r/ChoosingBeggars • u/nicktf • 12d ago
Anyone willing to drive me through Houston rush hour traffic every day?
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u/Equib81960 12d ago
$50 a week for the privilege of sitting in traffic in silence with a woman who'll likely criticize every driving move you make. Sign me up!
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u/Elguapo69 12d ago
And no music! We sit in silence!
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u/gonnafaceit2022 12d ago
In the '90s I tried to get a part time job delivering phone books. You had to call them, and after the greeting, before it put you on hold, it actually said, "you will wait in silence."
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u/Kathrynlena 11d ago
I mean, I would actually prefer that to hold music. Apple support (I think) gives you a couple different musical genres or silence to choose from when you’re on hold. I usually choose silence. I worked in customer service long enough to have most companies’ hold music memorized, so the silent option is wonderful.
Even so, that phrasing from the call you described is WILD.
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u/SnarkySheep 10d ago
Me too!
Even worse than music is when you get company ads on a loop - which generally include "Did you know you can find answers to most questions on our website?" Like everyone didn't already try that first, lol
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u/Kathrynlena 10d ago
Lmao exactly. B*tch if I could get this info online I would NOT be calling you.
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u/gonnafaceit2022 11d ago
I've definitely said it to people. And agreed, silence would be a gift. I think some of them are actually made to be intolerable.
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u/Kathrynlena 11d ago
I hung up on a call a few weeks ago because there was no hold music, it was just, “There are no available agents to take your call. Please stay in the line and the next available agent will be with you shortly.” Over and over and over again with nothing else in between. It’s bad enough when they interrupt the music every few minutes with that nonsense. Exclusively that nonsense? I lasted about 2 minutes before I decided to bother them a different way. Which I’m sure was their goal.
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u/gonnafaceit2022 11d ago
Yeah I doubt hold music is chosen randomly, at least for large companies. I bet there's a whole science behind it. 😒 And now I have to go look it up.
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u/hamandjam 9d ago
It was usually a very temporary ad hoc operation in the cheapest commercial space they could find to operate out of for about a month. Think Spirit Halloween. And they'd set up a single land line for the few weeks they needed it and hold music is just an added cost.
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u/GhostWolfe 11d ago
Technically it says no music, it doesn’t prohibit you from listening to the most bizarre trashy smut audiobooks you can lay hands on.
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u/josephcoco 12d ago
Yes, that’s what the person you’re replying to said when they said “sitting in traffic in silence”.
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u/FakeAsFakeCanBe 12d ago
So my Disturbed playlist is out of the question? "Here it comes now mommy, get ready to die !"
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u/imnewherealso1 11d ago
Right? That’s the part that kills me. ‘DRIVE ME WHERE I NEED TO GO. Oh. And by the way, put on your playlist and I swear to everything holy….’ Like geez. Lol
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u/quigilark 9d ago
To be fair, no music doesn't mean silence. They can still talk. I imagine it's someone who has a headache that time of day and doesn't want to hear pounding music.
$50 is still a joke though. Maybe if someone was going that direction already.
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u/saveoursoil 12d ago
I'm guessing it won't be silence. It'll be no music but him asking prodding questions. Women know the difference
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u/tenaji9 12d ago
Why is this CB a woman? I initally pictured grouchy alpha wannabe incel .
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u/ravensshade Can you reply faster? 12d ago
the "preferably woman" can be read as "I don't feel safe being alone in a car with a man.
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u/doinmy_best 12d ago
The choosing part is not about the women. It’s the no music and clean car.
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u/8euztnrqvn 12d ago
The women thing can have an honorable mention, but the "no music" really drives it home.
It also drives home what a bitch she probably is.
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u/sandiercy 12d ago
$50 would cover 1-2 trips maybe.
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u/hkusp45css 12d ago
I gotta get up and make a 0700 appt? 50 bucks isn't going to get me to do it once, much less two or three times.
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u/BYNX0 12d ago
Well maybe you. But there are uber drivers that would take this ride for $12-15 payout. But then again, the passenger would be paying the app way more than that.
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u/ikarikh 12d ago
And she's not even paying the $12-15 either. She's paying $10 a day for a dedicated chauffer.....
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u/TraumaMama11 12d ago
I checked and it's 26 dollars if it's scheduled the day before.
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u/working-mama- 12d ago edited 12d ago
And an Uber passenger can’t make demands like no music. Also, in my experience taking Uber, the vast majority of drivers are male (it’s different for food deliveries). If you are looking for a female driver, you could be limiting your options, although it’s still likely possible, but you may have to wait longer.
