taxi experience

leitmotiv

I booked a taxi evening from my home to a street address about 4 miles away.

The taxi arrived and we left. The driver asked me where my destination address was but I only knew it was in Mount Merrion. He said not to worry, that he would find it. As we arrived in the vicinity of Mount Merrion, he was not able to find my destination and drove around rather aimlessly. When I suggested that he should know local addresses or else use a satnav device or ask the dispatcher, he grew very aggressive, raised his voice and insulted me along the lines of how dare I as a foreigner to tell Irish people how to do their job. When I protested about his verbal abuse, he became even more aggressive. I became quite worried at this stage and we still had not found my destination. I asked to leave the taxi but the driver now demanded money and grabbed my bag containing presents and tried to violently pull it from my hands. He then centrally locked the car which was stationary at this stage, and shouted at me demanding money. I refused. He then drove off keeping me against my will in the locked car. I was very concerned now about my safety and asked where he was bringing me. He said (to my relief!) Dundrum Garda Station. When we arrived there, he left me locked in the car and went into the station returning with a Gard. The Gard suggested that I owed money to the driver. I said that I was not brought to my destination but attacked and insulted and that I did not owe the fare under the circumstances. The Gard noted my details, let me go and remained with the driver.
I hired a taxi at the Dundrum rank and was safely and friendly brought to my original destination.

I should say, that I have used taxis both for business and privately many times. I have never made a complaint or was scared in a taxi. I am a bit worried about my safety as I think that this driver is very angry, threatening and aggressive. And he knows where I live!

Was I right not to pay?

syklops

Ah, a taxi thread. We've not had one of these in a while.

You didn't know the address you were going to but you criticised him for not memorising every street, lane and road in Dublin? Why didn't you just get out when you were in Mt Merrion and go and find your destination?

99% of disputes I have had with taxi drivers have been solved by saying "Let me out here, I'll walk the rest of the way", and then paying what it said on the meter, or close enough.

zonEEE

you sound like a pussy

Hownowcow

The matter has been brought to the attention of the Gardaí. Perhaps contact them with your query.

Schism

He was wrong to lock you in the car and become aggressive obviously but you should have paid him for the journey to that point.

I wouldn't think that many people would enjoy being told how to do their job so maybe that was a bad piece of judgement.

syklops

I asked to leave the taxi but the driver now demanded money

The cheek!

yes you were , sounded like a prick

i got a cab once i had to pay before we even left there just no trust anymore

Latchy

'' he was not able to find my destination and drove around rather aimlessly ''

...hmmmmm :pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAgwNZ94mNI

dark crystal

Ye were both in the wrong here.

He should not have grabbed your property, but you should have paid him for driving you to Mt Merrion. It wasn't his fault you didn't know the exact address!

mikemac1

dark crystal wrote: »

It wasn't his fault you didn't know the exact address!

The OP knew the exact address.

I booked a taxi evening from my home to a street address about 4 miles away.

Street address, it's for the driver to get there. Not wander around aimlessly clocking up the meter.

discus

It feels like a lot of people didn't fully read the OP. Glad to hear you got sorted in the end.

Killer Wench

The driver over-reacted. I know that I would have been scared crapless in a situation like that.

DJjazzyjeff

FFS you said to the taxi driver to drive you to Mount Merion and that you don't know the exact address. He drove you to Mount Merion and was looking around for where you wanted to go because you didn't know yourself. Then you criticize that taxi driver and say he doesn't know how to do his job and didn't want to pay him for driving you four miles to Mount Merion? You Sir are a complete ****in moron who needs a good kick up the hole. I can't vent enough how gob****es like you annoy me!

/thread

**Vai**

DJjazzyjeff wrote: »

FFS you said to the taxi driver to drive you to Mount Merion and that you don't know the exact address. He drove you to Mount Merion and was looking around for where you wanted to go because you didn't know yourself. Then you criticize that taxi driver and say he doesn't know how to do his job and didn't want to pay him for driving you four miles to Mount Merion? You Sir are a complete ****in moron who needs a good kick up the hole. I can't vent enough how gob****es like him annoy me!

/thread

Ooh!

Killer Wench

DJjazzyjeff wrote: »

FFS you said to the taxi driver to drive you to Mount Merion and that you don't know the exact address. He drove you to Mount Merion and was looking around for where you wanted to go because you didn't know yourself. Then you criticize that taxi driver and say he doesn't know how to do his job and didn't want to pay him for driving you four miles to Mount Merion? You Sir are a complete ****in moron who needs a good kick up the hole. I can't vent enough how gob****es like you annoy me!

