Taxi driving chancers

Alter-Ego · 07-11-2010 01:56PM

Its cost me €22 for 4 people on a Saturday night from O'Connell street rank to Ballymun.

Op, You should have just got the receipt and all his details and paid him the €20. Then you'd be in a position to report him. IMO he got away with it lightly, as you probably don't have his details(?) and he's free to take the pi$$ again.

Worst I've seen is a driver who charged me €15 for a fare that has only been €9 before, I gave him a €20 note and he claimed to have no change. How flipping useless do you have to be at your job.

x in the city · 07-11-2010 01:59PM

did yer 15 yr old kis remember where he went or if he had a afrikan fry up and left the meter running whille dancing to bob marley rifts and having a smokin hot one?

I would tend to back up the o/p, we all know about non nationals these days but lets not go down that route.:rolleyes:

BillShorey · 07-11-2010 02:01PM

cherub rock wrote: »

I was in a taxi and the driver was African (seeing as how we're moaning abouit African drivers...) I was going from Christ Church to Townsend Street and the girl with me was going to Hawkins Street.

Driver brings us some back way, we come around by Merrion Square, down Lincoln Place and he says you can't drive Westland Row as it's one way (?!) I disagreed, but he brings us down Fenian street and says "You wanted Ringsend right?" "No, I want Townsend Street - back there". He swings round to an actual one way street and leaves meter on as he decides how to get backwards to Townsend street from Hanover street. I just told him to **** off with himself and that I'd walk the couple of min in the rain to my place. The poor girl with me didn't trust him at all so she got out with me and she had to walk up Townsend street on her own, in the middle of the night in the rain.

Bloody cheek of him to try and mislead us for extra money. I wanted to give him nothing but the other girl didn't want to cause a fuss. We gave him €8 and said take it or leave it. I'm pissed off that I didn't get his details to make a complaint. Maybe it was an innocent mistake but still... double check where you're going ffs!

You should have paid him nothing tbh.

I remember one time getting into a taxi at the St. Stephens Green rank in a rush to get to a gig in Vicar St. In we got and asked for Vicar Street to be met with a confused look and asked "Where is that?". Seriously? A taxi driver in Dublin who does not know where Vicar Street is should not be driving a taxi. As we were in a rush we guided him there and paid the minimum but christ, such utter incompetence.

I wonder is the issue with black taxi drivers country-wide or is it mostly a Dublin issue?

melekalikimaka · 07-11-2010 02:04PM

after a gig mental traffic, straight run my ass... you just screwed a guy otta some money

The Waltzing Consumer · 07-11-2010 02:17PM

OP, I would agree with you.

As for the people saying you screwed a guy out of money, I am pretty sure some of these posters are taxi drivers themselves so they are very unbiased clearly :P

The reason they tell you to pay the guy, then report the taxi driver is because they know how difficult that is and it makes little difference. The complaining system is set up so it would be very difficult for you to prove your case. So their advice is to pay this rip off taxi driver, and go complain, in real terms, go waste your time. They have their money already, so they are laughing whilst you go up the taxi complaints cul-de-sac.

If this taxi driver was screwed out of money, he will go to the Gardai.

It would help in these threads if Taxi drivers could identify themselves when they post

messymess · 07-11-2010 02:21PM

20e from Parnell st does seem a little extortionate, although I would say the fare was probably a little more than 10e. Sounds like there's two of you in it, to be honest!

The taxi regulator came out recently and said that people can try to negotiate their fares if they want to .... I don't know why she just doesn't bring the price down, she's not exactly protecting her popularity anyway. The price of taxi's definitely needs to be addressed, they're way too expensive.

jdivision · 07-11-2010 02:26PM

Firstly, OP you're presuming your brother told you the truth about where he was. It takes a lot less than 15 minutes to get from Parnell square to where you live so there's a chance your brother lied and you screwed the taxi driver.

Secondly what's a 15 year old doing out on his own at midnight with no money??

NickDrake · 07-11-2010 02:29PM

Dublin Taxi Drivers are the most hated people in Ireland along with the Goverment.

Over charging. Always yapping and talking negatively.

Will you just SHUT UP and drive the car.

Dear god just SHUT UP!!

jaysusake · 07-11-2010 02:30PM

Irish taxi drivers are the same, their all the same if they can get away with it....build a bridge.

marxcoo · 07-11-2010 02:33PM

Fair play to you, I've often wanted to do this but didn't have the nerve.. Don't get me wrong most taxi drivers I meet are great and often undercharge if anything but there has been a few occasions where I have taken routes that I often take and the fare has been €5 or more over what I would normally pay. I once queried a driver on the price of a fare and he his response was "ah sure I say you can afford it" as if he charges people based on what they look like they can afford to give him. Cheeky bastard.

