London cabbies to protest over smartphone app.
Discussion
Not often I use taxis, but was staying in London for mother's 70th Birthday.
Decided to hail a black cab for the <mile journey down the Strand to Covent Garden.
Taxi has slashed/ripped seats, credit card machine was taped over with a Tesco carrier bag and a 'Cash Only' laminated sign taped to the divider. £5 fare (plus requisite tip), nothing dramatic but not a pleasant experience.
Used Uber for the return journey after our meal, first time user, loved the interface and being able to track the driver's approach. Journey back to the hotel then onwards to Waterloo Station (in a brand new E-Class Mercedes) was perfect, and cost £8 all-in.
Like chalk and cheese in comparison, a much, much better service for a cheaper (by distance) price.
I know which I'll use in the future.
Decided to hail a black cab for the <mile journey down the Strand to Covent Garden.
Taxi has slashed/ripped seats, credit card machine was taped over with a Tesco carrier bag and a 'Cash Only' laminated sign taped to the divider. £5 fare (plus requisite tip), nothing dramatic but not a pleasant experience.
Used Uber for the return journey after our meal, first time user, loved the interface and being able to track the driver's approach. Journey back to the hotel then onwards to Waterloo Station (in a brand new E-Class Mercedes) was perfect, and cost £8 all-in.
Like chalk and cheese in comparison, a much, much better service for a cheaper (by distance) price.
I know which I'll use in the future.
Zod said:
forgot to post this last week.
We had dinner with friends at my brother's house a couple of weekends ago. It was one of those dinners that winds up with the women telling the men not to open yet another bottle of red.
I woke up the next morning and reached for my phone. It wasn't there. The penny dropped through the hangover haze and I realised I must have left it in the Uber. I picked up my iPad, checked Find my iPhone and my phone showed up in Woodford. I set the phone to lost mode, then called up the Uber app, got the driver's telephone number and called him. He confirmed he had the phone. He called back the number I'd set to appear on the lost mode screen to confirm I was the owner and I arranged to drive out to pick it up (later in the day) as he wasn't working that Sunday.
What would I have done if it had been a black cab? I'd have called PCO lost property and most likely have got nowhere.
What he was SUPPOSED to do when he found it was take it straight to a police station and have it booked in as lost property. Guess YOUR guy was waiting to see if anyone called up about it. At least he was honest enough to cough up once you got onto it which is something I suppose. Guess the private hire firm he used to work for were ar least half disciplined. Sorry matey, but lost stuff in taxis goes (should go) straight to the cop station. Do I have to tell you WHY?We had dinner with friends at my brother's house a couple of weekends ago. It was one of those dinners that winds up with the women telling the men not to open yet another bottle of red.
I woke up the next morning and reached for my phone. It wasn't there. The penny dropped through the hangover haze and I realised I must have left it in the Uber. I picked up my iPad, checked Find my iPhone and my phone showed up in Woodford. I set the phone to lost mode, then called up the Uber app, got the driver's telephone number and called him. He confirmed he had the phone. He called back the number I'd set to appear on the lost mode screen to confirm I was the owner and I arranged to drive out to pick it up (later in the day) as he wasn't working that Sunday.
What would I have done if it had been a black cab? I'd have called PCO lost property and most likely have got nowhere.
drainbrain said:
Zod said:
forgot to post this last week.
We had dinner with friends at my brother's house a couple of weekends ago. It was one of those dinners that winds up with the women telling the men not to open yet another bottle of red.
I woke up the next morning and reached for my phone. It wasn't there. The penny dropped through the hangover haze and I realised I must have left it in the Uber. I picked up my iPad, checked Find my iPhone and my phone showed up in Woodford. I set the phone to lost mode, then called up the Uber app, got the driver's telephone number and called him. He confirmed he had the phone. He called back the number I'd set to appear on the lost mode screen to confirm I was the owner and I arranged to drive out to pick it up (later in the day) as he wasn't working that Sunday.
What would I have done if it had been a black cab? I'd have called PCO lost property and most likely have got nowhere.
What he was SUPPOSED to do when he found it was take it straight to a police station and have it booked in as lost property. Guess YOUR guy was waiting to see if anyone called up about it. At least he was honest enough to cough up once you got onto it which is something I suppose. Guess the private hire firm he used to work for were ar least half disciplined. Sorry matey, but lost stuff in taxis goes (should go) straight to the cop station. Do I have to tell you WHY?We had dinner with friends at my brother's house a couple of weekends ago. It was one of those dinners that winds up with the women telling the men not to open yet another bottle of red.
