Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Annoying people

One thing lately that has been annoying me alot about people, is they are not smart, and then blame others for it. I have been going around online reading different review people have posted about the company telling others not to us it. I actually find them quite funny and have decided to post a few for me to tell you dumbass who wrote it what I think.

This one was written by erinpalmer:

"To make our 7:00 am flight we needed to leave at 5 am, we called the night before to schedule the pick-up. At 5 after 5:00 we called- "oops, shift change, we'll send someone"- however, we were told we should call back if no one is there in 10 minutes. We called back, 5 minutes on hold- "yeah, no one has been assigned your pick-up; could have someone there within 30 minutes". Uhh...no thanks, we'll drive ourselves and pay $12/ day to park because those pesky airlines never hold the plane for you even when you ask nicely. I would absolutely avoid calling this company if your goal is to actually get a ride. Funny thing, we were even planning to pay them."

....Okay, you have got to be the most self centered person in the world. What moron orders a cab going to the Portland Airport with only 2 hours to spare? Hello, they say you should be at the airport already two hours in advance. Your probably one of those people who expect to get out of the cab, check in your bags, and walk straight through security to your flights seat. Well, since 9/11 happened over 7 years ago, and you still havent figured out the drill, their really isnt any hope for you becoming smart.

This next story is from danyell8:

" Worst experience EVER in the city of Portland. Needed a ride after a great concert at the Crystal Ballroom. Left keys to my vehicle in the cab, immediately called dispatch and was treated terribly. I was over 200 miles away from home with no keys and my money and cell phone locked in my car. The response from the cab company was "I can have a supervisor call you Monday afternoon", THIS WAS SATURDAY NIGHT. Called to file a complaint as was again pretty much told they didn't really care. Somebody finally called back about my missing keys 4 days later on Tuesday night, after multiple calls to them. Very, very disappointed. I will walk before I EVER use this company again. "

..................Sorry, your right, we really don't care if you lose your keys. Every cab company in Portland doesnt really care. Our drivers are on the road to make money, not pick up after you because you forget things. Do you need us to remind you to pack a lunch everyday because you will eventually get hungry? Take this as a lesson to never leave your stuff in a cab or anywhere if you ever want it back again. At least you got it back.

Last but not least, meme11, wrote this:

Oregon Taxi allows their drivers to drive a cab and therefore have "no wages" for child support garnishment. Therefore, dead beat Dads can drive a cab to support themselves, and the State of Oregon can not enforce their child support payments through wage garnishment. NYC taxis (among many other cities and private cab companies) do not allow their drivers to owe back child support for this very issue! Do not support a compnay that enables DEAD BEAT DADS!!!!!!!!!!!

....Ok HOOKER. I guess you dont take any cabs in Portland Metro Area from any company at all. None of the drivers are employeed on an hourly basis. DRIVERS PAY US MONEY EACH DAY TO WORK. Thats why they are called "Private Contractors". Its the State of Oregon you should bitch about. You see, the IRS and State Tax Agencies gather all the reported earning from all the cabs in a region, and average out what a driver should be making. Based on that is what he would owe for taxes, and then they could figure out how much he needs to send you.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Crazy Dr. Pepper Man

Myself: Oregon Taxi, May I help you?

Man: Yes, I need to get a taxi.

Myself: OK, where are we picking you up from today Scott?

Man: 12345 SW Barnes Road, Apartment 233. I need to go to the store up the road.

Myself: OK, well I see you called before and asked for a taxi to show up at 10:45pm, and when a driver was there, he "No tripped" your order after waiting five minutes. What happened?

Man: Oh, well I wasn't ready then. I forgot I even called you guys. Time just flies by.

(I think to myself for a second if I even want to give this guy a second chance. I mean mistakes happen, and this guy doesn't sound very smart. His speech reminds me of a character on Loony Toons that just got hit on the head asking"Which way did he go George, which way did he go?")

Myself: OK. We can send another one out there, but if your not ready when a driver gets there, I wont be able to send you anymore cabs tonight. Which store are you going to?

Man: Well, I was thinking about going to the Blank Pantry.

Myself: The Blank..

Man: Well, I need to get stuff. I don't know exactly what though. I was thinking it would take you five minutes to get here,

Myself: probably it..

Man: and that would give me enough time to grab my shoes. I have a craving for Dr. Pepper, 8 of them, maybe in cans and not bottles.

Myself: That's fine, we...

