I have a few employees who are transitioning military veterans who I had lodged at a hotel across the street from the Jersey Gardens Shopping Mall this past week (right next to Newark Int'l Airport). When they conveyed to my their outrageous encounters with Elizabeth Taxi Cab drivers during night hours I raised a brow.
My report on this company is as follows:
Google Maps showed the destination less than 5 miles away from hotel. My employee's first encounter was Friday night. The cab arrived promptly (probably due to airport being so close by). The driver takes them to Shoprite (Grocery) and asks if they give him some cash before going into the store. They give him $20 cash and tell him to keep the meter rolling. The passenger return 10 minutes later walking out of store. They go back to hotel. When they get there the driver tells me my employee that he owes him another $30. They paid $30 more 15% tip to credit card machine in cab. They get a receipt for this transaction. Overall, my employee just paid $54.50 for a cab ride that was a round trip from stores and hotel.
Encounter 2 was with same taxi company. They pick up an employee headed to dry cleaners and airport the next evening. Dry cleaners was 3 miles from hotel and Newark Airport close by. The driver demands $40 from my employee and was in the cab less than 10 minutes.
Encounter 3 was one night later. Same driver coincidentally. This time I told my employee to get me receipts from the two places that he went to and then the receipt from the cab. This way I would be able to verify time stamps and distance between the departure point and destinations. This time not much better. $45! I verified the distance between points and the times. Not sure whether this driver was taking the long way to make the passenger think it was further but I doubt the thought I had them Google Map the destinations this time before calling a taxi.
I was very upset to hear this fraud being committed against my staff who are also civilians that have served America's military. I went to the hotel the next morning and had the front desk call me a taxi around 8am. The Yellow Cab arrived and the female driver took me to all the destinations where my employees went and then some. I was in the cab for about an hour and my total came to about $40. What's questionable is to how I can take a cab in daytime and go all over the place for an hour and my employees are defrauded for "flat fee" cab rides (as the drivers told them, yet no marking in can saying this nor did they tell the passenger in advance). The EYC ride I took was legit and the driver turned the meter on.
These guys seem to be taking advantage of out of towners so beware. I am just concerned that a college student or elderly person is a passenger and this happens. No one expects to pay $50 for a can ride to an airport or 7-11 that's shows on Google Maps less than 3 miles away. Such a pity.
[ELIZABETH YELLOW CAB] Sorry to expose your unethical ways but when I tried to contact your office by phone to confront the matter I was hung up on and ignored. Perhaps this gets your attention. I have the receipts from staff and everything to support my report on your company today. You are a service provider that offers a service to public. Cheat us and we can take our services elsewhere or make efforts for the powers that be to regulate innocent civilians from consumer fraud.
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