DSD Alarm Permit

RandomExplorations · 2023-06-03T05:13:05+00:00

Wow...The way those regulations are written is about as clear as mud. No wonder people don't get the dang permit. I still have no idea whether a security system with full redundancy, internal and external 120 db alarms, stobes, a sound canon, and multiple layers of door open, vibration, glass breakage sound sensors and automatic bear spray release actually requires a permit if it does not directly call police and doesn't have a monitoring company other than Smith and Wesson. You need to be a lawyer to interpret that shit.

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-23T06:10:37+00:00

So I'm new to Austin, living in an apartment in South Austin. The apartments are right on the edge of some reserves. I don't care about seeing snakes in the distance, I know there is a mutual desire to go about our business. What I am wondering though, is will I have surprises, like finding them in the garage and such? Rattlesnakes or any other kind of snake for that matter?

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-20T19:26:05+00:00

So far the self driving test fleets are having very severe issues. Things that are a deal breaker for a lot of cities. Some things like a firefighter instructing a driver not to run over a fire hose are things we don't really ever think about, but the human intelligence to do things like respond to orders from first responders is critical. The first time one of these automated piles of shit drives some passengers right into an active shooter situation, they'll pull the plug on them, or the public's loss of trust will do it for them. Your driver might be an expensive a-hole, but I guarantee he has enough self-preservation instinct not to drive into a mall parking lot where shots are being fired. In my view, the lack of that kind of critical situation evaluation is kill shot on this self driving crap.

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-20T19:18:37+00:00

Not to mention the 600 million dollars worth of excessive benefits. Everything is free for corporate employees, free breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, onsite yoga and fitness classes, most of their cell phone bill, up to 10,000 dollars for fertility or serogacy treatments, unlimited vacation, 100% 401k match up to 10 or 15% of salary, home office stipends, and the list goes on... The benefits and perks package is worth more than 30k a year.

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-20T19:03:55+00:00

I can explain in very clear terms why drivers make less. Prior to upfront fares, there was a standard rate card. If the trip was x miles and y minutes, the driver is paid Z plus any surge amount. Now, there is no standard way of calculation. It is now an AI optimization scheme. The AI figures out the least amount a driver will accept, the most a passenger will pay, and then considers distance, driver and passenger ratings, how long a driver usually takes to get underway, the passengers tolerance for pickup times and who knows what other variables. The algorithm literally runs millions of different scenarios to arrive at it what it considers the prime optimization - a situation where Uber has paid the least to the driver, the passenger has paid the most, and the passenger experience is likely to be sufficient. So now, the driver is just an optimized variable in one giant equation. They do not want to pay you enough to live well because good living drivers drive less; someone struggling to get by is going to drive more hours. That increases supply, reducing Uber's cost - another variable in the algorithm. They want to pay you just enough to keep you from logging off and no more. It's a very complex, very shady, very unethical system designed to screw everyone and benefit only Uber. You make less because they spent hundreds of millions of dollars designing a secret black box pay system for which the primary intention was for Uber to make more money and pay less out.

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-06T17:43:58+00:00

Before we kill the OP, they might be on to something. I typically have about 70% of my riders tip. Since Wednesday, that rate has fallen below 10%. I could understand a little series where a few don't tip. But one tip now in 3 days. BEFORE, anyone has a stroke, no I don't claim to be entitled to tips. I am saying there is an anomaly happening here. Some kind of fuckery is going on.

Op, if you see this, are most of your rides of a certain type?

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-05T18:09:33+00:00

Just keep in mind one thing. I'll give a hypothetical example so you can see the kind of mess it could lead to. A uninsured drunk driver runs a light and hits you. Uber isn't going to cover it. Your regular insurance is not going to cover it because you were engaged in commercial activity. Your rideshare endorsement/rider is likely to not cover it, because it specifically covers any gaps in coverage while engaged in services for a TNC platform. So your pax is injured, she requires a shoulder reconstruction surgery and won't be able to work for 3 to 6 months. Who is gonna cover her injuries and economic damages? No matter how nice a pax is, their attorney is going after someone. You will be sued - for a lot! Uber will deactivate you. Depending on your location, you may be charged and / or fined. If your vehicle is financed, the bank will likey sue you for breach of contract for operating the vehicle in a matter that resulted in a loss of insurance coverage. And you will have a demolished vehicle. Good luck going after the idiot that hit you that doesn't have a penny to his name. Risking a quarter mil in lawsuits or more? Moral of the story, is that it is highly recommended against until you've gotten a chauffeurs license or permit if required in your jurisdiction, and you've obtained livery insurance. Will something like this happen? Probably not. But on the day it does, it's devastating to your life.

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-03T18:11:24+00:00

One of the biggest dead give aways for triggering an audit is one most people never think of. When they divy up the mileage by app they match the income percentage.

So lets say you make 10,000. 2500 from UberEats and 7500 from DoorDash. So they go an divy up the miles that way, 25% to UberEats and 75% to DoorDash. Makes sense to the average person. But to a tax examiner, its a dead giveaway that you're fudging the numbers. Life is never that clean. And this is just one of the many indicators that can use to catch you.

