Dear Roanoke City Cab,…read more
First off, I would like to apologize for how long it has taken me to write this letter of appreciation. I know a time lapse of four weeks exceeds the bounds of decency, but please be assured I did not mean to devalue your services. To the contrary, I have been evaluating how deeply you value and practice customer service, and how wrong I was in my initial reaction. Not yet being to the intellectual or moral level of your employees, at least those with whom I interacted during the episode of September 9, 2013, this process took quite awhile.
The first operator, whose name I shamefully confess I do not recall, is one of the most insightful people I have ever had the pleasure of conversing with. Fatigued as I was due to hiking 17 miles that day and thirsty as I was due to not seeing water for the last 12, my crisp, clear request for a taxi at the intersection of SR 311 and the Appalachian Trail must have seemed absolutely ludicrous to him. Why, after successfully hiking for so long, did we want to cab it to the closest town?
He immediately surmised the correct answer: we were too chicken to ask a person face-to-face for help. Despite the fact that my friend lay on the ground while desperately craving water and we had no food because we left our packs in the woods, I could not muster the courage to ask someone for help, face to face. This remarkable insight led to an even more brilliant conclusion: to help us, he must force me to overcome my fears. For this to be possible, our situation must become even more desperate.
Thus your outstanding employee told me the taxi would arrive momentarily. I foolishly fell for his clever trap. After an hour, I called and a new operator, who alleged she had no idea we ordered a cab, brightly informed me that a taxi was never sent. While I did not recognize it at the time, it is clear that she knew of the plan, and her ignorance was a lie designed to conceal the plot.
So I did what I thought I could never do, what my mother always told me never to do: I talked to a stranger. I asked her for water. Like an angel she came with a jug of the most delicious elixir I have ever tasted, and Twizzlers. We conversed, and talked about life, as we also waited for the taxi we thought would arrive in any minute.
Of course, you already know the story. That taxi never arrived. Despite the fact that darkness was falling, despite the fact I had given the taxi driver my credit card number in advance, despite the fact that she had my phone number, and despite the fact that I also informed her we had cash and multiple other cards in case mine did not work, she never came. This was brilliant, for what makes a desperate situation even worse? Providing hope, and then ripping it away.
This was where your plan really succeeded, for I had no idea that any decent human being would purposefully leave stranded two individuals on the side of the road. Yet despite our repeated attempts, the driver refused to answer our calls. Finally, after pestering that so incredibly genius operator, she decided that our character development should begin; she informed us that the driver refused to pick us up. We must hike to town.
I will admit, we failed this part of your ingenious test. Instead of hiking on a busy road for four miles in the complete darkness, we requested the aid of another taxi company. They, not having your brilliant insight, came within a half hour and spent much time helping us find cheap lodging. I sincerely regret this moment of weakness, yet I believe this is not an inherent character flaw and, if I have enough interactions with people like your outstanding employees, I will not miss the opportunity in the future.
I must also beg your apologies. Before my epiphany, I was initially angry. Deeply angry. Frothing with anger. So angry that all I could think about was what kind of incompetent, moronic, or sadistic individuals would do this to two helpless individuals. I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell "HOW THE MOTHERFUCKING SHIT CAN YOU RUN A CAB COMPANY THAT CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF ITS DRIVERS, HAS NO SYMPATHY FOR ITS CUSTOMERS, AND NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR AN INSANE DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE???" At my angriest moments, I wanted to spend a day smashing bottles against my garage floor. At my calmest moments, I wanted to post a picture to your website of me buck naked, mooning you, with both of my middle fingers clearly visible.
So please accept my apologies for being so irrationally angry at your incredibly enlightened and altruistic methods. Because of you, I now consider myself on the road to becoming a hardened, tough country man. Roanoke City Cab stands as a moral monument for all Virginians, Americans, and humans across the globe.
Sincerely,
Tyler Dillon
