# UBER PLATFORM: Why it's a great idea to always send thanks for a tip



## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

Most know that late last year, after much begging, Uber gave drivers the ability to thank a passenger for tipping. By bringing up the Trip Details one can tap on the SEND THANKS TO PASSENGER.

















And, for at least some drivers (all?), the feature broke a while back. Tapping the button failed to change the label to THANKS SENT. Like so many features of the app that used to work and then are suddenly broken, it takes Uber months to fix what shouldn't have broken in the first place. But now (at least in my market) the facility is working again.

So why should all drivers always send thanks for a tip? Regardless of size? The late Billy Graham built a virtual money machine for his evangelical empire in the latter half of the Twentieth Century by instituting a policy of always sending thank you letters for donations of any size. Graham learned that people loved to be acknowledged for giving. After the thank you letter policy was engaged repeat donations went up significantly.

It's that simple. Although you may never be matched again with the customer you send thanks to it may help the next driver. If we all do it, we help each other. What's not to love?


----------



## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

I always do it for all the tips. Large tips I usually do immediately when they pop up, smaller ones at the end of the night or the next day.


----------



## Bizzy Beezus (Jun 24, 2019)

When the option to send a thank you for the tip first became available in my area, I would only send a thank you if the tip was $5+. 

I now send a thank you for any tip because I figure that if I were handed any tip in person, I would smile and say thank you.

I agree that reinforcing good behavior is a positive habit.


----------



## Judge and Jury (Oct 19, 2019)

Bizzy Beezus said:


> When the option to send a thank you for the tip first became available in my area, I would only send a thank you if the tip was $5+.
> 
> I now send a thank you for any tip because I figure that if I were handed any tip in person, I would smile and say thank you.
> 
> I agree that reinforcing good behavior is a positive habit.


I especially like the thank you notice feature when the tip is ridiculously low. Shaming low tip clients is probably an unintended consequence.


----------



## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

I send thanks now!










The No on Prop 22 crowd will now look bad for not sending a thanks! &#128514; &#128514; &#128514;


----------



## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

_Tron_ said:


> Most know that late last year, after much begging, Uber gave drivers the ability to thank a passenger for tipping. By bringing up the Trip Details one can tap on the SEND THANKS TO PASSENGER.
> 
> View attachment 517034
> View attachment 517036
> ...


Just pay attention to the screen. In CA, sending a thank you includes a claim that you support Prop 22...

This will probably be repeated any time Uber wishes, in any market they want to make a political statement in.


----------



## Judge and Jury (Oct 19, 2019)

SuzeCB said:


> Just pay attention to the screen. In CA, sending a thank you includes a claim that you support Prop 22...
> 
> This will probably be repeated any time Uber wishes, in any market they want to make a political statement in.


Well, in my case, that would be accurate.

Who in their right mind would want to be an actual employee of the devious gig app companies?

Vote YES on prop. 22, the lesser of evils.


----------



## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

SuzeCB said:


> Just pay attention to the screen. In CA, sending a thank you includes a claim that you support Prop 22...
> 
> This will probably be repeated any time Uber wishes, in any market they want to make a political statement in.


For some reason my app does not have that notice. Yet. In any case, be aware that Uber is already bombarding pax with pro 22 messages on their app. One of the message states to "ask your driver about 22".


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

_Tron_ said:


> For some reason my app does not have that notice. Yet. In any case, be aware that Uber is already bombarding pax with pro 22 messages on their app. One of the message states to "ask your driver about 22".


Yet Uber suggest you don't have political discussions with riders.


----------



## Arthur Dent (Jan 18, 2019)

Just recently helped a homeless Dude off a Craigslist post. He was asking for food, I've stopped giving $$ to the homeless but give food a lot.
Well I delivered some burritos along with a bunch of other foodstuffs, even some pot.

Never did get a thank you but did get a request for MORE burritos. Had to explain to him that I would have been delighted to give more IF he would have simply gave me a thank you for the first one's...


----------



## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

Why wait? I always type "Thank you for the tips." as delivery note after taking picture for delivery.
Some has changed to bigger tips. No one has taken back tips yet.