Man: I want ice cream too! Rocky Road in a box. Dr Pepper, 8 of them, maybe some Mountain dew also. I can ride in the taxi there and back.

Myself: OK sir..

Man: the Dr. Pepper, and the ice cream I will be able to get at the same place. I want cans though and not bottles.

Myself: Sir, I need to let you go, I have other calls coming in.

Man: Oh no, I think they didn't have Rocky Road there last time. I really have a hunger for it.

*Click* (hang up on him)

I really did have other calls coming. The guy was just very annoying, and I believe he was one of those people that call in and cant help themselves from telling you literally everything they are thinking.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Hi! My name is ___________!

Ok, heres one last post until something new and interesting comes along my way. Here is a short list of the most interesting names people give me. I am serious about the names listed below, these are some off the top of my head.

1. Animal

2. Luke Skywalker

3. Jaba the Hut

3. Delicious

4.Butterfly

5. Tina (Man's name)

6. Soup

7. Question Mark

8. Jelly Bean (Though that is a strippers name, I dont think if anyone finds it attractive)**updated October 4th, 2008**

Thats all I can think off of the top of my head right now. As I come across more weird names, I will edit this post.

You still want a cab after I had you arrested?

(A call comes in the dispatch office. I enter the phone number in the computer and press the talk button.)

Myself: Oregon Taxi.

Idiot: Yes, I need a cab at North A street and Ne B street.

Myself: OK, are you at an address or business. I cant enter two named streets into the computer

Idiot: Its 1234 North B Street......wait it 1234 North A street, my bad.

Myself: Is that a house or an apartment?

Idiot: House. I will be on the porch wearing black and grey.

Myself: OK, where are you headed to?

Idiot: I'm going to 157th and SE Clinton Street.

Myself: OK, I will send a taxi out to you.

I thought about telling the driver to check for cash, but decided I needed to cut back, because the past few I have told the drivers to check were good. I take more calls over the next hour, step outside on my first break for the evening and smoke a cigarette.

When I go back in the office, I found out the guy ran from the taxi. I get a stomach sickness feeling in my abdomen. The driver took him from his house in North Portland, to Gresham, to Downtown Portland, and back to Gresham. The guy wanted to make more stops, and when the driver asked for a $100 deposit which the meter was at, the man and his girlfriend ran out of the cab with out paying.

I was fuming and pissed. I called every single cab company he could possible try to call and black listed him. Myself and my coworkers researched his information, and found out he called us on a few different phone numbers, but went under the same name and gave the same clothing description. We then analyzed all the facts to where he most likely lived and his travel habits.

Then the phone rings again....

Myself: Oregon Taxi, may I help you?

Lady: Yes, I need a cab at the 162nd Avenue commuter rail stop.

Myself: Okay, how many passengers?

Lady: Two.

Myself: And where are you headed to?

Lady: North A street and Northeast B Street. Just send one. We've been taking cabs from you all day.

Myself: Alright, we will send one to you.

I don't send the information out to the drivers. We research her call history since they were a street away from were the fare skippers ran out of the cab. Sure enough, her phone matched an address we had on file of the idiot dude that called me. I decide to let her wait it out and have her think shes getting a ride. The lady and the guy call back about 3 times wondering where their cab was, and we kept reassuring them we were working on getting them picked up as quickly as possible.

Finally she calls my coworker again and begs her to send one asap, because the police were harassing them. My coworker asks the lady to hold. We all talk amongst each other and decided to call the police since they were in the area, and this would be our only chance to get out driver compensated for the services he provided. (We would have called them earl er, but it usually takes more than 45 minutes for a cop to arrive and is more of a hassle for the driver) To make sure they were still at the same place my coworker asks them, "Okay sweetie, your still at the same location right?"......pause as the lady replies....."Alright, I will do my best, and send you our VIP treatment cab asap."

About ten minutes go by and the police inform us they have the two in custody, but have to do an arrest and release ticket, until we can send them the photographs our cameras in our taxi took of the two. I was pissed, yet happy at the same time. I never get the chance to have an idiot run away from paying a fare and call me back with their new location. Time goes by and then...

Myself: Oregon Taxi.

Idiot: I need a cab at XXX SE 169th.

(I am shocked the asshole decided he needed a cab with us again! What moron would call a company right after he ran, and then again after we sent the police after them)

Myself: No, you can walk or take the bus, no cab for you.

