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Unusually high Service Charge

1801 Views 25 Replies 16 Participants Last post by Mista T, Jul 30, 2018

AKMBoston

Discussion Starter · Jul 28, 2018

So here is something interesting and odd at the same time, which has happened yesterday. It has me concerned on multiple points, but here is what happened:

I have done over 400 rides in the last few months, and Uber’s service charge has never been above 20 some percent of the total fare paid by the rider.

However, yesterday on one of my longer fairs, the Uber service charge came out to 44% of the total fare charged to the client.

Even more odd, none of the fare multipliers for time and distance, showed up in the ride details (page).

This has never happened before. I have been messaging with support back and forth, but they are being completely ignorant to what I am asking them and the problem, and instead just copy and paste answers from their script book.

Here are the details:

Trip detail:
Distance: 22.17 miles,
Duration: 35 minutes 38 seconds

Charges:
Base fare: $1.58
Distance: $22.45
Time: $5.60
Surge (1.2 x): $5.93

Total amount paid to driver: $35.56
Total amount charged to passenger: $64.09
Uber receives $28.53

Has anyone ever encountered such a discrepancy and extremely service charge percentage?

I think that there was a glitch in the system, at a minimum, that either underpaid me or way overcharged the passenger.

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Reactions: 1

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

SuzeCB

· #2 · Jul 28, 2018

AKMBoston said:
So here is something interesting and odd at the same time, which has happened yesterday. It has me concerned on multiple points, but here is what happened:

I have done over 400 rides in the last few months, and Uber's service charge has never been above 20 some percent of the total fare paid by the rider.

However, yesterday on one of my longer fairs, the Uber service charge came out to 44% of the total fare charged to the client.

Even more odd, none of the fare multipliers for time and distance, showed up in the ride details (page).

This has never happened before. I have been messaging with support back and forth, but they are being completely ignorant to what I am asking them and the problem, and instead just copy and paste answers from their script book.

Here are the details:

Trip detail:
Distance: 22.17 miles,
Duration: 35 minutes 38 seconds

Charges:
Base fare: $1.58
Distance: $22.45
Time: $5.60
Surge (1.2 x): $5.93

Total amount paid to driver: $35.56
Total amount charged to passenger: $64.09
Uber receives $28.53

Has anyone ever encountered such a discrepancy and extremely service charge percentage?

I think that there was a glitch in the system, at a minimum, that either underpaid me or way overcharged the passenger.

Started in May of 2017. We all signed an agreement that drivers get paid by miles and minutes, with no relation to what the pax pays.

If you're just seeing this now, you are a Unicorn.

Reactions: 5

AKMBoston

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 28, 2018 (Edited)

Thanks for the Unicorn comment.

I expected this rude comment from a pax not from a fellow driver. But here is my response:

1. I asked a serious, honest question
2. You should work for Uber directly as customer support, as they, like you apparently, don’t read questions and understand them either
3. If you actually read through and understood the question and concern that I brought forth in my post, you would realize that I was NOT complaining so much about what my cut from a fare is/was, but whether anyone had encountered a 44% Uber service charge before.

I have been driving only for a few months and have completed over 400 rides. In these 400+ rides, not a single one of them (yes, I looked at them ALL, is a situation where Uber exceeds a 26% til service charge (cut) off the total fare that the passenger paid/was charged. Just this ONE fare had an unusual 44% service charge off the total amount charged to the passenger. And furthermore, none of the other 400+ rides had their calculators/multipliers missing, but this one. Hence me thinking it may be a glitch, and I am not the only one affected (and that includes riders/ passengers as well).

So I was soliciting my fellow drivers to see if they had ever encountered something like this before or not, and not asking for smarta$$ comments that don’t address what I was specifically asking for in my question/post.

So unless you have something constructive and on-topic to contribute, please don’t waste my time or other ppls time with slight insults and non-relevant comments.

And for your edification, Uber got into trouble in 2017 in the NYC market, because they were overcharging passengers and underpaying drivers. That is why Uber changed the way how they display ride information under a full disclosure (transparency) enhancement you are now able to see in the app under fare detail.

