Lucky Seven Cabs and littering

[NellyTheValiant]

I use Lucky 7 every time I get to Stoke Station to get to Burslem for home, away games and more or less any time that I visit the area. I hate littering so shall not be using these again.

[SourceOfTheTrent]

Lucky Seven? As in you'll be lucky to get there in one piece? Never use them, as many others have said they're a questionable outfit to say the least. I hate littering too so just another reason not to use them.

 

Many of you are singing the praises of Magnum but I had a bad experience with one of their drivers a few years ago whereby I was reversing in the car park outside the Coachmakers in Hanley (I hadn't been in for a drink by the way) and touched - and I mean touched - a Magnum taxi parked behind me parallel to the pavement where they shouldn't have been parked anyway. The driver was sitting with his door open with his legs sideways out of the car as he chatted to his mate. Anyway, I got out, checked his car and my van for damage and there was absolutely none, not even a scratch on the paintwork of either. He was in agreement with that and I took some pictures to verify no damage to his car, however, I suspected the worst when he asked for my details which I gave him - he'd got my reg anyway - and I got his details. You can probably guess what happened next; I reported the incident to my insurance as you have to do and I'm glad I did because he lodged a claim saying his car needed a new bumper, he had a (witch) doctor's note saying he had whiplash from some quack in Shelton, he was unable to work and needed compensation for loss of earnings and even claimed for a hire car although why he needed one if he was unable to work I don't know. My insurance accepted the photos I had suggested his story was a pack of lies BUT as he had a doctor's note they didn't fight it due to the cost being more than bunging him £2500 in compo to settle the case. Magnum didn't want to know and just took the stance that their driver was telling the truth and weren't even interested in viewing the photos but they must have known he was lying as there was absolutely no damage to the car and I doubt he was off work. So, due to a thieving, lying, unscrupulous toerag I ended up getting hammered on my insurance premiums for a few years which, overall, cost me over £1500 more than if he'd just done what anyone decent would and said there's no damage so forget it. If his car had been damaged, even a small scratch, I wouldn't have expected anything less than having to pay for the repair but he just saw it as an opportunity to fraudulently obtain some free cash and didn't give a monkeys what it cost me and neither did Magnum. Unsurprisingly I've never used them since.

 

And let's be honest (pardon the pun) we all know that behaviour is a big cultural problem with some people and spurious insurance claims are significantly driving up all our premiums.

[RailwayRowdy]

The problem with ALL taxi firms is that the owner does not employ any drivers. In fact, the drivers pay the owner a weekly base rent for the privilege. This rent can vary, but will be around £75 per week. So if they have 30 drivers, the owner will be taking over £2,000 a week( in cash) with little overheads. This is why they take no notice of complaints because they have their base rent coming in whether they're busy or not.

 

Sent from my GT-I9195I using the onevalefan mobile app

[JOHNNYAITCH]

So which taxi firms in SoT are good then? Seems Lucky Seven and Magnum are to be avoided..long time since I used a taxi in SoT..probably Vale v Everton replay. We used to have some taxi drivers on here I seem to recall?

[Row L]

Thats a fair point. They are getting their money regardless of the trouble that their drivers are causing. So how do you stop that and make them listen? Simply don't use their taxis - drivers will soon move to rival firms (who may take customer complaints seriously) when they stop getting calls from base and start to loose money. And reputable firms will only use the drivers that don't drop bag fulls of **** outside someones house. Simple really. Hit people where it really hurts them - in the wallet.

[RailwayRowdy]

Thats a fair point. They are getting their money regardless of the trouble that their drivers are causing. So how do you stop that and make them listen? Simply don't use their taxis - drivers will soon move to rival firms (who may take customer complaints seriously) when they stop getting calls from base and start to loose money. And reputable firms will only use the drivers that don't drop bag fulls of **** outside someones house. Simple really. Hit people where it really hurts them - in the wallet.

