Wedding Etiquette Forum

NWR: did we do the right thing?

Fi and I just had the weirdest experience with a cabbie.  What would you have done in this situation?

We got into a cab at the cab stand near our train station.  It's about a five-minute drive.  We pull up in front of the house and it's a $4.25 fare.  Fi hands the guy a $20 and asks for $14 back, a pretty good tip.  The cabby says he doesn't have singles so I said, "Okay, well give us $15 back and I have some quarters."  The cabby starts getting upset and counts out his money-- he only has $8 in cash in his cab.  I end up counting out all the quarters in my purse and come up with about $3.50.  He gives Fi the $20 back and takes the quarters, then counts it out and says it's not enough and gives that back to me too.

Cabbie is getting upset at this point, "It's not enough, it's not enough."  I say, "So what do you want us to do?  It's midnight, we have a $20, and you don't have any change."  He says, "You give me the $20 and I'll go get change at the deli."  The "deli" he was gesturing at was closed for the night and we sure as hell weren't letting him drive off with our money.

At this point I got out of the car because I was starting to feel like a hostage/ bargaining chip (Fi was already on the sidewalk as the guy was trying to make change).  I was going to offer to take his cab # or something so we could send payment to him later, but he started yelling at us and calling us assholes the moment I got out of the car.  So we just shrugged and went into the house.

I feel like we were justified.  A $20 bill is extremely common and I think it's his responsibility to have enough change to handle a $20.  I offered him the next best thing I had, which was pretty close to the full fare.  I feel like he wanted us to just accept his $8 in change and he would just walk away with the extra money.

Anyway, now I've finished out a really long day by being called an asshole in front of my own home.  Lovely.
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Re: NWR: did we do the right thing?

  • lc07lc07 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Do cabs out in your area not take credit cards? I agree. Crazy that he couldn't make change for a $20 bill. He was definitely trying to get you to give him a nearly 200% tip. Which is way lame. I honestly don't know what I would have done in that situation. If it was a cab service I think I would have tried to call the cab service and pay with a card over the phone. Tipped him with my quarters and peaced out. He's an asshole for yelling at you.
  • @Ic07 unfortunately, no credit cards.  Would make life so much easier!
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  • lc07lc07 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    I'm annoyed for you. If they don't accept cards, they need to have a "bank" to make change with. That's on them. It's not like you tried to pay a $5 cab fare with a $100 bill.
  • His fault he should know to have more change than that.

    FI and I went out for frozen yogurt the other night and it came to like $8 and FI only had a 20. The young cashier got flustered and said the register wasn't opening/ responding. The manager came over and he couldn't get it to work either. FI said I can use a CC but the guy said that was not responding either. We stared at each other for a minute and then he promptly said well guys it's on me tonight. I realize the cab driver isn't the owner/ manager but he still should have realized it was his fault and taken your quarters and let it go.  

                                                                     

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  • His fault, ESPECIALLY if you are in the JC/Hoboken area. No one takes more than a $5 ride from any of the cab stands. I'd report him if I were you - if he knew he had an issue with lacking cash on hand, he should have let you know up front.
  • I've gotten in fights with cab drivers before because either their credit card machine isn't working (in NYC cabs do take them), or they don't have the correct change. Ultimately, it is their responsibility to allow you to pay for your ride. If they don't have change, that isn't your issue. If you were paying with a $100 bill, I may say you should carry smaller change, but a $20 is not unreasonable.

    Sorry you felt so bad! Long story, but I was once held hostage in a cab because I threw up (out the window, not on the seat) and, for the record, I was car sick, NOT drunk. The cab driver wouldn't let me out or give me my luggage until I cleaned it up but wouldn't give me cleaning supplies. Cops were involved. It was ugly and I felt awful.
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  • This exact thing happened to FI on his way home yesterday! It was insane. Though, it was the midde of the day, and the cabbie eventually offered to drive FI the half a mile or so out of the neighborhood to go to an ATM, but, of course, FI was going to be charged for it. FI refused, and got out of the car to get the guy's cab number. The cab sped away a few bucks short of his fare. Ah well. Your CC machine wasn't working and FI wasn't going to give you a $15tip on a $5 cab ride. Crazy.
    "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"
  • I don't think you did anything wrong.  He should've had change, and it sounds like he just wanted as much money as he could get from you guys

    Good cabbies are hit or miss around where I am, too! I had one once who tried to charge me some exorbitant price without turning his meter on. I then suggested he turn his meter on, he got upset, and cited a price that was $4 less than what he originally stated.  (he still should have put the meter on, but fine, i need to get home).  He then tried to drop me off across the street and down the block from my actual building and got upset when I told him he should drop me off at the address I gave him! My mom says I shouldn't argue with cab drivers, especially when I'm by myself, but I definitely tore this guy a new one. 
  • phiraphira member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    You didn't do anything wrong, and he certainly was not professional about the situation. You shouldn't have to pay more than your fare (and while I advocate for tipping in just about every situation, you don't HAVE to pay that either). You shouldn't have had to pay almost THREE times your fare. He should have accepted the $3.50, given that his loss on the transaction was much, much less than yours would have been, and part of his job is to have change.
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  • I love that the cabby originally told you he didn't have any singles, but then he had $8. Last time I checked you need singles to make $8. That guy was for sure trying to scam you. Screw him and I think you should call the cab company and let them know what their driver did.
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  • When you say you went in the house I assume you mean your house.  If so didn't you have any money in there you could have paid him with?
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  • mysticl said:
    When you say you went in the house I assume you mean your house.  If so didn't you have any money in there you could have paid him with?
    I think we had maybe $1 in the house.  We don't generally carry cash, so Fi had just gone to the ATM so that we would cash for a cab (hence the $20 bill).

    And yeah @mellyD2014 this was in Jersey City.  And he was waiting in the cab stand line, it's not like we flagged him down at the end of his shift or something.  It's very weird he didn't have cash.  And I can't wait until JC gets with the program and starts putting CC readers in the cabs.
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    "I'm not a rude bitch.  I'm ten rude bitches in a large coat."

  • lc07 said:
    I'm annoyed for you. If they don't accept cards, they need to have a "bank" to make change with. That's on them. It's not like you tried to pay a $5 cab fare with a $100 bill.
    This is correct. When I delivered pizzas, we were given a "bank" to make up to $20 worth of change and had to change it out repeatedly as we collected $20s throughout the night. That's why most pizza drivers can't accept a $50 for a $20 order.
  • I think he was definitely trying to scam you.
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • phiraphira member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Yeah, I also picked up on the whole, "I don't have any singles," followed by, "I only have $8." How do you have $8 if you don't have any singles?

    We also have zero cash in the house. If we do have cash on us, it's never a lot.
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  • phira said:
    Yeah, I also picked up on the whole, "I don't have any singles," followed by, "I only have $8." How do you have $8 if you don't have any singles?

    We also have zero cash in the house. If we do have cash on us, it's never a lot.
    Yeah that was weird.  It might have just been a language barrier thing-- he was trying to say he didn't have enough change?

    Anyway.  The whole exchange was really bizarre.  I wish now that I had gotten his cab number so I could contact his company.
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    "I'm not a rude bitch.  I'm ten rude bitches in a large coat."

  • Totally a scam, I'm sorry you had to deal with this!

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  • That wasn't your fault that he wasn't prepared to give you change.  You did nothing wrong.
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