Aussie refunded after secret recording exposes dodgy charge: 'You're not ripping me off'
An Australian traveller has recorded the moment he was 'taken for a ride' by a dodgy taxi driver who deliberately overcharged him. The Sydney man said he hoped to warn other people so they could avoid the same kind of rip-off.
Scott Hamilton and his wife Sarah had flown to Brisbane to board a two-night cruise to Sydney. The couple needed to catch a ride from the airport to the cruise terminal in Pinkenba and approached a Black and White Cabs driver outside the terminal.
Hamilton said he had previously been ripped off by cab drivers in Sydney and his "hackles were up". So, he decided to record his 11-kilometre taxi trip on his phone.
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The video recording shared with A Current Affair shows the taxi driver had obscured the meter and attempted to hide the fare amount on the EFTPOS machine when it came time for them to pay.
Hamilton was charged $59 for the journey, double what the Black and White Cab's website quotes for the trip on its website.
'You're not ripping me off, I've been videoing you the entire time,' Hamilton is heard telling the taxi driver in the video.
Hamilton said he noticed the meter had been running for 39 minutes when his video showed they had only been in the car for 17 minutes.
"I'm videoing this because I'm going to call the police on you because I knew this is what you'd do to me when I asked you about the meter," he said in the video.
"I have been in your cab for 17 minutes, I've been recording the whole time.'
Hamilton said the driver made 'all sorts of excuses' to explain the situation, but Hamilton wasn't buying it.
He is shown giving the taxi driver $40 for the trip.
The driver attempts to offer him a free ride, but Hamilton rejects this and tells him he will be going to the police.
Black and White Cabs managing director Greg Webb said the driver admitted to ripping off his passenger.
"Whilst there was initial denial and excuses made, upon being presented with all the evidence, the driver admitted to and it was determined to be a deliberate overcharge," Webb said in a statement to A Current Affair.
Black and White Cabs said Hamilton would be refunded the fare and the driver would face the company's compliance measures for deliberate overcharging.
In Queensland, maximum fares apply to all rank and hail taxi services, which are set by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Drivers must always activate the meter at the beginning of the journey to calculate the maximum payable fare.
Finder head of consumer research Graham Cooke has shared with Yahoo Finance the following tips for Aussies who think they've been overcharged by a taxi driver:
If you're looking to get around a city, rideshare might be the safer (and cheaper) option – just check you aren't on surge pricing.
If you notice your fare is much higher than you expected, question it immediately with the driver.
Paying by credit card may offer you more protection. If doing so, always check that the amount on the card terminal matches the amount on the meter, and always ask for a receipt.
If you do get stung and are unable to get a resolution with the taxi company, it's possible to lodge a complaint regarding any product or service with Fair Trading NSW or your local state equivalent.
The Australian Taxi Industry Association may also be able to help, but only if the taxi in question is a member.
Finally, raising a dispute with your credit card company may be the only option.Sign in to access your portfolio
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