The airport is around 40 km from my home, and the other day, my nephew had to catch a flight. Considering the distance and the peak-hour rush, I booked a cab.
The cab driver appeared to be a reasonably polite person, and we started the journey. But the driver took a different route, which I realised after a few kilometres. I asked him why he was taking the longer route. He said he was helping us reach on time, as the regular route is congested. When I asked him if I would be paying more, he said yes.
Though he took us on time, I had to pay more than the double fare, since we covered a distance of more than 100 km. I had no option but to pay the fare asked. The driver, if he was honest, would have explained it before commencing the journey.
The autorickshaw drivers too take fullest advantage of passengers — for just two km, they demand ₹100, almost double the fare, citing fuel price increase. Most autos do not have a functional meter and it’s very rare to find driver charging just the meter fare. It’s open loot. Charges are inflated sensing emergency situations.
Another cheating point is two-wheeler servicing. The petrol in the vehicle will be exhausted almost fully during service. The standard reply is it is used for cleaning the parts of the vehicle.
The petrol pumps never fill the quantity ordered; they smartly make one wait, to avoid questions on the exact quantity filled.
The vegetable vendors, mostly not so poor as they pose themselves to be, inflate prices and charge exorbitant rates. But when questioned, they cite an increase in transportation charges and overheads. It is a win-win situation for them. It is smart business tactics, marketed very efficiently.
One needs to be extremely careful and cautious in restaurants, especially at parcel counters at peak hours. As the outlet will be overcrowded with the delivery boys, your parcel would not be the same as the one ordered. I had a bitter experience, not just once, but twice.
The plumbers are ones who exploit the emergency situations. To replace a broken tap, one would have to pay the demanded charges. The LPG delivery boy demands a higher tip, citing rising cost of living. While big business houses loot in the name of their brand, the small petty players demand and extract their pound of flesh.
It’s always I, me and myself, nobody cares for others, if they do care it is very rare.
balasubramaniampavani@gmail.com