----------



## UberBeemer (Oct 23, 2015)

_Tron_ said:


> Most know that late last year, after much begging, Uber gave drivers the ability to thank a passenger for tipping. By bringing up the Trip Details one can tap on the SEND THANKS TO PASSENGER.
> 
> View attachment 517034
> View attachment 517036
> ...


I tip on every eats order i make, and haven't seen a thank you yet. So i wonder whether they pass that along, or use it as a metric to guage what you will accept as fares keep creeping lower.


----------



## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

I think there are some serious flaws with the Billy Graham analogy. Many very successful people have made a habit of sending thank you notes.

That said, I don't begrudge anybody who thanks for tips. It's a nice cause you have. Good luck.


----------



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

My parents raised me always to say "thank you". This is why I send the thanks. We do not have Proposition Twenty Two in the Capital of Your Nation. We do have an Initiative EIghty-One, Eighty-Three or something like that, but it has nothing to do with Uber or Lyft.


----------



## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

Coachman said:


> I think there are some serious flaws with the Billy Graham analogy. Many very successful people have made a habit of sending thank you notes.


Of course they do. There are many examples. I used the Graham analog as one concrete example.


----------



## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

Coachman said:


> I think there are some serious flaws with the Billy Graham analogy. Many very successful people have made a habit of sending thank you notes.
> 
> That said, I don't begrudge anybody who thanks for tips. It's a nice cause you have. Good luck.


It's said Jackie Kennedy-Onassis wrote back to each and every person that wrote condolences to her after JFK was killed. Class act.

What's NOT a class act is to attach a political stance to an act of gratitude that has zip to do with politics.

Or maybe it actually is a lot of class...

LOW class.


----------



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

SuzeCB said:


> NOT*................*class*...................*LOW class.


Low class/No class; an apt description of F*ub*a*r*..................not that Gr*yft* is any better, mind you......................


----------



## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Thanks for subsidizing the lack of pay that I receive through uber.... you make me break even... thanks


----------



## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Fusion_LUser said:


> I send thanks now!
> 
> View attachment 517046
> 
> ...


Right, 'cause salaried employees can't have tips. SMH.


----------



## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

The Gift of Fish said:


> Right, 'cause salaried employees can't have tips. SMH.


Oh I didn't know there are salaried employees driving of Uber and sending a thanks for the tips they receive.

How do you get salaried driver position with Uber?


----------



## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

_Tron_ said:


> Of course they do. There are many examples. I used the Graham analog as one concrete example.


The difference is, Billy Graham hoped by sending a thank you that he would establish an ongoing relationship with the individual. It was important for Graham that these donors come back to him, as opposed to donating to another church. His goal was to capture permanent donors, whether they be large or small. And he was very successful in building a tremendous following.

Unfortunately we don't have any way to lure our riders back to us. The few we ever see again are just random, maybe not even tippers.

Ninety percent of my riders don't tip. Graham wouldn't have tolerated a church full of 90% of non-donors. As you said, he was a virtual money machine.

I view your argument here the same way I view the old rating game argument. There used to be posters who regularly came to the board pleading that everybody down rate non-tippers. The idea was that by our collective action we could incentivize tipping. It never worked.

If you really want more tips try putting up a tip sign. I've heard that's been useful for some drivers.


----------



## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Fusion_LUser said:


> Oh I didn't know there are salaried employees driving of Uber and sending a thanks for the tips they receive.
> 
> How do you get salaried driver position with Uber?


No, the vote for Prop 22 is in November. This vote will decide whether or not gig drivers are to be made employees. There are no driver employees yet. Do try to keep up, young FusionUser!

The point I was making, which evidently went over your head, is that giving thanks for tips does not necessarily mean that the driver supports Prop 22.


----------



## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

There’s no loss in saying thank you even if it’s not sincere.


----------



## Juggalo9er (Dec 7, 2017)

Fusion_LUser said:


> Oh I didn't know there are salaried employees driving of Uber and sending a thanks for the tips they receive.
> 
> How do you get salaried driver position with Uber?


You have to spend a lot of time on your knees and I mean a lot of time on those knees praying and such.... you apply for an outside position that pays salaried wages..... then you use uber to pay offset the taxes on those wages


----------



## Floofy (Aug 22, 2020)

Yes, people like


UberBeemer said:


> I tip on every eats order i make, and haven't seen a thank you yet. So i wonder whether they pass that along, or use it as a metric to guage what you will accept as fares keep creeping lower.


