# Ratings ding



## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

When I come home at 6:30 am My rating was back up to 4.64 from 4.60. I got fanfare from UBER which I deserved for working my ass off.

Three hours later and it's 4.59 What could have happened? The only issue I had last night I refunded the rider. I'm seriously discouraged. I have some physical limitations that prevent me from other means of employment - ride share driving is my only option and I'll do whatever it takes.


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## Iann (Oct 17, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> When I come home at 6:30 am My rating was back up to 4.64 from 4.60. I got fanfare from UBER which I deserved for working my ass off.
> 
> Three hours later and it's 4.59 What could have happened? The only issue I had last night I refunded the rider. I'm seriously discouraged. I have some physical limitations that prevent me from other means of employment - ride share driving is my only option and I'll do whatever it takes.
> 
> *Jap-slap - 山本の勝利でパールハーバー.


I thought this was about wearing flip flops. Misleading

How did you get a 4.6 rating? Please tell.


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

You must be a new driver so you shouldn’t worry about your rating until you’ve got at least 100 trips. A few bad ratings can move your rating significantly in the beginning. Your skills should improve with each trip.


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

Why did you refund the rider? I'm curious.

In my experience, it's usually best to act like you're 100% confident in your abilities and skills, and drive with purpose - if you took a wrong turn, just let gps re-calculate and don't even mention it. Just act like every move you make is intentional.

The riders don't get charged anything extra if you went a mile or two out of the way - or even 5 miles out of the way, truthfully. so unless you accidentally drove her back to the starting point, she isn't paying any more than what she was quoted.

In 1200+ rides. I've never had Uber refund a rider. They're paying literal pennies on the dollar for a ride in a clean car - admitting errors in front of them and apologizing about something minor will just make their cheap, foul mouths drool with the opportunity to complain and get a free ride out of it.


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

I refund to counter potential bad ratings. It's a system that works well and the only way to avoid bad ratings from a certain type of scam riders. You likely drive in a classier city then Little Rock, Arkansas.

I took I 430 N when I should have remained on 30 E. - it was 2 miles and 3 minutes correcting. That's all the leeway you are allowed here. One mistake and you're screwed.



Julescase said:


> Why did you refund the rider? I'm curious.
> 
> In my experience, it's usually best to act like you're 100% confident in your abilities and skills, and drive with purpose - if you took a wrong turn, just let gps re-calculate and don't even mention it. Just act like every move you make is intentional.
> 
> ...


The power to refund rests with the driver, not UBER. (I'm sure they have their own version.)



1.5xorbust said:


> You must be a new driver so you shouldn't worry about your rating until you've got at least 100 trips. A few bad ratings can move your rating significantly in the beginning. Your skills should improve with each trip.


They already deactivated me once. That new driver leeway, multiple warnings, rating protections is all BS. They deactivated my newbie ass the second it hit 4.59 although three 5 star rating came right behind the 4.59 which brought me to 4.60 but still had to take the course.

In their defense I was back driving the next day.I have a little over 200 rides in the 4 weeks I'm been driving.


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> I refund to counter potential bad ratings. It's a system that works well and the only way to avoid bad ratings from a certain type of scam riders. You likely drive in a classier city then Little Rock, Arkansas.
> 
> I took I 430 N when I should have remained on 30 E. - it was 2 miles and 3 minutes correcting. That's all the leeway you are allowed here. One mistake and you're screwed.
> 
> ...


You should probably post on the Little Rock forum to see if you can get some additional insight.


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## Rakos (Sep 2, 2014)

Wow...Uber is getting picky...

In Arkansas to boot...

Hard to get my monkey mind around...

Rakos


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

NEVER refund the pax.

Uber will do it for you, when they complain.

And if you think that refunding the pax will avoid a bad rating, you are WRONG they will low rate you anyway. Ask any driver on this forum, they will confirm this.

The only time to do something like this is when you cancel the entire trip, and when that happens the pax loses the ability to rate you. You also lose the $$.


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## Cklw (Mar 18, 2017)

Keep your volume off on your gps, or earpiece if you need the voice directions, most pax won’t even notice a missed turn.


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

Go check out the ratings section here on the forum and read it for an hour or two.

In a nutshell, be more selective about the pings you take and the time and place where you work. Be slow to start the trip and if the rider is negative or anything weird happens before starting the trip then silently cancel "Cancel - do not charge rider" and drive away (the rider cannot rate a cancelled trip). When you get them ask if they have a preferred route or should we just go the way the system suggests is fastest. Most legitimate bad ratings come from navigation issues.