I woke up the next morning and reached for my phone. It wasn't there. The penny dropped through the hangover haze and I realised I must have left it in the Uber. I picked up my iPad, checked Find my iPhone and my phone showed up in Woodford. I set the phone to lost mode, then called up the Uber app, got the driver's telephone number and called him. He confirmed he had the phone. He called back the number I'd set to appear on the lost mode screen to confirm I was the owner and I arranged to drive out to pick it up (later in the day) as he wasn't working that Sunday.
What would I have done if it had been a black cab? I'd have called PCO lost property and most likely have got nowhere.
Do you speak in the way you write, by the way, shouting the words that you have bolded? It is very odd.
drainbrain said:
What he was SUPPOSED to do when he found it was take it straight to a police station and have it booked in as lost property. Guess YOUR guy was waiting to see if anyone called up about it. At least he was honest enough to cough up once you got onto it which is something I suppose. Guess the private hire firm he used to work for were ar least half disciplined. Sorry matey, but lost stuff in taxis goes (should go) straight to the cop station. Do I have to tell you WHY?
Good job he didn't do that, isn't it? Would have been a massive pain in the arse.Zod said:
Nope. He did what Uber requires and what I wanted. I have left umbrellas in taxis, nice ones. I have never managed to recover one.
By the way, do you speak as you write - shouting the words that you embolden? It is very odd.
You find it odd that when writing people embolden for emphasis? Fair enough I suppose. I should use the italic function but I'm not sure there is one. If it was longhand I might underline. Don't you? Doesn't everybody? By the way, do you speak as you write - shouting the words that you embolden? It is very odd.
Anyway, you're a lucky boy. And you were probably a front seat passenger or else your uberman wasn't very busy. Again, do I have to tell you WHY? Seems you don't understand why the cops want stuff found in taxis taken to THEM. So do the taxi firms, though I accept that uber can't drop 'finds' into the base anyway because there isn't a base. to drop them into. And bases don't want the stuff because they're not lost property offices.
Your little adventure was at the weekend wasn't it? Any idea what a taxi base is like at the weekend? As well as the app, text, even the odd email and IVR (wot's that he asks) driven work there are perhaps a dozen (in Addison Lee a hundred) telephonists plus a couple of controllers. People like you who like to over-drink the cheap stuff (you don't get a hangover with the good stuff) are puking, peeing and even sometimes s
tting in taxis. Bosses at account holders (wot's that he asks) are demanding immediate cars for them and their friends. Drivers are knocking back jobs where a dog has unexpectedly turned up. There are fistfights and sometimes worse as drivers are being robbed or abused. And not infrequently, particularly amongst the drunks there are complaints about everything from the driver's breath to the state of the car. There are also accidents of every type and every level of seriousness. And cars breaking down mid-journey. And who's dealing with this? The controllers are, whilst the tidal wave of non-automated calls is being fielded by the telephonists. That's Friday and Saturday night. And the only difference on weeknights is that the volume's lower so there's less staff needed. Of course IVR can run the whole operation solo, but there are so many people who want direct human contact that those really quite expensive staff are 110% needed. So you're lucky. Usually the next passenger into the backseat steals what he finds there. And clearly you're hardly the type of person that anyone would phone at the weekend so the driver wouldn't even have known the phone was in the car. And nobody in management is interested in an argument about a phone. Or a bag of groceries. Or about what exactly wasn't in or not in the bag. So it gets taken to the police station. Or else the driver steals it if indeed (backseat in the dark) he's aware it's there at all. Driver taking it home? Good job your phone hasn't got anything serious or confidential in it, eh? Or that it wasn't a wallet full of 50's. Fancy arguing it out as to whether there was £900 or £500 in it?( I quite enjoyed that).
Edited by Ollie_M on Saturday 13th February 10:56
drainbrain said:
What he was SUPPOSED to do when he found it was take it straight to a police station and have it booked in as lost property. Guess YOUR guy was waiting to see if anyone called up about it.
