# My new "Half-Star" rules for rating Pax



## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

This is inspired by the quandary I find myself in: on one hand I want to rate non cash tippers 4* but on the other hand that might be too mean. So, I came up with the concept of "half-star" infractions; it takes two half-star infractions to get a pax a 4* rating. Of course full-star infractions immediately get them 4* or lower.

This OP is a work in progress so check back for updates. I'm half OP-ing for my own future reference when a pax tugs at my heartstrings but I should down rate them.

*HALF-STAR:*
- no cash tip, surge, or boost
- trip time is shorter than time to pickup
- took more than 2 min after arrival to get in car and didn't notify me
- dirty footwear left minor mess on floor mat, but enough for me to stop and brush it off.
- slightly grumpy due to being late, tired, etc.
- imperfect pickup address/pin location, resulting in my having to move a little to them (i.e. around the corner)
- imperfect destination location, resulting in me dropping them off at the adjacent address
- pax expected me to pick them up in traffic (but I pulled around the corner)
- body odor
- small amount of dog hair or human hair, etc.
- annoying phone or other conversation, but not too loud/distracting
- exhibits slight discourtesy towards me
- talks too much
- asks about pay / other probing personal questions beyond small talk (unsolicited)
- puts luggage in passenger compartment after I recommend the trunk
- is late/anxious but polite to me
- smokes immediately before entering vehicle
- does not wear seat belt without being asked to
- does not identify him/herself without being asked to
- asks to make a stop not already accounted for in the app, but updates location in app
- eats without asking but does not leave crumbs etc.
- brings any kind of open container into the car without asking
- takes more than 3 minutes at a stop but asked in advance
- gives turn by turn directions in a polite manner
- vapes in car after asking

*FULL-STAR:*
- took more than 5 min after arrival to get in car (I didn't Cancel - Rider No Show for whatever reason, like they contacted me or I can see them)
- disrespects my vehicle in any way
- slams door
- slams luggage in trunk
- is late/anxious and puts some pressure on me
- leaves appreciable footwear dirt/leaves/mud/grime on my floor mat
- leaves appreciable hair etc on my seats
- very loud/distracting phone or other conversation. Exception: drunk people having a fun time singing along with the music (it's expected)
- brings a recently extinguished cig into the car, which stinks it up
- bad pickup address/pin location, resulting in me having to drive one block or more (including around the block) to get to them
- bad dropoff location, resulting in me dropping them off a block or more away from it, and I was not notified in advance (often turn decisions are based on dropoff)
- displays attitude when asked to fasten seat belt
- does not wear set belt in front seat
- account holder is not on trip, even if they are properly identified (tipping is far less likely due to his/her disconnection from the experience)
- eats without asking and leaves crumbs etc.
- takes more than 3 minutes at a stop without asking
- visibly exhibits lack of courtesy / appreciation for me and my outstanding customer service, i.e. "entitled" attitude
- gives turn by turn directions in an impolite/annoying manner
- vapes in car without asking

Of course, more severe infractions will result in lower pax ratings on a case by case basis. But I wanted to document/establish rules for the questionable stuff so I can have a reference point. More severe infractions include smoking in the car (whether they ask or not), being outright rude to me, making a big mess, puking, putting me in danger, etc. These get the pax 3* on down. I don't think I've ever given a pax less than 3*.

Cash tip is pretty much an automatic 5*. That compensates for a multitude of sins. Also if they tell me they are going to give me 5* I tend to believe them (it costs them nothing) and that also compensates for infractions since it helps my rating.

Uber on!


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## Julescase (Mar 29, 2017)

MadTownUberD said:


> This is inspired by the quandary I find myself in: on one hand I want to rate non cash tippers 4* but on the other hand that might be too mean. So, I came up with the concept of "half-star" infractions; it takes two half-star infractions to get a pax a 4* rating. Of course full-star infractions immediately get them 4* or lower.
> 
> This OP is a work in progress so check back for updates. I'm half OP-ing for my own future reference when a pax tugs at my heartstrings but I should down rate them.
> 
> ...


Based on your system, Every pax I've ever driven would receive 0 stars at the most. I like it!


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

I will admit my rules are a little bit harsh for the drunk crowd, but I mostly do early morning airport runs, so for that they should work pretty well.


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## HighRollinG (Aug 13, 2017)

Bravo, you sir are born for this job. Great list...impressive dedication to your trade. 

Selfishly I would LOVE to hear your badge strategy...I mean the short version! Uber on Sir Uber Pro!


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

I'm going to go ahead and ignore what appears to be a troll/sarcastic comment...

Please note that some of the rules overlap. For example, if someone gives me a bad pickup location AND that causes them to take too long to get into the car, I am only going to ding them once. Similarly if someone is impolite to me AND slams the door I am only going to ding them once for attitude/rudeness.


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## unPat (Jul 20, 2016)

stops less than 2 mins , 3 stars anything longer 1 star.
I pull up and you are not in my car within the 2 min timer , 3 stars after 4 mins 1 star.


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## keb (Jul 8, 2017)

I wonder if pax have similar lists /ratings systems.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

My list is considerably shorter, but similar.

I cringe when I read about drivers that have an ultimatum mentality. There was some a-hole on the Melbourne forum that claims he one stars EVERY pax because he hates Uber.

As a fellow driver there are times when the pax rating is the determining factor on whether I will accept the ride or not. Which means that I appreciate other drivers giving an honest rating as best they can.


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## unPat (Jul 20, 2016)

Mista T said:


> My list is considerably shorter, but similar.
> 
> I cringe when I read about drivers that have an ultimatum mentality. There was some a-hole on the Melbourne forum that claims he one stars EVERY pax because he hates Uber.
> 
> As a fellow driver there are times when the pax rating is the determining factor on whether I will accept the ride or not. Which means that I appreciate other drivers giving an honest rating as best they can.


