Be aware of FLL Taxi rip off

[koolcruiser43]

We had used the taxi stand at FLL airport to arrange a taxi to take us to the Holiday Inn at the Beach on Sunrise Blvd. The attendand said it would be between a $15.00 and $20.00 fare which is what we were expecting. The attendant told the driver where we were going and we also told him we were heading to the Holiday Inn on Sunrise Blvd. After driving for a while I start to notice the meter is at about $30.00 and where not there yet. I look at a map and notice we are in the opposite direction of the hotel. When I mention this to the cab driver he says he thought we were going to the Holiday Inn in Sunrise. Give me a break!! By the time he turned around and headed to the right Hotel the meter was reading over $60.00 for a $15.00 cab ride. We offered to give him $30.00 but he refused and insisted we were wrong and he was right. I don't know how a cab driver in FLL could not double check and verify which Holiday Inn. We were traveling with our 2 young daughters and had 8 bags of luggage and we were obviously headed to the beach and not to some remote area in Sunrise which if we were we would have rented a car. We called the taxi company to complain but they did not really care and suggested to the driver he should call the police if we did not pay the full fare amount. Well as soon as he heard the dispatcher suggest calling the police he said that we did not owe anything and off he went like a bat out of hell. Big mystery why he suddenly disappeared at the mention of police showing up? Be very careful when getting into taxi's in FLL! Hand them the exact address in writing of where your going or they will take you for a ride literally.

 

The conceirge at the Holiday Inn told us they do that all the time. They always take people to the wrong location to increase their fares.

[johnnycruise]

I second that. We shared a taxi from the pier at Port Everglades to the airport with another couple and the driver tried to charge each couple the meter fare. He was very loud about it. I pointed at the sticker in the windshield that said no charge for extra passengers or luggage and he said that rule was "outdated." I asked him to call his dispatcher so I could verify that and he cursed at us and relented. They really need some customer service training as you remember the first/last things about a city and some of those drivers sure aren't doing FLL any favors.

[LoveTheDeepBlue]

Here is a little trick that sometimes helps.

 

If a taxi driver suspects that you are from out of town (which most of us cruisers are) and not familiar with an area, they will take the scenic route to bump up the meter.

 

TIP: Familiarize yourself with the city a little before you go. Break out a map or use mapquest.com to map out the route from say the airport to the hotel.

 

When you get in the cab, act like you know everything there is to know about (insert city here) and tell the driver the route YOU want to take to get to where you are going. It cant hurt to even tell a little white lie and tell the driver (in small talk of crouse) that you grew up in the city etc and you are back visiting etc.

 

Try it. It cant hurt. ;)

 

Then maybe the driver will think twice about trying to con you.

[TrentS]

TIP: Familiarize yourself with the city a little before you go. Break out a map or use mapquest.com to map out the route from say the airport to the hotel.

That's the best piece of advice there is, and don't be shy about telling the driver the way you want to go.

 

This is by no means something that only happens in FLL... Some cabbies have been pulling these stunts on tourists around the world since they built the first cab! YOU have to do your homework before you travel.

 

Another thing everyone should know... In Broward County (FLL) taxis are METERED, you pay THAT rate, NOT some "agreed" upon fare... However in Miami-Dade County there are flat rates between various destinations that are far LESS than the metered rates.

 

ALWAYS get the number of the cab and the driver's name, if you have a problem FILE A COMPLAINT...

 

http://www.co.broward.fl.us/consumer/coi01000.htm

 

If you have a complaint or a problem with taxicab service, please contact the Taxicab and Limousine Regulatory Section of the Broward County Consumer Affairs Division at: 954-765-5350/Fax 954-5309

or E-mail: consumer@broward.org