mouse_chalk
Well-Known Member
Last night, I went to a party at a friend's house to celebrate his birthday. It was on the other side of town, so me and 7 of my friends got a taxi there. When it came to go home, admittedly at about 4.30am this morning, there was only 3 of us going that way by that time, so we called a taxi again. The local one (that side of town) that we called didn't turn up, so we called our local taxi office- I've been living in this area since I was 5 and my family have always used this company- same with my friends as well. I will normally only ever call them- they're always on time, reliable, probably not the cheapest but a trusted company.
Anyway, so we called them, they turned up. We passed through the centre of town and dropped off our friend, and there was just me and my girlfriend left in the taxi. We stopped at a cashpoint so she could withdraw some money- I'd paid her share of the taxi out there so she was paying for the way home. She told the taxi driver where to drop her off- in the main road just a minute or 2 from her house, but he way overshot it and carried on driving, until she really firmly told him to stop and let her out. After she got out I told him the name of my road, and asked how much it would be to get to my house. He said £20-22, and I only had £15. We were about a mile and a half from my house at this point and I said 'just let me out here then, because I don't have enough money to get home, I'll just walk from here.' I didn't particularly want to walk that far home, but I didn't know what else to do! But he wouldn't listen to me and wouldn't stop the taxi. He said 'you'll have money at home, you can get it there' but I knew there was no money in the house- (Steve had given me the only cash he had when I'd left for my taxi fare) so I told him this, and asked him again to just let me out and I'd walk. He wouldn't stop, and carried on driving. I asked him over and over again to let me out and kept telling him that I couldn't pay him, but all he would say is 'what are you going to do about it?'. I kept telling him that I didn't know and that I literally had no more money anywhere except for a few pennies in my purse. I handed him the money I had and told him it was all I had and please just let me out, but he wouldn't listen. He pulled down a random side road sort of not too far from my house, but a road that doesn't lead anywhere near the direction of my house. At this point I started to really panic and shouted 'I don't live anywhere near here, where are you going?' and he turned the car around, but he was still saying 'what are you going to do about it?' and 'what am I supposed to say to the office?', but he still wouldn't let me out the car, even though I'd been asking him repeatedly since I realised I didn't have the fare. I eventually said 'I would never knowingly not have the money to pay you, I use this company all the time, and have done for years'. He seemed to twig once I said that because he said 'you use this company all the time?' and then he eventually let me out on the main road that my street is off, about a 5 minute walk from my house. I got out and ran all the way home, where I woke Steve up crying hysterically.
To say Steve was angry is an understatement! He was straight on the phone to the taxi company, at 5am lol, yelling at them for having one of their drivers 'scare the crap out of my wife'. Apparently they were very shocked and not too happy, but it was only the radio controller so she couldn't do much about it, but he's to call and speak to the manager tomorrow when they're in.
I still feel really upset- I've been on the verge of tears all day. I keep thinking maybe I was overreacting. I know it was my own fault- I should have made sure I had the right money, but all I wanted to do was get out and walk the rest of the way and not have a taxi ride I couldn't pay for. I can't lie- I had been drinking and I was more than a little tipsy, and it was getting on for 5am, but this is a local company that I've been using for years and years, and trust, which is why we called them. I don't know what I thought was going to happen, but I was so, so scared.
Anyway, so we called them, they turned up. We passed through the centre of town and dropped off our friend, and there was just me and my girlfriend left in the taxi. We stopped at a cashpoint so she could withdraw some money- I'd paid her share of the taxi out there so she was paying for the way home. She told the taxi driver where to drop her off- in the main road just a minute or 2 from her house, but he way overshot it and carried on driving, until she really firmly told him to stop and let her out. After she got out I told him the name of my road, and asked how much it would be to get to my house. He said £20-22, and I only had £15. We were about a mile and a half from my house at this point and I said 'just let me out here then, because I don't have enough money to get home, I'll just walk from here.' I didn't particularly want to walk that far home, but I didn't know what else to do! But he wouldn't listen to me and wouldn't stop the taxi. He said 'you'll have money at home, you can get it there' but I knew there was no money in the house- (Steve had given me the only cash he had when I'd left for my taxi fare) so I told him this, and asked him again to just let me out and I'd walk. He wouldn't stop, and carried on driving. I asked him over and over again to let me out and kept telling him that I couldn't pay him, but all he would say is 'what are you going to do about it?'. I kept telling him that I didn't know and that I literally had no more money anywhere except for a few pennies in my purse. I handed him the money I had and told him it was all I had and please just let me out, but he wouldn't listen. He pulled down a random side road sort of not too far from my house, but a road that doesn't lead anywhere near the direction of my house. At this point I started to really panic and shouted 'I don't live anywhere near here, where are you going?' and he turned the car around, but he was still saying 'what are you going to do about it?' and 'what am I supposed to say to the office?', but he still wouldn't let me out the car, even though I'd been asking him repeatedly since I realised I didn't have the fare. I eventually said 'I would never knowingly not have the money to pay you, I use this company all the time, and have done for years'. He seemed to twig once I said that because he said 'you use this company all the time?' and then he eventually let me out on the main road that my street is off, about a 5 minute walk from my house. I got out and ran all the way home, where I woke Steve up crying hysterically.
To say Steve was angry is an understatement! He was straight on the phone to the taxi company, at 5am lol, yelling at them for having one of their drivers 'scare the crap out of my wife'. Apparently they were very shocked and not too happy, but it was only the radio controller so she couldn't do much about it, but he's to call and speak to the manager tomorrow when they're in.
I still feel really upset- I've been on the verge of tears all day. I keep thinking maybe I was overreacting. I know it was my own fault- I should have made sure I had the right money, but all I wanted to do was get out and walk the rest of the way and not have a taxi ride I couldn't pay for. I can't lie- I had been drinking and I was more than a little tipsy, and it was getting on for 5am, but this is a local company that I've been using for years and years, and trust, which is why we called them. I don't know what I thought was going to happen, but I was so, so scared.
