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AIBU?

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Original poster

Did I screw the taxi driver over?!

223 replies

DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 19/07/2020 09:31

A taxi driver flipped out at me yesterday. Over £1.
And I'm feeling guilty and cross about it.

I took a taxi to the train station yesterday, called a particular company who are reliable and asked if they had a card machine or do I need to organise cash?

They said they have card machines so that's fine.

The guy who took me was lovely, but said he's lucky if he makes £20 a day now. He used to make £200-£300 a day.

2 hours later I call a taxi to take us home.
We get home, I ask how much and it's £12something.
I get my card out but he says the card machine isn't working. So I say I'll run upstairs and get some cash. I have £3 in my wallet and a £10 upstairs.
I went to say "don't worry about the change" and
he then says it was £14something.

I was like, whaaaaat? He charged me for the time him and I took the bags out the boot, and for the matter or minutes it took me to run upstairs and grab the £10.

I said no sorry, I was ready to pay with my card. I'm not being charged extra while I ran upstairs and got cash, it was his card machine that was broken after all.

He starts shouting fuck you! Fuck you! You screwed me over, over £1.

I was thinking is this really happening?! He's shouting at me as he's driving away.

Now I'm thinking about what that guy said about only making £20 a day.

I feel like one of us was an arsehole and I'm not sure how it is.

Are taxi drivers furloughed??? Are things so desperate he's shouting at customers over a quid? I'm worried he flipped out because life is shit and he has no bloody food for his kids or something?!

Am I over thinking this?!

OP posts:
fuckinghellapeacock · 19/07/2020 09:36

Taxi drivers are Mostly self employed and Own their own vehicles. I imagine this has been an absolutely horrendous time for them. I also know a lot of taxi drivers and other service personnel are very frustrated about the erosion of the cash economy and move to use of cards. He will have commission to pay on a card payment as well as not getting as many tips.
He shouldn’t have sworn at you thou.

Original poster
DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 19/07/2020 09:38

My husband is self employed but still got money from the government.

They would have done too, surely? And there's tax credits(UC) if their income has dropped?

OP posts:
DibDibDibduh · 19/07/2020 09:42

He told you it was £12 something
He is at fault

Tinyhumansurvivalist · 19/07/2020 09:43

Oh please educate yourself.

Not everyone is entitled to the self employment help and not everyone is entitled to uc

Original poster
DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 19/07/2020 09:44

Oh please educate yourself.

You do realise that's exactly what I'm trying to do right now, don't you?

OP posts:
LimpidPools · 19/07/2020 09:44

Well, you were doing your best, weren't you? It's not your fault if the card machine you specifically asked about isn't working. It was just lucky that you had that tenner.

He might be skint and stressed, but he was definitely being an arsehole. He shouldn't have been shouting and swearing at you. Completely disproportionate and out of order. You didn't 'screw him over' - you did the best you could.

EnoughAlready2020 · 19/07/2020 09:45

Pls don't get upset about this. Even if you had shortchanged him (which you didn't) there is no way he shoved have spoken to you like that. My guess is he lied about the machine not working, because he needed the cash. Tbh I'd complain to the cab firm. If he can be that nasty to a paying customer, I'd want to stop him before he was agains

Comefromaway · 19/07/2020 09:46

He was wrong.

You specifically chose a firm that takes cards. It’s not your fault his machine was not working. Suppose you didn’t have cash. Dd & dh use taxis and only have card.

LazyFace · 19/07/2020 09:47

No. You asked how much it was and he told you. Swearing at you about £1 and I'd probably complain about his behaviour to the company.

AliasGrape · 19/07/2020 09:47

Oh please educate yourself.

Not everyone is entitled to the self employment help and not everyone is entitled to uc

And nobody is entitled to scream and swear at a customer because their card machine was faulty and they had put the price up from what they’d originally said.

