to fix random problems on the spot), and if you can't provide great phone service, it's generally better to stick to asynchronous online methods where you can provide better service.

I'm not sure if my post wasn't clear enough. Let me try and rephrase: It's fine to deny phone support by default and demand usage of online tools. However if you don't provide a phone number for emergencies and cases where you fucked up, you don't take business seriously. Doesn't mean i think you shouldn't do business. Simply means i won't trust you with anything remotely important.

If you provide a phone number for emergencies, it will be used for non-emergencies by the most irritating kind of customer (`every problem of mine is an emergency!').
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