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disp350

· #4 · Jul 28, 2018

SuzeCB said:
Started in May of 2017. We all signed an agreement that drivers get paid by miles and minutes, with no relation to what the pax pays.

If you're just seeing this now, you are a Unicorn.

Mr. AKMBoston, don't take offense and this is not directed at you, but once again I am amazed (well not really) that so many new drivers don't even know how they are being paid.

Reactions: 5

nickd8775

· #5 · Jul 28, 2018

Gotta go the long way

Reactions: 3

RynoHawk

· #6 · Jul 28, 2018

SuzeCB said:
Started in May of 2017. We all signed an agreement that drivers get paid by miles and minutes, with no relation to what the pax pays.

If you're just seeing this now, you are a Unicorn.

Pretty much this. With the upfront pricing Uber can charge the rider whatever they want. Usually they will try to get what they think the max the rider is willing to pay. I'm sure they have some fancy algorithms in the app that determines this, plus they may charge for a longer route and direct you a shorter one. Regardless of what they charge the rider, you will get paid the base fare for mileage and wait time in your area +any surge multipliers on said mileage and wait time. As Suze said, everyone had to "sign" an agreement stating this last year but we still see posts (not you, OP) where someone rages about Uber stealing by going over their percentage and they think they're the first driver ever to figure it out. Is it low and dirty? Possibly. Is it stealing? No. Rider agreed to pay the fare and driver agreed to be paid the set mileage and wait time.

Bottom line, forget about Uber getting 20-25% of the fare. That is no longer a thing.

Reactions: 3

CJfrom619

· #7 · Jul 28, 2018

Drivers still finding out about upfront pricing in 2018! Yikes.

Reactions: 3

SuzeCB

· #8 · Jul 28, 2018

nickd8775 said:
Gotta go the long way

He obviously has been, if he was getting 80% up until now.

Reactions: 1

AKMBoston

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 28, 2018

disp350 said:
Mr. AKMBoston, don't take offense and this is not directed at you, but once again I am amazed (well not really) that so many new drivers don't even know how they are being paid.

Suze... if you read my post and understood it, you would realize that it is not that I don't know how Uber pays out the driver. There is NO question from me about that.

My question is, why for 449 rides, Uber took 25/26% of the total fare as service charge and for ONE ride, Uber took 44% as Serice charge. This is obviously an anomaly, is it not? So I was asking other drivers if the6 have seen a 44% service charge in the past or not.

I don't get what is so difficult with understanding what I am asking?

And yes I take offense to a certain extent, as there was now need for such a "fresh" comment. A plain straight forward answer would have sufficed.

Thanks.

nickd8775 said:
Gotta go the long way

So you are saying - be like a cabby and cheat the customer?

SuzeCB said:
He obviously has been, if he was getting 80% up until now.

Sorry, it unlike you (and sorry for the assumption), I have ethics and morals... how is one supposed to go the long way when using Waze for automated Nav?

Now you are really showing your character

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henrygates

· #10 · Jul 28, 2018

Going the long way doesn't cheat the customer. They pay the same regardless. Uber created the game. We're just playing it.

Reactions: 5

CJfrom619

· #11 · Jul 28, 2018

AKMBoston said:
Suze... if you read my post and understood it, you would realize that it is not that I don't know how Uber pays out the driver. There is NO question from me about that.

My question is, why for 449 rides, Uber took 25/26% of the total fare as service charge and for ONE ride, Uber took 44% as Serice charge. This is obviously an anomaly, is it not? So I was asking other drivers if the6 have seen a 44% service charge in the past or not.

I don't get what is so difficult with understanding what I am asking?

And yes I take offense to a certain extent, as there was now need for such a "fresh" comment. A plain straight forward answer would have sufficed.

Thanks.

So you are saying - be like a cabby and cheat the customer?

Sorry, it unlike you (and sorry for the assumption), I have ethics and morals... how is one supposed to go the long way when using Waze for automated Nav?

Now you are really showing your character

So your telling me your the only driver on the planet that still gets paid on the 25/75% scale instead of the upfront pricing that they added in well over a year ago? If so just consider yourself lucky. Uber has been taking anywhere from 0-80% of the fare from me and other drivers for a long time.

