What's your Uber experience?

[Forg]

What is relevance?

It did tie in with the poor driving comment. People who haven’t been brought-up with their parents driving, or driving to road-rules, do seem to struggle more with both car-control & an ability to drive to the rules & to expected behavioural norms.

 

[Deleted member]

What is relevance?

In my experience many middle eastern drivers have a different way of driving. I know it’s stereotyping, however many of them are very heavy on brakes and acceleration, and often “pump” the accelerator when driving making for an uncomfortable ride.

 

[Flying_man]

In my experience many middle eastern drivers have a different way of driving. I know it’s stereotyping, however many of them are very heavy on brakes and acceleration, and often “pump” the accelerator when driving making for an uncomfortable ride.

Oh. I wasn’t aware of these facts. What is solution? Segregated driving laws for some ethnic group?

 

[yld200]

Ordered an uber from MEL early Monday morning when I first looked at the app he was coming from the Taxi / Uber waiting area. He messaged me through the app asking where I was and replied that I'd be at the normal uber pick up area across from spot 1D. His car on the map then darted quickly to the McDonald's car park which was strange and he messaged again asking where I was going. This immediately rang alarm bells and I just replied with a basic 'the address is already in the system' - No response. His car then appeared to go up to the departures area at MEL airport according to the GPS location on the app, I couldn't see his car in the pick up zone so I messaged him a few times with no response saying that I couldn't see him and clearly identified where I was, after 5 mins he messaged saying he's been waiting and I didn't show so cancelled the trip and I was charged a $10 cancellation fee.

Second uber driver was great and said uber has a 2 strikes policy on drivers who ask passengers where they're going before the fare starts.

Sent uber a follow up and they reversed the charge immediately.

 

[Deleted member]

Oh. I wasn’t aware of these facts. What is solution? Segregated driving laws for some ethnic group?

Now you're just being silly !

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

Ordered an uber from MEL early Monday morning when I first looked at the app he was coming from the Taxi / Uber waiting area. He messaged me through the app asking where I was and replied that I'd be at the normal uber pick up area across from spot 1D. His car on the map then darted quickly to the McDonald's car park which was strange and he messaged again asking where I was going. This immediately rang alarm bells and I just replied with a basic 'the address is already in the system' - No response. His car then appeared to go up to the departures area at MEL airport according to the GPS location on the app, I couldn't see his car in the pick up zone so I messaged him a few times with no response saying that I couldn't see him and clearly identified where I was, after 5 mins he messaged saying he's been waiting and I didn't show so cancelled the trip and I was charged a $10 cancellation fee.

Second uber driver was great and said uber has a 2 strikes policy on drivers who ask passengers where they're going before the fare starts.

Sent uber a follow up and they reversed the charge immediately.

All too common occurrence at MEL recently. I just ignore the call and msg now.

 

[Forg]

Experience sending better-half to Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) airport at around 6am this morning …

Plan was (a) catch taxi, (b) catch Uber if A fails, (c) I drive her & get to work late if B fails.
Reason not for (c) as the primary option is because they're sending her to Chicago in Y despite her only being away 6 days & expected to work the day after she gets there and the same day as she gets back … and they'll refund the taxi fare (as opposed to not refunding fuel & tolls if I did it).

So she tries (a) … 45 minute wait. Why not book the night before? Because they're so unreliable, we had about a 50% success-rate before we stopped bothering to book. And bugger a 45min wait for some numpty to use the brake & accelerator as if they're binary (100% on or 100% off) and give you whiplash.
So she tries (b) … 4 minutes, base Uber service. Vehicle turns up, nothing super special car-wise, but top-of-the-range current-model Pathfinder has plenty of room & has leather etc. She's offered a choice of music (favourite radio station, he has a few playlists to choose from), snacks, chilled water. No forced headbanging on the way to the airport, no fear of death due to erratic unexpected vehicle lack-of-control. Additionally (and I'll let Uber take the cred for this) her rewards upgrade went through & she's currently napping up a storm in QF A388 flatbed goodness (dunno if SYD-LAX has many rewards seats available but I notice she's in the last row of J).

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

I have booked taxi online for 1 day in advance and it was always waiting for me in the morning (home to airport). I've done it about 10 times and it worked everytime. I then tend to use Uber on the way back.

 

[Milboo]

I always book Silver Service for airport trips. Never had a no show or late taxi. Opposite result tends to happen with the other taxi companies.

 

[Forg]

I always book Silver Service for airport trips. Never had a no show or late taxi. Opposite result tends to happen with the other taxi companies.

