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Uber or Grab?
- lucassmith
- Regular
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- Joined: Wed, 30 Dec 2015 2:09 pm
Re: Uber or Grab?
WHY NOT BOTH.
as a consumer, I would love to get a good deal. so i'll always compare their prices
as a consumer, I would love to get a good deal. so i'll always compare their prices
Re: RE: Re: Uber or Grab?
Don't know about Uber customer service, but Grab's CS is horrible.lucassmith wrote:WHY NOT BOTH.
as a consumer, I would love to get a good deal. so i'll always compare their prices
Heard a long rant from a driver, leaving me thinking not just me as a customer - is being put through needless pain

- Max Headroom
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- Location: Singapore
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Re: Uber or Grab?
Snip-snip, because the post to which I replied here has been deleted.
Last edited by Max Headroom on Tue, 18 Oct 2016 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Uber or Grab?
Tried Grab twice, both times failed me miserably.
First, driver cancelled, which was upsetting since I waited 10 mins for him (since I booked him!) instead of hopping into a couple of other cabs that dropped passengers in front of me. During peak hour.
Second, the cabbie actually picked up some other fare not 20m from me, even when I was walking over, waving my phone! As he drove off I rang him again and again but he just ignored me! Till an hour later. And no, it hadn't occurred to him that something was up when the booking destination and the other person's were totally different.
Never booked another Grab again. Even with the $5 credit sitting in my account for all the trouble (when I rang in to give them a piece of my mind).
Uber? Nothing but smooth.
Seems like there's a big gulf between the average quality of drivers. Least that's my experience. I try to avoid Surge Pricing though.
First, driver cancelled, which was upsetting since I waited 10 mins for him (since I booked him!) instead of hopping into a couple of other cabs that dropped passengers in front of me. During peak hour.
Second, the cabbie actually picked up some other fare not 20m from me, even when I was walking over, waving my phone! As he drove off I rang him again and again but he just ignored me! Till an hour later. And no, it hadn't occurred to him that something was up when the booking destination and the other person's were totally different.
Never booked another Grab again. Even with the $5 credit sitting in my account for all the trouble (when I rang in to give them a piece of my mind).
Uber? Nothing but smooth.
Seems like there's a big gulf between the average quality of drivers. Least that's my experience. I try to avoid Surge Pricing though.
- Max Headroom
- Reporter
- Posts: 911
- Joined: Wed, 08 May 2013 11:31 am
- Location: Singapore
- Contact:
Re: Uber or Grab?
But what's the deal with liability insurance? Were the the girls in the Uber car that crashed yesterday covered or not?
From the news article I read, it looks like it's wholly up to the car owner whether Uber trips are insured or not...
Edit: typo.
From the news article I read, it looks like it's wholly up to the car owner whether Uber trips are insured or not...
Edit: typo.
Re: Uber or Grab?
Since Uber went with the upfront cost, all my usual routes have increased in price. This ranges from $3 to $5 per trip (shortish trips). I assume demand is through the roof or more likely they've redeveloped their system to maximise fares and no one will know. I've stopped using them altogether and switched to Grab who still provide (much) cheaper prices whilst Uber is now more expensive than a booked cab! They've played the market well; hooked people in with cheap prices and glam and are now routing the consumer who are oblivious to the gouging going on.
Re: Uber or Grab?
Recently I either keep encountering drivers from Grab cancelling my trips (asked me to cancel, citing their can't move if I do not cancel when travel from Central to East) with my dog or they will keep grumbling that the trip is long!
Had a chat with a Grab grab driver during one of the trip (he was returning home and so resides in the East) and realised why the attitudes!
In order to stay competitive, Grab rewards their drivers with extra incentives per trip. It can be from $10 to $20 regardless of distance during peak hours. So, for instance, if they pick up customers who travel short distances, they can accumulate this extra commission. But if they pick up customers who travel longer distances, they miss out on the chance for more commission.
Also, the drivers will be penalized if they cancel trips accepted through their device. It is not true that they are unable to cancel from their device. If it is cancel through our device, Grab will also penalize us with less choices of drivers.
Therefore, if you ever meet such drivers the next time you book Grab, insist that they cancel through their device.
Had a chat with a Grab grab driver during one of the trip (he was returning home and so resides in the East) and realised why the attitudes!
In order to stay competitive, Grab rewards their drivers with extra incentives per trip. It can be from $10 to $20 regardless of distance during peak hours. So, for instance, if they pick up customers who travel short distances, they can accumulate this extra commission. But if they pick up customers who travel longer distances, they miss out on the chance for more commission.
Also, the drivers will be penalized if they cancel trips accepted through their device. It is not true that they are unable to cancel from their device. If it is cancel through our device, Grab will also penalize us with less choices of drivers.
Therefore, if you ever meet such drivers the next time you book Grab, insist that they cancel through their device.
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- Member
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Re: Uber or Grab?
That's good to know, thanks for posting (not that I travel with Grab anyway... I still have that $5 credit for my driver picking up someone else and ignoring my frantic waving/phone calls).Therefore, if you ever meet such drivers the next time you book Grab, insist that they cancel through their device.
Re: Uber or Grab?
I find Uber much slower to arrive, their app (since the "upgrade") is buggier, and often their drivers seem to know the rides less than their grab equivalents.
Part of the reason they're slower to arrive seems to be their algorithm to assign you a driver who is completing a trip nearby. I was in Changi last night, and watched my driver "completely a trip nearby" leave the airport... Former taxi drivers seem to gravitate towards Grab, for better or worse.
I do use Uber as often as I can though due to the StanChar 10% rebate promotion on my Visa.
Part of the reason they're slower to arrive seems to be their algorithm to assign you a driver who is completing a trip nearby. I was in Changi last night, and watched my driver "completely a trip nearby" leave the airport... Former taxi drivers seem to gravitate towards Grab, for better or worse.
I do use Uber as often as I can though due to the StanChar 10% rebate promotion on my Visa.
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- Regular
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- Joined: Sat, 23 Jan 2016 5:56 pm
Re: Uber or Grab?
I thought there were no such things as former taxi drivers in Singapore, at least amongst the living.zzm9980 wrote:Former taxi drivers...
- sundaymorningstaple
- Moderator
- Posts: 39867
- Joined: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 1:26 pm
- Location: Retired on the Little Red Dot
Re: Uber or Grab?
Sure there are. They're the ones who have lost their licenses or health or both.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
Re: RE: Re: Uber or Grab?
And months later, Grab still hasn't found out where my money went, playing ping pong.
Now they want me to prove that my card holder is not hiding the money, when Grab can't produce any evidence that their transaction reversal was successful.
Now they want me to prove that my card holder is not hiding the money, when Grab can't produce any evidence that their transaction reversal was successful.
Re: Uber or Grab?
There are more uber drivers than grab drivers so it seems because sometimes it takes me up to an hour just to get a grab driver.
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Re: Uber or Grab?
Grab!! they r generally more generous with their promo codes and they have come up with the rewards system so if you accumulate more points you get even more promo codes 

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