Patong Police investigate taxi drivers beating up a tourist

[chang1]

5 hours ago, Olmate said:

Don’t demand , just ask with a smile, works for me!

Either you did not read the post properly or you're some kind of super human negotiator.

You "just ask with a smile" and they suddenly give in and use the meter and don't ask for anything extra? This I would have to see. Can you get the same results on Samui?

[chang1]

5 hours ago, Olmate said:

Quite right, if you had agreed on a price beforehand, no problem.I seem to recall it’s in all good guide books to set a price.

"Quite right"? The meter gives the agreed price. If the driver wanted 100 Baht on top of the meter HE should have agreed that beforehand not at the destination after agreeing to use the meter.

We are only getting one side here and possibly the driver had asked for this and the customer had misunderstood.

[chang1]

4 hours ago, Thian said:

On 3/30/2019 at 5:20 AM, seancbk said:

Tuk-Tuks should all be banned, or if not at least forced to use a proper meter so that tourist and locals alike stop being fleeced by these scumbags.

Even the taxi's won't  use their meter....

 

Last week i arrived at don mueang, the taxiqueue was at number 30 and i got ticket 120 !!!

No need to ban tuk tuks as long as there is the alternative of a meter taxi - customers choice. Same in Patong - if there was a viable alternative such as plenty of metered taxis then those taxis who don't want a meter could stay. I doubt they would prosper though.

 

Taxis get a set amount (50 Baht I think) on top of the meter at airports. Maybe this needs increasing at certain times like rush hour (or is it rush 3 hours). Supply and demand.

[Thian]

2 minutes ago, chang1 said:

No need to ban tuk tuks as long as there is the alternative of a meter taxi - customers choice. Same in Patong - if there was a viable alternative such as plenty of metered taxis then those taxis who don't want a meter could stay. I doubt they would prosper though.

 

Taxis get a set amount (50 Baht I think) on top of the meter at airports. Maybe this needs increasing at certain times like rush hour (or is it rush 3 hours). Supply and demand.

I was trying to get the taxi from don mueang at 1 am....is that rush hour?

 

Outside were plenty taxi's but they wouldn't use the meter...

[chang1]

2 minutes ago, Thian said:

I was trying to get the taxi from don mueang at 1 am....is that rush hour?

 

Outside were plenty taxi's but they wouldn't use the meter...

"Certain times" doesn't just mean rush hour.

Whenever I have used the airport taxi desk, the meter was always used without any problems. Taxis have been using the airports to blackmail the authorities into raising the meter rates which may be affecting things. 

By outside I presume you mean not going in and using the taxi desk. If there are enough customers willing to pay extra to avoid the que then it will only get worse. Maybe the police should be moving them on. Forcing them to choose a metered fare or no fare. If too many choose no fare it is time to up the set extra amount to keep the waiting time down.

[paulikens]

On 3/29/2019 at 7:33 AM, Lucius verus said:

Doesn't matter if it goes viral.

Phuket is a very cheap destination relative to other places and will continue to reel in budget tourists.

You get what you pay for.

is this a april fools?phuket is the dearest place in thailand

[Thian]

4 minutes ago, chang1 said:

Maybe the police should be moving them on. Forcing them to choose a metered fare or no fare. If too many choose no fare it is time to up the set extra amount to keep the waiting time down.

It was the same 3 months ago...very long queue's at the official taxistand and no meter used outside..they refused me 5 times in row right in front of the security sitting at the door...so i asked the security why they wouldn't use their meters but they didn't care at all.....

 

Once i took a taxi in phuket and told him we were searching for a hotel...he brought us to one and insisted to do the talking for us to the reception....guess he wanted commission for that from the hotel.

[Olmate]

2 hours ago, Thian said:

It was the same 3 months ago...very long queue's at the official taxistand and no meter used outside..they refused me 5 times in row right in front of the security sitting at the door...so i asked the security why they wouldn't use their meters but they didn't care at all.....

 

Once i took a taxi in phuket and told him we were searching for a hotel...he brought us to one and insisted to do the talking for us to the reception....guess he wanted commission for that from the hotel.

