Taxi scam warning....

[Merion_Mom]

Absolute nonsense.

 

Thanks for that insightful remark.

 

You have your Scottish way of doing things; I have my Merion way.

[hockeypapa]

;)I WOULD OF PAID THE METER FARE AND NO TIP IF HE TRIED TO SCAM ME!! ALSO IF I HAD ALOT OF COINS I WOULD USE THEM!!:eek:

[Little Buddy's Mom]

The last time we were in FLL, we went to the taxi stand and a guy led us to a van that barely had room for two more people. We paid $15.00 for the two of us. There were eight other people in the van. At $15.00 a couple, that guy makes $75.00+ every trip to the airport. We were packed in pretty tight. If, he hadn't already put our luggage in, I would have refused to get in. At least we got off first.

 

I wondered at the time, if he was a friend of the man who seemed to be directing things and he was standing right next to him. We had to walk a short distance to the van, since it wasn't in the taxi line.

[golfer1966]

I am still using my dumb phone from 2008. When I finally upgrade, I have visions of all the scofflaws I will film/photograph as evidence.

 

 

Just open it and point it at the cab driver... they wont know that you cant take a pix ...

[Merion_Mom]

Just open it and point it at the cab driver... they wont know that you cant take a pix ...

 

oooooooooo...........sneaky! I like it. :D :D :D

[Cruisegirl6]

Do you all pay with credit card or cash? I believe your able to pay with credit card correct? If so, pay with credit card, take down the company of the cab and the cab number and you have proof to show the company your being scammed.

[CRUZBUDS]

Just open it and point it at the cab driver... they wont know that you cant take a pix ...

'

 

don't forget to say "CLICK"

[dacruiser12]

I always make sure that both our luggage & us are out of the taxi before we pay.

[Zigggypup]

According to the official Broward County website, the estimated metered fare should be approx $17 for up to 5 people from the airport to Port Everglades.

[Merion_Mom]

According to the official Broward County website, the estimated metered fare should be approx $17 for up to 5 people from the airport to Port Everglades.

 

Sounds like you've been getting ripped-off, especially if you tipped on top of the $20

 

This is from the Port Everglades website:

 

taxi

Fare from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Port Everglades is typically between $10 and $15. If you purchased an air/sea travel package, transfers are usually included. For a taxi from the Port to downtown Fort Lauderdale, expect to pay about $18, depending on your destination.

 

I would trust my own experience and the Port Everglades website more.

[Langley Cruisers]

We always ask upfront what the cost to the airport will be. They usually say flat rate of $20.

 

This is why Cruise Critic, its knowledgeable members, and research are SO important! No offense to anyone in this thread or on the boards, but we know there is no flat rate between PE and FLL. We learned this here. Before we travel to various airports and piers, we check out the taxi rates and know ahead of time what we should expect to pay. :)

 

OP, sorry you were hustled. :(

[Amy from Delaware]

I don't take taxis often, but when I do I always take a photo of the driver's posted ID during the ride. I make sure they see me do it. That tends to keep them honest :)

 

Oh, and you don't have to have a smart phone. Just fake it if you have to. :)

Edited November 4, 2013 by Three Rings

[JasonTehGreat]

Something similar happened to me in Las Vegas on my way to see Cher at Caesar's Palace.

 

About half a block to Caesar's Palace the cab drive turned off the meter and it read $12.50. When we pulled into the drive he said it would be $25.00. This was no more than 75 yards from where he turned the meter off.

 

I refused to pay so he threatened to call the police, so I told him to go ahead and call them. There were police in the drive anyways so I got the attention of one of the bike cops and motioned for him to come over.

 

I told him the cab driver turned the meter off and was trying to charge us more than what it read, etc... and the cop told him to turn the meter back on. When it came on and read $13.00 instead of the $25.00 he was trying to charge us the cop told us we didn't have to pay anything since he tampered with the meter. So we went on our way while the cab driver was ticketed.

 

Since then I always read the signs in the cab and the meter to make sure I am not cheated.

