Post: #1

Quote:A college student from Winnetka, Illinois jumped into a cab for a short ride to a restaurant in downtown Chicago, but instead of a couple dollars, she was charged almost $800.

In December, 20-year-old Becky Siegel was running late to meet friends at the Sweetwater Tavern and Grille, so she went immediately from the Metra train to a cab at the Ogilvie Transportation Center.

The restaurant was less than two miles from the station and Becky’s mother, Susan Siegel, told WFLD Fox 32 News, "He was apparently very friendly and chatty, and was talking about pedestrians crossing where they shouldn't." Once she arrived at her destination, the student asked the cab driver if she could use her credit card for the fare. “He gave her a price and she thinks it was, you know, under ten dollars,” explained Susan. “And so she said, ‘Can I use a credit card?’ And he said, ‘Oh, my swiper isn't working. Here give it to me and I'll do it on my Square."

The Square device and app allow merchants to charge customers through a mobile device. Becky handed over her credit card, told the driver to add a $2 tip, and signed the app. Becky told the Chicago Tribune, "I guess I didn't pay attention or I didn't look…I just signed my name with my finger and I left."

The problem was, as Susan Siegel found out while reviewing her transactions, instead of a charge under $12, the card was charged a whopping $787.33. Ms. Siegel contacted Visa customer service to dispute the charge, but because Becky had signed off on the transaction, a refund was refused. The Chicago Police department told Siegel that there was nothing they could do about it either. Angry about what transpired, Siegel contacted the driver, Ali Ghazanfari, for a resolution. Instead the cab driver stood behind the nearly $800 charge.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/woma...44033.html

Post: #2

In either case, I call bullshit. Credit cards will let you dispute charges like this like nothing. In fact, I've successfully disputed overcharges from taxi drivers who tried to pull this shit with me.

Post: #3

^ I believe everything but the part about the credit card company not refunding her. I have disputed legitimate stuff just because the merchant pissed me off, and the credit card company has always stood behind me.

Post: #4

*3 most credit card companies will happily reverse the charges if it is a one time thing.

The real question is, why didn't she look at the receipt?

Sounds tricksy...

Post: #5

Post: #6

Well, I wouldn't link this to being a woman. It is pure robbery for a cab driver to secretly charge that much. It reminds me of those fake strip clubs that we have around here where drinks actually cost 5000 $ each in small print, and the gorilla squad doesn't let you out before you pay, no matter how much you dispute the charge.

Post: #7

It didn't need to be an article. She is claiming to be a victim, all she had to do is pay more attention. Put down the iphone for a second.

Post: #8

Cab drivers at Olgilvie train station look for suburb kids to hustle. It's not cool, but it's the truth.

That metra station connects downtown to suburbs. The kids come from a different world, easy target.

Take a look at Winnetka's census. Hustles like this are not really a part of that township's reality. Tough break, hope she can get the money back.

Census

Post: #9

Honestly, I can't say I blame her in this situation.

Thats a dirty move. Pretty much fraud.

He should lose his taxi license.

Post: #10

Alright all giving her a hard time aside, sometimes lessons are not free. I have, like all of us, experienced things which were not pleasant but serve us in the long run.

My dad always told me about stuff to look out for (and he was right) but the lesson landed best when I learned first hand.

To want to be in an article to tell everyone you're an idiot, well, proves you are an idiot.

Yes, it could be an attempt to shame the guy to issue a refund. But I am leaning toward attention is attention, there is no bad publicity approach.

I highly doubt the credit card company wouldn't work with her.

Edit: "In December, 20-year-old Becky Siegel was running late to meet friends at the Sweetwater Tavern and Grille, so she went immediately from the Metra train to a cab at the Ogilvie Transportation Center."

It is like they pre-planted the excuse as to why she didn't pay attention. No personal responsibility. Always some other reason.

Post: #11

What's a 20 y/o doing going to a bar?

btw-WB

Post: #12

(03-20-2014 04:44 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  btw-WB

Too fat and inattentive. WNB.

Post: #13

We're not getting the whole story here, at least in the quoted text:

"Mika Stambaugh, a spokesperson for the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said that they contacted Square and the company promised to send Siegel a check for $787.33 by the end of this week. Stambaugh added, "Our department has suspended his public chauffeur license pending this investigation… He cooperated with us but he's not in the country so we still have a few unresolved issues pertaining to this case.”"

The guy made a mistake on his fare, the company is going to refund the money, and the guy's taxi license has been suspended. So not much going on there.

Just let this be a lesson to you to monitor your finances carefully, and look at what you're signing.

Post: #14

(03-20-2014 04:57 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(03-20-2014 04:44 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  btw-WB

Too fat and inattentive. WNB.

LOL, Tuth - After sex, she will be like "we had sex? I wasn't paying attentioned."

Post: #15

(03-20-2014 02:55 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

In either case, I call bullshit. Credit cards will let you dispute charges like this like nothing. In fact, I've successfully disputed overcharges from taxi drivers who tried to pull this shit with me.

no shit. I am suprised the CC issuer didn't flag the transaction just out of routine precaution. There is more to this story.

Perhaps Ms. Seigel had disputed so many charges previously that Visa was like, "Eat a dick, you waste too much of our time already. Ma'am."

But it is very unusual for the CC not to reverse this. It is really more of a story about the CC issuer not believing the consumer versus the cabbie trying to rip off naive rich kids. There is nothing new about cabbies ripping people off.

Post: #16

She signed the form. That's legal shit. Here in Canada they will give you a one-off but since you have to enter in your pin, and/or sign (over America where you just sign) you get many chances to not agree with your charge. You can't swipe cards here in Canada and they only way to run rampant fraud is to use the "touch pass" to buy pre-paid Visas and shit. If the charge was mad out of the consistent places you normally do purchases and it looks shady, then yeah.

In Canada they would laugh at her. The screen would of shown the amount in bold letters she was accepting as a fee. I have no sympathy for not being aware of your money like that. If the CC company isn't given her grace it's because my guess that this ain't the first time it's happened.

Attention Whore failure ...

NEXT!

Post: #17

I'd be pissed if this happened to me.


But it happened to her sooo

Post: #18

This is why some cities have set fares to airports, etc. to eliminate the possibility of cabbies violating tourists. Yes, she should have paid closer attention to what she was signing, but you also don't expect to get charged $787 for a two mile cab ride. This was a clear case of fraud, and it's good to see that Square addressed the issue and is correcting it. The bubblehead will hopefully be more careful, and the cabbie (if he gets his privileges back) will be more honest in the future.

I'd have to see a full-body pic to determine if I'd bang (from what I can see, she appears to be kind of chubby and soft). Based on her face, I'd let her polish the knob.

Post: #19

Someone got dish network service in ca using my debit card (visa)

I dont know if they will ever arrest him though....
dont you guys think thats a fucking idiot?

Post: #20

Always pay cash.

Post: #21

+1
After that Target incident (even though I almost never shop at Target) I've decided to go back to cash for almost everything. I always use cash at the bar, it's an easy way to make sure you're not blowing a shit ton of $$$ on booze. Just stick your alcohol budget in the front pocket, and don't touch the wallet!

She's 20 and looks like that? Damn the wall slammed early for this one.

Post: #22

Another reason to carry cash.


I always keep a few dubs on me.
(Quick cab rides, food trucks, valet, greasing bouncers, scoring whatever your poison is, etc....)
Some transactions will always be smoother with cash.