But in the private hire (not taxi) world, I'm not sure a "reputable" firm exists. Owners won't discipline drivers for the reasons stated above. If they "sack" a driver they lose his base rent, so that won't happen. More regulation of private hire firms is needed, as it is seen by many as the "Black Economy"

 

Sent from my GT-I9195I using the onevalefan mobile app

[JOHNNYAITCH]

But in the private hire (not taxi) world, I'm not sure a "reputable" firm exists. Owners won't discipline drivers for the reasons stated above. If they "sack" a driver they lose his base rent, so that won't happen. More regulation of private hire firms is needed, as it is seen by many as the "Black Economy"

 

Sent from my GT-I9195I using the onevalefan mobile app

 

I'd be surprised if they were all disreputable..they are bound to have rogue drivers and rogue moments when an otherwise good driver behaves in a bad way (they are human after all)....up to people to report them and for newspapers/social media and so on to publicise bad behaviour. Although with social media we have to be aware that there are people with axes to grind and rival firms that will seek to trash them for their own benefit...ROW L might run the Lucky Eight taxi company in SoT for all we know (I'm not seriously suggesting that).

 

Are they reviewed on the kind of 'trip advisor' sites?

[Row L]

good point. I don't run a taxi firm by the way :)

 

And if i did, I wouldn't accept this from any of my drivers.

 

And, if i saw any of my team dropping litter anywhere, there would be a serious conversation held. there is no excuse for it at all.

[man in the pub]

Sad to say dropping litter has become a way of life , particular gripe of mine as it is so unnecessary. Always puts us to shame when you go to a country that does not litter, the difference is striking. Switzerland springs to mind. Whatever happened to Keep Britain Tidy ?

I was walking behind a group of lads when one of them dropped a coke can on the floor. I picked it up and then speeded up to walk past them. As I did so I dropped the can in the hood of the Parka he was wearing. Hoped the message got home.

[Row L]

I have (many many years ago) knocked on a window of the car in front of me in a traffic jam once and thrown the rubbish that he had emptied from a carrier bag back in the car at him. I did, in all fairness, nearly get my head kicked in for doing it, but it really irritated me at the time and still does years later!

[man in the pub]

On the taxi theme always found Sids Taxis of Newcastle to be reasonably priced, reliable and decent drivers.

[For Us All]

The problem with ALL taxi firms is that the owner does not employ any drivers. In fact, the drivers pay the owner a weekly base rent for the privilege. This rent can vary, but will be around £75 per week. So if they have 30 drivers, the owner will be taking over £2,000 a week( in cash) with little overheads. This is why they take no notice of complaints because they have their base rent coming in whether they're busy or not.

 

Sent from my GT-I9195I using the onevalefan mobile app

 

Who pays for the car maintenance,road tax, insurance and fuel then?

[RailwayRowdy]

The drivers themselves as it is their vehicle, not the firm's.

 

Sent from my GT-I9195I using the onevalefan mobile app

[RailwayRowdy]

Who pays for the car maintenance,road tax, insurance and fuel then?

The drivers themselves, as it is their vehicle not the firms

 

Sent from my GT-I9195I using the onevalefan mobile app

[FATBOYSTEVE]

I spent a small part of yesterday picking up (amongst other things) mango peal, lots and lots of paper towels, air freshener, ripped up taxi receipts, fag ends and sweet wrappers that had been dumped from a taxi parked outside my house. I (unfortunately) didn’t get the reg number of the cab itself, but did notice (on the top of the receipts with corners ripped off to use as roaches and the taxi), the lucky seven number and logo. So, having called the head office to complain and been called back by the owner, the upshot of the conversation was that the Lucky seven owner doesn’t give a **** and thinks it’s just an issue for the driver as he is self-employed. I pointed out the damage to his firm’s reputation and he didn’t care and wouldn't even message his drivers to remind them of their responsibility not to drop litter out of their cars.

 

So, as he doesn’t care about his reputation – neither do I. I would recommend that anyone who has issues with litter being dumped on the streets by drivers who clearly don’t care what kind of **** hole they live in do not under any circumstances call Seven Cabs. There are loads of taxis out there and I am sure that they will do a much better job. Lucky Seven clearly don’t care what happens as long as they make a quick quid or two.

 

And if you are the taxi driver (an you will know where you were parked), if I see you there again I will note your reg and report you to the authorities. You may not care what your home looks like, but I do.

 

Most of the taxis in sot r driven by Asains going from job to job very quickly and there standards of driving are atrocious as they think they own the roads and if my post upsets the OVF PC BRIGADE then tuff !!!it will probably be deleted by admin anyway as usual !!