bickster Posted November 25, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 25, 2019 Also no passenger is ever rated 2 or 3 stars. it's 1, 4 or 5. The reason being a rating of 3 or below means the driver is never matched with the customer again, so they go all in to lower the passenger score as much as possible. 5 means customer good, 4 means customer not perfect but I'd take them again, 1 means customer is a dick, sod them. And what constitutes a 1 star would amaze you, mid journey stops, luggage, keeping driver waiting a couple of mins.. The rating system is mental. It's a con trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenjiOgiwara Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 5 minutes ago, bickster said: You know this is just an illusion in most markets don't you? Driver ratings mean sod all, passenger ratings mean even less (apart from drivers rejecting bookings by low rated passengers - and by low I mean less than 4.75 out of 5), the ratings system actually actively discriminates against passengers not drivers. How so? If the rating directly affects whether you book the driver? Same goes for every other profession. Former customer feedback is essential to make your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 25, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 25, 2019 1 minute ago, KenjiOgiwara said: How so? If the rating directly affects whether you book the driver? Same goes for every other profession. Former customer feedback is essential to make your decision. There are very few drivers rated less than 4.8 because Uber doesn't show you the real rating as a passenger. You might not be inclined to pay Uber money if that weren't the case If a low rated driver gets your job, you don't accept, what happens to that booking? there's a chance you'll use a different platform or service, Ratings to passengers are spoofed. There is very little you can trust with Uber, it's an illusion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, bickster said: They lose approx $1bil a quarter, in an average quarter, some quarters shit loads more. VAT case will be announced soon, they could be liable for £1bil in back VAT payments in the UK The way Uber do it, yes, the way traditional PH companies do it, not so much. Gig Economy is a media term, each employment rights issue with a company has to be treated on it's own merits, each and every case is very different. I haven't bothered to look into their financials but I'd imagine they post sufficiently high revenues and then 'reinvest' a lot of it. They strike me as a company who is always taking about what they're going to do in terms of revenue and ultimately profits and are probably at every point keen to talk up the future size of the pie they are pursuing. Ultimately if they don't start posting good profits in the not too distant future then capital markets will get spooked and their stocks will tumble. Would be interested in knowing the answer to this but what does Uber really 'have'? An app and some properties it owns (they probably rent most of their offices)? Edited November 25, 2019 by Dr_Pangloss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 25, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 25, 2019 3 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said: I haven't bothered to look into their financials but I'd imagine they post sufficiently high revenues and then 'reinvest' a lot of it. No, they genuinely lose shitloads of money every quarter. It's in my interest to paint them as what you're suggesting but it isn't the case. This isn't reducing profits to reduce tax, this is genuine honest to goodness losses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 25, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 25, 2019 6 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said: Would be interested in knowing the answer to this but what does Uber really 'have'? An app and some properties it owns (they probably rent most of their offices)? You are correct, it owns very little of substance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 25, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 25, 2019 32 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said: Ultimately if they don't start posting good profits in the not too distant future then capital markets will get spooked and their stocks will tumble. Stock has already tumbled by 35-40% since IPO. It's already down pre-market on today's news by 5% (or was about an hour ago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingram85 Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Uber is shit. I have a rating of 4.54. I've only used it about 10 times and I've literally sat in the car everytime, asked how they are, respected them and their vehicle, if they appear chatty I'll chat, if they appear miserable I'll be quiet. I have never done anything to warrant a lower score. Yet I've read a few things online and in reddits where drivers have openly said that if they dont even like the look of you, if you are a different race, religion, culture or whatever, even if they are in a bad mood or having a bad day then they'll just mark you down for the hell of it through no fault of your own. Now, I'm not pigeon holing any certain culture as racist but I havent had a driver who isnt a miserable older male muslim as of yet. That may sound like I'm generalizing and maybe I am a bit as obviously a few of my drivers have given me good reviews but it's my first hand experience and my only explanation. Uber is shit. I think the customer rating needs to be scrapped and a blacklist or report system started for exceptionally bad customers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 The worst thing about Uber is what I see as essentially the route theft it commits. You enter into an implied contract with them to go to a specific destination for an 'agreed' price, this price is agreed in the sense that you find the offered price reasonable enough. They can then, without impunity, levy a greater charge on you after the fact for a number of 'reasons'. For me you have no way of knowing what this will be and it completely breaks the spirit of the 'contract' that you entered into when you paid for the ride. There's horror stories of Uber changing people £10's if not £100's more after the journey has been completed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCDAN Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 I personally don't have any issues with it, its always worked for me (apart from in Barry when I couldn't get one), they always come quick and its always a fair price so no issues