I cringe at your post. Passenger rating is not always right. There are passengers taking uber for the last 6-7 years and they are around 4.4 but they are still good passengers.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

The problem I have with this post is that not a damn thing you're worrying about will result in any more money in your pocket. My system is really simple. Everybody gets a 5-star unless they're a real asshole then they get a 3-star or a 1-star.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

Coachman said:


> The problem I have with this post is that not a damn thing you're worrying about will result in any more money in your pocket.


100% correct! But a lot of it is about looking out for my fellow drivers. And actually the market I drive in is so small I get repeat customers...so I may be helping myself by rating honestly.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

MadTownUberD said:


> 100% correct! But a lot of it is about looking out for my fellow drivers. And actually the market I drive in is so small I get repeat customers...so I may be helping myself by rating honestly.


You can rate them all 1-star and it won't make a dent in the system.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

Coachman said:


> You can rate them all 1-star and it won't make a dent in the system.


That is not my intention. I'm just sick of giving everyone a 5* when they didn't do enough to show they appreciate the awesome discounted/subsidized ride they just got.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

I forgot to add these rules also pertain to no surge and no boost in addition to no cash tip. While Surge and boost are not as strong as a cash tip, they do offset the negative stuff.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

Added "trip time is shorter than time to pick up".


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

MadTownUberD said:


> This is inspired by the quandary I find myself in: on one hand I want to rate non cash tippers 4* but on the other hand that might be too mean. So, I came up with the concept of "half-star" infractions; it takes two half-star infractions to get a pax a 4* rating. Of course full-star infractions immediately get them 4* or lower.
> 
> This OP is a work in progress so check back for updates. I'm half OP-ing for my own future reference when a pax tugs at my heartstrings but I should down rate them.
> 
> ...


Lol... I can't believe you put this much thought into a silly rating system...



MadTownUberD said:


> I forgot to add these rules also pertain to no surge and no boost in addition to no cash tip. While Surge and boost are not as strong as a cash tip, they do offset the negative stuff.


I don't understand this concept, especially with boost.

The riders don't know your getting boost. 
With surge, its a high demand time, they should be more appreciative of the ride.

If I order a burger at Longhorn's should I tip less because the burger at Denny's was 70% cheaper? I'm giving up my Sat night or my Holiday to ferry shuttle these people around, I fail to see how the surge should affect my tip.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

wk1102 said:


> Lol... I can't believe you put this much thought into a silly rating system...
> 
> I don't understand this concept, especially with boost.
> 
> ...


The basic idea is: I am willing to tolerate more bad behavior when I am getting paid more. The extreme case is some drivers hope for pukers so they can collect $150.

For a no-tip, non-surge, non-boost, short or medium length, run of the mill UberX trip (which net me $5-$10/hr) the pax better be damn near perfect. In other words they need to recognize how great of a deal they are getting and "compensate" me for it through their actions/attitude. I had a guy yesterday morning who was a perfect example...he "got it".

By the way, I had 4 trips yesterday before work and all riders got 5* based on this system. One guy took longer than 2 min to get into the car but I still gave him 5* because he notified me in advance.

The reason I put so much thought into this is it's too easy to be emotional and give everyone 5*, or swing the other way and punish people unfairly. Not everyone deserves 5*!


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## Jason Wilson (Oct 20, 2017)

MadTownUberD said:


> 100% correct! But a lot of it is about looking out for my fellow drivers. And actually the market I drive in is so small I get repeat customers...so I may be helping myself by rating honestly.


If your market is slow, don't these pax easily have the ability to see that it's you who rate them low, and then retaliate? I'm in a slow market and I wouldn't rate like you simply because pax can easily see how I rated them.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

Jason Wilson said:


> If your market is slow, don't these pax easily have the ability to see that it's you who rate them low, and then retaliate? I'm in a slow market and I wouldn't rate like you simply because pax can easily see how I rated them.


That is a risk especially since I have a great potential for repeat customers. That said I just use this system to rate a pax 4 stars a couple minutes ago because the pickup at the hospital was bad, she didn't call me for a couple of minutes, and of course there was no cash tip.

KellyC nice to see you! Where have you been hiding?


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Jason Wilson said:


> If your market is slow, don't these pax easily have the ability to see that it's you who rate them low, and then retaliate? I'm in a slow market and I wouldn't rate like you simply because pax can easily see how I rated them.


Riders ratings are based off their last 100 rides, so their rating will go down .01 for every star that is deducted. So regardless of the market a rider with a basic understanding of how the ratings work can figure out who rated them what.

I'm in a slower market myself, I don't notice much of a difference in my rating. I give a lot of 4s.


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## KellyC (May 8, 2017)

MadTownUberD said:


> That is a risk especially since I have a great potential for repeat customers. That said I just use this system to rate a pax 4 stars a couple minutes ago because the pickup at the hospital was bad, she didn't call me for a couple of minutes, and of course there was no cash tip.
> 
> KellyC nice to see you! Where have you been hiding?


Thanks! Don't have much to talk about bc I haven't driven much for the past couple of weeks. It is so dead here.

How have you been?


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

KellyC said:


> Thanks! Don't have much to talk about bc I haven't driven much for the past couple of weeks. It is so dead here.
> 
> How have you been?


Not bad! Things are picking up with students on campus and cold weather. Tomorrow is the final UW home game...against Michigan! Starts at 11, I plan to drive in the morning for a few hours.


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

Added "asks about pay / other probing personal questions beyond small talk (unsolicited)".


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