Do ratings mean anything in Ethiopia?

The prevalence of a negative service quality gap in Ethiopia is just mind-boggling. Studies spanning the public, banking, and telecommunications sectors have discovered that customers are continuously disappointed by service quality that falls short of their expectations. People share their experience with a service provider on the platform itself, other listing sites, and social media. Ratings are one among the many feedback tools, which have become ubiquitous.

Businesses are increasingly integrating feedback features within their applications, where customers report their experiences with the company or individual contractor. Among these, the transportation industry- ride-hailing platforms’ driver rating is at the forefront. How seriously these companies take ratings and how consequential it is for the subjects is, however, disputable. Can you even avoid the worst-rated drivers, or is it one of the superficial customer experience improvement functions?