View Full Version : Bad experience with Al's Radio CAb shuttle service
On Sunday, July 9,Angela Adams (my wife) arrived in Staunton, VA via train and stayed overnight at the Howard Johnson's Hotel. That evening she contacted Al's Radio Cabs, to request car service from Howard Johnson's Hotel, Staunton, VA, to RipRap parking lot in Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive. Arrangements were made for their service to pick up Angela on Monday, July 10 at 6:00 AM. A $30.00 fee was quoted. Upon pick up, a young bleary eyed driver, who said he had been on duty all night, initially traveled the wrong way. Angela clarified his mistake and confirmed their destination. Seeing that he was overtired and drifting into the other lane Angela asked if he was alright and able to drive. He said yes, rolled the windows down and turned the radio up very loud. Shortly thereafter the driver was radioed and asked his location. He replied and said they were in route to RipRap parking area. The dispatcher replied that that was not the original destination and was too far. To go all the way to RipRap would cost Angela $75.00. No other destination had ever been mentioned. Angela told the driver (and dispatcher) that she had been quoted a price of $30.00 from the Staunton Howard Johnson's to RipRap parking area the evening before and under no circumstance would she succumb to this abrupt price change. The dispatcher went off line and Angela repeated to the driver that a price was quoted and that she needed to get to RipRap. At that point the dispatcher came back on the radio and asked if she had agreed to pay the $75.00. When the driver said no he was instructed to pull over immediately and let Angela out. He did just that. He abandoned Angela Adams on the side of the road on Sky Line Drive. When he asked for $30.00 she said no, they had not kept their agreement to bring her to her destination. At that point the driver turned the car around and left Angela. These actions display gross negligence and a failure of good faith, not to mention abandonment in an unfamiliar and remote area. Angela Adams was left to hike 14 miles to her evening's destination instead of the 5 miles she had intended. This was to be the first day on the Appalachian Trail of a 10-day hike that will cover approximately 8 miles a day. The first day was planned as a "lighter" 5-mile hike to help break the trip in. Instead, she was forced to hike 14 miles to her destination. This typical and criminal "bait and switch" is usually found in cities upon which tourists are preyed. This is not what one would expect in the rural locals of Appalachia and the gentile south.
Angela found Al's Radio Cabs on the PATC web site, listed as a reputable company and shuttle service. Obviously, they are not a reputable company, and clearly not interested in the health and welfare of hikers.
D'Artagnan
07-12-2006, 11:28
If it were me, I would go on up the food chain and find out who they answer to. The situation as you described it is wholly unacceptable. I'm glad she made it through safely. Just my $.02.
QHShowoman
07-12-2006, 13:05
You should definitely inform the PATC of this ...
Staunton to Riprap for only $30.00? Maybe from a trail angel, definitely not from a cab company. That's about 35 miles one-way (maybe a bit more), and unless the cab company can reasonably expect to find a return customer or some other business in the general area of RipRap, they are going to want to be compensated for the return. Same thing could be said about many AT shuttle services. $75.00 or more seems closer to reality.
But if Angela can prove she was quoted $30.00, IMHO legally and morally she is in the right here. And it sure sounds like she was treated shabbily by both the driver and dispatcher regardless of whether she could prove her case.
What probably happened is the person who gave her the quote made an honest mistake, not knowing where RipRap actually was, and the driver and dispatcher refused to honor it. Those of us who know the area would have immediately sensed this was one of those "too good to be true" scenarios, but someone from outside the area would not.
Absolutely, report it to PATC and take it to the cab company's higher-ups.
Just received an e-mail that originated at ATC, passed thru PATC, that a report was indeed made. They are seeking other complaints, if any exist, against the cab company. The e-mail indicated if multiple complaints are made against a provider they are dropped from the ATC list.
................ Obviously, they are not a reputable company, and clearly not interested in the health and welfare of hikers.
Maybe Al just doesn't like Yankee's :eek:
If that was my ole lady done that way I would request a personal ride from riprap to staunton and when the cabbie showed up and if it be the same one I would beat the living ****tin hell out him and let EMS come and get his ass and for sure his cabbie would need towing.Just my word if and that happen to my ole lady.:eek:
My personal experience: (almost) ALL dispatchers and calltakers are Idiots and pathalogical liars!!!!
90% of the ones I have met & worked for are incapable of telling the truth. Met one who if his pants were on fire and admiing it would save his life, would still deny it, even tho telling the truth would be to his benefit. In 25 years of dealing with them, I have only once seen one disciplined for screwing up. And that took letters of protest by ALL of the county Police & Fire chiefs.
Sorry for the rant, I have issues. :rolleyes:
Thanks for relating this experience! I will mark them as a ride to avoid.
Doctari.
