Bad feeling on Uber and Grab in Vietnam.

WillyBaldy wrote:

Tesla anyone?

Tesla sells above market prices, not below.  Also dumping relates to economic activity generated in other countries, not within.  Granted, the concept of dumping does not usually relate to services because service companies inevitably have a local component.  None the less, don't be too surprised to see Uber Vietnam disappear because of a decision made in the US.  Of course it could resurface as a wholly Vietnamese company.

gobot wrote:

You live in Vietnam, you get a motorbike.

We belong to the group of old folks who rely on bus, taxi, and our own feet.  The last time I rode my motorbike in Saigon, Nixon was in the White House.  Nowadays, I'm only brave enough to ride pillion, and spouse is not brave enough to deal with Saigon traffic while operating a two-wheeler.

THIGV wrote:

Uber just hired a new CEO and the company is in huge financial trouble.  The company has never turned a profit and operates with investor (read speculator) money.  They operate below cost mostly to take market share away from taxis.  Interestingly, the US will not tolerate such activity for imports, calling it dumping.  I am surprised that Vietnam,  which still is more of a controlled economy than people like to think, allows Uber at all.  Uber is also under investigation in the US for violations of the law that forbids US companies from bribing foreign officials, which would not be hard to imagine has happened in Vietnam.  This article https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opin … .html?_r=0 suggests among other things that the new CEO should cease all non-US operations except London.  Discussion of Uber in Vietnam could be moot sooner than later.

Exactly.
Uber starts in new markets with below cost pricing.  At some point, it must raise prices significantly.
I still like it here in HCMC, but it will get more expensive.

Diazo wrote:

I stopped using both because of the pricing scheme. Normal taxi's post their rates and never change because of "peak hours". Grab has tried to charge me peak hour increase when it was not a peak hour. Vinasun or any of the others are predictable, know the city etc. Half the time Grab and Uber drivers do not know the city well. I am speaking of HCMC. I am done with them.

Yes I must admit that's one thing that really stressed me out back in April, the Uber and Grab motorbike drivers were constantly looking at their darn phone/GPS instead of looking at the roads... and in Saigon even when you look at the roads it's dangerous, so imagine when you're distracted by a GPS. At least the old xe om guys know their city very well, usually.

gobot wrote:

You live in Vietnam, you get a motorbike.

You are correct I am planning to buy motorbike sooner.

1312j wrote:

I suppose the only benefit of using Grab in this instance is that the price is pre determined isn't it?

For Grab, so far, yes it is.... at least in my experience.
With Uber it's not.
I've been using both Uber and Grab alternatively  for the past one and half years.
I still use Grab (cars and bikes) just because so far they've stuck to their quoted fares.

Uber used to be the same until recently when at least on three occasions they charged me more on arrival at my destination.
Each time it was the driver's fault as he didn't know where to go and had to make a detour.
First couple of times I ignored it although I wasn't happy.
On the third occasion I confronted them and the driver, who could speak enough English, told me "Uber is NOT Grab .... their billing systems work differently".
He asked me to get in touch with the so-called customer care (on a questionable VN mobile number) for confirmation. I didn't as I knew it was just a ''show''.
That was the end of Uber for me.

With Grab, I haven't encountered this problem yet .... that doesn't mean they won't do it tomorrow though!

You can add a "note to driver" while booking a car/bike. That note is supposed to give them the direction to your pick-up point.
Ask someone to type it in Vietnamese and keep it saved, if you are going to use the same pick-up spot frequently.
I've to do the same as my apartment is inside an alley and most drivers can't locate it on their maps.

Even with that 'note', expect half of them won't still be able to locate you.
That's the way it is in VN, unfortunately!

WillyBaldy wrote:

Diazo wrote:

I stopped using both because of the pricing scheme. Normal taxi's post their rates and never change because of "peak hours". Grab has tried to charge me peak hour increase when it was not a peak hour. Vinasun or any of the others are predictable, know the city etc. Half the time Grab and Uber drivers do not know the city well. I am speaking of HCMC. I am done with them.

Yes I must admit that's one thing that really stressed me out back in April, the Uber and Grab motorbike drivers were constantly looking at their darn phone/GPS instead of looking at the roads... and in Saigon even when you look at the roads it's dangerous, so imagine when you're distracted by a GPS. At least the old xe om guys know their city very well, usually.

to reiterate your point, my wife got into an accident on a grab bike 2 days ago because the driver had one hand on the throttle, one hand and both eyes on his phone. he smashed into the bike in front of him, and another bike behind hit him. thank goodness my wife wasn't hurt.

villanova wrote:

to reiterate your point, my wife got into an accident on a grab bike 2 days ago because the driver had one hand on the throttle, one hand and both eyes on his phone. he smashed into the bike in front of him, and another bike behind hit him. thank goodness my wife wasn't hurt.

Oh gosh I'm glad she's all right. At least with Uber cars it's much safer even if the driver doesn't know where' she's going, someone might end up dead but it won't be you ;-)

WillyBaldy wrote:

As I said previously my issue with Grab and Uber bike drivers was with them looking more at their GPS than the road itself, but I'm guessing that with time these young drivers will become more experimented and will know the roads more and more, thus having to rely less on their GPS.

after the accident if my wife sees the rider start to mess about with his phone and ride at the same time she'd stop him, open the navigation app herself on her phone, waze or google maps, and instruct the driver what routes to take. not the most convenient thing to do at all, but it's the most immediate solution,.

we can only hope that they learn better and rely less on their GPS