Just went to vacuum my van, and some asshole decided to stick their used chewing gum on my carpet, and it apparently was there all last night. It's been stepped on and rubbed into the carpet.....
Things like this are why taxi fares are expensive, people! It costs money to have things like that cleaned. I mean, seriously, was someone really that lazy and disgusting to just stick their gum on the carpet in someone else's vehicle? Whoever you were, jackass, I hope you choke on the next piece of gum you chew.....
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Friday, April 16, 2010
Friday, October 16, 2009
Grrrrr....
Okay, these local hotels are really starting to get on my nerves. They are telling people what THEY think a taxi should cost from the airport, and don't have the slightest clue what the hell they are talking about.
A woman came out tonight going to a hotel on the far east end of town. If memory serves, it's around 12-13 miles. Runs around $48 on my meter, so I told her I could do it for $45. She tells me she was told this should cost around $25.
No one will even leave the airport line for less than $17. Most of us won't leave for less than $20. I won't leave for less than $25. With a maximum expected haul of 3 rides per shift, what do you expect?
At any rate, I already knew at this point I would not be getting the fare. Any time someone starts this "I was told" bullshit, they are going to take the cheapest cab they can find.
I informed her that there were minimum charges from the airport, and the minimums, as well as the fares, would vary from cab to cab. She got a price from the next cab, and asked if I would do it for that. I politely said, "No, ma'am, have a nice night."
The way I see it, if she got a price from another cab, let her ride with that cab. I'll be damned if I am going to let another driver put a price on my service.
The customer thinks.....
she proved how smart she is.
The other driver thinks.....
he proved how stupid I am, and that I'm a crook.
I think....
the customer proved what a cheapskate she is.
I think.....
the other driver proved what a slave he is to someone else's whim. The company he works for sets his wage.
Wake up, people. You're not showing how smart you are. All you are showing is how cheap you are. I know that my opinion of you means nothing to you. But to give anyone and everyone this impression of you, over a few dollars? Have you no shame?
I truly do not care whether someone rides with me or not. I have come to find that what most people consider a good tip combined with the so-called going rate is actually less than what my meter runs. I barely make minimum wage now. I would rather risk missing a ride than do it for no profit.
My fare from the airport is usually only about $10.00 more than the average competitor. What's funny about all this is that I have seen people wait in the cold for 20-30 minutes for a "cheaper" taxi to arrive, just to save that $10.00. Are they really THAT stupid?
I've said it before and I'll say it again. You get what you pay for. Chances are, if a cab driver is charging more than others, there is probably a reason. Around here, you either get a cab driver who:
A) is a cab driver and nothing else
B) is a cab driver when he's not dealing or transporting drugs
C) is on welfare
A woman came out tonight going to a hotel on the far east end of town. If memory serves, it's around 12-13 miles. Runs around $48 on my meter, so I told her I could do it for $45. She tells me she was told this should cost around $25.
No one will even leave the airport line for less than $17. Most of us won't leave for less than $20. I won't leave for less than $25. With a maximum expected haul of 3 rides per shift, what do you expect?
At any rate, I already knew at this point I would not be getting the fare. Any time someone starts this "I was told" bullshit, they are going to take the cheapest cab they can find.
I informed her that there were minimum charges from the airport, and the minimums, as well as the fares, would vary from cab to cab. She got a price from the next cab, and asked if I would do it for that. I politely said, "No, ma'am, have a nice night."
The way I see it, if she got a price from another cab, let her ride with that cab. I'll be damned if I am going to let another driver put a price on my service.
The customer thinks.....
she proved how smart she is.
The other driver thinks.....
he proved how stupid I am, and that I'm a crook.
I think....
the customer proved what a cheapskate she is.
I think.....
the other driver proved what a slave he is to someone else's whim. The company he works for sets his wage.
Wake up, people. You're not showing how smart you are. All you are showing is how cheap you are. I know that my opinion of you means nothing to you. But to give anyone and everyone this impression of you, over a few dollars? Have you no shame?
I truly do not care whether someone rides with me or not. I have come to find that what most people consider a good tip combined with the so-called going rate is actually less than what my meter runs. I barely make minimum wage now. I would rather risk missing a ride than do it for no profit.
My fare from the airport is usually only about $10.00 more than the average competitor. What's funny about all this is that I have seen people wait in the cold for 20-30 minutes for a "cheaper" taxi to arrive, just to save that $10.00. Are they really THAT stupid?
I've said it before and I'll say it again. You get what you pay for. Chances are, if a cab driver is charging more than others, there is probably a reason. Around here, you either get a cab driver who:
A) is a cab driver and nothing else
B) is a cab driver when he's not dealing or transporting drugs
C) is on welfare
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Some People Need Instructions To Breathe Through Their Nose......
Just got to thinking about (yet) another incident where someone thought it was okay to talk down to me because I'm "just a cab driver". Also a here's your sign story, technically...Couple years ago, I stopped for a lady in the Corner area of the local university.
She wasn't going far, just a few blocks, but it was cold and she didn't want to walk that far in the cold. Hey, no problem. I'm happy to get the fare.
