Taxi overcharged

Wonderwomanx

Would anyone know what I can do....
Taxi website quotes £8 for a 4am trip from travel lodge in Luton to Luton Airport.
12 minutes.
Driver charged £20.
No alternative had to pay.
On phoning the taxi office I was greeted with a rude and unhelpful customer service.

I asked why his website was offering it at £8 and he said the website was not correct and to take no notice.

peter_the_piper

Was this a real taxi with a meter or a private hire company? I can't see any private hire/taxi company doing a trip at 4am for just £8.00.

Aylesbury_Duck

What's the taxi firm's website so we can see what their offer is?

shaun_from_Africa

peter_the_piper wrote: »

I can't see any private hire/taxi company doing a trip at 4am for just £8.00.

There are two private hire firms that I use to get from my house to Gatwick airport (a distance of about 5 miles) and they both charge £8 each way and their fares are:

Fixed prices, regardless of traffic or time of day

so it doesn't matter if it's 4am or 4pm, the price is the same.

motorguy

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Was this a real taxi with a meter or a private hire company? I can't see any private hire/taxi company doing a trip at 4am for just £8.00.

Most of the bigger players in that area are 24x7 so it shouldnt have been a hardship or incur extra charges.

Boohoo

Wonderwomanx wrote: »

Would anyone know what I can do....
Taxi website quotes £8 for a 4am trip from travel lodge in Luton to Luton Airport.
12 minutes.
Driver charged £20.
No alternative had to pay.
On phoning the taxi office I was greeted with a rude and unhelpful customer service.

I asked why his website was offering it at £8 and he said the website was not correct and to take no notice.

Most taxi's in Luton charge time and a half PLUS the airport drop off fee of £3 or £4(i can't recall what it is now) on top so i don't think the fare you paid was too much.
Travelodge at Halfway Avenue(junction 11 M1) to the airport the last time i went was £18 all in at 05:30 AM last September using 505050(other taxi firms are available to use) and i alway get the price when i call to book the taxi as it saves all the hassle of and disagreement about the fare.

Hermione_Granger

Boohoo wrote: »

Most taxi's in Luton charge time and a half PLUS the airport drop off fee of £3 or £4(i can't recall what it is now) on top so i don't think the fare you paid was too much

That's perfectly fine providing that the true cost of the fare is made clear.
What's not okay to do is to advertise one fare then charge extra when the time comes to pay.

powerful_Rogue

Did you book via their website or phone up to book?

peter_the_piper

Hermione_Granger wrote: »

That's perfectly fine providing that the true cost of the fare is made clear.
What's not okay to do is to advertise one fare then charge extra when the time comes to pay.

It'd be nice to know the firm he chose so we can check the T&C's.

esuhl

Wonderwomanx wrote: »

Driver charged £20.
No alternative had to pay.

Surely there was the alternative of not paying?!

DoaM

esuhl wrote: »

Surely there was the alternative of not paying?!

Indeed - unless the taxi doors were locked until payment had been made (such as can happen with "Black Cabs").