One other trick I do is I am more talkative at the beginning and the end of the ride. In the middle I tend to shut up unless they drive the conversation. This way I am not talking too much but will not be seen as "unfriendly". I can start with a good first impression and also end the ride on a positive note by relating to the customer in some way or engaging in some small talk with them. It has to be natural though. If it seems forced or artificial it will have the opposite effect.


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> I refund to counter potential bad ratings. It's a system that works well and the only way to avoid bad ratings from a certain type of scam riders. You likely drive in a classier city then Little Rock, Arkansas.
> 
> I took I 430 N when I should have remained on 30 E. - it was 2 miles and 3 minutes correcting. That's all the leeway you are allowed here. One mistake and you're screwed.
> 
> ...


Yeah, it's not a good idea to try to refund pax when you didn't make an egregious error - that pax wouldn't have paid a penny more regardless of your route and if you mentioned anything to her or apologized, you might have gotten it into her head that she should complain. It's not working to avoid bad ratings so you should probably stop ASAP.

Sorry you were deactivated before. In order to avoid it again, I advise that you stop trying to refund pax and don't contact Uber to tell them you made mistakes. That's never a good idea.

I drive Uber X. Uber X pax in general aren't "classy" regardless of the city they're in. They're cheap and looking for cheaper, hence the Uber X request.

You posted your thread in the "Advice"column, which is why I'm trying to help you out and suggesting ways to avoid this problem in the future.

Pax don't pay more if you go a few miles extra during the trip - remember that you spent your energy, gas, wear & tear on your car, and efforts trying to make a buck - and Uber X pax won't appreciate the fact that you're trying to help them. As you already learned, no good deed goes unpunished. Just drive with confidence, be pleasant and polite - don't stress about the pax. They are getting a very good service for close to 1978 taxi mileage rates. They don't need to be refunded because you took a slightly longer route. Ever.

It's all about presentation; present yourself as on top of your game, smile, be alert but not anxious. Stop asking Uber to refund fares- it's in your best interest.



Cklw said:


> Keep your volume off on your gps, or earpiece if you need the voice directions, most pax won't even notice a missed turn.


Definitely - no rideshare driver should be using audible GPS. Keep GPS on MUTE - always. Pax get annoyed and absolutely downrate when they have to hear your directions being spit out on a turn-by-turn basis every 30 seconds. I can't stand having to hear the driver's GPS when I'm a pax.

Just glance at the screen every so often for directions, and if pax is concerned and asks why you didn't take a particular turn, just say "I was on that road earlier and there's some crazy traffic/construction/event going on and we'll save some time avoiding it."

Remember, make it seem like everything you're doing, you're doing to HELP them save time. The fare won't change and you should never worry about that part of the equation-and even if you make a mistake, tell them you're taking a different route to get there a little faster.

Think on your feet - never admit to mistakes or suggest to the pax that they shouldn't have to pay for the ride. Remember to say "Luckily with upfront pricing, you won't have to pay a penny more than the amount you agreed to when you ordered this trip" if they seem concerned about paying more (which they shouldn't - Uber makes it crystal clear that upfront pricing means it's the same cost regardless of route).


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## Uber_Dubler (Apr 4, 2018)

I wonder if Uber is more likely to boot you not b/c of the low rating but b/c they have some internal rating about you giving too many rider refund requests?

Uber, like most "employers" doesn't care about you nor try to individually manage you. They manage to numbers and if they have an internal number to hit, such as no more than 2% rider refund rate they will happily boot you for the next guy. I know its hard to read but the truth is Uber knows they have a very deep pool of willing drivers and would be more than happy to drop you for some guy who never requests a passenger refund.

I do wish you luck and encourage you to keep driving. One positive piece of advice, screw the ratings and drive for enjoyment and willingness to help others. Sadly, some folks will sense you're nervous about making a mistake and try to take advantage of you b/c you are nervous. So be happy as a driver, chat it up with the PAX and enjoy!

Cheers!


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## henrygates (Mar 29, 2018)

I would never refund the rider unless they somehow fell out along the way. Unless they jumped. I just can't picture any scenario where I would give a free ride to anyone.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Seroton a 4.59 rating, apparently refunding on your own is not working out


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## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> When I come home at 6:30 am My rating was back up to 4.64 from 4.60. I got fanfare from UBER which I deserved for working my ass off.
> 
> Three hours later and it's 4.59 What could have happened?





