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Nastiest Rider of the Month Club

2K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  K-pax 
#1 ·
Got a request off of Birch (that short little dead end below Aurora across from Canlis).

I almost instantly received the following text:

"I have a small dog that sits in my lap. Please cancel if you don't take dogs"

My biggest concern is fur in my upholstery so small lap dog, asked ahead, 2.4x surge, okay ... this'll work. Plus I felt a "no, you cancel" premonition.

Pull up, NOT a small dog. This was a labradoodle. Probably 30-35#s. Plus the pax didn't have much of a lap (big girl). Now I've personally been too big and I've been much too skinny - so no judgement there - except there wasn't hella room for small dog let alone a MEDIUM sized dog on her lap.

We talked dogs, I thanked her for letting me know ahead. She said she gets turned down a lot. She was in a foul mood but I took it as typical morning commute grumpiness.

I commented there is a religious component to a lot of drivers refusing dogs. (I don't know if it's technically religious but all Muslims I've been around when dogs have come up - dogs are vehemently referred to as dirty, etc. Could be wrong here- probably am, sure I'll be corrected if I am.)

Felt things were going reasonably well and I said, "If I could offer one tip, as drivers we can get fired for canceling on passengers. If you could offer to cancel that would be great, you don't get charged if it's within 5 min..."

Whoa! Unleashed THAT flood! She went on a tirade! She doesn't care if we get fired for Uber's ridiculous policy - not sure if giving us the option to deny dogs or getting fired for canceling was the ridiculous part.

The nasty vitriol that I thought was morning grumpiness was apparently her true self shining through.

It's hard, I hate denying people with animals but I hate rewarding nastiness like hers where she essentially knowingly blackmailed me into taking her dog. (I need to use my cancelations judiciously.) Plus it's unfair to my passengers with sensitivities to animals...

Next pax was super friendly & a huge talker - he got in just fine and proceeded to get really stuffy and by the time we hit the airport he was full out sneezing. Wonder just how hypo-allergenic/purebred that labradoodle really was?

Yeah - we're independent contractors alright.
 
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#2 ·
Oh man that sounds like a nightmare! I'm sorry you had to deal with that. As a newer driver in that exact neighborhood I should be careful for that kind of thing.

Its infuriating she didn't care at all. What's the harm in her cancelling if she doesn't get charged? Baffling.
 
#4 ·
Next pax was super friendly & a huge talker - he got in just fine and proceeded to get really stuffy and by the time we hit the airport he was full out sneezing. Wonder just how hypo-allergenic/purebred that labradoodle really was?
Or how clean it was.

Even if a dog was truly hypoallergenic, and I don't think any really are, there is the question of what they've been playing either in or under.

Today is apparently moderate tree pollen, low ragweed pollen. You and your rider may have driven through a section of town with a lot of pollen, or perhaps the dog tracked it in after scampering around all the trees looking for another place to pee.

 
#9 ·
Pollen has been killing me the past few days. Tree sex is not my friend.

Three is a pool?! No freaking way. That should have been a X.

Yesterday I had this persnickety little f*** who shoved some very expensive newly purchased equipment into my trunk. The ride was from dt to a hotel near the airport. As it was sensitive the rider preferred the smoother I5 route over the potholes and rr tracks of the alternate. Guess who had buyer's remorse this morning? This is the first time I've ever had a rider request a fare review. It was a pretty hefty deduction. I protested this, and explained why. My request was shot down. I responded more forcefully. As I've been typing this out I have just received a response. It is being corrected to the original fare. Still peeves me. Guess whose rating is getting downgraded to 1* in about a week or so?
That doesn't make sense. Since when is I5 not a viable option from downtown to SeaTac?

Got a request off of Birch (that short little dead end below Aurora across from Canlis).

I almost instantly received the following text:

"I have a small dog that sits in my lap. Please cancel if you don't take dogs"

My biggest concern is fur in my upholstery so small lap dog, asked ahead, 2.4x surge, okay ... this'll work. Plus I felt a "no, you cancel" premonition.