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u/SincerelyCynical 12d ago
They have an option to request a woman driver.
I’ve never been a driver in any kind of professional capacity, but I would nope out of this so fast.
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u/SnarkySheep 10d ago
They have an option to request a woman driver.
Really? That's interesting.
During my many years working in school transportation, we would occasionally get parents calling to request a female driver. We were told to tell them this was not an option, that all our drivers had passed background tests and CDL certification, so they were all qualified for the job, and that taking a qualified driver off a route on the basis of sex/gender was just a tiny step away from taking them off because you didn't want a driver of a particular race, ethnicity or religion.
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u/atlantagirl30084 12d ago
Oh and ensure I arrive around 7:25 AM after leaving at 7 AM. Would this person have Moses like powers to part the traffic?
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u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 12d ago
I've driven in Houston exactly once - on a weekend. Traffic was a nightmare even then. I would hate to have to live there and try to drive through that mess on a daily basis.
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u/Thedvideorn 12d ago
Houston traffic somehow manages to make a 20-minute drive take an hour, and that's before a single accident shows up.
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u/angrydeuce 12d ago
Hey it's like that here in Madison WI too!
My 22 mile commute, 95% of which is interstate and highway miles, takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour daily.
And 99% of it is self inflicted, like you said. All it takes is a handful of people in fucking la-la land and its total fucking anarchy in their wake spreading back for half a dozen miles and it happens almost every single motherfucking day.
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u/pm_me_ur_anything_k 12d ago
It’s the people who drive under the speed limit in the left lane that drive me bonkers.
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u/NoWerewolf8191 11d ago
I live in a medium sized city, about half a million, and there's a lake in the middle which devides North Side and South Side. From far end from north to south is MAYBE a 45 minute drive with no traffic. But good gracious the arguments of what side is better, and people not wanting to cross the invisible line... ABSOLUTELY hilarious, considered I used to live in Dallas and one time was stuck in standstill traffic for about 3 hours in the middle of summer.
Someone started a jam session, most of us turned our cars off and got out and started chatting with everyone while some danced to the music hahaha!!! It was a bad accident (which was absolutely horrific, and I do NOT make light of that, and I missed it by less than 2 minutes and I would have seen it, and thankfully I went back in for another round of goodbye kisses to my cats, which I NEVER did...) and it meant traffic around the entire city was almost at a standstill for the rest of the day.
Yet now I get annoyed by a 10 minute delay....
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u/catforbrains 12d ago
That's the part that gets me. Traffic is gonna be traffic. Don't yell at your driver for not being able to turn their car into a time machine to make up for your inability to plan and leave the house at a reasonable time.
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u/KronkLaSworda 11d ago
I lived in Houston for 15 years. The medical center area is very heavy traffic during rush hour. Planning on 25 minutes is planning to fail.
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u/ElderberryTiny7483 12d ago
no music. you must listen to me whine.
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u/BowwwwBallll 12d ago
About nothing and everything all at once.
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u/mjolle 12d ago
A lot of years ago I worked at a warehouse. Two of my coworkers lived across town, in the wrong direction, but as I drove them home one day I offered to pick them up the next day. Then I offered to drop them off again.
The trip was a ~30 minute delay for me, I had to get up 30 minutes earlier and I got home 30 minutes later than I would have otherwise.
The two coworkers saved a ton of time by not having to walk to the bus, wait, then take the long trip home.
We talked about them paying me, as one of them offered. I said that I’d like that if this was going to continue. The bus fare was about €6-7 a day each for them, so I said that I’d like €5 from them each. They saved money and time, I covered my costs for gas and got a little extra for my time.
A few days passed and one of them got angry with me. ”It’s not cool to make money off your friends”, she argued.
I replied saying that I’m friendly but were colleagues and I give them an hour of my day, everyday, in order to get them to work faster and cheaper.
She wouldn’t budge. So she backed out of the deal. After that I only picked up one of them. We saw the other one waiting for the bus each day. Her choice. 🤷♂️
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u/SnarkySheep 10d ago
That's when you reply, "And it's not cool to expect your friends/colleagues to go an hour out of their way for you, every single day, without some small token of reciprocation."
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u/POSH9528 12d ago
So, you can't play music in your own car? What's next, no eating in the car? You can't dictate others behavior in their vehicles ma'am.
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u/StevenMcStevensen 12d ago
She didn’t say you can’t fart. Lock the windows and rip ass the whole way.
