# what king of goodies do u offer your customers?



## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

I was deactivated for a 4.11 rating and want to make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm going to change some of the mistakes I made now that I'm reactivated. I'm thinking about getting small candy bars, water bottles, and soda cans for customers, Android and iPhone cables and a cassette adapter and aux extension cable so customers can listen to their music from their phones. Are all of these good ideas, or are some of them bad ideas? What other tips to you suggest to maintain a rating above 4.5 stars?


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## London UberExec Driver (Jul 8, 2014)

How did you get a 4.11 rating in the first place? Did Uber tell you why, and let you know what comments passengers left as they rated you?

If you're UberX, in my experience, most people just want to get from A to B efficiently. I don't think giving extras is necessary unless you're UberBlack or UberLux.

I've been in UberExec rides where there were there wasn't anything extra in the back, and the driver got 5-stars because they just got on with the ride, and got me to my destination quickly and without fuss. 

It may be worth having water and charging cables to hand, but don't offer unless the passenger requests.


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

Why do I have low ratings?
Here's my guess.
I've refused to let customers smoke in my car. I've done tons of surge pricing and night time jobs. My car is a 2004 base Chevy Impala. It has a slight dent in the passenger side fender and slight amounts of paint is peeling off in certain places.
Car Photo Attached!
I've never smoked, but the previous owner smoked for at least 7 months when she owned the car. I've shampooed the carpets but I don't know if it's gotten rid of the smell completely and the car still has the same cabin filter from the previous owner. I also don't know my way around center city Philly without a GPS and some customers noticed it.
I am selling my car in January and I don't want to spend an extra penny on it since I'm getting a new car anyway.


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## London UberExec Driver (Jul 8, 2014)

Are you able to change your working hours to during the day for a while, so your rating can go up?

As a non-smoker, it's your wish to not allow smoking in your car. Luckily in the UK, it's against the law to smoke in a licensed private hire vehicle, and I've had nobody ask. 

Nothing wrong with your car, looks clean and tidy, I expect these little things compound, which encourage bad ratings.


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## Jay2dresq (Oct 1, 2014)

4.88 rating here. I have iPhone and Android chargers... Nobody has ever asked me to use one. I keep one bottled water and a few individually wrapped mints in the rear cupholders. Nobody has ever taken the water, and only a couple mints have ever been taken. I'm still on the first bag of mints I bought from the dollar store. I have either 80's music (day) or Jazz (night/evening) softly playing in the background. Nobody has ever asked me to change the station, or asked for an aux cable. 

More important than these amenities, is that your car is clean... spotless. Steam clean your carpets and seats. Vacuum daily. Clean all the glass inside and out. I clean all my exterior glass daily before leaving the house, and all the interior glass is done at least weekly, you may have to clean the interior of the rear doors more often. Make sure there's absolutely no detectable odors in your car. Febreeze vent clips work quite well, and last 6-7 weeks if you turn the intensity all the way to low. You don't want any strong scents, good or bad. Keep a can of fresh linen scent Lysol in your car, and if you have a stinky passenger, give your back seat a quick spray (once out of sight) before going back online.

If there's a local car wash that offers unlimited washes for a monthly fee, you will probably want to do that. Where I live, there's a car wash a couple towns over that offers unlimited monthly washes starting at $15 for the basic washes to about $50 for the deluxe washes. If you can get an unlimited wash pass, wash daily. Otherwise you will probably have to wash at least every couple days unless you drive exclusively at night, you can probably get away with once a week. 

You should be clean and neat. Make sure you're freshly showered, and you're either clean shaven, or your beard/moustache is neatly trimmed. You don't need a suit & tie like Uber leads you to believe. I'll wear dockers and a polo shirt or a casual button down shirt. If people wanted a jeans & T-Shirt experience, they'd call a cab.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Sal29 said:


> I was deactivated for a 4.11 rating and want to make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm going to change some of the mistakes I made now that I'm reactivated. I'm thinking about getting small candy bars, water bottles, and soda cans for customers, Android and iPhone cables and a cassette adapter and aux extension cable so customers can listen to their music from their phones. Are all of these good ideas, or are some of them bad ideas? What other tips to you suggest to maintain a rating above 4.5 stars?