Reactions: 3

RynoHawk

· #12 · Jul 28, 2018

AKMBoston said:
Suze... if you read my post and understood it, you would realize that it is not that I don't know how Uber pays out the driver. There is NO question from me about that.

My question is, why for 449 rides, Uber took 25/26% of the total fare as service charge and for ONE ride, Uber took 44% as Serice charge. This is obviously an anomaly, is it not? So I was asking other drivers if the6 have seen a 44% service charge in the past or not.

I don't get what is so difficult with understanding what I am asking?

And yes I take offense to a certain extent, as there was now need for such a "fresh" comment. A plain straight forward answer would have sufficed.

Thanks.

So you are saying - be like a cabby and cheat the customer?

Sorry, it unlike you (and sorry for the assumption), I have ethics and morals... how is one supposed to go the long way when using Waze for automated Nav?

Now you are really showing your character

You say you know how Uber pays the driver but clearly you don't. Forget about percentages or Uber's cut vs. drivers cut. There is no cut. There is no percentage. However it balanced out on previous rides is moot because it means nothing. Uber can charge what they want and they still only owe you the mileage and time pay scale for your area + any surge/boost/etc. multiplier.

Has anyone ever encountered such a discrepancy and extremely service charge percentage?

I think that there was a glitch in the system, at a minimum, that either underpaid me or way overcharged the passenger.

To answer your OP question. Yes many have seen it but understand what it is. There is no glitch. Rider paid what Uber charged them when they agreed to the ride and you were paid your mileage and time + surge.

Reactions: 2

kc ub'ing!

· #13 · Jul 28, 2018

AKMBoston said:
I don't get what is so difficult with understanding what I am asking?

You're the one not getting it Cochise! Reread Suze's post.

Reactions: 1

Judy2017

· #14 · Jul 28, 2018

AKMBoston said:
My question is, why for 449 rides, Uber took 25/26% of the total fare as service charge and for ONE ride, Uber took 44% as Serice charge. This is obviously an anomaly, is it not? So I was asking other drivers if the6 have seen a 44% service charge in the past or not.

I don't get what is so difficult with understanding what I am asking?

Hello and welcime to the forum.
Yes. As mentioned in a previous response drivers have seen anywhere from 25% to 80% paid to Uber. Suze is correct, the percentage does not matter anymore because since May 2017 contractually, drivers are paid only time and mileage.
To answer your question of why you have not seen this before:
The simple answer is that you were in what we call the "honeymoon period". To encourage new drivers, Uber will often give them the pick of rides, take less service fees and not display the time and distance breakdown. If you read more threads you will see similar indignant questions from newbies after a few months of driving, when uber starts showing trip breakdowns.
Also, upfront pricing means uber can charge a customer a large amount of money but you only get the mileage and time. Example: $60 for a ride that is normally $25. So, if the driver goes a longer way..they get more mileage and time and uber gets less of the $60.
I hope this makes sense.

Reactions: 2

Zebonkey

· #15 · Jul 28, 2018

henrygates said:
Going the long way doesn't cheat the customer. They pay the same regardless. Uber created the game. We're just playing it.

Yes, it does.
Time is important too.
If you take me for a ride, you steal my time.
And you can bet, I wil 1* you, ding for navigation, and, of course, no tip.
Get enough of these complains an 1*s, and you'll be deactivated.

Reactions: 1

RynoHawk

· #16 · Jul 28, 2018

Zebonkey said:
Yes, it does.
Time is important too.
If you take me for a ride, you steal my time.
And you can bet, I wil 1* you, ding for navigation, and, of course, no tip.
Get enough of these complains an 1*s, and you'll be deactivated.

It's not always a matter of time. Uber may route you the most direct route along surface streets, while you decide to take the highway. It may be longer in distance, but quicker in time. It also may be the route Uber based the rider's fare on, despite routing the driver differently.

Zebonkey

· #17 · Jul 28, 2018

RynoHawk said:
It's not always a matter of time. Uber may route you the most direct route along surface streets, while you decide to take the highway. It may be longer in distance, but quicker in time. It also may be the route Uber based the rider's fare on, despite routing the driver differently.

