The Decline of Uber
Uber's Service has Gone Steadily Downhill while Prices Skyrocket
I took my first Uber in 2010 two weeks after they launched in New York City at my brother’s graduation from business school. It was their 2nd city and you called the Uber via text. There wasn’t even an app and only black cars were available.
My family said I was insane and made fun of me taking town cars instead of taking a cab like a normal person. But I saw the future and my rides were professional and comfortable, very different from a typical NYC cab affair. Uber I believe had just closed their series A round. Their explosive growth in valuation over the next decade now makes my family constantly ask me what the next big thing is.
The entire time I lived in SF, I did not own a car. Even with black, you could get most anywhere to and from downtown/Marina for about $15, the minimum cost back then and about the same as a single drink on a night out. Uber X rides would consistently be around $8 or so.
A mile and a half ride that takes 8 minutes in Boston that I take frequently now costs $38 for Uber Black.
Why do I take black? We’ll get to that.
But first, these prices are getting out of control. They seem to go up every few months. This ride was around $28 a year ago. Even weirder, the ride home is about $10 cheaper than the ride there consistently. I used to go anywhere without considering the cost but now I absolutely think twice and will walk much further than I used to.
Even on lower tiers, it’s an $18 ride, which is ridiculous for 8 minutes. So why do I take black? Because the quality of Uber Comfort and X is absolutely atrocious. First, I get very carsick easily so when a car has a strong smell or a bad driver, I may well feel ill for a good hour after arriving at my destination which can ruin, say, a dinner out. Meanwhile, the driver is talking loudly on the phone or blasting awful music while aggressively honking his horn. I don’t recall the last time I had a pleasant ride in Uber X or Comfort. Cabs are literally better. Black has also gone significantly downhill with around 20% of the cars stinking or the drivers behaving badly, but is still a significantly better and more consistent experience. I only take maybe 2 round trip rides a week so the extra expense more than justifies avoiding any issues for me.
And then there’s when I need to use Uber Pet to take my dog to the vet, as I did today. For those that don’t know, Uber Pet is basically slightly more expensive Comfort where you are allowed to bring a pet.
On the first ride of the day, we made it about two blocks before the driver started asking me for directions. She simply couldn’t follow the GPS. Repeatedly along the ride she would ask which way to go and I’d just read it off the GPS right in front of her. Annoying, but not a big deal.
Then there was coming back from the vet. The driver was rude, curt, talking loudly on his phone, and missed a turn that led to a 10 minute detour. My dog was whining and not doing well so I was a little short with him after he missed the turn (since I had pointed it out to him beforehand). But we eventually got home and I thought nothing of it.
And then, 20 minutes later, I got notified that I got charged a $100 cleaning fee by Uber.
Shocked, I reached out to Uber asking what mess I was paying for since my dog had just sat down the entire time. I also immediately researched Uber’s policy for pet hair since if I’m not paying extra for normal shedding, what am I paying for?
To quote Uber’s official policy:
For minor issues related to pet hair, animal odor, or typical wear-and-tear, a cleaning fee will not apply. For larger messes—including urine, feces, or large scratches—drivers will be eligible for standard cleaning fees.
It appears Uber has an automated response when you send in a complaint because I quickly received a message back with a picture of the “mess”:
Uber charged me $100 for that? I obviously quickly replied and quoted their own policy.
I shared the photo with my fiancee who also pointed out something else. This is my dog.
My dog’s hair color is black. The hairs in the photo are white. This isn’t even a photo from my ride.
It took about an hour but as soon as a human looked at the photos, Uber issued a refund and apologized. So basically, an Uber driver tried to scam me out of $100.
Thanks a bunch Uber for reminding me of the rapid decline of civilized society.