taxi experience

vitani

Precious flower wrote: »

I remember once we had to get a taxi as did other passengers getting the train from Ennis train station to Limerick station once because the train wasn't running for some reason or other. We get in the taxi and the taxi driver reveals to us he doesn't actually know how to get to Limerick Station!:pac: He ends up following one of the other taxis bringing people all the way there!:pac: Now, that's bad!

I've been on a bus before where the driver used the exact words 'sorry folks, I'm lost again. Which way do we go from here?'

weldoninhio

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

There were a pair of you in it OP.

Of course he should not have locked you in but you should have paid him. You can't refuse to pay because you didn't know where you were heading.

It was hardly his fault you didn't know where you were going. And insulting or passing judgement on the way he did his job wouldn't have helped.

I'm gonna become a taxi-driver Audrey, just think of the money i'll make out of tourists that don't know where they are going and i can just bundle them out in the general area and expect payment!! :rolleyes:

steddyeddy

In fairness there is a load of taxi drivers in Dublin in the last few years who haven't got a clue where they are going. I know several young girls in college who aren't from Dublin who were taken the back end of no where by many a taxi driver in the last few years. There are a load of chancers in the industry and they need to be called on it.

Spook_ie

jjpep wrote: »

And would the taxi driver not be guilty of fraud? He clearly couldn't fulfil his role in getting the op to where he wanted to go but seemed to think that he should be paid anyway.

Yeah and the way to do it isn't how the OP did it, there is an entire department that's been set up to deal with it, but I suppose typical lynch mentality of boards.ies precludes that being the way forward, ah well such is life

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Got a taxi one night in the winter of 2010, snow was really bad, I was drunk in a pair of heels and had flipflops in my bag to change into when my heels got too painful. Fairly well on it, i approach the first two or three taxis who told me they were not doing any runs outside of town. Approached the next taxi, told him where I was going and he accepted the fare. I live 3 miles from the town. Taxi man drove me 2 miles of the way, informed me he was not going any further in the snow and told me it would be nine euro. This is near 4am and I'm two miles away from the nearest town. I paid the money and put on my flipflops and walked home. Turned me off relying on taxis after that!

up for anything

weldoninhio wrote: »

I'm gonna become a taxi-driver Audrey, just think of the money i'll make out of tourists that don't know where they are going and i can just bundle them out in the general area and expect payment!! :rolleyes:

You could set up in business with a friend. When you drop the tourists off in the middle of nowhere he could pick them up and take them to the side of nowhere, then you could pick them up again and take them to other side of nowhere. You could keep going all day like that. Then they'd have a good story to tell when they got home about mad Irish taxi drivers and you'd have made loadsa money out of them. Win win situation..

Pawwed Rig

steddyeddy wrote: »

In fairness there is a load of taxi drivers in Dublin in the last few years who haven't got a clue where they are going.

Been bad as long as I remember. I'm talking at least the last 20 years. I remember people older than me giving out about them too so not just the newer guys.

The Backwards Man

LexieOnRale wrote: »

Got a taxi one night in the winter of 2010, snow was really bad, I was drunk in a pair of heels and had flipflops in my bag to change into when my heels got too painful. Fairly well on it, i approach the first two or three taxis who told me they were not doing any runs outside of town. Approached the next taxi, told him where I was going and he accepted the fare. I live 3 miles from the town. Taxi man drove me 2 miles of the way, informed me he was not going any further in the snow and told me it would be nine euro. This is near 4am and I'm two miles away from the nearest town. I paid the money and put on my flipflops and walked home. Turned me off relying on taxis after that!

In fairness, I wouldn't blame a taximan for continuing on if it was unsafe to do so. Actually the reckless ones that would continue on regardless of consequences are much more of a menace.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

The Backwards Man wrote: »

In fairness, I wouldn't blame a taximan for continuing on if it was unsafe to do so. Actually the reckless ones that would continue on regardless of consequences are much more of a menace.

He had no business accepting a fare and leaving a 22 yr old, drunk, in a rural area with no street lights, alone, a mile from the destination he agreed to when I took the cab, and two miles from a town where I could have found another taxi to take the fare.

Feathers

pabloh999 wrote: »

Ive highlighted the problem here;)
Do you go to a restaurant sit down, order a meal, eat it, then walk out the front door without paying because you were not happy with some part of the service?

Cop on.

Ormus wrote: »

I demand more analogies

If you went to the cinema, & the projector broke half way through; you asked for a refund & they said you saw 75% of the film, so we'll give you 25% refund — would that be fair? Or would you say that it's the type of service where you need to get it in full to be worthwhile?

Surely the point of getting a taxi is a) to be brought from door-to-door, b) to save time and c) to let someone else look after getting you there. In return for that, you pay them a hefty fair.

