If you’ve lost something in a New York City taxi—get ready for the worst customer service experience you will ever have. Gothamist reports that New York City Council member Gale Brewer is blasting the Taxi & Limousine Commission’s so-called “system”:

Brewer said, “A New Yorker misfortunate enough to lose her property in a taxi is more likely to find overwhelmed hotlines and contradictory instructions than she is to recover her missing possession. The TLC procedure is rarely followed and is hopeless without a receipt. The TLC’s system does not work, if it could even be called a system.”

They also listed some flaws that Brewer cited in her report:

– The TLC hotline is understaffed. The staff made six attempts to contact the TLC through the hotline from June 13 through June 19. The minimum time on hold was ten minutes, and staff only reached an operator twice.
Officers at the designated precincts are generally uninformed about the TLC’s policy. Staff at the 17 Precinct in Manhattan, one of the designated precincts, was unaware of any TLC designated precincts.
– A lot of lost property is not taken to the precincts, but is instead left with the taxi garage managers. As of June 20, the 107 Precinct in Queens had not had any items brought in for at least two months.
– There is no way to contact the garage without a receipt.

There are a few more at Gothamist. We have to wonder, if your system is going to suck that bad… why even have it? It would be better to have a sign that says, “If you leave stuff in the taxi it is immediately eaten by bears. Don’t waste your time calling us.”

Big Yellow Taxi, Big Void of Lost Items [Gothamist]
(Photo:klamouze)

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