I never get a thank you except from the app. When I rate and confirm my tip, little hearts float around and say thank you. That has to do for my warm fuzzies.


----------



## UberBeemer (Oct 23, 2015)

Floofy said:


> Yes, people like
> 
> I never get a thank you except from the app. When I rate and confirm my tip, little hearts float around and say thank you. That has to do for my warm fuzzies.


Ok! What app is that? Sounds like a Tinder thing...


----------



## Floofy (Aug 22, 2020)

UberBeemer said:


> Ok! What app is that? Sounds like a Tinder thing...


UE.


----------



## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

_Tron_ said:


> Most know that late last year, after much begging, Uber gave drivers the ability to thank a passenger for tipping. By bringing up the Trip Details one can tap on the SEND THANKS TO PASSENGER.
> 
> View attachment 517034
> View attachment 517036
> ...


For me the Thank You option was only visible when I drove in LA County. It disappeared when I drove in Orange County which is typical Uber. 

I used the feature to go back and thank as many riders as possible. Hoping it would help the next driver get a tip.


----------



## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

The Gift of Fish said:


> No, the vote for Prop 22 is in November. This vote will decide whether or not gig drivers are to be made employees. There are no driver employees yet. Do try to keep up, young FusionUser!
> 
> The point I was making, which evidently went over your head, is that giving thanks for tips does not necessarily mean that the driver supports Prop 22.


Oh you were being funny! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! I like jokes. You are pretty good at it. The part where you said you were making a point, total riot. Do you practice comedy lot when you are at home at night?


----------



## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Fusion_LUser said:


> Oh you were being funny! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! I like jokes. You are pretty good at it. The part where you said you were making a point, total riot. Do you practice comedy lot when you are at home at night?


It was just a simple point that contractors aren't the only ones who appreciate tips, dude. Not much chance for you to try to score points off that, but I see you're trying as hard as usual. Whatever. &#129335;‍♂


----------



## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

The Gift of Fish said:


> It was just a simple point that contractors aren't the only ones who appreciate tips, dude. Not much chance for you to try to score points off that, but I see you're trying as hard as usual. Whatever. &#129335;‍♂


Well that is not funny at all. Actually its kind of stupid when you think about it. There are no salaried drivers for Uber thanking pax so why even say that?

Ah who cares.. A man of your sheer geniusness can't be expected to answer every question asked of you by someone with a quarter a minute to spare, right?


----------



## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Fusion_LUser said:


> Well that is not funny at all. Actually its kind of stupid when you think about it. There are no salaried drivers for Uber thanking pax so why even say that?
> 
> Ah who cares.. A man of your sheer geniusness can't be expected to answer every question asked of you by someone with a quarter a minute to spare, right?


The noun you're looking for is genius, not "geniusness".

I blame the education cuts of the 1980s. They have had a devastating effect on literacy.


----------



## Driving With A Purpose (Jul 28, 2020)

_Tron_ said:


> So why should all drivers always send thanks for a tip? Regardless of size? The late Billy Graham built a virtual money machine for his evangelical empire in the latter half of the Twentieth Century by instituting a policy of always sending thank you letters for donations of any size. Graham learned that people loved to be acknowledged for giving. After the thank you letter policy was engaged repeat donations went up significantly.


Are you familiar with the law of unintended consequences? If everyone thanks everyone for everything, it loses it's meaning. When someone is sincere (in person- not in a form letter or email), then it means a lot more to me. Billy Graham had success with this because he was an early adopter of this when most wouldn't do it.

A specific example: The first time I went to a Chick-Fil-A, I got a cheery employee who said "My pleasure!" with enthusiasm. Later I realized that they are all told to say this. It is actually a bit sad. Can't they vary from the script and use other words such as "Thank you for your patronage", etc? That would mean a lot more to me if they could personalize the way they treat customers, as long as it was professional. I bet they would enjoy that as well.

I personally try to thank everyone who gives a $5 plus tip. It used to be $10 or more, but I dropped it to $5. There are cases where people shouldn't be thanked for tips. Example: Someone orders $75-100 of sushi and gives a $2 tip doesn't deserve a thank you IMHO. On $75-100 of food they could easily afford a much bigger tip than $2.

