19 December 2011

Unhelpful cabbie

| fnaah
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After a few drinks late Friday night (possibly early Saturday), I caught a cab home.

After I’d paid the driver, I stepped out of the cab, only to realise that my iPhone had slipped out of my pocket. I whistled and shouted at the rapidly retreating cab, but the driver didn’t stop.

I went inside immediately and called my phone three times (i know it wasn’t on silent, and the ringer volume was quite high), and on the fourth attempt, it went straight to voicemail. I then called the cab company (spent five minutes in the call queue), who advised that they could send the driver a message if I agreed to pay an equivalent fare to have the driver come back. I reluctantly agreed, but no driver turned up.

The next morning (after calling my telco and putting a temporary block on the SIM and the handset), I called the cab company again, gave them all the details (again), and they said they’d send a message to the cab. I heard nothing all day, called back at approx 5pm, and was told that they’d send another message and I’d have to call the admin/lost property number on Monday.

So this morning, that’s what I did. The lost property person took all the details (again), and told me they would try to get in touch with the driver (again). I am not hopeful.

So, dear Rioters, aside from “cop it sweet”, what recourse do I have? Given that the driver wouldn’t have had time to pick up another fare before I rang my phone, I am fairly certain that the driver of Taxi 47 heard my phone ring, switched it off, pocketed it, and completely ignored the repeated messages sent out by his employers. No, I haven’t set up an iCloud account, so I don’t have device tracking on.

Will our boys in blue have anything to do with this?

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It’s really up to passengers not to leave their property in a cab. Once it’s gone, you have very little comeback. The next passenger could pick it up and take it. it could slip down under the seat and not be found for some time. Or the driver may not be able to reach it and answer it in traffic.

I usually bust a gut to get a phone back to its owner, because I know how much anguish I felt when a passenger knocked off my brand new phone one evening, but sometimes I find a phone with a dead battery in some odd corner of the cab and there’s nothing for it but to drop it off at the lost and found box at the cab company. When I’m next passing by.

Assuming that the cabbie found the phone and stole it is a bit of a stretch. Best bet is to find TX 47 and ask the driver, preferably waving a nicely coloured banknote at him. Likely it will be sitting in the centre console, unloved and unwanted.

I’m currently trying to case down a cabbie who hit my car a few weeks ago. Elite were very polite but said there was nothing they could do unless it was in writing. Means it is on record the exact time, driver, number plate, etc.

While it is a pain, a written account to the company may help you depending how far you want to take it.

Their address is on the website or I can post it for you if you need. Good luck, and may you have better luck finding your cabbie than I.

I know people who have taken others to the small claims tribunal on matters like this. It’s a bit of work, but it is the principal of the matter 🙂

I’m no lawyer, but I think you first have to issue him with a demand or two to return the iPhone. In the demand you need to state your version of events (i.e. all of the evidence that you have).

If that doesn’t work, you go to the tribunal, and unless he has a bloody good case like the taxi company records show was somewhere else, he will have to pay you for the phone.

If you have any friends who are lawyers they should be able to help you.

Devil_n_Disquiz4:19 pm 19 Dec 11

fnaah said :

Don’t forget to ask in the letter if ou can see the footage from the in car security camera…

… now there’s a helpful suggestion – anyone know what the process might be for actually getting hold of that, or how long the footage is kept?

You won’t get the in car footage.

There are certain inputs that activate the camera. Otherwise the camera takes a photo every 30s. If the driver stole your phone 30s is a long time to find said phone and put it in his pocket.

Quite frankly writing or talking to the base is about as productive as pissing in Googong to raise water levels. I’d be emailing the email address on this page

http://www.tams.act.gov.au/move/public_transport/taxi_services_and_information/complaints

TX47 is one of the Silver fleet. You were definitely in a Silver cab ?? Because I don’t want to go having a chat to the owner/driver of TX47 only to find it wasn’t that car. 🙂

Little_Green_Bag4:07 pm 19 Dec 11

fnaah said :

“I presume you’re not talking about Elite Fitness. If you gave up the grog and lived a healthier lifestyle (including joining a gym) you wouldn’t be involved in such situations.”

Obvious troll is obvious.

But still true, nevertheless.

“I presume you’re not talking about Elite Fitness. If you gave up the grog and lived a healthier lifestyle (including joining a gym) you wouldn’t be involved in such situations.”

Obvious troll is obvious.

luther_bendross said :

I’d be calling them and letting them know you’ll give them 24 hours to track it down. If that doesn’t result in win, then I’d email the company and cc in the taxi ombudsman (or whatever overseeing mob exists for cabbies).

