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Founders Card Promotion – we’re Uber sorry

by travis on Oct 19, 2011

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Earlier today, we sent an email explaining the terms of the renegotiated Uber/Founders Card promotion. To the 600 or so of you, I’m sorry about the royal communication screw-up on our part.

We have a long-term plan but let me be clear on what we’re going to do now:

  • Effective immediately, the Founder’s Card promotion will be reinstated for all existing Uber riders who previously entered a Founders Card code.
  • This reinstatement will be extended through to January 20th 2012.

Our original Founders Card promo was intended to run for one year through to November 2011. We should have given you plenty of advance notice that it would be soon be ending, along with an extension for those who needed it, rather than ending it prematurely.

Here’s what we believe:

  • Uber riders should never have to pay $500 to a 3rd party to gain benefits for being loyal users.
  • Uber riders deserve VIP treatment, and should be rewarded for using our service.

Our loyalty program will reflect these principles, and is expected to roll out by the end of November. Once again, we apologize for our sloppy handling of the Founders Card promotion expiration. We should have done better, and we’re genuinely sorry. We look forward to earning back your trust and being there when you need us.

Uber On,
Travis (Uber CEO)

 

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JoakimNilsson
JoakimNilsson

So what's ghe latest? Im thinking of using tbe service in Paris but not sure anymore....

arc
arc

I agree with @spacemanmills, Uber is simply extending the offer until January and then revoking the credits that everyone already paid for. If Uber doesn't want to participate in FoundersCard, that's fine, but Uber has to honor the credits that all of us have already paid for and added to our accounts. Otherwise, I expect a check from Uber for my FoundersCard membership cost.

I spoke with Eric Kuhn, the CEO of FoundersCard and he first learned that Uber was pulling the credits when he received the same email as everyone else. It sounds like Uber has a beef with FoundersCard when they say things like, "Uber riders should never have to pay $500 to a 3rd party to gain benefits for being loyal users" and that Uber is putting us in the middle, taking it out on their loyal customers that they don't seem to mind angering.

Uber alludes to some new loyalty program, but from the initial email, it sounds like they are talking about a spam-your-friends-for-credit program. Whether there a new loyalty program coming out or not, Uber should still be honoring the credits that we already paid for.

spacemanmills
spacemanmills

There are still a few problems here.

1. Uber riders via FoundersCard didn't "pay $500 to a 3rd party to gain benefits for being loyal users." Uber is simply one of the many, many things offered to FoundersCard members. Don't inflate the relationship between Uber and FC members.

2. The January 20th, 2012 deadline is still... a deadline. Maybe I missed it, but when I signed up for the 100 rides with a 15% discount, I didn't see an expiration date. If you'd told me that I'd have a discount on 100 rides if I used them before 1/20/12, I probably wouldn't have signed up because I wouldn't be able to take 100 rides between June 2011 - January 2012. Not many people could. So even with the meager 3 month extension, you're still reneging on a deal you made with 600+ people.

3. This whole thing could've been avoided by either A) Talking with FoundersCard folks or B) Stopping the promotion a month ago so that anyone new who signed up would get 10 rides discounted, but people who'd signed up previously would still have their agreements honored.

You've got a real PR problem here, Uber. I mean, damn.