Do NOT cross my mother!

[Eevie]

So I've made a few mentions on this site of how my mother can be... Well let's just say there is a line you do NOT want to cross with her. I've crossed this line a couple times, and trust me, it ain't pretty. She can be the most caring, wonderful, and sweetest person in the world, but once you cross that line... *shudder*

So this happened about a month ago, but I didn't get the details until now. Mom had been a chaperone at a high school band trip to New York. Her group consisted of three girls, no one had been to New York before, so no one really knew what to expect. The girls wanted to take a taxi to the next place, mostly be because living in a small suburb, we don't see very many taxi's around here, much less use them on a daily basis. They flag a taxi and all is peachy. They're about to pay him for the ride when their driver did something I'm very sure he regretted afterward...


Taxi Driver (TD): *locks taxi doors* 3 dollars tip, each one of you! Hurry up! Meter's still running! (Something along those lines)

Yup, he went there... Idiot. Of course, This puts Mom over "the line". And the poor girls in her group are so scared by this point and fumbling through their purses trying to find some cash.

Mom: *unlocks doors* Girls, get out!

Now, I'm not sure what all she said here on after, but knowing how my mother is at this stage, I can imagine it was some pretty colorful language. She tossed down a five for the ride and got the taxi number.

The company got back to her next day saying the driver had been fired.

Now, I'll admit, she was a little SCish, but considering it was a middle-aged man with three young high school age girls in the car, once you lock the doors on someone like my mom... You're asking for the mama bear instinct to kick in. I'd feel sorry for him if he hadn't pulled crap like that. And if he ends up getting another job as a taxi driver, let's hope he learned his lesson...

[Titi]

Nope your mom was NOT AN SC! Some of the cab drivers in NYC are assholes and get extra money by demanding tips from the tourists. I remember a trip to NYC when I was in college, there were 4 of us and we used a cab to get back to the bus that the college had chartered, (he didn't know that 2 of of were native NYers.) He tried that same stuff and the cab company fired him because doing something like that can cost them their MEDALLIONS! The least price of a Medallion is $1 Million Dollars.

[Eevie]

Eh, it's just a little weird to see that even from my mom. She's worked many years in the food, retail, and hotel industries that she can be really understanding of it's workers. But I've never seen her go out of her way to get someone fired. She had talked to the company several times to make sure the man was gone. I've crossed that line, so I have a decent idea of the hell she gave him for kids that weren't even hers. I can only imagine if it was her own children in that cab! Just the thought scares me!

[Pixilated]

Three cheers for your mom! She was absolutely not an SC. The guy got what he deserved. He probably figured ah, a bunch of hicks from the sticks, and females at that, he could make some easy money on top of what was rightfully his for the taxi ride -- they'd be too intimidated by the locked doors and the "meter's still running!" warning/threat that they'd cough up the extra money without argument. Hope he was looking for another job for a LONG time afterwards.

[Hanzoku]

I'm someone who would normally tip for this sort of thing... but not if you try to pull that sort of stunt. Good on your Mom for ripping him a new one, and the company for firing his ass.

[Arcus]

I normally tip well, but if someone tried that on me I would simply say "You just lost your tip and I'm going to break whatever is necessarily to get out of this cab. Go ahead and call the cops if you want. I'm sure they will love to hear that you are kidnapping people for money."

[ArcticChicken]

Depending on my mood, I wouldn't have called the cab company. I'd have called the police. Unlawful Imprisonment and Extortion are hefty charges.

[PepperElf]

Nope your mom was NOT AN SC!

Exactly. It's NOT sucky to complain about a driver trying to shake the passengers down for more money.

I mean sure, "mandatory tips" do exist - we see them at restaurants advertised in the menu. O wait, advertised... I rather doubt this driver had any such policy advertised - and since the company apparently fired him for it, it's clear that he pulled it out of his ass.


So no - your mother wasn't sucky. Nor was she sucky by calling back. It sounds like she wanted to be sure this criminal wasn't shaking down other people to rob.

Yes I said criminal. What he did was illegal. Calling it a "tip" does NOT change the fact that he was robbing passengers and FORCING them to pay extra, and making them think they weren't allowed to leave until they paid the ransom.

[Crossbow]

Your mom was absolutely not an SC. She handled herself in what I consider an appropriate manner, and a hell of a lot more calmly than I would have.

Considering how much road rage is out there, the cabbie is pretty lucky he didn't get the s&%t kicked out of him for that trick at some point...


Or worse.

[Eevie]

Considering how much road rage is out there, the cabbie is pretty lucky he didn't get the s&%t kicked out of him for that trick at some point...


Or worse.

That would be why the cab driver was lucky it wasn't my mom's own kids in that car. We used to take Tae-kwon-do with eachother a few years ago. I've seen her beat the ever loving crap out men almost twice her size. So I can only imagine if he tried to pull that with me in the car... I can imagine she might be facing assault charges...

Although I still say she was an SC in a way, mostly in the eyes of that cab driver.

[Mikkel]

Nope, no way she was a SC. The only suck was on the side of the driver. Had she wanted to be sucky, she could have gone to the police, that would have hurt the (presumably) honest employees at the company.

[Brojekk]

Your mother ROCKS. Wish there were more people like her in this world....alot more.

[greek_jester]

Your mother is awesome. I've been in a cab that tried that, and my immediate response was to dial 999. The cops who turned up to the side of the road where the cabbie had kicked me out before hauling arse (without the fee) told me I had done the right thing, and the taxi company (who were my second phone call) told me he would be getting his walking papers as soon as he turned up at the depot.

Your mother is not a SC, unless anyone who fights back against a mugger is a SC. What the cabbie did was attempted kidnap and demanding money with menace. Goodness knows how many people he's ripped off and left traumatised by his actions up to that point.

[Cobrabubbles]

Your mom is my hero. Just sayin'!

[Pixilated]

I normally tip well, but if someone tried that on me I would simply say "You just lost your tip and I'm going to break whatever is necessarily to get out of this cab. Go ahead and call the cops if you want. I'm sure they will love to hear that you are kidnapping people for money."

I wouldn't even warn them. Here's my cellphone, watch me dial 911 and report a kidnapping/extortion.

*snip*

Although I still say she was an SC in a way, mostly in the eyes of that cab driver.

Oh, I'm sure he had lots of words for/about her ... most of them consisting of 4 letters. But neither he nor his opinion is worth anything.