The following complaint is a real example written by a real taxi customer. Every file in this series is taken directly from the Files of the PUC.
On August 22, 2009, at approximately 4:55 p.m., a customer called for a Metro Cab to pick her up at the Embassy Suites Airport Hotel. Not a bad response time, only 15 minutes.
So far. So good. But things go wrong in a hurry, the customer tells the PUC. From the start, all the windows are rolled down. It's hot out. It's windy inside the cab. The passenger asks if the cab is air conditioned. The driver tells her it is not. She says she pretty much expected an air conditioned taxi. Something in decent shape.
The customer says she was headed out for a big night, she was dressed up. She didn't want to get sweaty. She complained, and, she tells the PUC, that's when the woman driving the cab started "being rude."
The customer reached for a cell phone, despite having a hard time hearing over the roar of the wind, and tried to call Metro to complain. These are the customer's words, "She began yelling and cussing at me, asking me why I called the cab company. At first she refused to give me the (cab) number. She finally said "My f****** cab number is 202. What the f*** are you going to do about it? Why the f*** are you calling Metro? If you're hot stick your f******, twitching a** head out the window, you mother f*****"
The customer in this case suffers from cerebral palsy.
"She continued her insults all the while driving at a fast rate of speed," the customer reported. "I looked at the speedometer and saw the speedometer indicate 68 miles per hour. She called someone on her cell while she was driving wildly and told them that she couldn't believe 'these f****** a** people ... She continued calling me names like 'weird twitch a** mother f*****' and several others."
It gets worse. The driver shouts insults at the customer while she's on the phone with a dispatcher. "At that point I truly feared for my safety and I felt the cab company was doing nothing to ensure my safety or to stop this woman from driving like a mad maniac or stop insulting me and calling me improper names so I asked her to please let me out. She again said 'I'll let you out you mother f****** white a** worthless piece of s***.' She cut in front of traffic, took an exit and stopped the cab while still yelling insulting names at me."
After finding out the police wouldn't do anything since there was no actual crime, the customer said she was alone and scared in an unfamiliar part of town. SHE CALLED METRO AGAIN for another cab.
"Asked the dispatcher if there was another cab coming. After checking, she said yes, but it would be a while because I was 'pretty far away.'" Eventually, another Metro cab arrived. The customer noticed the windows were down and there was no air conditioning.
The ride to the destination cost $15.
According to the PUC file, Metro investigated. The driver got a warning.
You don’t have to put up with bad service. Take a stand. If you’ve had a bad experience in a Denver cab, let the PUC know and demand an investigation. You can call investigators at (800) 456-0858 or email a complaint toPUCConsumer.Complaints@dora.state.co.us
You can let the PUC know you want the lower fares and better service offered by the owner/operators of Mile High Cab. Ask the PUC to hear Mile High Cab’s case and let them compete in a Denver market that can only get better when drivers compete to earn your trust. Write to Director Doug Dean at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us and reference Mile High Cab, docket number 08A-407CP.
And if you'd like to share your experiences in public, feel free to leave a comment, or post a review on the public service review site Yelp
You can let the PUC know you want the lower fares and better service offered by the owner/operators of Mile High Cab. Ask the PUC to hear Mile High Cab’s case and let them compete in a Denver market that can only get better when drivers compete to earn your trust. Write to Director Doug Dean at Doug.Dean@dora.state.co.us and reference Mile High Cab, docket number 08A-407CP.
And if you'd like to share your experiences in public, feel free to leave a comment, or post a review on the public service review site Yelp
A warning for the Metro driver. That's what happens when there's no real competition. Metro is free to treat passengers like pigs.
ReplyDeleteI drive a taxi in Colorado Springs. It was 90 degrees outside and inside the taxi it was at least 100 degrees from the heat of the engine inside the cab. I brought the cab to the yard and asked for a shot of freon to get me through the weekend. I was told "We can't keep putting in that stuff! Ir's too expensive!" by the company mechanic. He said he could look at it Wednesday. This was a Friday-today. I asked for another car because my customers were complaining and I was nauseous and dizzy. They said no and that I had to keep driving to make my lease. I refused and went home sick.The problems with customer service and safety usually start and end with the greedy owners of the companies.It is going to be in the 90's all week. I can not drive at night. I may have to quit because of this. I really care alot about my customer service and comfort. It is embarrassing and unprofession not to speak of dangerous to my own health and safety of other drivers shoyld I faint from the heat. Thank you for listening.
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