Airport taxi - was I scammed?
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Airport taxi - was I scammed?
Flying in from Europe, I had prebooked a taxi from Liverpool Airport to Manchester. The agreed fare was £40. I gave a flight number and a STA and was assured that, if it ran late, the taxi company would know about it.
The flight ran 3 hours late and I phoned the taxi company from Europe just to check that they knew - they did. After the plane landed in Liverpool, the baggage delivery wasn't quick but the wait was not unreasonable.
The taxi driver was waiting outside Arrivals and he then went to pay for his parking ticket. On arrival in Manchester he charged me £40, plus £4 waiting plus £6 parking. He knew where I lived and I was going to give him £45 anyway, so I gave him £50 without any debate.
I've every sympathy for taxi companies picking up airline passengers. Their waste of time is huge and the parking usually outrageous. However, I have always thought the an agreed fare of £40 was just that, a fixed amount.
Any views anyone, please?
The flight ran 3 hours late and I phoned the taxi company from Europe just to check that they knew - they did. After the plane landed in Liverpool, the baggage delivery wasn't quick but the wait was not unreasonable.
The taxi driver was waiting outside Arrivals and he then went to pay for his parking ticket. On arrival in Manchester he charged me £40, plus £4 waiting plus £6 parking. He knew where I lived and I was going to give him £45 anyway, so I gave him £50 without any debate.
I've every sympathy for taxi companies picking up airline passengers. Their waste of time is huge and the parking usually outrageous. However, I have always thought the an agreed fare of £40 was just that, a fixed amount.
Any views anyone, please?
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I suppose it depends on what you agreed? The fare from LPL to Manchester was presumably £40. If it was stated or written that was an inclusive price of any waiting or parking then that would be your contract. If not then the company would be justified in charging you any excess charges they incurred on your behalf.
As you say they obviously didn't wait for three hours because they had checked on the arrival time and you had also notified and updated them. Obviously £4 is a very low waiting charge and reflects only a short waiting period probably as a result of your delay in the baggage hall. If the driver had to park up (as he did) then you would be responsible for his charges unless this was agreed as part of your fare?
In all honesty if you expected to pay £40 and in fact you paid £50, and you know half of this was for airport parking, then I wouldn't worry too much about being scammed. I don't know how much the parking is at Liverpool, but setting that to one side, your only complaint is over the £4 waiting charge. I suppose you could argue that point, but in all honesty I can't see anybody bothering to scam somebody for only £4.
As you say they obviously didn't wait for three hours because they had checked on the arrival time and you had also notified and updated them. Obviously £4 is a very low waiting charge and reflects only a short waiting period probably as a result of your delay in the baggage hall. If the driver had to park up (as he did) then you would be responsible for his charges unless this was agreed as part of your fare?
In all honesty if you expected to pay £40 and in fact you paid £50, and you know half of this was for airport parking, then I wouldn't worry too much about being scammed. I don't know how much the parking is at Liverpool, but setting that to one side, your only complaint is over the £4 waiting charge. I suppose you could argue that point, but in all honesty I can't see anybody bothering to scam somebody for only £4.
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I reckon that's all very reasonable.
A cabbie gave me a 500 Burmese kyat note one evening in Bangkok rather than a 500 baht note. That's scamming.
I'm still kicking myself about that one.
A cabbie gave me a 500 Burmese kyat note one evening in Bangkok rather than a 500 baht note. That's scamming.
I'm still kicking myself about that one.
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I don't see how you can feel you were scammed for the sake of ten quid!
Waiting time and parking seem reasonable and I can't see how anyone would need to debate something like this on a forum like this for what you see as an attempted four quid scam
Waiting time and parking seem reasonable and I can't see how anyone would need to debate something like this on a forum like this for what you see as an attempted four quid scam
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Scamming Cabs?
Taxi to Beijing airport from hotel normally CYN 120 or thereabouts.
Cabby that picked us up - very friendly , offered us cigarettes, even a bottle of beer.
Then I noticed that his 'meter' was whizzing round and when we got there he parked well away from the taxi rank and announced the fare was CYN 650...
Realising he was pulling a very fast one and trying to avoid the officials at the cab rank (probally an llegal cab) I shoved him 150 - and he ran off without complaint!
Taxi to Beijing airport from hotel normally CYN 120 or thereabouts.
Cabby that picked us up - very friendly , offered us cigarettes, even a bottle of beer.
Then I noticed that his 'meter' was whizzing round and when we got there he parked well away from the taxi rank and announced the fare was CYN 650...
Realising he was pulling a very fast one and trying to avoid the officials at the cab rank (probally an llegal cab) I shoved him 150 - and he ran off without complaint!
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I don't see how you can feel you were scammed for the sake of ten quid!
It sounds like a misunderstanding to me, no doubt the charges are in the taxi companies standard terms and conditions, but the OP wasn't aware of these.
Usually waiting time kicks in xx minutes after the ETA, so it may well have been a valid charge, but if you are not expecting it, it feels like a rip off.
Parking charges are usually included in the fare, in my experience, but once again reference to standard T&Cs is required to verify.
GBP10 represents 25% of the agreed fare, so I can understand the feelings, in the same way that people complain about locos adding on lots of extras. Other people may see this as transparent billing.
I suppose the acid test is what do other companies charge and is the bill higher?
