Addison Lee

edited December 2008 in General chat
I've used Addison Lee cabs a few times over the years and have recommended them to people. No more.

A couple weeks ago, I booked an Addison Lee cab over the phone. I paid with a credit card. The woman made me repeat the card number three times. It was annoying, but in the end, it seemed fine.

When we got to our destination, the driver asked for the fare. I told him that I already paid. He insisted that it was a cash fare. I phoned Addison Lee from the cab. They said that I had to pay the driver, and that they did not have my credit card details on file. Odd. Fortunately, I had enough cash to pay the man.

A couple days later, I checked my card account and saw that it had, indeed, been charged (actually, overcharged by £3). I e-mailed Addison Lee, who refunded the money.

Annoying? Yes.

But it gets worse.

A few days later, I got an e-mail from Amazon stating that someone had tried to open a new account using my card, but not my postal address. It triggered a fraud alert. Amazon canceled the order and advised me to contact the card provider.

It turned out that someone had been using my card to go on an online shopping spree.

Obviously, I have no proof that Addison Lee had anything to do with the credit card fraud. But it's the only place where I've had to give my card number over the phone in months. It's an Amex, so half of the places I go to don't accept it. I mainly use it at Tesco, Amazon and such. In restaurants, they always bring the chip and pin machine to the table.

It may not have been the woman at Addison Lee. But, at the very least, they fucked up my transaction and 'misplaced' my credit card details. From now on, I'm using the minicab office opposite the tube and paying cash.

And yay for Amazon catching the fraud. And a big thumbs down for Comet, who let the transaction go through, even though the billing address didn't match.

Comments

  • edited 5:36PM
    Comet should be liable for the loss. My card number was used fraudulently once ( it was a business card that never left the house and very rarely used ) for Next directory (£1300) and Air Jamaica.
    I was refunded for the loss immediately - Next and Air Jamaica would have had to pay. I would have thought it would have been very easy to find the name of the passenger on the flight and do them for theft or receiving.
  • edited 5:36PM
    Addison Lee are a pain in the ass. In my job we often have to book cabs for naff celebs and ourselves but do they EVER turn up on time? NO! I had one booked for myself the other morning at 4am and waited in the freezing cold for 20 mins before ringing them only to be told he had parked 5 mins away because he wasnt exactly sure where I was. Idiots. The only plus point for them is that they are better than Lewis Day!
  • edited 5:36PM
    Oh and if you mean the cab office opposite FP station then I would avoid them too! I once missed a flight because I turned up 15 mins early at the cab office and they had sent the driver to Tottenham on another call. He would be back in '5' minutes but tuned up 45 mins late. Grrrrr.
  • edited 5:36PM
    I love the cab office opp the carwash on SGR. They're lovely. Always on time. Never more than 5mns wait. And cheap.
  • Amex are sorting out the fraud on the card. They are good people.

    I don't understand what goes through these people's heads. Did they think I wouldn't notice the extra charges on my card? I've never bought anything from Comet in my entire life. And if you're going to steal, why give your address?

    It's just a hassle. The card probably won't arrive before we go to New York. I'll have to use another one.

    I like the people in the cab office opposite the carwash. We've only used them a handful of times to get to Stansted and such, but they've always been on time and reasonably priced.

    I've had so many bad cab experiences in different countries that I have very low expectations. Though I've never had a bad experience with a proper black cab. I just wish I could afford them.
  • LizLiz
    edited 5:36PM
    I'll third the recommendation for Capital Cars opposite the carwash - they're good and helpful and don't seem to be quite as guilty of the whole 'he's just round the corner' thing that you get with minicabs everywhere...
  • edited 5:36PM
    I've never tried the one opposite the carwash, the crappy ones were the ones opposite the front entrance to the station in station place.
  • edited 5:36PM
    Is this heading towards an official sg.org endorsement of a cab company?

    Shouldn't they give us money for it?
  • edited 5:36PM
    Capital Cars are great. Used them for the airport loads of times and they have a minimum £4 fare for local trips. Lots are £5 now.
  • edited 5:36PM
    i like yellow cars in holloway road. never let me down. but once you've find a minicab firm you like, you very rarely switch, so an official endorsement might not work.
  • edited 5:36PM
    I heart Capital Cars too. I don't heart the one next to the florist.
  • edited 5:36PM
    Meadway are pretty good. I've been using them for years:

    http://www.meadway.com/
  • I'm mystified as to where the folk working in Capital Cars go to the loo? Especially the women who take the bookings? It's bothered me for years... please don't tell me she squats behind the hut?
  • edited 5:36PM
    I reckon they have some kind of deal with one of the cafe's nearby. We should try and find out. Someone call them and ask.
  • edited January 2009
    I called them to try to ask, but the man had trouble understanding me because I was at work and everything went very quite suddenly so I had to just hang up. However, this evening I was passing and asked the chap who told me that he pops into the Worlds End when he needs to go - it was the ginger ruddy faced chap and he started laughing too, so friendly. If you see someone else in there ask them, because it's got me thinking about where they go in the morning.
  • edited 5:36PM
    We spotted one of them climbing back down from behind the shed the other day. We suspected it was a Number One.
  • edited 5:36PM
    it's the answers to pressing local issues such as these that make me glad i signed up for this site!
  • edited 5:36PM
    It's like Heat magazine, but with the people from capital cars in the role of Colleen Rooney.
  • edited 5:36PM
    heee. Nice pic.

    Have to agree on the Addisson Lee rant - we used one a couple of years ago. For whatever reason the driver (white, English, 40s) - he didn't know the way and got a bit upset, me (a Scot) and my friend (an American) got racist abuse off the driver.

    No joke - was like 70s comedy - 'You people!! Coming here, taking our jobs! Go home!' Absolutely bizarre. Not that it makes it any better/worse - but we are Caucasian. Guy was crackers.

    We complained to AL and figure he got sacked. Funniest thing was when we were taking our luggage out we accidentally picked up his night-school homework and he had some come back to collected it hee hee.
  • edited 5:36PM
    What was he studying?
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