Pull up, NOT a small dog. This was a labradoodle. Probably 30-35#s. Plus the pax didn't have much of a lap (big girl). Now I've personally been too big and I've been much too skinny - so no judgement there - except there wasn't hella room for small dog let alone a MEDIUM sized dog on her lap.

We talked dogs, I thanked her for letting me know ahead. She said she gets turned down a lot. She was in a foul mood but I took it as typical morning commute grumpiness.

I commented there is a religious component to a lot of drivers refusing dogs. (I don't know if it's technically religious but all Muslims I've been around when dogs have come up - dogs are vehemently referred to as dirty, etc. Could be wrong here- probably am, sure I'll be corrected if I am.)

Felt things were going reasonably well and I said, "If I could offer one tip, as drivers we can get fired for canceling on passengers. If you could offer to cancel that would be great, you don't get charged if it's within 5 min..."

Whoa! Unleashed THAT flood! She went on a tirade! She doesn't care if we get fired for Uber's ridiculous policy - not sure if giving us the option to deny dogs or getting fired for canceling was the ridiculous part.

The nasty vitriol that I thought was morning grumpiness was apparently her true self shining through.

It's hard, I hate denying people with animals but I hate rewarding nastiness like hers where she essentially knowingly blackmailed me into taking her dog. (I need to use my cancelations judiciously.) Plus it's unfair to my passengers with sensitivities to animals...

Next pax was super friendly & a huge talker - he got in just fine and proceeded to get really stuffy and by the time we hit the airport he was full out sneezing. Wonder just how hypo-allergenic/purebred that labradoodle really was?

Yeah - we're independent contractors alright.
You were in a no-win trap. Cancel and she can claim you denied due to service animal.
 
#5 ·
I didn't have a nasty rider, I just had a WTF moment Friday night. I accidentally accepted Pool, so whatever, I decided to just get it over with and drove to the pick up location. I pulled up to an apartment complex and waited for my pax. After about 4 minutes I was looking up at the building and about to text them when suddenly my back doors open and 3 skinny male pax jumped in the back seat. I looked back and saw three Asian teen boys that looked like this:

Hair Head Chin Eye Vision care


Yeah.......I dropped my bear mace, gouged my own finger on my stun gun and slammed my knee on the underside of my dash simultaneously. The boys greeted me, and began chatting to each other in Korean. Ok ........I know that many Asians prefer face masks.....It's a cultural thing...... Yeah so I probably can't ask them to remove them.....So ok I slid the trip to start and began the trip. Then I remembered it was Pool! This might be fun!

It was, when the 2nd rider was added (Josh) I was delighted. When I pulled up to Josh's apartment and he ran down to the car, you should have seen his face when he looked in the car. He got in anyway, cheap SOB, sat like his butt cheeks were duct taped together the whole trip, and then jumped out when it was time for him to exit. Josh will never order Pool again. These boys were polite, but damn!! Those masks!
 
#6 ·
Three is a pool?! No freaking way. That should have been a X.

Yesterday I had this persnickety little f*** who shoved some very expensive newly purchased equipment into my trunk. The ride was from dt to a hotel near the airport. As it was sensitive the rider preferred the smoother I5 route over the potholes and rr tracks of the alternate. Guess who had buyer's remorse this morning? This is the first time I've ever had a rider request a fare review. It was a pretty hefty deduction. I protested this, and explained why. My request was shot down. I responded more forcefully. As I've been typing this out I have just received a response. It is being corrected to the original fare. Still peeves me. Guess whose rating is getting downgraded to 1* in about a week or so?
 
#7 ·
Got a request off of Birch (that short little dead end below Aurora across from Canlis).

