# GoGo Grandparents?!



## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

Did anyone else just see this spot on the news?

http://www.wboc.com/clip/13123122/gogo-grandparent-simplifies-uber-type-services-for-elderly










_(Notice the look of approval on the Grandson's face after Grandma chuckles about "No tipping!")_ 

I was so angry I called the phone number from the website *(855) 464-6872* and told the lady that answered the phone that I will do my best to discourage use of this service (although it DOES sound like a good idea and good service) because ON the news clip....they show the grandson talking with the grandmother....and the Grandmother says in a gleeful voice:

"and NO TIPPING!" 

This is supposed to be a service that helps senior citizens who don't have smart phones....to order Uber or Lyft drivers!

The service is charging a fee for them to order the Uber or Lyft for the 'grandparent'.

Under the FAQ section.....this is what it says regarding tipping:

*Should I tip?*

_*"Most people do not tip, except in the cases where they ask a driver to wait or lift something up."*_

So, this company is further spreading the Uber propaganda that 'tips are not expected'....unless we do something ABOVE AND BEYOND. 

The above statement has been removed from the website.

I gave the lady an earful. She took my name and number and said she would have someone call me back regarding my complaint.

I'll keep you posted if and/or when that call happens.


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## talisheek (Mar 22, 2017)

I picked up someone using this service. He constantly complained about me putting cab drivers out of work. Also complained about waiting an hour to get a ride. Now I know why no one else wanted to pick him up. We asked me to make multiple stops. Then complained that I took a round about route. I provided Uber with a detail of the trip. They did end up paying the full rate, he then rated me 1 star.

Gogo sent a bunch of poorly written special requests.

No more gogo rides from me.


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## Go4 (Jan 8, 2017)

LEAFdriver said:


> Did anyone else just see this spot on the news?
> CBSchicago.com (couldn't find a link to the broadcast news story)
> 
> I was so angry I called the phone number from the website *(855) 464-6872* and told the lady that answered the phone that I will do my best to discourage use of this service (although it DOES sound like a good idea and good service) because ON the news clip....they show the grandson talking with the grandmother....and the Grandmother says in a gleeful voice:
> ...


I went to their website, and everything you say is true.
*"Should I tip?*

_*Most people do not tip, except in the cases where they ask a driver to wait or lift something up."*_
A more accurate answer would have been "*Most people do not tip, drivers always expect them to and they should."*


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## Wil_Iam_Fuber'd (Aug 17, 2015)

Hey LEAFdriver can you please post a link to their website so peeps can check this out!! And if they represent both Lyft/Uber, how can they take the no-tipping stance, wtf?


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

Wil_Iam_Fuber'd said:


> Hey LEAFdriver can you please post a link to their website so peeps can check this out!! And if they represent both Lyft/Uber, how can they take the no-tipping stance, wtf?


https://gogograndparent.com/

Btw.....I called them again last week and asked for a call back. They called me back later the same day. I told her how unfair it was to discourage tipping of drivers when they know good and well these people would most likely need extra assistance.

She seemed to be really listening and she almost sounded surprised when I told her that "YES, drivers DO expect to be tipped!" Almost like it was a foreign concept to her. I'm assuming it was from an overdose of Uber Koolaid. 

She did seem appreciative that I made her aware of this problem and I also told her about UP.net which she seemed interested in looking into. So keep posting your advice here, they may be reading it!


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## Wil_Iam_Fuber'd (Aug 17, 2015)

Nice post, thanks!! I'm not sure how, but something about this thing just strikes me as "wrong". Violating TOS, insurance, lack of access to the a/h...Seems like a lot issues here for a rideshare driver. 
And can't those peeps just get a smartphone. I mean really, I had to learn to use a satellite remote, which is like ten times more f'ing complicated than a smart phone.


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## jbooboo (Apr 20, 2016)

Hi folks,

I received an email this morning from a community member that brought my attention to this post. I'm sorry for the delay. I'm Justin, I made this service for my grandma. I'm happy to answer any questions you have. It seems like the most important one is why do we state that "most people do not tip, except in the cases where they ask a driver to wait or lift something up."

Our website did use to say that, but we changed it for two reasons:

1. Older adults kept getting scammed. It wasn't happening often, but in any large scale platform you're going to get some folks that aren't decent and some people are the worst. Maybe once a day we were getting reports of older adults being told the tip they were giving wasn't enough, they were giving 100s instead of 1s or being told the customary tip is $20.

2. We work with a lot of hospitals & municipalities and extremely concerned family members and they were uncomfortable with the idea of their older adults handling cash.

You may be interested in knowing that I used to be a driver for Postmates and know how valuable tips can be. I used Postmates to support myself while learning how to code. Other services allow us to tip through their APP and so our callers are able to do that without having to handle cash. When Uber introduces this functionality to us then we will do the same. 

