Kindness, politeness, and basic respect will get you very far in life. Unfortunately, some people seem to have slept through most of the proper etiquette lessons they’ve ever had. Well, life has a not-so-gentle way to give them a refresher that you should not treat anyone poorly. Especially if they’re providing you with a service.
Redditor u/StarsBear75063, an Uber driver based in Texas with over seven years of experience, opened up about how he maliciously complied with a rude passenger’s request to cancel the ride. The cheap customer, hoping to save some money as he forced the driver to wait, instead ended up paying way more than he’d imagined. And all because he wouldn’t listen to his driver’s sage advice. Read on for the full story.
It is common sense to treat your driver with proper respect. Unfortunately, not everyone got the memo
Image credits: Paul Hanaoka (not the actual photo)
One Uber driver revealed how a recent customer's rudeness backfired and cost him a whole bunch of money
Image credits: charlesdeluvio (not the actual photo)
Image source: StarsBear75063
Everything could have been avoided if the passenger had simply listened to the driver's advice
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The driver’s post had 4.7k upvotes at the time of writing, and it gave everyone a deeper insight into how the Uber model works. It’s safe to say that some people don’t realize that they have to pay for the entire trip if the driver arrives at the location and the ride gets canceled.
The OP’s passenger was still packing for his flight, so he wanted the driver to wait. However, he wasn’t up for paying for the waiting time, so he thought that he’d be smart and cancel the ride. The driver warned him about the extra fee, but he got cut off. Well, it was time for some malicious compliance.
“I went into my humble contrite mode while apologizing and asking his forgiveness for me being presumptuous. I told him that, certainly, I would cancel the trip and it would be no problem for me to wait the 30-45 minutes that he required,” the driver shared.
Though it seems like the entire fiasco made the passenger reconsider his behavior. At least a little bit. After essentially paying for trips, he even tipped the Uber driver. Sometimes, when a person is unwilling to listen to good advice, it’s best to help them make their mistakes, with a healthy dollop of malicious compliance.
It's vital to remember that your driver isn't your therapist
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Aside from the common sense stuff like ‘don’t be a rude jerk and don’t yell at your driver,’ there are some other behaviors that passengers might want to consider avoiding. For example, Reader’s Digest points out that it might get on your driver’s nerves if you constantly give them directions from your seat.
The odds are that your driver’s been doing their job for a very long time and they know the city well. They’re also using a GPS so they know about most of the quickest routes. (Though if you really do know a magical shortcut that’s super sneaky, and you know for a fact that other drivers don’t, it might be something that you may want to share.) Your driver is bound to ask you which way you prefer that they drive if the arrival time is similar, though.
According to one Austin, Texas-based Uber driver who spoke to Reader’s Digest, one of the best things that customers can do is keep the location marker updated in the app. “So many problems could be solved by people learning to use the app correctly and being patient,” he said.
The polar opposite of a rude customer is a friendly, chatty passenger. However, being overly nice can backfire, too. For example, you really shouldn’t be blabbering about the more private details of your life to a random stranger. For one, you don’t know them and as a general rule, try to keep confidential info, well, confidential. Another thing is that your driver isn’t your therapist. You should not be venting about your life to them. They’re focused on doing their jobs and shouldn’t be wading through your flood of emotions.
The very best drivers will act professionally and communicate well
Image credits: Swansway Motor Group (not the actual photo)
Similarly, even if you had an excellent conversation with the Uber employee, you shouldn’t continue chatting away with them once you’ve arrived at your destination. Yes, you might have clicked, but they’ve got a job to do. You may think you’re just being friendly, but you’re keeping them from their next passenger.
A good Uber driver is going to be someone who’s not only skilled behind the wheel and can navigate well but also has fantastic people skills and a strong sense of ethics. So they’ll prioritize safety, will do their best to be as punctual as humanly possible, and will keep a clean car.
In the meantime, they’ll maintain proper communication with you before and throughout the trip. And they’ll do it all in an extremely courteous manner. The very best drivers will respect and maintain healthy boundaries. They’ll chat with you if you’re up for it. But they’ll back off if you’re not in the mood. The very best employees will politely offer their passengers some advice, like the redditor did. But it’s up to the customers to listen.
The author shared some more details about the situation and his job
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