Ultimately, you can vote with your feet next time, if you do not like the firm's way of doing business.
For michaelknight, just let me say that if I didn't look for the best deal on airport transfers and paid GBP10 above the going rate, I would have paid approximately GBP2,000 more just between my home and the airport last year.
That's not the right thought process for 2009/2010, IMHO, as the small things add up and make more of a difference than people think.
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ceeb,
It is the principle that I'm trying to establish. I paid £50 when I was expecting to pay £40, okay that's "only" £10 but if they did that to you in Sainsbury's you would raise your eyebrows.
I'm not saying that it is wrong to charge for waiting and parking, but asking whether it is normal? Does everyone else get to pay the extra, or just me?
Incidentally £6 is up to 2 hours parking, 1 hour is £3 which I would have thought was enough to pick someone up.
It is the principle that I'm trying to establish. I paid £50 when I was expecting to pay £40, okay that's "only" £10 but if they did that to you in Sainsbury's you would raise your eyebrows.
I'm not saying that it is wrong to charge for waiting and parking, but asking whether it is normal? Does everyone else get to pay the extra, or just me?
Incidentally £6 is up to 2 hours parking, 1 hour is £3 which I would have thought was enough to pick someone up.
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Doesn't sound like a scam to me for the minor figure involved! I do feel another 'scam', albeit unintentional, needs re-examining. If I went to my local Marks and Spencer store and picked something up I forgot to pay for, I would be done for shoplifting. No excuses, 'you were stealing, you have to be prosecuted!'. OK fine- that's the rules. So I went to a local M&S attached to a garage.Several items were on like '2 for £5' offers. On the way out, I thought I'd check the receipt, and found that for one particular item, the 'twofer' hadn't been clocked up by the register and I'd been charged an extra £1. I got it sorted out, but thinking about it, in a way, this is 'shoplifting' from my pocket- in all senses, it is attempted theft, pure and simple, from me. That's a scam, unintentional I admit, but old people unintentionally pop things in their pocket in shops sometimes.
What does the team think? Should you call the Police reporting a theft, and prosecute the Directors? How should they be able to get away with attempted theft. Check your receipts folks- there may well be some nasty surprises!
What does the team think? Should you call the Police reporting a theft, and prosecute the Directors? How should they be able to get away with attempted theft. Check your receipts folks- there may well be some nasty surprises!
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I can also see why you think you were scammed....
If 40 quid was agreed and you were charged 50 then there is a problem. Like F3G if I was charged a tenner extra for every taxi ride I take in a year it adds up to alot of cash. Just 'cause its europe doesnt mean that its kosher.
I know how much the taxi fare should be from the airport to my house and on one occasion the meter read significantly higher...so I pointed out to the guy this fact and unsurprisingly he just accepted my "offer" without arguement!!
The biggest shysters seem to be the Hotels though - ALWAYS check your hotel bill is correct!!
Regards, SD..
If 40 quid was agreed and you were charged 50 then there is a problem. Like F3G if I was charged a tenner extra for every taxi ride I take in a year it adds up to alot of cash. Just 'cause its europe doesnt mean that its kosher.
I know how much the taxi fare should be from the airport to my house and on one occasion the meter read significantly higher...so I pointed out to the guy this fact and unsurprisingly he just accepted my "offer" without arguement!!
The biggest shysters seem to be the Hotels though - ALWAYS check your hotel bill is correct!!
Regards, SD..
Doesn't sound like a scam to me for the minor figure involved! I do feel another 'scam', albeit unintentional, needs re-examining. If I went to my local Marks and Spencer store and picked something up I forgot to pay for, I would be done for shoplifting. No excuses, 'you were stealing, you have to be prosecuted!'. OK fine- that's the rules. So I went to a local M&S attached to a garage.Several items were on like '2 for £5' offers. On the way out, I thought I'd check the receipt, and found that for one particular item, the 'twofer' hadn't been clocked up by the register and I'd been charged an extra £1. I got it sorted out, but thinking about it, in a way, this is 'shoplifting' from my pocket- in all senses, it is attempted theft, pure and simple, from me. That's a scam, unintentional I admit, but old people unintentionally pop things in their pocket in shops sometimes.
What does the team think? Should you call the Police reporting a theft, and prosecute the Directors? How should they be able to get away with attempted theft. Check your receipts folks- there may well be some nasty surprises!
What does the team think? Should you call the Police reporting a theft, and prosecute the Directors? How should they be able to get away with attempted theft. Check your receipts folks- there may well be some nasty surprises!
As for the taxi, he pulled a fast one. £10 in his pocket methinks.
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quick search on google found one way taxi costs ranging from £45-£60 (to MAN city centre) - so you paid about the right fare - BUT - if agreed £40, then thats what you should have paid, as you say, the cab firm had your flight number, so knew your arrival time.
£3.00 airport parking should have been included in the fare quoted (as it is a "known extra") and you can no longer just wait outside, so the cabbie was aware he would have to pay for the "up to an hour" parking.
Sounds to me as though you paid the fare price, and the original quote was deliberatly low to secure the booking in the first place.
£3.00 airport parking should have been included in the fare quoted (as it is a "known extra") and you can no longer just wait outside, so the cabbie was aware he would have to pay for the "up to an hour" parking.
Sounds to me as though you paid the fare price, and the original quote was deliberatly low to secure the booking in the first place.
