Saturday, August 13, 2011

Chicago - Pros & Cons Part 1

Ah, the Windy City.

I hates it.

This place is frustrating on many levels...
The frustrations began way before I got here this time.
I booked a rental vehicle at ORD - 4 days, it will be almost $400 dollars.

WTF? Are you kidding me?


(Believe me when I tell you $341 is almost $400- they have tons of little surcharges that only show up when you check in to get your ca...)

I looked for an alternate location...

Oh look... Elk Grove is a 5 to 7 minute cab ride from ORD. Same car, same period, less than $200.


Done and done, thankewberrymuch.

Now- that 5 to 7 minute ride... That was a different story.

First-
After arriving at O'Hare, I got loaded up into the taxi and told the driver I wanted to go to Elk Grove.
He got out and went to talk to the taxi dispatcher.
I thought it was to ask for direction, but the body language told a different story.
He was pissed because it was such a short drive and he'd have to wait in the taxi queue again to get a high-ticket fare into town.

He finally got back in and asked where I wanted to go...
I told him the address.

He professed no knowledge of where Elk Grove could possible be, maybe I'd better get a cab with a driver who knew the area better?

Bullshit, motherfucker.
You're a cabbie- that's your damned JOB.
(This is a line that one co-worker once delivered in Paris and actually made a cabbie cry.)

Start driving- I'll give you directions...
He hesitated, trying one last gambit to get rid of me.
"But..."
"DRIVE!"
So we drove...
I gave him turn by turn directions from my smartphone in order to get us to the rental location.

On arrival he wanted cash money for the $17 dollar fare... I told him I didn't have any folding green and I wanted to use the Credit Card swipe device.
He gave me a dirty look and jabbed the fare display a couple time and the fare went from $17 to $22...
(Well, that's his tip then...Fine by me.)
I swiped my card and accepted the amount- then waited for my receipt- he waited a moment- then shrugged his
shoulders - sorry, no receipt. must be broken.

Dude, you are in for a world of trouble.
The City of Chicago has an office slap full of people that just loooove to hear complaints about cabbies.

I indicated to him that a complaint to his company and to the city was on the way if I didn't get a receipt tout-de-gorram-suite... He finally rummaged around in his briefcase-satchel and found an old-style blank credit card receipt and threw it at me and sped away.
But not before I got his cab # and driver #.

(And I've been having a grand old time last night and this morning filing complaints with Yellow Cab and the City of Chicago.)

We'll see how that goes.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

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