OP I’m sure he’s had a very tough time, as have many, but he shouldn’t have shouted and sworn. You didn’t screw him over. But in future maybe try to make sure you’ve got cash available if you’re going to be taking taxis.

arethereanyleftatall · 19/07/2020 09:48

He was definitely wrong in this snap shot to shout at you. You hadn't done anything wrong personally.
But, assuming he's a nice guy normally, this is indicative of the financial stress many many people are under right now.
No, op, many self employed people have been given no financial help throughout this. Neither myself (new business, no books prior to April 2019), nor my se Exh (over £50k) were entitled to anything. We've gone through £30k of savings.

arethereanyleftatall · 19/07/2020 09:49

He was definitely wrong in this snap shot to shout at you. You hadn't done anything wrong personally.
But, assuming he's a nice guy normally, this is indicative of the financial stress many many people are under right now.
No, op, many self employed people have been given no financial help throughout this. Neither myself (new business, no books prior to April 2019), nor my se Exh (over £50k) were entitled to anything. We've gone through £30k of savings.

reesewithoutaspoon · 19/07/2020 09:49

Taxis charge for time and mileage. The clock would have remained on while you went and got the cash. because time he is waiting for you is time that hes not doing another job.
Its not your fault the machine wasnt working especially if you specifically asked for card machine. Maybe he should have stopped the clock when you arrived as a compromise.
He was wrong to be abusive, but he also lost money because the card machine wasnt working

Chanjer · 19/07/2020 09:49

You'd specifically requested card payment and they sent a vehicle without a working terminal

Whilst that's not his fault the cab company are clearly responsible for putting both of you in this situation

flibbertmygibbert · 19/07/2020 09:50

Of course you didn’t. You paid the cost of your fare, as he stated. I would be reporting him personally. It’s not ok and I doubt he’d have done the same to a man. He was at fault.

shemadeit · 19/07/2020 09:50

YANBU at all.

I sometimes wonder what these people would do if you played them at their own game and bellowed “NO FUCK YOU, YOU ROBBING BASTARD!” and repeatedly shouted it and threw the money at them.

I think men like you’re describing act that way towards women and wouldn’t dare do it to a man.

WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat · 19/07/2020 09:51

I have noticed a couple of places that are saying their card machine is not working or is very slow and can you pay in cash. I think cash can be tucked away whilst payments through a machine are on record.

FortyFiedWine · 19/07/2020 09:51

Not your fault. You didn’t set out to screw him over, he changed the price. And you can’t magic cash from nowhere. Card machine being broken is not your fault. He was rude and unprofessional.

StepAwayFromGoogle · 19/07/2020 09:52

I'd complain to the taxi company, OP. Not at all acceptable. Loads of people have had a tough time recently, doesn't give you the right to be an arsehole. He gave you the price. His machine wasn't working. He doesn't get to add on more money because you needed to find the cash.

littleducks · 19/07/2020 09:52

Uber drivers round here are doing well as people don't want to get the bus and numbers are limited even if they are fine with it. Actual taxi firms seem to be struggling with drivers having to claim self employment support from government.

He was wrong, and lucky you had cash at all, some people not touching it due to covid.

Hwory · 19/07/2020 09:53

Lots of taxi drivers card machines are 'broken' because they want cash.

If he's been a taxi driver for several years and has been declaring a profit he'll have got SEISS.

If he can't get UC it's because he has another income or capital.

I wouldn't think about it for another second.

makingmammaries · 19/07/2020 09:55

Of course he should have stopped the clock. It was his responsibility to have a working card machine and the chargeable job ended at the point where he gave you the first price. I wonder how he'd like it if you charged him for your inconvenience in having to go and fetch cash?
Everyone is having a bad time and it is no excuse for him to behave like an arse, still less shout at you. Personally I would complain to the taxi company.

Hardbackwriter · 19/07/2020 09:56

He was definitely the arsehole but personally I would try and forget about it rather than complain to the company - it just feels a bit vindictive.

Original poster
DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 19/07/2020 09:59

He also said that the company wouldn't come to my address again which is bloody annoying because that was a reliable company that I've used for years but for the first time since living here.

Can they really 'black list' an address?!

OP posts:
Whaleandsnail6 · 19/07/2020 09:59

You specifically asked if they took card payment and were told yes. If this man's card machine was broken, he should have informed the person who books the jobs that he can't do card only jobs at the moment. Or the person on the phone should inform drivers that the customer needs to pay card and then the driver can refuse the job. What would he have done if you had not had any cash on you, driven you to the cash machine and charged you for that? You were not in the wrong here.