Tamara Perez caught a cab to her Manhattan home Tuesday, when she noticed that she didn’t have enough cash. The cab had a credit card machine, so she decided to pay with credit.
According to Ms. Perez this decision caused the cabbie to punch her in the face.
“The guy said, ‘I don’t know how to use [the credit card machine],’” said Perez, who said the dispute began in front of her home near E. Third St. and Avenue C. “I said, ‘I’m going to use this credit card machine.’”
Eying the gadget, Perez noticed it appeared operable and “not very difficult at all,” she said. “I said, ‘This is your responsibility to know how to use this machine. This is your cab. If you don’t know how to use it, then I’m not paying you.’”
That’s when things got physical, she said. She got out of the car and the driver, whose identity was not known, stepped in front of Perez and pushed her back into the cab. “I give you a punch in the face!” he told her, Perez said. “And he punched me in the face.”
Ms. Perez wrote down the license plate and called the police. She then filed a complaint with the Taxi & Limousine Commission. The TLC says they’re investigating and “If proven true … the TLC will take the necessary steps to revoke [the driver's] license.”
Woman says enraged cabbie hit her after credit card fiasco [Daily News]
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@frankadelic:
Let me punch you in the face and see if you still think the same way..
I hope you got the idea.
The mitigating circumstance is that New York cabbies ROUTINELY give you an excuse for trying to pay with a credit card or delivering you anywhere outside Manhattan, both of which they are required by law to do. Unless you learn to become a consumer bully and stand up for your rights you will never get to Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx in a cab. Even if you do you will probably still never get to the Bronx!
@frankadelic:
It seems apparent that you have never met a NYC cabbie.
@rickspeaks: I think that that she shouldn’t just be cleared of the bill, BUT if the cabbie isn’t smart enough to say hey, one second I’m going to have someone over the radio explain it, to me then to bad for the cabbie.
@fhic: I kind of figured they wouldn’t be the most cool headed, not like Jamie Foxx in that movie with Tom Cruise
On a side note, if the cabbie is forced to use the thing or get stuck with this scenario where he’s probably responsible for the loss I’d want to know it worked…
Although I’d probably hate the thing for destroying my tips…
Wow, the life of a Cabbie is complex.
They pull this shit in Philadelphia too, but they just tell you it’s broken, not that they don’t know how to use it. I try to use cash in a cab, but hey…the option is there to be used. So if you’re trying to lie to me and tell me it doesn’t work, you’re not getting paid…
@frankadelic:
Credit card machines just got installed in NYC Cabs. 5% of it goes to “processing”, so cab drivers are naturally pissed at this as well as the fact that people no longer have to round up. Plus, cab drivers had to pay to get the credit card machines installed.
See this article: [www.villagevoice.com] for some of the real nuances to this issue. The cab driver obviously was wrong, but when cabbies work 12 hour shifts and are continually marginalized, some of them will got off the deep end. The cab driver should have told her that the credit card reader wasn’t working when she got in and avoided the problem.
Mind you, about 60% of the cab machines I’ve seen also have a malfunctioning credit card reader.
@Kos:
Am I the only one who thinks he was lying out his ass, either about “not knowing how to use it” or it not working?
Yes, circumstances may suck for cabbies with the CC stuff. But they need to get used to it. Ask any other small business that’s been getting hosed with CC fees for decades in order to compete.
Evolve, or get out of the game.
I’m not defending Frankadelic here, but while we are again amused by his “I’m not defending [insert bad guy] here” post which then goes on to defend the bad guy, the consumer does in fact share some portion of the blame. To quote Mr. Spock, “A minuscule….a very small piece.”
@FrankTheTank: ……please know the situation before talking about it. 100% of the cabs in New York HAVE to have CC machines by law. You have NO obligation to pay by cash at any point.
@FrankTheTank:
The cab had a card reader, and in NYC they are obligated to accept a credit card. No excuse. She doesn’t have to check to make sure she had enough cash, she had appropriate payment available, in the form of an accepted form of payment, a credit card.
No need to walk.
No sense of entitlement.
No need to make other arrangements.
Driver is 100% at fault for not knowing how to operate a legally mandated device. He shouldn’t be qualified to drive if he can’t operate the CC machine.
So, given that she made an offer to pay, in a form that is required to be accepted, what do you propose she do instead? She really can’t return the ride.
What is the issue with credit cards and tips? Doesn’t the credit card slip have a tip line, like in a restaurant?
And can someone explain how the credit card fees come out of the tips? Shouldn’t they come out of the fare? If it discourages rounding up, that’s one thing, but it can’t actually deduct a percentage of the tip, can it?
And if it does, is that a fluke of the system, or some kind of draconian policy? If it’s policy, it should be changed right quick, since it just makes cabbies unduly hostile to CC customers…
2 counts of Assault/Battery. Only problem is if anyone else saw, because then it will be hard to prove.
First I’ve heard of physical violence. But it’s a well known fact in NYC that cabbies don’t take credit cards under any circumstances.
