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

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

[darkpixel2k]

I was going on a trip to DC and needed a ride from the airport to the place I was staying. I pre-loaded Uber about a week before I left, put in a credit card number, and thought I had everything set up. But the app wouldn't let me pre-save an address. So I had to write it down to type in to my phone later. Strike one.

The morning I was leaving, I got an e-mail from Uber that my credit card wasn't 'supported' and I'd have to enter a new one. What the hell? I used it twice on the way down. It works fine. (And I used it throughout my entire trip with no problems.) Put in a second credit card number before boarding. Strike two.

Got in to IAD, fired up the Uber app and it said there were errors submitting my ride request. Trying to continue typing in 13 degree weather sucked. Strike three.

I put my hand back in my glove, raised my arm and said "Taxi". The regular Taxi had no problems with my 'request', or my original card.

Next time I go to DC I'll try Lyft instead.

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

[TheRaven64]

You have to wonder a bit whether a boycott would actually help. Uber is currently cheap because they're using VC money to subsidise every ride and making a loss to build up market share. Is it better to use them and cost the company money, or not use them and help ensure that competitors stay in business?

Re:This Means Very Little.

[ShanghaiBill]

Lyft is absent from serious media promotion, and I wonder how they stay in business.

I use Lyft, and I know many other people that do as well. Uber and Lyft provide a near identical service at near identical prices. In that situation it is better to use the smaller company to help maintain a competitive market. Lyft is also a less scummy company, and all these stories about ethical lapses at Uber must be helping them.

GPS/privacy was the deal breaker for me...

[steppin_razor_LA]

I was a heavy Uber user for years. I understand why they would like to collect additional GPS related information, but their decision to take away my choice and force me into "no GPS at all" or "GPS even when I'm not using the app" was a clear "f**k you" to its customers.

I contacted their customer service and let them know why I was leaving their platform and switched to Lyft.

The rest of the news about the organization in the months since may not have been enough for me to stop using the service, but it has reinforced my choice (i.e. if they reversed their position on GPS, I don't know if I would switch back right now)

Re:misleading

[sconeu]

Try Lyft. It allows tipping. And in addition, I can say from experience that they (or their dev team, at least) are responsive to feedback. I had made a suggestion to them about their app, and said suggestion was in the next release. (If you're interested, it was the ability to schedule multiple destinations -- useful when you're picking someone up on the way to wherever).

Re:It's another brigade

[meta-monkey]

You don't have to manufacture anything. But if all of a sudden every newspaper is writing stories where they've decided to interview all your ex-girlfriends, your third grade teacher, your mailman, to plaster every negative thing about you that you've ever done across the media landscape, every bit of it might be true but that's still a coordinated effort by some group in the media to take you down. I've never liked Uber, but I am curious as to who has suddenly decided that Uber needs to die.