You may be barking up the wrong tree. We're drivers, not concessionaires. I show up with an immaculately clean car, inside and out. I am friendly, humorous, and professional. I dress well and my car always smells clean, just like its driver. But I don't offer water, soda, lattes, candy, shoe shines, foot massages, aromatherapy, nail fills, neck rubs, etc. I have better than 200 rides under my belt and my rating is 4.98. Concentrate less on the gimmicks and more on the professional experience. And learn to be conversant am a wide variety of topics. So far, I have discussed sports, sociology, astronomy, law, school, travel, automobiles, oceanography, weather, climate change, relationships, fishing, aromatherapy, biology, books, cooking, and parenting.

That would be my advice.


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## MKEUber (Aug 20, 2014)

I would say that 99% of Uber drivers out there do not allow smoking in their cars, so that is not a reason why you have low ratings.


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## DjTim (Oct 18, 2014)

I sit around 4.8/4.7 with Uber,4.9/4.8 with Lyft & 100% with Sidecar. I've only offered water to people I pick up at the airport. I've only been asked once or twice for a charger. I have gum for my own personal consumption, and only offer it if I'm asked, and again it's rare.

I think what gets some drivers in trouble are their personalities - not everyone is compatible with the public or the drivers lack of knowledge of the cities or areas. I've always had an outgoing personality - nothing over the top, so I'm sure this helps me. If you are an introvert or seem like you don't know what you are doing - it's going to hurt you eventually. 

I had one amazing rider that wanted to go to a casino. Simply put this guy plays poker to make cash. He was also not an American citizen, he was on a passport from Australia. He was denied entry to a casino because he was 23 on a passport (never heard of this rule, but whatever) and I was able to get him to a casino that had poker. The ride was a little over $100 bucks when all is said and done, and he tipped me $103 dollars (why the $3 - not sure). I think I would have missed out on the tip and the ride if I didn't know where all the casinos were, and helped him get to a good spot. This is a rare moment, but it paid off.

Here's another example - I had a very "upfront" and would be considered a "rude" rider. He was upset there weren't UberBlack cars available, so he picked UberX. I didn't get a tip from this rider, and all he did was complain about my car. Sometimes you can't make everyone happy. I didn't even try to start a conversation with this guy, I just said "Yep, Uh huh, Okay". I'm sure I got a 4 or less from this guy, but what are you going to do? I'm sure he was the reason why I dropped from 4.9 to 4.7 for a short time on Uber. 

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that - You can offer gold coins and pillow mints, but you as a driver set the tone and define the ride.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

DjTim said:


> I sit around 4.8/4.7 with Uber,4.9/4.8 with Lyft & 100% with Sidecar. I've only offered water to people I pick up at the airport. I've only been asked once or twice for a charger. I have gum for my own personal consumption, and only offer it if I'm asked, and again it's rare.
> 
> I think what gets some drivers in trouble are their personalities - not everyone is compatible with the public or the drivers lack of knowledge of the cities or areas. I've always had an outgoing personality - nothing over the top, so I'm sure this helps me. If you are an introvert or seem like you don't know what you are doing - it's going to hurt you eventually.
> 
> ...


Agreed. Stop the gimmicks. Stop being a concessionaire. Read your client. Be professional. 4.98 speaks for itdelf. .


