Order Your Overpriced Christmas Tree From Uber Today

By Lisa White in News on Dec 5, 2013 4:30PM

Uber is doing another one of their cute and quirky promos today in a smattering of major cities and this time Christmas tree delivery is on the bill of services. Between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. today you can request the "UberTREE" option on your Uber app and a 7-8 ft. tree, stand and Uber gift (whatever the hell that is) will be delivered to your door.

That's assuming anyone can actually get the promo to work. And assuming the driver actually shows up. And assuming the GPS on the app is correct and doesn't send your tree blocks away.

Much like their ice cream truck and kitten delivery quirky promos in the past, the key issue might be actually getting these things to work for your consumers. Granted you are paying for the tree, so it might not be like the UberX debacle when they offered free rides one weekend but most people attempting to cash in couldn't get service. They also encourage you to use a special hashtag on social media to share your experience. Built-in free consumer marketing is the key in social media land.

They are at least being upfront and telling folks to "keep in mind, availability will be very limited." If you want to try your hand at it we suggest you keep in mind the cost. You will be charged $135, no refunds. Yeah, you get a stand and gift, but for some places that is more than double the cost for a standard fresh Christmas Tree (and not one from Home Depot but a local lot). Also the tree will be delivered to the first point of entry at your location, so don't expect anyone helping you haul that tree up your third floor walkup.

Isn't half the fun of a having a real tree going and picking it out? We suggest instead that you maybe take that $135 and rent a car for a few hours and pick up your own tree. Or stop by a lot and see if you can regular Uber your way home. But if you have the cash to burn and are supremely lazy, Uber has your back for today only.