*He hangs up*

About 10 minutes go by and he calls one of my coworkers. (The same coworker that tricked them into thinking they were going to get VIP treatment) She pretends like she is taking the order, collects his info so we know his current location, and tells him its on the way. He then calls about 3 minutes later.

Myself: Oregon Taxi

Idiot: I am calling to check up on the status of my cab.

Myself: Don't you get it, I am never going to send you a cab, your not even worth our time.

Idiot: What! You discriminating against me cuz I'm black?

Myself: No, I am not. I have had many friends in the past who are black. But I am discriminating against you for not paying my driver.

Idiot: That's B.S. I'm gonna sue you for discrimination!

Myself: Have at it. You can explain to your lawyer you wanna sue us for not sending cab to you because you run away when you feel like not paying.

Idiot: Once I'm done with you, I will be able to pay for all my rides.

Myself: Okay idiot, you should be paying for them in the first place instead of stealing from honest working people. They lose money when you run, not the company. This is how they feed their kids, and his kid might have to go a night without eating because of you (*click*)

Long story short, he calls us over, and over, and over, requesting us to send him a taxi over a period of 4 to 5 hours. He changes his name, tells us a stupid lame exuse about the character he creates such as a stranded father with a 5 year old boy in the freezing cold, or that he is a slightly mentally handicapped man that needs help out to the cab. He was probably severly mentally handicapped because he kept calling on the same phone number, and because he called so often checking up on the status of the cab we knew it was him by his voice without looking at caller id.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

How to epite your ride

Ok, here are major step by step tips most people can never seem to get. This will help ensure you get a vehicle when you need it, and not tie up phone lines with a call taker. We are not trying to be nosey, we are just collecting the neccessary info so you dont call us back.

1. Know your address. Its always best to collect this info before calling. If you call without knowing this at first and we are busy, we will hang up on you and you will have to call again and wait in the order calls came in. If worst comes to worst, tell us the buisness name you are at. Dont refuse address either telling us its not our buisness. If we really wanted to break into your house, or egg your windows, we could just ask the driver for the address of the house you came out of. We have better things to do than worry about you after work like blog on the internet, family, movies, or whatever.

2. When calling wait for the dispatcher to greet you and ask for instructions. If I ask for your phone number and you start to give me your address, I will wait till you are done talking without putting any of the info into the system, collect your phone number afterwards, and then make you repeat the info.

3. Dont rely on estimated times of arrival, or time calls (orders made in advance for a specific time) We can never truely know when a driver is going to accept the order or how traffic is going to be. Even if a driver takes a call, and get a flat tire a block or two away from your house or gets stuck in traffic, the 15 minutes you were quoted, can turn into 30 minutes or more. I cant tell you how many people have missed their flights because the taxi was 10 minutes late.

4. If you have any pets, or a bicycle, let us know. Muslim drivers, or drivers with allergies, do not pick up dogs, and will leave you stranded. If you have a bicycle, we need to know if the wheel will come off, so a trunk can close, or if we need to send a van.

5. If you are in a wheel chair, let us know. If we send a regular sedan and the wheel chair is not collapsable, the driver will not pick you up. If you need a wheel chair accessable van, than plan on ordering that hours in advance. Most companys are limited on the amount they have on the road, and this will almost guarentee you get service, and allows us to assign the call in advance to a driver. Think about it. If you are on one side of town and the driver is completely on the other side of town, they are not going to drive a long distance for a small fare.

6. If you have more than 4 passengers we also need to know that. Most drivers will not overfill their vehicles with people. An extra dollar for that one extra passenger is not worth it compared to the $200 ticket they can get for you not wearing a seat belt. The wait might be longer, but we will send you either a van or two taxis. Cab drivers get into major accidents also whether its their fault or not, and you would have a good chance flying through the windsheild. (Believe me, Ive had it happen at a previous company with a driver.)

7. If there is any other important info specific to a company, we will ask you. If you know the driver cant get into your gated community without a key code, let us know.

8. Again, give yourself some time for the taxi to arrive. Thats the number one complaint I always hear and every other dispatcher hears. We dont care if you tell us you are going to tip the driver alot of money. That doesnt affect how much my check comes out to at the end of the pay period. All I know is if you want to make it to your destination on time, plan to arrive early.

Nicotine Fix

Myself: Oregon Taxi, may I have your phone number please?

Lady: Yes, its XXX-XXX-XXXX. We took a taxi from the chinese bar in downtown and your driver let us out on the side of the road, and there is alot of traffic here where we can get hit, so we need another cab to come pick us up.