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## Worcester Sauce (Aug 20, 2014)

Jay2dresq said:


> 4.88 rating here. I have iPhone and Android chargers... Nobody has ever asked me to use one. I keep one bottled water and a few individually wrapped mints in the rear cupholders. Nobody has ever taken the water, and only a couple mints have ever been taken. I'm still on the first bag of mints I bought from the dollar store. I have either 80's music (day) or Jazz (night/evening) softly playing in the background. Nobody has ever asked me to change the station, or asked for an aux cable.
> 
> More important than these amenities, is that your car is clean... spotless. Steam clean your carpets and seats. Vacuum daily. Clean all the glass inside and out. I clean all my exterior glass daily before leaving the house, and all the interior glass is done at least weekly, you may have to clean the interior of the rear doors more often. Make sure there's absolutely no detectable odors in your car. Febreeze vent clips work quite well, and last 6-7 weeks if you turn the intensity all the way to low. You don't want any strong scents, good or bad. Keep a can of fresh linen scent Lysol in your car, and if you have a stinky passenger, give your back seat a quick spray (once out of sight) before going back online.
> 
> ...


Initially I gave away all that shit. Then I stopped (with zero impact on my rating). UberX rates are "no frills". You should do like the airlines.... charge for any extras. Water sir??? Sure, no problem.....that'll be $1.


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## SDUberdriver (Nov 11, 2014)

Sal29 said:


> I was deactivated for a 4.11 rating and want to make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm going to change some of the mistakes I made now that I'm reactivated. I'm thinking about getting small candy bars, water bottles, and soda cans for customers, Android and iPhone cables and a cassette adapter and aux extension cable so customers can listen to their music from their phones. Are all of these good ideas, or are some of them bad ideas? What other tips to you suggest to maintain a rating above 4.5 stars?


_Do me a favor. Take a short cab ride ,and let me know if you are offered water ,candy and phone chargers. _


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## Chi_Uber_Chic (Nov 26, 2014)

Great advice for a newbie like myself. I am in Chicago and our winters can be nasty and messy. Am I supposed to get my car washed daily, even when it's below freezing?


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## Jay2dresq (Oct 1, 2014)

Just keep it as clean as possible. If its snowy outside it is expected that your car may be covered in salt, but if the roads are clean and dry, and your car is still covered in salt, a pax may ding your rating for having a dirty car.


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## Chi_Uber_Chic (Nov 26, 2014)

Thanks Jay...


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## Mike Ehrmantraut (Oct 26, 2014)

I enable my phone as a mobile hotspot (got unlimited data), and offer free Wi-Fi. So far no one's taken me up on it, but people seem very impressed when I say I have Wi-Fi available.


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## Lidman (Nov 13, 2014)

The rating system is flawed. There could be reasons that someone (s) rated you below 5, are beyond your control. Someone could give you a bad rating just out of spite. When more and more drivers leave uber because of that and less then minimum wage rates, they will have no choice but revise the ratings/pricings yadayadyadad. If they want to stay in business.


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## DjTim (Oct 18, 2014)

Chi_Uber_Chic said:


> Great advice for a newbie like myself. I am in Chicago and our winters can be nasty and messy. Am I supposed to get my car washed daily, even when it's below freezing?


Here's my current plan on washing. I do a good detail once a month - I have a hand wash place by my house and they have excellent service, and you see many of the black cars and limos go through them. It's $29.99 for the highest package, and I generally tip early to the finishers around 10 bucks and they always take care of me and go the extra mile on the interior. Because of the high salt in Chicago and suburbs, I do a cheap "touchless" wash maybe once a week, twice if the salt gets bad. The touchless washes around my house are around 4 to 6 dollars for the lowest wash.

Now - I drive only 2 to 4 days a week, so you may need to up your wash plan/cycles depending on the amount of traffic you push through your car.

You may want to think about a good interior floor mat system because of the slush and general wetness. I suggest Weathertech. The price is up there, but it's a good system and they are local to Chicago. You can go to their showroom in Bolingbrook/Romeoville if you want.


