To be completely done with Uber ratings

[runningonberocca]

So annoyed! I’ve always had a pretty good uber rating - generally 5 stars. I broke my leg a few months ago and since then my uber rating keeps dropping. I mean really dropping-1 and 2 star ratings. The only reason I can think of is that I’m slightly slower getting in and out of the car on crutches.
I never keep them waiting, I never ask for extra stops, I never eat or drink in the car,I’m clean, I don’t smoke, I’m always polite - naturally quite quiet but will chat if they start a conversation . I always rate them highly and always tip.
And now another bloody 2 star rating. It’s beginning to affect my self esteem. What the hell is so wrong with me? And I’m sick of being rated by strange men for simply sitting in the bloody car. I feel bloody judged. And now I feel like I have to put on some kind of performance when I call a cab. Seriously thinking of stopping using uber to use a cab service that doesn’t judge me . I know I probably am BU!

Sorry to hear you've broken your leg

Do you have a local cab company? I found the local companies to be lovely when I've had injuries, parents have been ill, etc. That was in two different areas.

To be honest I'd not give it much thought really. I Uber one side of my commute pretty much 5x a week. My current rating is 4.98 😅

I genuinely didn't even know it was a thing until someone told me you can look up your own ratings from drivers?! At the end of the day they're out there doing a job. Fair play to them but they're literally just driving me from one spot to another. It's not rocket science, they're not performing heart surgery on me. And if it's a crappy, rainy, stressful morning and my train is late...

Sure I'll chat if they want to chat. But it's not my day! I'm paying for a service, they're delivering one, and it's purely a financial transaction. It's not more deep than that.

I can swear though they are more bothered about their rating than yours.

I’m confused. You’re a passenger and you get rated by drivers? You can tell I don’t take Ubers but really? Is that a thing? Why do passengers get rated on Uber?

Didn’t know this was a thing. Just checked mine and it’s 4.8. Now I’m left fretting about what the hell did I do to lose 0.2?!! I’m extremely well behaved and I’ve only done about ten trips in total!

The whole system is ridiculous. If you get in the car when they arrive, are polite, sober, don't leave rubbish in the car and get out at the end, you've been a decent passenger. While it's nice to be sociable, you're not there to entertain or make friends with the driver and the same goes for them.

If they show up on time, in the right place, the car is clean, well maintained and safe,the driver is polite and clean and they get you to your destination, they've done what you asked.

Also anything less than five stars is seen as derogatory so you can't rationally separate the good from the excellent because people rate good as five stars, leaving no room for excellent.

I'd expect a one or two star passenger to be the ones who keep the driver waiting, are no longer at the location, throw up in the cab, eat smelly food and leave rubbish all over, are drunk or on drugs, so I'd not worry about your rating as its obviously nonsense.

Why does it matter? Is it hard to get an Uber if you have a lower rating?

When I first read the OP I thought you were an Uber driver yourself.

I didn't know this either! I've never used Uber although been in less than a handful with friends or family when they've ordered them. I very rarely get taxis but when I do I use a local firm instead where there's no rating nonsense.

Same. I take a lot of Ubers but the thing is I’m always waiting outside for them, I’m always polite, I don’t make random requests, I also give profuse thanks. I don’t know what I’ve done to lose 0.2 but I’m not a chit chatter.

Ubers guidance says this shite about slammed doors and finding out what makes a driver happy to get 5 stars. Fuck that.

I had a five star rating for ages and then it suddenly dropped to 4.8. Only thing I could think of was one night I got an uber and the driver went to the wrong spot for pick up. I messaged him to say he was in the wrong place but I would come to him. He was a torn faced grumpy bastard and clearly didn’t appreciate being told he’d got something wrong. I don’t look at ratings now and I don’t give them, if you don’t want my business, get fucked.

I've just realised. I wonder if some drivers give you a lower rating if you don't tip them?

I’d like to say it’s a heap of bollocks, but there is probably a little bit of benefit behind it - hopefully it’s delivers more courteous and timely behaviour from passengers who would otherwise be rude or late.

But at an individual level, please don’t read anything into it, and certainly don’t let it affect your self esteem. Dealing with life in crutches is really fucking hard, but these drivers are strangers with whom who have a fleeting interaction. They do not get to decide your value in life!

