It is good to be wanted, but sometimes it can turn into a “Fatal Attraction” situation. Dispatch has told me I am the most requested driver in the company – which is both a blessing and a curse. Too many times, multiple passengers have requested me and were disappointed when it wasn’t me who picked them up.
High Maintenance Heidi
One day during the pandemic (remember that?), I picked up a woman in Princeton and drove her to Manhattan. She proceeded to tell me her life story and why she wanted to move out of her New York apartment: “This city is going down the tubes.”
I listened to her patiently, being careful not to interrupt her, but still feigning interest with brief reactions – like “interesting” or “I understand” – at appropriate breaks in the conversation. Basically, when she stopped talking to breathe.
She eventually said, “You are so easy to talk to and you are such a good driver. I’m going to request you ALL the time!”
I let out a soft groan and thought, “Why me?”
The next week she called me directly and told me she wanted me to help her move out of her Manhattan apartment, into her Princeton condominium. I explained that I am not a mover… I’m a chauffeur. I told her I could load up my SUV with family heirlooms, valuables and other delicate items, but NOT her dining room table. She agreed that this seemed reasonable and told me she would give me a $20 tip for my efforts.
“Wowee!” I thought.
At the end of her move, she was pleased with how we got everything done in one trip. She gave me a wooden hippopotamus to thank me for going above and beyond.
My Fatal Mistake
I drove this woman many times after our moving experience. She would often call me ahead of time to tell me she was making a reservation and ONLY wanted me to drive her. One day, she threatened the dispatcher that if I didn’t drive her that day, she would close her account with us.
Why me? I kept asking myself. I didn’t do anything special or extraordinary. I guess she thought of me as her trifecta: chauffeur, counselor and mover.
One day she had me drive her from Princeton to Manhattan for a hair appointment. I dropped her off and went to my next ride. She then made a reservation for me to pick her up at her hair salon a couple of hours later and drive her back to Princeton.
I arrived 15 minutes early for her pick-up (as I always do) and pressed “On Location” to alert her and Dispatch that I had arrived. I then sent the woman a text from my mobile phone (again, as I always do), telling her I was there.
She replied to my text about 20 minutes later, saying she was still having her hair done and she would “be out in a few.” An hour later, she appeared with her new hair doo… gorgeous and radiant.
The next day, she called me directly, as she had grown accustomed to doing. “What the hell is this thing here called waiting time!” she shrieked. I calmly and confidently explained that when a passenger is more than 20 minutes late coming out for a pick-up, we charge waiting time. She was livid.
I also told her I had to give up my next ride after her because she was so late, but she didn’t care. “I want my money back!” was her answer.
Did I make a fatal mistake by pressing On Location when I arrived 15 minutes early. I say, “no,” because I was doing my job properly. My Bad Break Up happened because of a $20 wait time charge. Amazing!
Terminated For Training
My next Bad Break Up was simply the result of my not being able to be in two places at once. My passenger and her husband would always request me. Both he and she had multiple doctor appointments in Manhattan and they didn’t like driving in the city.
She would often ask me to accompany them in the waiting rooms at various doctors’ offices. While she was having her various procedures and tests, she would ask me to keep her husband company to keep him calm and relaxed. Often, she would call me three or four times for one reservation. I never understood why – maybe she was lonely and just needed someone friendly to listen and chat with.
One day, she told me she needed me to drive her and her husband into Manhattan for yet another doctor’s appointment, and to babysit her husband. I told her I might not be able to drive them because I was training a new chauffeur. She was furious.
“Change the training date” she demanded. I reassured her that we would send a senior veteran chauffeur to pick her up. That was not good enough. She only wanted me to drive them. She was so upset that I could not drive her that she stopped using us and refused to answer my text apologizing.
I later thought, “Good Riddance,” because I actually had to cancel a romantic weekend away with my girlfriend on Valentine’s Day so I could take the woman and her husband to a doctor in New York City.
The moral of this Street Story is try your best to Underpromise and Overdeliver. Don’t try too hard to please everyone because, in the end, you please no one and you will be the one looking like a fool. It’s good to be needed and wanted, but when it’s looking like a “Glenn Close situation” is closing in on you, it’s time to run!