I,m guessing you didn’t tip him then ,how dare he!

[Olmate]

3 hours ago, chang1 said:

"Certain times" doesn't just mean rush hour.

Whenever I have used the airport taxi desk, the meter was always used without any problems. Taxis have been using the airports to blackmail the authorities into raising the meter rates which may be affecting things. 

By outside I presume you mean not going in and using the taxi desk. If there are enough customers willing to pay extra to avoid the que then it will only get worse. Maybe the police should be moving them on. Forcing them to choose a metered fare or no fare. If too many choose no fare it is time to up the set extra amount to keep the waiting time down.

Funny you seem to have taxi issues wherever you go ,Phuket,Samui,Bkk It’s not Charlie Chang is it?

[Olmate]

3 hours ago, chang1 said:

"Quite right"? The meter gives the agreed price. If the driver wanted 100 Baht on top of the meter HE should have agreed that beforehand not at the destination after agreeing to use the meter.

We are only getting one side here and possibly the driver had asked for this and the customer had misunderstood.

If you agree on a price, no meter! Duh!

[Richard Kuklinski]

On 3/30/2019 at 12:47 PM, Deli said:

So where is BJ now ?

He's checking the tourist's visa to make sure he isn't an overstay.  ????

[Richard Kuklinski]

On 3/30/2019 at 3:14 AM, thai006 said:

 i just blame the stupid tourist , respect thai people and they will respect you :=) 

How has transport from Point A to Point B got anything to do with respecting Thai's in general?  

 

Would this happen in restaurant because of a complaint about the food?  Or, a hotel about the air conditioner not working?  Would the customers be assaulted because they made a complaint in either of these cases?  Would the chef and waiters all join in on the assault, because the customer said they didn't order what was delivered to the table? 

 

 

[Richard Kuklinski]

2 hours ago, Olmate said:

If you agree on a price, no meter! Duh!

Problem is, the agreed price changes, without the agreement of the passenger.  ????

[chang1]

18 hours ago, Olmate said:

If you agree on a price, no meter! Duh!

If the driver agrees to use the meter then the the fare shown on the meter is the agreed price! Duh!

[LivinginKata]

7 minutes ago, chang1 said:

If the driver agrees to use the meter then the the fare shown on the meter is the agreed price! Duh!

 

Oh dear - but a Tuk Tuk is not fitted with a meter and this incident is about Tuk Tuks and not metered taxis.

[chang1]

18 hours ago, Olmate said:

Funny you seem to have taxi issues wherever you go ,Phuket,Samui,Bkk It’s not Charlie Chang is it?

If taxis follow the rules and companies don't create cartels to artificially rise prices and remove competition by force and most importantly never get violent - then I don't have a problem but sadly Thailand has areas where all of the above occurs.

Funny you seem to be oblivious to how bad some of them are. You're like the 3 monkeys rolled into one - see no evil, hear no evil speak no evil when it comes to taxis.

[chang1]

48 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Oh dear - but a Tuk Tuk is not fitted with a meter and this incident is about Tuk Tuks and not metered taxis.

Oh dear someone has not read the thread and taken that comment out of context.

It was more a comment on the Bangkok taxi that aggressively demanded 100 Baht on top of the meter fare after completing the journey.

[LivinginKata]

2 minutes ago, chang1 said:

Oh dear someone has not read the thread and taken that comment out of context.

It was more a comment on the Bangkok taxi that aggressively demanded 100 Baht on top of the meter fare after completing the journey.

 

Thread is "patong-police-investigate-taxi-drivers-beating-up-a-tourist"

 

and I read the thread throughout the posting of the 12 pages. It's the non Phuket members that take these sort of topics wildly off course.

[observer90210]

Why would those criminal taxi rogues not settle their scores with their fists ?  After all they know that they will get away with a waï and a 1'000 THB fine.

 

The victims should report the issue to the press and on social media, when safely back in their home country.

