Now It Can Cost You $ 15 to Get Your Lost Uber Items Back
The next time you leave your umbrella, book bag, or phone at Uber, it can cost $ 15 to return. Starting today , the car-sharing company allows drivers across the country to charge a flat fee to return your lost items .
A few years ago, my friend Bob left his phone at Uber, which we used after the Giants game. We realized the mistake, got in touch with Uber, who put us in touch with the driver, and a few hours later reconnected to our old driver and Bob’s phone. We tip the driver about $ 100 for a refund. New phones are expensive, and we admitted that the time he spent coordinating and disembarking with us was the time he wasn’t at work. As it turned out, we were in the minority.
Most people do not take the driver into account when asking to return an item. Although the driver is an Uber contractor, he is not an employee, which means that when they get your item back, it’s essentially a personal ride for them. You prevent them from using other tariffs and ask them to spend their time and money on gas to do you, the person they just met for 10 minutes, a favor. This is a big request for a stranger.
Driver forums are inundated with reports of people like us asking for lost items to be returned, and when they come back, they don’t even offer as much as a “thank you” to the driver who took the time to find them. This is a painful point for Uber drivers (as it should be), and in a growing competitive market, Uber had to solve this problem in order to get these drivers to ride Uber and not Lyft (although most drivers in San Francisco at least seem already works for both). Lyft will currently contact the driver regarding the lost item and will offer to tip him when he returns, but is not required to do so.
Other recent updates include the ability to tip in the Uber app and a feature that prevents a driver from dropping ratings for things outside of their control, such as bad traffic.
I believe this step is a win-win for both sides. As for the drivers, they don’t lose a significant amount of income when they make the decision to make you a hefty amount and return a lost bag, which in turn should make them much more willing to find you on a Friday night and deliver it to you. goods back.
And when they return your phone, wallet, or stuffed animal, you still have to tip the driver extra, even on top of the $ 15 commission. A good rule of thumb is to think about how much money the driver could make helping you, then double it. Three times that for high-value items like laptops and newer smartphones. Just think how much cheaper it would be than buying a brand new phone.