Andocrates said:


> I refund to counter potential bad ratings. It's a system that works well and the only way to avoid bad ratings from a certain type of scam riders.


Clearly that is not working well at all. If it was, you would not be floating around less than 4.7. When Uber refunds, you get paid and you may get a bad rating (they may blame the navigation which does not effect your rating). They may not ask for a refund at all if you do not admit any wrong doing, they still get to their destination, and they don't pay any more than what they agreed to at the beginning of the ride.

When you refund, you do not get paid and you may still get a bad rating which judging by your overall rating you are.


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## FormerTaxiDriver♧ (Apr 5, 2018)

*You may as well give each pax a $5 bill for 5 stars?*

I had a 4.8 with 4911 trips, then shit canned for false reports against me.

#YouToo


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

RynoHawk said:


> Clearly that is not working well at all. If it was, you would not be floating around less than 4.7. When Uber refunds, you get paid and you may get a bad rating (they may blame the navigation which does not effect your rating). They may not ask for a refund at all if you do not admit any wrong doing, they still get to their destination, and they don't pay any more than what they agreed to at the beginning of the ride.
> 
> When you refund, you do not get paid and you may still get a bad rating which judging by your overall rating you are.


Thank's for the assist, Slappy.



Juggalo9er said:


> Seroton a 4.59 rating, apparently refunding on your own is not working out


I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. And 5 times I got 5 star ratings from young black women, my worst demographic.


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## henrygates (Mar 29, 2018)

Andocrates said:


> I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. And 5 times I got 5 star ratings from young black women, my worst demographic.


Ok but why? If the pax thinks they deserve a free trip they'll send it to Uber. Why basically give them your money for a meaningless rating? Not being critical, I just think you deserve to get paid.


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

*MY REFUND POLICY:*

I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. *Furthermore *that was just while I dug myself out of the ratings swamp. Nothing pisses me off more then being shook down by a *bitcy entitled millennial*- I'd sooner suck a dic.
Anyway, all 5 times I knew a bad rating was coming and 5 times I avoided said bad rating.

Now, calm down.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

Cklw said:


> Keep your volume off on your gps, or earpiece if you need the voice directions, most pax won't even notice a missed turn.


Plus you hear it better as well and can listen to anything you want if they dont talk

The Lyft I took last night had no volume at all, unfortunately it was tough since he spoke no English but just talking back and forth he may have missed a half dozen turns if I didn't point them out lol.

Think about listening to your favorite song and constantly interrupted from navigation when you are not driving. Or how about the rare I prefer silence people or someone on a phone. Blasting directions on speakers is unprofessional


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## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> Thank's for the assist, Slappy.


Sorry if you don't like my advice. Keep doing what you're doing then if 4.59 makes you happy.


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## henrygates (Mar 29, 2018)

Andocrates said:


> Now, calm the %$#@ down.


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

Kodyhead said:


> Plus you hear it better as well and can listen to anything you want if they dont talk
> 
> The Lyft I took last night had no volume at all, unfortunately it was tough since he spoke no English but just talking back and forth he may have missed a half dozen turns if I didn't point them out lol.
> 
> Think about listening to your favorite song and constantly interrupted from navigation when you are not driving. Or how about the rare I prefer silence people or someone on a phone. Blasting directions on speakers is unprofessional


I keep volume off and read the GPS.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

Andocrates said:


> *MY REFUND POLICY:*
> 
> I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. *Furthermore *that was just while I dug myself out of the ratings swamp. Nothing pisses me off more then being shook down by a *bitcy entitled millennial*- I'd sooner suck a dic.
> Anyway, all 5 times I knew a bad rating was coming and 5 times I avoided said bad rating.
> ...


Please provide some details and I can calculate for you personally

Total rated rides and out of curiosity total rides as well while you are at it.

Ratings are based off last 500 rides but if its under it's more volatile but I can break some stuff down and answer my own questions and will of course share with you



Andocrates said:


> I keep volume off and read the GPS.


I promise you this is an issue that needs to be fixed urgently the only thing saving my Lyft ride was the guy spoke barely any English and most rides he was able to concentrate.


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## Cklw (Mar 18, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> *MY REFUND POLICY:*
> 
> I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. *Furthermore *that was just while I dug myself out of the ratings swamp. Nothing pisses me off more then being shook down by a *bitcy entitled millennial*- I'd sooner suck a dic.
> Anyway, all 5 times I knew a bad rating was coming and 5 times I avoided said bad rating.
> ...