[Olmate]

5 hours ago, chang1 said:

If taxis follow the rules and companies don't create cartels to artificially rise prices and remove competition by force and most importantly never get violent - then I don't have a problem but sadly Thailand has areas where all of the above occurs.

Funny you seem to be oblivious to how bad some of them are. You're like the 3 monkeys rolled into one - see no evil, hear no evil speak no evil when it comes to taxis.

Not at all, just don,t agree with your ill informed generalisations.

[Olmate]

4 hours ago, observer90210 said:

Why would those criminal taxi rogues not settle their scores with their fists ?  After all they know that they will get away with a waï and a 1'000 THB fine.

 

The victims should report the issue to the press and on social media, when safely back in their home country.

And present their one sided view of events, perhaps better to agree on a price beforehand or simply say no thanks!No shortage of options in Patong.

[chang1]

On 4/2/2019 at 8:42 AM, LivinginKata said:

 

Thread is "patong-police-investigate-taxi-drivers-beating-up-a-tourist"

 

and I read the thread throughout the posting of the 12 pages. It's the non Phuket members that take these sort of topics wildly off course.

True I am guilty of that, but I do think these sort of conflicts need to be compared to how other areas and countries handle similar situations. Otherwise it is far too common for people, who are locked in their own little bubbles, to put the blame in the wrong place. 

This situation ended up with violence which is never acceptable. To me the most important thing is to try and stop that happening again - as I could be the next victim. Some are quick to blame the tourist because he didn't negotiate properly. This is a stupid thing to do because it will not change anything, ie. it is just as likely to happen again, while the smug locals will again say another dumb tourist got what he deserved. Instead of asking what has gone wrong and how do we make it better. 

The first thing to do is see what caused the fight - appears to be a misunderstanding over the rip off fare. Second, look for better ways of doing things to reduce the chance of it happening again. This is where it gets hard for local people - look at how it is done elsewhere, chances are somewhere in the world has a better system. 

Third, stop thinking we are locals it has been like this for years and I am OK, it only affects other foolish people - utterly selfish and short sighted.

Fourth, try some changes, doesn't have to be one massive change that risks causing chaos and resentment. Gradually make steps towards the end goal. In this case a viable, reliable, inexpensive, easy to understand and most importantly safe taxi system. 

Eg. Fit meters to all taxis and tuk tuks. Set the fares high so they are equivalent to the negotiated fares presently used to make enforcement easier and the meters easier to accept. Then have an annual review of fares that brings them more into line with say Bangkok. This may take 5 to 10 years and a new enforcement regime but could be workable but will never happen as long as the locals are OK and carry on blaming instead of thinking. Also Thais need immediate results as they can't see more than one day ahead yet alone 10 years.

 

 

[LivinginKata]

16 minutes ago, chang1 said:

True I am guilty of that, but I do think these sort of conflicts need to be compared to how other areas and countries handle similar situations. Otherwise it is far too common for people, who are locked in their own little bubbles, to put the blame in the wrong place. 

This situation ended up with violence which is never acceptable. To me the most important thing is to try and stop that happening again - as I could be the next victim. Some are quick to blame the tourist because he didn't negotiate properly. This is a stupid thing to do because it will not change anything, ie. it is just as likely to happen again, while the smug locals will again say another dumb tourist got what he deserved. Instead of asking what has gone wrong and how do we make it better. 

The first thing to do is see what caused the fight - appears to be a misunderstanding over the rip off fare. Second, look for better ways of doing things to reduce the chance of it happening again. This is where it gets hard for local people - look at how it is done elsewhere, chances are somewhere in the world has a better system. 

Third, stop thinking we are locals it has been like this for years and I am OK, it only affects other foolish people - utterly selfish and short sighted.

Fourth, try some changes, doesn't have to be one massive change that risks causing chaos and resentment. Gradually make steps towards the end goal. In this case a viable, reliable, inexpensive, easy to understand and most importantly safe taxi system. 

