# Customer Service Questions I haven't seen anywhere else..



## Jordan9K (Jul 6, 2014)

Opening the door for passengers with UberX? (assuming UberBlack+ drivers are more expected to..)

- Common, rare?
- Nice, over doing it?.. just depends situation/rider?

If you call ahead to a passenger, is it wise/nice to inform them of surge pricing or should they already be aware pre-request?

Trunk room. I'm a sporty kinda guy who's always prepared for an impromptu Football or basketball game i.e. I keep a few balls back there.. 
- How often to you get riders with luggage? Should I just remove the extra before Uber-ing?

Have you ever been told to follow someone? (random but interesting question I believe)
Have you ever been a semi-abulance? (been told to rush to the hospital)

Thanks for any and all responses!


----------



## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

Opening the door, rarely. There are a few situations it might make sense. Use common sense and don't force or overdo it.

Calling ahead of surge: I've never done it. But, if your ratings are at like 4.7 or below, or you are otherwise concerned about your ratings, you might want to do it. It's an interesting idea. In that case, call as early as possible. If they're cursing and yelling about it, that's not a good sign. You want to see if you can get people to cancel who will give you one star for not fully understanding the surge. Or perhaps you can end the ride early as a negotiation (possible insurance issue though).

I remove everything from my car except a jacket and some things I store in the built in compartments.

No to the last two questions. But people will try to get you to excessively speed and run lights for various things. Don't do it. Politely explain the company standards are very high and you can be fired for one ticket (true, depending on what it is and how many you have). Or use whatever safety or other story you might have.


----------



## Walkersm (Apr 15, 2014)

Saw a story on FB where a bicyclist was out and fell pretty bad on his bike. He knew if he called ambulance they would probably leave the bike in the care of the police. So he called an Uber SUV to take him home to drop the bike then take him to the emergency room. Said the driver really helped him out and was a godsend. I am assuming he was not bleeding badly all over the leather.

Thing I remember about it was that in this day and age of budget cuts for Emergency services that Uber Driver arrived faster than any ambulance ever would. Interesting how that dynamic has worked out. Maybe they should disrupt city emergency services. Uber Firetruck.


----------



## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

grams777 said:


> Opening the door, rarely. There are a few situations it might make sense. Use common sense and don't force or overdo it.
> 
> Calling ahead of surge: I've never done it. But, if your ratings are at like 4.7 or below, or you are otherwise concerned about your ratings, you might want to do it. It's an interesting idea. In that case, call as early as possible. If they're cursing and yelling about it, that's not a good sign. You want to see if you can get people to cancel who will give you one star for not fully understanding the surge. Or perhaps you can end the ride early as a negotiation (possible insurance issue though).
> 
> ...


There should be a temporary halt on driver ratings whilst surge is in place. UBER activates a variable that suddenly can change the usual happy relationship between Driver and Rider. When surge ends that is when riders have only customer service issues to rate, being a more constructive criticism than just price


----------



## Grace A. (Jun 30, 2014)

I used to open doors if I had to wait, but it was futile. I'd open the back and they'd want the front, I'd open 1 door and they'd have 4 people. I stopped. I want to open the doors at the end so people would stop slamming them!

This is my usual convo about surge pricing. I never discuss it before the ride, but always during the ride.
Pax:have you been busy tonight?
Me: yes. Uber has been so busy we are surging. Did you notice that when you made your request?
Pax: yes, but I wasn't really sure what it meant.

I also refuse cash tips if the surge is 1.5x or higher. Just my personal philosophy, but they have already paid a premium (although we only get 80%).

No to the other situations, but I know many drivers who have taken people to the hospital. I have done many hospital pickups though.


----------



## Joanne (May 7, 2014)

I've taken people to urgent care. Not bleeding and dying people, but people who can't drive for whatever reason. 

I only open doors when I'm in a safe location, my passenger needs it (crutches), or I'm at the airport.

If I pick someone up w bags, I always get out to open the back. I can't pop the trunk from inside, and the button to open it is hard to find. I keep a folding square trunk organizer with any personal stuff. Everything else is empty.


