Actual Conversation
Actual conversation held with Yellow Cab in Nashville (phone number 615-256-0101, but god help you if you ever call them):
Dispatcher: Hello?
Me: Yeah, hi, I need a cab at the corner of 14th and Woodland?
Dispatcher: We don’t do corners.
*CLICK*
Attempt #2:
Same Dispatcher: Hello, [incomprehensible]?
Me: Hi, yes, can I get a cab at the corner of 14th and Woodland?
Dispatcher: We don’t do corners
*CLICK*
Attempt #3:
Same Dispatcher: Hi, [incomprehensible] cab.
Me: Yes, can I get a cab at the corner of 14th and Woodland?
Dispatcher (obviously bemused at my persistence): We can’t pick up at corners, sir. Where are you?
Me: the corner of Woodland and 14th
Dispatcher: yes but where?
Me: the Lipstick Lounge
Dispatcher: okay, hold please…. where are you going?
Me: 1st and Demonbreun. that’s a corner — is that a problem?
Dispatcher: *silence*
Dispatcher: Can I get a phone number please?
Me: 615-294-4128
Dispatcher: is that a corner too?
Me: No, it’s just a phone number — a good one, though.
*CLICK*
At this point, I thought maybe we had something. I thought we connected. She appreciated my persistence, and willingness to argue, while I appreciated her moxy, and her complete unwillingness to, you know,do her job. Surely, despite the fact that she hung up on me a third time, she was actually sending a cab. But, alas.
Needless to say, we never got a ride from Yellow Cab that night. Thankfully, however, Amanda had the good sense to call Allied cab, who sent probably the Best Cab Driver Ever.
His name is Abshir (Halwo), and he’s from Ethiopia, and he knew what Kitfo was, bless his heart. And he gave me a recommendation for the music he was playing, which for the life of me I cannot remember. Tedy? Teddy?
More importantly, he gave us a ride home. If you need a ride home, call him. (615) 947-2370. He’ll do you right.
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Hilarious
Awesome.
Sorry the cab didn’t work out to your advantage or, perhaps, it did in the end. In defense of the cabbies, I wouldn’t blame them for not trolling for drunk riders; I would blame the hundreds of drunk Nashvillians who drive after drinking instead of doing the responsible thing and getting a cab. Their reluctance to take a cab means they are more scarce than they should be.
I am a concierge at a nice hotel in Nashville and I call Yellow cab quite often and have found the young lady to be pleasant more times then not. Sometimes when they are very busy and dealing with people who are upset, drunk and on and on it is hard to put on a smile and be charming. I also will give the benefit of a doubt in regards to the corner pickups, have you seen people that stand on the corners all the time? It can be scary and I can imagine wanting to know where they are coming from to have an idea of what kind of person you are picking up. Okay that is that, thanks for letting me defend her/them.
I’m sure she’s a nice lady, but her talents are wasted as a cab dispatcher, which unfortunately requires not hanging up on patrons. Maybe she should try talk radio.
Great post! But does Allied “do corners”?
Evidently, yes!
I don’t get this anti-corner thing. If they object to corners couldn’t a potential customer simply give the address of the bulding/residence that’s NEXT to the the corner but not actually ON the corner?
And does it matter where the corner is? I wonder if they’d be more likely to object to corner in Bordeaux over one in Bellevue?