Uber / Airbnb

Who's tried these, anyone? Gotta coupon for a free Uber ride, just need somewhere to go where I can't park my car!

I use Uber all of the time and have not been disappointed yet. A few friends have had some issues but nothing too bad. Since I installed it I haven't once hailed a traditional cab. Lots of media flack going around, but when I trace it back it mostly seems to stem from competition going on a smear campaign. Not saying it's perfect by any measure but I prefer it.

Not experienced with Airbnb personally but it's pretty common for people in the city to use it when they're out of town for long business trips, etc, just to make some extra cash. Haven't heard any horror stories though I'm sure there are a few out there.

As far as terms go they're becoming pretty parallel to noun-jectives like "Google" and "Kleenex" around here.

How often do you get hit with surge pricing? That seems pretty iffy. Uber also seems to be taking some shit for setting up drivers in sub-prime auto loans they can't afford.

  On 11/6/2014 at 8:33 PM, Rubin Farr said:

How often do you get hit with surge pricing? That seems pretty iffy. Uber also seems to be taking some shit for setting up drivers in sub-prime auto loans they can't afford.

Not often as I generally avoid traveling at rush hour and major city events like the plague...but yeah, heard there are some issues between them and their drivers for sure. Non-Uber cabbies around here complain about it constantly.

That said, I have had personal conversations with some Uber drivers who are all about it, as it often saves them time in finding fares and simplifies the logistics. No need for central dispatch.

got a taxi from soho to kingston yesterday for £25-odd, split with my gf. total win. she uses it all the time

i want to try airbnb as im moving to london soon but prices seem to be all over the place

Using uber is a great way to depress wages in the economy.

Good job in screwing more people out of money and redistributing it upward.

I've used AirBnB, as a host. it's a good community and a good system, I'm actually a big fan of it, but like all systems, human idiocy is its stumbling block.

I hosted my place for the 2 weeks I was in Italy. put the ad up just a week or so before going. got quite a bit of interest, ended up booking 3 or 4 people in for a few nights each, sorted the place out (cleaning, removing any sensitive/personal material, etc), and devised a system for handing over keys in my absence using the mailbox as the dropoff and a friend to unlock said mailbox to give the keys to the next guest.

the first guy, who I met just hours before I went to the airport to fly out, was fine. keys were handed over no problem. the next guy was some Japanese bloke who I never talked to directly and who had an Australian friend sort out accommodation for him because of the language barrier (that's the first and last time I'm making that mistake - only ever deal with people who represent themselves, that's the first thing I'd advise). this guy somehow managed to pack my keys with his luggage as he was departing, leaving the apartment door unlocked and - obviously - no keys with which to let the succeeding guests in.

so I had to cancel all the bookings after this guy, which cost me a nice 2-3 hunnid bucks plus the cost of replacing my keyset. he later tried to mail the keys back to me and they got lost in the post, taking 3 weeks to arrive. I was overseas the whole time trying to sort this mess out via text through the AirBnB app. I recall being supremely blotto in the streets of Florence on a Saturday night when the first message arrived about the keys being gone and I was all "fuck this, I can't deal with this right now".

a friend of mine had issues as well with guests. his first guest was some prissy LA chick who complained about a cockroach and also locked herself out. she left a nasty review over that dumb shit.

so yeah, AirBnB is great and I recommend it, but be aware that people gonna people. payment was no issue surprisingly, the system has got that worked out nicely.

I've tried airbnb once and it was wonderful! Planning on doing the same in a couple of months in San Francisco

  On 11/8/2014 at 8:03 AM, chenGOD said:

Using uber is a great way to depress wages in the economy.

 

Good job in screwing more people out of money and redistributing it upward.

This.

from a user perspective uber is essentially perfect and i use it all the time

request on phone instantly (dont have to call or wait outside and hail a cab)

they take you to where you need to go - usually get some interesting conversation along the way

you arrive and get out - never paying them upfront. or if you're with friends than just split the fare evenly.

i also live in a small city where not a lot of people use it so i always get great service. Never been hit with random market pricing surges, probably because i don't live in la or london.


what i do fucking love about this is how suddenly people *want* to stick up for cabbies?!?!?

I've stayed at various Airbnbs on several occasions, never had any issues. Great alternative to crappy hotels.

  On 11/8/2014 at 8:03 AM, chenGOD said:

Using uber is a great way to depress wages in the economy.

 

Good job in screwing more people out of money and redistributing it upward.

I completely agree.

Airbnb in particular is the most hideous thing ever conceived, because it manages to wrap a total destruction of labour rights in an industry that was already extremely precarious (seasonal contracts, low wages, high qualification needed sometimes - languages etc -), real estate speculation and gentrification into a single package.

ive stayed locally and around the world using airbnb over the last 4-5 years

i like it for the following reasons:

a. you get to stay in a house / apartment and this 99% of the time is so much more comfortable than a sterile hotel room

b. you usually get to interact with a local person who lives in the city which is a nice inside view

c. we have found some amazing places cheaper than hotels

d. generally a good way to find accommodation where the hosts speak you native language

  On 11/8/2014 at 10:55 PM, poblequadrat said:

 

  On 11/8/2014 at 8:03 AM, chenGOD said:

Using uber is a great way to depress wages in the economy.

 

Good job in screwing more people out of money and redistributing it upward.

 

I completely agree.

 

Airbnb in particular is the most hideous thing ever conceived, because it manages to wrap a total destruction of labour rights in an industry that was already extremely precarious (seasonal contracts, low wages, high qualification needed sometimes - languages etc -), real estate speculation and gentrification into a single package.

Ok, I'm afraid I don't understand. So it's a good thing to save an extremely precarious industry? And how does redistributing money upwards work in the context of Uber/Airbnb?

Sounds to me that industries are destroying labour rights, regardless of Uber/Airbnb. And are redistributing money upwards anyways.

(Ps.: not trying to be a dick, but seriously interested in the arguments. Links to articles would be fine etc kthxbye)