I commented there is a religious component to a lot of drivers refusing dogs. (I don't know if it's technically religious but all Muslims I've been around when dogs have come up - dogs are vehemently referred to as dirty, etc. Could be wrong here- probably am, sure I'll be corrected if I am.)

Yeah - we're independent contractors alright.
\

Muslims are more cat people.

Muslims cannot pray where a dog has been, as it breaks their religious purification process (same way as alcohol does). I know a lot of Muslim drivers pray in their cars. There is nothing specifically wrong with dogs as pet, however in Islam they must be outside animals, and have specific task to do (guard dog or service animal). Or just pray in a different room from where the dog hangs out.

I know a lot of Muslims immigrates are actually scared of them, as we Americans have a different kind of relationships with dogs.
 
#12 ·
That doesn't make sense. Since when is I5 not a viable option from downtown to SeaTac?
Exactly. I pointed this very fact out in my first protest. Still received a message that the alternative is shorter. Technically this is true, but I5 is far smoother, and has no bridge or train or lights. After I protested again the message I received stated the fare should never have been adjusted for this route. I guess it depends on which monkey is pulling the buttons.

One of the most annoying things about Uber/Lyft, in my personal experience and reading about other's experiences on this board, is that a rider can claim anything after the ride, from an inefficient route to drunk driving, and their word is taken as gospel. The driver has no recourse whatsoever. All you can do is type out protest texts to the proverbial room of monkeys who cut and paste pre-written email snippets together and press send.
 
#14 ·
One of the most annoying things about Uber/Lyft, in my personal experience and reading about other's experiences on this board, is that a rider can claim anything after the ride, from an inefficient route to drunk driving, and their word is taken as gospel. The driver has no recourse whatsoever. All you can do is type out protest texts to the proverbial room of monkeys who cut and paste pre-written email snippets together and press send.
Do we know that? I do wonder if/what/how often riders complaints are rejected. We only know about the ones where uber refunds or agrees with PAX claim. And no I'm not defending Uber. I got a navigation ding and fare reduction on a trip that was 2 miles long. Where I followed Waze exactly.

So I am with you. They give out some BS reductions and accusations. Like our friend just dealt with on Lyft for two weeks. Just wonder how often PAX get rebuffed.
 
#18 ·
You should have cancelled. Pool has a max of 2 pax

He can't change your rating at this point, feel free to dock him now
I understand pool has max 2 drivers. It was the appearance of the pax that completely threw me. I was more concerned if they were about to jack me or shoot me, I wasn't going to argue Uber policies with them. They were polite, but I never saw their faces, they could have decided to try something if they wanted.
 
#21 ·
I didn't have a nasty rider, I just had a WTF moment Friday night. I accidentally accepted Pool, so whatever, I decided to just get it over with and drove to the pick up location. I pulled up to an apartment complex and waited for my pax. After about 4 minutes I was looking up at the building and about to text them when suddenly my back doors open and 3 skinny male pax jumped in the back seat. I looked back and saw three Asian teen boys that looked like this:

View attachment 115170

Yeah.......I dropped my bear mace, gouged my own finger on my stun gun and slammed my knee on the underside of my dash simultaneously. The boys greeted me, and began chatting to each other in Korean. Ok ........I know that many Asians prefer face masks.....It's a cultural thing...... Yeah so I probably can't ask them to remove them.....So ok I slid the trip to start and began the trip. Then I remembered it was Pool! This might be fun!

It was, when the 2nd rider was added (Josh) I was delighted. When I pulled up to Josh's apartment and he ran down to the car, you should have seen his face when he looked in the car. He got in anyway, cheap SOB, sat like his butt cheeks were duct taped together the whole trip, and then jumped out when it was time for him to exit. Josh will never order Pool again. These boys were polite, but damn!! Those masks!
I had a group of college kids with the same face masks doing whippits in the back seat all the way to Bellevue from the south sound (30 miles). They tried pulling the end trip early by canceling mid trip scam but the fare was asjusted afterwords.
 
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