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## UberManAdvertiser (Nov 24, 2014)

Gum and or Water


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## Jay2dresq (Oct 1, 2014)

I refuse to offer gum. I don't want to pick it out of my carpet.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

DjTim said:


> Here's my current plan on washing. I do a good detail once a month - I have a hand wash place by my house and they have excellent service, and you see many of the black cars and limos go through them. It's $29.99 for the highest package, and I generally tip early to the finishers around 10 bucks and they always take care of me and go the extra mile on the interior. Because of the high salt in Chicago and suburbs, I do a cheap "touchless" wash maybe once a week, twice if the salt gets bad. The touchless washes around my house are around 4 to 6 dollars for the lowest wash.
> 
> Now - I drive only 2 to 4 days a week, so you may need to up your wash plan/cycles depending on the amount of traffic you push through your car.
> 
> You may want to think about a good interior floor mat system because of the slush and general wetness. I suggest Weathertech. The price is up there, but it's a good system and they are local to Chicago. You can go to their showroom in Bolingbrook/Romeoville if you want.


Great advice, Tim. My son just took my car out for a wash. Here in the desert a good wash can easiy last two weeks, provided your kid doesn't park the car in the driveway when the sprinklers come on. But I do wipe down all interior surfaces and vacuum the floors and upholstery before every shift.


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

Sal29 said:


> Why do I have low ratings?
> Here's my guess.
> I've refused to let customers smoke in my car. I've done tons of surge pricing and night time jobs. My car is a 2004 base Chevy Impala. It has a slight dent in the passenger side fender and slight amounts of paint is peeling off in certain places.
> Car Photo Attached!
> ...


I understand not wanting to spend extra money on a car you are not keeping, but you could put a couple bucks into a shampoo machine and scrub the hell out of the carpet, upholstery and maybe even a gentle cleaning of the headliner. I would also try changing the cabin filter. All this could be done with very little money, and may save your rating. Also, may make you more money when you go to sell it. Personally, I won't buy a car if there's a hint of cigarette scent.


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

And by scent, I mean stench.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Lidman said:


> The rating system is flawed. There could be reasons that someone (s) rated you below 5, are beyond your control. Someone could give you a bad rating just out of spite. When more and more drivers leave uber because of that and less then minimum wage rates, they will have no choice but revise the ratings/pricings yadayadyadad. If they want to stay in business.


Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of statistics can tell you that the rating system is horribly flawed. We drivers are held to a threshold of 4.6, however our passengers can use only whole numbers. That is, the paxs rate drivers on an ordinal scale, while the drivers are scored by Uber on an interval scale. From a statistical analysis point of view, this violates every rule of survey design. Ergo, the drivers are at a distinct disadvantage. In essence, any passenger who rates a driver a 4 is telling Uber to fire this driver immediately. I have taken the time to explain this flawed rating system to many of my paxs, which probably goes a long way toward explaining why I'm currently at a 4.98 rating. When paxs understand that a 4 means immediate termination, they go for the 5 star button, unless the driver truly is a ******bag.


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## Orwhatuwill (Nov 28, 2014)

lifesaver mints- just started offering last night. Almost every passenger group had someone who said "this car smells great" thanks to the mint smell! 90% took the mints. 
I have power cords for both sorts of iphones and mini-usb. Only 3 people have used it.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

As UberX drivers, we really need to stop providing amenities that our paxs have no reason to expect. We provide safe, quick, affordable transportation in clean, well-maintained automobiles. We're not concessionaires, so we really have no good reason to provide water, gum, candy, mints, chargers, lattes, neck rubs, foot massages, tax advice, marital counseling, etc. If paxs want that, they can all a limo company. Does this attitude of mine affect my rating? You tell me - I'm at 4.98. If you really want to impress and satisfy your paxs, become conversant on whatever topic they bring up. In the last week I have discussed parenting, travel, education, cooking, astronomy, investing, automotive maintenance, weather/meteorology, psychology, computers, GPS technology, law, philosophy, music, sports, smartphones, and footwear. Your paxs will appreciate you immensely if you can discuss topics they wish to discuss and are interested in. This, of course, requires quite a bit of reading on your part. But it makes the ride go much more quickly.