Or maybe, it wasn't until he got the call from Uber Central asking if he'd found a lost phone that he went out to have a thorough look around his car and found it tucked away somewhere not entirely obvious?twister said:
Or maybe, it wasn't until he got the call from Uber Central asking if he'd found a lost phone that he went out to have a thorough look around his car and found it tucked away somewhere not entirely obvious?
That happens all the time. Doesn't often end well. But IS there an Uber Central staffed by humans who make such calls?drainbrain said:
You find it odd that when writing people embolden for emphasis? Fair enough I suppose. I should use the italic function but I'm not sure there is one. If it was longhand I might underline. Don't you? Doesn't everybody?
Anyway, you're a lucky boy. And you were probably a front seat passenger or else your uberman wasn't very busy. Again, do I have to tell you WHY? Seems you don't understand why the cops want stuff found in taxis taken to THEM. So do the taxi firms, though I accept that uber can't drop 'finds' into the base anyway because there isn't a base. to drop them into. And bases don't want the stuff because they're not lost property offices.
Your little adventure was at the weekend wasn't it? Any idea what a taxi base is like at the weekend? As well as the app, text, even the odd email and IVR (wot's that he asks) driven work there are perhaps a dozen (in Addison Lee a hundred) telephonists plus a couple of controllers. People like you who like to over-drink the cheap stuff (you don't get a hangover with the good stuff) are puking, peeing and even sometimes stting in taxis. Bosses at account holders (wot's that he asks) are demanding immediate cars for them and their friends. Muslim drivers are knocking back jobs where a dog has unexpectedly turned up. There are fistfights and sometimes worse as drivers are being robbed or abused. And not infrequently, particularly amongst the drunks there are complaints about everything from the driver's breath to the state of the car. There are also accidents of every type and every level of seriousness. And cars breaking down mid-journey. And who's dealing with this? The controllers are, whilst the tidal wave of non-automated calls is being fielded by the telephonists. That's Friday and Saturday night. And the only difference on weeknights is that the volume's lower so there's less staff needed. Of course IVR can run the whole operation solo, but there are so many people who want direct human contact that those really quite expensive staff are 110% needed. So you're lucky. Usually the next passenger into the backseat steals what he finds there. And clearly you're hardly the type of person that anyone would phone at the weekend so the driver wouldn't even have known the phone was in the car. And nobody in management is interested in an argument about a phone. Or a bag of groceries. Or about what exactly wasn't in or not in the bag. So it gets taken to the police station. Or else the driver steals it if indeed (backseat in the dark) he's aware it's there at all. Driver taking it home? Good job your phone hasn't got anything serious or confidential in it, eh? Or that it wasn't a wallet full of 50's. Fancy arguing it out as to whether there was £900 or £500 in it?
( I quite enjoyed that).
Just thought you should know you come across as a bit of a tosser in that post.Anyway, you're a lucky boy. And you were probably a front seat passenger or else your uberman wasn't very busy. Again, do I have to tell you WHY? Seems you don't understand why the cops want stuff found in taxis taken to THEM. So do the taxi firms, though I accept that uber can't drop 'finds' into the base anyway because there isn't a base. to drop them into. And bases don't want the stuff because they're not lost property offices.
Your little adventure was at the weekend wasn't it? Any idea what a taxi base is like at the weekend? As well as the app, text, even the odd email and IVR (wot's that he asks) driven work there are perhaps a dozen (in Addison Lee a hundred) telephonists plus a couple of controllers. People like you who like to over-drink the cheap stuff (you don't get a hangover with the good stuff) are puking, peeing and even sometimes s
tting in taxis. Bosses at account holders (wot's that he asks) are demanding immediate cars for them and their friends. Muslim drivers are knocking back jobs where a dog has unexpectedly turned up. There are fistfights and sometimes worse as drivers are being robbed or abused. And not infrequently, particularly amongst the drunks there are complaints about everything from the driver's breath to the state of the car. There are also accidents of every type and every level of seriousness. And cars breaking down mid-journey. And who's dealing with this? The controllers are, whilst the tidal wave of non-automated calls is being fielded by the telephonists. That's Friday and Saturday night. And the only difference on weeknights is that the volume's lower so there's less staff needed. Of course IVR can run the whole operation solo, but there are so many people who want direct human contact that those really quite expensive staff are 110% needed. So you're lucky. Usually the next passenger into the backseat steals what he finds there. And clearly you're hardly the type of person that anyone would phone at the weekend so the driver wouldn't even have known the phone was in the car. And nobody in management is interested in an argument about a phone. Or a bag of groceries. Or about what exactly wasn't in or not in the bag. So it gets taken to the police station. Or else the driver steals it if indeed (backseat in the dark) he's aware it's there at all. Driver taking it home? Good job your phone hasn't got anything serious or confidential in it, eh? Or that it wasn't a wallet full of 50's. Fancy arguing it out as to whether there was £900 or £500 in it?( I quite enjoyed that).
