Taxi Company ringing me up for Money

pinkteapot

So, somebody managed to convince the taxi company to set up an account in the name of Barking College, with your phone number as the contact number for the account? Not quite sure how they would have managed that...

Or does the College genuinely have an account but your phone number was just associated with this job?

arcon5

Right..

The collage have an account with the taxi firm..
Somebody phoned and asked for a cab from [your house number] [ your street name], and to be put on the collages account.

So how did they get your number? Cab firms usually have a record of the number used to call them.

It all seems very circumstantial here... your house number; your address put on the account of a collage you went to...

colino

Frankly I find it hard to believe any taxi came out for such an expensive fare without making sure it was getting paid. Lots of organisations have accounts but few of them have elastic limits to cover one-offs like this.

gixer750

so why havent you rang the college to find out whats going on???
they will have records and its down to the college to pay as its their account so no-one can come after you, UNLESS IT was you who ordered the taxi??? you sound dodgy!!!

colino wrote: »

Frankly I find it hard to believe any taxi came out for such an expensive fare without making sure it was getting paid. Lots of organisations have accounts but few of them have elastic limits to cover one-offs like this.

Strider590

Someone gets a taxi, thinking they're clever they try to get it charged to the college, the college turn around and tell the taxi company to do one, the taxi company does what debt collectors do and go straight to the person they think was responsible, whilst ignoring all better judgement.

I dare say they used the OP's name too?
In which case the OP needs to work out where they were during that taxi journey and present some proof..... ie bank statements showing you used your credit card at XYZ restaurant 50 miles away when you were supposedly in the car.

BaileyB

Well if it was as 4am as said by the OP. I asume he was in bed.

marlot

BaileyB wrote: »

Well if it was as 4am as said by the OP. I asume he was in bed.

But an 8am train ticket to work would work, unless he's supposed to have somehow got back from Coventry

maninthestreet

Shouldn't the taxi firm be chasing Barking college for payment?

dresdendave

Strider590 wrote: »

I dare say they used the OP's name too?
In which case the OP needs to work out where they were during that taxi journey and present some proof..... ie bank statements showing you used your credit card at XYZ restaurant 50 miles away when you were supposedly in the car.

Surely the onus of proof is on the accuser. If the taxi firm won't accept his denial that he was the passenger, it's them that need to prove he was, not the OP's responsibility to prove he wasn't.

Trajal

I'd call the local police station, explain the situation and explain that you appreciate it is a civil matter, but that this individual has:

a) already committed a criminal act in threatening you; and
b) has announced their intention of committing a further criminal act in the form of a home visit with the simple intention of intimidating you into paying something which you dispute.

If there's a copper in your front room when he comes around and makes a threat, it'll be a short sharp trip to the clink, I'd suggest very strongly you follow this course of action.

Even if by some bizarre set of circumstances you were genuinely liable for this alleged debt, and it sounds that you are not and simply a victim of fraud, the 'big boss' of the taxi company has absolutely no right to try to make financial demands with menaces in this way.

There are plenty of pieces of law preventing this, many of them result in criminal prosecutions. Use them.