Columbia Street Limousine Service

I was recently at an event where black cars were ordered en masse to move guests from Red Hook to Manhattan. While Columbia was not the company contracted for this event, they sent cars to the event anyway. They pulled up to the venue, intermingled with the cars we were supposed to take and picked up passengers. We were not informed by the Columbia drivers that they worked for anyone other than the contracted company.
Only upon arriving at our destination was it made clear that we had been duped. Instead of the ride being charged to a prepaid account, we were accosted for cash payment. The amount demanded ranged from $ 40-​$ 60, although we all took the same ride. This happened to several car loads of people who had unwittingly stepped into a Columbia Car Service car.
In an attempt to clear things up, I called the corporate offices. I imagined that these drivers pulled this little con job without the approval of their superiors. I was wrong. The guy speaking from the corporate office chose to hang up on me rather than deal with my complaint. The dispatcher screamed at me that he didn’t care what happened to me and that I was on my own before disconnecting as well.
This company is a scam run by criminals. They prey on out of towners who will more likely just give in and pay for the ride instead of arguing about it. In the end, I had to pay for my ride too, as I felt threatened by our driver and feared for my personal safety. I was, after all, sitting in his car at 1 AM while he screamed at me.
Never take a car driven by this company. They will try to upcharge you if they get the chance (there was no agreed upon price when we left the venue, probably to further the illusion that they were the designated, prepaid service) and their drivers are nothing more than goons who use physicality and your vulnerable position in their car as an implicit threat.
Avoid this place like the effing plague.