Think also about those who give lousy instructions on how to find their place or live in huge apartment complexes that are poorly lit at night and it takes you a long time to find them. Someone tonight asked me at about 9:45pm if I'd make a side trip to buy them cigarettes and drop them off to them at the Marriott they were staying at. Not a chance, thank you. And I won't thank them for their $2 or $3 tip.

As a matter of fact, I think thanking someone for such a tiny tip sets a bad precedent. Customers might begin to think that we consider a $2 tip to be very satisfying when it isn't enough to break-even for many. Then drivers quit, deliveries take much longer because drivers won't accept gigs they would've accepted before (since the overall payout is much smaller due to the much smaller tips), and that becomes a bad experience for the customer, the driver and even Uber. I will even go so far as to think that someone who is thanked for a $1-2 tip might even think the driver was trying to be sarcastic by sending a thank you for something so little.

I get the concept of doing something nice from a biblical standpoint and a few people are just grateful for everything they get. Good for them. I do believe in the concept of paying it forward which is why I spend so much time on this site trying to be helpful to others.

But, when it comes to thanking everyone for every tip, I just think there are too many ways for this to backfire.

P.S. If I deliver to someone who really appears to be dirt poor and they are getting $5-10 of food from a fast food place, then I might thank them for a tip of less than $5. But that is a rarity for me.



Arthur Dent said:


> Just recently helped a homeless Dude off a Craigslist post. He was asking for food, I've stopped giving $$ to the homeless but give food a lot.
> Well I delivered some burritos along with a bunch of other foodstuffs, even some pot.
> 
> Never did get a thank you but did get a request for MORE burritos. Had to explain to him that I would have been delighted to give more IF he would have simply gave me a thank you for the first one's...


It is sad how aggressive some people have become. A good friend of mine was out walking with his brother. A homeless person approached them and the brother gave him a fistful of coins, probably several dollars worth. The homeless person responded by throwing the money back at him. In fact, they almost got into a fist fight. Was he expecting dollar bills? Geez, it is hard to be a mind reader.



UberBeemer said:


> I tip on every eats order i make, and haven't seen a thank you yet. So i wonder whether they pass that along, or use it as a metric to guage what you will accept as fares keep creeping lower.


Two things missing here, and I don't mean to sound rude. But you didn't say how many UE orders you have placed. Also, you didn't say how much you tip (either dollar or %age wise). I don't expect you to divulge that on a public site, but perhaps one or both of those items is why you haven't been thanked.


----------



## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

The Gift of Fish said:


> The noun you're looking for is genius, not "geniusness".


Funny you should say that, I had a feeling that you of all people would focus on that word.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=geniusness
You would think that a self-proclaimed genius such as yourself would be hip to a word that obviously distinguishes you from the other mundane geniuses?


----------



## Floofy (Aug 22, 2020)

Driving With A Purpose said:


> Are you familiar with the law of unintended consequences? If everyone thanks everyone for everything, it loses it's meaning. When someone is sincere (in person- not in a form letter or email), then it means a lot more to me. Billy Graham had success with this because he was an early adopter of this when most wouldn't do it.
> 
> A specific example: The first time I went to a Chick-Fil-A, I got a cheery employee who said "My pleasure!" with enthusiasm. Later I realized that they are all told to say this. It is actually a bit sad. Can't they vary from the script and use other words such as "Thank you for your patronage", etc? That would mean a lot more to me if they could personalize the way they treat customers, as long as it was professional. I bet they would enjoy that as well.
> 
> ...


Did this person offer compensation for the cigarettes? A lot of people have asked online hey can we ask you guys to do that and many have said yeah for the right money. I guess sent by cashapp or something.

I don't carry cash. A man asked me for money for food supposedly. I had like a dollar in change in my car that I gave to him. He was mad. He looked at me like I owed him money and had stiffed him. Aggressive sometimes yes. $1 doesn't buy much food, it buys even less meth.


----------



## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

goneubering said:


> For me the Thank You option was only visible when I drove in LA County. It disappeared when I drove in Orange County which is typical Uber. :frown:


It is so messed up that U/L or so incredibly market specific with sooo many features. In my locale for example Uber only pings me with a request for 5 seconds. Others have reported far longer ping times in their driving area.