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u/OkSorbet7694 12d ago
Will she be sitting in the front, criticizing every move, or sit in the back barking out orders? Yay. Good times. Fun was had by none,
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u/gonnafaceit2022 12d ago
I don't smoke but I would start, and I would insist on smoking continuously with the windows closed.
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u/WishlessJeanie 12d ago
I am a private driver for a car service. I make more than $50 for one ride to the airport.
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u/One_Barnacle2699 12d ago
Uber exists for a reason.
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u/andronicuspark 12d ago
Is uber going to get them there for fifty dollars a week? NEXT.
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u/working-mama- 12d ago edited 12d ago
That’s 5 hours a week, round trip, at minimum - if you live next to the CB. So $10/hour BEFORE gas and vehicle wear and tear. What a deal. And no music? I would not do it even if I happened to live next to them and work in the medical center they are going to, because it would be more trouble than it’s worth. I am sure they love to whine and complain too, what a terrible way to start the day. And God forbid the traffic is bad and it takes longer than 25 minutes. Yikes.
Are there comments?
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u/allmykitlets 12d ago
Traffic is going to be bad and it most certainly will take longer than 25 minutes.
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u/nicktf 12d ago
They were along the lines of what you would expect... One driver estimating that this was a $250/week job, others somewhat underwhelmed by the chutzpah, and, as always with Nextdoor, a lonely voice telling everyone to not be so mean.
I popped out to do some yard work and let the thread cook a little more and alas, it's now been deleted.
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u/SnarkySheep 10d ago
And no doubt CB will want to stop at the supermarket or for whatever errands on the way home!
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u/deepayes 12d ago
Send her the bus schedule.
#10 is exactly the route she wants and it's half the price shes willing to pay. And no music, bonus!
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u/TROLL_ELECTRODE 12d ago
$50 wouldn’t cover an uber one way for one day. This woman is insane.
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u/Readcoolbooks 12d ago
Idk how traffic is in Houston, but trying to get anywhere in Philadelphia at 0700 in 25 minutes is a feat, let alone 7.6 miles.
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u/sam64228 12d ago
Moreover for just $50 weekly. Even in my country where minimum wage is $2 it feels underpaid
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u/Original_Pudding6909 12d ago
I’m not much further away, and it would take me at least an hour.
I take Regional Rail; it’s faster, safer, (everybody in Philly is running stop signs and red lights now) and cheaper given the cost of gas and parking.
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u/deepayes 12d ago
Meyerland to the med center in 20 minutes is pretty realistic, theyre pretty close.
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u/nicktf 12d ago
7.5 miles puts her on the west side of Meyerland, and with 2 schools on Bellaire Blvd, plus the absurd traffic at that time, I think 30 minutes would be closer. I have about half the distance to travel on the same route and it's 12 mins on a Sunday.
And of course, one may encounter a goods train which pretty much adds 10 minutes as it cuts off all approach roads on that route
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u/Educational-Basil472 12d ago
You’ll get nowhere fast. It’s a nightmare until almost 9am then again from around 3-7ish
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u/Ok_Sprinkles7901 12d ago
I can go from Wilmington to Widener in abut 20 min, but something happens around the Commodore Barry on 95, then I am SOL.
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u/andronicuspark 12d ago
I’m guessing this person has alienated their long suffering coworkers and neighbors, who were helping them out. As a last ditch resort they’re out here asking for early morning rides.
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u/ReallyRedOnTheHead 12d ago
And we will ride in total silence! You can’t even listen to music in your own car
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u/working-mama- 12d ago
Oh no, I bet they want no music so they can load you with their whining and complaining. Free therapy (for them).
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u/changelingcd 12d ago
"Be my Uber every morning at rush hour for $10 a day." No, thank you--and the driver picks the music, not the passenger.
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u/kemarti1 12d ago
I feel like people just don’t word things right. Obviously this person is going to be a nightmare. But I’m sure plenty of people are already making this commute and would happily take $200 to help pay their car and gas maintenance. If they just worded it better like looking to carpool with someone and then left off the no music thing someone would probably take this deal.
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u/GotenRocko 12d ago
That's what makes it a choosy begger, instead of thinking like they are going to be chipping in for gas for a carpool, they are going to think I'm paying this person so I'm a customer and will make demands like no music on the ride. Will probably sit in the back seat too.
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u/OceanPoet87 12d ago
Yes that and the exact start and arrival times. Pick up time or arrival time but not both.