If you wanted to work out how to get there yourself, walk from a point nearby & take longer doing it, you'd take the bus for a fraction of the price.

fishy fishy wrote: »

the driver of the car told the passenger that "he would find it" The driver was in the process of "finding it" when the passenger throw a wobbler and decided that He wanted to leave the taxi.

if he chose to leave the taxi he must pay for his fare. Otherwise everybody could pull that stunt. His choice.

Can you quote from the OP where he 'threw a wobbler'? From what he actually said, he wanted to leave the car when the driver got agressive.

The Backwards Man

LexieOnRale wrote: »

He had no business accepting a fare and leaving a 22 yr old, drunk, in a rural area with no street lights, alone, a mile from the destination he agreed to when I took the cab, and two miles from a town where I could have found another taxi to take the fare.

No, he shouldn't have took the run on if he knew it was too dangerous, I agree with you there. But when he had taken you a part of the way and it was too dangerous to continue, what do you suggest he should have done?

steddyeddy

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Been bad as long as I remember. I'm talking at least the last 20 years. I remember people older than me giving out about them too so not just the newer guys.

Well yes I agree but there is more people in the industry now that know Dublin about as well as I know a nun's vagina.

EazyD

LexieOnRale wrote: »

He had no business accepting a fare and leaving a 22 yr old, drunk, in a rural area with no street lights, alone, a mile from the destination he agreed to when I took the cab, and two miles from a town where I could have found another taxi to take the fare.

In fairness, it does come across as bad form on his part, but realistically how was he to know the conditions would worsen 2 miles into the fare he agreed? Had the car gotten into bother or stuck, it would have been a similar result, and at his own cost to rectify.

syklops

syklops wrote: »

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.

Why doesn't someone who has paid for a taxi just get out and walk when they have no idea where they were going? Only in Ireland. If I pay for a taxi and give them a street address, I bloody well expect them to leave me where I'm going, not wandering the streets.

The Backwards Man

The Backwards Man wrote: »

No, he shouldn't have took the run on if he knew it was too dangerous, I agree with you there. But when he had taken you a part of the way and it was too dangerous to continue, what do you suggest he should have done?

Seriously? He should have driven her somewhere she could get another taxi, at least. Or a bar, or somewhere. Not dumped a young woman in the middle of nowhere.

The Backwards Man

Tommy Sour Ram wrote: »

Seriously? He should have driven her somewhere she could get another taxi, at least. Or a bar, or somewhere. Not dumped a young woman in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah, that's what he should have done. Try telling that to someone intoxicated in the middle of the night that only wants to get home.

kc90

That sounds horrible.

leitmotiv wrote: »

When I suggested that he should know local addresses or else use a satnav device or ask the dispatcher

Although what sort of response were you expecting to that?

Tigger

We were in London and the mini cab guy could t find the address
Ended up Asking a copper
When we got there I pointed out that the last time I'd taken the same journey
( the previous evening) it had been half the money so he acquiesced and accepted half the money

In the ops case that was false arrest and he should peruse it

COYVB

The Backwards Man wrote: »

No, he shouldn't have took the run on if he knew it was too dangerous, I agree with you there. But when he had taken you a part of the way and it was too dangerous to continue, what do you suggest he should have done?

Why couldn't he bring her back to where he picked her up

The Backwards Man

COYVB wrote: »

Why couldn't he bring her back to where he picked her up

That is actually what I would do, if I was a taxi driver. But between greedy taximen and drunk customers this doesn't always happen.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

The Backwards Man wrote: »

That is actually what I would do, if I was a taxi driver. But between greedy taximen and drunk customers this doesn't always happen.

There was no arguments from me, I wasn't demanding him bring me all the way right now, and when he said he was not bringing me any further I paid him the price on the meter, changed my shoes and got out. He had no problem abandoning the run 2/3s the way and leaving someone on their own in dangerous conditions, (for example I was in heels, how was he to know I had flipflops, the chances of slipping and falling and nobody around to help til the morning, which means you'd b left lying in the snow for hours if you were unable to get yourself up). I'm not even sure it was dangerous conditions that made him stop either, I think it was more the fact he needed to be extra cautious, and in turn the fare was taking longer than it was worth, and he was losing out on easy fares on a bush Saturday night before Christmas. Like you pay for a taxi to get you home safe.

Spook_ie

LexieOnRale wrote: »

Got a taxi one night in the winter of 2010, snow was really bad, I was drunk in a pair of heels and had flipflops in my bag to change into when my heels got too painful. Fairly well on it, i approach the first two or three taxis who told me they were not doing any runs outside of town. Approached the next taxi, told him where I was going and he accepted the fare. I live 3 miles from the town. Taxi man drove me 2 miles of the way, informed me he was not going any further in the snow and told me it would be nine euro. This is near 4am and I'm two miles away from the nearest town. I paid the money and put on my flipflops and walked home. Turned me off relying on taxis after that!

