

Uber NYC and the Surge: Right, Wrong, Lessons Learned - louhong
http://www.hunterwalk.com/2012/11/uber-nyc-surge-right-wrong-lessons.html

======
URSpider94
Well put. I'm sure that, at the end of the day, many NYC Uber customers were
happy to pay more for the certainty of knowing that they would get where they
wanted to go in the days after the storm. Isn't that what Uber is about in the
first place?

Nonetheless, our cultural norm in the US is strongly against "price gouging"
during emergencies, which means, I suppose, that merchants should continue
charging pre-disaster prices for gasoline, plywood, generators, and car
service, and that the lucky customers who get there first get served, while
the rest suffer.

The author's suggestions on ways to thread this particular needle are why even
lean start-ups need a good marketing lead.

~~~
colmvp
I know I'm going to sound like a broken record but I really appreciate what
Airbnb and some of their hosts did during this time.

Airbnb waived transaction fees while some hosts (encouraged by the company
itself) significantly dropped their rates so that people in areas affected by
the Hurricane could find an affordable place to stay.

Both the company and hosts could've easily taken advantage of the situation
and jacked up their rates. But they didn't.

~~~
flyinRyan
They didn't do this out of the goodness of their own hearts (well, they might
have but why would we assume that?). It's great PR. Just book the lost revenue
under advertising expense.

Not everyone can do that though, for some emergencies for you are emergencies
for them too and raise _their_ prices.

------
janezhu
_"Uber probably didn't have a "what to do in a human tragedy" playbook and
instead ran their normal operating procedures."_

While this is true, it's surprising that they do not have a PR/customer
service/support person that specifically keeps an eye out for incidents (or
opportunities) like these. As much as their business is based on algorithms,
it is run by humans, at least one of which who could have understood how the
situation would _appear_ to the average person.

Especially when you see pure-PR stunts Uber is pushing like this:
[http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/election-day-
fre...](http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/election-day-freebies-
specials-191730893.html)

 _"Uber: On Election Day, this car-service company will be offering customers
a free ride to or from a national polling place, up to $20.12. Any amount
above $20.12 will be charged, and the offer is only available during the
city's voting hours."_

I can guarantee no matter how many kudos Uber gets for encouraging people to
vote-- _"The average person just heard that Uber was charging New Yorkers
more"_ post-disaster.

~~~
colmvp
Duracell gave free batteries and had recharge stations. Comcast had free wifi
for both subscribers and non-subscribers in certain hotspots. NYTimes and WSJ
had free access to their site for up-to-date information. Chase allowed people
to recharge their devices at their ATMs
([http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121031113932-sandy-c...](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/121031113932-sandy-
charge-phones-story-top.jpg)). JP Morgan waived late fees for people within
affected states. UHaul offered 30 days free storage for Sandy evacuees.
Walmart donated truck loads of dry food, beverages, cleaning supplies, and
board games.

It's a very small cost in exchange for making a strong impact towards existing
and new customers.

