Chicago - Justice - After Being Taken For a Ride in Chicago

The bride and I were in Chicago during early December - stayed at The Drake.
We took a taxi from The Drake to the Chase Auditorium for a taping of WWDTM. Hotel, couple, fancy camera - tourists, right? Not so much ...

I'm a former Chicago resident. My wife was born and raised there. We visit
several times/year. We KNOW our way around Chicago. The taxi driver tried
to take the long way. When it became apparent that he was likely
running-up the fare, I began to provide specific instructions, "Turn RIGHT
here." He didn't turn; rather, he moved further away from the curb/Turn
lane and gestured further south. Grrrr.

I began insisting that he STOP and let us OUT. Tough to-do when we're in
the 3rd lane from the curb, but he finally began to move toward the curb
lane. ~1/2 Mile south of where he should have turned west, he finally
turned west. When we got to the Chase Auditorium, he offered a reduced
fare. Doh! I paid what the reduced fare that he suggested and scribbled
down the taxi number.

The next morning, I was still unhappy at "the ride." I went to the taxi commission/bureau website and filed a complaint. They asked that I
resubmit it in-writing. I did. I didn't know what to expect; and did not
expect to ever again hear about it. A few weeks ago, I got a letter with a
trial/hearing date. Last week, I got a phone call reminding me of the
trial/hearing date. Today, I got the ~1-hour reminder call, followed by a call
from the courtroom.

I was permitted to testify via phone. The burden of proof is, "a preponderance
of the evidence." The ALJ noted that I seemed unusually "familiar" with
Chicago ... which allowed me to explain, YES, I am.

Seems the cabbie had other prior infractions, a pattern, so he was fined the
maximum allowed $440; short of pulling his medallion. Pointless; given that
he was merely renting the taxi/medallion for 24-hours.

Dunno if he'll change his ways. I do wonder; how long will it take a cabbie to
clear $440?

Hindsight. Use the camera. Doh! I had recently purchased my first iPod
Touch; and it never occured to me to record the episode. It would not have
altered the outcome, but it would certainly have been utterly damning
evidence; rather than the "did too; did not" methodology.

Nice one ^

And a good reminder to use that camera!

I try to take photos of luggage before a trip (in case I have to try to describe it later :( ), video clip of rental cars.

A friend got into a fender-bender and had the presence of mind to take photos before the police got their (and before the two drivers moved their cars to the side). Good thing she did, because she was driving solo, no other witness, and the other driver completely lied about what happened - until my friend took the officer aside and showed him the photos (other car clearly way across the center line).

I would buy you a drink if I could

As this isn't strictly a trip report we'll move it over to the relevant travel and dining forum.

Swanhunter
Moderator, Trip Reports

Nice to know about the ability to testify by phone. When I began to file a report several years ago I was told that I'd need to first go down to city hall to file a complaint in person and would then later need to come back for the hearing. All of which would have cost me far more than the $20 I lost to the scam. I gave up.

I'm curious what the OP paid for the trip.

OP, good for you. We were ripped off by a cab taking us from LA to Disneyland, and I called and complained to the cab company. When they did nothing I took it up with the credit card company. So glad I did. I don't cheat others, and they shouldn't cheat me.

> I'm curious what the OP paid for the trip.

Drat this forum software. It's thrown away my complete answer 3 times.
So you're getting the rambling reply.

The meter said $9.85. He knew he was wrong and only askd for $7; which
is precisely what I paid him.

It wasn't about the money. It was about the principle ... and the
unnecessary "W-T-F-is-happening" moment when he was refusing to follow
specific directions (as the city taxi regs require). I truly began to wonder
(worry) when, after telling him to TURN RIGHT, he moved from lane 2, to
lane 3 ... farther from the curb/turn lane. I told him to "Stop," twice. he
didn't. FWIW; I did wonder if we were being driven to the scene of an
upcoming crime. Those choices resulted in a $200 max fine.

Not taking the most direct route, was another $200 max fine. If he'd
taken a reasonable alternative route, it would have been okay. If he had
taken a possibly faster route (lower Wacker?), that would have been okay.
He did travel 1/2 mile farther south than was necessary before turning
west ... and continued south, and gesturing further-south, inspite of my
instructions to Turn Right. The prior history of infractions was noted by
the Judge, and resulted in him levying the max. Court costs were $40.

My hypothesis:

The driver was not the person that leased the taxi/medallion for 24-hours.
(Of course; that's wrong too, and yet another possible fine.) Rather; the
driver was a friend/relative and was new to town. Perhaps he really did not
know where he was going. I was never able to get a good view of his face
and compare it to the photo. If I had the presence of mind to use the
camera for a face shot, I would be able to prove/disprove this hypothesis.

General experience:

When I lived/worked in Chicago, I commuted to:from work by taxi (a nice
employment benefit). In my experience; Chicago cabbies with four years
of experience, don't study street signs and street numbers in the Loop
and the surrounding neighborhoods. They know them cold, and "just go."