The Waltzing Consumer · 07-11-2010 02:33PM

jdivision wrote: »

Firstly, OP you're presuming your brother told you the truth about where he was. It takes a lot less than 15 minutes to get from Parnell square to where you live so there's a chance your brother lied and you screwed the taxi driver.

Secondly what's a 15 year old doing out on his own at midnight with no money??

Indeed, a 15 year old should not be listening to the devils music and going to "gigs". Saturday night is silhouette night.

mikemac · 07-11-2010 02:37PM

NickDrake wrote: »

Dublin Taxi Drivers are the most hated people in Ireland along with the Goverment.

They are saints compared to drivers in Galway

Webmonkey · 07-11-2010 02:41PM

I paid 67 euro for a taxi from city to balbriggan after missing night link by 2 seconds. The taxi first brought me to Balgriffen :rolleyes: - no wonder it cost so much.

Glad get home though!

Carl Sagan · 07-11-2010 02:48PM

Looks like he was trying to rip you off alright. Costs me about 19 euro to get from town to the far end of Tallaght.

The route your brother got looks about half the drive. You were in the right saying it to him.

themandan6611 · 07-11-2010 02:49PM

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

Been coming accross alot of taxi drivers recently

Thats disgusting, leave them along you dirty fecker

punchdrunk · 07-11-2010 02:52PM

took a taxi home on friday night/sat morning it was about 12.45-1am
from westmoreland street to Holywell swords in about 10 minutes

22 euro exactly,and the driver was Irish if it matters!

strobe · 07-11-2010 02:52PM

Peyton Agreeable Physics wrote: »

Your LEGALLY obliged to pay this, its the man wages and not for you to decide what a proper fare should be.

You've a neck tbh.

Peyton Agreeable Physics wrote: »

But I'd have paid the man his bloody wage.

20 euro for 15 minutes work? Some wage. Did the guy perform brain surgery while he was driving the taxi or something?

......and people wonder how 'rip off Ireland' came about. "€12 for a pint of milk? Well I guess that's the price, so I better pay it."

gbee · 07-11-2010 02:55PM

Gerry, don't take too much notice of the outlandish backlash from some members in this thread, they're as likely to be his buddies in the Internet Café down the road.

Keep the faith.

oppenheimer1 · 07-11-2010 03:05PM

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

From where my brother was to my house does not cost 20 Euro, I can garuntee you that, I do take the route myself half drunk sometimes and at most Id say 9 euro, its literally a ten minute drive, and at 12'O Clock a straight run.

He got the cab on Parnell Street and I live in Glasnevin near Phibsboro

I've done that route many times myself, usually between €8 and €10 depending on the traffic. (well O'connell st to the topaz filling station)

I've been ripped off by a dodgy meter too (tags were missing from the front) , but just paid it to avoid confrontation. €15 from drumcondra station to DCU in the middle of the day with no traffic. ****er wouldn't give me a print out receipt either, only a hand written one.

OutlawPete · 07-11-2010 03:14PM

Okay, couple of possibilities ..

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

Taximan was abit befuddled and kept saying what was on meter..

Did you SEE the meter?

Did you ask to see a receipt with the distance covered?

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

.. it doesnt cost 20euro to get from A to B, and that he was taking advantage my brother because he only a kid, and I wasnt having it ..

Should just be left onto Gardiner st, right onto Dorset St, left onto Whitworth Rd and your home in ten minutes for around €11.

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

He shouted 'F*ck you' and drove off in speed.

Is there any possibility that your brother was bull-shitting and he got the fare from further away? Maybe he met up with some southside hottie and got a cap from her place Ballsbridge or Palmerstown or somewhere, you'd still cover that in 15 mins.

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

Just did it there and it 9/10 euro, so my brother was charged double, the dastard

Well, daytime fares are somewhat cheaper, but yeah .. from Parnell St should never cost anything close to €20.

mikemac · 07-11-2010 03:17PM

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

Last night brother was at a concert, he's only 15, he rang me say he'd no money, it was 12'O Clock and needed a lift home,

That's the part I find most worrying
Wandering around a city centre at that time

I Was VB · 07-11-2010 03:23PM

FFS at the age of 15 i was getting upto divilment and in town too. Not calling your brother a liar but chances are he was further out than he was telling you, and unless there was only him getting a taxi for every aditional passanger in the taxi it adds a euro, and i've never known a 15 year old to be going to a concert on his own.

As for the taxi driver fare play to him to take somone who has no money and take a chance with him for being paid, and it clearly didnt work out for him.

Honestly there are two of yiz in it, you did a man out of a paying wage, if taxi drivers are so bad i suggest that you dont use them in future.

The Waltzing Consumer · 07-11-2010 03:24PM

OutlawPete wrote: »

Did you SEE the meter?

Did you ask to see a receipt with the distance covered?

Is there any possibility that your brother was bull-shitting and he got the fare from further away? Maybe he met up with some southside hottie and got a cap from her place Ballsbridge or Palmerstown or somewhere, you'd still cover that in 15 mins.

