AUSTIN CAB is the worst taxi company I have ever dealt with!
I ordered a taxi for 9:30 am for pick up at my hotel. I stressed the importance of the driver arriving on time, because I was in town for a job interview (at 10:00 am). The customer service agent assured me that the driver would be at the hotel on time. The taxi driver arrived at 9:45. As I was walking outside toward the cab, the driver hastily left the property. I called the customer service number and the same taxi driver, a middle-aged African American male, came back to the hotel at 9:50 am.
When I entered the taxi cab, the driver appeared angry and abruptly asked where I going. Before we even left the hotel, I noticed the meter was already at $8.50. I asked the taxi driver about this, but he refused to explain the rationale for this charge. I was already concerned about the taxi driver's poor ethics, but felt that I was stuck utilizing his services as I needed to get to my interview ASAP. During out trip, the driver was inappropriately talking about how Black people were mistreated in Austin, and that he was hoping to move to Georgia in the near future. If the driver was so unhappy with his living and work situation, I would encourage him to leave already, instead of treating his customers like crap.
I will fast forward to the end of the story...we finally arrived at my destination. I was surprised that the final cost of the taxi trip was over $32, when the person on the phone quoted that it wouldn't cost more than $25. Note: I took the same exact route back to my hotel with a different taxi company (in the same amount of traffic) and it ended up coming out to $24. Returning to my issue with Austin Cab, when I asked about the charges, the driver refused to provide me with an itemized bill. He just kept saying that I needed to pay the amount on the meter.
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