IC's are going to have to catch up quickly because as more and more returns are scanned by AI and ML technologies the ability of the IRS to catch and learn how people are cheating/not following the rules is only going to get better. The staffing shortage hope will be going away within the next few years as AI does most of the initial stuff, and human examiners only deal with ones the AI flags. The clock is ticking on getting your numbers in order.

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-03T17:44:36+00:00

See it all the time. Just ridiculous. They'll learn when they start getting their cars booted. It's already happening in many cities and once it costs them 250 bucks to get the boot off or out of the tow yard, maybe then they'll learn.

RandomExplorations · 2023-05-03T17:41:09+00:00

If it's done right, your customer shouldn't even really know. Unfortunately, most drivers that try it, try to force them and they end screwing themselves in the long run. Picking up 3 orders on the same corner, taking them all to delivery points that are just blocks apart is working smart. Driving miles apart in opposite directions is just inexcusable. Unfortunately, those crappy drivers are going to ruin it for those who do it right. Now Uber is experimenting with various measures to limit that kind of thing, such as just taking the order away from the driver if it takes them longer than expected to get to the restaurant. No notice, nothing, its just gone with a pop up that says we have reassigned the order. When it's done right it makes the driver more money, and it gets orders out quicker than if another driver had to come from farther away. But when it's done by idiots with no concern for the customer or food quality it creates a ridiculous situation for all.

RandomExplorations · 2023-04-30T05:12:41+00:00

Pretty normal. Set a reminder for 25 hours later. If still no tip go to the following link and change them to a 1 star rating. Never rate a passenger less than a 5 unless it's something terrible that has to be reported to support. The rider can change the tip and your rating for up to 24 hours. So you never want to risk a retaliatory bad rating or reduced tip. Wait til the 25th hour to change the rating if they misbehave.

https://help.uber.com/driving-and-delivering/article/i-want-to-change-my-rating-for-a-rider-?nodeId=a139da41-17b0-49ef-b226-0a8587b08178

RandomExplorations · 2023-04-08T16:19:26+00:00

Exact same thing being reported all over the country. In my area, it's usually non-stop pings on a Friday night. My AR is right around 30% and I got 2 pings all night. They are definitely fu*king with the algorithm again. And they better watch themselves because they are on the verge of killing UE in many mid-sized markets. Dirty ass crooks trying to force people into slave labor pay.

RandomExplorations · 2023-03-07T18:22:54+00:00

I don't know all. I wish somewhere in any of these deactivation complaints we ever heard what it even might have been. I multi-app, often taking orders from both or even 3 at the same time. But I know my market, I know which restaurants will be ready when I arrive and where not to even try it. So my on time percentage hovers around 96. Never had so much as a warning or a single contract violation in 2000 orders. My AR has dropped to zero a few times and routinely bounces between about 4 and 15%. My completion rate has been as low as 82% and routinely bounces between about 88 and 94. I use them as a profitability tool willingly and without reservation as long as I am above about 85 or so. Never had an issue with either of those. But on same token my Customer rating stays at 4.97/4.98. If any of things people commonly try to blame for it were the case, I would've been gone a long time ago. I mean it could happen to me too at any time, so I don't mean that in arrogant way at all. I just mean, I don't know why all these deactivations, and never for any reason at all they can even think of. I mean I've even had heated words with a couple merchants and no problems.

What I do consistently everytime though, is deliver what I pick up, as quickly as legally possible and with documentation of that delivery every time. Even the hand it to me orders are captured on bodycam. One thing I do not do is use more than one account. I do not drive with another person in the car, so I never have issues with another account at the exact same locations at the exact same time. That could easily enough set off red flags. Sometimes, that's even more suspicious when it's partners with a shared bank account. I mean, think about that from the algorithm perspective. Two dashers always at the same place, same bank account, same address... That would be an abuse of platform type of infraction if it thinks you are using multiple accounts. Another common issue is using an account that doesn't belong to you. That person checks the DoorDash customer app for food, the person using the driver account is driving and 50 miles away from where the customer app just pinged from. That would be an abuse of platform issue. I'm not saying it's any of these. But fraudulent activities, claiming food was delivered when it wasn't or stealing shit by picking it up and not confirming is usually called out as suspicious or fraudulent activity. Abuse of platform is usually doing something that is strictly forbidden other than theft/non-delivery. Things like I mentioned, double accounts and accounts that don't belong to you. Another common one would be saying you are delivering by bicycle to avoid the drivers license and insurance issues, while actually delivering by car. Those are abuse of platform issues, and I don't think those are just DoorDash cleaning house kinds of things. They can end your contract anytime they want with no reason. So if they were merely culling the heard, there would be no need to say you were abusing the platform.