The OP said "and asked how it had cost 20euro to get him from where he was in town to here, the driver said that what was on the meter" in his post. So unless the OP is lying, the driver clearly would have said, I did not pick him up from Parnell Street, I picked him up from Ballsbridge or Palmerstown.

Do you think an honest taxi driver would not pipe up if the person paying him was asking about a completely different route to the one taken and reusing to pay? Ha, not likely.

The Waltzing Consumer · 07-11-2010 03:27PM

I Was VB wrote: »

FFS at the age of 15 i was getting upto divilment and in town too. Not calling your brother a liar but chances are he was further out than he was telling you, and unless there was only him getting a taxi for every aditional passanger in the taxi it adds a euro, and i've never known a 15 year old to be going to a concert on his own.

As for the taxi driver fare play to him to take somone who has no money and take a chance with him for being paid, and it clearly didnt work out for him.

Honestly there are two of yiz in it, you did a man out of a paying wage, if taxi drivers are so bad i suggest that you dont use them in future.

Are you a taxi driver?

I Was VB · 07-11-2010 03:28PM

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Are you a taxi driver?

Yes.

DeVore · 07-11-2010 03:29PM

Have you considered that its after 12 on a Saturday and after a concert, maybe the taxi was stuck in traffic or mobbed by crowds.

I take probably 1-2 taxis a DAY in Dublin and I've been ripped off or attempted to be ripped off twice in 20 years. Irish cabs arent cheap (thanks to the government trying to protect Bus Eireann and our public transport system) but I honestly can say I find them good.

DeV.

Barna77 · 07-11-2010 03:30PM

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

He got the cab on Parnell Street and I live in Glasnevin near Phibsboro

Gerry Asstrix wrote: »

Its not even that far up, we talking about Parnell Street to the Porterhouse end of Glasnevin here

Rip off, big time.

I'm sick of taxi drivers trying to show me the touristic route around Dublin.

Wibbs · 07-11-2010 03:31PM

Peyton Agreeable Physics wrote: »

Wibbs the OP's brother was at a concert last night, most likely 'Paradise' at The O2.

He's 15yrs old, alone and getting a cab from Parnell St. at midnight!.

I'd be more concerned at a 15 yr old out in the city at that hour of the night, and so far from a concert venue than a €20 fare.

Fare play to the driver for getting the lad home safe.

So what M? That's his job. End of. Nada to do with the kids age or anything else. His job is not to decide off the top of his head what the fare is.

If I had a dispute I'd have paid the fare, gotten a receipt and made a complaint to the taxi regulators officer..

And I guarantee he'd get no satisfaction taking that course of action. I've never heard of anyone doing so anyway. Though the OP should have checked the meter.

But I'd have paid the man his bloody wage.

Again no. He is charging what is supposed to be a set fee based on time for his services. If the set fee for that route is indeed around 10 quid, he can't pull a 20 quid charge out of the air. 20 euro for a 15 min trip is clearly excessive. For me to go from my home to the city centre or the reverse of that is always between 12 and 15 euro, depending on traffic. I've never been charged less and only once was charged more when the joker assumed because I had drink on board I'd not balk at a charge of 28 euro. He was sadly mistaken. Tried to get uppity too. So I suggested he call the Guards or go to the station(which is around the corner). That shut him up. Twat. Like I say any kind of issue with Taxi guys(and the odd gal) has been a very rare experience for me, but muppets like that give the rest an unduly bad name and I have no problem calling a twat like that on it. It's not far off picking up an item in a shop that's marked 10 euro and then getting charged 20 at the till. Would you pay the shop assistants "wages" in such a circumstance, or pay up get the receipt and try and get your money back later? I doubt it.

Shankly Gates · 07-11-2010 03:32PM

It's simple. Agree the fair in advance. You may have to go to two or three taxi drivers on a rank but someone will take you for the price you want. Then you can enjoy your trip and not worry about the money.

Wibbs · 07-11-2010 03:36PM

DeVore wrote: »

Have you considered that its after 12 on a Saturday and after a concert, maybe the taxi was stuck in traffic or mobbed by crowds.

Possibly but the OP has said it took 15 mins for his brother to show up, so that seems unlikely, as do an extra passengers added to the bill. Plus if this was the case the taxi guy would likely have explained same.

I take probably 1-2 taxis a DAY in Dublin and I've been ripped off or attempted to be ripped off twice in 20 years. Irish cabs arent cheap (thanks to the government trying to protect Bus Eireann and our public transport system) but I honestly can say I find them good.

+1 I'd agree. It's very rare to get ripped off or otherwise discommoded here. Like you it's only happened a handful of times in my life. Try Greek or Spanish taxi drivers for size. The French ones are a law unto themselves.

Taxi driving chancers

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