Myself: So where are you guys at?

Lady: We are at the corner of Se Bruce and SE Skylar.

Myself: Ok, is there an address you can give me, or a buisness name so I can look up an address? My computer doesnt allow me to put in two named streets.

Lady: No, we are just at the corner of SE Bruce and SE Skylar. Its the same place your driver left us at.

Myself: Ok, well I am still going to need a buisness name or an address, or I cant send you a cab.

Lady: Well, you need to because your driver kicked us out here and thats not cool.

Myself: Ok well, what was the cab number?

Lady: I dont know, you need to figure that out, your the dispatcher.

Myself: Did you call for a taxi on this phone number?

Lady: Yes.

Myself: Ok, one second.

(I look through my call history, and don't see any information listed in the computer. I then hear the voice dispatcher tell all of us not to send "Rebecca" a cab at the corner of SE Skylar and SE Bruce. Apparently the driver kicked her out for lighting a cigarette in the taxi, and when he told her to not smoke and pointed to the "NO SMOKING" sign, she tried peeling it off the window)

Myself: Ok, I just heard from a driver over the radio that you tried smoking and peeling off the stickers inside his cab, so I am going to put you on the "No Cab List", and you can call someone else to pick you up.

Lady: What! You guys left me here and I can get hurt, I demand you send me a car right now!

Myself: Not my problem, you should have thought about that before smoking in his taxi and vandilising his car.

Lady: Let, me speak to your lawyer, I am going to personally sue you and your company.

Myself: I dont know who are lawyer is, and I highly doubt you have a case against me.

Lady: Well, let me speak to a higher up, because this is totally unacceptable.

Myself: I can transfer you to the supervisors voice mail, and he can contact you back whenever he gets a chance sometime in the next few days.

Lady: Sure, whats that drivers name?

Myself: I dont know.

Lady: Yes, you do. Your a fucken liar.

Myself: No I dont. We have over 250 drivers. I dont know each by name.

Lady: You are a liar, you know who he is. You spoke with him.

Myself: So its true then. The voice dispatcher spoke to the right driver.

Lady: Yes!

Myself: So you did smoke in the cab and tried peeling off his stickers then.

Lady: Ye......No. Whats his name!

Myself: I will transfer you to the supervisors voicemail. If you want to talk to them about someone, my name is _____, and they will pull the voice recordings of this call, the video footage from the cameras inside the taxi, and contact you back.

Lady: FINE!

(I transfered the bitch to the supervisors voice mail, and its been almost 5 days since, still havent heard anything!)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

While the husband is asleep

I recieve many calls from spouses wondering if we picked up their husband or wife and if so, where we took them to. Well, here is one good example why we will never tell anyone if we picked them up, or where we took them to.

Myself: Oregon Taxi, May I have your phone number please?

Lady: I need to get a cab please, but I have a very big favor to ask you.

Myself: Ok

Lady: I need you to keep this as quiet as you possibly can. You know, no knocking on the door or nothing.

Myself: Sure, can I have you number so I can pull up your address?

Lady: Yes...Its 971-XXX-XXXX.

(As I review her calling history, I can hear her in the background whispering things along the lines; "Oh my god, I should'nt be doing this anymore." "Please, oh please, oh please".)

Myself: Ok, so you are still at 1234 X Street correct?

Lady: Yes I am.

Myself: Cool. So you would prefer we dont call or knock on your doors right?

Lady: Yes, my husband is in bed......hes sleeping right now, and I dont want him to wake up.

Myself: Ok, thats no problem. We pick up many people going to work, or elsewhere while there spouse is asleep.

Lady: Well, I'm not exactly going to work. I am going over to another guys house, and he can never know about this. I really shouldnt be doing this anymore, but I cant help it.

Myself: Its all good. I have heard many different stories of what people are doing that they dont want others to know. We won't call or knock. But if we are there and you are not outside within 20 seconds, the driver is just going to take off.

Lady: Do you have an estimated time for the driver to arrive?

Myself: Let me check.......

(I put all the information in the computer and send the order out for the computer to dispatch. I then see one of our drivers look at it and decide to accept the call)

Myself: Ok you are looking at aproximently 5 minutes. He is currently 2 miles out from you.

Lady: Excellent. That will give me enough time to throw on some deoderant and freshen up a little bit for him. Your the best!

Myself: No problem. Have a fun time.

Lady: Oh, That I definately will!

*Click*