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## Andrea Ramat (Aug 9, 2015)

I haven't started yet. I signed up and then got freaked out by the thought of picking people up around where I live (not the best neighborhood) and didn't give my first ride in time. BUT, hopefully it will be re-activated soon, so in preparation for this, I got tons of things. I know that this is not a limo, other people might not do it and I am using my own money for these things, but having people in my car, I want them to be comfortable. And if it helps with my ratings, then that's awesome. Here are some things that I am planning on having available for riders:
Cold bottled water, phone chargers, AUX cord in case they want to listen to their own music. I put sun shades on the rear passenger windows (to block the sun or just for privacy). I have kleenex, advil, gum/candies/mints/, feminie products for those surprises (women will understand) and pens/notepad. I also have a trash can that hangs on the headrest so if I do give gum, candy or kleenex, it won't end up on the floor. Hope this helps


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## MKEUber (Aug 20, 2014)

Andrea Ramat said:


> I haven't started yet. I signed up and then got freaked out by the thought of picking people up around where I live (not the best neighborhood) and didn't give my first ride in time. BUT, hopefully it will be re-activated soon, so in preparation for this, I got tons of things. I know that this is not a limo, other people might not do it and I am using my own money for these things, but having people in my car, I want them to be comfortable. And if it helps with my ratings, then that's awesome. Here are some things that I am planning on having available for riders:
> Cold bottled water, phone chargers, AUX cord in case they want to listen to their own music. I put sun shades on the rear passenger windows (to block the sun or just for privacy). I have kleenex, advil, gum/candies/mints/, feminie products for those surprises (women will understand) and pens/notepad. I also have a trash can that hangs on the headrest so if I do give gum, candy or kleenex, it won't end up on the floor. Hope this helps


I like your enthusiasm, but just keep in mind that the profit margin driving for Uber at these rates is razor thin. You don't want to spend your profits giving amenities away to riders who are already taking advantage of you by riding at these ridiculously low rates. They won't tip you for it, so why do it? As most of us have found out, not doing these things won't hurt your rating.


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

Andrea Ramat said:


> I haven't started yet. I signed up and then got freaked out by the thought of picking people up around where I live (not the best neighborhood) and didn't give my first ride in time. BUT, hopefully it will be re-activated soon, so in preparation for this, I got tons of things. I know that this is not a limo, other people might not do it and I am using my own money for these things, but having people in my car, I want them to be comfortable. And if it helps with my ratings, then that's awesome. Here are some things that I am planning on having available for riders:
> Cold bottled water, phone chargers, AUX cord in case they want to listen to their own music. I put sun shades on the rear passenger windows (to block the sun or just for privacy). I have kleenex, advil, gum/candies/mints/, feminie products for those surprises (women will understand) and pens/notepad. I also have a trash can that hangs on the headrest so if I do give gum, candy or kleenex, it won't end up on the floor. Hope this helps


If you overdo it, people will mock you. When I was driving Uberx/XL, I had a simple notebook and pen in the pocket behind the front passenger's seat, you know, in case someone needed to take notes while on the phone or whatever. These ****ing assholes got in and started mocking the shit out of it for some reason. "Oh, what's this, a guest book?" Anyway, you will get some extremely immature person make fun of the fact that you have feminine products. They may even open them and hide them in the back somewhere where another pax will find it and that will be awkward for you.

If you are going to give anything out, I would stick with the chargers, water and maybe candy/gum. (Be prepared, though, they will toss the bottles/wrappers on the floor.) Anything more is too much and will seem needy. But that's just my 2 cents.

Oh, and don't feel like you have to work your neighborhood. Maybe go try a nicer neighborhood or a central business district in your area.

Good luck!


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## Andrea Ramat (Aug 9, 2015)

JaxBeachDriver: I wasn't planning on having these items just sitting there so that the passengers can take them as they please. I have a small basket that I will have on the front passenger side floor so that if someone needs something I can give it to them. That way I won't have to worry about greedy people taking more than one water or immature people playing with feminine items. I'm going to make a sign that basically says, "need something (phone charger, water, paper/pen), just ask me". I was planning on checking my car after every trip anyway to straighten up, so if something gets left behind, I can return it if it's lost or toss it if it's trash.