If you did all that and still hovering around 4.6 rating, you are doing something wrong


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

Cklw said:


> If you did all that and still hovering around 4.6 rating, you are doing something wrong


I agree but wanted total and rated rides info first, to compare, I feel it's a serious waste of money vs reward


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

Clearly something is wrong, that's why I'm here. And I've pretty much isolated the problem. I have a neurological injury to my spine and a slight dysarthria. On top of being 62. My riders don't know this because I keep my forearm crutches in the trunk. I have a poor self image and very little confidence.

"Anything else to confess?"

"I masturbate."


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

Andocrates said:


> Clearly something is wrong, that's why I'm here. And I've pretty much isolated the problem. I have a neurological injury to my spine and a slight dysarthria. On top of being 62. My riders don't know this because I keep my forearm crutches in the trunk.


Are you comfortable speaking to people?

What do you do when someone asks to use the trunk?

Can you lift 50lbs without pain or discomfort?


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

No. Not easily But I chit chat as needed and I have plenty interesting stories to tell if they dig.


I have the back door (SUV) labeled PULL and a direction arrow pointing to the door' hidden handle. Those people can see my canes and now know why I didn't get out to assist. (I got an $8 tip this morning on an airport run. The airport is only a few miles away and the fare was only $10)

I can do everything I use to do - I mow my lawn, take out the trash paint and finish drywall etc. But I can't walk without a stick.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> Anything else to confess?"
> 
> "I masturbate


Call 605.475.6972 they can help


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## #professoruber (Feb 19, 2018)

Unfortunately some people are just not cut out to drive. And based on your temper tantrum response I think it’s validated.

Driving is simple and that is giving a clean, efficient, and safe ride. If the demographic that you are picking up is to blame, my choice would be to drive areas with a different demographic.

I highly recommend that you stop driving and spend a week taking a couple rides a day and be aware of how the driver manages the ride. 

If navigation is an issue, I recommend a Bluetooth headset. Get rid of the uber crap navigation and use Waze or Google Maps. 

And the most common mistake I see with drivers is that they can’t handle pressure and seem to be in a rush. From the time the Rider gets in my car, I spend a minute or two confirming the destination, discussing the route, and noting the route in my head. I read my riders and some rides are in silence and some are non stop conversation.

Due to your disability, I also recommend that you send a short text to the Rider explaining that you are disabled and unable to help with luggage. You can also make the text sound like it’s coming from Uber.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

The first no I assume is about talking

Not sure if you know, but in case you might be able to creatively mask your speech issue by pretending to be deaf

ACCOUNT
SETTINGS
ACCESSABITY
check I AM DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING.

To be straight with you I think if you cannot lift 50 lbs you cannot do this job, but would like to offer ideas as I enjoy the challenge lol

Seeing crutches would be wierd for me to see in a trunk and signs like pull to open, can you use a cane? You may only need it to help stand up and maybe walk a few steps. I would think most people would be courteous and load their own luggage of they see you struggling to get out and see a cane

Plus half these riders are probably gonna eventually smash your crutches in a few months


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

On luggage. 

People don't walk around with stuff they cant manage alone. No more then you carry 5 gallons of sheetrock mud to Home Depot on a nice day.

People don't want help with their luggage. Do you want someone to help you with a suitcase you are already carrying? Neither do I or anyone else. Luggage isn't even a concern it's so seamless and fast.

I can lift 120lbs although I'm not sure what that has to do with.

If I can get to 500 rides I won't get creamed by one star rating. against 200 rides a 1 star rating does 75% more damage then against 500.


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## Cklw (Mar 18, 2017)

What time frame do you usually drive? Night time drunks are notorious for bad ratings compared to daytime.


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## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> Thank's for the assist, Slappy.
> 
> I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. And 5 times I got 5 star ratings from young black women, my worst demographic.


Maybe that's the problem, all pax are equally worthless


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## FormerTaxiDriver♧ (Apr 5, 2018)

Andocrates said:


> *MY REFUND POLICY:*
> 
> I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. *Furthermore *that was just while I dug myself out of the ratings swamp. Nothing pisses me off more then being shook down by a *bitcy entitled millennial*- I'd sooner suck a dic.
> Anyway, all 5 times I knew a bad rating was coming and 5 times I avoided said bad rating.
> ...


