Re: Advance travel info for IETF-78 Maastricht

On May 10, 2010, at 10:15 AM, Nathaniel Borenstein wrote:

> I think it's really all about the credit card fees.  Cab drivers, at  
> least in the US, are often on a small enough margin, with high fixed  
> costs, that the few percent taken by the card companies can be the  
> difference between a worthwhile and a wasted fare.  Next time a  
> cabbie doesn't want your card, offer him 10% more and watch him  
> change his tune.
There is also a big difference in my experience between cabs that have  
wireless card readers / verifies (as do the Dulles Airport - IAD -  
taxis here in DC) and those that run credit cards through a paper  
imprinter. I have, for example, never gotten any push back in paying  
for a Dulles cab by card since they got the readers. The taxis without  
a reader tend to resist using a card.
The last IETF in Minneapolis I took a cab to the airport, had no cash  
and paid by credit card with a paper imprint. The charge did not  
appear until about 6 months later, so someone (the taxi driver or at  
least his company) effectively floated my ride for 6 months. I can  
understand them pushing back if it means a delay in their income.
Regards
Marshall

> On May 9, 2010, at 11:01 PM, tytso(_at_)mit(_dot_)edu wrote:
>
> > On Sun, May 09, 2010 at 06:31:14PM -0700, Dan Harkins wrote:
> > > I have had cab drivers in the US try to force me to pay cash
> > > in similar situations. Saying they don't accept credit cards and
> > > then, when I say that's all I have, telling me how much longer
> > > it will take to get me out of their cab if I really want to use
> > > a credit card. In these cases I just kept insisting on the card
> > > and eventually (like, within a minute) all was settled the way I
> > > wanted it to be settled: with the credit card.
> > >
> > > It may seem anachronistic to some, but the rule of law does
> > > apply in the US today and asking to have a police officer settle
> > > the dispute is a good way of getting quick resolution. If all
> > > else fails maybe taking a picture or two (driver and taxi permit)
> > > with a camera phone might tend to elicit a change of attitude.
> > I talked to a cab driver in Boston, and he's not very happy with
> > credit cards, because he was forced to use a new system for credit
> > cards, and it takes what he considered an unfairly large percentage
> > when customers pay by credit cards.  After learning that, I've
> > generally tried to pay cash when I can, and if I really have to pay  
> > by
> > credit card, I'll give a bigger tip as compensation.
> >
> >                                         - Ted
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