Thanks for the advice about the neighborhoods  And the luck


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## ARIV005 (Mar 4, 2015)

I offered my hearing, so I can be told about their day and my enthusiastic facial expression of me giving a fk (when I don't). Didn't cost me a penny.


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## Desert Driver (Nov 9, 2014)

Andrea Ramat said:


> I haven't started yet. I signed up and then got freaked out by the thought of picking people up around where I live (not the best neighborhood) and didn't give my first ride in time. BUT, hopefully it will be re-activated soon, so in preparation for this, I got tons of things. I know that this is not a limo, other people might not do it and I am using my own money for these things, but having people in my car, I want them to be comfortable. And if it helps with my ratings, then that's awesome. Here are some things that I am planning on having available for riders:
> Cold bottled water, phone chargers, AUX cord in case they want to listen to their own music. I put sun shades on the rear passenger windows (to block the sun or just for privacy). I have kleenex, advil, gum/candies/mints/, feminie products for those surprises (women will understand) and pens/notepad. I also have a trash can that hangs on the headrest so if I do give gum, candy or kleenex, it won't end up on the floor. Hope this helps


Andrea, please stop with this silliness. Giving away crap to paxs has precisely zero upside. There are no data that prove giving crap away has any effect on ratings. The downside, of course, is that you're wasting money...money you can't afford to waste at these rates. Secondly, you're creating more crap to clean up out of your car. I have never given anything more than a safe rife in a clean car. My rating is 4.92.

Here, this should help you out quite a bit...

Uber best practices for safety, high ratings, and profit maximization.

• Don't even think about driving until you've purchased a commercial livery insurance policy. That'll run you about $4500 per year so you're going to be doing a lot of driving at first. But you really have no choice in the matter. Your personal insurance company is going to drop you if they learn you're driving for Uber. And the Uber contingent liability policy DOES NOT cover your medical claim or your property claim in the event you are involved in an at-fault accident.
• Never pick up a pax with a rating lower than 4.7. (Jesus, how hard is it to be a 5-star pax? How about not being a ******bag?)
• Never respond to a ping more than 10 minutes away. (Yes, it might be a decent fare, but the odds are against you.)
• If you're traveling, never respond to a ping behind you.
• When you arrive at pickup location and pax is not present, DO NOT call or text the pax. Start a stop watch and cancel at 5:01 and move on.
• For the love of God, NEVER had out gum, candy, mints, water, etc. to paxs. There is no upside, it costs you money, and it creates more mess for you to clean up.
• If a pax leaves something behind in your car. DO NOT make the effort to return it. If you follow Uber's rules it'll actually cost you money and time to return it. If the pax needs it back, he/she will track you down through Uber. When that happens you can negotiate an appropriate fee to return the item. It doesn't matter what the item is - wallet, phone, eyeglasses, event tickets, clothing, jewelry, etc.
• ABC - Always Be Compensated. You're an independent contractor. Don't do anything without being paid. If you wish to run your car as a charity the folks over at Meals on Wheels would love to speak with you.

Some of these items may seem a little harsh to the new driver, but time and experience will show you that these practices not only work, but that they work very well. As a new driver, there's no value in re-inventing the wheel, as it were.


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## DieselkW (Jul 21, 2015)

Give them a bottle of water and they will leave it behind for you to clean up.
Give them an individually wrapped lifesaver, and they will stash the wrapper somewhere - usually the seat pocket.

Give it to them anyway. I'm currently at 4.82 because some 19 year old ******y little ***** let the power of a one star rating go to her head. She gave me the wrong pickup, the wrong destination, and didn't like being told she was paying extra for the wrong turns. I know who it was, the timing was right and every other passenger gets in my car and says: "Nice Car".


