# Worried about Ratings



## Asad Rizwan (May 21, 2015)

have been driving for Uber for about a week, and so far I enjoy making money and meeting new people. Yet what worries me is how my rating got so low and why it's not getting any higher.

This week I started with a 4.64 (peaked at 4.81 some time on the weekends), which I've been working to improve, yet I don't see this number increasing. Just tonight I drove two trips only to see my rating tank from 4.47 to 4.34 despite:

1) Thoroughly keeping my car clean
2) Keeping my car fueled
3) Promptly respond to a request
4) Showing up in a timely fashion
5) Opening the doors for the riders
6) Greet them by name
7) Offer treats like gum/phone chargers
8) Drive safely
9) Not taking inefficient routes
10) Let them use my mirrors for make up (and provide extra lighting while I'm at it)
11) Part with riders and wish them a safe night/luck with their endeavors
12) Anything else I can think of to provide 5-star service

This makes me worried and even reluctant to log on and accept requests.

I want to know what it is that I am either doing (or not doing), especially compared with other drivers with higher ratings, because I do not want to lose my driving privileges so soon over something trivial that I don't realize.

PS-I suppose the only thing I can suspect is that I keep talking to the riders throughout the trip, believing moments of silence aren't a good thing without considering I may be intrusive to their lives. If that's the case, will cutting the chitchat really improve my ratings?


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## Casuale Haberdasher (Dec 7, 2014)

Asad Rizwan said:


> have been driving for Uber for about a week, and so far I enjoy making money and meeting new people. Yet what worries me is how my rating got so low and why it's not getting any higher.
> 
> This week I started with a 4.64 (peaked at 4.81 some time on the weekends), which I've been working to improve, yet I don't see this number increasing. Just tonight I drove two trips only to see my rating tank from 4.47 to 4.34 despite:
> 
> ...


POST#1/Asad Rizwan: Ahoy & Welcome
to the UP.Net Forums
from Clear, Warm & Balmy Marco Island
on Florida's Wild South West Coast.

Asad, you MAY have "hit the nail on the
Head," regarding filling Akward Silences
with Attempts at Conversation. Have
You Read ALL the "Ratings" Forum's
Posts, yet? Of course not.

But You should! Therein lies $alva-
tion and Peace of Mind. Seriously,
You are about the 400,000th Driver
to have these IDENTICAL CONCERNS.
ALL would tell You to Relax and elim-
inate the H2O/gum/candy/chargers:
they co$t $$$ and the PAX will only
make a Mess for You to Clean Up.

So get to Reading. Then, learning. Fin-
ally, earning....maybe. This Job is uni-
que in Many Not Very Pleasant Ways.
In 2014, it received the Dubious Dis-
tinction of 6th Most Hated Company
in America! How? Read the Entire
Thread started by jon djjjoe: it's
Vital for Understanding the Racket
You've become Enveloped in.

https://uberpeople.net/posts/187189

Get back to me afterwards, if You'd like.
Mentoring Bison, over and out.


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## Basmati (Sep 14, 2014)

Most pax really just want a safe ride in a clean car from point A to point B. Trying to go above and beyond that will often just make pax feel awkward. How to get good ratings:
1. Keep car clean on the inside and outside. Try to find an unlimited car wash and send it through daily. 
2. Drive safe but efficiently. Get pax to their destination as quick as you can without driving recklessly and speeding excessively. 
3. There is nothing wrong with having gum, mints, or water available upon request but do not offer them unless asked. Personally I choose not to have them at all tho. 
4. Greet the guests with a friendly "Hello, how are you today?" or some variation of that then do NOT talk unless spoken to. Definitely do not try to fill in silence with unnecessary conversation. 
5. Have music playing at low volume unless pax requests otherwise.


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## johndoe2015 (May 21, 2015)

Why do ratings matter anyway? How low do you have to be before Uber kick you? I'm guessing quite low given our numbers are about to be restricted!


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## Kalee (Feb 18, 2015)

Keep your car clean - especially inside
Keep yourself clean and looking respectable
I do not and never offered candy, mints, gum, etc.
Light background music is a good thing. I choose Coffee House style music.
Drive safely. No more than 5 over the speed limit on the highway.
I have cell phone chargers in the glove compartment if a customer asks. If I know the customer just came off a plane or has likely been in an area where they were unlikely to have been able to charge their phone, then I may offer the chargers without being asked. Customers love this.
I sometimes keep a couple bottles of water in the car but do not proactively offer them. If a customer has a persistent cough or continues to clear their throat, then I offer and they most always accept.
Greet the customer with a smile and a "how are you today?" Once you begin the trip, allow the customer to start conversation. If they do, by all means engage in light conversation. If they do not initiate conversation and start messing around with their cell phone, then leave them alone. For some pax, this drive may be the most rest they have had all day.
At the end of the ride, smile and tell the pax to have a great day. If I had good rapport with the pax and we talked the whole way, I will usually offer a handshake tell them it was great to have met them. In most cases, it truly was nice to meet these folks and to chat with them.