Heck; for ~9 months, I had my regular/favorite cabbie waiting for me
almost every morning. I'd buy him an Espresso, a decaf coffee for me.
He'd share whatever Lebanese pasty he purchased that morning. He ended
that arrangement when my (Jewish) girlfriend moved in. I compounded his
unhappiness when I declined his offers to set-up a blind-date with a "nice
Lebanese-American girl." <g>

out of curiousity, what did you say when you got in? ie, did you say "Chase Tower" or "Dearborn/Monroe"? I'm wondering if the latter would be less likely to get the runaround, even if you look like a tourist.

> what did you say when you got in?

10 South Dearborn.

Without knowing the exact route you were taken, I can't say for sure, but I don't think you were taken for as much of a ride (or any) as you might think.

According to http://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Chicago the fare between the Drake & 10 S. Dearborn should be
$2.25 initial flag pull
$4.40 mileage
$1.00 additional passenger
$0.50 fuel surcharge (it jumped to $1.00 in January)
____
$8.15

This assumes no waiting time, which can add up pretty quickly when traveling on Michigan Ave. Waiting time is $2 per 6 minutes or 20 cents for 36 seconds (so a couple red lights can easily add a dollar or more to the fare).

I realize you are former Chicago residents, but I assume you're not on top of all of the street closures at any given time. I'm not in the Loop regularly, but I know that every time I have been in the last 6+ months, traffic as far east as Michigan Ave--particularly from Madison down to Harrison--has been a mess because of the Wacker Drive reconstruction & maybe work on Congress, too (though that may just be the end of the Wacker work). Yeah, it's on the other side of the loop, but that doesn't mean it's not a complete mess. About 2 months ago, I sat at the corner of Wabash & Jackson for 15 minutes because traffic was so gridlocked that I couldn't turn right.

I'm not saying he didn't take you for a ride. I'm not saying he didn't have a history of this behavior. But it seems there might have been a language barrier & other factors at work. And, incidentally, with the fuel surcharge, etc., I can't think of the last time I took a cab for <$10.

Using that same website; the fare for the direct route would've been $7+.
The meter read $9.85. Traffic was moving nicely that Thu night.

For the 3rd time; it wasn't the money. Really. it was the extra distance
and acting in a way that gave me unnecessary worry: By moving further
away from the curb/turn lane when he should have been moving towards it.
(I was silently cursing the IL legislature re: their CCW stance.)

No street closures on Madison (where I was expecting him to turn). How do
I know? When we exited the theater, we walked east along Madison to
Michigan Avenue to find a taxi; rather than wait with the theater crowd.

He also didn't turn west on Adams; which I really expected, once he passed
Madison. This is where I had began insisting he turn right, but where he
chose to move to lane 3, furthest from the curb/turn lane ... where he was
gesturing yet-further-south ... and where I begin to wonder/worry about his
motives.

He did turn west on Van Buren; but only after I asked him to stop and let us
exit. That's 1/2 mile south of what I was expecting. So he padded the
mileage by one [1] mile total.

When we were on Van Buren, he was slowing to obviously read the street
signs. When we turned north on Dearborn, he was obviously reading the
street numbers along the route. Ergo; my hypothesis that the driver was
not the guy that leased the medallion and claimed 4-years of experience.

The reason I was curious how much you paid was that if, for example, you paid $8 and thought you were taken for a ride because you should have paid $7, then it hardly would seem "the principal" was worth it. But if he was driving in a way that caused you concern, then you should be commended for doing something about it.

> $8 and thought you were taken for a ride because you should have paid $7,
> then it hardly would seem "the principal" was worth it.

It's not a matter of $9.85 vs. $7. For me it *IS* a matter of principal.
Scamming those who have no choice but to trust, is scurrilous behavior.
Doesn't matter whether it is the maid that cleans up the room, or the TSA
screener, or a cabbie. Sometimes; all we have is trust.

I'll never know why he wasn't turning west; or, preparing to turn west. The
fact that I know the town, gave me knowledge that caused me to
wonder/worry. The typical traveller wouldn't know until they paid a much
bigger fare (or were delivered to the scene of the crime.)

If required, I probably would have returned for the hearing. It would have
been yet another opportunity for a long weekend in Chicago! <g>

> what did you say when you got in?

10 South Dearborn.

well there goes that theory.

But it seems there might have been a language barrier & other factors at work. And, incidentally, with the fuel surcharge, etc., I can't think of the last time I took a cab for <$10.

Howabout actually believing OP's story that is true ?

I had experienced countless times being ripped off by the cab drivers in chicago, especially if I catch one in downtown or ORD. It really annoyed me so much that I won't take a cab not unless I couldn't find someone to take/pick me up to/from ORD, or I am really late for work.