Yeah a mate clued me in to this one, and it worked 100% reliably for a couple of years … but then, it failed twice in a row.

The other thing is that since about 3yrs ago I usually book a limo for her, because it's cheaper & cleaner & safer & has never failed to turn up on time - usually she's going OS on her own dime. But this time the government pays for it, and they'll stump-up for a taxi but not the limo, even though the limo is cheaper than the taxi … that's government efficiency for you, costs more money to enforce all the rules to attempt to stop government employees from "ripping us off" than the rip-offs would cost us if they were just allowed to do their thing.

 

[Tygeray]

I have used Uber X to get to MEL but have been a bit unsure about booking a Uber Black when I land in MEL since I am unsure where to meet the car. Anyone got any tips for this? I also catch a cab from ADL when I land there, what are the Uber procedures there?

Thanks!

ADL Uber pickup is about 50 metres north of the rank

 

[Buzzard]

Maybe I should give uber from ADL airport a go.

 

[Pleb Status]

Last night at PER airport (just after midnight), I experienced a new version of the driver ring up and cancel scam of which I have commented on previously.

The main difference this time is the driver gets you to cancel by texting that they have a 'flat tyre' only 20 seconds after calling you to find out your destination. They say in the text it will take at least 30 minutes to repair and if this is not acceptable it is up to me to cancel the trip (so they will not get a cancellation against their name, you will).

I asked the Uber driver who did pick me up if there was any sign of another driver changing a tyre and he stated there was not and it was pretty quiet in the holding pen so he would have noticed.

Sent a complaint to Uber and they said they would monitor the situation with that driver.

 

[Quickstatus]

Good experience with UberEats from Chargrill Charlies
15 min from ordering to on schedule delivery

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

The main difference this time is the driver gets you to cancel by texting that they have a 'flat tyre' only 20 seconds after calling you to find out your destination. They say in the text it will take at least 30 minutes to repair and if this is not acceptable it is up to me to cancel the trip (so they will not get a cancellation against their name, you will).

These guys are just as bad as the taxi's who refuse to take you on short trips. I report every airport cancellation to Uber. You know when they are calling you that they are planning to cancel on finding out your destination and whether or not it is 'sufficient' for them.

 

[NoName]

Why don’t you just lie and tell them you are going much further than you are? Then when they complain tell them you have been a victim of the ring and cancel scam before. Or just that you decided to go somewhere else after they called.

What’s the worst they will do? Give you a bad rating? Who cares.

I will accept any trip. Don’t care the distance. To refuse short trips is simply counter productive and typical low intelligence taxi driver mentality.

 

[odysseus]

It used to be that driver ratings for riders were updated immediately.

It looks like they recently changed that, to my estimation to be updating about a week later for the rider. i.e. you only see the rating impact from a trip around a week after you took it.

I imagine this is since they changed the rider ratings to be more visible, more passengers became aware of them, and there may have been more ‘revenge rating - ’ or at least more driver complaints about it…

 

[odysseus]

Why don’t you just lie and tell them you are going much further than you are? Then when they complain tell them you have been a victim of the ring and cancel scam before. Or just that you decided to go somewhere else after they called.

What’s the worst they will do? Give you a bad rating? Who cares.

Just like short trips being of concern to some uber drivers, some uber drivers also discriminate/knock back low passenger ratings too.

Doing what you suggest on the odd occasion may not have much of an impact, but if you're in the situation where it's a typical route, and you do get lots of inquiries and approach it that way often, your rating will take a hit. Which may make it harder/longer to get a pickup, and worst case results in 're-education/lock-outs' by uber: Uber riders with low ratings to be banned under new rules

I'm not defending the call up practice - just pointing out that the rider rating does have significance.

 

[dajop]

Is the airport problem because drivers don't want short fares period (irrespective of how long they've been waiting) or is that they've been waiting around 2hrs and they get that $10 ride instead of the $50 ride. If the former, no mercy. If the latter, surely there is a technological solution that Uber could fix if it wanted to, such that they allocate short fares to recently arrived drivers. But I guess the problem is defining a short fare.

 

[NoName]

Is the airport problem because drivers don't want short fares period (irrespective of how long they've been waiting) or is that they've been waiting around 2hrs and they get that $10 ride instead of the $50 ride. If the former, no mercy. If the latter, surely there is a technological solution that Uber could fix if it wanted to, such that they allocate short fares to recently arrived drivers. But I guess the problem is defining a short fare.

They do. If you get a short trip from the airport you can return within a certain period of time and go straight to the front of the queue.