A taxi driver like any other person has a "Health and Safety" duty to be performed both towards their selves and to their passengers, if a journey becomes too dangerous to continue he does have a right to terminate it, though I would've expected him to have given you the choice of walking from there or returning towards civilization and a hotel room

fishy fishy

its funny how people are handy with making up all their own scenarios to fit the situations.

the FACT of the matter is, is that if the OP was not satisfied that the driver did not know where the exact address was, he shouldn't have gotten into the taxi. The taxman said that "he would FIND it" - he didn't say he knew exactly where it was. The OP was perfectly fine with this - he got into the taxi. While the taxman was FINDING it the OP decided he wanted to leave the taxi without paying. The OP ASKED to leave the taxi. His choice. Pay what you owe and get out.

but hey, why bother with the facts when you can make up better scenarios.

fishy fishy

fishy fishy wrote: »

its funny how people are handy with making up all their own scenarios to fit the situations.

the FACT of the matter is, is that if the OP was not satisfied that the driver did not know where the exact address was, he shouldn't have gotten into the taxi. The taxman said that "he would FIND it" - he didn't say he knew exactly where it was. The OP was perfectly fine with this - he got into the taxi. While the taxman was FINDING it the OP decided he wanted to leave the taxi without paying. The OP ASKED to leave the taxi. His choice. Pay what you owe and get out.

but hey, why bother with the facts when you can make up better scenarios.

Does the fact the majority of people totally disagree with you not give you a hint you're wrong??

If he said he would find the address that does not mean driving around aimlessly looking for it, it means either doing one sweep of the area and finding it easily or using a satnav etc to find the location while on route. I also see absolutely nothing wrong with the op suggesting the driver use another means of finding the address.

If you were in a shop and the person working there insisted on doing a calculation of a bill in their head and got it wrong many times, would you think it was out of line to suggest they use a calculator?

ImDave

fishy fishy wrote: »

its funny how people are handy with making up all their own scenarios to fit the situations.

the FACT of the matter is, is that if the OP was not satisfied that the driver did not know where the exact address was, he shouldn't have gotten into the taxi. The taxman said that "he would FIND it" - he didn't say he knew exactly where it was. The OP was perfectly fine with this - he got into the taxi. While the taxman was FINDING it the OP decided he wanted to leave the taxi without paying. The OP ASKED to leave the taxi. His choice. Pay what you owe and get out.

but hey, why bother with the facts when you can make up better scenarios.

There is no two ways about it - the OP was correct not to pay. A taxi driver is running a business just like any other service provider. If they cannot fulfull a reasonable expectation of them, and/or come improperly equipped (no up-to-date Sat Nav for example if they require it) to the job, the customer should not be charged. If the taxi driver was unsure of the exact location prior to leaving with the customer, the professional thing to do is find where it is. In this day and age, there is no excuse for not being able to do that.

Ush1

I actually gave a taxi driver a bit of abuse on Saturday night for being so grumpy. I even offered him some chicken nuggets. Felt bad the next morning about it though.

fishy fishy

Christina Jolly Valor wrote: »

Does the fact the majority of people totally disagree with you not give you a hint you're wrong??

If he said he would find the address that does not mean driving around aimlessly looking for it, it means either doing one sweep of the area and finding it easily or using a satnav etc to find the location while on route. I also see absolutely nothing wrong with the op suggesting the driver use another means of finding the address.

If you were in a shop and the person working there insisted on doing a calculation of a bill in their head and got it wrong many times, would you think it was out of line to suggest they use a calculator?

not what happened.

if I was in a shop with a bag of groceries and I got a little impatient at the shop assistant calculating my cost, so I decided to leave the shop WITH the unpaid groceries - now that would be Wrong.

I don't base my opinions on how many people don't follow the facts and say that they are right. it doesn't matter to me how many people disagree with me - the fact is the person agreed to the service that the taxman offered, then decided he didn't like it and wanted a free ride.

I don't base my opinions on a calculation of how many people disagree with me. That would be crazy.

omega666

Tommy Sour Ram wrote: »

Seriously? He should have driven her somewhere she could get another taxi, at least. Or a bar, or somewhere. Not dumped a young woman in the middle of nowhere.

If that taxi couldnt make the journey with the bad roads what makes you think another taxi would? (didnt she already say she was turned down by 2 or 3 taxi's). It's 4am, what bar is open, or any place for that matter.

She had two choices,
1) Walk the last mile home (a 10 min walk) or
2) go back to the town in the taxi and hope to get another taxi to do the whole journey which sound fairly doubtfull.

I know which one i would choose at 4am.

The sooner a postal code system is implemented, the better.....

GreeBo

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.

Would you pay half the money for half a haircut?