Case 1: From ORD to Irving/Broadway, normally is 90 to Irving, then Irving all the way east, but this cab driver get off 90 at Ausin to Lawrence (there wasn't any traffic southbound beyond Lawrence as it was a holiday morning). Now basically any northsiders know Lawrence is like Belmont, slowest street in northside of chicago. Until it get to Elston, I told the driver to make a right so that it can get back to Irving, he pretended he didn't hear what I am saying. So it went extremely slow up to Kimball, I asked him to turn right again, but this time I threatened if he didn't do so, I would jump off the cab, then he finally did it.

Case 2: This is not about ripped off, but it showed how unhelpful of chicago cab drivers. At ORD, I came back from HKG, so I had two over 50 lbs bags. There were two crates of the drivers stuff in the trunk, so I asked him to kindly move aside so that I can put my bags in, he refused. When I asked him to help to lift the bag into the trunk, he refused again. I wasn't just stood there and ask him to do it himself, I was actually helping to grab one handle, and he would grab the other one. Then he said I should get a van instead, so I told him he shouldn't come to ORD if he refused to help with luggage. Any drivers that go to ORD should expect no matter what size or the weight of people's luggage.

This is just part of the cases taht I experienced, and I can go on and on with a lot more to tell. To me, cab drivers in Chicago is just like CTA bus drivers.

Now basically any northsiders know Lawrence is like Belmont, slowest street in northside of chicago.

I must not be enough of a northsider, because I didn't know that! ;) (But I live between Belmont & Addison.) That said, I do know that if a cab driver tried to get off 90 before Addison (and there wasn't a Cubs game) or tried to go down to Belmont, I'd read him the riot act.

In recent years, I think Chicago cab drivers have really cleaned up their act. I used to encounter a lot cab drivers who would slow as they approached green lights in hopes of catching a red, but I have had that happen for a few years now.

Re. your luggage situation, I would have just taken the next cab. I had a cab driver do that to me at MDW one day (he told me it wasn't his job to lift luggage...and mine wasn't particularly heavy). I took the cab, but at the end of the ride I told him that tips were for good service and he didn't provide it. I really think the guy was new to driving & just didn't get it.

Before phone headsets became commonplace (back when cabs had the "drivers aren't allowed to use cell phones" rule), I'd get a driver at ORD or MDW who was talking on his phone and would ask him (before getting into the car) "Are you planning to talk on your phone while driving?" I'd reject the cab if the driver gave me any reason to believe he was going to talk on the phone while driving.

And when I get a cab at the airport on a 90 degree day & all of his windows are open, I won't get in until he confirms that he has working AC.

My personal Chicago pet peeves/cab rules!

A couple of things:

1) I live three blocks south of the Drake (Pearson/Michigan) and work about three blocks south of Dearborn/Monroe (Jackson/Clark) and take a cab back and forth almost every weekday.

The fare is ~ $7.00 to work every day unless there is terrible traffic (it was $6.75 today around 1 pm). Add the $1 surcharge for the extra person and you get about $8.00. Depending upon where you pick up the cab and where you are dropped off, it could very by .20 or .40.

You make the call, but I feel it might be a bit over what you should have been charged.

2) I took a cab from ORD to my home last year. I tell the drivers the Ritz Carlton, as I live on that block and they all know where it is. Perhaps thinking I was a tourist and not being familiar with all the add-ons, he started racking up the extra charges on the meter. Knowing full well that it was crap, I didn't say anything until I got to my apartment. I then asked him what these charges were for. He tried to explain that one of the charges was for the ORD tax, but he charged me double and tried to explain that I was wrong and that he was correct. I even told him to stop another cab and ask him what the charge should be. He wouldn't do it, so I did, and of course I was right. He then decided to give me a discount after telling him I was going to complain to the city. I gave him what I thought the appropriate fare should be - sans tip - and wrote down all of his information.

So I call the 311 number and instituted a complaint. Thinking that this is Chicago, nothing would come of it and it would be filed in the appropriate circular file. I actually received a phone call and was sent some paperwork to fill out about the incident. I did not have to appear anywhere, but the city followed up and told me that he was fined and suspended. I told them I didn't appreciate him ripping me off and moreover ripping off the visitors who come to our city. The official was very appreciative that I took the time and effort to complain.

So thank you for doing that! I do appreciate it!

I must not be enough of a northsider, because I didn't know that! ;) (But I live between Belmont & Addison.) That said, I do know that if a cab driver tried to get off 90 before Addison (and there wasn't a Cubs game) or tried to go down to Belmont, I'd read him the riot act.

I have to stand up a little for Belmont. It's really not bad until you get to Ravenswood (backup from Ashland/Lincoln), at which point you can step up to School or down to Wellington and take that wherever you need.

However, whenever the city takes down the Western viaduct, it'll get a lot worse with that 5-way added.

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