/thread

No, he had the street address. He just didn't know how to get from his house to that address.

Alter-Ego

It's his job to find the street address and to not be driving around, running up the meter looking for it. Very unprofessional on his part. If he actually had a sat-nav, you should have asked him to look it up on that, and maybe pause the meter while doing it(If the meter can be paused?).

Telling him he should just know where the address is, was wrong on your part. No taxi driver can know exactly where every street is.

Sir Osis of Liver.

Its times like these my trusty syringe comes in handy.

Killer Wench

Alter-Ego wrote: »

No taxi driver can know exactly where every street is.

Sincere question - but isn't that what Irish drivers say as to why people should choose them over a foreign driver?

mikemac1

Alter-Ego wrote: »

No taxi driver can know exactly where every street is.

Black cab drivers in central London do.

And that's far a more difficult task then urban sprawl low rise Dublin, Cork or Galway.

Alter-Ego

Killer Wench wrote: »

Sincere question - but isn't that what Irish drivers say as to why people should choose them over a foreign driver?

I don't know. I stop listening to them when they say "bleedin' fordiners" or "bleedin' dubble-jobbers"

Osborne

DJjazzyjeff wrote: »

FFS you said to the taxi driver to drive you to Mount Merion and that you don't know the exact address. He drove you to Mount Merion and was looking around for where you wanted to go because you didn't know yourself. Then you criticize that taxi driver and say he doesn't know how to do his job and didn't want to pay him for driving you four miles to Mount Merion? You Sir are a complete ****in moron who needs a good kick up the hole. I can't vent enough how gob****es like you annoy me!

/thread

I'd say you are the moron for not reading the op properly. He had the street address but didn't know how to get there. Made yourself look real stupid there. Well done.

Op, I congratulate you on doing the right thing. Why pay for a service you didn't get.

Turtyturd

Spot the taxi driver in the thread.

Alter-Ego

mikemac1 wrote: »

Black cab drivers in central London do.

And that's far a more difficult task then urban sprawl low rise Dublin, Cork or Galway.

Lets leave the racist generalisations out of this :pac:

**Vai**

Turtyturd wrote: »

Spot the taxi driver in the thread.

The guy who went off on an anger tangent for no reason? Might even be the same taxi driver from the OP.

leitmotiv

Thanks for (most) replies! Just to be clear: I knew the exact street address but couldn't direct the driver. I gave the address when I booked, plenty of time to look it up, even on a map, not to mention satnav.

I don't really want any more trouble. I am just worried because he picked me up from my home and is very aggressiv....

Femme_Fatale

Osborne wrote: »

I'd say you are the moron for not reading the op properly. He had the street address but didn't know how to get there. Made yourself look real stupid there. Well done.

Op, I congratulate you on doing the right thing. Why pay for a service you didn't get.

They did receive a service, by being driven much of the way - therefore they owed money up to that point. The taxi-driver's aggressive behaviour was out of order though.

kowloon

mikemac1 wrote: »

Black cab drivers in central London do.

And that's far a more difficult task then urban sprawl low rise Dublin, Cork or Galway.

They have to take some ludicrously hard test to qualify, don't they?

mikemac1

Yep, takes months of training to be confident of passing.

We should have it here!

Turtyturd

leitmotiv wrote: »

Thanks for (most) replies! Just to be clear: I knew the exact street address but couldn't direct the driver. I gave the address when I booked, plenty of time to look it up, even on a map, not to mention satnav.

I don't really want any more trouble. I am just worried because he picked me up from my home and is very aggressiv....

Did he attack you before you finished typing?

In this country taxi driving is a job for those incapable of doing anything else OP..it attracts the dregs of society, and it's a shame you had to experience it.

Peregrine

Can't believe the amount of people giving OP abuse over nothing.

OP knew the address but didn't know how to get there. OP calls a cab, driver gets to Mount Merrion, doesn't know the address and drives around aimlessly clocking up the meter. OP asks driver if he shouldn't use a sat nav or call dispatch. Driver goes ****in crazy, starts being racist, when OP says he won't pay, he attacks the OP and locks the car.

I wouldn't have paid either.

Osborne

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

They did receive a service, by being driven much of the way - therefore they owed money up to that point. The taxi-driver's aggressive behaviour was out of order though.

Are you serious? He didn't complete the service. Just because he brought the op the majority of the way does not mean he should pay. He pre booked the taxi with the exact address. He expected to be brought to this address but unfortunately was not. I don't understand why anyone would pay when the service was not fulfilled.