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Did we just get snookered?

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by way2busy, Jun 29, 2015.

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  1. way2busy

    way2busy Tourist

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    We have rented cars the last few times so I may not be remembering very well. We just took a taxi to Luxor from the airport. The driver took us through the tunnel, which I'm thinking is okay since it is close to the airport???, then onto the highway and into the back entrance of Luxor. It cost $20.86 without tip for the two of us. That seems a little high. Has it just gone up that much in the last couple of years or did he take us the long way?
     
  2. Ranorion

    Ranorion Newbie

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    Yes you were snookered. There is never a reason to take the tunnel if you are going to a hotel on the Strip, unless they want to long-haul you.
     
  3. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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  4. npom

    npom VIP Whale

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    Yup, you got long hauled
     
  5. sarah9nascar

    sarah9nascar VIP Whale

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    We got tunneled one time going to the Signature. I ask the driver 3 times if she knew where she was going. The driver ask where we were from and thought these dumb hillbilly Texans don't have a clue. I wanted to fight the $28 but my husband kept reminding me that we were not going to let it ruin our trip.
     
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  6. SteveAC01

    SteveAC01 Tourist

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    If you can ID the cab or driver, call Vegas Taxi Violations at 702-668-4000.
    If you can't, put the number in your phone directory.
    You will be better prepared for next time.

    If everyone pushed back, this practice would dry up fast.
    Going from LAS to Luxor should never involve the tunnel.
    SteveAC01
     
  7. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Yes, you got screwed. In the past when I got tunneled, I would simply refuse to pay the fare when they dropped me off and threatened to report the driver to the taxi commission. I would then pay the appropriate amount for the ride
     
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  8. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    What UKFanatic said...just tell the driver you aren't paying for a long haul and pay him what you think is right. They won't argue because you could then report them. (And really, not many of us want to start or end our trip phoning the taxi authority and laying a complaint.)

    We always say "no tunnel" when staying downtown but last trip we stayed at the Encore so I didn't think to tell him. It was dark, we weren't paying attention and then after what seemed like 10 minutes we headed into the tunnel. We looked at the fare and it was already $12 and we hadn't even left the airport!

    My husband and I both started losing it so the cabby said to ignore the meter and pay him whatever we wanted. We got to Encore for $32 so he got $20. I've never taken a cab to a strip hotel so have no idea what was fair, but at that point cabby would've taken $5 I'm sure, just to get us out of his cab.

    Always say no tunnel if going airport to downtown or the strip and reverse. It's ridiculous that we should even have to remember to say that but some cab drivers are jerks.
     
  9. PayTriple

    PayTriple VIP Whale

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    Bad taxi driver behavior like this is why many people want Uber in Las Vegas.
     
  10. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    $20 is fine given the circumstances (approximately right fare). Technically you didn't have to give him a damn thing.
     
  11. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    Thanks for that Tring, I've always wondered what it should be.

    I knew we could give him nothing but wanted to be fair. I told him it's $28 to downtown (without the tunnel) so I'd give him $20. He thanked me profusely. He was sucking wind at that point and knew we could report him. It seemed the best way to start a holiday without any stress.
     
  12. pleepleus

    pleepleus 2016 - The monkey is back

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    Coming soon... again. Hopefully by labor day.
     
  13. pphold

    pphold pp Park Place Degenerate

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    Which is why I don't take taxi.... UBER??? I have Pleepleus pick me up... Thanks pleepleus or I rent a car........ I use to always get long hauled before i read the taxi trick on VMB. Which why I like that we share information her. It's not a big deal but still do not like to be ripped off when yhou get long tunnel. I didn't think much about it since the rental car service uses the tunnel to go to the rental car station.


    My host keeps telling me to just tell her my flight number and she will send the Phantom.... I need to listen to her and pleepleus...

    Think pleepleus is tried of picking me up... Pleepleus be back in 10 days you still picking me up??? OK I'll take the Limo....
     
  14. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    Hmmm....Uber in Vegas. That would get more of the locals to visit the Strip. I'd mention it to a semiretired local I know but he gets lost in his driveway, and it's a short driveway.
     
  15. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    How is Uber going to fix that problem, though? Not to get into the Uber debate again, but Uber is based on distance and time; there's no reason you couldn't still get long-hauled. Uber will definitely make it easier to get around from places off the Strip, but I've never found Uber to be dramatically cheaper than local taxis in any city I've been to.
     
  16. way2busy

    way2busy Tourist

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    Well shucks!! I was hoping that y'all would say I was wrong. I thought I had read on here that to some places the tunnel is actually shorter. Maybe not??? I wish I had thought to take a picture of his placard with his name and such. I told my husband that from now on we are going to do that. We have been here many, many times. It ticks me off that we let ourselves get conned even if it was for just a few dollars. I will definitely say something next time and I am going to keep that number handy.
    Thanks guys.
     
  17. pleepleus

    pleepleus 2016 - The monkey is back

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    Las Vegas cabs charge more per mile than any other city in the country with the exception of Atlantic City. WIth Uber, the drivers can get fired if they receive too many negative reviews which incentivizes the driver not to long haul or do something stupid. Uber has a fare estimator on their app and if you find that your final fare deviates too much from it, you can send it a complaint to their ops team and they will give you a credit. I got long hauled in New York once in an Uber black and the fare should've only been $60, but was somehow charged $140 and this was not due to surge pricing. I shot off a quick email and they saw I was taken the long way and credited my card immediately.
     
  18. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

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    Long hauled to MGM Signature w/ a $28 bill...that's just insane. That is a $14 ride typically.

    Next time, just refuse to pay and say you will pay the normal fare for a non-long hauled route. Your trip won't be ruined and you will be doing your part to help end long hauling. :drunk:
     
  19. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

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    For the past 10 trips or so, I tell the cabbie where I'm going and say no tunnel or freeway and that solves it. "Monte Carlo with no tunnel or freeway please" and I haven't been long hauled since.

    But I'm with you, I don't care about the $5-$10 extra being long hauled costs me...its the principle!
     
  20. PayTriple

    PayTriple VIP Whale

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    With Uber, there is accountability because you get the name, phone number and license plate of the driver and car. Everything operates on GPS so there is a record of the route you were taken. And most importantly, you rate the driver on a scale of 1 to 5, and if a driver has a rating less than 4.7 or so, they are booted from the service. By the way, you are also rated as a passenger.
     
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