Nobody Likes Uber Anymore, Recent Reviews and Ratings On App Store Suggest (qz.com)

Alison Griswold, writing for Quartz: The public is not happy with Uber. Incensed by allegations of sexism and harassment in the company's corporate halls, people are once again #deleting Uber, while one-star ratings and withering critiques of its service are piling up in Apple's iOS App Store. From Jan. 1 through Feb. 22, Uber accumulated 4,479 one-star reviews from US users in the iOS App Store, according to data from analytics firm App Annie (the highest possible rating is five stars). Several of the most recent reviews cite the horrifying and explosive account of sexual harassment published by former Uber engineer Susan Fowler over the weekend. "Was harassed and scammed by an Uber driver for two hours in the car," reviewer "Jorwl" wrote on Feb. 20. But far more reviewers have another gripe: Uber's apparent disregard for user privacy. The monthly volume of one-star ratings for Uber in the App Store first spiked last November, after the company redesigned its app and infringed on user privacy by eliminating an iOS setting that let users grant Uber access to their location only "while using" the app. Users are now forced to choose between letting Uber track their location "always" and "never".

Comments

This Means Very Little.

[Frosty Piss]

The App Store ratings for Uber are meaningless in the same way that a restaurant or other service provider that attracts the ire of the media for some reason suddenly gets one star reviews â" from people that have never eaten at the restaurant or used the service. Those who are regular Uber users or non-users looking for traditional taxi alternatives will continue to use or look to Uber. Lyft should be leveraging this too-doo, but as before the Uber issue, Lyft is absent from serious media promotion, and I wonder how they stay in business.

Re:This Means Very Little.

[93 Escort Wagon]

Given everything that's been in the news for the past... forever, Uber sounds like a horrible company that I don't want to patronize. It may be the 800-pound gorilla, but there are alternatives readily available.

However, whenever I see multiple similar stories start popping up on Slashdot within a short timespan, my "somebody's pushing an agenda" radar goes off. But hey, at least we're not seeing bitcoin stories every 30 minutes anymore, amirite?

Re:This Means Very Little.

[theIsovist]

I'll bite on this one. Uber and Lyft are similar, but as shitty as Uber is as a company, they offer a better service. My reasoning? Lyft does not set the rate up front. It's still a range, and you still see surge charging. You still have the option of tipping (and are encouraged to), which is a shitty way to not pay your employees and to pass that responsibility onto your customers. Uber on the other hand ties all of that up into an upfront package. You have a set price before you accept (meaning the driver can't drive you out of your way to increase the bill), and there's no tip question at the end. If Uber raised their rates to treat their contractors better, there would be no contest, performance wise. I realize these are minor changes, but uber has taken a lot of the trouble out of the cab industry. I wish Lyft would copy their (trip) payment model. That said, Uber's CEOs an out of touch asshole, and neither Uber or Lyft treat their employees like proper employees.

The sexism is the straw the broke the camel's back

[Anonymous Coward]

Doxxing reporters, digging up dirt on critics and smearing, ignoring state laws, screwing over local governments. They have a long history of terrible actions before this happened.

Functionality reviews social justice complaints

[DatbeDank]

These reviews mean nothing about the functionality of the app and are more about a vocal minority complaining loudly. If Google had the balls like Yelp does to remove reviews that aren't about functionality and are instead some hair brained attempt at "social justice" when an app or its company makes it into the news this would be a non-issue.

Take a look at all of the BS one star reviews for writers like Daryush Valizadeh or Mike Cernovich on Amazon. These people haven't even read their books yet get to do drive by whining and get the rush of being another sheep in a crowd.

The people who still use Uber will keep on using it and eventually these negative reviews will be forgotten. Uber isn't going anywhere.

"Anymore"?

[Zontar The Mindless]

Some us never liked them in the first place.

Taxis suck too. And airplanes. And cell phones.

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

If we got to put a rating on other "first world" infrastructure we use to live our lives, they'd all have shitty marks too. And yet, we still buy them. (Well, except for cable - no one pays for that hot mess anymore.)

Re:The sexism is the straw the broke the camel's b

[ShanghaiBill]

Can't believe how much people just believe everything they read

In both the Fowler and Kamal incidents, Uber's CEO did not dispute any of the allegations, and acknowledged and apologized for what happened. So, yes, I believe the allegations. Do you have any reason I shouldn't?

Re:misleading

[ShanghaiBill]

And, I can't even tip using the app.

That is a feature, not a bug. Tipping is stupid. Drivers (and waitresses) should be paid a fair wage, and the cost of providing the service should be included in the price. People feel social pressure to tip even if service is mediocre. Many countries do not have a culture of tipping, and the service is just as good, or better, than what you get in America, and service people have a more reliable income.

The lack of tipping is one more reason that I prefer ridesharing over taxis.

Re:It's not even the racism or sexism...

[Anonymous Coward]

And most important;y why would you ever let uber access your contacts. You know they cannot be trusted.

But then i wont do business with companies i cant have a basic trust in.