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Cabbie Foul Play

edited July 2012
Last night, I took a cab home from a movie, and after I got home, the cabbie sent me a text message.
"This is *******'s phone. You can text me if you want :)"

EEEeuck! Too creepy. It was the first thing I thought about this morning. I called the cab company and told the driver supervisor. The supervisor said they had a zero tolerance policy in this regard and that the driver would be let go. When I told him I was concerned about any retaliation that might come of the report, he said he would wait a few days and then let him go without cause.

Obviously I don't feel good about someone losing their job. But I know that taking on guilt is not the right thing to do. I never have a driver drop me off at my door, so although I did verbally tell the driver my address, I hope he forgets it.

This thread is for being creeped out by creeps and skeevs.

#venting

Comments

  • WHAT

    Oh my god, that is so bad. So so so bad of him. Abuse of his position! Deeply uncool, and carries an unsubtle threat to your privacy, if nothing else.

    I also have a zero tolerance policy for things like this. Maybe he's a really nice guy and didn't mean anything by it, but when you have a job where you are explicitly told NOT to contact customers you just should probably not contact your customers.

    What a crappy thing for everyone involved.
  • edited July 2012
    the thing about phones is you have to GET THE NUMBER FROM THE PERSON. That is the etiquette. Unless it is a mutual friends situation, obviously.

    I was just talking to you RCH about how creepers never understand how what they are doing is subtly yet crucially different from what a non-creeper is allowed to do.

    What was the guy's vibe? How old? Did he hit on you in the van?

    COME ON GUY.

    creep city

    Also lets give a hurrah for our time period--even though our time period sucks, it's pretty legit that we've come to the point where a fucking cab company has a zero tolerance policy for this kind of thing. Imagine in the 60s. "What's the problem sister, you got a great pair of gams! What, are you a lesbian or something?" It's cool that now it is a thing that is taken seriously, at least some of the time--women's comfort in the patriarchy
  • edited July 2012
    Totally--it was a huge relief when I realized I wouldn't have to over-explain the situation to the driver supervisor. He got it right away, and he took me seriously.

    Best case scenario, the driver is just young and insensitive. He was little creepy but I took him to be bored and extroverted. He asked me a lot of questions, including "How tall are you?" Now that I know what his M.O. is, I regret answering at all (for the record I said "Average Height... Why do you ask?"). If I had said "none of your business," think of how the rest of the ride would have gone for me.

    Thank you for calling out the abuse of position, Owler! When someone knows a lot about you, it is inherent in a relationship of trust that they respect that completely. Plus this guy is driving around... you're literally trusting your life with a driver.

    He knows my name, he has my phone number and evidently isn't afraid to use it, he knows where I live, now he will probably know I got him fired. I think I'm gonna be paranoid for a while.....
  • The smiley is so nefarious and shitty. He's acting like if this is over the line I'll put a smiley face and that will make everything okay or something. But fuck that. Feel no guilt for getting him fired. Fuck that guy.
  • Super shady. Get some protection! One of those collapsing batons maybe.
  • BREAKING THE SOCIAL CONTRACT

    RCH also got creeped on at a bar awhile ago by a classic creeper who came on all hippie-smiley can-I-just-hang-out-with-you-bros and then as soon as she made a pretty cute/friendly joke at his expense (he was very drunk and his fly was down) he turned ON A DIME and became so nasty and ugly and talking about gross things and accusing her of wanting his dick.

    Creeper: "If a girl is staring right at your crotch..."
    Gary: "...it probably means your fly is down"
  • RCH: "Don't go there, man"
  • Collapsible weapon is a tight call. Thing is, I have the upper body strength of a small cat. My muscle's all below the belt... Poisoned heels?

    I'LL KILL A MAN
  • ASP Baton.

    This item is available for sale to Military and Law Enforcement Agencies or Individuals, Private Security Guards, Correctional Facility Personnel, Peace Officers, and other qualified personnel. Documentation required may include an official government or employer issued identification and additional certification forms. Certain federal, state, and/or local laws and regulations may apply.
  • followed up with cab co they said driver didn't get the can, that's not a bad thing, wish cab co. didn't tell me what they thought i wanted to hear ("zero tolerance").

    driver said he texted me to promote his service...
  • Yeah right.
  • We all have our preferred modes for communicating with different groups. Cabs is one, I guess. And here is a free startup idea, an app that communicates with cabs 2 way without giving up your number.

    If you have a smartphone, you can get a Google Voice telephone number and use it for incoming and outgoing voice and text. Also works on a computer in the browser with the mic, speakers, earbud+mic. Free in country.

    So you could have a Google Voice number for interactions you don't want with your main number. Layered/by group/social graph privacy is at a very primitive stage.

    As for the original incident, over the line. Hey write a consumer review of the business on your choice of outlets. Also writing an eloquent postal mail letter to the CEO is a standout method. Generally gets attention.
  • edited July 2012
    My Lady got grabbed inappropriately by a shuttle van driver Friday. She got free, grabbed her bag and walked away. He proceeded to followed her for a block in the van yelling obscenities.

    Daylight. Busy street.

    This stuff happens.

    BTW, for years she has used the GoogleVoice exactly as DrWH advises.

    Yes, police report filed.
  • edited July 2012
    I'm so heart broken for Lady J! Filing a police report could not have been too enjoyable, but I commend her for formally dotting the I's and crossing the T's. Putting a note in these goons' files is the least a person can do--for themselves and for other men, women, and children who become their targets. There have been times where I should have filed a report but didn't, and now I regret it because by not making it official, the experience can really become invalidated. For every one who reports, think of all the people who didn't or couldn't!
  • the guilt that you didn't do the right thing, in the aftermath, is the worst. The time the guy slowly worked his hand into my crotch on the bus underneath my bag and I somehow didn't notice for FOREVER and then when I did notice I just looked at him and he ran off the bus. For days I felt like...all my big psyching myself up thoughts about punching guys in the throat and then when it comes down to it, I just sit there with a pounding heart, scared to death, and don't even get up from my seat. And that dude just runs off to go do it again, or maybe something worse, and maybe to someone more fragile than me who will be even more upset by the experience.

    But it turns out, it's hard to actually cross that line and punch somebody in the throat, no matter how many times you practice doing it and are told to do it, in women's self defense class.

    emo
  • edited July 2012
    Not your fault! Who knows what would have happened depending on different reactions.

    One time I was waiting at an isolated bus stop in the day time, when a man skulked across the street in my line of sight (-for- my line of sight). He leaned against a wall and began to remove his... trousers. What happenend next is I rose from the bench and began striding purposefully toward him, at which point he ran away. What the hell did I think I was going to do if he didn't leave?

    I'm gonna just say that you did the right thing by not throat-punching.
  • edited July 2012
    That is a good story. What those dudes want is for you to feel disempowered and like you have no ability to do anything--yell, punch, even acknowledge. You did an awesome!

    My self defense teacher had this great story about a friend of hers who was on a crowded bus and the dude next to her started surreptitiously (but "for her") jerking off and she stood up and yelled "This man is masturbating AND I DON'T LIKE IT," and the bus screeched to a halt and the driver called the cops and then everyone just sat there staring judgmentally at the dude until the cops came.

    I love the "and I don't like it" part.

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