Posted on 02/08/2007 8:05:43 AM PST by shrinkermd
I didn't say anything about tips.
The jeweller I buy stuff for my wife at has all his cheap gold plated glass stuff in those.
At best, wholesale, those were worth $5 ea. So at best the total value was under $200.
The woman ran a jewelly store, she prolly bought some cheap stuff at a convention to sell at here store. Otherwize, as I said, she would have been chasing down that cab co.
$100 is very generous .
I suspect we will get her version on the evening news, and the media will have egg on it's face for calling her cheap over costume jewelry.
One diamond ring of with a total of about 1 carat is worth on an average of $2,000.
It seems to me that she could have offered him more than $100 for taking the effort and being honest enough to try to find her and return it.
It was HER fault that it was left behind.
Would YOU put a bag containing thousands of dollars worth of diamond rings in the trunk? I wouldn't.
And it doesn't say anythng about styrofoam, it says two display cases.
Under normal circumstances I would agree with you about tipping and if it had been a bag with a five or six hundred dollars worth of travelers chacks I would agree that $100 is enough to offer.
But if it was diamond rings, the woman didn't offer him near enough of a reward.
I'd expect him to at least get off his butt and open the trunk so I could get my bag out, not drive away with it.
Hours later, at about 10 p.m., three other passengers with luggage discovered the woman's suitcase when Chowdhury popped the trunk open for them.
oops. Hey, but I'm now a hero for giving back.
You've never taken an NYC cab, have you? I'm not sure where you're from, but where I'm from, in the Twin Cities, you order up a cab in advance and they come pick you up, usually to go to the airport, and the cabbie does help you with the bags, etc. Cabs in NYC are entirely different. They essentially function as a more private form of public transportation. People catch cabs like they would catch a bus. They pick them up spontaneously on the street, and then tell the cabbie where to drop them off.
If you're not very familiar with the NYC area, you may have an entirely different notion of how a cab should function. I feel like that may be the case and that's why your understanding of the situation is a bit skewed.
My father left his wallet in a NYC cab. We judged by the screeching of the cabs tires as the driver pulled away that he had seen it. We never heard anything. Since that time I have always made sure to make note of the taxi license number on display in every cab I have taken.
NYC sure gets a bad rap, so this story and the one of the man who saved another by diving under a subway sure warm the heart.
I once left my wallet with a variety of credit cards and probably couple hundred in cash at JFK; when I realized what I'd done went back to look for it, with no thought that I'd actually find it .. but, lo and behold, there it was.
And really, it sure doesn't look like any way to carry around expensive diamond jewelry. rings stick into the slots on the two foam blocks, side by side in a micro-weave carring bag- like a laptop carrying case.
Taxi bump!
Cabbie Tipping for Non - New Yorkers.
As someone who takes a cab every single work day, I think I can accurately represent the consensus expectation of the New York City cabdriver with regard to tipping.
Cabbie tipping is a rounding process. Typically, it will cost a minimum of $1 in tipping just to get in the cab. If however, the total fare is less than 5 dollars, that tip can be rounded down to as little as 80 cents without offending the cabbie, and provided it leaves the total fare with tip at a whole dollar amount.
Above $5, the tip should be $1 plus whatever change it takes to cause the whole fare with tip to be a whole dollar amount. That ratio roughly holds true for each additional $5 of the fare, unless of course the fare takes the cabbie to some hinterland where he is unlikely to get a fare back, or if he (or she) offers additional help with luggage, car seats etc.
This really just represents the average expectation of cab drivers, not their preferred tip. I have on many occasions tipped more for good service or less for bad. And my usual tip increased to the $2 plus change level as I approach $10 on the meter, since I once made a living on tips and try to be slightly more generous than average.
The way you describe it my first thought might be, "Diamonds?"
But you have to admit from just the article............seems like the woman was pretty chintzy.
I found a velvet bag filled with jewelry at the Ritz Carlton in Boston. I turned it in to the front desk.
When I called two days later to see if anyone had claimed it they told me they had no record of it being turned in.
I should have kept it and tried to find the owner myself. You would think the Ritz Carlton would have more honest employees.
The big taxi scam in NYC seems to be taking the longest route possible to the airport. It helps if you can demonstrate some familiarity with NYC geography. Sometimes they try to overcompensate for the longer route by driving faster.
You must be quite the jewlery expert to be able to price that many rings based on a very short clip on TV. Frankly, part of me wonders if you're making that up, since you seem to be predetermined to condemn this cab driver.
You're right.
I'm used to cab service in other cities. But they don't always come to the door and help you with your bags. Some do some don't. It also depends on where you are staying, the bellhop will bring your bags to the cab. Airport cabbies usually get out of the car and help.
Long blocks.
I'm sure if she had asked him to open the trunk, he would've. He did so for another customer later. A cabbie picks up and drops off people all day - it's not his job to keep track of which ones put bags in the trunk and which ones didn't.
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