A couple approached the cab and wanted to share the ride. As long as the original passenger doesn't mind, there's no problem there. However, they were going completely the opposite direction, and I told them that by the time I dropped the first passenger and started getting them on their way, they could have flagged another cab. They didn't care, they just wanted to get out of the cold (it was 34 degrees that night, so it's understandable).
However, when I dropped the first passenger, the shortest route would have been cut through town to the main road that led to where they were going. And I was even going to hold the meter until the spot where I'd picked them up at.
But they wanted to go another route. Legally, I cannot take a route other than that chosen by the customer, if they have a preference. But the stipulation to that is that the customer has to tell me their preference before the point of no return.
The guy tells me to go 6 or 7 miles out of the way. It was a faster route, but typically faster costs more. Most people don't understand that.
Anyway, they were going to a gated community (where the average house is $500k or better) and by the time we got through the gate, the meter read $48.00 or so. Now, typically, with the lower rates some cabs charge, and the shorter route, it would have been around $30.00. Even on my meter, the shorter route would then have been around $35.00 or so.
The woman just snaps, "Would you like to SPEAK about this?" out of the blue. Now, she had been giving her husband hell from the beginning of the ride, so I wasn't sure if she was snapping at me or not. So between the ass-chewing and insults and cussing she was giving me, I started to explain that most cabs in the area were running at or below cost.
The husband seemed concerned that they might be getting cheated, but he wasn't flat-out nasty to me, like she was. She just keeps right on cussing me. So I finally said, "Ma'am, there is no reason to verbally abuse me like this, and I don't have to put up with it." That was her warning.
"You're abusing us, you asshole...." She started to say something else, and I simply said, "Okay, that's it. Pay the fare and get out." I'd had enough.
She said she wanted a card because she wanted to file a complaint. To which I produced one for her and one for her husband, and stated, "Ma'am, they are going to tell you the exact same thing I told you -- that rates are not regulated."
The husband said something about not getting where they were going, and I simply said, "Sir, I understand, and I feel sorry for you, because you are paying the price for your wife's attitude. Had she been a little more rational like you, I not only might have adjusted the fare a bit, but also gotten you to your door. But I am not here to be cussed and abused, especially seeing as you asked me to go a route about six miles longer than the way I would have taken you."
I have figured out some things since then. I think a lot of drivers in this town are going the long way around to make up for the ridiculously low rate they charge. I can't prove it, but that is my thinking. I would rather charge enough to make a living, and not have to scare customers driving like a bat out of hell, or trick them into thinking they are getting a deal when I'm really taking them around the long way.
She wasn't going far, just a few blocks, but it was cold and she didn't want to walk that far in the cold. Hey, no problem. I'm happy to get the fare.
A couple approached the cab and wanted to share the ride. As long as the original passenger doesn't mind, there's no problem there. However, they were going completely the opposite direction, and I told them that by the time I dropped the first passenger and started getting them on their way, they could have flagged another cab. They didn't care, they just wanted to get out of the cold (it was 34 degrees that night, so it's understandable).
However, when I dropped the first passenger, the shortest route would have been cut through town to the main road that led to where they were going. And I was even going to hold the meter until the spot where I'd picked them up at.
But they wanted to go another route. Legally, I cannot take a route other than that chosen by the customer, if they have a preference. But the stipulation to that is that the customer has to tell me their preference before the point of no return.
The guy tells me to go 6 or 7 miles out of the way. It was a faster route, but typically faster costs more. Most people don't understand that.
Anyway, they were going to a gated community (where the average house is $500k or better) and by the time we got through the gate, the meter read $48.00 or so. Now, typically, with the lower rates some cabs charge, and the shorter route, it would have been around $30.00. Even on my meter, the shorter route would then have been around $35.00 or so.
The woman just snaps, "Would you like to SPEAK about this?" out of the blue. Now, she had been giving her husband hell from the beginning of the ride, so I wasn't sure if she was snapping at me or not. So between the ass-chewing and insults and cussing she was giving me, I started to explain that most cabs in the area were running at or below cost.
The husband seemed concerned that they might be getting cheated, but he wasn't flat-out nasty to me, like she was. She just keeps right on cussing me. So I finally said, "Ma'am, there is no reason to verbally abuse me like this, and I don't have to put up with it." That was her warning.
"You're abusing us, you asshole...." She started to say something else, and I simply said, "Okay, that's it. Pay the fare and get out." I'd had enough.
She said she wanted a card because she wanted to file a complaint. To which I produced one for her and one for her husband, and stated, "Ma'am, they are going to tell you the exact same thing I told you -- that rates are not regulated."
The husband said something about not getting where they were going, and I simply said, "Sir, I understand, and I feel sorry for you, because you are paying the price for your wife's attitude. Had she been a little more rational like you, I not only might have adjusted the fare a bit, but also gotten you to your door. But I am not here to be cussed and abused, especially seeing as you asked me to go a route about six miles longer than the way I would have taken you."
I have figured out some things since then. I think a lot of drivers in this town are going the long way around to make up for the ridiculously low rate they charge. I can't prove it, but that is my thinking. I would rather charge enough to make a living, and not have to scare customers driving like a bat out of hell, or trick them into thinking they are getting a deal when I'm really taking them around the long way.
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