To think full vomit charge was unreasonable?

[Sabrina145]

So my friend vomited in the taxi home from a night out last weekend. She was in the front seat and a very small amount of sick went on the gear stick. The driver stopped quickly and she opened the door and continued getting sick outside. The driver wiped the bit of vomit from the gear stick with a tissue. He charged us the full price of the soiling fee-180 euros. Now I totally think the fee is fair, don’t get me wrong, if someone throws up in the car. But this was only a small bit and he wiped it off so should
it have been maybe half the fee? Anyway, we paid and that’s that. I guess I’m just wondering AIBU to think maybe she should have got a partial charge instead? Or am I totally wrong! I do understand it’s horrible for the driver to have any amount of bodily fluids in their vehicle!

If you don’t want to be fined, don’t get into a taxi when you’re pissed.
Its really difficult to get rid of the smell.

Lesson learned. Move on.

Some poor person has to clean that. And the time it took him/her to clean it cost him taxis fares.

@Doggolover2 A very rational response! I certainly didn’t judge her- she’s an amazing person. I’m not going to havre her because she had one too many and her body vomited a toxin! Of course I sympathise with driver. You were one of few who understood about the amount and that he cleaned on the spot. She did pay by the way. She’s so embarrassed and keeps apologising to me!

When someone is expelling vomit with force, there will be micro particles all over the front/dash, not just what you can see. She'd have got her filthy stomach contents all over, not just on the gear stick. He cleaned up enough to carry on with the journey - he'd probably have had to do a more comprehensive clean up afterwards. You are incredibly unreasonable to be even questioning this. Mind you, your puking friend should be the one paying the extra, unless there's some other reason why not.

Nope yanbu.

The fee is not just some kind of "this is the cost of cleaning a taxi". The actual "cost" of a full car valet (to a taxi fleet who must do them weekly anyway) is probably less than £50. The charge isn't a cost-of-what-you-used that can be discounted if the effect wasn't too bad, it's a penalty and a warning and a disincentive that exists to teach people that it is totally unacceptable to get yourself so drunk that you might throw up and then get into a taxi. People who aren't mature enough to understand this aren't legally allowed to drink anyway. For those who have reached the noble and respected age of 18 it's not hard to get your head around: if you drink, stop before you get to the point that you might vomit. If you don't do that then don't get into a taxi, walk home. If you can't restrain yourself from drinking to vomiting point, stay within an easy walk of home to do so. If these simple rules are too much for you you are too much of a baby to drink at all.

The fact that the majority if the vomit went out of the taxi does not alter one jot the shittiness of her behaviour in getting into a taxi whilst that drunk. That was luck, not skill or good judgement or any kind of moral superiority that could justify a reduced cost of the behaviour.

@Doggolover2 that should have said judge

Doggolover2 · Today 23:44
Good god all the Karens on MN hahahaha”

So not thinking it’s ok to get so drunk that you puke in a taxi makes someone a “Karen”?

Ever heard of the concept of personal responsibility?

@Doggolover2

Karen?? And a X at the end of your post??

Yes I have, I’ve never been drunk enough to be sick in a taxi but if one of my friends took it too far on a one off I wouldn’t be a judgemental bitch about it…Your reaction is a million miles off the action, she hasn’t been out taking drugs or trying to bring home randoms. She had one too many and was sick, it’s not good but not the crime of the century a real friend would never be as judgemental as 90% of these comments.

If you had a child who got too drunk (but this wasn’t their normal behaviour, they were apologetic and paid for it) would you want all her friends to be disgusted and drop her like a hot tattie?…I think not

Sorry I missed details - he's a person providing you a service though, he's not your mate and he was probably revolted - that car is his livelihood

I agree with paying the charge but some people like myself vomit after a relatively low amount of alcohol. It’s actually physically impossible for me to get blackout drunk because I’ll always get sick before I get to that point.

Having said that, I’ve never vomited anywhere other than a toilet after drinking so I guess it’s a bit different.

Nope, not unreasonable. It takes all of the onus off of the driver to decide "how much vomit gets this fee?" That would really be a mess!

Yes I replied the the OP noting the Karen’s responses and gave my opinion to OP signed off with “x”. Unsure of why this has caused confusion?

I’m not to take the moral high-ground here, because whilst I’ve never been sick in a taxi, I’ve got into plenty of drunken scrapes when I was young. However, don’t query the fee - the car is his place of work and fee is absolutely fair enough. I take your point that none got anywhere but that’s hardly the point. Pay it, and learn a lesson.

Lesson learned: next time she needs to make sure she vomits properly all over the interior to get your money’s worth.

This is hilarious. What are you expecting the driver to say? "Madam the fee is £180 but you have qualified for the special seasonal micro vomit rate of £80 that comes with a free cuddly toy and a complimentary bottle of water".

Vomit is vomit is vomit is vomit
As my mum would say.
The full fee is reasonable.

Doggolover2 · Today 00:01
MrsSkylerWhite · Yesterday 23:52

Doggolover2 · Today 23:44
Good god all the Karens on MN hahahaha”

So not thinking it’s ok to get so drunk that you puke in a taxi makes someone a “Karen”?

Ever heard of the concept of personal responsibility?

Yes I have, I’ve never been drunk enough to be sick in a taxi but if one of my friends took it too far on a one off I wouldn’t be a judgemental bitch about it…Your reaction is a million miles off the action, she hasn’t been out taking drugs or trying to bring home randoms. She had one too many and was sick, it’s not good but not the crime of the century a real friend would never be as judgemental as 90% of these comments.”

Not overly judgemental about getting drunk. Very judgemental about not seeing why you should pay to clean the taxi.

I’m not a bitch. I do worry about vulnerable young women being so drunk after a night out that they don’t have control when they get into a car with a stranger.

As for my kids, this has only ever happened once and yes, I was bloody furious. My wonderful, clever daughter woke up with the most horrendous lump/bruise on her head, had no idea how it got there and it was still hurting so much that we took her to the walk-in. I was angry a. because I thought she had more sense and b. because she hadn’t called us. If she had - I promise you - we would have collected her without question and not given her a hard time at all but would have invited a conversation the next day.

Thankfully, lesson learned and since then she has practiced self-control. That incident freaked her out more than I think it did us.

The point is HE cleaned it up - so yes - the fee is there for this .

Absolutely gross! Bloody pissheads.

I think that's cheap.

Poor driver.

The charge isn't a cost-of-what-you-used that can be discounted if the effect wasn't too bad, it's a penalty and a warning and a disincentive that exists to teach people that it is totally unacceptable to get yourself so drunk that you might throw up and then get into a taxi.

I think this is true — I have unfortunately been travel sick once or twice in taxis (twisty roads, exhaust fumes, boiling hot taxi, driver putting his foot down...) and have never been asked to pay any extra. In fact, they've usually been sympathetic. I've always managed to vomit into a plastic bag or lunchbox or something though if I couldn't get out.

This is my exact point…people make mistakes you live and learn is what it is. You’re not a bad person because of one mistake. Initial reactions were “ooh this is outrageous and not acceptable” though not those exact words were very judgemental hence me calling it a Karen response.

I’m not posting anymore but feel like with your response you can now understand my point of view apposed to “have you hear of the concept of personal responsibility” of course I have we all have but it’s unfair to judge someone on one mistake. Just like I don’t judge OPs friend I wouldn’t have judged your daughter, just trying to put some perspective on it

ODFOD with your misogynistic "Karen" bollox.

The "judgement" on the thread is that it's gross to have to deal with someone vomiting in your place of work and the charge is justified. Quite a reasonable judgement TBH,