21d • General discussion
Fantuan First Impressions
Hey nerds, I had the chance to try out a new app last month. It's only available in a few select markets, and for me, that means I have to plan a day around being in that part of Queens where you gotta watch your pets a bit more intently. In my one day's experience, it let me freestyle for a couple orders and then cut me off, telling me to set blocks. I don't live in New York, so if I want to try this again in the future, it would have to be planned out meticulously. Anyone wanna set up a day to hang out in Flushing/Bayside with me? I promise that I will only put my block's time into gathering new data. I can be fun the rest of the time. If I ever get around to trying it in Salt Lake, I will definitely also drop a report.
So far, I can say that this app leaves much to be desired, but it might be worth looking into if you live near areas serviced. I know that they include Seattle and Vancouver neighborhoods as well as a few other major metros, but the restaurants on the platform are mostly concentrated in neighborhoods with lots of Asians. For Salt Lake, that means most of your pickups will occur within that weird little mini Asiantown shopping center - I know you know the one. You see, this is a delivery platform that specializes in Asian cuisine and it has support in Asian languages such as Cantonese and Korean. Therefore, another reason to check out this app might be if you have the ethnic/cultural background to navigate this environment. I think bilingual couriers have a definite advantage in this situation.
When you register, you must attend the shitty AI training videos. Some of the "lessons" in the app are blank pages that say some shit like "you may press to continue after 18 seconds". Some of the video learning plays off of a YouTube channel with a Blastoise profile picture, I shit you not. Very professional.
Skipped training and went "online" right away without my payment info being entered. I was half a continent away from Queens, so I did not get a single offer. I tried the same thing in downtown SLC, same thing, and then it asked me to do blocks. So I figured my best bet was to wait until next time I am banished to the coast and plan out a day where I can go be in that weird cat-skinning zone. Sho'nuff that day came in December, just before the Christmas Season that I normally spend in the Democratic People's Republic of New York.
The experience itself was alright. Not much different from any of the other apps I was used to, but the pay scheme sucks, and I hope it gets better for established couriers. You're getting UberEats tier mileage pay but the traffic is intense and takes a lot of your time, resulting in poor hourly efficiency. The app seems to have much greater emphasis on bike/scooter and foot couriers because it focuses so heavily on deep urban markets. Maybe it is most efficient in time and pay for these users. Also note that the tip is not included in the trip estimate.
I only got 2 orders in before it paused me and made me submit my background check information. Immediately, I was back on the road. I don't think they run any background check. But not long after, I got kicked off again and told to sign up for blocks, the soonest of which was not for a few days and I am not a resident of this fine borough.
I discovered something that makes Fantuan unique: couriers have extra incentive for wearing their gear on body (blue reflective vest, hat, etc) and car (magnet) for promotional purposes. In order to get the gear, though, you need to complete a set number of trips and that may be hard to accomplish if you do not live in the cat-skinning zones.
In a few weeks, you will get a sketchy deposit from a company called US Riceball Inc or something like it. That's Fantuan. No need to call your bank. My deposit was a few dollars higher than expected, probably accounting for tip. It was like $18.50, which wouldn't be too terrible for two orders of the distance I did in the suburbs, but with city traffic, not worth it. It took well over an hour and here at last mile heroes, we do not let the apps have us muck around for less than $25/hr. Might as well go be a wagie!
Strangely enough, both of my customers were meet-at-door drops. Contactless is an option on the app, so I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or something that Fantuan customers prefer for whatever reason.
For some bonus viewing, here is a gigtuber trying out Fantuan in the Pittsburgh area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKJCA4qhMPc - Seems like he has the same complaints about low volume and getting started.
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Fantuan First Impressions
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