----------



## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

_Tron_ said:


> It is so messed up that U/L or so incredibly market specific with sooo many features. In my locale for example Uber only pings me with a request for 5 seconds. Others have reported far longer ping times in their driving area.


I just took a ping to see how long we get, I didn't think we got that much time but it was 11 seconds! With 5 seconds you pretty much only have time to look at the amount being paid and no other info.


----------



## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

I think we get around 15 seconds I never timed it.


----------



## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

Fusion_LUser said:


> Funny you should say that, I had a feeling that you of all people would focus on that word.
> 
> https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=geniusness
> You would think that a self-proclaimed genius such as yourself would be hip to a word that obviously distinguishes you from the other mundane geniuses?


Lol, Urban Dictionary &#129315;


----------



## Dave Bust (Jun 28, 2017)

wait,,you are making $26 base pay for 8 minutes and 7 miles?

WTF?


----------



## 195045 (Feb 2, 2020)

SuzeCB said:


> Just pay attention to the screen. In CA, sending a thank you includes a claim that you support Prop 22...
> 
> This will probably be repeated any time Uber wishes, in any market they want to make a political statement in.


That mean bribery if they atash P22


----------



## Driving With A Purpose (Jul 28, 2020)

Floofy said:


> Did this person offer compensation for the cigarettes?


No. I'm sure they were planning on paying for them though. If they REALLY wanted me to get them, they could have said "I'll give you $50 for a pack of cigarettes." I know that is an awful lot to ask, but if they really wanted them that badly, they'd have stepped up.


----------



## Je0426 (Sep 6, 2015)

Tip? What tip?


----------



## Volvonaut (May 1, 2016)

$3 is the smallest number that moves me. I’ll send thanks for $3 and up since that’s the smallest value that genuinely puts a smile on my face. $2 is an okay acknowledgement, $1 is almost actually upsetting.


----------



## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

Volvonaut said:


> $3 is the smallest number that moves me. I'll send thanks for $3 and up since that's the smallest value that genuinely puts a smile on my face. $2 is an okay acknowledgement, $1 is almost actually upsetting.


This.

If I got a thanks from a driver whom I had tipped $1, I would assume it was sent sarcastically.


----------



## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

Fusion_LUser said:


> I just took a ping to see how long we get, I didn't think we got that much time but it was 11 seconds! With 5 seconds you pretty much only have time to look at the amount being paid and no other info.


Some on this board have reported 30 sec. pings. Mine is literally 5 seconds. I timed it. Back in 2016 when I signed up (same locale) it was a 30 second ping.


----------



## ddelro219 (Aug 11, 2016)

This proves how observant I am. Didn’t even notice that subtle note about sending thanks and Supporting prop 22. Which I personally do but still, yet another sneaky practice courtesy of uber. 
No wonder why uber’s polls shows so much support for the passing of prop 22. 
Surely there are other drivers who didn’t see that and just sent thanks out of good manners. Surely there’s also a percentage of those that don’t want prop 22 to pass.


----------



## Young Kim (Jan 28, 2015)

_Tron_ said:


> It's that simple. Although you may never be matched again with the customer you send thanks to it may help the next driver. If we all do it, we help each other. What's not to love?


SUPERB comment my brother @_Tron_ ! It is always best to give thanks.


----------



## 1rightwinger (Jul 13, 2015)

I agree that it's the right thing to send a thank you for the tips. But here's a question: why doesn't Uber just automatically send a thank you? it's not like we get to write in a personalized note - they just send a message if we click the button. why don't they just do it automatically for anyone that tips?


----------



## Driving With A Purpose (Jul 28, 2020)

1rightwinger said:


> I agree that it's the right thing to send a thank you for the tips. But here's a question: why doesn't Uber just automatically send a thank you? it's not like we get to write in a personalized note - they just send a message if we click the button. why don't they just do it automatically for anyone that tips?


I'm guessing drivers would think it is sneaky if they did it automatically.


----------



## 1rightwinger (Jul 13, 2015)

Driving With A Purpose said:


> I'm guessing drivers would think it is sneaky if they did it automatically.


How would they know if driver clicked a button to post a thank you or if Uber did it auto? This technology company could program it to insert thank you note to pax at random times and they could program random thank you notes, right?


----------



## Floofy (Aug 22, 2020)

The app thanks me and blows little hearts around for tipping.


----------

