Friday, May 23, 2008

@$#%^&*ING TAXI SERVICE

After another day at Southland and then mother's I decided I couldn't face the walk home so I rang for a taxi at 4.01 p.m.

I sat outside on the fence from that time until 4.45 when I rang again on the mobile this time.

I sat there for another 15 minutes until I nearly froze my tits off. No joke, it turned freezing.

I went back inside and rang the operator, no problems there's one on the way.

At 5.25, I rang again. Was I sure the address was ...........? @#$%!!

At 5.55, I rang the supervisor who checked and said 5 taxi drivers had said the pick-up was completed. She was outraged and 5 taxi drivers were listed for a rocket. If I wasn't picked up in 10 minutes, I was to ring her again.

At 6.15, another call to the supervisor and the despatcher. The sixth driver was threatened with no more jobs for the night unless I was picked up.

In all this time, not one taxi was spotted in the street. Even when I went inside I was sitting in front of a six foot wide/tall window where I could see the street. When it was dark, I put all the outside lights on.

At 6.27, a taxi arrived and I was delivered home at 6.32. The driver looked like Professor Snape, so much so I checked to see if it was a full moon. No kidding, he had shoulder length black hair parted in the middle and was wearing a long black coat. He also had no sense of direction but he was polite.

At 6.40, I had the gin in the glass and had opened a packet of jellybeans for tea.

How was your day?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is atrocious. Make an official complaint, not that anything will be done. I suspect being a short trip was the problem. While the driver doesn't know what the trip is until he picks up, I think they have ways and means. In the past, the operator would bribe the driver to do a short trip with the promise of the next city or southern suburb to airport job. Suggest you use Silver Cabs, as they are the largest and have the best processes in place.

It was almost a full moon. Did you save the black jelly beans for me?

Jayne said...

My daughter uses Silver Cabs all the time - never has any probs with them, unlike the custard coloured mob.
Hope you've managed to defrost yourself by now, it's been freeeeezing all day!

JahTeh said...

The black jelly beans go well with gin.

I ended up speaking to the supervisor who had all the details in a few minutes and was furious especially when the car she sent out didn't arrive either. My regular drivers always turn up because I tip for the short trip and I rarely have trouble on a Friday afternoon. I know it's only 3km but I don't seem to be able to walk both ways anymore not in the dark anyway.

JahTeh said...

Jayne, I can only get the yellow mob around here and like I said to Andrew, I have my regulars.

At four o'clock it was just lovely in the sunshine but it turned chilly about 4.30 and getting worse. I'm looking forward to not getting up until 10 tomorrow.

Jayne said...

The ice has finally melted off our roof and back lawn now! (Sat morn)

Middle Child said...

Can't top that one Jahteh...Andrew is right complain and then tell them you got the flu and were sick for weeks after... that your aged mother's medication was at your house and she was in a coma by the time you got it back to her...

River said...

That's over two hours!! You probably could have walked/crawled home in that time! Lodge a formal written complaint immediately.
Did you dip those jelly beans in chocolate? (Extra nutrition...)

JahTeh said...

And more to come Jayne. From midday to 2pm I was outside then it started to freeze again.

Therese, complaints have been lodged but I won't bother trying to find out anything as long as the next time I call I get picked up.

River, I could have walked home but walking when I'm tired is usually when I fall over. Never mind the jelly beans, you made me think of chocolate bullets, yum.

Brian Hughes said...

"I sat outside on the fence from that time until 4.45..."

I'm surprised it's still upright. and after that mental image, from now on I think I'll call you Banshee.

JahTeh said...

We build fences to outlast your old Roman crap, Fleetwood.