Uber Adding Tipping on the App Sets a Bad Precedence for Expectation
Before I start this article, I just want to be clear that if someone does a good job, I have NO problem with tipping them, in fact I tip more than expected all the time if the servies goes above and beyond. My major gripe with tipping is when, despite the service being terrible, you are still expected to tip. It creates an unhealthy level of entitlement in the work force that most other people can’t get away with. If someone does what is expected of them, then in most cases, why should we have to tip?
So recently Uber added tipping to the app which will allow you to tip your driver if they do a good job. If your driver is fantastic and it was simply a joy to be with them, then I totally understand, but doing it through the app in such a way sets a bad precedent. Before a tip, when paid in cash or out of pocket was something that the driver would always appreciate much more because it was never expected. Now tips are going to be expected when you take an Uber anywhere. Just like how if you don’t leave a waiter a tip they will think you are a massive asshole, eventually the same thing will happen with drivers. Because we have a passenger rating, you could essentially get blacklisted by Uber drivers for not tipping. This makes the tip essentially expected.
Uber passenger ratings do matter by the way. Many drivers will siphon people out who don’t have 4/5 stars or above, meaning it could take you much longer to get a car when you need one. Many people who have already been using the app for some time because of the affordability, don’t like the change. It’s good for the drivers who are doing it as a job, but it is just another time that a company can get away with paying their employees low amounts and pass the cost onto the customer. This isn’t how business is supposed to work. We as the consumer shouldn’t have to additionally compensate people so they can make a livable wage.
It seems like more and more these days, were expected to tip people above and beyond the work level they are doing. I understand this is because often times workers who collect tips are actually paid under minimum wage, but a common misconception is that their employers are not required to pay them for the difference if they are making under minimum wage. The way the law is written is that they are able to take tips into account when calculating income, but if they are under the state minimum wage level, they have to supply the rest. This means that essentially if no one tipped they would still make a living, probably much less, but still at minimum wage.
Most countries in the world do not have tipping on the levels we in the United States have it and especially for the types of jobs. Why don’t we tip the plumber 20% when he unclogs a toilet? The selection just seems random and confusing. Tipping overall seems very unnecessary and weird. Just pay the workers a fair wage, reflect the higher cost of labor in our prices and let’s leave it at that. This is a much simpler and efficient way of doing business.
Thanks to @Elyaque for the badges
The fact is, given most Uber drivers drive illegally (no commercial insurance) and they don't really account for costs like brakes, tires, depreciation etc...well, they make garbage money.
Uber is already crashing hard. Many of their high level employees are either gone or appear to by nutjobs. They lose vast sums of money every year. The more fares they get, the more they lose in total money every quarter.
There are several ways Uber could fall apart at any moment, and drivers quitting en masses was one of them. This is just another way for Uber to attempt to pay their drivers less (or rather, avoid paying them more) by pushing the cost onto the customer (like wait staff making $2.15 at restaurants). This may backfire, as I have found Uber users to really like the lack of tip-shaming.
I generally agree with you regarding tipping. And with your disclaimer that I do tip well anyways 😁
In most cases it would make more sense for the business to pay the right wage, rather than the customers decide what to pay. (Which just means the normal customers subsidize the ones who want to be cheap.)
It feels good to give a tip just because you want to rather than you feel obligated. I wish that's just how tipping worked.
Counter-intuitively, tipping (when it becomes an obligation) is PERFECT for cheap people because it allows them to opt out and essentially not pay for service they received. The company should just pay whatever amount customers are supposed to feel obligated to pay, and then tips can be tokens of appreciation on top, that you did because you wanted to.
It's tricky because the people who work the tipped jobs usually LOVE tips - they earn more that way than through a normal hourly wage for the same kind of work. Unfortunately, like you said, it's pretty unfair for the consumer.
I have to be honest, I don't mind tipping cuz it does feel good to give a nice tip when deserved. But it could be a better system.
Ya I guess I do like tipping too. Times where it's really annoyed me is when I used to play poker. The casino could easily just pay dealers per hand.
But instead players are expected to do it, and it doesn't feel good or anything, you just do it as your duty when you win a hand. And a few people who don't mind being anti-social don't do it.
Eating in restaurants I always enjoy tipping. I guess what would be best for everyone is if they were paid a better base salary but people still realized that it's nice to tip.
Yes, but if tipping didn't exist for that particular industry, the pay would likely have to be higher, otherwise people wouldn't take up on those jobs.
Take Uber right now. I bet the founders are only doing this because they've noticed Uber drivers are starting to leave them because they are unhappy with the pay. So if they did nothing, Uber would lose those drivers. But instead of paying them higher wages, their "solution" is to coerce customers into tipping the drivers.
At the same time they pretend the Uber driving costs for the customers didn't actually increase because the customers "don't have to" pay the tips, so Uber can continue to pretend its tariffs are "competitive" with its competitors. But as we all know from other industries where tipping has become "expected" that this is not how it works, and the costs have indeed increased for customers with this move. Maybe not in the short time, until everyone gets accustomed with this move, but definitely in the long term.
Agreed. Tipping is a "lose-lose" action, because customers lose by feeling anxiety over how much they should be tipping or if they should be tipping at all, and the employees also lose because it just means the employer will not be paying them what they are worth "because they are getting tips anyway."
Tipping should be discouraged everywhere.
Definitely agree, I do tip regardless because it turned into a norm. Tipping here in the U.S. got out of hand. We are basically paying for the wages of their (the business's) workers, that should be their responsibility. You would be surprised how much some waiters/waitresses make. Some of my waiter friends make anywhere from 5-8k a month, by working at slightly higher end restaurants. Crazy if you ask me.
I always tip 20 percent or more because I know the demands of these jobs and want to reward people. My biggest problem with tipping culture is that as a customer I expect employers to pay their employees well. I am happy to pay more for a meal to accommodate for that, but with tipping culture the employees salary is dependent on the whims of the customers. I would rather these people be paid well then have to beg for tips from the customers.
I agree, tipping in the States is a joke. Even when you have bad service you have to leave a tip because some will actually follow you out. It will not help Uber to grow and anyway, I get an Uber to go from A to B no to have an unnecessary chat full of question that neither of us give a damm about.
Screw tipping, tell me the price and I'll pay it!
Totally agreed, tipping on uber is so cringe.. I think we tip enough already as a society
Its just like Lyft. I pay after my ride is done, once the driver is gone I can decide to tip or not. No fuss, I may never see the driver again.
Can confirm, in Europe systematic tipping doesn't exist and seems very weird to us. I wonder if they implemented this feature worldwide?
Just a note about service workers getting paid minimum wage by the company if they don't make that much in tips: you'll probably get fired if the company has to make up that difference. When I was a waitress they casually threatened that to me. I don't know if this would apply to Uber, especially given that the tipping may not become an expectation, but it's something to consider when tipping in general.