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A comment similar to this one made me try a taxi from the airport a few weeks ago, instead of my usual Uber. They went miles out of their way, the taxi had no

by dmd 3y ago

A comment similar to this one made me try a taxi from the airport a few weeks ago, instead of my usual Uber. They went miles out of their way, the taxi had no seat belts, and at my destination they told me their credit card machine was out of order and they could only take cash ("I can drive you to an ATM"). I said no, and suddenly the credit card machine worked again - but they insisted on a 30% "card fee". I did a chargeback. This sort of thing has always been my experience with taxis.

dawnerd 3y ago
It sucks but you need to tell them up front you’re using credit and ask for a flat rate.
- dmd 3y ago
  Exactly. I shouldn't "need to". It shouldn't be my responsibility to tell them "oh by the way, don't scam me today". That should be a given!
  - csallen 3y ago
    Yes exactly. If Uber did this sort of thing as a matter of course, people would be up in arms about it. This is one advantage to there being 1-2 huge brands (Uber and Lyft, Amazon and Walmart, etc.) vs a smattering of tiny businesses (e.g. taxis). Misdeeds by huge brands give people something to point at, and complain about, and hold accountable. Whereas systemic misdeeds by individuals who are part of a smattering of tiny companies results in people saying, "Eh this is just how it is, learn to live with it."
    - devmor 3y ago
      But Uber does scam you as a matter of course, they've just hidden it in such a way that you're willing to accept it because it's a slight inconvenience that extracts extra money from you, rather than making you go out of your way to do something.
      - csallen 3y ago
        How does Uber scam me? But I agree with your second sentence. I would much rather pay a few extra pennies/dollars than have to go out of my way. It's a better world where there's a reliable company that's accountable, then having to argue and negotiate with every single driver about whether they're credit card machine actually works, or how much extra I have to pay with a CC, or whether they're taking the right route, etc., because there are no standards or accountability, and every driver is unrelated to the previous drivers I've had and communicated my preferences to.
    - CPLX 3y ago
      Your operating theory is that “misdeeds” have dropped due to the present oligarchy of massive conglomerates engaged in anticompetitive practices?
      - scarface_74 3y ago
        Yes. The reputations risk on a company level from a local taxi company is much lower than Uber. Have you ever had to worry about paying a penny more than you were quoted by the Uber app? Have you ever had to worry about whether you could use your credit card? And anti competitive how? The taxi companies were horrible and they deserved to die
        CPLX 3y ago
        We are in a thread of people sharing stories about being ripped off by Uber. And yes it’s happened to me too it’s super common.
        scarface_74 3y ago
        And how were you ripped off by Uber? I take Uber on average 15-20 times a month. The amount shown has always been the amount I paid and I definitely didn’t have to worry about them running up the miles or getting dropped off and them holding my luggage hostage and saying they don’t take credit cards or demanding a tip.
- gerbilly 3y ago
  Geez, this was just basic street smarts when I was growing up. Ask some questions upfront. Have cash on hand when dealing with taxis. Don't assume card terminals will work, or even that they won't skim your card. You may say, 'That's why I hate taxis cos they scam you,' yet this thread has contains many examples of Uber(Eats)* scamming people too. Why is that better? Cos it's accessed via smartphone for some reason? Conjecture/Rant: There is a growing cohort of people who want everything to become 'frictionless'. They are even afraid to just talk to people, talk to girls, everything has to be through text or through an app. If they get their way humans will start to interact with each other more like machines than like people, hey, maybe even through APIs! Meanwhile, what makes life interesting 'is' friction between people and cultures.
  - vineyardmike 3y ago
    Yea - And those darn kids play music too loud too! I grew up in the suburb where there were no taxis. I live in SF, and we can’t call a taxi without an app. I visit NYC once a year. Plenty of people (esp immigrants from other cultures) don’t have “street smarts” that match what some urbanite 30 years ago would have. I tried taking a taxi from JFK last time I was in NYC. The driver claimed he didn’t know where my hotel was, or even the neighborhood (“Chelsea”). They stopped in the left side of the highway to spit out the door. They pretended not to take cards, they added on fees not in the original agreement, etc. If I’m gunna be scammed either way, at least let me use google maps to put in an exact address and pay by card. Wanting frictionless commerce is not a character flaw geez. An app is way more convenient. I can talk to people “IRL” but some things are easier with an app. Getting a taxi to pick me up is easier with an app that knows my current location - that’s a good product development not an indictment on the next generation.
    - gerbilly 3y ago
      > Yea - And those darn kids play music too loud too! I sure hope so. > I visit NYC once a year. Plenty of people (esp immigrants from other cultures) don’t have “street smarts” that match what some urbanite 30 years ago would have. Ironically, the immigrants probably have more street smarts. > The driver claimed he didn’t know where my hotel was, or even the neighborhood (“Chelsea”). And you rode with him anyway? Why would you do that? Reliance on Apps to intermediate everything is bullshit in my opinion. Plus I personally specifically don't want to share my location with some app written by people I've never met who are 100% likely to either misuse it themselves or to sell it to someone who will. When they want to take your freedom away, they won't come jackbooting in with rifles, they will do it by offering you convenience.
- dfxm12 3y ago
  I wonder which airport doesn't already have flat rates...
keiferwiseman 3y ago
Yeah, Taxi's were the authors of their own demise
aeturnum 3y ago
I also tried a taxi riding home from SFO recently. I did not encounter any shenanigans - the taxi was in good shape, took me right home, and would accept card - but it was significantly more expensive than a rideshare! Even without traffic.

