Which companies have dropped quality, and which ones pleasantly surprised you?
About a week ago, there was a case in my country where a woman took a Bolt taxi, which, instead of taking her to the designated place, started driving her to the Austrian border. In the end, the woman jumped out of the car to save herself.
[So the police were not very active, and Bolt just used only AI-generated answers, the company then announced it was a mistake in the GPS... but to be honest, I would say it was a kidnapping attempt].
I feel that these services are no longer safe.
On the other hand, I was very pleasantly surprised by the approach of Fastspring, for example, they had very friendly customer support, and they helped me a lot when my authentication app reset and I couldn't get into this service.
Do you also have any positive and negative observations?
Replies
Cal ID
I saw that bolt story on a Slovak page on IG. It's scary, and I totally agree, some companies have dropped the ball on safety and quality.
I’ve had similar frustrations with these apps and big SaaS tools, where support just feels robotic now.
I wish more brands remembered how powerful real customer service is, especially when we rely on them for important stuff.
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@sanskarix I would definitely not delegate customer support for products that are somehow related to finance and physical presence because THIS can happen.
@busmark_w_nika your contributions are always invaluable!
I didn't know about that scary story of the woman who took a Bolt ride...that's very frightening and worrying!
Personally, I'm very disappointed in streaming services, especially Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Over the years, the quality has decreased to the point where their subscription has become useless and it's clear that they only think about making you spend more.
More than once, I started a movie saga on Amazon and then, out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, those same movies became available only with payment.
With Netflix, series are canceled right in the middle before you can finish them, and movies are randomly removed.
To be honest, the whole idea of paying a monthly subscription to get access to these services doesn't make sense anymore. I guess that's why there are still a lot of people watching movies and TV series in other ways.
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@pamela_arienti when I read this, I am quite satisfied I do not pay for Netflix and like. More people started complaining about them.
Triforce Todos
I wonder how common these GPS ‘errors’ really are, anyone has stats?
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@abod_rehman Dunno, but I think it was an excuse :D
That's so scary! For uber rides, I've noticed that the drivers they find are not always "convenient". At least less than before. Now, I find that when I request a ride, it's always a driver that is 6-10 minutes away even though I can see drivers that are just around the corner.
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@ysabelle_bookipi For sure, I would rather use public transport (which is not very safe and comfortable) :D
CalPulse
I had almost the same terrifying experience. The driver suddenly went off route, saying it was just a GPS issue — but the further we drove, the more uneasy I felt. It was dark, empty roads, and I couldn’t see any clear landmarks.
When I finally saw a house by the roadside, I insisted he stop. He hesitated at first, but eventually let me out. I called my brother to pick me up — what was supposed to be a 30-minute ride turned into a two-hour nightmare.
When I reported it, customer service told me to contact the police and offered some ride credits as “compensation.” I know nothing really happened, but it felt so unsafe. That moment when you realize something is not right — it sticks with you.
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@nyun_4 Uff, which country was it? I cannot imagine it... this service shouldn't be provided by everybody. Let's imagine someone who can really hurt you..
CalPulse
@busmark_w_nika It happened in Seoul, a few years ago. Since nothing actually happened, the police didn’t take it seriously — they said they couldn’t do anything unless I filed a formal report.
Customer service also brushed it off, only offering ride credits as compensation. They told me if I wanted further action, I’d have to file a police case and have the police contact them directly.
I just remember thinking… WTF.
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@nyun_4 Feel sorry that this happened, I hope it will never happen again!