We did a research in the industry overall, separate from Carrot Cars, and we found that these are the things which people are mostly irritated by. It is a little bit controversial, so to be fair, we looked at it from both sides.
10 things drivers don’t like about customers
1. Booking the wrong size car for the luggage
This is the most irritating thing for all the drivers. Not booking right size car for amount of luggage. There is too much optimism going on, thinking that somehow we will fit into the car. Not understanding that cars are limited for the amount of luggage that can be put inside of the boot, and very rarely we can put anything inside of the passenger area. And then somehow when the luggage is not fitting they are getting irritated by the driver, without taking any responsibility for ordering the wrong car.
Travelling with a lot of luggage? Book an estate taxi or an 8 seater taxi and there is no guessing.
2. Running late
As much as people don’t like when the taxi is late, it creates anxiety. Very often people think that other way around is absolutely fine just because there is an option to pay a waiting charge. This option is usually for genuinely situations where a customer has no choice but running late. But it’s not an option to run late. Very often the driver has another job lined up logistically after the pickup and the original customer running late causes a huge stress, and if we are late to the new customer they won’t accept any excuse that the previous customer kept us waiting.
3. Fiddling with the dashboard
Customer fiddling with the dashboard, especially when sitting in the front of the vehicle, starting to change temperature and radio channels. One must understand they don’t own the car or taxi, they are cast into it. Unlikely you will go to your friend’s house starting to change radio stations. Don’t do the same in the car.
4. Personal questions
Our drivers are being trained not to ask clients personal questions such as where you’re from or what football club you are supporting, because it might create some friction because people and backgrounds are different. However, very often customers do ask drivers those questions. Good manners needs to go both ways.
5. Expecting a pickup anywhere
Expecting us to be able to pick up or drop off from anywhere, including double red lines. Thinking that the penalty points and risking with a license is a driver’s problem, not a customer’s problem. We had situations where the road was closed by emergency services where the pickup was, and when explaining to the client that this is the case they shouted at us from other side of the road, telling us that road closure is our problem not theirs.
6. “My Google Maps says so”
Telling us that they know the best route because their Google Maps says so. Not understanding that expertise of our drivers goes beyond Google Maps. There are small tricks in the sleeve which can save huge amount of time, and shortest route is not always the quickest one.
7. Leaving rubbish behind
Leaving empty bottles and rubbish inside of the car. This is not a hotel or open service, this is someone’s personal space. Very often due to the busyness the driver is not able to check the back of the vehicle between every single job, meaning that the next customer will see your dirty tissues.
8. Moaning all the way
Moaning about life, politics and anything else which has a negative twist. There is nothing wrong about sharing genuine concerns, but it takes the toll if the driver has to listen for one and half hours on the journey to the airport how bad everything is.
9. No manners
No manners. Coming to the car not saying hello, or leaving the car just closing the door with no thank you, nothing. The driver is also a person.
10. Blaming the driver for traffic
Being annoyed with the driver if there is a traffic, asking to hurry up.
10 things customers don’t like about taxis
1. Unsafe driving
Unsafe driving. Accelerating too fast, braking in the last moment, not using indicator lights, going over the speed limit, changing lanes erratically, making a person feel unsafe. It’s the number one thing that is unforgivable for anyone.
2. Smelly car
Smelly car. Very often people don’t even realize that they carry with them a certain kind of smell, for them there is no smell. But also having a very strong air freshener can give some people nausea, not mentioning that lots of air fresheners have lots of unhealthy chemicals which can have a long-term, even medical effect. (For example, at Carrot Cars drivers are not allowed to use any air freshener, yet personal hygiene and a smell-free environment is absolute status quo.)
3. Not knowing the way
Not knowing where they are going to. Relying only on a satnav. A satnav is a tool, not local knowledge. It does not know which junction is blocked every morning or where the right drop-off point really is.
4. Over the top service
Over the top service, using words like “thank you boss”, “you’re welcome boss”. It is meant to be polite, but it makes many passengers feel uncomfortable. Respect does not need a title, a simple hello, please and thank you is enough.
Sometimes the secret to the service is less service. So less is more. Being overly friendly and overly smiley and constantly tapping into the personal space and asking one million questions can do the exact opposite. It’s almost a deliberate way to ask for the good rating without asking.
5. Personal items on display
Too much personal items on display of the driver. A phone holder and a bottle of water are fine, but clothes on the back seat, family photos or the driver’s lunch on display make the passenger feel like a guest in someone’s living room rather than in a professional car.
Very often there are religious artifacts hanging from the rearview mirror, while the windscreen should be always completely clean. Another thing is a phone holder in the middle of the windscreen, right in the area the wipers clean, which is not only illegal but also distracts the customer.
6. A loud satnav
A loud satnav or loud speakers in the car, with Google Maps telling out loud to turn left, right or centre. A passenger trying to rest, read or take a call should not have to hear every turn of the journey. The driver can follow the route on the screen with the voice turned low or off.
7. Ignoring the temperature
Not being considerate about the air temperature inside of the vehicle, what the customer likes.
Very often drivers of electric cars in the summertime switch off the air conditioning with the hope that this saves energy, which is marginally true, but it leaves extreme discomfort for the clients. Same goes sometimes in winter time, when the car is overly hot, not realizing the customer actually comes with their outside clothing inside of the car.
The Carrot Cars standard requires that every driver always asks the customer if the air temperature is okay, and they should always do that five minutes into the journey, giving enough time for the customer to actually adjust and understand if the temperature needs to be changed.
8. The driver talking on the phone
The driver talking on the phone with someone, and even worse in a language the customer does not understand. The passenger ends up feeling like a parcel in the back of the car, and when they cannot follow the conversation, they start to wonder whether it is about them.