from me. If I do end up in a conversation with the driver I will normally ask how they find driving for Uber and the majority seem quite happy with it and that they prefer it to driving for a rank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenjiOgiwara Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 1 hour ago, bickster said: There are very few drivers rated less than 4.8 because Uber doesn't show you the real rating as a passenger. You might not be inclined to pay Uber money if that weren't the case If a low rated driver gets your job, you don't accept, what happens to that booking? there's a chance you'll use a different platform or service, Ratings to passengers are spoofed. There is very little you can trust with Uber, it's an illusion According to whom? I wouldn't be surprised if you were right, but it's still a better system for me as a customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenjiOgiwara Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 (edited) 57 minutes ago, bickster said: No, they genuinely lose shitloads of money every quarter. It's in my interest to paint them as what you're suggesting but it isn't the case. A lot of growth companies tend to do this though. They expand heavily to increase revenue and market share, earnings takes a beating, but in any growth or tech company you don't pay for todays company, you pay for the future. Edited November 25, 2019 by KenjiOgiwara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 25, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 25, 2019 1 minute ago, KenjiOgiwara said: According to whom? I wouldn't be surprised if you were right, but it's still a better system for me as a customer. According to the drivers themselves, I do a lot of reading on the subject in online communities No one should trust Uber, they have had at least 3 (probably more) major data breaches. At least one of which they paid the hackers ransom on the promise that the hacker wouldn't do anything with the data, guess what happened next...? There were thousands upon thousands of people using other peoples accounts, which they'd bought for $1 a time on the dark web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam-AVFC Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Looks a bit like WeWork - valued at $47bn in their last investment round and bought by Softbank recently for around $8bn...less than they had invested at the higher valuation. The owner is laughing as I believe he already made a couple of billion selling shares and with this money bought some of the building WeWork rent so he has an investment with a 'safe' covenant. Tbh the types of buildings they buy it can't go to far wrong. For years they have been making massive losses subsidised by more and more VC cash until the bubble finally burst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morley_crosses_to_Withe Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 As someone who lives in London, I no longer give a toss about Uber. I’ve said on here recently that I’m sick of the constant surge pricing and drivers accepting then suddenly cancelling. Also, the “X mins” away is often nonsense and particular annoying when the driver cancels when they’re apparently not far away. If I cancel within a certain timeframe, Uber can charge me, but I don’t get any credit in return when it’s them cancelling and causing me the inconvenience. It was great at first, but the general standards these days, pricing function, and the behaviour of the drivers has made it a horribly shit service. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 2 hours ago, AVFCDAN said: I personally don't have any issues with it, its always worked for me (apart from in Barry when I couldn't get one) Yeah sorry about that, I was knocking one out and it took a lot longer than expected. I'd had @Ingram85 in the car earlier and just remembering his face in my mirror kept putting me off. I've marked him down for it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 8 hours ago, Dr_Pangloss said: The worst thing about Uber is what I see as essentially the route theft it commits. You enter into an implied contract with them to go to a specific destination for an 'agreed' price, this price is agreed in the sense that you find the offered price reasonable enough. They can then, without impunity, levy a greater charge on you after the fact for a number of 'reasons'. For me you have no way of knowing what this will be and it completely breaks the spirit of the 'contract' that you entered into when you paid for the ride. There's horror stories of Uber changing people £10's if not £100's more after the journey has been completed. Happened to my mrs. She got charged 100zl more (20 quid) because the driver said there was gum in the car. She wasn't even chewing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 25, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 25, 2019 11 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said: Happened to my mrs. She got charged 100zl more (20 quid) because the driver said there was gum in the car. She wasn't even chewing it. Ah the old Uber soilage charge scam. All they have to do it take photos of the mess created, submit them to Uber and Uber sharge the customer after working out how much it should be. There's no negotiation, they just charge your card, you've willing given them your card details and agreed to pay the soiling charge in the T&Cs when you signed up. Many drivers have these photos ready for a fake claim. If it was gum, how does the driver know it was your missus? Answer is, he doesn't. It's just one of the scams the drivers pull to earn more money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Just to challenge the narrative here a bit. I once got a blowjob in the back of an Uber on the way home from a Tinder date. Not my idea, but rude to say no. Text the girl the next day to ask if it had affected her rating (yeah she paid, I'm a gentleman). She said it appeared to have gone up! So there's a positive story for you. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart_75 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 9 hours ago, KentVillan said: Just to challenge the narrative here a bit. I once got a blowjob in the back of an Uber on the way home from a Tinder date. Not my idea, but rude to say no. Text the girl the next day to ask if it had affected her rating (yeah she paid, I'm a gentleman). She said it appeared to have gone up! So there's a positive story for you. You sir are a legend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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