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- Dec 1, 2011
Yo NT, I had a wild night last night and thought I'd ask for advice. While out on the town my car got towed because I wasn't paying enough attention to the street signs.
Cliff Notes
- Car got impounded in downtown. Took a cab to the lot, which was closed. Then rode with the same cab to my place (a total distance of 12 miles, from downtown to my place)
- Cab driver turns off his fare calculator and tries to charge me a total of $60. I ask to speak to management or dispatch, he refuses and begins insulting my girl and I (nword, bword, ignorant, poor, etc)
- Called the cops on the driver because he attempted to drive us somewhere while we were still debating the fare, cop sides with me because the fare calculator was off.
My question is, can I pursue legal action. And, if so, would it be worth it?
Full story.
Edit: The spoiler with the pretty girls and full story was taken out, but I re-added the spoiler for the story due to scrolling and general neatness. Sorry if that's against the rules kdawg
Cliff Notes
- Car got impounded in downtown. Took a cab to the lot, which was closed. Then rode with the same cab to my place (a total distance of 12 miles, from downtown to my place)
- Cab driver turns off his fare calculator and tries to charge me a total of $60. I ask to speak to management or dispatch, he refuses and begins insulting my girl and I (nword, bword, ignorant, poor, etc)
- Called the cops on the driver because he attempted to drive us somewhere while we were still debating the fare, cop sides with me because the fare calculator was off.
My question is, can I pursue legal action. And, if so, would it be worth it?
Full story.
My girl and I hailed a cab to go to the impound lot from where we were, which was a mile (Target Center in Minneapolis to the Impound Lot.)
The lot was closed so we decided to head home with the same cab. I handed him a $20 for the fare we already took (I think he said it was $15... for a mile...) and asked him how much he thought it would be to our place. He said "$40" and I said "Okay, we'll see. Let's head home." On the ride back, he drives a little wildly but I'm not stressing it because he's a cab driver -- they usually drive fast.
When we arrive at my spot he says "Okay, $40." I pull out my card and ask "Can I see the fare?" This is where things get a little tricky. The driver says "Oh, you don't have cash?!" and I don't answer, I just ask again to see the fare. The guy reaches back to the credit card machine, the total charge says "$2.50" and he enters "$38.00" as a tip. I realized that before we left the impound he did something to the fare calculator -- he had turned it off.
This, of course, feels like a jig. I tell him "No, I need to see the actual fare before I swipe my card." The guy pulls out one of those old school credit card transaction recorders, and he keeps pressing me for my card. At this point I know something is up and ask him if I can speak with the dispatcher on his radio, or if he can call his supervisor/boss, etc... He tells me he doesn't have a radio dispatch in his car and he doesn't have a cell phone. I offer to use mine and he starts to flip, saying stuff like "This is why we [cab drivers] don't pick up your kind! You never want to pay when it's time to pay!" I repeat to him that I'm going to pay... as soon as I see the real fare.
He locks the doors and says "OK, I'm going to take you back" and starts pulling away. My girl and I hop out of the car and tell him that we aren't going anywhere until we speak to his manager. He begins throwing racial slurs at us, calls my girl a b****, threatens to run us over with his car, tells us we're stupid and never went to college...all types of stuff. He threatens to call the cops (suddenly he has a cell phone!) and I call his bluff. He doesn't, but I end up calling 911 to tell them that he attempted to scam and kidnap us.
Cops show up a little later and we tell our sides. The first thing the cop asks is why is farebox is off, he says that we had agreed on the price earlier (false) and that I was trying to lie out of the agreement. The cop sides with me, and just forces the driver to accept the rate on the window (ended up being a lot less than $40.
The lot was closed so we decided to head home with the same cab. I handed him a $20 for the fare we already took (I think he said it was $15... for a mile...) and asked him how much he thought it would be to our place. He said "$40" and I said "Okay, we'll see. Let's head home." On the ride back, he drives a little wildly but I'm not stressing it because he's a cab driver -- they usually drive fast.
When we arrive at my spot he says "Okay, $40." I pull out my card and ask "Can I see the fare?" This is where things get a little tricky. The driver says "Oh, you don't have cash?!" and I don't answer, I just ask again to see the fare. The guy reaches back to the credit card machine, the total charge says "$2.50" and he enters "$38.00" as a tip. I realized that before we left the impound he did something to the fare calculator -- he had turned it off.
This, of course, feels like a jig. I tell him "No, I need to see the actual fare before I swipe my card." The guy pulls out one of those old school credit card transaction recorders, and he keeps pressing me for my card. At this point I know something is up and ask him if I can speak with the dispatcher on his radio, or if he can call his supervisor/boss, etc... He tells me he doesn't have a radio dispatch in his car and he doesn't have a cell phone. I offer to use mine and he starts to flip, saying stuff like "This is why we [cab drivers] don't pick up your kind! You never want to pay when it's time to pay!" I repeat to him that I'm going to pay... as soon as I see the real fare.
He locks the doors and says "OK, I'm going to take you back" and starts pulling away. My girl and I hop out of the car and tell him that we aren't going anywhere until we speak to his manager. He begins throwing racial slurs at us, calls my girl a b****, threatens to run us over with his car, tells us we're stupid and never went to college...all types of stuff. He threatens to call the cops (suddenly he has a cell phone!) and I call his bluff. He doesn't, but I end up calling 911 to tell them that he attempted to scam and kidnap us.
Cops show up a little later and we tell our sides. The first thing the cop asks is why is farebox is off, he says that we had agreed on the price earlier (false) and that I was trying to lie out of the agreement. The cop sides with me, and just forces the driver to accept the rate on the window (ended up being a lot less than $40.
Edit: The spoiler with the pretty girls and full story was taken out, but I re-added the spoiler for the story due to scrolling and general neatness. Sorry if that's against the rules kdawg
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