When a "stupid" taxi rip off is not enough! Now a US dollar is worth the same as a Euro!

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, Bigpanda420 said:

It's the taxi mafia again.....on Samui always catch the red and yellow taxis, they have propper insurance just in case of an accident

 

What insurance do you talk of?

 

Insurance which covers your medical costs if involved in an accident? (we should all have our own medical insurance anyway, for when we are not in an insured taxi).

 

Or, Insurance which pays out should we incur life changing injuries in an accident when in a taxi?

 

Or, simply insurance which pays for the damage to the car?

[JimmyJ]

20 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Would you care to provide a link - was it a TV thread/facebook/somewhere else?

 

Another thread in TVF which also showed that picture, during the last day or 2.

Probably in the Koh Samui current thread.

 

A poster asked if the sign is for real, 2 separate responses of "No".

 

 

[spidermike007]

This post is amusing. It has been like this on Samui for decades now. None of the authorities are as powerful as the Samui taxi mafia. Yes, that includes Prayuth, and his all powerful army. Not long after they seized power, they came into Samui by the hundreds. They insisted that the taxis start using their meters. The taxis all agreed. As is always the case with anything the army and this administration does, after two weeks, all was forgotten, and there was no follow up. If you flagged a taxi and asked him to use his meter, he looked at you like you were from Mars, and laughed at you. Been the same ever since. Samui is the biggest taxi scam in Thailand. Always has been, and probably always will be. It is still the Wild Wild West there. These guys are above the law. And and all laws. 

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

Nowhere does it claim that anyone thinks that the value of the USD and the Euro are the same!

 

Could be something to do with the fact that $150 is easier to exchange than EUR131.73!

 

Or, of course, the whingers could easily get around the issue by not expecting Thai taxi drivers to accept Euros or Dollars and simply pay in Baht, the currency of the country they are in!

Lol from a poster who uses a confused icon on this thread about the scammers NOT willing to change $1000 USD for 1000 Euro if asked!!! 

No one else was confused!!   

Oh  yah genius your custom sign could say 130 Euro. Huge duh!!!

[Kieran00001]

Lived on Samui for years, taken plenty of taxis and never seen fares anything like this, they all have the same card, I guess its issued to them, and the charges are capped at 600 baht.  I think this is probably just a photoshopped joke.

[p414]

I first went to Samuii in december 1995,,,jump on any baht bus and get off anywhere [all round the island] 10 baht...Bungalow 100 mts from the beach fan [A/C not needed 100b night was there for 10 happy weeks...Went again 7 years later taxis charging same as london black cab..stayed one night.

 

[Kieran00001]

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

This post is amusing. It has been like this on Samui for decades now. None of the authorities are as powerful as the Samui taxi mafia. Yes, that includes Prayuth, and his all powerful army. Not long after they seized power, they came into Samui by the hundreds. They insisted that the taxis start using their meters. The taxis all agreed. As is always the case with anything the army and this administration does, after two weeks, all was forgotten, and there was no follow up. If you flagged a taxi and asked him to use his meter, he looked at you like you were from Mars, and laughed at you. Been the same ever since. Samui is the biggest taxi scam in Thailand. Always has been, and probably always will be. It is still the Wild Wild West there. These guys are above the law. And and all laws. 

 

There are fixed price taxi points all over the island, they are a bit overpriced by Thai standards but they are nothing like the prices shown here, so no it has not been like this on Samui for decades, no one pays $100 for a taxi, they cost from 300 to 600 baht anywhere.

[Kieran00001]

2 minutes ago, p414 said:

I first went to Samuii in december 1995,,,jump on any baht bus and get off anywhere [all round the island] 10 baht...Bungalow 100 mts from the beach fan [A/C not needed 100b night was there for 10 happy weeks...Went again 7 years later taxis charging same as london black cab..stayed one night.

 

 

The baht buses are still running, 50 baht maximum fare, I think back in 2002 they had gone up a wacking 2 baht from the 1995 price, you chose to upgrade to a taxi on your second trip but how much were they charging in 1995?

[Krataiboy]

5 hours ago, fruitman said:

Oh i see, so now they use metered taxi's in phuket/samui? Sure mate!

 

So much fun to bargain for EVERYTHING when it's the law to use metered taxi's....That's my dream when on holiday, having to bargain all day with persons who can't speak english.

 

What business do you have in phuket??

 

Taxi driver?

[Borzandy]

6 hours ago, BestB said:

The assumption is wrong thinking that taxi drivers think foreigners are stupid. Fact is taxi drivers are stupid , they do not know the difference between euro or dollar ????

Foreigners are stupid to hire a taxi.

[pennine]

1 hour ago, RobertH said:

People are complaining about the discrepancy? Screw the discrepancies. The prices in either dollars or Euros are outrageous!!! I hate Samui. Pattaya is a sewer. And Phuket has lost its charms. Some Thais know how to ruin a paradise, and the government(s) and TAT don't do a thing about it.

I commented once before on the price of taxis in Samui. 500 baht from the airport to Choeng Mon, a 10 minute trip. Compare with 400 baht from Suvarnibhumi to Sukhumvit, 45 minutes to an hour. And if that's not sufficient outrageousness, they charge extra if they have to go up a hill!! And I'm a resident, not a tourist.

[Shiver]

Love the "around the island" one way or round trip.

Ask for half way, but travel back with them.

I'd ask them repeatedly if they can change USD for EUR and offer them a small markup for their inconvenience.

