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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:
Comefromaway · 20/07/2020 01:16

But Tesco would not add on an extra £1 onto your shopping bill if you had to nip to the cash point.

HouchinBawbags · 20/07/2020 09:29

@Comefromaway

But Tesco would not add on an extra £1 onto your shopping bill if you had to nip to the cash point.
Just what I was going to say. The taxi driver caused the time delay by not having the payment facilities that his company confirmed that they provide. He therefore was charging OP extra for his own error. Tesco would simply hold a customers goods for them to go get cash, not charge them extra. And THEY would apologise for the inconvenience to you.
melj1213 · 20/07/2020 12:20

The difference being that Tesco would accept their liability, apologise and hold your shopping until you could come back with the cash, and would not charge you extra for the privilege.

Angiemum24 · 20/07/2020 17:37

Call them and report him. I’m not trying to be a Karren or anything but swearing and saying your banned is uncalled for. This driver has some prob,ems are needs to know his actions are wrong.

Cloudspotter · 20/07/2020 17:48

YANBU

You were ready prepared to pay by card. All cabs are meant to be able to take cards.

It's not your fault or responsibility that his income has dropped, or that he's stressed.

I'd genuinely complain about this to whatever regulators/his firm. Loss of income does not entitle him to start ripping people off like this. It's unreasonable of him to insist you pay cash then charge you more while you get that cash.

Soubriquet · 20/07/2020 17:51

No one should speak to customer like that when they are working

I would have complained to head office about his attitude

Bet he wouldn’t have done that if you was a man.

Cloudspotter · 20/07/2020 17:55

PS another reason I now prefer Uber. All the money bit is taken care of online, avoiding this sort of guilt trip/negotiating business when you're in someone's cab.

I've got sick of getting quoted then mysteriously it's more, or a convoluted route. I realise that many taxi drivers will be ordinary, honest people, but it's a stressful job and there is a bit if a many/world owes me a living mindset at work, which you just never get from Uber drivers, despite the fact that they are likely much lower remunerated.

csigeek · 20/07/2020 17:58

Taxi drivers tend to be self employed and the job retention scheme was extended to self employed people so they should have been able to claim 80% of their declared earnings. Anecdotally I’ve heard a lot of stories about some self employed people having screwed themselves over by not declaring all of their earnings so that they pay less tax and now the 80% they can claim is of a much lower amount than they are used to actually earning. This does not apply to all of course and to be honest it’s karma for those that have done this.
I also don’t know if they extended the scheme to people who own businesses and pay themselves via dividends rather than a wage.
It’s a tough time for everyone and no matter his circumstances there was really no need for him to react the way he did because I’m sure you’re now unlikely to use his services again and will probably tell others about your negative experience.

mumof2exhausted · 20/07/2020 18:02

I’m sorry but yes everyone self employed was able to claim if they couldn’t work and paid all correct tax. If they haven’t been declaring and paying tax correctly then that is too bad. I applied for self employment and it was ridiculously easy process.

He was completely out of order.

Passenger42 · 20/07/2020 18:03

Get over it and find another taxi company with less rude drivers.

shamalidacdak · 20/07/2020 18:10

YANBU. He shouldn't have been rude. And most businesses are moving away from cash so his machine should have worked. Also he's in a dying industry. I haven't been in a taxi since Uber was invented

MyWitzEnd · 20/07/2020 18:11

Miserable bastard. Id have shouted after him!

Oscarsdaddy · 20/07/2020 18:16

YANBU

If his card machine wasn’t working that’s his problem not yours

If he worked for a company he should be reported ..... disgraceful behaviour

cherish123 · 20/07/2020 18:27

His fault. He told you £12 and that's what the cost was - not £14. He kept the meter running. It was not your fault the card machine was broken. I would have said this at the time.

Ezzabean · 20/07/2020 18:57

Wow.
Someone’s feeling superior.

I’m with most others on this OP- wasn’t your fault his machine was broken so there’s no excuse for adding in the £2 & even less excuse for swearing at you. Definitely complain to the cab company. He was trying to screw you over.

Ballybeyondthepail · 20/07/2020 19:01

I lost track of the tunes a machine wasn’t working or the cabby took the scenic route or left the meter on or didn’t turn the meter on in the first place and ‘guessed’ the fare. I would lose may sleep over it, it was his fault for leaving the metre running like that when He was at fault.

Ballybeyondthepail · 20/07/2020 19:02

I would report his behaviour - aggressively swearing at women like that is out of order and not the image the firm is hoping for I would imagine.

GiftedFish · 20/07/2020 19:05

No. You didn't screw the taxi driver.

excuseforfights · 20/07/2020 19:09

"No. You didn't screw the taxi driver over"

fixed it for you.

FelicisNox · 20/07/2020 19:30

I don't care how hard he's had it, he had no bloody right to scream at you over £1, particularly when you are correct regarding his machine.

He overcharged you not thinking you would bring out exact change.

He is the asshole not you.

I would report him but I am THAT petty.

chrislilleyswig · 20/07/2020 19:34

@Angiemum24

Call them and report him. I’m not trying to be a Karren or anything but swearing and saying your banned is uncalled for. This driver has some prob,ems are needs to know his actions are wrong.
You're not trying to be a Karen?

Do we need that shite on Mn?

zingally · 20/07/2020 19:48

No, you weren't unreasonable, and he shouldn't have sworn at you.

I imagine taxi drivers, especially those who are self-employed have had a hell of a time over the past four months. I suspect, like a lot of workers who operate in the majority-cash economy, a good chunk of their cash income gets quietly pocketed away from ol' Mr Tax Man... So when it came to getting support from the government, based on declared income... I imagine many came up short.

I also work in a trade that is primarily cash driven, so I understand how many can fall foul of the system!

Also that's a reason why I always make sure I have cash for taxi drivers!

Fudgemonkeys · 20/07/2020 19:52

Even before lockdown I'd be told I could pay by card and then told I couldn't so I understand your frustration of not having any cash.

Cloglover · 20/07/2020 20:10

You weren't in the wrong at all. He shouldn't have kept the clock going if you were getting cash because his card terminal wasn't working. And he certainly shouldn't have sworn at you.

I doubt very much you're blacklisted as he'd have to explain to the company why!

Celestine70 · 20/07/2020 20:17

It's not your fault his machine wasn't working. I would have probably made a joke about it and said is that your tip? However, if he flipped out I wouldn't have paid the extra and not felt guilty.