Hacker News Reader

Comment by nickstefan12 | Hacker News Reader

I just ran into this last night: I took a cab home from the airport. One: he had no gps and took a wrong freeway change getting home. Two he barely spoke English. Three I basically had to navigate him back on track and painfully turn by turn.

End of the trip I go pay, and he's sad that I want to pay with a credit card. Then the tip meter only has 20% or other. I hit other with a much lower tip. He cancels the transaction from the front, and says that the ride is actually 150 not 100, and that's why I need to tip. So I say fine and end up tipping him the 20% at 100.

But seriously isn't a tip like a bonus!? Why are we all required to give 20% tips even when the service sucks?

Next time I'll just uber.

View on HN

If this ever happens again in the future, take a note of the cab's number and call 311 or go to http://nyc.gov/311/.

They take reports of this kind of activity very seriously and will usually prosecute the driver if you're willing to testify.

> if you're willing to testify

Relevant satire:

https://medium.com/@blakeross/uber-gov-29db5fdff372

>if you're willing to testify

Most people aren't over $20, which is why the system is a complete failure.

I believe you can testify via a phone call and it takes roughly 10 minutes.

And how long does it take you to schedule that phone call and fill out the appropriate paperwork?

Maybe about 10-15 minutes depending on your reading level and ability to fill out a web based form?

This sort of crap is exactly why I use Uber whenever possible.

There's plenty negative to be said of Uber, but at least the drivers aren't attempting to constantly scam me. I'm absolutely done with putting up with taxi bullshit. There's a lot of security in both parties knowing that their identity is known to a mutual third party, and that bad behavior will have consequences.

I can remember back in 2010, in sf, when taxis would haggle you for wanting to use a credit card, even when they all were labeled with visa window stickers and had machines! They would put cardboard signs in the back that said "cash only, I pay 5% to cc company". I felt bad for drivers who 'all of the sudden' found themselves making 5% less because of credit cards, but come on, let's get with the times! don't haggle your customers. hide that from the customers and raise all prices if you have to.

At the minimum, über has forced taxis to get with the program.

Back in 2010? You mean this isn't still the case?

Indeed, the entrance of Uber has made taxi rides a market for lemons. The most pleasant and least avaricious drivers are better off within Uber's higher-accountability system.

This is nothing specific to SF, either. This kind of nonsense is exactly what dysfunctional markets looks like, and it's everywhere, which is why Uber seems such a breath of fresh air to consumers around the globe.

Well, almost everywhere. You know where they don't pull this kind of flimflammery, right? That's right, in Japan, where Uber doesn't even try to replace cab companies, it just provides an easier way to book rides with one:

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/08/08/in-japan-uber-...

Rude service in a taxi in Japan would be somewhat shocking, but they're also comparatively more expensive than most other places. One time I couldn't find a hotel in Tokyo, so I took a taxi- it turned out to be just around the block, but it still cost like $6. But hey, the cars are nice and the white glove thing is always an interesting contrast to NYC.

Japan and the Japanese as a society are very into following the rules and rebellion and standing out is frowned upon so the general MO of Uber wouldn't have worked there.

Given that offering a universal way to book a taxi is the best thing they could have done.

Not to mention by the looks of it taxi cab services there are way ahead of their peers in the US launching their own apps etc.

Japan doesn't bother with tips in the first place.

> He had no gps and took a wrong freeway change getting home.

Yeah that was planned. He's trying to run up the meter. About 30-40% of cabbies will take you on the scenic route if you don't give them specific directions. You don't have to be painfully specific. Just give them a curt overview of the route you wish to take when you get into the cab.

Be ready to pay with cash. I'm ready to tip 25% for a no bullshit drive. If they want to put the tip in the meter instead of their pocket that's their call.

Leave if there is any bullshit with insisting on tips or cancelling payments. If he threatens you with police, call his bluff. 'Please call the police, we can both explain the route you took.'

And people wonder why Uber is so popular...

Uber will take a scenic route because they don't know what the area and/or their GPS gives them a shitty route.

But at least they take credit without an epic battle.

and why the incumbent is lobbying so hard to stay relevant.

I've never had an experience this bad, but I've had plenty of bad experiences with sketchy rates in Baltimore cabs that I just take Uber or Lyft.

Baltimore cabs are The Worst. Meters are routinely rigged. When I lived there, I'd usually haggle on a fare before getting in the cab. Sometimes, I didn't feel like it and I'd take my chances. There was wild variance in the rates the meters racked up. Not only that, but cars are frequently in very poor shape and many drivers don't know where they're going in a city that's pretty easy to navigate. On top of that, at the time, credit card machines were unheard of, even after NYC had them in every single cab.

Sounds like you got scammed. How could he just change the amount for the ride? Isn't there a meter that's visible to both of you that shows what's due? If he insists that you have to pay more than what the meter says, tell him to get bent.

The meter said 100, but after I tried to manually enter a tip other than 20, is when I found out about it "actually being 150". He claimed that he had turned the meter off at one point and was actually doing me a favor he wouldn't have done if he had known I was going to barely tip him. I would have stood my ground (having to give turn by turn to your cab driver for 20 minutes is hardly tip worthy), but being in front of my house I didn't want to cause a scene and was tired from my flight.

The irony is that I actually was about to take an über x quoted at $70, but I decided on a cab last minute (wish I hadnt).

I feel ya on not keeping it real every single time, but sometimes, you gotta be like, look man, it's what I'm going to pay, or it's nothing, you choose.

Sounds like you are a very nice naive person, or/and a total sucker.

You have been scammed, proper course of action would be calling police on the spot (unless you are black).

Why did you even pay at all? He just completely raised the price during the transaction. On top of that, why on earth did you give 20%?

Because you may get murdered if you don't. Better get out of the situation alive

Not really useful answer. I rarely give tips because I don't care about social pressure and most of the time the service is not special anyway.

You're not going to find a lot of "gangsta" taxi drivers or taxis in Englewood, so I think you're fine.

I've had this tried on me before, in Chicago where we're supposed to have super strict taxi laws. The correct response is to dial 911, not 311, and say you've got a taxi attempting to rob you. Notice next time you walk across an intersection at a stop sign, who comes to a complete stop more.. the average driver, or a taxi cab. Taxi's fear police way more than the average driver.

>> "The correct response is to dial 911"

Is this not a bit of a waste of police time? Why can't you say "You tried screwing me, this is all I'm giving you. Got a problem? Ok, I'll call the police." Reading some of the comments in this thread it seems like people are seriously scared of taxi drivers. It's like any other business. If a restaurant tries to charge you for something you didn't order you don't pay them for it. You don't immediately call the police.

Maybe they stop to run up the meter more

The taxi cabs are nearly as bad as the bikers.

BTW: If it was me I would have walked out, when he attempts to accuse me I'd invite him to call the police. He's trying to change the price after the fact.

Forget the tip, why did you pay? I would have taken the price he originally wanted, cut it in half because of the screw up and gave him a choice of that or nothing.

>> "Why are we all required to give 20% tips even when the service sucks?"

You're not, you should have said no.

There is also a scam going in Las Vegas where it's a $3.00 or $3.50 fee to use a credit card versus cash. Fee + tip doubles the cost of some rides. Vegas has also banned Uber.

and if Uber does something bad, you'd complain.

You should also complain now.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com