----------



## SunSmith (Apr 20, 2014)

I open the door for passengers, but not regularly. As Grace said, I'm not sure if they want in the front seat or back. However, if I get out of my car for some reason (look for a passenger around the corner is an example), then I open the door for them.

I do not inform them of surge pricing, however I often commiserate with them about it and explain it the way Uber explains it to us (attempt to encourage more drivers on the road). Because the pricing changes so much I never discuss actual prices with them, but do let them know they can get an estimate from the app.

I have a bag in my trunk, it isn't big, has my personal things in it. Can still handle 2 or 3 suitcases in the trunk plus the 4 passengers. I've also had customers put musical instruments, boxes of work papers, and a bicycle in my trunk. Therefore I think it is good to have your trunk space be relatively clear.


----------



## Just Some Guy (Jun 10, 2014)

Walkersm said:


> Thing I remember about it was that in this day and age of budget cuts for Emergency services that Uber Driver arrived faster than any ambulance ever would. Interesting how that dynamic has worked out. Maybe they should disrupt city emergency services. Uber Firetruck.


I'm not sure about where you are, but around here median EMS response times are 5 to 7 minutes.


----------



## Jordan9K (Jul 6, 2014)

*Thanks everyone for all your responses! Very informative! 
*
*To summarize:*

*-Opening the door is more a situational decision that occurs less often.*
*-On the first call it's not common during the conversation to bring up surge pricing but may be an interesting addition to weed out would-be poor rate-rs.*
*-Keep the car as clear as possible, I'll probably take it all out if I know I'll just be driving for Uber that day. *
*-It's the driver's responsibility to drive within the confines of the law and we shall let no passenger dictate how we abide by it. *
*-Depending on the area you may be transporting a few persons in need of medical attention.*

*Thanks again!*


----------



## Oc_DriverX (Apr 29, 2014)

Jordan9K said:


> Opening the door for passengers with UberX? (assuming UberBlack+ drivers are more expected to..)
> 
> Have you ever been told to follow someone? (random but interesting question I believe)
> Have you ever been a semi-abulance? (been told to rush to the hospital)
> ...


I rarely open the door, unless the situation needs it, ie: someone on crutches, etc.

I have never brought up surge pricing, although perhaps I should, since I saw poorer ratings on July 4th.

Ironically, I was asked to follow a fellow Uber car this weekend, but I ended up in front of him and the plan was scrapped.

I have done one semi-ambulance run, although it was not presented to me as such. I was called after accepting a ride and told that I was taking an in-law to a hospital because the family was not nearby and that this would be faster. They would meet the in-law at the hospital. I was also told that this in-law was ok, but just needed to be checked out. So I picked up this in-law. His first action was to ask to go to a hospital much nearer his house. As we began the trip, I was glad that we were going to a closer hospital because he was certainly uncomfortable and under some diress. Worst case scenarios started flashing through my mind. He did not ask me to speed. Fortunately, it was pretty late and there was not any traffic. He did direct me to take a freeway frontage instead of getting on the freeway to go down to the next exit, which the GPS and my intuition told me would have been faster. But, I followed the customer's request. Fortunately, we made it to the ER, and he was able to walk in without any assistance. It was a situation that I certainly would not want to repeat, and I will be much more circumspect in the future.


----------



## Nautilis (Apr 16, 2014)

Never opened the door for an UberX, but I have helped riders get in and out of my car's third row when doing UberXL
I never bring up surge pricing. Pricing is between Uber and the customer, I just tap that app. I also refer any/all fare questions to the Uber website. By distancing myself from the fare, I am reinforcing the fact that the rating is about the driver and not about the service. 
The only thing I keep in my trunk is extra waters, roll of paper towels, and cleaning wipes
I've never been asked to follow someone
I've taken people to the hospital before, but it seemed like it was for a doctor's appointment. Never an emergency (that I could tell). If the situation ever came up, I would get them to call an ambulance (or I might call one for them as I start driving towards the nearest hospital). I would definitely want to help get them there as fast as possible, but at the same time, I don't want to be responsible for someone getting more sick because I am obeying all speed and traffic laws when an ambulance could obviously get them there faster.


----------



## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

Jordan9K said:


> Opening the door for passengers with UberX?


