RIDEGURU
Riders Beware: ( Posted from an UBER Driver)
Since the roll-out of the update last week, all of the sudden in Santa Monica where I happened to be driving and then again this weekend in West Hollywood where I happened to be driving)--the surges went on for hours--and not once was I ever offered ONE ride. That is a complete scam and it's price gouging for the rider. I've seen a lot from UBER. UBER cares for UBER alone--PERIOD! However, UBER creating a demand by forbidding available drivers in a surge area (via UBER's system/algorithm) and allowing this to go on for hours? That's a complete Fraud. Deliberately not offering rides to the available drivers in a surge area and making riders pay 1.7X---2.5X for essentially 3+ hours is illegal.
Please write in if you have experienced this and let me know what you have been told or heard that is going on.
Of course as soon as I drove out of the surge, I was offered rides--but regardless, the surge continued on and riders were forced to pay the high amount if they wanted a ride out of Santa Monica or West Hollywood. This happened last weekend and again this weekend, and this fabricated surge blatantly went on for hours!
For me, Uber has reached it's limit to bold deception. This is Fraud. There is no reasoning this away. One Uber rep. admitted she hears this complaint from time to time, yet she could not elaborate nor would she admit that an algorithm was creating a fake demand, by manipulating the supply.
Question to Drivers:
Is this an algorithm to target certain drivers?
(Ii.e. certain drivers that Uber uses to screw with peopl…
Riders Beware: ( Posted from an UBER Driver)
Since the roll-out of the update last week, all of the sudden in Santa Monica where I happened to be driving and then again this weekend in West Hollywood where I happened to be driving)--the surges went on for hours--and not once was I ever offered ONE ride. That is a complete scam and it's price gouging for the rider. I've seen a lot from UBER. UBER cares for UBER alone--PERIOD! However, UBER creating a demand by forbidding available drivers in a surge area (via UBER's system/algorithm) and allowing this to go on for hours? That's a complete Fraud. Deliberately not offering rides to the available drivers in a surge area and making riders pay 1.7X---2.5X for essentially 3+ hours is illegal.
Please write in if you have experienced this and let me know what you have been told or heard that is going on.
Of course as soon as I drove out of the surge, I was offered rides--but regardless, the surge continued on and riders were forced to pay the high amount if they wanted a ride out of Santa Monica or West Hollywood. This happened last weekend and again this weekend, and this fabricated surge blatantly went on for hours!
For me, Uber has reached it's limit to bold deception. This is Fraud. There is no reasoning this away. One Uber rep. admitted she hears this complaint from time to time, yet she could not elaborate nor would she admit that an algorithm was creating a fake demand, by manipulating the supply.
Question to Drivers:
Is this an algorithm to target certain drivers?
(Ii.e. certain drivers that Uber uses to screw with people form time to time?)
Is it an algorithm that is implemented to punish certain drivers?
Is it an algorithm solely to price gouge the rider?
Is it an algorithm as a social experiment?
Question to Riders:
Have you experienced this and what action did you take?
What as a rider in these areas have you been seeing on your app?
How much were you forced to pay for your UBER ride and what was the trip time and surge price?
ETC.
I need feedback from Los Angeles Drivers or ( UBER employees) , as to what you have experienced and heard/know about this anomaly. If it's happened 2 weekends in a row--it is not a fluke. It is deliberate. For the first time last night I had to stay out 4 extra hours to make up for 2 + hours of this surge manipulation going on. I had to do that, because if I don't get the number of rides needed for the bonus, it is forfeited. This is pure Fraud in my book. I am gong to be filing a complaint with Consumer affairs to get it on record, and I sure as hell won't be buying any UBER stock. I am at the point where if just for ONE day--if 90% of the drivers/riders did not go out for rush hour In the morning and night--it would crush UBER. We seriously need to implement this type of remedy. UBER can't do this business without us. But it will take 90% of drivers/riders in a coordinated effort, to sit out rush hour for a day.