You can buy all the 5 stars you want, but eventually ..... *SOMEBODY *will get you shit canned, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

It happens to all of us.


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

Cklw said:


> What time frame do you usually drive? Night time drunks are notorious for bad ratings compared to daytime.


Graveyard shift. I had switched to mornings to get my ratings back up. It took 20 5 star ratings to get it to 4.64 (from 4.60) I have 111 5 stars against 200 rides. Does that mean anything?


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## FormerTaxiDriver♧ (Apr 5, 2018)

Andocrates said:


> Graveyard shift. I had switched to mornings to get my ratings back up. It took 20 5 star ratings to get it to 4.64 (from 4.60) I have 111 5 stars against 200 rides. Does that mean anything?


 If you are drawing disability, and if you make too much money, then that would threaten your check and you may have to pay back funds.


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## Cklw (Mar 18, 2017)

I would do more mornings til your ratings get out of deactivation territory. Because right now it looks like you are one non 5 star away from deactivation.

Stay there until you get in 4.8's.



Andocrates said:


> Graveyard shift. I had switched to mornings to get my ratings back up. It took 20 5 star ratings to get it to 4.64 (from 4.60) I have 111 5 stars against 200 rides. Does that mean anything?


You have 200 rated rides, so it shouldn't too long to get there. As long as you are polite, keep gps on mute and be one turn ahead of gps. You should be fine.

I don't help with luggage much, but will get out to offer. I have a severe speech impediment, I stutter to the point where it comes out a garbled mess at times.

I have 4.91 rating, I don't do many evenings. But when I do, that is when get a couple 3 stars.


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## FormerTaxiDriver♧ (Apr 5, 2018)

Cklw said:


> I would do more mornings til your ratings get out of deactivation territory. Because right now it looks like you are one non 5 star away from deactivation.
> 
> Stay there until you get in 4.8's.
> 
> ...


Or he could switch the *Accessibility Notification *about BEING DEAF or HARD of HEARING, then get potential compassion ratings?


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

I have been re activated but at 4.6 - i.e. on the fence. I could shuffle familey members around but that seems shady. (Although UBER *would* get it's share.) Unlike trucking I have found it best to only drive when I'm fresh and mentally prepared - which requires a plan. Wish me luck.



FormerTaxiDriver♧ said:


> If you are drawing disability, and if you make too much money, then that would threaten your check and you may have to pay back funds.


No disability because, according to a judge: "Can still work as a playwright." lol (I did write a successful play years ago.)


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## UberLaLa (Sep 6, 2015)

EzPz fix. Only take 4.7 rated passengers and up...

ADD: I'm a 4.98 with more than 6k trips. Low rated pax have that low rating for a reason.



Andocrates said:


> Thank's for the assist, Slappy.
> 
> I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. And 5 times I got 5 star ratings from young black women, my worst demographic.


Much easier way to make pax happy, if you take a wrong turn. 1 mile from their drop, End Trip and show them you are doing it because of the missed turn. It doesn't really effect anything, but they think it does...


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## Cary Grant (Jul 14, 2015)

I tickled 4.6 a couple of times.

In 11,000+ rides, I've never, not once, refunded anyone. I'm not a charity. On absurdly short trips, I'll keep driving around the block until Uber lets me collect my $3. I collect cancellation fees every day. Sometimes, a handful of them, or more!

This is a business. Treat it that way. You have the right to refuse to service *anyone *that misbehaves.

I started cancelling on people that were negative prior to the trip beginning. That might be when they call me on the phone and say "Where the F__k are you?"

In my head, I'm thinking "I'm about to cancel and collect over here at your pin."

If I can't answer the phone, and stop to listen to their voice mail, and there's a whiff of negativity, they get the cancel, and they get to pay.

If they call and I hear in the background something like "This is why they can't have a normal career" or "all these F__king Uber drivers suck" or anything similar, I cancel and collect. I'm not making this up, either. I've heard all sorts of _Bovine Scat._ Some probably wanted me to hear them, others probably were using their speaker and didn't realize I was listening. Either way, I win, they lose. And I win double, because I get paid, and my ratings don't take the hit. That's win-win in my book.

The FIRST WHIFF of negativity is when I choose to not accommodate that pax.

Sometimes, it's when I pull up and they say something _sofa king we tall did_ before they get in. I had one wank yell "Are you going to get out of the car?" as if I needed to load his very small travel bag. "Nope. I'm just going to sit here for a couple more minutes, earn my profit for ignoring you, and then drive off." He was banned, by the way, because he did more than spew, and I have it on tape.

