Comment by BoppreH | Hacker News Reader

Comment by BoppreH | Hacker News Reader

Uber was consistently charging me 20%-50% more than my friends. Same time, same origin, same destination, no discounts, regardless of who asked first or rider rating. Can't share screenshots without doxxing myself, though.

After being gaslit by Uber support for weeks, they finally admitted to charge riders different prices, and that there was nothing they could do to reset my price multiplier[1]. I suspect it was because I added a Work profile with corporate credit card for a trip years ago.

So I deleted my account, waited 30 days for the data to be expunged[2], and created a new account under a new email address and without my middle name. The prices are now normal!

This plus drivers constantly cancelling rides, makes me avoid Uber as much as I can.

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[1] Quoting Uber support: "The prices of the trips and promotions are unique to users, that is correct. [...] There is sadly nothing you can do personally to change the fare rate of the trips before any discount is applied."

[2] After requesting to delete your account, I received an email asking to explain the issue and if they could help me. Replying "no" automatically reactivated my account and reset the 30 day timer.

I noticed this exact behavior between my wife and I. I avoid Uber like the plague but unfortunately they have destroyed the alternatives. We need a right to anonymity for services. Knowing who I am isn't a requirement for the actual service but they want it so they can make additional money off of you. There should always be an option 'remain anonymous' that requires the vendor to immediately delete any information on you and use nothing identifiable about you in their service. If they are found to break that then there should be severe penalties that are paid directly to the person impacted and all lawyer fees go to the company with no option for 'arbitration'.

> Knowing who I am isn't a requirement for the actual service

Building a history that you won't assault the driver or puke in their car is actually material to them offering you rides. You might not be someone who would try and rob the Uber driver, but lets admit that such people exist, and that it's in Uber's best interest not to let people like that use their platform.

This was not a requirement before Uber but it is now somehow an argument after. Reporting a crime or vandalism during a ride is grounds for being banned from the service, but the actual service, if you aren't banned, doesn't require knowing who you are, or were. If this is actually a valuable thing then you should get paid for allowing, with informed consent (opt-in, not opt-out and not dark patterns), that information to be used.

> You might not be someone who would try and rob the Uber driver, but lets admit that such people exist, and that it's in Uber's best interest not to let people like that use their platform.

Not to excuse taxi robbers or taxi drivers raping female passengers, but... somehow humanity seems to have existed with that for decades just fine? What is different between now and back then, maybe other than that we're finally taking women seriously?

Know Your Customer is a cancer that is spreading from the financial industry to every other industry in the name of advertisements, subscriptions, and selling "insights" to other parties. And like so many other new regulations and like you mentioned below, it only ever seems to help the billion-dollar company and not its customers.

Anonymity should be a requirement, not an option. All that happens in an "optinal anonymity" scenario is those who use it see a 50+% price hike. Not to cover any costs, but to disincentivize anonymity.

Solid point.

> I avoid Uber like the plague but unfortunately they have destroyed the alternatives.

I use Lyft 99% of the time (and multiple times a week) because I find it to be more reliable (as well as slightly cheaper) than Uber. It doesn't seem destroyed to me.

I am often promptly required to be at my job around the same hour. I have started noticing uber charging what would be a 8$ ride up to 15$ when there is no trafic and the drivers are next to me.

Also, some uber drivers, take your ride while literally not being in the car and wasting your time. Anecdotally, I took an uber one time that was less than 20m from me. After 5 minutes not moving I went to check wth was going on. The driver was talking with other uber drivers. His excuse over text? Police was checking some papers. I literally was unable to get any other drivers because they were the most close to me.

It was pretty insane that there was such a huge push with #deleteuber and there were so many stories about how terrible they were as a company for customers and employees. And now after just a few short years people somehow completely forgot or believe somehow it's all good because they changed their CEO.

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