Reminds me of a trick many people use when buying gas. They never ask for a full tank. Always a $ amount. Sometimes gas attendants will fill the tank anyway. Call the cops, pay what you asked for. Attendants hope that your like most and just pay regardless. Some will call the cops, file complaints and take it as far as they can.
Regardless consumers still loose. They aren’t likely to take the cabbies license away. If they did, there would be a revolt over their “right” to insist on cash. It’s been a sensitive topic for years. Nobody wants to start trouble.
@digitalgimpus: Problem is, BY LAW now they have to. And if they dont the TLC has stated they will fine or remove the cabbies license to operate in NYC.
They have even started planting TLC operatives in cabs with credit cards to make sure the cabbies taken them. Any not are being removed immediately from the street that minute with a week suspension.
@doctor_cos: @rickspeaks: It’s possible to think both people in a conflict are wrong. I’m not defending the bad guy. Punching someone in the face is poor customer service and he should be punished for assaulting this woman. He’s a tool for not offering to find out how to use the CC machine. What I’m saying is that she didn’t handle the situation well either. Refusing to pay for a service you’ve been provided is poor consumerism.
@fhic: I was born and raised on Queens so I’ve met plenty of NYC cabbies. What’s your point?
@Saboth: Many cabs have these new inventions called CB radios and most cabbies carry magical devices called cell phones. They can use either of these quickly get in touch with someone who can tell them how to use the CC machine.
Clays: When you swipe your card, options come up on the touchscreen for what percentage you want to tip. So you don’t even have to deal with the hassle of writing the tip on the receipt.
I’ll bet the cab driver’s air conditioning never seems to be working during the summer either. Give me a f’n break. She did the right thing. He has to accept either form of payment. If he’s acting like this and just came to the country, throw his ass out.
The last thing I ever want to do is give one of these drivers my credit card info…. If I’m gonna hop in a yellow cab I make sure I have cash.
These clowns are always trying to give me a hard time about using credit cards. I tell them it’s tough shit.
@frankadelic: She didn’t refuse to pay! The ^%#@ing cab driver refused to be paid! Why is this hard to grasp?
Decent point out of ECOASTER. In a completely unrelated post, check out gawker.com and the Sarah Silverman song. She annoys me a fair amount but the video is classic. Only advertising another site as I know it’s a sister site to consumerist……
@DMDDallas: I’ll quote her directly from the article: “I’m not paying you.” After saying this she tried to jet from the cab. That sounds like a refusal to pay to me.
@ClayS: there is but then the tips are taxed by the gov. Most people who get tips only claim like 1/4 of what they receive, if that, but you can’t lie if its on a CC. Tips get taxed a higher rate than standard pay also if im not mistaken so you can lose somewhere between a third and 40% of your tips to taxes.
In NYC, if they can not give you change for the fare up to a $20, then the ride is free. I have gotten free rides because of this.
So, who makes the money? The Gov’t and the banks, (taxes and fees). Here’s an idea; pay the cabbie in cash, he gets a little bit more, you pay a little bit less for not having the interst charge on your statement, and the gov’t and the banks get nothing from the transaction. They’re already getting taxes for the gas, registration, licensing etc. This way,
you get home without bruises and ‘Bubba’ ramains lonely in jail without a new partner. Besides, cash is king!
Do you have to tip the taxi driver? I thought it’s only for good service such as opening the door or getting my luggage from the trunk.
@ClayS: If he’s violent, that cabbie needs to be in jail or deported.
How nice.
A racist assumption that all cab drivers are foreigners working illegally.
@frankadelic: Now why would you only quote half of that sentence? The full sentence was, “If you don’t know how to use it, then I’m not paying you.”
And I think that was a pretty reasonable way to deal with it. She shouldn’t have to kiss the guy’s ass — if he can’t get his shit together, then she’s got every right to make a statement like that. Perhaps it’s a bit rude, but some situations call for that.
Typical cabbie scam, the “I don’t know how to use the credit machine” thing. Cab drivers love to do whatever they can to cheat the customer (or their cab company), and he was most likely trying to get her to hand him cash so he could pocket a portion of it.
I once had a cabbie tell me he couldn’t break a $20 bill for a $10 cab ride. The 20 was all I had, so I explained to him that I wasn’t paying him double for the ride. He got belligerent at this point, but I just told him either he needed to come up with the change or I wouldn’t pay. He groused dramatically for a minute, until I was sick of hearing it and got out of the cab.
Luckily no punch in the face for me.
So did the cabbie get his fare or not? I keed I keed!
Haha, man I love my city.
And no, the woman handled it exactly the way I would’ve. You don’t know how to operate it? Tough shit. She’s got places to be. She doesn’t have time to sit in a cab, waiting for him to find out because he doesn’t know how to work the thing. That’s NOT her problem. That’s his job to know, and looking how the dumb ass handled it, it won’t be his job for much longer.
At least it was’nt a “johnnycab” or the damn taxi would’ve exploded if she walked off without paying.