I reject all the open container crowd. When they offer to drink it or pour it out, I tell them to take their time, because I cannot accommodate them. Pax were giving negative ratings because I won't let them ride dirty. Well, F that, and F them, I cancel, and collect! I write them up, and Uber says "Keep doing this." I have a zero tolerance policy. If I see/hear someone pull out a beer can, and pop the top? I pull over, and they will be finding another way to their destination. Uber has protected me from negative ratings in these situations, because I always, always, always write them up.

I've had more than one pax get in the back seat, and start in on my before I can even confirm their name. "Didn't you see me waving?" This is usually women while in a CROWD of women waving, at a hotel, bar, concert, etc. I can't tell who my pax is with just a wave, when EVERYDAMNONE is waving. That's the first, and last, whiff of negativity. I politely tell them that I will not be accommodating them, and they must exit immediately. Some say no, some hesitate, so I immediately trespass them and begin dialing 911. I know the law in my state, and can quote the penalties _verbatim_: Trespassing is a B Misdemeanor, $2,000 fine, 6 months in the county jail. If they are armed (sharp pen? pocket knife? nail file?), it's an A Misdemeanor, $4,000 fine, one year in the county jail. If they do something stupid while trespassing, it's a state jail felony (agg. assault, second offense, use of ANY weapon, etc.), $10,000 fine, more than one year in state prison. I've never actually got to the second 1 on the dial before they turned tail and ran, waddled, stumbled and fell on the pavement, tripped on a curb and face planted in some bushes. I've seen that, and more. One was an attorney, and when I rattled off the penalty, and added "You'll be disbarred" his grotesque fat ass almost fell out of my car, and he waddled at half-Jabba speed to his destination.

If you let them in your car out of desperation for money, you will suffer the consequences of that poor choice. *No fare is worth sacrificing your human dignity.*

Furthermore, if pax start in on you during a trip, offer insult, ask/demand that you to violate traffic laws, commit an assault (even if only verbal), then pull over immediately (even on the Interstate) and curb kick the _female canines._ Uber has told me, repeatedly, that if I feel my safety is at risk, I can end the trip right there, right then, no matter where, and kick the offenders out. Now, I've yet to drop someone on the highway, although a couple deserved it. I've only kicked out at the curb, or in a C-store parking lot, or in a ghetto warehouse district (absurdly rude white lady was totally out of her element, by her own poor choices). My safety trumps hers. "Good luck" I say, as I drive off into the darkness, leaving her to the predators.

Another way to boost ratings: Stop accepting low rated pax, especially low rated VIPs. Pax with crap ratings tend to also give bad ratings.

When I was approaching 4.6, I quit accepting any pax with a rating south of 4.8, and my ratings improved. I still avoid those with ratings below 4.6, although sometimes I might take one if it's early in the afternoon. I can tolerate one or two, per week, because my ratings are good, and I drive enough short trips to flush the turds out the other side of the ratings sewer. The later in the evening it is, the more picky I become about pax ratings.

Something else, that some on here will find offensive, and disagree with me petulantly, but this is the world we live in -- *appearances matter*: Keep the car clean, and odor free. Wear presentable, clean, odor free clothing. Shower, use soap, and use deodorant. SHAVE. Bearded drivers get negative ratings, especially if it's long and unkempt. Long haired male drivers get negative ratings, again, especially if it's unkempt. Visible tattoos get negative ratings from certain pax, so cover them up. Earrings, ear gauges, metal on your face? Some pax will ding you for that, even give you 1-star so they never see you again. Many pax are aware that if they just don't like you, they can 1-star you to prevent future matching.

If you have any bumper stickers, remove them. What you think is funny, some pax finds offensive. This goes double for political bumper stickers. If you hate Hillary, hate Bernie, hate Trump, or hated Obama, or hated Bush, keep it to yourself. It is unfortunate that some people are this way, but that's reality, and we must deal with reality, by eliminating the shivs dirty pax use against us.

It doesn't matter what YOU think about your _low cost signaling_, but it DOES matter what pax think, and they can and do use star ratings to signal what their thoughts are, even if they don't tell you to your face.

One of the lessons I learned a long time ago: You can do everything right, and still have a negative outcome. Likewise, you can make several mistakes, and pax may still offer you a gratuity.

