Bad Experience With Mears Taxi

[iteachlit]

Before I provide the details, YES I realize Uber is an option. I wasn't interested in trying a ride sharing service for the first time at WDW.


My daughter had her high school senior photos taken at Epcot on Tuesday, Nov. 15. We needed to be at the IG entrance by 9 a.m.. I downloaded the Mears app and scheduled a taxi from AKL:KV to BC. I received a notification that included the cab number and driver's name. The Mears app also allowed me to choose a tip percentage and enter a payment method; I did both.


The app also offered a 10% discount for paying though the app.


The cab was waiting for us, but it was empty. The driver exited the lobby at a.m, which was fine as that was our scheduled time.


He didn't open the trunk for us, even though we had a large duffel bag. OK, no big deal.


It got progressively worse from there.

• The driver gave me a hard time for providing details through the app. I had added “Pick up at Kidani Village / going to Beach Club / 4 in party” in the app’s notes section. I’m not sure why that made him mad, but it did.
• Near Fantasia Gardens, a vehicle in front of us drifted over, then back, then over once again before turning across two lanes to enter Fantasia Gardens. We all laughed about his poor driving. The cab driver laughed as well. The cab driver then went on to profess that I am probably a worse driver than the guy in front of us. He asked whether I knew how to backup. What. The. Heck?
• The driver asked where we are from. Pennsylvania. Then he asked whether we have horses. What are we, Amish?

When we arrived at BC, I peeked at his Tom Tom device. It had the fare clearly visible. I could also see the notes I added in the app, as well as CREDIT CARD ON FILE.


Driver: That’s $17.48.

Me: OK. I’ll pay with the app.

Driver: That doesn’t work. You owe me $17.48.

Me: Ummm. OK. Let me get the cash.


I handed him $21, which included a tip.


About ten feet away from the cab, before I even entered the BC lobby, my Apple Watch dinged. I had just been charged $18.87 (discounted fare plus tip) by Mears Taxi through the app!


I wheeled around, but the taxi was dulling a full-out drag race out of the parking lot.


I wonder how often the driver pulls this scam?


To its credit, Mears refunded my money and promised to speak to the driver and look at his file.


I used a Mears taxi later that night to get the Boardwalk. When the driver ended my trip, his printer printed a receipt that included the fare and tip. The app also asked me to rate the trip. So, the app works for ethical drivers.


Be aware of this possible scam if you use a Mears taxi.

 

[bumbershoot]

To its credit, Mears refunded my money and promised to speak to the driver and look at his file.

I had a weird experience with a Mears driver once, too, and all I had to do was contact Mears once and they helped out. They really do seem to help out in those situations.

Some drivers might be icky, but the company itself seems to be good.


(dropping us off at Jambo from Epcot, maybe, and after a few tries with his CC machine he said it wasn't going through. DH went into Jambo to the ATM, got him cash, paid him. Got 3 charges on the CC a few days later. But Mears refunded all of them.)

 

[MillauFr]

One of the best features of Lyft. A driver like this would rack up a couple of one star reviews and then be kicked out of Lyft. We only use Lyft from now on. Taxi services do not remove the bad drivers.

 

[AngiTN]

Before I provide the details, YES I realize Uber is an option. I wasn't interested in trying a ride sharing service for the first time at WDW.

Out of curiosity, why?
I found it the perfect place to use it for the first time. There are more drivers and they are very used to serving folks who are not accustomed to the service. Probably more than many other areas. I actually recommend using them for the first time at Disney. I probably would have never even started to use them if it wasn't for trying at Disney.

And I love that we don't have to worry about paying drivers, they can't scam you for anything. I'm sure it doesn't happen often with Mears but the ability for it to happen is there.

Glad to hear Mears did take care of it for you.

 

[nkereina]

Agree on all accounts about Uber but in the OP's defense, many people who have never used Uber are very skeptical of it and how it works/how well it works. I don't fault the OP for not wanting to try it for the first time in a different city when they're on a tight time schedule.

That being said, these stories of bad drivers with Mears should be remembered when people say they won't use Uber because they've heard stories of bad drivers. It can happen anywhere with any service. As far as the double charging, Uber does offer protection there since it's a cashless transaction. It would be difficult for a driver to pull a scam like that with Uber, and even if they did, Uber's customer service has been great from what I've heard. I've never had an Uber issue that I needed to contact them about.

Glad Mears made it right for you OP, but annoying to deal with no less!

 

[iteachlit]

I'm certainly not anti-Uber or Lyft. I live in Altoona, Pennsylvania, which just recently added Uber service. I really don't have much use for it around here.

Given the importance of getting my daughter there on time, I went with a known commodity; it's as simple as that.

I appreciate everyone's Uber advice, but I really didn't want to get into that discussion here. Hence the disclaimer at the beginning of my message.

I merely wanted to warn my fellow DISboarders of a possible shady activity.

 

[Allison]

I had a scary experience with a Mears driver a few years ago that involved taking both hands off the wheel, screaming loudly about the devil and voodoo, giving a detailed rambling story about an exorcism, and quizzing me for details about my religion.

 

[disneyseniors]

OP, thanks for the information. We had one bad experience with Mears, which is our entire experience with Mears, as we would not use them again.
Like you, we went with a known quantity (Uber was new at the time). We figured, after all, it's recommended by Disney, so it must be good.
We had one day scheduled at Universal last year, and decided on mears. The evening before, we scheduled the time and pick up with Mears via the front desk at our resort. It was all confirmed for the next day at 7am pickup. Well, we got to the pick up point at 6:45am and waited, and waited. At 7:45 or so, we went into the valet service and asked them to call us a cab. One came within one minute, and we had no problems. The ride was quick, professional, and probably more than Mears, but worth it. We also used a cab for the ride back to our resort. Never heard from Mears one way or the other. We don't use uber as you apparently have to have an app for it, and we do not have a smart phone,by choice. We have an old fashioned flip phone (yes we are dinosaurs) So, that's our experience with Mears. No thanks!

 

[areno79]

Out of curiosity, why?
I found it the perfect place to use it for the first time. There are more drivers and they are very used to serving folks who are not accustomed to the service. Probably more than many other areas. I actually recommend using them for the first time at Disney. I probably would have never even started to use them if it wasn't for trying at Disney.

And I love that we don't have to worry about paying drivers, they can't scam you for anything. I'm sure it doesn't happen often with Mears but the ability for it to happen is there.

Glad to hear Mears did take care of it for you.

This is OT, but thanks for this. I've never used Uber before but plan on using it quite a bit while we're at WDW.