I started out opening doors, but people seemed weirded out by it. I still do when it's raining significantly, with umbrella in hand.



> Trunk room. I'm a sporty kinda guy who's always prepared for an impromptu Football or basketball game i.e. I keep a few balls back there..
> - How often to you get riders with luggage? Should I just remove the extra before Uber-ing?


My trunk is a mess; I just apologize when putting their bags in. Out of more than a dozen riders using the trunk, I've gotten one 4* (not sure of the reason) and the rest all 5s. Once I had so much crap back there I put the rider's bags in the front seat.



> Have you ever been a semi-abulance? (been told to rush to the hospital)


I've dropped off and picked up at urgent care before. And it's the same one I go to, so I was able to recommend doctors . I even took someone from urgent care to the pharmacy, left, and got a ping a few minutes later to take them home with their prescription.


----------



## Jordan9K (Jul 6, 2014)

Thanks @mp775, since I posted this, I've kept the football and basketball in for now along a case of water and tissues. I should have ample room for a couple bags. Haven't had the chance for the other 2 situations.


----------



## Sancho737 (Jul 2, 2014)

I think the open door thing on X makes it a bit awkward. Tried it already but you still never know if they prefer front or back seat. 

I don't think the Inland Empire has had surge pricing so I'm not sure how I would approach it. Do we get notified on our iphones when surge is in effect?

I've got a fairly new car with a trunk tray and it's pretty clean. In the trunk I've got a jacket, some basic tool and blanket that really doesn't take up much space. However, on Friday night, I picked up one pax who'd been drinking at a friend's house with half empty (or half full) bottles of Bacardi and Hennessey. I politely told him I can't carry those in the passenger compartment and I gently wrapped them in the blanket in the trunk. Did two more beer runs that night so the blanket got a lot of padding use. 

It's still pretty lonely in the IE so no chance to follow another Uber yet. No medical transport, yet, either.


----------



## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

Sancho737 said:


> I don't think the Inland Empire has had surge pricing so I'm not sure how I would approach it. Do we get notified on our iphones when surge is in effect?


I think it varies by market. With the old maps, Boston had a red band at the top with the surge amount and red shading on the surge area. Meanwhile, the Providence map said nothing and the surge amount was a surprise in small type next to the rider's name. I haven't seen a surge since the new map rolled out.


----------



## getemtheresafely (Jul 1, 2014)

The new map does show the Red Bands and the red "shaded" area of the surge


----------



## London UberExec Driver (Jul 8, 2014)

A few reasons why you should open doors: 

If other drivers don't/won't do it you may have a better star rating as its unexpected. 

If you have to drop off next to other parked cars or on a busy road where the passenger has to get out on the road side then opening will doors will prevent damage to your and other cars, and possibly having the door being knocked off completely. 

Some passengers close doors by placing their fingers, or the whole hand and closing it shut on the window leaving hand/finger prints on the glass. Closing the door yourself using the handle or rubber trim will prevent this. 

When closing the door you can quickly glance in the passengers compartment if they have left anything behind either their own belongings or a mess, which you may have not otherwise notice. 

With having a messy boot/trunk. I think it's unprofessional to have your personal belongings in there such as your shopping, sporting equipment, etc. Anything job related such as a supply of water, cleaning materials or outer clothing etc., is ok though but I try and keep everything hidden and tucked away in compartments.


----------



## Oc_DriverX (Apr 29, 2014)

London UberExec Driver said:


> A few reasons why you should open doors:
> 
> If other drivers don't/won't do it you may have a better star rating as its unexpected.
> 
> ...


I guess another reason to do it is so you can close your door, instead of slamming it, like many riders are apt to do.


----------



## LookyLou (Apr 28, 2014)

The hand and finger prints on the windows make me CRAZY.


----------



## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

LookyLou said:


> The hand and finger prints on the windows make me CRAZY.


Isn't it nice how it seems that EVERY Uber rider leaves a small part of themselves behind with us, sort of like a momento of the time we've spent together!

Grrrrr


----------



## SCdave (Jun 27, 2014)

I don't stress out on opening doors. I like to, gives me an excuse to stretch and really depends on situation. 