Eg. Fit meters to all taxis and tuk tuks. Set the fares high so they are equivalent to the negotiated fares presently used to make enforcement easier and the meters easier to accept. Then have an annual review of fares that brings them more into line with say Bangkok. This may take 5 to 10 years and a new enforcement regime but could be workable but will never happen as long as the locals are OK and carry on blaming instead of thinking. Also Thais need immediate results as they can't see more than one day ahead yet alone 10 years.

 

 

 

Good response. We 'locals' know all the pitfalls of our taxi mafia and I suspect most TV members never use a Tuk Tuk. I never have in 23 years living here.  It's the casual tourist that gets ripped off.  Been going on for 2+ decades now. These past 2 years a bit of progress with meter taxis and coast public bus route. Taken many years to get this far.

 

It's stories like this assault (and many others) on Facebook and the like that might shame the Phuket authorities into improving the mafia controlled system of transport. Trouble is that these 'authorities' are all on the take. With Facebook and the like those casual tourists might not fly here and that might shake up the golden goose. 

[chang1]

20 hours ago, Olmate said:

Not at all, just don,t agree with your ill informed generalisations.

I know I don't have all the facts and so do generalise a bit. I also appreciate you putting in the time to answer my posts as it helps me understand others point of view. 

We are obviously poles apart on this beating and I still can't see any justification for not wanting to change how taxis operate in tourist areas like Patong.

Here is a personal experience which is an example of how not being a local puts you at a massive disadvantage that could easily have lead to violence.

I now refuse to go to Hua Hin since my (Thai) wife and 3 (Thai) friends were charged 200 Baht (agreed fare) to do a U turn in front of me. She didn't know her destination was directly across the street and paid before I crossed over because it was her fault. The driver left before I could have words with him which definitely would have included some strong language. 

Just remember it could be your friends or family that are treated like this in the future. Who would you be blaming if they got hurt?

[chang1]

26 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Good response. We 'locals' know all the pitfalls of our taxi mafia and I suspect most TV members never use a Tuk Tuk. I never have in 23 years living here.  It's the casual tourist that gets ripped off.  Been going on for 2+ decades now. These past 2 years a bit of progress with meter taxis and coast public bus route. Taken many years to get this far.

 

It's stories like this assault (and many others) on Facebook and the like that might shame the Phuket authorities into improving the mafia controlled system of transport. Trouble is that these 'authorities' are all on the take. With Facebook and the like those casual tourists might not fly here and that might shake up the golden goose. 

Thank-you. It is good to hear progress is being made, hope it continues. As I have shown above it doesn't have to get as far as violence to make people go elsewhere. This also has a knock on effect with other people. If I won't go somewhere my friends and family don't go with me either. Also they may find other places are better and take their friends and family there instead. Also people tell about 20 others about bad experiences but only 5 about good ones (or something like that).

[Olmate]

15 hours ago, chang1 said:

Thank-you. It is good to hear progress is being made, hope it continues. As I have shown above it doesn't have to get as far as violence to make people go elsewhere. This also has a knock on effect with other people. If I won't go somewhere my friends and family don't go with me either. Also they may find other places are better and take their friends and family there instead. Also people tell about 20 others about bad experiences but only 5 about good ones (or something like that).

I agree most posts are relating to negative issues,it’s common in all tourism related social media platforms.No one reads the great stuff!           May I say most days I follow a routine here in Patong which includes sitting in a cafe for breakfast ,later a coffee at Jungceylon then a walk along beach road .In each of these spots taxi tuk tuk stands operate and interact constantly with customers or potential customers.All are in heavy tourist frequented areas.Over the last say 18 months I have witnessed 1000,s of groups approach operators to inquire directions ,check fares,take trips etc.I  am impressed by the guys n gals doing their jobs and cannot recall a heated situation arising. As I said earlier fares to common destinations are displayed and in clear view,options for tuk tuk,moto or car/van are usually available. I am seldom about at night so can’t speak for those times but would suggest tipsy customers may be more difficult to please.

[Henrik Andersen]

On 3/29/2019 at 2:35 PM, NCC1701A said:

wow they are really kicking the shit out of him.

 

i wonder what he did wrong?

He probably ask for they put meter on