Queensland Consumer Watch has received the following email from a distraught Brisbane cab user.When will the authorities take serious action against these recalcitrant drivers?
Dear Sir/Madam
I wish to lodge a complaint about....
1. One driver in particular and several other drivers of Indian appearance refusing to take me from the cab rank opposite Brisbane casino up the hill to Wickham Terrace because the journey was too short and they only made seven dollars out of it.
2. Two other occasions 24 to 27 December where I got in with Indian cab drivers of varied cab companies. They couldn't speak proper English and they didn't know where Wickham Terrace was let alone the Metro Tower Mill Hotel.
My name is Charles Rablin I am the holder of disability pension card CRN 000-000-000T for the disability of chronic pain polyarthritis rhumatica. At approximately 9.30pm 26 December 2008 I went to the cab rank opposite Brisbane casino.
I was wearing an Akubra hat and vest. I am a non drinker. I asked the first driver on the rank of Indian appearance to take me to Wickham Terrace and he said "no see one of the drivers further down."
I walked to the end of the rank asking drivers for the destination of Wickham Terrace and they shook their heads indicating no. There were a dozen empty cabs on the rank.
At the end of the rank the driver said I had to take the first cab off the rank. I went to the front of the rank and asked a different driver to before and I said he had to take Metro Wickham Terrace because he was first on the rank. He said that he would take me but he had to charge me $20.
When I told him he should charge me what is on the meter he then refused to take me. He was driving black and white cab T99 734.
I rang Black and White cabs to send someone to pick me up and they said they were under instructions to direct all cabs to the rank and to try again what I had already done or try to find the rank supervisor.
It then began to rain a I started to walk towards my hotel. I was able to hail a Black and White cab off the streets. A kindly man of European appearance took me to my destination and charged me seven dollars.
It is fairly clear that Black and White cabs is not providing the level of service to the public that it should be providing and I intend to take this matter up with the appropriate government regulatory body.
Regards
Charles Rablin
The cowboys in the taxi industry should be given the Royal Order of the Boot for their treatment of disability pensioner Charles Rablin.
It is clear that Black and White Cabs has no interest in serving the public or resolving complaints made by the public.
A complaint was made to Black and White Cabs on 29 June 2008 by a member of the public about the actions of one of their cab drivers.
The complainant is still waiting for Black and White cabs to call him back.
A complaint was made to Black and White Cabs on 29 June 2008 by a member of the public about the actions of one of their cab drivers.
The complainant is still waiting for Black and White cabs to call him back.
So much for professional service and a proper complaint handling procedure by Black and White Cabs. You would think that the dwarf of the taxi industry in Brisbane would be at least trying to better its performance and image.
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Do you have a contribution about a Queensland consumer issue involving
commercial exploitation, customer ripoffs or unacceptable business practices?
Email QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com with full details for the whole
world to read.