Lone Wolf
07-13-2006, 19:58
If that was my ole lady done that way I would request a personal ride from riprap to staunton and when the cabbie showed up and if it be the same one I would beat the living ****tin hell out him and let EMS come and get his ass and for sure his cabbie would need towing.Just my word if and that happen to my ole lady.:eek:
Now that's the ******* spirit!:D
Or catch a lift and leave a cheap suitcase in the floorboard with Peppy Le Peu in it. You know they gonna look!!!:p
You know what'd really be funny? If the entire the hiker community would call them, repeatedly, with bogus ride requests. Maybe 7:00 p.m. on weekends until 2:00 a.m. until... say... 'till September that'd really be funny. :p :p
Of course, I am not urging or would not condone this sort of behavior
:D :sun
Skidsteer
07-13-2006, 20:53
You know what'd really be funny? If the entire the hiker community would call them, repeatedly, with bogus ride requests. Maybe 7:00 p.m. on weekends until 2:00 a.m. until... say... 'till September that'd really be funny. :p :p
Of course, I am not urging or would not condone this sort of behavior
:D
Right. Anybody got the phone number?
I've got tequila and a tape recorder around here somewhere....:D
Maybe Al just doesn't like Yankee's :eek:
Pinhead. :rolleyes:
Amigi'sLastStand
07-14-2006, 01:38
Or catch a lift and leave a cheap suitcase in the floorboard with Peppy Le Peu in it. You know they gonna look!!!:p
I've done this.
Well, it wasnt a skunk, but a chunk of meunster cheese. I shoved it under the seat of a cab company that had baited me on a ride home from the Orlando Airport. $27 became $57 halfway home. I had $35 dollars in my pocket. I was told to pay for the ride, about $22 at that point, and told to get out, or they'd call the police. They dropped me at 50 and 436, for those who know the area. In the South, I aint winnin this one, no matter how principled it was, so I gave in with vengeance on my mind.
Well, later, I called em for a ride to the bar down the street. I stuffed the cheese under the seat. My buddies and I laughed our asses off.
I have no idea how many days it took baking in the florida sun to start to stink, but I bet they never got the smell out.:D
I've done this.
Well, it wasnt a skunk, but a chunk of meunster cheese. I shoved it under the seat of a cab company that had baited me on a ride home from the Orlando Airport.
Shrimp. Small, powerful and lingering.
I found this out the hard way after a fishing trip. Those things stink to high heaven after a few days! :eek:
Shrimp. Small, powerful and lingering.
I found this out the hard way after a fishing trip. Those things stink to high heaven after a few days! :eek:
Can of tuna, cheeper, similar smell.
D'Artagnan
07-14-2006, 09:23
Chicken juice -- you know, the stuff that if you forget and throw it in your kitchen trash can you are suddenly reminded the next day when you walk in the front door? A little of that in the ol' cab carpet should do the trick. ;)
Just my twisted imagination, but: I can see it now, Al's cleaning bill is $30.00, when the cleaner arrives, "Nope it is really $75.00"
Poetic isn't it. :cool:
Doctari.
D'Artagnan
07-14-2006, 13:43
Just my twisted imagination, but: I can see it now, Al's cleaning bill is $30.00, when the cleaner arrives, "Nope it is really $75.00"
Poetic isn't it. :cool:
Doctari.
Yeah, Karma's a real mo-fo! :D
fiddlehead
07-14-2006, 21:20
I'm certainly not saying what happened was justified.
But, i'm looking at this from the side of: You mean there's still a cab service in Staunton Va. ???
Cabs are dying out in all but big cities. Main reason: INsurance, and trying to find class people to drive them. You gotta ask yourself: Do i want to be a cab driver? They must put up with drunks, people who can't afford to drive, handicapped people with wheelchairs, etc.
I had some friends who thought it would be a great idea to start a cab service near my small hometown a few years back. They found out that Insurance was very expensive, and if they could find anyone to work for less than $10 an hour, they would need to keep these people very busy to make a profit. (these were folks who already had cars they wouldn't have to put out money for)
So, trying to shut down Al's radio cabs by destroying their cars might be something you could be sorry for when you need a ride.
Be careful what you wish for.
Maybe talking to the owner(s) about the miscommunication, would be a better way of tackling this problem. Threatening the dude who is probably making minimum wage and smelling used hikers, might not solve it.
blindeye
07-14-2006, 21:34
skyline you said that the cab should be compensated for the ride back? i drove a cab for 4 years and it simply doesn't work that way,the fare is from the pick up to the drop off period. if ANY cab service is charging you a return fare without you in the cab should be reported to the proper agency. as far as i am concerned that is a license pulling offense.
skyline you said that the cab should be compensated for the ride back? i drove a cab for 4 years and it simply doesn't work that way,the fare is from the pick up to the drop off period. if ANY cab service is charging you a return fare without you in the cab should be reported to the proper agency. as far as i am concerned that is a license pulling offense.
WARNING: Pet peeve rant crossing ahead.
In a big city situation, or an airport run or something like that I see your point. In a rural area where the destination indicates there is less than 1% chance that there is going to be ANY return business at or near the destination--or any other business to anywhere--are you actually saying the company should only charge for a one-way trip when they are going to have to drive two ways? With the cost of gas and vehicle wear-and-tear today? With much of the trip in the mountains?
