Scammed By Taxi Driver Please Read!!!

[LilyLily1999]

Hi all, I had a rather stressful experience today with a taxi company and it’s left me quite shaken up…even thinking about it now I feel like I’m gonna cry. Please read as I’m in need of some support right now.

I booked a taxi today to a family members house, I normally get uber but thought a taxi would be cheaper, I phoned a taxi company and explained I don’t have cash and I’ve currently lost my card and the guy said that’s fine I can pay by bank transfer. I got into the taxi and straight away the guy called his manager up and they spoke in their language…he then turned the metre off and I stupidly thought nothing of it (I suffer from mental health and am considered vulnerable).

The journey was only a 4 minute drive, halfway through the guy said his manager has messaged me the bank account details so I can transfer the money…I looked at my messages and saw the manager had told me it would cost £15 and I need to send a screenshot to prove I’ve sent the money. I may be vulnerable but I instantly knew £15 for a 4minute journey wasn’t right as even on uber it’s cheaper then that…I realised that must’ve been why the guy turned the metre off as if they charged me by the metre it would’ve been too cheap for them and they wanted to try and get more money out of me. To make things worse the taxi driver drove past my family members house and pulled up further down the road to wait for me to send the money…I felt extremely uncomfortable and due to the bad signal my bank app was frozen so I was unable to send the money, I continued to message the manager and told him £15 is a lot and how the metre should’ve been on and he said he can lower it to £12 and I agreed feeling like I had no other choice. I called my family member and they said they have cash and if I get the driver to pull up outside their house then I can collect the cash from them and pay him…I told the driver and he took me to the house and then followed me to the front door to collect the money, which again was rather uncomfortable, I assume he thought I’d run off.

I bursted into tears when I got inside my family members house as I felt so uncomfortable in the car with the driver and feel like they were tryna scam me into paying more then I should’ve. I’m now back home and have messaged the company letting them know how I feel and that they should’ve had the metre on…the company is saying I chose to not have the metre on and I agreed to a set price of £12 which is bullshit (excuse my language) but who in their right mind would “agree” to pay more then they need to…I didn’t get a choice regarding the metre as the guy turned it off the minute I got in and I had to agree to £12 as I was in this random man’s car down the road from my family members house and he was sitting their huffing and puffing and constantly asking me if I’ve paid…they told me the “fixed price” once I got to my location yet they’re acting like I got in the car, told the man to turn the metre off and agreed to pay £12.

I feel like they’re taking the mick and it’s just their way of tryna scam people and make more money. Not sure what action I can take, it’s only £12 but I’m really really not happy with their service and want to do something. As mentioned I suffer from mental health and am vulnerable and this has messed with my anxiety quite a lot. I feel so stupid I barely get out the house due to anxiety etc this is the first time I’ve been out in weeks and it’s made me feel even more scared to go outside. Would really like to do something about this.

Could you name them with this story on local social media pages? At least it may stop them doing it, stop other people getting stung and make you feel a bit better!

Well chalk it up to experience, you've done well with uber so stick to them in future.

Personally, I wouldn't use a private taxi without having cash so I kinda think you made your own situation worse by using a private taxi when you had no cash or means to pay other than a bank transfer, surely uber was the way?

You've used uber through the app, it works. You've used private taxis that want cash, paid by cash, it worked.

But today, you've tried to cross the 2 methods and its gone really wrong so lesson learnt.

I think you paid a premium as you weren't able to pay conventionally and it was a risk for the driver.

I don't see it as a scam, but where I live a 4 minute drive would easily be over £15. It was £25 for a 6 minute drive a few years ago in our rural area with no Uber present and very few taxis.

Sorry that you felt uncomfortable and hopefully you'll have better experiences in the future.

Agree with PP, very frustrating for you but equally would have been an easier time all round if you stuck with Uber as you've used it before successfully.

Sounds like they were taking the pee a bit as that is very expensive for such a short distance but I guess kinda frustrating for them to have to wait whilst you kept trying to do a bank transfer - from their side it probably seemed like lots of excuses/ways to get out of paying so I kind of understand them following you to the door to ensure they got their cash and don't feel they were being purposely intimidating.

I do get that having poor MH can blow these things up out of proportion though so just be kind to yourself and write it off as a lesson learnt. I once lost my card and my phone whilst an hour away from home and had a total panic attack, I was sobbing in the back of a taxi the whole way whilst he kept angrily saying "you better have a way to pay when we get where we are going "- so I do have sympathy. Equally, he was probably just worried I was going to do a runner!

I think the best thing would have been to have agreed a price in advance but hindsight is a wonderful thing. How much do you normally pay for the journey....the difference between that and the £12 is not going to be that much surely. A matter of a few pounds at most. It's mildly annoying but really not worth thinking about it too much. I'd just try to forget it and focus on your own well being.

Round our way, the taxis at the rank charge in minutes, the minicab charge in miles.
Something like £4/5 per mile for the first 3 miles, £2/3 per mile thereafter.
So 3 or 4 miles (which would be minutes on a fast road) could easily be £15+. Not a scam, just the price.

It’s £12 to get from here to town which is about 5 minutes. Uber is cheaper as there’s no overheads. Sounds like they maybe charged more for inconvenience of the bank transfer but lesson learned. It’s not like it was £100+ so really not worth getting upset about.

Not a pleasant experience by any means, but try not to make it into a bigger deal than it actually was.

What is this word 'tryna' - second time I've seen it this week.

Is walking or bicycle an option in the future ?

If it was private hire then surely it's fees are set by the council and it's private hire rules and rates.

Stop them doing what? Collecting the fares from the passengers? Op decided to take a taxi with no cash and no card and it was op who wanted to pay by bank transfer. They were right to think she was trying to scam them when “the app wasn’t working” (how many times do you think they’ve heard that?), not the other way round.

5 years ago we paid £10 for a 1.5mile journey in a taxi, so £15 sounds about right to me. I'm sure they have a "flat" rate almost like a call out fee before the journey is added on.

They probably thought you were trying to scam them.

I don't understand what the issue is.
-You should have agreed the amount in advance
-£12 sounds perfectly normal for a short journey
-Ubers are almost always cheaper than a standard taxi

I think that it sounds like a lot of hassle for the taxi firm to pick you up, drive you, wait for you as you say you can't pay because of internet connection, leave the car to accompany you to your relative's house. All of that stuff is a pain in the arse and I wouldn't do it for twelve quid.

I assume it’s “trying to”.

OP, I’d stick to Uber in future, They seem a better option.

OP, this is an incredibly extreme reaction to being overcharged a few quid for a taxi - especially as a customer you were a bit of a hassle, which may have caused them to up the prices.

The best thing you can do now is focus on why you've overreacted so much. Are you struggling to cope with day to day life at the moment? Could you access more mental health support?

Uber also let you "owe" them if you've been with them some time. They let you have a taxi if its not too expensive and then you just need to pay the balance before you use them again. If its say under £20 its usually fine.

Sorry you've had a difficult experience OP. The driver stopping a distance away from your family's house and hassling you sounds awful. Definitely leave a negative review and moving forward just use Uber!

Do what? You had no money and they tried to sort it as best they could they are not a charity

Sorry you are so upset but I’d be surprised if any taxi ride costs less than £12 these days. I paid £20 recently for a trip of less than 2 miles, admittedly with suitcases and in a tourist area. Perhaps it would be good to get some help with sorting out your personal organisation so you always have cash and a working bank card , and make sure to check prices before you travel. Could your family member help with that?

Charming