Taxi company demanded more money when we refused they cancelled our booking, rights?

Arcan

Taxi company asked us for more money when we’d already agreed a price, and when we said no they cancelled our booking.

Hi all, I hope this is the right place. I’d really appreciate some help to know what our rights are.

We’d booked a taxi to and from our university to the airport online because we’d booked the return we got the discounted price of £50 return which we agreed with the company and driver.

We’d paid the £30 and were expecting to pay only £20 this time as agreed; however a day before were meant to arrive at the airport we got an email asking us for the full £30 as they’d been over booked and said they’d have to pick us up a “larger vehicle which costs more, or lose our booking.”
We did not feel that was fair and wrote back that it was in violation of our customer rights as we’d had email and verbal confirmation of the £50 return.
Their response was to cancel their booking for in their words “disrespect towards are company.”

Luckily we were able to book the taxi in my name rather than my friend's, who had organised the taxi, but it was the more expensive £30 return. Also the taxi that picked us up in was the smaller one not the larger one as they said so I can only summarise they were trying to cheat us out of more money, and not over-booked which is still not an excuse to change the price.
How do I approach this?

Thank you

McKneff

Move on, it really isnt worth hassling over.

Vote with your feet and use another taxi firm next time and tell all your friends.

Arcan

McKneff wrote: »

Move on, it really isnt worth hassling over.

Vote with your feet and use another taxi firm next time and tell all your friends.

I am sure they do this to a lot of international students and some of them will be unsure what do isn't it right we at least make it fairer for everyone?

agrinnall

Also posted on consumer rights board, with more responses.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3747583