by dmd 3y ago

dawnerd 3y ago

It sucks but you need to tell them up front you’re using credit and ask for a flat rate.

dmd 3y ago
Exactly. I shouldn't "need to". It shouldn't be my responsibility to tell them "oh by the way, don't scam me today". That should be a given!
- csallen 3y ago
  Yes exactly. If Uber did this sort of thing as a matter of course, people would be up in arms about it. This is one advantage to there being 1-2 huge brands (Uber and Lyft, Amazon and Walmart, etc.) vs a smattering of tiny businesses (e.g. taxis). Misdeeds by huge brands give people something to point at, and complain about, and hold accountable. Whereas systemic misdeeds by individuals who are part of a smattering of tiny companies results in people saying, "Eh this is just how it is, learn to live with it."
  - devmor 3y ago
    But Uber does scam you as a matter of course, they've just hidden it in such a way that you're willing to accept it because it's a slight inconvenience that extracts extra money from you, rather than making you go out of your way to do something.
    - csallen 3y ago
      How does Uber scam me? But I agree with your second sentence. I would much rather pay a few extra pennies/dollars than have to go out of my way. It's a better world where there's a reliable company that's accountable, then having to argue and negotiate with every single driver about whether they're credit card machine actually works, or how much extra I have to pay with a CC, or whether they're taking the right route, etc., because there are no standards or accountability, and every driver is unrelated to the previous drivers I've had and communicated my preferences to.
  - CPLX 3y ago
    Your operating theory is that “misdeeds” have dropped due to the present oligarchy of massive conglomerates engaged in anticompetitive practices?
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      Yes. The reputations risk on a company level from a local taxi company is much lower than Uber. Have you ever had to worry about paying a penny more than you were quoted by the Uber app? Have you ever had to worry about whether you could use your credit card? And anti competitive how? The taxi companies were horrible and they deserved to die
      - CPLX 3y ago
        We are in a thread of people sharing stories about being ripped off by Uber. And yes it’s happened to me too it’s super common.
        scarface_74 3y ago
        And how were you ripped off by Uber? I take Uber on average 15-20 times a month. The amount shown has always been the amount I paid and I definitely didn’t have to worry about them running up the miles or getting dropped off and them holding my luggage hostage and saying they don’t take credit cards or demanding a tip.
gerbilly 3y ago
Geez, this was just basic street smarts when I was growing up. Ask some questions upfront. Have cash on hand when dealing with taxis. Don't assume card terminals will work, or even that they won't skim your card. You may say, 'That's why I hate taxis cos they scam you,' yet this thread has contains many examples of Uber(Eats)* scamming people too. Why is that better? Cos it's accessed via smartphone for some reason? Conjecture/Rant: There is a growing cohort of people who want everything to become 'frictionless'. They are even afraid to just talk to people, talk to girls, everything has to be through text or through an app. If they get their way humans will start to interact with each other more like machines than like people, hey, maybe even through APIs! Meanwhile, what makes life interesting 'is' friction between people and cultures.
- vineyardmike 3y ago
  Yea - And those darn kids play music too loud too! I grew up in the suburb where there were no taxis. I live in SF, and we can’t call a taxi without an app. I visit NYC once a year. Plenty of people (esp immigrants from other cultures) don’t have “street smarts” that match what some urbanite 30 years ago would have. I tried taking a taxi from JFK last time I was in NYC. The driver claimed he didn’t know where my hotel was, or even the neighborhood (“Chelsea”). They stopped in the left side of the highway to spit out the door. They pretended not to take cards, they added on fees not in the original agreement, etc. If I’m gunna be scammed either way, at least let me use google maps to put in an exact address and pay by card. Wanting frictionless commerce is not a character flaw geez. An app is way more convenient. I can talk to people “IRL” but some things are easier with an app. Getting a taxi to pick me up is easier with an app that knows my current location - that’s a good product development not an indictment on the next generation.
  - gerbilly 3y ago
    > Yea - And those darn kids play music too loud too! I sure hope so. > I visit NYC once a year. Plenty of people (esp immigrants from other cultures) don’t have “street smarts” that match what some urbanite 30 years ago would have. Ironically, the immigrants probably have more street smarts. > The driver claimed he didn’t know where my hotel was, or even the neighborhood (“Chelsea”). And you rode with him anyway? Why would you do that? Reliance on Apps to intermediate everything is bullshit in my opinion. Plus I personally specifically don't want to share my location with some app written by people I've never met who are 100% likely to either misuse it themselves or to sell it to someone who will. When they want to take your freedom away, they won't come jackbooting in with rifles, they will do it by offering you convenience.
dfxm12 3y ago
I wonder which airport doesn't already have flat rates...

keiferwiseman 3y ago

Yeah, Taxi's were the authors of their own demise

aeturnum 3y ago

I also tried a taxi riding home from SFO recently. I did not encounter any shenanigans - the taxi was in good shape, took me right home, and would accept card - but it was significantly more expensive than a rideshare! Even without traffic.