[1992cruiser]

Occasionally the Broward Sheriffs office will check all cabs leaving the Port to make sure the meter is running. This happened last time I got home from The Allure, there was a check point at the security gate and the officer looked inside at the meter and then told us there are no flat rates.

We saw two cabs pulled over to the side of the road, I'm guessing they were busted.

[marci22]

Before my last experience at FLL, we had always been taking 2 cabs to the port for 5 people. The other times we had been told that the higher occupancy vehicles were charged pp rather than a flat rate.

 

Then oceanboy told me that I could take a cab/minivan for the same metered rate as a regular cab. That is how I knew what the price should be ($13-15). But then we all got in and as I posted, the driver said, "price is $20 PLUS tip". He had some nerve.

 

Good idea about always taking a pic as soon as you get in the cab. I hope a lot of people see this and they are more observant when getting in and out of the cab. And it is good advice to only pay after everything has been unloaded.

 

ps I always tip if they handle the bags.

Edited November 4, 2013 by marci22

[Merion_Mom]

Occasionally the Broward Sheriffs office will check all cabs leaving the Port to make sure the meter is running. This happened last time I got home from The Allure, there was a check point at the security gate and the officer looked inside at the meter and then told us there are no flat rates.

We saw two cabs pulled over to the side of the road, I'm guessing they were busted.

 

[A&L_Ont]

Something similar happened to me in Las Vegas on my way to see Cher at Caesar's Palace.

 

About half a block to Caesar's Palace the cab drive turned off the meter and it read $12.50. When we pulled into the drive he said it would be $25.00. This was no more than 75 yards from where he turned the meter off.

 

I refused to pay so he threatened to call the police, so I told him to go ahead and call them. There were police in the drive anyways so I got the attention of one of the bike cops and motioned for him to come over.

 

I told him the cab driver turned the meter off and was trying to charge us more than what it read, etc... and the cop told him to turn the meter back on. When it came on and read $13.00 instead of the $25.00 he was trying to charge us the cop told us we didn't have to pay anything since he tampered with the meter. So we went on our way while the cab driver was ticketed.

 

Since then I always read the signs in the cab and the meter to make sure I am not cheated.

 

After being Vegas this summer for the first time we disovered that they do take this very seriuosly in Vegas.

 

I wish they would do the same in FLL. Two times we have experienced it. The first time they put two different fares in one taxi and the driver charged each couple $20 each to the airport.

 

The other time we had a driver go all the way around the FLL airport and the metered fair was around $20 for 5 people. We were actually wondering if he thought we wanted the Miami Airport. I immediately got out of the taxi at the terminal so he could not try to hustle us in private in his van. We unloaded the suitecases and then talked about the fair. He said $40 and I said we are paying the metered rate. He got no tip from us. Funny thing is if he went the proper route he would have got $20 on his $14 trip. Name of that company was Gold Coast and it was a older Chrysler Minivan that was painted gold. Avoid them.

 

Thanks for the photo tips folks. A must if there is a problem later that needs to be solved.

 

Andrew

[bridedoll1026]

We & our luggage were already out of the taxi when the driver told my husband about the flat rate. I think that part of the scam is to drop us off at the arrivals area so that the driver can quickly (which he did) get another fare & clear the meter. The meter was still showing $14.10 when he said it was $20! I asked for a receipt before the meter was cleared, hoping that the receipt would be traceable to him. He quickly picked up the next fare, loading their luggage while I was arguing, got back in the cab, rolled down the passenger window, handed me a Checker Cab Company card & drove away. His name or the fare was not on the card. When I followed up with the company, I asked if there were flat rates & was told no, all metered rates. I asked that the drivers be alerted to my complaint & she said "they all know not to be doing that. Next time get the number on the rear window of the cab & we will know right away who the driver is"

 

I'm looking to find the proper authority to report the incident to for no other reason but to establish fines/reprimands & alert the public. I'm thinking that this is a routine scam that most people are unsuspecting of.

[trixiegolf]

Do you all pay with credit card or cash? I believe your able to pay with credit card correct? If so, pay with credit card, take down the company of the cab and the cab number and you have proof to show the company your being scammed.