So don't worry about it. Ratings are a numbers game, just a trend, one of several indicators. To maintain a positive trend, be a positive person, and avoid the negative.

And have a Plan B.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Cary Grant said:


> I tickled 4.6 a couple of times.
> 
> In 11,000+ rides, I've never, not once, refunded anyone. I'm not a charity. On absurdly short trips, I'll keep driving around the block until Uber lets me collect my $3. I collect cancellation fees every day. Sometimes, a handful of them, or more!
> 
> ...


Very well spoken


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## UberLaLa (Sep 6, 2015)

Andocrates said:


> I have been re activated but at 4.6 - i.e. on the fence. *I could shuffle familey members around but that seems shady.* (Although UBER *would* get it's share.) Unlike trucking I have found it best to only drive when I'm fresh and mentally prepared - which requires a plan. Wish me luck.
> 
> No disability because, according to a judge: "Can still work as a playwright." lol (I did write a successful play years ago.)


Careful...Uber knows all your Contacts...they have deactivated for this in the past.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

What's all this refunding you guys are talking about? Surely you're not reaching into your own wallet and handing the pax a $20??

I think I requested one refund through Uber on a ride I completely botched. That was a long time ago and the only one. Several times since I've promised the pax a refund through the app... but that was just to get them out of the car happy. I'm not in the refund business.


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## Cklw (Mar 18, 2017)

Only did 1 refund back when I first started, on Lyft, didn’t know about the trip starting automatically if you move after you hit arrive.

Upon realizing it started I hit end and requested a refund to customer.


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## Bus Bozo (May 25, 2018)

It sounds like you do have some things to work on as others have advised. That being said, I have a suggestion that may work for you. I was floundering with ratings in the mid 4.7 range and felt I was doing everything right. So I started using the power of suggestion. At the end of the ride I thank everyone I can for being a 5 star passenger. (You have to have some reason because a very occasional pax will ask how....so you can further feed their egos, poor things.) Since I started doing so I have maintained a rating of 4.92-4.95. It's been my only change.


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## Cklw (Mar 18, 2017)

Think some others have mentioned this, don’t accept pings with a rating below 4.8.


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## Macaque (May 22, 2018)

Like other members have stated. Low pax ratings are bad news. Personally 4.7 and above for me. No base pool under 4.9. 
Along with more general tips. Greet and shut up, if they engage in a convo then talk, otherwise dont make awkward small talk. 
When getting to destination ask "let me know when is good for you" and as they are leaving say "have a good night/day"

Keep car clean and smell good.. shower before you go out and drive and a dash of cologne goes a long way, dont over do it.
If you fk up, just say im sorry, and play it off with a "its just an extra minute added, thanks for understanding, my main goal is to get you guys there safe." 

Im havering around a 4.93-4.95 with almost 1k rides


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## 125928 (Oct 5, 2017)

Andocrates said:


> I refund to counter potential bad ratings. It's a system that works well and the only way to avoid bad ratings from a certain type of scam riders. You likely drive in a classier city then Little Rock, Arkansas.
> 
> I took I 430 N when I should have remained on 30 E. - it was 2 miles and 3 minutes correcting. That's all the leeway you are allowed here. One mistake and you're screwed.
> 
> ...


We are all humans and make mistakes. I have had a few missed exits. When that happens, I sent uber a message and asked them to correct the final fare, due to a driving error. Never refund a pax for a completed ride, leave it up to Uber to see if they will correct the final fare or not. I had one pax tell me not to worry about. I explained to him, to be fair, it was the honest thing to do.

On a different note, have you spoken to anyone in your area that could assist you in job training?


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## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

Andocrates said:


> *MY REFUND POLICY:*
> 
> I've done a grand total of 5 refunds - that's my money I'm giving away. *Furthermore *that was just while I dug myself out of the ratings swamp. Nothing pisses me off more then being shook down by a *bitcy entitled millennial*- I'd sooner suck a dic.
> Anyway, all 5 times I knew a bad rating was coming and 5 times I avoided said bad rating.
> ...


Cary Grant has offered the best advice you can get.

But I wanted to add that if you encounter an attitude problem with a rider and you expect a low rating, as soon as you end the ride, immediately report them to Uber under My Rider was Rude. That should stop their rating from affecting you and also should keep you from being matched with them again so you won't have to worry about it in a future trip.


