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Wow indeed!
[QUOTE=Wild Walleye]US$50 from PM to Recoleta? Depending upon how many drinks I was served at PM, one of us (me or the driver) would be looking for a cop for assistance.[/QUOTE]Well the US$50 is about as expensive as Fred's trip from the cruise terminal to the city. (US$44!) Depending on where the passengers have to go to in the city it might be even cheaper! (For people who are not familiar where the cruise terminal is; it is about 500m from Retiro train station......)
Sorry Fred, but I do not think that you are the right person to start criticizing the rip-off rates of taxi drivers. I think the rates you charge are in the same category. (Or do you think that US$88 for an airport pick up is a "normal" rate? And please do not try to feed me the BS about the town car since you have also a way more regular C6 in use.)
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[QUOTE=Seaman]Well the US$50 is about as expensive as Fred's trip from the cruise terminal to the city. (US$44! Depending on where the passengers have to go to in the city it might be even cheaper! (For people who are not familiar where the cruise terminal is; it is about 500m from Retiro train station.
Sorry Fred, but I do not think that you are the right person to start criticizing the rip-off rates of taxi drivers. I think the rates you charge are in the same category. (Or do you think that US$88 for an airport pick up is a "normal" rate? And please do not try to feed me the BS about the town car since you have also a way more regular C6 in use.[/QUOTE]Hi Seaman.
I am just stating facts about taxis, etc. I use taxis myself around town.
The known fact of the matter is it is well known that there are rip off cabs here in town, and it is quite common for this to happen to tourists.
SilverStar is a LIMO service not a taxi, and my rates are competitive / cheaper than similar cars here. I just called One Limo web site for a price check, and they quoted me $164US for a C4 and could not guarantee an English speaking driver. They wanted $215US for a Mercedes E Class, probably much older than my Executive C6. The C6 and Town Car are VERY EXPENSIVE cars to run here, and costs over 3X what a taxi costs. English speaking drivers that drive safely here are also very hard to find. (Don't confuse the C6 with a C4)
The C6 is the same car the French President uses. SilverStar Premium car service has never tried nor can compete on price with Taxis, we can however provide the best possible service here in Buenos Aires. You can't compare a cheap seedy hostel to the Alvear Palace 5 Star hotel, it is the same with SilverStar vs Taxi.
Unfortunately, one of the things here that is not cheaper is running a car - gas, parts and insurance are much more expensive than the USA, and traffic is brutal. It can take me 3.5 hours to 4 hours to do an airport pickup from start to finish during morning rush hour. Also remember the risk we are taking for an accident is very high, as Argentines are some of the worst drivers in the world.
As far as safety goes, many black and yellow cabs tailgate, drive with lights off at night, weave in and out of traffic, don't have rear headrests, run on bald tires have shot suspensions, don't use turn signals and don't have airbags.
We maintain and drive our cars in a professional manner, so the choice is yours, if you find better value in a random taxi, please take it. But you won't find a better car (Town Car or C6 Exclusive) at a better price for an English speaking, punctual driver.
Bottom line - I think you are comparing apples to oranges, if you can find a better price for an English speaking driver with a similar car who drives safe, please do let me know! If we were running beat up tiny Chevrolet Corsas with bald tires and no headrests in the back, I would agree with you 100%
Fred.
[url]www.silverstarcar.com[/url]
For when you want the very best English Speaking car service in Buenos Aires
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New Taxi Scam!
Just heard this one, it is very clever. The mark (a green tourist) pays fare with a good 100 peso note, sleazy cab driver switches the bill when the mark is not looking for a slightly torn fake, then "rejects" the torn bill, because it is torn and asks for a non torn one, totally deflecting attention from whether the bill is fake or not. I have the bill in possession (for demonstration purposes only) and it is a VERY GOOD fake note, with sparkly green 100 in left corner and a (crappy) watermark. It is the Brazilian style note with serial number in black on the bottom, not red on the ride, lots of these type of fakes going around.
Good news, I have a new Evita 100 peso note in possession, with more security features than the current Roca note, will be harder to counterfeit fortunately.
[QUOTE=Silver Star; 411722]Hi Seaman.
I am just stating facts about taxis, etc. I use taxis myself around town.
The known fact of the matter is it is well known that there are rip off cabs here in town, and it is quite common for this to happen to tourists.
SilverStar is a LIMO service not a taxi, and my rates are competitive / cheaper than similar cars here. I just called One Limo web site for a price check, and they quoted me $164US for a C4 and could not guarantee an English speaking driver. They wanted $215US for a Mercedes E Class, probably much older than my Executive C6. The C6 and Town Car are VERY EXPENSIVE cars to run here, and costs over 3X what a taxi costs. English speaking drivers that drive safely here are also very hard to find. (Don't confuse the C6 with a C4)
The C6 is the same car the French President uses. SilverStar Premium car service has never tried nor can compete on price with Taxis, we can however provide the best possible service here in Buenos Aires. You can't compare a cheap seedy hostel to the Alvear Palace 5 Star hotel, it is the same with SilverStar vs Taxi.
Unfortunately, one of the things here that is not cheaper is running a car. Gas, parts and insurance are much more expensive than the USA, and traffic is brutal. It can take me 3. 5 hours to 4 hours to do an airport pickup from start to finish during morning rush hour. Also remember the risk we are taking for an accident is very high, as Argentines are some of the worst drivers in the world.
As far as safety goes, many black and yellow cabs tailgate, drive with lights off at night, weave in and out of traffic, don't have rear headrests, run on bald tires have shot suspensions, don't use turn signals and don't have airbags.
We maintain and drive our cars in a professional manner, so the choice is yours, if you find better value in a random taxi, please take it. But you won't find a better car (Town Car or C6 Exclusive) at a better price for an English speaking, punctual driver.
Bottom line. I think you are comparing apples to oranges, if you can find a better price for an English speaking driver with a similar car who drives safe, please do let me know! If we were running beat up tiny Chevrolet Corsas with bald tires and no headrests in the back, I would agree with you 100%
Fred.
[url]www.silverstarcar.com[/url]
For when you want the very best English Speaking car service in Buenos Aires[/QUOTE]
