.: ShaolinTiger - Kung-Fu Geekery :.

Taxi drivers in Malaysia get a lot of bad press for not using their meters, not taking people if the distance is too short or too long, charging more if it's raining, charging more if there's a traffic jam or just plain refusing to take people because they don't feel like going where you want to go.

For me if a taxi is for hire, you should get in - state your destination and off you go.

Anyway have you noticed the worst drivers on the road are also taxi drivers? Cut queues, change lanes recklessly? No signal, no indication of intent? They drive too fast or too slow...of course there are some good taxi drivers, but on the whole?

I managed to avoid them mostly with their crazy antics, but this time I didn't, I was coming out of 1-Utama carpark (new wing) onto the 3-lane section that goes back to the main road.

My lane was empty, let's call it lane one - I double checked, no cars coming so of course I pulled out onto the lane..

Well I managed to pull out half way..when a taxi in the second lane decided to cut into the first lane without any signal, very suddenly..so of course I was half way out there's nothing I can do, he just ploughed straight into the front corner of my car and didn't stop, so he dragged the entire side of his car along my bumper..

He managed to completely crush the side light (thankfully not the headlight) and due to good design, the bumper absorbed the impact and the bracket popped (so no real dent) there's one very deep scratch though.

Care is in the workshop now, it was time for service anyway...service is done but it'll take another 2 days to repair and respray the bumper *sigh*.

Plus about 3-400 bucks to fix (I'll fix the part that got busted at Plaza Damas too) + normal service.

Shit happens! Just beware of the taxis.

Sometimes companies in Malaysia really make me wonder, they make me wonder how they survive..

They make me wonder how consumers can accept them, then I remember ok la, it's Malaysia, there is no concept of customer service or customer satisfaction here.

Or consumer rights (statutory rights) or anything similar, not that's enforced anyway.

So people get screwed, and sadly the majority of the time they don't do anything about it.

In a very Malaysian way, they just bitch about it, or whine at the mamak to their friends, but they don't write a letter or complain or try and make a difference.

The example I have today is Taxis.

Now Malaysian Taxis already have a very bad reputation for not using the meter and ripping people off when it's raining/jammed/late or for other random reasons not even picking up passengers (too near/wrong race/too far/don't know how to go etc).

I've never loved Malaysian cabs due to the amount of times I've had to give directions for every freaking turn to the taxi driver.

HELLO IT'S YOUR JOB TO KNOW WHERE EVERYWHERE IS, AT LEAST ROUGHLY, IF NOT BUY A FUCKING ROAD MAP AND LEARN TO USE IT.

Like the other day I hailed a cab...he didn't even know how to get out of the area we were in to the highway...and had never heard of the area I wanted to go to..

So rather than try to hail a cab and get ripped off I got some numbers of cab companies and called them..hoping for something a little better.

The first 2 days was ok..apart from the fact the taxi drivers were about 120 years old and drove at 40-60km/h all the way, frustrating to say the least.

And the first one had no freaking idea how to go anywhere..

Today was even worse, quality customer service at it's worst.

Timeline:

10:27am - I call a cab from Sunlight Taxis, they take my details as usual.
10:27am-11.03am - I wait and wait and wait
11:04am - Sunlight Taxis calls me, mumbles something and hangs up. I assume they mean the taxi is here, so I go outside..
11:15am - After a reasonable 10 minutes, I work out there is no Taxi and one is not coming
11:16am - I call Sunlight back and ask them where's my Taxi, I'm informed that they had called me and told me "No Taxi"..I was somewhat dumbfounded. Sunlight asked me "If I wanted to try again". I asked "Try what exactly?, I just want a Taxi"..."Ok ok, I broadcast again" and hangs up.
11:31am - Sunlight calls and tells me a Taxi will arrive in 10-15 minutes.
12:06pm - The Taxi arrives and he knows the way, w00t.

Got to where I wanted to go about 12:40pm...a full 2+ hours after I first called the taxi.

I was really dumbfounded when they told me "No Taxi"...excuse me, but aren't you a Taxi company, if I call you...you get me a Taxi goddamnit.

I liken it to going to McDonalds, one that is open and advertising food for sale..Going in and ordering a Big Mac meal, the staff take my order and disappear to 'get my food'. Then the staff comes back in 15 minutes and tells me "Sorry, no food".

You'd be in a rage right?

Stomp on some babies and shit, yeah me too.

Sunlight sucks.

Relying on cabs sucks too, I want my car back (more about that later!).