As long as you are still getting the lifts you need, then please don’t worry about it. But if you are, perhaps contact uber and ask them about their policy for passengers with disabilities?

Chin up hugs, using crutches sucks.

Thanks all for the support. I know I haven’t done anything offensive or rude which is why it bothers me. Also if you have a low uber score you are less likely to get an uber and below a certain score they deactivate your account which would be a real problem with my current mobility.
Looking back - the ones I have been rated poorly on are ones where there has been bad traffic so maybe the drivers were just in bad form. But that’s not something that’s in my control and to be fair they are probably more up to speed re traffic conditions on the different routes than I am.
I’ll try not to take it personally- deliberately avoided getting an uber yesterday - got combination of bus/train/tube in the rain even though it was slippy and raining. Probably not the safest option on crutches!

@runningonberocca a couple of mum's elderly friends use Uber and they have said that it's not great

You didn't say whether or not you have a local taxi option but I would definitely suggest looking into it. You can actually talk to a human being on the phone and explain you're on crutches.

I have been with someone when she was trying to get an Uber and she got turned down for having too low rating. She operates the account for a relative with mobility issues. I suspect the low rating might have come from there. It sounds awful, but she hardly uses it apparently.

i've looked this up, mostly on Reddit, and I'm a bit shocked what counts as a low rating. And also the fact that you can get a low rating because you accidentally slammed the door!

I would bet my bottom dollar that women get marked more harshly by the drivers than male passengers.

Take no notice of it OP.

Uber drivers giving you a low score are showing prejudice against you due to your condition.

Complain to Uber about it if you wish and what ever you do, remember DO NOT RUSH, as this could lead to you having an accident and right now that is not what anyone wants.

The consequences of the ignorant Uber drivers actions could lead to people with dissabilities and conditions being put at harm so be careful.

I’m going to contact our local taxi company next time I need a cab as per the advice I’ve been given. I’m just really disappointed with Uber. I’ve always been fit and healthy so breaking my leg and the recovery has been a big shock to me but I didn’t realise the degree of discrimination people with disabilities face. I’m in a lucky position because fingers crossed I’ll make a full recovery but it’s disgusting that people are being down rated for poor mobility or other disabilities .I can see from the previous posts that I’m not the only one to experience this. I’m always waiting outside for them - I never delay them but I am a bit slow getting my crutches and legs in and out and more recently a driver was dropping me off at a busy traffic area expecting me to scoot across the road dodging traffic and I told him I couldn’t safely get out there I needed to get out near a pavement. But I thought that was pretty reasonable- for anyone - to be dropped where it is safe to get out of car!

@NoisyMonster678 I actually wondered that too

And also, I wondered if mum's elderly friends haven't had great experiences for the same reason.

I don't know if it makes a difference if you let Uber know in advance if there's going to be any issues? I feel
as if you shouldn't have to in a way but it is a very "transactional" thing.

But to be fair, whenever I've used local taxis for myself or my parents and there's any kind of issue, I do always tell them. But it seems like a different thing when you give them a ring and you "know" them to some extent.

I always drop off a Christmas present - so that's with two taxi companies if you count my old area that I lived in, and the area that my parents were living in when my late father was ill and I was having to take him to hospital in a taxi from his side- and I noticed the office is full of Christmas presents. I think there's a lot of people who really value a local taxi service. And we do have Uber here.

(I think keeping local companies going is really important but I don't want to hijack OP thread by getting on my soapbox)

So I'm aware that maybe I'm prejudiced against Uber. And probably some drivers are driving for both. So it shouldn't really make a difference, especially if an elderly person or someone on crutches visibly needs a bit of extra time or even some help.

My rating with uber is awful.

But I only ever use Ubers to go to and from the hospital where I am usually about to/have just had more bad news. So I am hardly the most talkative person and I am usually just sat in the back quietly sobbing to be honest.

I think it’s rubbish…I feel that as a woman you also often get a bad rating if you are just polite but not overly smiley with the drivers. I always say Hello, How are you, Thank you, Goodbye, but I’m not always in the mood for prolonged chats. Not all drivers are either and it would never occur to me to give them a bad rating if they are polite and drive me to my destination.