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“Wonder How Long It Took For Him To Realize”: Uber Driver Outsmarts Entitled Client
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“Wonder How Long It Took For Him To Realize”: Uber Driver Outsmarts Entitled Client

“Wonder How Long It Took For Him To Realize”: Uber Driver Outsmarts Entitled ClientUber Driver Outsmarts Overconfident Client, Gets Paid Double And A TipUber Driver Pulls Off Perfect Malicious Compliance, Gets Paid DoubleRude Customer Cancels Uber Ride To Avoid Paying While The Driver Waits, Regrets It“It’s Gonna Cost You Plenty There, Sparky”: Uber Driver Complies With Client’s Demands, Wins BigGuy Wants To Rob Uber Driver Out Of Waiting Fee, Ends Up Paying 7x What He Would HaveGuy Expects Driver To Just Cancel And Wait For Him For 30 Mins, Ends Up Paying Big For His Time“Poor Bastard Even Tipped Me”: Greedy Guy Gets Outsmarted By An Uber DriverGuy Wants Uber Driver To Cancel And Wait 30 Mins For Him Instead Of Paying A $10 Fee, Loses $70Guy Thinks He Can Avoid Paying For Uber's Waiting Time, Gets Outsmarted And Pays Twice
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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

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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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Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

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.

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It’s vital to remember that your driver isn’t your therapist

Image credits: DragonImages (not the actual photo)

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.

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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.

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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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Here’s how some readers reacted to the story

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Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Read less »
Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Kotryna Br

Kotryna Br

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

Read less »

Kotryna Br

Kotryna Br

Author, BoredPanda staff

Kotryna is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Graphic Design. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and illiustrator. When not editing, she enjoys working with clay, drawing, playing board games and drinking good tea.

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Sara Wilson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cancelling it AFTER the driver was there and waiting?! He SHOULD have been charged. HE is the one that scheduled it, and HE is the one that couldn't manage his time, and HE is the one that waited to cancel it! OP just accepted the job. Period! Although, I'm not getting why he would have to b paying twice tho

Seadog
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

SO OP was getting roughly $1 per mile not including the drive to get to the rider and unless he picks up a fare at the airport, OP ends up with less than 50 cents per mile. Once you factor in fuel cost, maintenance, insurance and general wear and tear on the vehicle, there's no profit in this unless OP somehow has miraculously acquired a car that gets over 60mpg.

Sara Wilson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cancelling it AFTER the driver was there and waiting?! He SHOULD have been charged. HE is the one that scheduled it, and HE is the one that couldn't manage his time, and HE is the one that waited to cancel it! OP just accepted the job. Period! Although, I'm not getting why he would have to b paying twice tho

Seadog
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

SO OP was getting roughly $1 per mile not including the drive to get to the rider and unless he picks up a fare at the airport, OP ends up with less than 50 cents per mile. Once you factor in fuel cost, maintenance, insurance and general wear and tear on the vehicle, there's no profit in this unless OP somehow has miraculously acquired a car that gets over 60mpg.

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