Taxi Services - customer care

[CN211276]

Have had some bad experiences with taxis over the years, but this is top of the list.

This is the response I recently receive to a complaint made to Rank Taxis in Herford:-

"We have considered your complaint regarding your taxi travel with us from Wetherspoons Hereford to the Racecourse Hereford on December 19th.
It is unfortunate that the driver picked up another party claiming to be travelling under your name and as it was also a multi seater booking, it was easy to see why this happened. As you have indicated, you refused to pay the full fare and this was accepted by the driver as compensation for the delay.
As for the inability to place a bet on the course due, you claim, to your late arrival, that has no bearing and we have absolutely no responsibility in any way to events and actions out of our control.

If your booking had a travel implication to an airport or bus/train station then we consider travel times when taking a booking and adjust accordingly, we make no guarantees whatsoever when there is no onward travel implication.

It is, I must say, absolutely incredible that you would ask to be compensated for a spurious, unproven bet and almost laughable that you would ask for it.
No further correspondence will be entered into, a copy of this will be sent to Herefordshire Council Taxi Licensing for their consideration and once our solicitor has ok'd it, we will be passing the letter onto the Taxi and Private Hire press for them to publish as an example of what we have to deal with.
If placing a bet is so important, drive yourself to the racecourse and not drink before a meeting, go online and do it or go to a bookies.

Regards

Admin @ Hereford Rank Taxis"

In a shortened form:-

F*** off. Although we take bookings, if someone else turns up before the scheduled tome - tough luck. And don't complain, you should have took the car.

To put this in context, it was the annual lads Christmas drink up at Hereford races. We booked a six seater taxi to pick us up outside the pub at 12:00, with a name given, to get us to the racecourse in plenty of time for the first race at 12:40. We were outside the pub before 12:00 and the taxi did not come. We found out it had been jumped by someone else. It eventually came at 12:30 and we missed the first race. We were not best pleased, refused to pay the full fair and said a complaint would be made.

[Classicrock]

Don't see how you can get compensation for subsequent and unpredictable events. You should have refused to pay anything and settled the matter if they were able or willing to sue you. I think you would be in your rights not to pay as you did not receive the service stipulated in the contract but there is nothing implied that they were contracted to make sure you saw the first race. I will leave this one for DQ.

[CN211276]

The fare was £11, we paid £5 and gave the driver some stick. Thought we could be on dodgy ground if we did not pay anything.

[Daniel Quinn]

A taxi driver or firm have no duty of care in the ordinary course of things for the consequences of a late arrival.

Admin at Hereford taxis needs to go on a complaint handling course , which reminds me of a story. When I left university I got a temporary job at Direct Line insurance .One day I was sent on a complaint handling course ,about 3 minutes in to the course I asked to be excused from the course , when the Supervisor asked why , I said that it was because I had actually written the letter they were using to teach staff how to respond to complaints

I would suggest that 55% reduction in the fare was adequate recompense on this occasion .

I spend £200 quid a month on Taxis , I don't use the ones that let me down again.