When I noticed that the taxi would take credit cards, I handed it to the driver and he promptly handed it back to me saying that he wouldn't take credit, only cash. Maybe the fare he was charging wouldn't match the meter if charging by credit card????

[Tomato53]

I had a different problem with a Ft. Lauderdale cab a couple of years ago. We took a cab from FLL to the Renaissance Hotel near the cruise port.

 

When we got to the hotel, I swiped my credit card through the reader and the driver said "no, no - you can't use that, it doesn't work". So, I paid in cash.

 

Well, of course, my credit card showed the charge when I got the bill. Not much $ but I hate being taken advantage of. I'll only pay cash now.

[ducklite]

I sort of disagree with this.

 

At least here, drivers maintain their own cabs and most own them. They have to pay a certain amount to the dispatching company. They pay for their own fuel as well. If they get you there in an expected time frame at an expected cost, you should always tip.

 

I agree with this. You should also tip additional to 10-15% of the fare for any bags the driver handles or any special service he provides.

[jennmaybe]

We had an issue 2 years ago when our taxi driver was taking us from the port to our hotel (we were staying one night post cruise). I already planned ahead because I do not trust taxi drivers at all, anywhere. I had the exact directions from the port to the hotel and knew the exact distance and amount of time it should take (unless major traffic issues occurred). Our taxi driver pretended that he didn't know anything about this hotel or have any idea where it was. It was a Hilton, so it's not like it was a tent set-up in someone's back yard. So, he got on the highway and then got off the correct exit, but then pretended to get lost and went right when he should have gone left. You could NOT miss the hotel on the left side of the highway, so I knew exactly what he was doing. He made his right turn (I looked to see what the meter was at that exact moment) & waited to see where he was going next. He kept going straight & I finally had to tell him he was going the wrong way & he needed to turn around.

 

He finally got us to the hotel, but I deducted $8.00 from the meter since it was his wrong-doing by pretending to get lost. He told me, "No, the price is $23.00". I said, "No, it's $15-16, but we can call the police if you'd like & let them decide.". He said, "no, no, okay. Just pay". He did NOT get a tip from us either.

 

As far as the tip goes, we usually tip, but I will say there have been times when we have not tipped. We do not feel obligated at all to tip taxi drivers. We also do not like rude drivers or drivers who treat our luggage like trash they are throwing into a dumpster. We had a great driver on our last cruise at Port Canaveral, so we gave him a generous tip. That is not the case every time though.

[Sarasa]

In the two times I have taken a cab from the port to airport in Port Everglades and just this week in Miami, they had a flat rate in place, but they didn't start the meter. I just paid $23 from Miami port to the airport.

 

In 2011 I paid a flat rate $17, so $20 doesn't sound too bad. Earlier this year we took a post cruise excursion so we didn't take a cab.

 

The difference between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami is that there is a flat rate for MIA to/from Port of Miami whereas the FLL to/from Port Everglades ride is metered. Interestingly enough, it looks like you were charged $1 less than the actual PoM to MIA flat rate of $24?! :)

[bouhunter]

We always ask upfront what the cost to the airport will be. They usually say flat rate of $20.

 

So they're lying:rolleyes:

[Folk Singer]

This is my report from our Allure departure in July 2012:

 

We got fully loaded into the cab, and this guy announces loudly, “The cost for this cab is $20 PLUS TIP!” Yeah, ok. I wasn’t going to argue at this point; he had our luggage hostage. So we make the quick trip to the port and as he gets out ($11.70 meter reading) he quickly zeroes out the meter.

 

So I go to pay him and I say, “The meter said $11.70”. He got all huffy and puffy and started saying “well, you are 5 people” and well, this and that and the other thing. I said, "anyway it’s a metered fare so it doesn’t matter" and gave him $20. I’m sure he was po’d but I thought it was fair. This was cab driver 0645 in case anyone gets him later. He says “my people, my people” a lot. He’s big! My tip: make sure you are in a metered minivan, and check the meter when you get in and before you get out to avoid disagreements.

 

PS I should have given him less for that terrible attitude.

 

 

:):):)