This was not a planned follow-up, but it needed to be said.
After sharing the story of my nightmare New York City taxi ride to JFK with Carmel Taxi Service, I heard from a lot of people. Many shared the story, many understood exactly why I spoke up, and many recognized what this was really about: safety. Not convenience. Not price. Not loyalty to a company you have used for years. Safety for yourself and your family.
Then Carmel followed up.
And somehow, they made the whole situation worse.
The phone call that turned frustration into outrage
A few days after everything happened, I got a call from someone at Carmel. The person on the phone apologized again and said the company had reviewed the matter with their customer service team or board. After all of that, they decided to offer compensation.
The amount?
$25.
For a ride that cost about $125. For an experience where my family felt like we might not make it to the airport alive. For a driver they themselves seemed to acknowledge had no business operating that vehicle in the way she was.
Let me be clear. This was never really about getting money back. I did not want a token refund so they could check a box and move on. It was the principle of it. The message behind that offer was impossible to ignore.
It felt like this company looked at a terrifying experience, one involving real fear and real danger, and decided the appropriate response was, “Here’s $25, now go away.”
Why the offer was so insulting
What made this so infuriating was not just the amount. It was what the amount represented.
This was not a case of a late pickup, a rude dispatcher, or an inconvenience with luggage. This was a situation where my family was in a car with a driver who clearly could not safely handle the vehicle. My wife was screaming. My daughter was screaming. The driver herself was apologizing over and over, saying, “Sorry, sorry.”
My son, who is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD, was so overwhelmed that he was biting through his clothes. That is the level of distress this caused.
So, when a company hears all of that, speaks to me multiple times, admits the incident was serious, talks about retraining the driver, and then circles back with a $25 offer, that says a lot about how they value customers and how seriously they take public safety.
It also says something about accountability.
No one at the top of the company called to have a real conversation. No meaningful effort was made to address the emotional impact, the safety issue, or the breach of trust. Instead, the response felt small, dismissive, and corporate in the worst possible way.
This is bigger than one bad taxi ride
I have used Carmel for many years, likely dating back for decades. Ownership may have changed. Management may have changed. But from my perspective, that history makes this even more disappointing.
When you have been around that long and served New York City, all five boroughs, and beyond, there is a baseline expectation. You are transporting families, business travelers, children, seniors, and people trying to make flights under enough stress already. You do not get to shrug off a serious safety incident with a symbolic refund and a few apologies.
This is why I felt it was important to speak out again.
People need to know how this company responded after the fact, because follow-up matters. A company’s real character is often revealed not just in the mistake, but in how it handles the mistake once it has the chance to make things right.
What I regret, and what still matters
In the middle of the incident, I did not think to pull out my phone and start recording. In a lot of situations today, that is exactly what people do. But when your family is terrified and you are trying to process what is happening in real time, your first instinct is not always to document. Your first instinct is survival.
Looking back, if I had recorded that ride, it probably would have made the case even more obvious. But even without that footage, the experience was real, the fear was real, and the impact on my family was real.
That includes my children, who experienced this directly and carried that fear with them afterward.
The ride home showed what proper service looks like
When I returned to the United States through JFK, I booked a different car service for the trip home. I am not naming that company because this is not an endorsement, and that is not the point.
The point is that the difference was immediate and dramatic.
They sent a Sprinter van for four people and eight suitcases.
The vehicle was comfortable and appropriate for the trip.
The driver was pleasant and professional.
The ride was calm and controlled.
The driver spoke English clearly.
Most importantly, the service felt safe.
That matters more than anything.
My children had been deeply shaken by what happened on the trip to JFK. My son, especially, was anxious about getting back home. He kept asking me, “Daddy, how are we getting back home?” Then he asked the question that told me just how much this had stuck with him: “Daddy, the same service?”
I told him no, it would be a different company.
Even then, he was nervous. But once he got into that Sprinter van and felt the difference, he calmed down. That ride was smooth, comfortable, and reassuring. It reminded me what transportation is supposed to be. Not a test of nerves. Not a trauma your kids replay afterward. Just a safe trip from one place to another.
The real issue: customer service without responsibility is meaningless
Any company can apologize. Apologies are easy.
What matters is whether the apology is backed by responsibility, professionalism, and action.
In this case, Carmel’s response raised serious concerns:
They acknowledged the incident was serious, but their offer did not reflect that.
They discussed retraining the driver, which suggests they recognized a problem.
They failed to provide a meaningful remedy or communicate at a leadership level.
They turned a safety complaint into a customer service formality.
That is what made the follow-up so disappointing. This was an opportunity to show that the company understood the gravity of what happened. Instead, the response felt like damage control.
Why speaking up matters
This is not a tech story. It is a public safety story.
Sometimes the most useful thing you can do after an experience like this is make sure other people know. New Yorkers rely on taxi and car services every day. Families heading to JFK trust that the driver being sent is capable, that the vehicle is appropriate, and that the company behind the booking takes that responsibility seriously.
If that trust is broken, people deserve to hear about it.
That does not mean every bad experience is proof that a company is beyond redemption. But it does mean that when something serious happens, the response has to match the seriousness of the situation. Better training is a start. Better internal standards are a start. But if a company wants the public’s trust, it has to do more than say the right words after the fact.
My takeaway for anyone booking a ride to JFK
At the end of the day, everyone can make their own decision. But for me, this is simple: I will never use Carmel Taxi Service again.
If you are choosing transportation for yourself or your family, especially for an airport run where timing and safety both matter, do not just look at price or brand familiarity. Ask what kind of service you are really getting. Ask whether the company is sending qualified drivers in appropriate vehicles. Ask whether they stand behind their service when something goes wrong.
Because when a company’s answer to a frightening, dangerous experience is a $25 peace offering, that tells you everything you need to know.
Shame on Carmel Taxi Service for handling it this way.
And if this story does anything useful, I hope it pushes the conversation toward higher standards, better accountability, and safer transportation for everyone in New York.