I think they have. For anything that wasn't 5* , you're asked to pick an aspect that sucked to justify it. I think that helps avoid 3* / 4* is "normal" problem. At least for me it did.
Having 3 or 4 stars be normal isn't a problem though. The expectation that 4.6 is normal is a problem that AirBnb, Uber, and more and more companies now are creating. They show 5* ratings on the app to people who just signed up for apps. The average rating should be much lower than 5* in order to not mislead unsuspecting users. I don't expect it to be 3, but a 4 should be considered a good rating, and if it isn't, the app is engaging in false advertising. (Yes, I recognize that my cutoff is arbitrary, but 5 stars is supposed to mean excellent, and it has for time immemorial.)
They should ask people for justification on 5 star ratings as well, like "What was the absolutely exceptional, one-of-a-kind aspect in this ride?". Because if 5 stars means "everything's normal" and it is the maximum, what do you do to express the deviation from normal into the positive direction?
To me and seemily people my age getting an 'A' or 5/5 means "no problems" not "exceptional".
You don't express derivation in the positive direction because delivering a product or service as described without issue is the highest aspiration. It feels wrong to make anyone dance for their supper.
It's not about making anyone dance - it's about rewarding people for exceptional service. Sometimes, when I pay someone to do some kind of service for me, they go out of their way to be better than average. That is just what happens in human-to-human interactions, and I want to honor that. It's the reason to give a bigger tip than normal (now don't tell me you never did that and always tip whatever is your absolute maximum), and it should also be the reason to give more than the average amount of stars.
Oh, and btw: it's the same the other way round. I also sometimes put much more effort than strictly required into my job for a particular client, and I love it when that is recognized and honored. If it is, I am more inclined to do it again later. If not...well, not so much, then it's probably back to "standard service, just enough to fulfill the contract".
Imagine you are making barely above minimum wage and your entire income depends on your ability to constantly make customers feel like they were serviced "better than average". Sounds incredibly exhausting.
I mean in a general life sense I completely agree but not when were talking about grading others. Setting the bar for perfection at "exceeds my personal ever-changing expectations by an arbitrary unspecified degree" would actually cause me distress to have to carry out. I could never judge another human being in such a way and I would feel, and have felt, degraded being judged that way.
Like why even set expectations in the first place if your bar for perfect is "impress me"? Why is "I did everything you asked" less than perfect?
Who's talking about perfection? Perfection is like zen -- it's a goal that can never actually be achieved, so there's no problem in not achieving it. Striving for it nonetheless is a good thing.
Pretty simply, the answer is to tip them more. While that might not be a publicly visible gesture, the driver will certainly appreciate it.
Many apps, including Uber, now also give the option to commend the driver for things they did well (e.g. cool vehicle, smooth driving, great conversation), which is also an option to express specific positive feedback.