Uber Driving in the Los Angeles market can actually be done full-time, but what I have experienced last weekend and this weekend, is the epitome of despicableness. BTW: don't write me to troubleshoot or explain that this is normal. I have a very high rating and an extremely low cancel rating. ( I don't cancel rides!) Been doing this for 2 years--and this is FRAUD! I TALKED TO MY FRIENDS who use UBER--THIS IS A 100% SCAM TO THEM as RIDERS WHEN THIS manipulation of supply and demand IS BEING IMPLEMENTED. Riders experiencing a 3 hour surge in West Hollywood and can't get a ride out of their without paying 2.3X? And drivers there in that area that are available and can't get offered a rider match up? That's not an honest mistake. That's a deliberate Fraud.
Comments
You say be aware, but what are we supposed to do about it. LOL.
I have always had the suspicion of their surge practice, and I think it’s wide spread enough that everyone just accepts it.
Yes it’s been happening to me every time after 11. They are literally trying to gouge me with $20 a ride for a 2 mile trip after you request UberX it shows a driver Accepted and then this pops up saying confirm for higher rate. Every time I deny it, it pretends to look for Uber drivers and then another one pops up and this happened to me about 15 times last night before I just decided to go with Lyft. Looks like it’s Lyft from now on. The reason why I went with Uber in the first place was because cabdrivers were charging so much. This is shameful Of Uber![]()
Let me get this clear. You think it's fraud because you rush over to a surge area and you don't get pinged? Maybe other drivers rushed over, and their "algorithm" offered them the ride - maybe they have better ratings than you do?
Also what would Uber get from that? Creating these "fake demands"?
SMFH. Are a complete MORON?
NO. When you live in Los Angeles and all the areas are surging for HOURS and there is literally no place else to drive, and you still can't get a ride? That's a deliberate algorithmic manipulation. It's impossible to have a high demand where the surge goes up and there is no relief. Taking drivers that are in the area off the que of available cars is fraud. It's a false surge to make the rider pay more--when all the cars are there to pick them up--but they aren't matching you with riders. Drivers show they are online, but can't get a ride. It's fraud.
FYI:
A surge only occurs because the demand is too high for the supply--meaning there are too many ride requests and not enough drivers to accommodate those requests. A real surge ends -- when the demands are met, because drivers are matched with riders and people get where they are going. Upon this truth, you must dedu…
Read more...
SMFH. Are a complete MORON?
NO. When you live in Los Angeles and all the areas are surging for HOURS and there is literally no place else to drive, and you still can't get a ride? That's a deliberate algorithmic manipulation. It's impossible to have a high demand where the surge goes up and there is no relief. Taking drivers that are in the area off the que of available cars is fraud. It's a false surge to make the rider pay more--when all the cars are there to pick them up--but they aren't matching you with riders. Drivers show they are online, but can't get a ride. It's fraud.
FYI:
A surge only occurs because the demand is too high for the supply--meaning there are too many ride requests and not enough drivers to accommodate those requests. A real surge ends -- when the demands are met, because drivers are matched with riders and people get where they are going. Upon this truth, you must deduce that a surge shouldn't go on for hours when there are drivers online, available in the surge area (for hours), and yet they can't pick up one ride. That is a manipulation on the app to shadow ban drivers. We are available on our app--but do no show up as available on the rider's app.
You obviously don't drive for UBER or live in Los Angeles, because if you did--you'd know EXACTLY what I am taking about right now. I live in and drive in the area I speak of,. There is nowhere else to go, I don't drive to go into them (Surges)--I'm always in them.
Also what would Uber get from that? Creating these "fake demands"? It should be self evident--postulate an intelligent answer. Figure it out. When drivers are being selectively removed from the que--that's an algorithm at work, If they are doing that--who knows what else they are doing. It's total fake manipulation, and they can make any reality they want. Look at a past legal case where UBER was proven to be charging the rider one thing and the driver had a different fare breakdown from the rider.
4.89 is not a low rating.
P.s. Since I posted this --it's still going on. This is serious Sh*T. Everyone in there own areas needs to be documenting this.
Read less...