I wanted a cab not a cabinet!

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It had four wheels and cost a lot of money but, sadly for one impatient teenager, the similarity ended there.

A teenager was greeted by a display cabinet instead of a taxi because her 'Ali G-style' slang confused a series of phone operators.

The girl hurriedly dialled directory inq*uiries to book a taxi from her home in London to Bristol airport, using the cockney rhyming slang Joe Baxi.

But the operator told her they were unable to find anyone by that name.

Seething, the youngster snapped back: 'It ain't a person, it's a cab, innit.'

The operator duly gave her what she asked for and put her through to the nearest supplier of cabinets, Displaysense.

The teenager must have felt the world was against her when a cabinet saleswoman seemed equally confused.

'Look love, how hard is it?' she fumed. 'All I want is your cheapest cab, innit. I need it for 10am. How much is it?' The sales adviser told her £180. The tantrum-throwing teenager quickly left her address details before ringing off.

The next morning, rather than being picked up by a cab, the young woman had the cabinet dropped off.

The huffy teenager's use of 'Ali G-style slang' caused the mix-up, said marketing manager Steve Whittle.

'Our sales team deal with thousands of customers and a range of different accents but, on this occasion, they were really stumped,' he added.

The company has since apologised, offered her a refund and suggested she should perhaps speak a bit clearer on the phone in future.

Mr Whittle added: 'We don't know if she made it to the airport but she did ask our driver if he could give her a lift.'

'I didn't want a cabinet. I wanted a cab, innit?' | Metro.co.uk