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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

syskywalker · 20/07/2020 22:40

I bet you when you call the taxi company they tell you his machine works. And ask what he declared he earned, as he probably gives them half the amount he actually makes and the rest goes in his pocket usually. So not being able to skim and the income having dropped generally is why his card machine doesn’t work not because it’s broken. Most taxi drivers have a 2nd job and who makes £200-300 a day? That can’t be expected every day as that is not normal income for most other much harder working people.

SydneyMamma · 21/07/2020 01:25

@shemadeit

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

This is so true.

OP, you were not BU at all and there's never any excuse for someone to be sworn at like that. It's a very difficult time for a lot of people but the kind of aggressive behaviour demonstrated by the taxi driver is so completely unnecessary and is out of order.

SydneyMamma · 21/07/2020 01:28

OP, given the taxi driver's appalling behaviour, you have no reason to feel guilty.

JRUIN · 21/07/2020 05:36

The taxi driver should have made it clear that the meter would still be running while you ran in and got the fare. I get that taxi drivers (like many others) are struggling but the way he acted was so unprofessional and rude! Never mind feeling guilty, I would make a complaint against him if I were you OP

TheKidsGoneFeral · 21/07/2020 07:00

@excuseforfights fixed it for who? The OP?
Did you read the title? Nothing needed fixing...

jentinquarantino20 · 21/07/2020 07:10

I can understand you being upset as I would, he is definitely the one in the wrong. I would ring the cab office and explain the situation and the £1 is irrelevant really, it’s how he spoke to you that needs to be addressed. He is representing that company and needs to behave professionally. I’ve had countless miserable drivers but if someone swore and shouted at me for any reason, it would have to be reported. I agree he wouldn’t have done that to a man.

HouchinBawbags · 21/07/2020 07:58

@TheKidsGoneFeral I think they 'fixed' the previous posters sentence of "no you didn't screw the taxi driver" when they would have meant screw him over.

excuseforfights · 21/07/2020 08:03

@TheKidsGoneFeral

@excuseforfights fixed it for who? The OP?
Did you read the title? Nothing needed fixing..

Sigh. For the poster directly above my post. RTFT.

Margerine78 · 21/07/2020 09:23

You very empathetic and it's lovely you care about how much taxi drivers are making, and it's good to not screw them over purposely, but YANBU AT ALL here. As you said, his card machine broke. No way he should've charged the extra £1 to get the money. Plus you physically didn't have it on you, so what could you have done?

Sounds like he took out another issue unfairly on you.

Shizzlestix · 21/07/2020 10:06

YANBU. The same thing happened to me en route back from A&E the other day, the card machine didn’t work, I’d checked he had one. Who carries cash right now? I had to take the pound coins for the trolley from both our cars and scrape up another couple of quid from the spare change jar. The meter had stopped when we arrived home, tho, the driver didn’t try to ask for more.

I would complain, why should you tolerate being sworn at? It isn’t your fault his machine didn’t work.

whattimeisitrightnow · 21/07/2020 11:36

Technically, he was correct to keep the meter running for waiting time.

No, @sergeilavrov, he wasn’t. It’s been established already that the time spent waiting was due to a problem on his end, not the OP’s. It wasn’t as though the OP has forgotten to bring her card with her so had to nip inside - the card machine wasn’t working. So not only did he give her a mouthful of abuse, he also had no reason to request extra money in the first place.

LindaSchef · 21/07/2020 11:50

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Oli001 · 21/07/2020 12:10

Phone the Company back and report his aggressiveness to a female - I'm sure that wouldn't have happened to a male - and also, they would come out to you again, as why would they want to lose valuable business! YANBU - how dare he! He was wrong on both points.

missnevermind · 21/07/2020 17:28

You need to call the office. Let them know what happened and that he has told you you are blacklisted. They will make a note on your number not to send that car again.

Parrotsandpussies · 21/07/2020 17:30

He shouldn't have sworn and lost his temper. But a friend of mine is a taxi driver. He is the owner and sole driver. He has many debts. He has gone from working 6 to 7 days a week, often on call throughout the night, to having jobs only once or twice a week. He has no other income. He is not entitled to Universal Credit. He has not been entitled to any Government help. His business will probably go under. He is the loveliest, most hardworking man. If he's not shouting, I feel like wailing and shouting for him. Like so many other people, he has been ruined by the virus.

Nat6999 · 21/07/2020 21:21

Taxi drivers prefer cash because they don't have to declare it all, just like they shouldn't pick up fares that haven't gone through the office but they do.

BluebellForest836 · 21/07/2020 22:52

He is the owner and sole driver. He has many debts. He has gone from working 6 to 7 days a week, often on call throughout the night, to having jobs only once or twice a week. He has no other income. He is not entitled to Universal Credit. He has not been entitled to any Government help. His business will probably go under. He is the loveliest, most hardworking man. If he's not shouting, I feel like wailing and shouting for him. Like so many other people, he has been ruined by the virus

Well if he treats customers like the OP taxi did then he will have even less work to do. Taking frustration out on customers is wrong and he should be sacked for how he spoke to the OP.

Joebloggsss · 22/07/2020 12:28

I don’t think he should be sacked. It’s really not that bad. The man should not of sworn at OP but he should not be sacked. OP will know to have cash on her in future. I’ve never got in a taxi that has a card machine anyway.

diddl · 23/07/2020 16:54

" It’s really not that bad."

That he shouted "fuck, you, fuck you" at the Op over a situation that was entirely not of her making?

Joebloggsss · 23/07/2020 17:57

@diddl

" It’s really not that bad."

That he shouted "fuck, you, fuck you" at the Op over a situation that was entirely not of her making?

In my opinion no it’s not that bad. Just to make this clear OP did not deserve to be spoken to over £1 in that manner.

However it is OPs responsibility to pay where ever you are and the card machine stops working........ you would be expected to go to a cash point and pay. Like I said already MOST taxis don’t have a card machine it’s either cash or online booking & payment.

User43210 · 23/07/2020 20:04

@DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou please ring the company and explain what happened. He is out of order to treat you like that. Maybe ensure you mention you will need to pay by card in future however the ride was over, he knows he works for a company that takes cards standardly, either the operator or the driver should have made you aware straight away and he should have stopped the clock at your arrival when he quoted the price. He needs to be told by his company that his behaviour is not on and please think of other women that he could behave aggressively to who this could seriously affect (if it hasn't for you). I would have probably shouted back at him and definitely told him I would explain the matter to his company and rang them straight away. He's either upset because the price is logged so he has to pay it (in which case you'd back him up) or he's trying to squirrel away a bit extra which could also be why the machine is "broke" in which case you out his behaviour.

Barrowmanfan22 · 23/07/2020 20:09

No, YANBU. At all. Both his service and behaviour was wrong.
If he has said that, ring the company and speak to them and explain.

Barrowmanfan22 · 23/07/2020 20:11

Not always the case. In the city I live, with both major companies they have to state if their machine isnt working and they are no longer allowed to take fares. Drivers found to be saying their machine doesn't work can be reported and banned.

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