Cheers!
drainbrain said:
You find it odd that when writing people embolden for emphasis? Fair enough I suppose. I should use the italic function but I'm not sure there is one. If it was longhand I might underline. Don't you? Doesn't everybody?
Anyway, you're a lucky boy. And you were probably a front seat passenger or else your uberman wasn't very busy. Again, do I have to tell you WHY? Seems you don't understand why the cops want stuff found in taxis taken to THEM. So do the taxi firms, though I accept that uber can't drop 'finds' into the base anyway because there isn't a base. to drop them into. And bases don't want the stuff because they're not lost property offices.
Your little adventure was at the weekend wasn't it? Any idea what a taxi base is like at the weekend? As well as the app, text, even the odd email and IVR (wot's that he asks) driven work there are perhaps a dozen (in Addison Lee a hundred) telephonists plus a couple of controllers. People like you who like to over-drink the cheap stuff (you don't get a hangover with the good stuff) are puking, peeing and even sometimes stting in taxis. Bosses at account holders (wot's that he asks) are demanding immediate cars for them and their friends. Muslim drivers are knocking back jobs where a dog has unexpectedly turned up. There are fistfights and sometimes worse as drivers are being robbed or abused. And not infrequently, particularly amongst the drunks there are complaints about everything from the driver's breath to the state of the car. There are also accidents of every type and every level of seriousness. And cars breaking down mid-journey. And who's dealing with this? The controllers are, whilst the tidal wave of non-automated calls is being fielded by the telephonists. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
( I quite enjoyed that).
Fixed that for you Anyway, you're a lucky boy. And you were probably a front seat passenger or else your uberman wasn't very busy. Again, do I have to tell you WHY? Seems you don't understand why the cops want stuff found in taxis taken to THEM. So do the taxi firms, though I accept that uber can't drop 'finds' into the base anyway because there isn't a base. to drop them into. And bases don't want the stuff because they're not lost property offices.
Your little adventure was at the weekend wasn't it? Any idea what a taxi base is like at the weekend? As well as the app, text, even the odd email and IVR (wot's that he asks) driven work there are perhaps a dozen (in Addison Lee a hundred) telephonists plus a couple of controllers. People like you who like to over-drink the cheap stuff (you don't get a hangover with the good stuff) are puking, peeing and even sometimes s
tting in taxis. Bosses at account holders (wot's that he asks) are demanding immediate cars for them and their friends. Muslim drivers are knocking back jobs where a dog has unexpectedly turned up. There are fistfights and sometimes worse as drivers are being robbed or abused. And not infrequently, particularly amongst the drunks there are complaints about everything from the driver's breath to the state of the car. There are also accidents of every type and every level of seriousness. And cars breaking down mid-journey. And who's dealing with this? The controllers are, whilst the tidal wave of non-automated calls is being fielded by the telephonists. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. ( I quite enjoyed that).
CorbynForTheBin said:
Do we think BrainDrain is a cabbie?
C'mon lads! Pitchforks at the ready! Burn the cabbie! Burn with fire!Nar ven cockah, d'ya fink oi droive an 'ackney ? Cor bloimey wooja Adam an' Eve it!! Flippin' roit wing roycist on a Pay Haich fred??
No mate. Just giving a bit of balance to the lauding of a tax-dodging slave-driving overrated yank pie in the sky.
Mind you in cities like London where cab users are mostly visitors, tourists and foreign moneyed immigrants it must seem like a breath of fresh air. Out in the provinces uber's confined to the city centres where they compete for much the same audience as the hacks. There's a separate world of private hire which uber doesn't really affect and can't compete with either from the punter or the driver perspective. I imagine in London private hire will be as exploitative as the hacks are, but elsewhere how can uber compete? If anything they help private hire. Where do you think all the drivers who join it and leave it go? And anyway, everyone's got an app these days without the surge pricing.
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