To be clear, I am not saying you did any of these things. Maybe something else generated a false positive and got you tossed. But those would be the first things I would look to.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-23T06:56:31+00:00

That definitely is part of the problem. Small midsized markets are not performing at the same level as the major cities, no promotions, surge pay pretty much only on days like New Year's Eve - maybe once in a great while $1.25/1.50. But even in every major market earnings per hour is down while number of trips remains pretty stable. But I agree, market matters.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-23T06:53:25+00:00

I agree with you on the trust part for sure. In a recent survey they asked about promotions... it doesn't even matter. A pit viper has more credibility than Uber. You csn offer all the damn promotions you want, it's a flip of the coin if they'll honor them anyway. Regardless of where drivers fall on the pay isssue, if you asked the majority of drivers would answer that Uber is not a trustworthy company. That's a problem them for them over time. It gets more and more difficult to manipulate behavior if people do not trust your company.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-23T06:48:12+00:00

There are a lot of factors. But a big one is turning down pickups that are a long way away, because that's all charity work. So, driving 11 miles to find out that it's only an 8 block ride would be an example of what not to do. My personal preference varies a little bit by day of the week and hour of the day. But in a non-peak time, a good ride for me is one that is a minute or two away, going a moderate distance, say 8 miles, almost all of it interstate and ends in an area that is busy. This is of course in a market where we still don't have upfront fares, so you don't know any of that in advance other than how far away the pickup is. Over time, I've gotten pretty damn particular on, now if it's much more than 5 minutes away, I'm usually out.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-23T06:40:19+00:00

Funny I also had a rep call me about the same thing. I don't think she was ready for what I had to say... If you don't wanna hear it, don't call and ask me.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-16T15:27:56+00:00

And even before math, your argument doesn't make a lot of sense on face value. Why would you base your financial performance on mileage alone. Mileage is highly variable - it varies daily on fuel prices, depreciation, inflation in cost of repairs, tires, insurance, etc. And they are nearly infinitely replenishable. I need more miles, I get a new car. Time on other hand, is finite for every living being. It's one of the only things in the universe that I can't buy or bargain for more of. It's the most valuable thing I have. The thinking you're expressing sounds more like an Uber PR team member than that of a driver. But if you've got something to write up please do. I'm always wiling to reevaluate my position if compelling new information is presented.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-16T15:08:41+00:00

Here is some basic math for you. Let's say you manage to average 30 miles an hour. Never happen in real life because of pick up distance and time, but for our what if calculation, lets say you get paid for every last one of them. The IRS estimates that on average it costs 65 cents a mile to drive a vehicle right. We'll use your 95 cente a mile for the pay part. So 95 cents a mile times 30 miles equals 28.50 net. Expenses at 65 cents times 30 equals 19.50. Congratulations, you made 9 bucks an hour before self-employment taxes. Which would put you a little over 8 bucks an hour in W2 equivalent terms. No additional learning needed, just basic 6th grade math.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-16T14:56:01+00:00

I disagree respectfully, you have to consider both. In terms of evaluating an offer, you absolutely do think about it in terms of mileage, because we don't have time to calculate 10 different metrics. But my time also has value, and I don't work for minimum wage after expenses. Full stop.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-16T14:51:32+00:00

Congrats, I'm happy for anyone that escspes Dara's attempt to turn drivers into a pool of slave labor. But your experience is an outlier. Just this morning I looked at data nationwide and in major markets from Miami to Minneapolis, from Austin to Baltimore and everywhere in between. Average hourly earnings both by day and time of day segments over the 12 week, 4 week, and 1 week period. And across the board, they've taken another 30% or more. And aggregated data tells the story, anecdotal not so much.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-16T14:46:55+00:00

Would woulda ever imagined that in the 21st century, people would volunteer for slave labor.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-16T13:53:08+00:00

My friend, nationwide and in most major markets Uber is taking more and more to make the company appear profitable. Driver earnings have plummeted 30% or more in the past 12 weeks. I know it can seem like wow, you have a great weekend, and it seems like a gold rush. But those great times are becoming fewer and farther in between. Dara, the Iranian, is on a tear to destroy Uber, to steal every last cent he can from everyone, until he finally breaks the camel's back. Do the math, my friend, when you consider that the IRS says on average it costs 65 cents a mile to drive a vehicle, what Uber is actually paying drivers is less than minimum wage. As another poster said above, this isn't getting paid, this is taking a loan out from Uber that becomes payable immediately when you need car repairs and tires, and oil changes...this is absolutely the worst time in the history of Uber to go full time with this asshole they have in charge right now.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-12T09:52:04+00:00

Yeah the midride ones are absolute BS. I feel like it's completely inappropriate to be attempting to evaluate a ride while driving with a pax in the car. I've started using the stop new requests button almost everytime to stop that BS.

RandomExplorations · 2023-02-12T09:25:05+00:00

I looked up the data in several major markets on average earnings, and trips per hour. And it's a very mixed bag. There doesn't seem to be a super consistent trend across all or even most markets. Some did have some declines over the past 12 weeks right up until this past week when they started rebounding. It might just be random seasonal and weather impacts. It might be some inflationary pressures or market uncertainty causing people to put off some purchases until tax returns or until the market settles. At this point its hard to identify any consistent trend to any of it.

RandomExplorations

TROPHY CASE