In this situation, I see nothing wrong with the original cab employee figuring in a roundtrip fare when first asked for a quote. According to the original post, that wasn't done but they tried a bait-and-switch afterward. If provable, THAT should be a license-pulling offense.
Your attitude has caused more than a few (non-cab company) AT shuttle providers to quit offering services to hikers. In my case, to quit offering long distance services and limit myself to relatively local shuttles which I do for cost or just a donation.
Blindeye, if you asked me to do a shuttle from, say, Front Royal to Rockfish Gap, would you actually expect me to drive the 100 or so miles back without compensation? What do you think the chances are that someone is going to be hanging around just waiting for a ride to Front Royal at or near the time I drop you off in Rockfish Gap? This isn't a hypothetical; this exact scenario and similar situations have involved me quite a few times over the years. I'm not dealing with the aggravation of explaining it to (or in some cases arguing with) those needing shuttles anymore; too many of our hiker friends either weren't raised to know any better--or worse yet they do know better and want to pretend that 100-mile return trip just happens without it taking the driver's time, gas, or wear-and-tear.
And I don't see this as being any different whether it's a for-profit cab company or just some independent guy in the AT subculture.
I'm certainly not saying what happened was justified.
But, i'm looking at this from the side of: You mean there's still a cab service in Staunton Va. ???
Cabs are dying out in all but big cities. Main reason: INsurance, and trying to find class people to drive them. You gotta ask yourself: Do i want to be a cab driver? They must put up with drunks, people who can't afford to drive, handicapped people with wheelchairs, etc.
I had some friends who thought it would be a great idea to start a cab service near my small hometown a few years back. They found out that Insurance was very expensive, and if they could find anyone to work for less than $10 an hour, they would need to keep these people very busy to make a profit. (these were folks who already had cars they wouldn't have to put out money for)
So, trying to shut down Al's radio cabs by destroying their cars might be something you could be sorry for when you need a ride.
Be careful what you wish for.
Maybe talking to the owner(s) about the miscommunication, would be a better way of tackling this problem. Threatening the dude who is probably making minimum wage and smelling used hikers, might not solve it.
Some good points, Fiddlehead.
Earlier this week, Laurie from ATC in fact spoke with the manager of Al's Cab, and among other things, suggested she purchase the trail maps for the area where the company provides shuttles.
In an e-mail broadcast through PATC, to folks in the SNP region associated in various ways with the AT, Laurie also wrote: "Our policy is to drop anyone from the list for whom we have received multiple complaints. If you hear of any additional complaints for Al's Radio Cab or anyone else on our shuttle list, please notify me as soon as possible."
cutman11
07-15-2006, 00:15
Maybe the best way to handle the situation would have been to agree to the cabbie to pay the $75.00 when you were taken to the destination, and then upon arrival give him the quoted $30.00 and if he questioned it, tell him he must have fallen asleep at the wheel and was dreaming that the dispatcher indicated $75....then hike on with no further explanation. I doubt he would follow very far into the woods!!
blindeye
07-15-2006, 12:03
skyline what i would expect is to be told AHEAD of time of any additional fees etc. as far as bait and switch goes if i read the original thread correctly that's exactly what happened! someone was quoted a price of $30 then somewhere along the way it jumped to $75. that's bait and switch in my mind. as far as MY attitude causing cab services to stop offering their service, i don't think asking someone to live up to a quoted price is the problem.
skyline what i would expect is to be told AHEAD of time of any additional fees etc. as far as bait and switch goes if i read the original thread correctly that's exactly what happened! someone was quoted a price of $30 then somewhere along the way it jumped to $75. that's bait and switch in my mind. as far as MY attitude causing cab services to stop offering their service, i don't think asking someone to live up to a quoted price is the problem.
Blindeye, did you even bother to read my last post responding to you? Dude, where this particular incident is concerned, I totally agree with you!
Third paragraph, post-in-question: "In this situation, I see nothing wrong with the original cab employee figuring in a roundtrip fare when first asked for a quote. According to the original post, that wasn't done but they tried a bait-and-switch afterward. If provable, THAT should be a license-pulling offense."
Bait and switch them, eh? When you get to the trail offer a sincere apology for only having 30$ :-?
On the other hand, a 30$ fee for a 35m one way trip, from a cab company no less, is an obvious mistake. ;) To hold the driver to the obvious mistake of an confused, ill informed, even dishonest dispatacher doesn't seem right to me either. :( I'm sorry there was no middle ground to be found.
A note to those there in the future: getting a lift on Skyline is probably one of the easiest hitches anywhere near the ENTIRE A.T.:)
blindeye
07-15-2006, 18:40
skyline i am sorry, i reread your response and i apologize for not properly understanding your reply. obviously i let my fingers type before my brain connected! please accept my apology.
blindeye
skyline i am sorry, i reread your response and i apologize for not properly understanding your reply. obviously i let my fingers type before my brain connected! please accept my apology.
blindeye
Apology accepted. I've been known to type and hit send before engaging brain too.