The taxi scam?

It happened twice in one night. I hail a cab. I tell them where I'm going and they start taking the longest, most circuitous route, going on the opposite direction of where they should. As I start bitching, they give me all kinds of excuses. A few of which actually make sense (construction on Houston going on forever).
However, the driver should let the passenger know the reason for heading north and west when you've asked him to take you south and east.
They hear a faint accent (or so I'd like to think) and they think here is this stupid tourist who doesn't know downtown from uptown, let me take her for a ride. Make some extra cash.
I know gas is expensive and I know our town is rife with tourists, but neither of these is my fault.
And I am going to say something ugly: some of these cabbies come from countries where they are not used to listening to women and they answer back as if one is retarded. Totally patronizing. Like the cabbie who is talking on the phone as I tell him where I'm going and then claims I said something I didn't and then tells me the classic third world bullshit: pay what you think is fair. I hate that manipulative bullshit. No, you stop blathering on the phone as I'm talking to you and take me where I asked you and charge me what the meter says.
I needed to vent.