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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Being told I'm putting my children in danger when I'm trying to do the opposite?

30 replies

katese11 · 21/10/2013 23:31

OK, this is my first OP in AIBU, so please be gentle. And sorry it's so long

Basically, I'm a London girl, not good with country stuff but am planning to meet some friends in a rural area over half term. For tedious reasons, I won't have a car so plan was to meet them in a pub or something near a train station on the mainline.

Tonight I had a brainwave and decided to see if we could take a taxi somewhere, which would give us more options. Not essential, just an idea. I have 2 dc - one 4yo, one 17mo

So, I called a taxi firm and asked if they had car seats cause we were coming by train and really can't carry their car seats with me. I was prepared for them to say no and that would be fine - revert to Plan A and meet near a station.

They said no, it's not a legal requirement, which I knew and understood. I said "OK, no worries" and prepared to hang up and revert to Plan A. Not an issue.

But then taxi guy said "Can I give you some advice?" I said "Okaaaaayyy...", not realising I was about to get a barrage of abuse.

He told me that any taxi firm that supplied car seats would have got them "from a car boot sale" and there would be no guarantees they hadn't been in an accident. I said OK, I was aware that could happen but I just wouldn't put the 17mo in on the back seat, sliding about with no seat.

He started shouting at me, saying "You wouldn't do that, you would have her on your lap".

I got a little annoyed and said I didn't think that was great advice..can I hang up now please? (damn me for being so British and not just hanging up sooner!) I said in a crash, I was likely to crush her if she was on my lap so I didn't want to do that. Sorry, bye etc...

(Bear in mind this rural area is notorious for animals wandering onto the road, so an emergency stop is a v real possibility)

He just kept shouting about how I was putting my kids' lives at risk by even considering using someone else's carseat and how I didn't care about their safety. I politely said I'd hope any good taxi firm that supplied car seats would supply safe ones and thanks but bye.

Then I said I probably wouldn't be booking a cab with him, at which pointed he said "Well, I don't want customers like you anyway" and hung up.

AIBU to be completely perplexed and a bit freaked by this? I am still shaking now, he was so horrible to me. I know IABU for not hanging up sooner....

(Sorry again for the length)

OP posts:
SomethingOnce · 21/10/2013 23:33

YANBU - what a loon!

attheendoftheday · 21/10/2013 23:33

YANBU he sounds deranged!

CharityFunDay · 21/10/2013 23:33

He sounds unhinged. No wonder you're shaken.

So no, YANBU.

What you need is wine, then bed.

thursdaysgirls · 21/10/2013 23:34

I would have told him to fuck off.

Yanbu.

DumSpiroSpero · 21/10/2013 23:34

Well he sounds like a bit of a prat.

TBH I think you'll struggle to find a taxi company that supplies car seats as they take up a lot of boot space when not in use.

MMcanny · 21/10/2013 23:37

Maybe he was having a bad day, don't take it personally.

elcranko · 21/10/2013 23:37

What a nutter!

YANBU

Original poster
katese11 · 21/10/2013 23:40

Thanks all! I genuinely wondered whether I was the crazy one after that call. Wine would be good but don't have any in....hmm, slightly fermented apple juice?

dum I knew it was a long shot, but thought it was worth an ask, yknow...

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 21/10/2013 23:44

Weird

I wonder why he started shouting? Confused

katese11 · 21/10/2013 23:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Nanny0gg · 22/10/2013 00:09

They have to be licensed by their local council.

Maybe a word to them?

And most reputable taxi firms/private hire companies buy new car seats if they supply them.

Original poster
katese11 · 22/10/2013 00:13

See nanny that's what I'd assume. .. no-one wants to be on a situation where they've supplied a dodgy car seat and a child's got injured because of it, do they?

OP posts:
AnnieLobeseder · 22/10/2013 00:18

What a loon! If he's so worried about children in taxis, he should make sure his company have good quality one and then they can also use that as a selling point for customers instead of driving customers away with rants.

Oh well, his loss, he'll be out of business soon enough...

CanucksoontobeinLondon · 22/10/2013 03:32

YANBU. He sounds like a total jerk with anger management issues. I'm not surprised you were shaken up, having a total stranger yell at you on the phone.

RedorBlack · 22/10/2013 05:00

YANBU, blimey sounds like a lucky escape to me, this is not the person you want driving you & your kids around! Shock

PumpkinPie2013 · 22/10/2013 07:23

YANBU - he sounds like a right nutter!!!!

I can understand him perhaps mentioning that some taxi firms use car seats which they buy from car boot sales and so may not be safe as perhaps he knows of other local firms doing this and was worried you may think you were getting a safe option when actually you weren't.

However, when you thanked him for his advice that should have been the end of it!

RustyBear · 22/10/2013 07:41

It's pretty easy to discover which company you're talking about! As the name of his taxi company is [name of town] Taxis it's hardly surprising that other companies have similar names - they just happen to have the name of the town in their names! He's probably pissed off that another company has got the NameoftownTaxis.com website name and he has to make do with NameoftownTaxis.co.uk!

AuntyEntropy · 22/10/2013 07:44

Just as a passing thought - if one of the local firms has a black cab then you could just wheel the toddler in in their pushchair, and put the 4 year old on the integral booster seat in the middle at the back.

Amy106 · 22/10/2013 07:49

Don't let it bother you. He sounds like a very strange man.

magicstars · 22/10/2013 07:50

YANBU and a local company I use borrows the cars seats from their own dc, so fairly confident they'd want them to be up to standard.
Ring around a bit more and you might have more luck.

dashoflime · 22/10/2013 07:52

He's a total crank. Don't worry about it.
The problem with being a parent is that all sorts of nutters feel free to share their .. um interesting opinions with you.

I once had a drunk guy screaming in my face that I was a terrible parent for having DS (then 5 months or so) out late.
It was 10pm, he was asleep in his pram and we were on our way home Hmm

Delilahlilah · 22/10/2013 07:54

For the 4 year old, get an inflatable booster seat. You can take it with you easily then. Very handy for unexpected car journeys.

Justforlaughs · 22/10/2013 07:56

Do you think he is the owner of the firm or just an employee, if the latter I would suggest a quiet word with his boss - he sounds unhinged. Hope you have a great day out with your friends

eurochick · 22/10/2013 08:38

I suspect some of his competitors offer car seats and he knew he was about to lose your business.

eurochick · 22/10/2013 08:38

I suspect some of his competitors offer car seats and he knew he was about to lose your business.

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