Taxi Karma
I lost my iPhone 3GS (1mth old, sigh) last saturday after clubbing. Wasn't going to blog about it until I read Seaweeds' entry on the taxi blog.
The thing is, I would like to think of myself as a decent taxi passenger, more often than not letting the cabbie keep the small change, making polite conversation no matter how tired I am, and always alighting with a thank you no matter how terrible the ride was.
You'd have thought that somewhere somehow, I would have accumulated some Taxi Karma. Unfortunately the world simply doesn't work that way.
Skipping back to a week ago, I was almost home when I felt a pressing need to puke, but I held it off until I could pay the driver and rushed off the cab. In my hurry, I did not check my pockets as I usually would when I alight from a taxi. However, I discovered immediately that I left my phone on the cab. Ran upstairs and called my own number but it was switched off already. Given that it was 4am in the morning, and there's 10 humps to overcome in order to drive out of the HDB estate where I stay, I can safely say that the taxi driver is responsible for turning it off.
Called Prime Taxi up, and they "regret to inform me" that they do not have any GPS tracking system and is unable to help me unless the driver returns the phone himself. Which he did not, obviously. The manager who attended to me was hardpressed to defend her driver after I described the senario to her, but as mentioned, she was unable to provide further assistance.
Therefore, I have come to the following conclusions:
1) Puke over the driver's head if you have to, but check your pockets before you alight. It doesn't pay to be nice.
2) Never take Prime Taxi again, because they have no GPS tracking system and their lost and found department have only ever gotten worthless items returned by the drivers.
3) It sucks to lose your phone in Singapore because the telco/police/taxi companies wouldn't do anything to help.
The thing is, I would like to think of myself as a decent taxi passenger, more often than not letting the cabbie keep the small change, making polite conversation no matter how tired I am, and always alighting with a thank you no matter how terrible the ride was.
You'd have thought that somewhere somehow, I would have accumulated some Taxi Karma. Unfortunately the world simply doesn't work that way.
Skipping back to a week ago, I was almost home when I felt a pressing need to puke, but I held it off until I could pay the driver and rushed off the cab. In my hurry, I did not check my pockets as I usually would when I alight from a taxi. However, I discovered immediately that I left my phone on the cab. Ran upstairs and called my own number but it was switched off already. Given that it was 4am in the morning, and there's 10 humps to overcome in order to drive out of the HDB estate where I stay, I can safely say that the taxi driver is responsible for turning it off.
Called Prime Taxi up, and they "regret to inform me" that they do not have any GPS tracking system and is unable to help me unless the driver returns the phone himself. Which he did not, obviously. The manager who attended to me was hardpressed to defend her driver after I described the senario to her, but as mentioned, she was unable to provide further assistance.
Therefore, I have come to the following conclusions:
1) Puke over the driver's head if you have to, but check your pockets before you alight. It doesn't pay to be nice.
2) Never take Prime Taxi again, because they have no GPS tracking system and their lost and found department have only ever gotten worthless items returned by the drivers.
3) It sucks to lose your phone in Singapore because the telco/police/taxi companies wouldn't do anything to help.