Also, after looking at a few other posts it seems that some drivers are uncomfortable taking older adults and have promised to cancel every time they get our request. You don't have to do that, it'll hurt your acceptance rating. Just ask us to cancel. We're working on making it easier to do this. Right now if you ask us to cancel we'll cancel, but soon if you text "cancel" we'll cancel automatically.

If you understand older adults and are cool helping them, thank you. If not, send me an email and we can set it up so that you don't get any more requests. Feel free to ping me if you have any questions. Uber People isn't letting me post a link to my email, but it's just my first name Justin at our domain name GoGoGrandparent with a com at the end.

I hope this helps,

Justin


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## brendon292 (Aug 2, 2016)

jbooboo said:


> after looking at a few other posts it seems that some drivers are uncomfortable taking older adults


Drivers are uncomfortable with doing more work for no extra money. You want us to walk your clients to and from their home and help them into and out of our vehicles but don't compensate us for it? Why not make it so that at the _very least_, your app dispatches an UberASSIST?


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

Justin.....thank you for responding.

You are correct, older people are a special segment of the population that are vulnerable to scams.

Lately, even rideshare drivers have been the victims of scammers....so, we are _ALL_ vulnerable. 

As brendon292 above just noted.....there is a way that you can make sure the drivers are compensated fairly for the extra time and effort that is most likely necessary for elderly passengers.

For one thing, how about just providing this service through LYFT only? That way you can charge a little extra for your service and apply a certain percentage of that fee towards the drivers' tip via the app? No cash needed! 

There are numerous ways to go about this rather than to just perpetuate the PROPAGANDA that Uber started....that apparently will never die! 

So, if you are sincere, at the very LEAST.....please change the misleading statement from your website that actually DISCOURAGES tipping. Drivers are SOOOO tired of subsidizing all their passenger's travel budgets.

As your statement stands.....we see your company on the same level as Uber....._exploiting the very people that made their company what it is today. _

Please don't follow in their footsteps. 

Edit: I just went back to your website....and the statement in question has been removed. 
*Thank you.* You have removed the negative.....now, let's add the positive.


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## dkcs (Aug 27, 2014)

These guys are charging $11.40 per hour (in the Los Angeles area) for this service for the entire length of the trip including the waiting for the driver to show up. They need to request Uber Assist for their clients or get used to not have any drivers willing to pick up their clients.


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## jbooboo (Apr 20, 2016)

Hi dkcs, we do request UberAssist and we only charge $0.19/minute from the time someone gets picked up to when they get dropped off. I'm writing an FAQ for our site and will post here for your feedback ASAP.


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## jbooboo (Apr 20, 2016)

Thank you all for bringing this to our attention! Please let me know what you think about our new Driver FAQ. I unfortunately can't post links still but it's just at the bottom of our website at /driverfaq


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

jbooboo said:


> Thank you all for bringing this to our attention! Please let me know what you think about our new Driver FAQ. I unfortunately can't post links still but it's just at the bottom of our website at /driverfaq


As I mentioned above: "You removed the negative....now let's* add the positive*". Now there is *no mention at all* of tipping their drivers.  

How about:

*Should I tip my driver?

Definitely! The rates that drivers are paid are too low for the job they do. Without tips, they can't keep up the excellent service they provide. For Uber, please bring cash to tip your driver. For LYFT, please let us know ahead of time how much you'd like us to tip the driver when you make your request. 
*
(BTW, you must get at least one 'like' in order to post links....I 'liked' your post for you so you can now post links. You're welcome.) 
*
*


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## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

You will realize that drivers will cancel your rides more often if you discourage tips. And they would rush to them if 90% or more users tip. 
Better yet, start your own TNC and recruit the same Uber drivers to also drive for your service. 
The elderly do fall for scams more often, it's why the IRS scammers are so successful. Perhaps collect tips from the passengers and pay out to drivers using PayPal. Text the driver "Your rider has tipped you , please visit gogograndparent.com to claim it"


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## Doowop (Jul 10, 2016)

I recently had gogo pax who tipped me 5.00... Very nice. 
Gogo however stiffed me on the promise of 5* for following their instructions. No problem.


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## dkcs (Aug 27, 2014)

GoGo customers are much more likely to tip as they are in general from a generation who was accustomed to tipping for good service. You are much more likely to get a tip from a 60yo than a 22yo. 

From the start GoGo should have stressed the importance of tipping their driver instead of following Uber down the path of stiffing the drivers, even more so when extra work and patience are needed when dealing with senior customers.

UberCentral for Business has just launched and it appears that a business can hale a ride for their customers through this portal after establishing a contract with Uber so that may now allow GoGo and similar services to charge and offer rides without violating Uber's TOS once they contract with Uber.


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