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## Koolbreze (Feb 13, 2017)

Uber_Dubler said:


> I wonder if Uber is more likely to boot you not b/c of the low rating but b/c they have some internal rating about you giving too many rider refund requests?
> 
> Uber, like most "employers" doesn't care about you nor try to individually manage you. They manage to numbers and if they have an internal number to hit, such as no more than 2% rider refund rate they will happily boot you for the next guy. I know its hard to read but the truth is Uber knows they have a very deep pool of willing drivers and would be more than happy to drop you for some guy who never requests a passenger refund.
> 
> ...


Uber is not an employer....you are a contractor.


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## OtherUbersdo (May 17, 2018)

Andocrates said:


> I refund to counter potential bad ratings. It's a system that works well and the only way to avoid bad ratings from a certain type of scam riders. You likely drive in a classier city then Little Rock, Arkansas.
> 
> I took I 430 N when I should have remained on 30 E. - it was 2 miles and 3 minutes correcting. That's all the leeway you are allowed here. One mistake and you're screwed.
> 
> ...


 I am not trying to be mean and I understand you have limitations but this job does not seem to be working out for you . It is probably having a negative impact on your health and by your post your confidence is shot . Refund a ride ?



Andocrates said:


> Clearly something is wrong, that's why I'm here. And I've pretty much isolated the problem. I have a neurological injury to my spine and a slight dysarthria. On top of being 62. My riders don't know this because I keep my forearm crutches in the trunk. I have a poor self image and very little confidence.
> 
> "Anything else to confess?"
> 
> "I masturbate."


 This could be an angle to get more tips . The disability part not the masturbation part .


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## br1anf (Mar 23, 2016)

Andocrates said:


> I refund to counter potential bad ratings. It's a system that works well and the only way to avoid bad ratings from a certain type of scam riders. You likely drive in a classier city then Little Rock, Arkansas.
> 
> I took I 430 N when I should have remained on 30 E. - it was 2 miles and 3 minutes correcting. That's all the leeway you are allowed here. One mistake and you're screwed.
> 
> ...


If you are refunding rides to avoid low ratings, being at 4.6 is proof that it doesn't work. Perhaps there is something about you, your vehicle, or the way you are operating that is causing low ratings. You must address those shortcomings or you will be permanently deactivated soon.


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## cumonohito (Feb 13, 2018)

Presence, appearance of driver and vehicle are key. If you have some sort of impairment make it known on your profile, perhaps add something along the lines of being a quiet soft spoken person. Always greet with a hi or hello and a smile, and say good bye, have a nice day, with a smile as well at the end of ride. Never admit to an error or refund passenger. Do not take low rated passengers, study your passenger once they are getting to your car in case they look sketchy or might cause problems. Have charging cords in your car for the rider to charge their phones, they sell long ones at Costco, get your self a dual port usb car charger and have both cords in there. Good luck, with patience and time, things will get better. The job is easy, however I do agree with you that you need to prepare yourself mentally to go out every day, the stress of traffic, weather, road conditions, dealing with obnoxious riders do take a tool on you. Perhaps you should take a time off between rides to cool off a bit, go to the bathroom, rest a bit, etc.


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## Sl0re10 (May 7, 2018)

touberornottouber said:


> Go check out the ratings section here on the forum and read it for an hour or two.
> 
> In a nutshell, be more selective about the pings you take and the time and place where you work. Be slow to start the trip and if the rider is negative or anything weird happens before starting the trip then silently cancel "Cancel - do not charge rider" and drive away (the rider cannot rate a cancelled trip). When you get them ask if they have a preferred route or should we just go the way the system suggests is fastest. Most legitimate bad ratings come from navigation issues.
> 
> One other trick I do is I am more talkative at the beginning and the end of the ride. In the middle I tend to shut up unless they drive the conversation. This way I am not talking too much but will not be seen as "unfriendly". I can start with a good first impression and also end the ride on a positive note by relating to the customer in some way or engaging in some small talk with them. It has to be natural though. If it seems forced or artificial it will have the opposite effect.


Yes; near the start is a good time to break the ice and also knock out some important questions. Is the temp ok back there? and a min later; Is the radio station cool / ok?

So; your opening conversation and also communicating about some issues that could cause them to down rate you if you didn't ask.

Unless they make more conversation; your good up until the goodbye and thanks.


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## Andocrates (Jun 8, 2018)

The thing is my people ratings are fine, that is too say I don't have any problems for days on end, tips are fine and then one prick comes along and 
screws my job up.


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