[dave moir]

5 hours ago, Olmate said:

These signs not in Phuket ! No scam taxi,s here either, if you think price is high you bargain, same every where. Why is it scamming to ask a high price.? 

It's scamming because they should be using the meter in taxis!

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, sandrew33 said:

I'm a little sluggish after Xmas excesses but you were intentionally taking the piss here right? 

Probably his thai family drives taxi's or minibuses....

[KKr]

16 minutes ago, pennine said:

, they charge extra if they have to go up a hill!!

sounds like the Flintstones to me !!

and the prices, jeez, a minibus for a day costs less than those racketeers are charging tourists for an hour. 
(and yes, we do have hills up north, going up the hill they throw in for free). 

All in the name of Promoting Tourism and Enhancing the Reputation of Thailand.
 

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, korkenzieher said:

The concept of repeat customers, and spreading your business through good reputation isn't very high on their list. Maybe it is just the case that there's no-one there, because the once-bitten-twice-shy response to this, has worked its way through just about everybody that might want to go there.

Thai already have the reputation of being scammers, these taxidrivers just confirm that again....ask a European about their holiday in thailand and scamming comes up within 3 minutes.

[manhood]

It's just like that: <deleted> them off and don't use any service!!!

[Jonmarleesco]

6 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Maybe the taxi driver logic is that the Dollar/Euro 'numbers' are smaller than in Baht. so the gullible tourists will think it's not expensive?

Yep. Nothing to beat Thai logic - except Thai taxi driver logic. 

[spidermike007]

52 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

There are fixed price taxi points all over the island, they are a bit overpriced by Thai standards but they are nothing like the prices shown here, so no it has not been like this on Samui for decades, no one pays $100 for a taxi, they cost from 300 to 600 baht anywhere.

That is irrelevant. It has been overpriced on Samui for decades. The taxis remain unregulated. They will never use their meters. And nobody is attempting to fix the problem. I have never seen that bizarre sign either. But that does not mean prices are not out of proportion to elsewhere in Thailand. 

[sahibji]

7 hours ago, BestB said:

The assumption is wrong thinking that taxi drivers think foreigners are stupid. Fact is taxi drivers are stupid , they do not know the difference between euro or dollar ????

a better solution would be to introduce competition in the form of UBER or GRAB

[Bastos60]

7 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Maybe the taxi driver logic is that the Dollar/Euro 'numbers' are smaller than in Baht. so the gullible tourists will think it's not expensive?

With the current exchange rate it should be about 135€ (rounded up to the next paper denomination). That is still 120 baht more.

 

 

[Dap]

6 hours ago, Olmate said:

These signs not in Phuket ! No scam taxi,s here either, if you think price is high you bargain, same every where. Why is it scamming to ask a high price.? 

These prices are waaay above "high". These prices are criminally high.

[bangrak]

2 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Seems meter taxi not yet invented there.

good reason for never to go back there again.

But the markings, including the light on the roof, on all the taxis say: 'TAXI METER'... LOL, TiT

[PerkinsCuthbert]

A good rule of thumb in almost any country that does not quote prices in local currency is to walk away; prices in USD are certain to be a rip off.

[ronaldo0]

This is seemingly a price which they keep in the taxis for cruise ship customers that get of the boats in Nathon . I'm guessing they think the customers will be a one time deal so whack them for whatever and if the customer doesn't want to pay then they will be left standing in nathon not having seen much of samui . Most people getting of a cruise boat wouldn't know about baht buses etc or how to use them and if on a cruise ship they usually have a set time allowed on shore.

Taxis here don't use meters. They have them usually for display if stopped or checked by the army etc but most if not all are hidden where the stereo would be or on the dash under a cover. I use them regularly every week for last 12 years and not once has one had its meter on .

[kevin612]

No matter where I go, when I see the Thai prices more expensive than New York, something is not right.

[chang1]

7 minutes ago, ronaldo0 said:

This is seemingly a price which they keep in the taxis for cruise ship customers that get of the boats in Nathon . I'm guessing they think the customers will be a one time deal so whack them for whatever and if the customer doesn't want to pay then they will be left standing in nathon not having seen much of samui . Most people getting of a cruise boat wouldn't know about baht buses etc or how to use them and if on a cruise ship they usually have a set time allowed on shore.

Taxis here don't use meters. They have them usually for display if stopped or checked by the army etc but most if not all are hidden where the stereo would be or on the dash under a cover. I use them regularly every week for last 12 years and not once has one had its meter on .

I'd say you are spot on. I used to stay in Lamai for about 2 months a year since 2000 but have not been back for 8 years as the atmosphere is all gone. I have never used a taxi as I heard it cost 300 Baht just for the shortest trips. Although not cheap, wins and baht buses were not too bad. Renting a bike or walking was the best way to get around.

[Daffy D]

When traders accept hard currency instead of local currency it's normally the start of the collapse of the local economy. 

 

Happening all over in third world countries, try buying anything with Zimbabwe dollar.

 

Collapse of the Baht - bring it on 

[bkk6060]

3 hours ago, prakhonchai nick said:

 Always been way overpriced and I am known to speak my mind.

Wow, definitely impressive here.

Anything else we need to know about you and what you are "known for"?

[maddox41]

It's nothing new they all think we are rich stupid Farangs. 

What makes me laugh if we are all rich we can't be that <deleted>.... Stupid ???  I have never meet a culture of  people that think they are so intelligent of there ignorance.   Blows my mind and as you all know when you live here long enough  speak Thai they stay away  from you like the plague. As you not stupid no more.  They have a scam radar but in to their brain