I was having a perfectly good (if hungover and tired) weekend, until I got ripped off by a cab belonging to City Cab (it’s the name of a taxicab company here in Los Angeles). I took a taxi from LAX to my home, and the driver, Bashir Hassan, didn’t turn on the meter. So I asked him, as we were halfway through the airport, “Hey, aren’t you going to turn the meter on?” He patted the meter and said, “Yeah.”
Well, five minutes later, he still didn’t turn it on, and I said, “Hey, turn the meter on,” and he said, “It’s on.” I said, “No it isn’t” (there were no numbers and the VACANT light was on) and he said, “Yes, it is. We’ll check it when we get there.”
Well, that should have been warning #1 for me to get out immediately, but I was already near Westchester, and was tired and just wanted to go home. Plus, I actually trusted the driver, which was a big mistake.
And, of course, lo and behold, when we get there…”Twenty five bucks plus $2.50 service charge.” Well, I’d just taken a taxi from home to LAX on Friday, and it was less than $15 - I said “No way” and told him exactly that. He said, “These are our new rates” and pointed at the rate sheet.
Well, how is your average passenger supposed to a) determine that the cabdriver’s meter is or isn’t working and b) calculate mileage and time stopped for their ride? I couldn’t, so I got worked. I argued with him for a few minutes, and then I finally said fuck it, paid him, and told him I’d call his dispatch and the city. He said, “Fine, go ahead.”
Well, I called dispatch, and they said the ride should have been no more than $18, with the $2.50 fee included. However, their complaint department isn’t open today so I’m going to have to call tomorrow. Weak.
I already lodged a complaint with the City of Los Angeles’ taxi services Website, and I’ll call City Cab’s complaint line in the morning. I could care less about the ten bucks, but I want it back, and more importantly, I want an apology.
Meanwhile, boycott City Cab, and if they ask why, tell them “Because Michael from rightonbro.com said so!” From now on I’m just going to use Independent Cab - this is not an endorsement, but I’ve never had any problems with them. Plus, my neighbor is a cab driver for them, and if there are any problems, I can always go throw eggs at his house or something if I’m feeling particularly spiteful.
Other than that, the weekend in San Jose/San Francisco was dope. This blog entry was supposed to be about that, but then this whole cab thing happened, and now I’m too annoyed to write about the trip. I’ll give you the update later.
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