Very often, what we saw in the research we did about other taxi companies, customers sit in the car and have to overhear personal phone calls which last maybe the whole length of the journey, in a language they don’t understand, which makes it extremely uncomfortable. Other times it was reported that the driver was trying to make his MOT appointment over the phone whilst the customer was in the car, calling multiple garages, which also means they have to tap the screen all the time to look for those garages whilst driving, which is completely illegal and unsafe. Of course, these were not Carrot Cars drivers.
Firstly, the time in the vehicle belongs to the customer. Personal calls are not allowed in Carrot Cars at any time. The only person the driver might be on the phone with, and that is also in exceptional circumstances, is a controller, because there might be something to do with an existing job or a future job. And hands-free, which does not include loudspeaker, is an absolute must. Safety comes number one.
9. Being late
Being late for the pickup gives the anxiety, and the worst thing is if no one is actually informing you that the driver will be late. For the customer to start calling the company and asking where the car is, is absolutely unacceptable. Things do go wrong, and as with any train or aeroplane, sometimes lateness happens, but the important bit is that the customer will be informed about the lateness and also how many minutes it is estimated. Honesty goes a long way, even if it feels very uncomfortable.
Very often what we saw with unprofessional companies is that it’s been brushed under the carpet, and when the customer is calling, just to get them off the phone, the company will say a few more minutes, a few more minutes, instead of being honest. Carrot Cars appreciates the honesty, even if things go wrong.
Being too early is also not good, because it makes the customer feel rushed. Drivers are always aiming to be at the pickup (except airports) five minutes before the pickup time, and they are not allowed to contact the customer earlier, even if they did arrive earlier. This makes sure that the customer does not feel rushed.
10. Rushing the customer
Rushing a customer. They might have to wait the customer for five minutes from the pickup time and then starting to call them saying, are you coming? Are you coming? A few minutes of patience at the pickup costs nothing, while a rushed customer starts the journey on the wrong foot.
As we mentioned earlier, the driver is obviously not allowed to call early. But for a standard pickup, the driver can give a polite nudge ten minutes after the pickup time, just to make sure the customer knows they are outside, in case they missed the text message or app notification. But they have been trained not to rush the customer in any way. However, if it goes over 15 minutes, then the controller is going to get involved, because very often we have another pickup and we need to make sure that the customer is actually leaving on time. Some people are under the impression that they can keep the driver waiting as long as they want. This is not true.
How Carrot Cars is different
Our service standards have been built making sure that the failure points, what customers don’t like about, are not repeated in our company. Very often we see that many companies think that success should start with the quality of the car. In minimum requirement the service has been built by humans who are serving the customers, and reliability.
What our drivers say about our customers
Although we found out many things which drivers don’t like about customers, when we did a separate survey amongst Carrot Cars drivers asking about what they don’t like about our customers, only one or two points came up, which was usually when the client is ordering the wrong vehicle for the luggage size. But overwhelmingly, 95% of the drivers said that they absolutely love our clients, and one of the main reasons they work for Carrot Cars and not for any other taxi company is the quality of our customers what we have.
We really believe that there is some sort of energetic connection, that we attract what we like and who we are, and somehow we can put hands on heart to say that Carrot Cars has the best clientele in the whole UK.
Once in a while some unreasonable people end up using our services, like in any other industry, but due to our zero tolerance policy we can also make sure that unreasonable people won’t be coming to interfere with our drivers’ well being. Meaning that if the driver’s day is not being shattered by the rudeness, they can give a better service to rest of the customers.
We love our customers, our drivers love our customers, and by the looks of it we’re not doing too shabby amongst the customers either, considering our reviews.
When things go wrong
Of course not everything is going always perfectly. But what we do promise is that every time something goes wrong, we will deal with it pragmatically. We won’t automatically start to defend ourselves. If we make a mistake, we own it, and we’ll do everything possible to make it right and learn from it, so the next time the same issues won’t happen again.
Book your next ride
Need a taxi to Heathrow, Gatwick or London City Airport? Book with Carrot Cars at book.carrotcars.co.uk or through our app.
Frequently asked questions
Can I be charged for keeping a taxi waiting?
Yes, there is usually an option to pay a waiting charge, but it is meant for genuine situations where a customer has no choice but running late. It is not an option to run late, because the driver very often has another job lined up straight after your pickup.
What size taxi do I need for my luggage?
Book a car that fits your luggage. A car’s boot can only take so much, and very rarely can anything go inside the passenger area. If you are travelling with a lot of luggage, book an estate taxi or an 8 seater taxi.
Can a taxi pick me up or drop me off anywhere?
No. Drivers cannot stop on double red lines or where the road has been closed by emergency services, because the penalty points and the risk to their licence are real. Choose a pickup point where the car can legally stop.
Why doesn’t my driver follow the route on my Google Maps?
An experienced driver’s knowledge goes beyond Google Maps. Drivers know small tricks that can save a huge amount of time, and the shortest route is not always the quickest one.
What do customers dislike most about taxis?
Unsafe driving is the number one thing that is unforgivable: accelerating too fast, braking at the last moment, not using indicators, speeding and changing lanes erratically. Other common complaints include a smelly car, drivers who rely only on a satnav, being late for the pickup and rushing the customer.
Do Carrot Cars drivers like their customers?
Yes. In a survey of Carrot Cars drivers, 95% said they absolutely love our clients, and the quality of our customers is one of the main reasons they work for Carrot Cars and not for any other taxi company.
What happens if something goes wrong with my Carrot Cars journey?
We deal with it pragmatically and we won’t automatically start to defend ourselves. If we make a mistake, we own it, do everything possible to make it right and learn from it, so the same issue won’t happen again.