I am not talking about choosing the better and more efficient route, I'm talking about longhauling for the sake of longhauling.
A couple of minutes won't make any difference, but I've seen people adding 15-30 mi and over 20-30 min to a ride to maximize profit.
I have no love for Uber and their tactics, but I also have zero solidarity with drivers, who pull this kind of crap on purpose.

Reactions: 1

SuzeCB

· #18 · Jul 29, 2018

AKMBoston said:
Suze... if you read my post and understood it, you would realize that it is not that I don't know how Uber pays out the driver. There is NO question from me about that.

My question is, why for 449 rides, Uber took 25/26% of the total fare as service charge and for ONE ride, Uber took 44% as Serice charge. This is obviously an anomaly, is it not? So I was asking other drivers if the6 have seen a 44% service charge in the past or not.

I don't get what is so difficult with understanding what I am asking?

And yes I take offense to a certain extent, as there was now need for such a "fresh" comment. A plain straight forward answer would have sufficed.

Thanks.

So you are saying - be like a cabby and cheat the customer?

Sorry, it unlike you (and sorry for the assumption), I have ethics and morals... how is one supposed to go the long way when using Waze for automated Nav?

Now you are really showing your character

My character, while driving pax, was to do the best for them as well as myself. Waze gives you choices for your routes. Most of the time, the fastest route will add a mile or two to the ride. If you check again, about halfway through, you may even shave off mire time and add another mile or two.

This isn't even about screwing Uber over. It's self-defense, keeping yourself from being screwed over BY them.

And I called you a Unicorn because, EVERYONE has been complaining about what you're complaining about now for well over a year. Unicorns are hard to find. They're rare. If you haven't been paying Uber more than 20%-25% EVER (as you claim) in all this time, you have been getting a break that NO OTHER driver has been getting.

This makes you a Unicorn. Or a Yeti. Or a Mer-person. Or whatever creature you can think of that no person has ever actually, provably seen.

If you take offense to this classification, you're just not getting it.

Reactions: 2

disp350

· #19 · Jul 29, 2018

AKMBoston said:
So here is something interesting and odd at the same time, which has happened yesterday. It has me concerned on multiple points, but here is what happened:

I have done over 400 rides in the last few months, and Uber's service charge has never been above 20 some percent of the total fare paid by the rider.

However, yesterday on one of my longer fairs, the Uber service charge came out to 44% of the total fare charged to the client.

Even more odd, none of the fare multipliers for time and distance, showed up in the ride details (page).

This has never happened before. I have been messaging with support back and forth, but they are being completely ignorant to what I am asking them and the problem, and instead just copy and paste answers from their script book.

Here are the details:

Trip detail:
Distance: 22.17 miles,
Duration: 35 minutes 38 seconds

Charges:
Base fare: $1.58
Distance: $22.45
Time: $5.60
Surge (1.2 x): $5.93

Total amount paid to driver: $35.56
Total amount charged to passenger: $64.09
Uber receives $28.53

Has anyone ever encountered such a discrepancy and extremely service charge percentage?

I think that there was a glitch in the system, at a minimum, that either underpaid me or way overcharged the passenger.

To sum it up, read this post from last year. It's totally true and was on the news and newspapers here. As stated, the Uber G-ds have been smiling on you but that seems to be over.....

https://uberpeople.net/threads/buffalo-ny-trip.187953/

took a trip to buffalo, NY . Left philly around 4pm
Got back around 6am the next day .
390 from uber
20 tip

Thats yet not the bad news
I checked the next day and uber charged them almost 1000 $
Yup thats one thousand dollars
Thats 60% of the damn fare

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Reactions: 2

RynoHawk

· #20 · Jul 29, 2018

Zebonkey said:
I am not talking about choosing the better and more efficient route, I'm talking about longhauling for the sake of longhauling.
A couple of minutes won't make any difference, but I've seen people adding 15-30 mi and over 20-30 min to a ride to maximize profit.
I have no love for Uber and their tactics, but I also have zero solidarity with drivers, who pull this kind of crap on purpose.

No one said "long haul". They just said "take the long way" to which I said is sometimes the quickest way. Long hauling as you describe in most cases is not beneficial for a driver either, at least in my area. In the time I take someone out to LaLa Land trying to milk the mileage and risking the riders ire, I could be done and on another ride.

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