One Rider, usually don't open door since not sure if they will get in front or back. Two or more and especially ladies I will try. In residential areas I will more often than not and in busy city locations not often because of safety issue. And I try really hard to do so when my internal clock starts telling me that I better get that drunk out NOW - if you know what I mean.

If I have a drunk getting out on the traffic side, I make an extra effort to get out and open door whether male or female just for their safety and my car door. If heavy traffic, I'll ask them to please get out on sidewalk side just to be safe.

I carry a few small water bottles (enough for one night) and cleaning supplies in the trunk. Also a large towel for the few times I've transported a dog (yes I will do this) or picked up someone at the beach and asked them to sit on the towel. Also use that towel (or small one I keep in car) to place under any takeout food bags rider wants to place in car. If I get "I'll just hold it", I put the towel down anyway.

And yes, scuff marks suck.


----------



## LookyLou (Apr 28, 2014)

Sydney Uber said:


> Isn't it nice how it seems that EVERY Uber rider leaves a small part of themselves behind with us, sort of like a momento of the time we've spent together!
> 
> Grrrrr


Lots of DNA evidence if there is ever a crime.


----------



## AMBUDRIVER03 (Jul 1, 2014)

I prefer to keep the DNA off the seats if ya know what I mean


----------



## Swifty (Sep 8, 2014)

Hi guys.
Use basic taxi driver etiquette.
Always keep your personal junk at home, a small bag hidden in a compartment is ok. 

An umbrella is a must keep in the vehicle. 

Clean the vehicle and refuel every night ready for the morning.

Always address clients as "Sir or madam" .. it's professional and polite.
Always open the door if possible. If its raining go to the door and walk them out to the car.
Always help with bags and luggage.

Its the only way to get good ratings.. be professional. Unfortunately many cabbies don't adhere to common sense.

I will post a drivers manual that I use in the UK.

search for drivers manual


----------



## where's the beef? (Sep 16, 2014)

for measly $4, I think I can skip all your advice & screw the good ratings...and to hell with common sense...


----------



## uberfool (Sep 1, 2014)

I have never opened a door.

I never talk about surge pricing.

I've never taken someone to the hosiptal. I did get a ping once and it was an outpatient surgery center. The doctor meets me and tells me they are bringing the patient out now. The guy just had surgery. He comes slowing walking out all hunched over. Doctor opened the door for him and gave me the address. First thing the guy asks is if he could have a smoke in the car! I felt so bad for him I told him he could as long as he holds it out the window.


----------



## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

The problem with the rate cuts - should you open doors - yes, if the opportunity presents itself (usually if they have luggage). Keep the trunk clean, maybe a box with all of your crap in, so it's not rolling around. It will look cleaner.

Because of the rate cuts, we are now like the Spirit Airlines of automotive transportation. We get paid to take you from A to B. If you want someone to smile, open doors, listen to station you want, give you water, help with luggage - go get a ****ing Black Car, not UberX. 

Bad attitude to have, but understandable, nonetheless.


----------



## Swifty (Sep 8, 2014)

Treat others in the way you wish to be treated.

Go the extra mile and keep your ratings up.. 

It doesn't cost you anything to smile, open doors, help with luggage.

You shouldn't have the radio on anyway, unless a customer requests it. 

Bad attitude is never understandable ... If you are not happy in the job then leave, do not take it out on the paying public.

I don't know why I am commenting I am not with Uber yet, waiting for lux position to open in London. But we all are ( or will be) the public face of the company.

If this is your income then covet it. If you can earn more elsewhere, then bugger off and leave. Do not drag a company down with you by mistreating paying customers.


----------



## London UberExec Driver (Jul 8, 2014)

Swifty said:


> Do not drag a company down with you by mistreating paying customers.


That's a good post Swifty, but as you can see on other threads on this forums, I don't think things are as rosy as they seem in other US cities, where it appears there are promises on potential income, drivers tied down to leasing cars from Ubers finance partners (then cutting rates), and saturating some cities with too menu drivers.


----------



## The Geek (May 29, 2014)

London UberExec Driver said:


> ... with too menu drivers.


Damn menu drivers!


----------

