Wednesday, November 01, 2006

New York Taxis

It's amazing how many people leave personal items in New York City taxis. Most of the time they never see them again.

One time a client took a cab to our office. On the cab seat he found a woman's wallet, so he brought it to us. From the driver's license inside we learned that a woman from Texas lost it. Included with the driver's license were credit cards (an identity thief's dream), and over $100 in cash.

To make a long story short, we tried for an hour to locate her. We finally found a phone number in Texas and left a message. In a little while, panic stricken, she called us. She didn't even know that she had lost her wallet until she checked her voice mail at home.

She took another cab to our office; I gave her the wallet, and she darted off with hardly a "thank you." Most Texans I know are more gracious.

We've had a number of clients who've come to us to report that they left something in a cab...everything from wallets to laptop computers. I don't think we've ever been able to track down the lost item.

This brings up one of my rules. Just like I have an eBay rule (Never spend more than you can afford to lose.), my New York taxi rule is, "Always get a receipt."

New York cabs have an automated receipt printer. If you don't take your receipt, the cabby will just throw it away. If you take your receipt, and you absent-mindedly leave something in a cab, you can easily track the cab and cabby and locate what you left behind.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That is a great tip, thank you. I just have to remember to ask for the receipt, which will probably make me think if I've left anything. Slow down, and move like a turtle.