[vpFREE] Re: Taxis and tipping

> 4.1. Taxis and tipping
> Posted by: "HRDiane@aol.com" HRDiane@aol.com hrdiane
> Date: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:52 am ((PDT))
...
>
> One time not too long ago, I was on the phone entering the taxi and forgot to
> say anything beyond my hotel name.? Driver took me through the tunnel and fare
> was considerably more than I usually pay to go to Venetian?on my many trips to
> LV.? I asked him why he took the tunnel and he said it was "fastest".?It
> was?10:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning,?not 6pm on a Friday night.?
>
> I told him I disagreed and that prior trips had only cost me in the range of
> $--$ and that I did not appreciate what appeared to be his?trying to? pad the
> fare or take advantage of a tourist.? I told him that I was only willing to pay
> the standard fare for the trip.? He backed down immediately and said -- "ok, pay
> me whatever you think is fair"
>

I was surprised to hear the taxi driver had offered "pay me what you think is fair", until I heard that he could get in trouble. Personally, I think that is a great response to anyone who seems unhappy with the service and charge, and in my experience, all but the biggest jerks will in fact make a reasonable payment when given that option, and (in situations a little different than the taxi) in many cases will pay more than the provider of the service might have expected in case of a dispute.

I had one great experience with a taxi driver in, of all places, New York City (I say "of all places" because NYC seems to have a reputation for rudeness that I personally have not encountered very often in my visits there). We got in a taxi at our hotel, gave the driver our destination, and he misunderstood and took off in the wrong direction. I recognized this after about a mile and said something, and he apologized, turned around, and when he passed our hotel again, now going the correct direction, he re-started the meter!

Most of my experiences with "low-level" service providers have been good. Where I run into disappointment is with what I would consider higher-level services, such as furnace / air conditioning maintenance, as opposed to the guy who mows the lawn.

--BG

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