With all of that said, things have worked out for me for the most part, however you cannot control the ratings. Some pax are just bitter people and will rate you low no matter what - just because they can. It's not fair and the tech company knows it isn't fair.

Hang in there and do the best you can.

Below is an example of why the rating system is not fair. 43 of 47 trips earned 5 stars, but this driver was still considered below average.


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## Asad Rizwan (May 21, 2015)

Thanks, y'all. I'll definitely be more quiet and less overbearing to my riders. Hopefully it'll bring my ratings higher. Will fill y'all in soon, .


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## Asad Rizwan (May 21, 2015)

This is what I have done so far.
1) Limit the chitchat to "hello, how was your day (name)", speak only when spoken to in the middle of the trip, and warmly say "have a nice day (name) when the trip is done.
2) Did not provide gum and stuff unless asked.
3) Turned the radio to: 
a) Pop and #1 Hits if the rider was a girl.
b) Classic Rock for older people.
c) Harder Rock if the rider was a young guy like myself.

At least 4 of my rides carried more than 4 passengers (thank goodness I brought my van*). 
One time in particular I waited for a few minutes, feeling like an idiot, at the given address, only to pull up and realize my ride was NEXT door (granted, I docked them for that)
Another, I spent waiting 15 minutes minimum for my ride's buddy to pick up 3 additional strangers from a bar (also noted that as an overcrowded ride).
I picked up one pax along with her boyfriend. Both had a fight, did not speak to each other, and certainly did not see eye to eye throughout the trip. I made sure to stay out of this one.
Some of my rides liked me enough to vocally say they'll rate me 5 stars (should I trust them?)
My last pax, I quickly responded to and safely drove him and his wife to the airport an hour earlier than their flight, claiming I was only of only three active drivers within the area at the time.

Did it help my ratings???

After a few days of gradually raising my rating to a 4.5 (and working damn hard for such little improvement), 
I wake up after a long night only to see my ratings* go EVEN LOWER to a 4.26!!! HTF did this happen!?!?!?*

Maybe I should start declining rides if THEY have a low enough rating, because it is not fair me or any other drivers to break his or her back only to not get good ratings and risk getting deactivated.

*Would driving a van impact my ratings, despite how useful it was to me last night?


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## Asad Rizwan (May 21, 2015)

Also I would like to add that two of my pax were no shows, despite showing up at given address and not getting an appropriate response for over 5 minutes. I will not be happy if that docks me in the long run.


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## Jay2dresq (Oct 1, 2014)

I think you're doing the physical driving part fine, but beyond the initial hello, don't speak unless spoken to. Some folks don't want to chit chat with someone they don't know. If the client was talkative, I would converse with them, if they were quiet, I would leave them alone. On rides where you're carrying more than 4 passengers, dock them on their star rating... 3* max. Also, request a fare review at the end of the ride. (it is an option in the app). More than 4 passengers is not an UberX ride, Uber will increase the passenger's charges to reflect Uber XL or SUV rates, and you'll make more money.


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## Basmati (Sep 14, 2014)

No shows and cancellations can't rate you, so they will have no impact. It really doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong. I guess it's possible people might not like the van. Also, if pax isn't ready to go after 5 minutes of arrival then it is best to just cancel "No Show". If they don't respect your time then they certainly don't care about what they rate you. 
Sounds like you really haven't done that many trips, so one inconsiderate pax down rating you 1 star has a huge impact. Unless you are over 100 trips then you shouldn't stress too much about rating. Just keep doing the best you can and it should work out in the end.


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## Ziggy (Feb 27, 2015)

I tend to avoid pax with 5* rating, unless they are in an exclusive neighborhood; most people I've picked up with 5* rating are either (1) using Uber for first time (and don't realize that anything less than 5* for driver is a "death sentence"); or (2) they have a bunch of free credits from Uber for referring new riders and they could care less about the driver rating. My preferred pax has rider rating 4.1-4.9

The problem with new riders is they think that 4* (B) is good enough; even though, you did everything right (clean car, clean driver, soft music, safe drive, opened doors, shortest route, yada yada, etc ...) So you guys/gals can get all the 5* pax; I'll keep the <4.9's


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## Jay2dresq (Oct 1, 2014)

Only with Uber can you have a 1-5 rating system, and anything less than 5 is a failing grade. You either get an A, or you fail.


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