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## ginseng41 (Nov 30, 2014)

I would take issue to the never text on arrival. I've picked up many kids from bars and need them to know where my car is. At some it could be on different sides of the building than they expect, a police barrier may make getting close impossible, or there could be a dozen uber cars similar to mine nearby. I don't expect everyone to know which of the black mid sized sedans is a camry and I've found they rarely remember my license plate. I have been told, usually many times a night, that they like knowing exactly where I'm parked if there's a concern


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## O787 (Oct 25, 2014)

First of all, If a customer want to smoke in your car.. he is not a good customer. let him know you need to keep the car clean for all customer.
Here is a tip for you to get rating up and get tips. I get lots of tips in cash all the time. Last week alone I made almost 100$ in tips. CASH
1. Keep your car clean.
2. Start a small conversation. Notice if the customer want to talk or not. If not .. just drive.
3. Candy and Charger is just a gimmick to put them in a good mood.
4. Small talk. Be a master of small talk. Find their interest just ask them insight about it. Lots of interesting people out there.
5. Set your radio to 5 station. Country, Pop, Oldies, Rocks, Alternative. Ask the rider what type of music they prefer.
6. People mood is like virus. Be positive and have a good vibe in you and don't catch negative vibe from the bad customer.
7. You will often find yourself answering the same question over and over again such as.. do you like driving for Uber? have your answer that will benefit you ready. lol
8. Never ask for tips. Only exception is when they have more than 4 peoples, you inform them that it is against the rule and they will beg you. That's when you ask with a smile "Do you tips?"


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## Optimus Uber (Oct 7, 2014)

Sal29 said:


> I was deactivated for a 4.11 rating and want to make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm going to change some of the mistakes I made now that I'm reactivated. I'm thinking about getting small candy bars, water bottles, and soda cans for customers, Android and iPhone cables and a cassette adapter and aux extension cable so customers can listen to their music from their phones. Are all of these good ideas, or are some of them bad ideas? What other tips to you suggest to maintain a rating above 4.5 stars?


I don't give my passengers anything. I give them a ride to their destination. It's the only thing they pay for.

A word of advice. What they want is a driver that knows where they are going. City knowledge, clean car, no stinky. That's it. 4.92 here.

Best thing you can do when you find out where they are going is mention a landmark near their destination. They will get a confirmation you know what you are doing.

Like, 'I want to go to the Hollywood hills'

Would you like me to use the 10 or go through sunset?

Right away they know, you know how to get there. They are now relaxed. Intelligent conversation will get you the five stars.

Not bribing them with drinks and snacks.

Had some morning after millenias get in the car this weekend. Asked if I had an aux cord. I chuckled. People still use those things?? I have Bluetooth audio. Your welcome to connect. I haven't seen an aux cord in years.

Do you have snacks? My response, this isn't a catering truck. I don't have snacks. Besides its 4:30 am and you shouldn't eat before bed.

The one exemption I have to talking with pass where with respect are morning after people. They've already been disrespected. They just got kicked out after putting out. Their threshold for respect no longer exists. You can talk all the shot you want to drunks and morning after people. Your going to have a 50/50 shot at getting a 5* from them no matter what you say.


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## Uber Kraus (Jun 10, 2015)

Don't offer them anything! I don't want them thinking I've got gum or water for them.


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## OCBob (Jan 20, 2015)

I offer a smile and good conversation. Good enough to be far from being deactivated. I have chargers in my glove box and can use if they ask. They also better tip if they use my trunk or phone chargers.


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## JaxBeachDriver (Nov 27, 2014)

DieselkW said:


> Give them a bottle of water and they will leave it behind for you to clean up.
> Give them an individually wrapped lifesaver, and they will stash the wrapper somewhere - usually the seat pocket.
> 
> Give it to them anyway. I'm currently at 4.82 because some 19 year old ******y little ***** let the power of a one star rating go to her head. She gave me the wrong pickup, the wrong destination, and didn't like being told she was paying extra for the wrong turns. I know who it was, the timing was right and every other passenger gets in my car and says: "Nice Car".


What's wrong with 4.82?


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