+1

Waiting For Godot3:12 pm 19 Dec 11

fnaah said :

I should add that while I was waiting at Elite, the receptionist took a call . . .

I presume you’re not talking about Elite Fitness. If you gave up the grog and lived a healthier lifestyle (including joining a gym) you wouldn’t be involved in such situations.

p1 said :

luther_bendross said :

I’d be calling them and letting them know you’ll give them 24 hours to track it down. If that doesn’t result in win, then I’d email the company and cc in the taxi ombudsman (or whatever overseeing mob exists for cabbies).

Don’t forget to ask in the letter if ou can see the footage from the in car security camera…

Jeez, it’s only a phone! It’s not something important like a laptop bag for christs sake.

Don’t forget to ask in the letter if ou can see the footage from the in car security camera…

… now there’s a helpful suggestion – anyone know what the process might be for actually getting hold of that, or how long the footage is kept?

luther_bendross said :

I’d be calling them and letting them know you’ll give them 24 hours to track it down. If that doesn’t result in win, then I’d email the company and cc in the taxi ombudsman (or whatever overseeing mob exists for cabbies).

Don’t forget to ask in the letter if ou can see the footage from the in car security camera…

luther_bendross1:40 pm 19 Dec 11

I’d be calling them and letting them know you’ll give them 24 hours to track it down. If that doesn’t result in win, then I’d email the company and cc in the taxi ombudsman (or whatever overseeing mob exists for cabbies).

I think unfortunately you are entirely in the hands of the driver and whether he is a thieving bastard or not. I suspect you’re out of luck and the cabbie has gone “ooh, nice, a new iphone for Xmas”. The cab company can’t really do much apart from ask the driver if he found a phone which he’ll deny if he has stolen it.

Happened to me with my wallet in a Sydney cab a few years ago. I realised I’d dropped it as soon as the cab left and called the dispatcher within about 2 minutes. They were totally disinterested in trying to help but when I called back later they claimed to have spoken to the driver who of course claimed to know nothing about it.

I should add that while I was waiting at Elite, the receptionist took a call from someone who’d lost a phone *and* a wallet, which were sitting behind the desk. I’d imagine the relief that person felt was immense.

It’s good to know that at least some drivers aren’t thieving pr!cks.

“Are you sure you lost it in the cab?”

I sent my girlfriend an sms telling her I was waiting at the cab rank. I stepped out of the cab, and realised the phone wasn’t there when I put my hands in my pockets.

I am *DAMN* sure it was in the back of the cab.

I just spent an unproductive 20 minutes in the admin office at Canberra Elite. I learned that they did send several messages to the cab (one at 1.15am, 11am, and 5pm on Saturday). The driver was working this morning, and logged off at 4am. I asked the office to send another message to the cab and to sms the driver offering a substantial reward, no questions asked.

Fingers crossed. If I don’t hear anything in the next 24 hours, I’ll make a police report, however I am doubtful it will help. :/

It’s a phone. These things happen. It’s not worth enough for the Police to care.

Buy a new one and get over it.

Dilandach said :

RedDogInCan said :

Whats more tempting to swipe, an iphone or an 8 year olds backpack?

The 8 year old’s backpack actually. An Nintendo DS and an iPod are much easier to fence than a iPhone.

RedDogInCan said :

arb said :

sounds like the cab driver is the one being the d*ck 🙂

Yep, my 8 year old son left his backpack in a taxi coming home from the airport. A quick call to the taxi company and the driver returned it straight away at no charge.

Are you sure you lost it in the cab?

Whats more tempting to swipe, an iphone or an 8 year olds backpack?

arb said :

sounds like the cab driver is the one being the d*ck 🙂

Yep, my 8 year old son left his backpack in a taxi coming home from the airport. A quick call to the taxi company and the driver returned it straight away at no charge.

Are you sure you lost it in the cab?

Exactly the same thing happened to me a few years ago. Except the cabbie answered when I called the phone and promised to hand it in at the depot. Then it was switched off and I was unable to contact the phone or the cabbie ever again.

After several calls to the company and a harshly worded letter to the head honcho- we still never heard anything back and never got the phone back. I still can’t believe we received no response to our letter.

Hope you have better luck!

Hope you manage to get it back. I’d give them a day or so before involving the police though.

Reminds me of something I saw last week though in this case it sounds like the cab driver is the one being the d*ck 🙂

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