It seems to me that this story isn’t exactly verbatim, and the person who wrote was trying to get the basics of the situation in there. With that said, there probably was a lot more to that than “I’m not paying you”. I am sure there must have been a lot more said than cutting right to “I’m not paying you”
The guy should be arrested and fired. No excuses. Assaulting anyone for any reason is never the answer. I know that if it were me I would have been shocked that the person driving had no idea how to use a machine that they were by law supposed to be able to have available.
I can see how she got upset and after trying to explain she had no other alternative but to use her card. I know I would have said something like that.
And judging from the statement he made it sounds like he is foreign and probably doesn’t communicate that well with everyone.
There is nothing worse than trying to talk to someone who doesn’t understand you, especially when it becomes frustrating. (like calling CSR, and talking to someone from India about your computer trouble)
The subway exists for a reason. Use it.
Rough crowd!
@KJones:
No, I’m only assuming that this particular cab driver is a foreigner and he may be here on a work visa. The problem is, violence is not well-accepted here, especially against women. This guy needs to get with the program, or he should not be allowed to be out on the streets; behave yourself or leave. And when it comes to racism, many cabbies in NYC seem to have a problem picking up black fares. That too, the TLC isn’t going to tolerate.
A lot of commenters on here (presumably, not NYers) actually think this guy didn’t know how to use his credit card machine. He knew how to use it. He was using that as an excuse to avoid delaying his tip. It was a flat-out lie, much like the cabbies that put the “out of order” sign on the credit card reader every night.
Then, the worst of the worst – the ones that I and several of my friends have been victims of – are the cabbies who let passengers use the machine, claim the credit card transaction “didn’t go through,” force the passenger to go to an ATM to pay cash, and then get paid twice when the charge shows up on the passenger’s credit card bill weeks later.
These cabbies need to get a life and realize that rules are rules. If they don’t follow the rules, they should lose their jobs. It’s as simple as that.
Luckily, I think this guy will be losing his job.
Cabbies in NYC often refuse credit cards since they make less money on them (b/c of the fees). I’ve heard every story in the book. To avoid the harrassment and run-around I make sure I carry cash.
@frankadelic: Well said rebuttal, I will give you that one.
And at least cabbies are several evolutionary rungs above lawyers
@Framling: Fantastic. Just fantastic comment.
On my first ever trip to Manhattan, the very first thing I saw when I stepped out of my hotel was a cabbie repeatedly punching his passenger in the face in the middle of Broadway.
I decided to use the subway for the duration of my stay.
@akalish:
Didn’t the cabbies get a fare increase recently in order to cover the fees? Cash customers pay the fare increase as well, so their higher cost, non-fee fares + higher cost, credit card fee fares should cover the cost of the fees?
At least she didn’t get run over like one guy in Nashville. He got into an argument with a Somali cabbie who drove over his leg and nearly killed him. Fortunately, the cabbie is in prison now.
is the US dollar so weak that it’s got the same exchange rate as a punch to the face?
mexico is looking more prospective by the day
I travel a fair amount and cabbies (in the US at least) are universally uncooperative when it comes to accepting credit cards. I’ve had many cabbies tell me that thir card machines don’t work in cities where there are local ordinances that REQUIRE cabs to be able to accept CC payment.
I’ve found you’re better off hiring a car service when you can (obviously not possible for spontaneous cab rides) – it’s often cheaper than taxi fares and you pay a pre-agreed to amount. You can tip in cash depending on your driver’s performance. Car services also rarely send crapped up filthy cars like the cabs you’ll often find on the street.
The other thing to do is ask upon entry “do you accept credit cards?” That way if they say no, get out and get another taxi. If yes, they can’t bitch when you pay with yours.
@BOOMAHRET2008: You’re missing the point. Cabbies are REQUIRED to accept credit cards if they have the credit-card set-up in the cab. Why should I enable them in breaking the law?
That’s why I always punch first.
Complain to the credit card merchant services. If you have a machine and the signage and you refuse a card, they hit you a ton with fees and fines and increases in processing rate.
@FrankTheTank: Actually, if you enter into the cab with the expectation that you can pay via CC, because the signs state that you cab pay with credit card and then suddenly at the end of the transaction the business says “oh, you can’t use that here”, yeah, my reaction would be well then you aren’t getting paid.
Don’t claim that you will take my card, then suddenly say oops, no I can’t do that after I go to hand it to you. These companies need to understand that the world is changing and that there is an entire generation coming up that very rarely carries any appreciable amount of money in cash.
If he didn’t punch her, he’d actually be in a good position against her.
I have been in Costco when the CC/machines were down. You could only pay cash or check. No one ran out of the store with their carts filled yelling I’m not gonna pay you because your CC machine is inoperable.
Now the cab driver should’ve told her upfront, machine is unavailable so she couldn’t exited the cab when she realized she didn’t have the cash–or asked to go to an ATM. He should not have punched her. Period.
However, I don’t know why if the machine looked on to her, why didn’t she just try to complete the transaction–it sounds like she made no attempt to use the machine. I believe those machines are automatically setup and you follow the screen.