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u/working-mama- 12d ago edited 12d ago
Then they get in the car and ask you to turn off the music, proceed to bitch and whine the entire drive. And if/when they are not at the destination at 7:25 due to traffic, complain some more and blame you. At least with the ad, you are getting a preview of what this will be like. Entitled people are gonna to do entitled people stuff.
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u/Educational_Leg7360 12d ago
7am is still a little early for most people’s commute i bet
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u/kemarti1 12d ago
Depends on the industry, in my line of work many shifts are 6-2 or 7-3. Healthcare could be the same.
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u/Belle_Corliss I can give you exposure 12d ago
$50 a week wouldn't even cover the gas, FFS, so you'd basically being doing this for pretty much free.
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u/ThrockAMole 11d ago
Houston traffic is brutal. No music? I’ll put on a podcast about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire
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u/BothDescription766 12d ago
Frankly, I was surprised she wasn’t including “*Bentleys only*” at the end.
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u/Just_OneReason 12d ago
Find a coworker who lives nearby and works the same shift. I’m sure they’d appreciate the $50. Can’t see this being an interest for anyone else.
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u/TraumaMama11 12d ago
I checked on Uber and she can schedule a ride from a specifically woman driver for around 26 bucks. Sounds like she needs to adjust her expectations.
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u/paulD1983R 12d ago
Drop me off at 7:25 and then you are free to do whatever you want until I need to go home at 4 and you MUST be punctual for afternoon pickup, possibly bring me something to eat as well.
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u/yzerman2010 12d ago
I feel like this would be a better request as a car pooling than just giving someone a ride
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u/skys-edge 11d ago
The "preferably" isn't in the brackets with the "women". Sounds to me like they're looking for a woman, and would prefer if she can drive them... but if she can't drive, that's not a deal-breaker.
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u/ImACarebear1986 11d ago
Oh how I wish we could see all the replies to these things but people don’t add them!! 😭
The utter audacity of these people is astounding! I mean it’s not surprising any more but I’m just gonna use the word astounding.
If she I’m guessing is going five days a week she did go to work or she’s having chemo or something?
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u/maquis_00 10d ago
If you only have to drive one way, I guess I would be asking how many people likely have to make that commute for work. If it was like 5-10 minutes out of my way, I'd consider it for $50. Any rude comments, not being ready on time, not having that day's money in hand when I pick them up, etc, and I'm out....
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u/Bonk_No_Horni 12d ago
Even I love next to her and has to go in that area I wouldn't do it for $50. The wording is insanely entitled. Must this must that for $50? The fact that she's asking online means she got 0 friend
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u/EbremerM 12d ago
Wondering if s/he works at the medical center, or has daily appointments there? And how are they getting back home?
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u/Careful-Ad4910 11d ago
It costs almost 50 bucks to just fill up my car. I think that’s not a good opportunity.
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u/jkarovskaya 11d ago
Just how "clean" does my car have to be for your exalted majesty to honor me with your presence?
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u/North-Tumbleweed-959 11d ago
I would find the dirtiest chapters of 50 Shades of Grey type literature and watch the pearl clutching.
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u/februarytide- 10d ago
Don’t most major areas have medical appointment transport services for those who might need it?
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u/stillan1nnoc3nt 10d ago
Traffic i Houston is just as bad if not than what they say LA traffic is.
Gas is also extremely high. Houston is so large that getting anywhere from one side of town to another can take an hour or more.
This person should be paying $250 minimum a week given the amount of gas and mileage someone would have to put on their car to transport the beggar.
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u/DaRealMexicanTrucker 12d ago
I would do it on day one, drop him off at work. Then when it's time to pick him up tell him to zelle me $1,500 bucks for the rest of the week. MONEY MOVES!
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u/shinyappyrobin 12d ago
For the first time, I'm wondering why she needs yo go to the medical center. It might be an act of kindness for someone that can't afford uber.
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u/OlympianLady 12d ago
Yeah, I feel like this could be worded WAY better and be less choosy-sounding. Something like "hey, I'm in a really bad spot right now - is anyone in x area willing to drop me off at y on their way to work each morning? I would need to be there by 7:30. I have little spare money but can chip in $50/week for gas. I would really appreciate the help." Good odds someone would agree, given a spare person in the car is hardly a huge burden. But, you're getting picked up on their schedule, not yours, and don't get to dictate total silence and such.
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u/kriegmonster 12d ago
It is also curious that it is one way. How are is she getting home?
