Bad rating on Uber could be hard-earned

I gave my Uber driver directions and he thought I was too curt. He gave me a crummy rider rating! Is there anything I can do?

There sure is. Contact Uber to look into the matter, but be prepared to potentially open Pandora’s box.

Every review on you will likely be factored in, so if you are “too curt” (code for snarky) with lots of drivers, then that crummy rider rating is likely hard-earned. The best way to improve your rating is to take lots of rides and treat your Uber drivers really, really nice. And since feedback is a two-way street, terrible pun intended, you should review your Uber driver honestly.

I live in a luxury condo building and my neighbour occasionally lists her place out on Airbnb. I don’t like strangers coming in and out of the building or using the common spaces. Am I right to rat?

No way, list your place with better photos and undercut her — you might as well make some money when you’re out of town! In all seriousness, have you ever used Airbnb? It might change your perspective on this whole shared economy business.

I’ve had great experiences and have always made a point to treat my host’s home like my own (seriously, you can check my rating). The beauty of the sharing economy (and let’s face it, it’s here to stay) is that there is a degree of self-regulation because of the peer rating system.

What if another neighbour in your building gets a cat sitter and they are also running free throughout the building’s amenities? There’s a degree of urban living that you just can’t control. I’d just roll with it.

If I can’t assure you that her guests are likely fine and you really want to pursue this (or, her Airbnb guests are noisy or disruptive), then go for it. If you review the mice type of your condo board’s documents, you’ll probably find some sort of stipulation in that condo declaration stating that rental terms shorter than six months are not permitted.

If passive aggression is your thing, print if off and pop it into her mailbox anonymously, so she can take her listing down of her own volition.

I just received a thank you email for what I thought was a very generous cash gift for a wedding I attended. Does an email suffice?

Did you send the gift through an email money transfer? Digital begets digital. But if you went to the wedding and sent a gift (well, even if you didn’t bring a gift), your presence at a wedding warrants an old school thank you card, of the paper variety. You mentioned you gave a generous cash gift, but even if you gave a modest one (or only a beautifully written card wishing them a lifetime of happiness), you still should have gotten a thank you card in the mail.

I get it: The temptation to text or email is strong, but sometimes nothing else replaces a thoughtful handwritten card (and weddings are such times). There’s something so lovely and evocative about opening an envelope to find a beautiful card inside — a feeling that opening an inbox or e-card can’t deliver. That said, just because the newlyweds dropped the ball on sending a handwritten thank you card, you don’t have grounds to rudely point this out to them.

Have a quiet moment of satisfaction, knowing that you are right. Etiquette expert Karen Cleveland answers your questions about life online. Email her your questions: Karen@mannersaresexy.com.