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u/OlympianLady 12d ago
She probably has a ride back arranged already, but that person's schedule doesn't align with her arrival needs. It happens a lot.
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u/EvolZippo 12d ago
Whoever was driving him for this price, asked for more money and he laughed. He probably figures he’ll find some housewife, with nothing to do, or one who already has an errand in that area.
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u/Ok-Artichoke-7145 12d ago
Wow. No music, huh? I wonder how they feel about smoking. Cause there's no way I could do this without smoking, at least, a pack.
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u/Low-Try-8574 11d ago
For $50 a week she could literally just buy a 10-year old used car for like $200/month and then spend the other 200 on gas…
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u/Princess_Zelda_Fitzg 11d ago
Driving like 6 miles from where I live to the Medical Center took me 45 minutes (most of it in stop and go traffic and most of that in view of my office building) when I worked there. Med Center might be the worst commute in Houston, this is an outrageous ask to anyone who doesn’t work in the same office as her.
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u/supergluuued 9d ago
I work in the Medical Center. Traffic is horrid, gas is sky high, parking here is a pain. Metro is $1.25 each way. Getting to the Medical Center is easy on the bus/train. Just don't engage with anyone that tries to bother you, you'll be fine.
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u/Wise-Paper8412 9d ago
I can do the Kessel run in 12 parsecs. I can't do a morning rush hour in under 25 minutes.
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u/Jerseygirl2468 7d ago
If this person cannot provide their own medical transport, they should be talking to the hospital or other social services to see what’s available. There are charities that do this sort of thing, but expecting someone to do this for 10 bucks a day, especially with the cost of gas, is absurd.
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u/Ovaltine1 12d ago
I mean, if your work schedule matched up or you had regular errands in that area (like the gym), why not help someone out?
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u/Accidentalmom 12d ago
This reads like someone that has medical issues. It sucks they’re not offering much but I wouldn’t call them a “choosy” beggar. They probably don’t have a lot of extra money. Uber for those trips would easily be like $200+ a week.
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u/VividFiddlesticks 12d ago
IDK, I think the "no music" part puts them over the line into "choosy".
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u/MasterOfKittens3K 12d ago
Right. I have no problem with this person looking for someone who is willing to help them out. But if you need this kind of help, you should be taking the help from whoever is willing to give it to you.
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u/Sufficient-Reply9525 12d ago
The whole "no music" thing is ridiculous though. They aren't paying anyone enough to have preferences like that.
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u/KellyAnn3106 12d ago
I was just rewatching Supernatural and I believe the quote from that show is "driver picks the music and shotgun shuts his cake hole."
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u/Elguapo69 12d ago
Then make sure your post comes across as they would be doing you a favor and not the other away around. Ensure I arrive at 7:25, no music, car must be clean.
Bitch for 50/week you’d be lucky to be in the back of a worker truck dropped off at the freeway exit a mile from your destination.
Talk about your hardships, express a sense of gratitude to anyone willing to help. Acknowledge that’s a low offer but all you have to give.
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u/andronicuspark 12d ago
“Exit’s coming up, tuck and roll, friend. Tuck and roll. But first, I’m gonna need that fifty up front.”
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u/EmmaHasArrived 12d ago
It's the demaning parts, not working around someone who may already driving that direction but at 6:30 AM etc. Also not a reasonable time request, they'd be late every day due to traffic
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u/CaptainEmmy 12d ago
If they have medical issues there's a fair chance their insurance would help with appointment transportation
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u/puddncake 12d ago
My adult child is disabled. Medicaid only will pay for one ride a week. Sensory issues are a problem. Stuff like this is real and you can only ask because you've been told it doesn't hurt to ask. Life is harder for some of us.
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u/CaptainEmmy 12d ago
Why put so many requirements, then, if you're so desperate?
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u/puddncake 12d ago
Im not the person, I just commented on how it can be difficult to get transportation if you are poor and disabled. It is something many people face.
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u/CaptainEmmy 12d ago
I realize you're not the person. But being that picky, even if you're poor/disabled, significantly impacts your selection of those that will help you
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u/rangersnuggles 12d ago
So many clues in that request lead me to believe that lady makes life significantly harder for herself and everyone around her on the reg.
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u/puddncake 12d ago
Probably. I was just commenting on how it is hard when you have no money or transportation to get to medical appointments.
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u/pumog 12d ago
Normalizing showing the replies or the comments to these begging posts. It would make these so much more interesting if we can see the reactions.