Chiang Mai Airport taxi rip-off

[cliveshep]

My son and his girlfriend are here for a short holiday and went to Chiang Mai for two days I thought it was the law that taxis must use the meter? They were charged 600 baht for a 15 minute journey to their Hotel.

 

So tourist rip-off's are alive and well!

 

Do warn your friends to make sure taxis use the meter.

 

I would have refused to pay and called the police but then I live here!

[moe666]

Some information plese, there is a airport taxi that charges 150b from the airport to any area within the old city area. When you start going futher afield the price goes up but no where near 600b.

[NancyL]

No, the taxis here don't use their meters like they do in Bangkok, but they quote a price before the trip.  They might have taken one of the 10 passenger vans from the airport -- they charge 600 baht but a regular taxi is 150 baht into town.  

 

You pick up the regular taxis at the door at the north end of the domestic terminal but the 10 passenger vans are at the door on the south end, the international terminal.

[elektrified]

How is it a rip off? The vans charge 600 Baht - clearly stated.

 

Call the police? For what? Taxi's don't use meters in Chiang Mai. Prices are 150/300/400/500, etc. depending how far you go. We go to Sansai and it's 350 Baht every time - Thai or farang.

[Vacuum]

35 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

I would have refused to pay and called the police but then I live here!

Your son should post this on Line or Facebook in Thai language.

[Puchaiyank]

Welcome to Thailand...LOS has been referred to as Land Of Scams...????

[Bill97]

Very easy to book a taxi at the airport with no rip off. Prices posted, receipts given, hard to screw up, several counters to quickly check prices.

Got to have problems if you can not manage it but if you think cm taxis use meters perhaps you have problems.


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[mike787]

54 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Welcome to Thailand...LOS has been referred to as Land Of Scams...????

Agreed!  This is Thailand. Suck it up!

Or fight the crap out of it!  Good luck in the LOS. 

[arithai12]

5 hours ago, cliveshep said:

Do warn your friends to make sure taxis use the meter.

 

I would have refused to pay and called the police but then I live here!

It seems you do not know Chiang Mai. The procedure to get a taxi at the airport is: go to the booth, state your destination, be quoted a price, get a piece of paper with destination and price to show to the driver, go outside and and wait for your number to be called.

The fixed price is not as cheap as a meter, but to be fair the cars are also usually much better than the typical Bangkok taxi, often a comfortable new SUV. For most destinations within city limits the fare should be less than 200-250B and certainly never 600.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2019 by arithai12

[Mahseer]

1 hour ago, arithai12 said:

go to the booth, state your destination, be quoted a price, get a piece of paper with destination and price to show to the driver, go outside and and wait for your number to be called.

And on top of that you don't pay until you reach your destination. Booth is called Airport Limousine and can be booked at domestic while you wait for your bags or just as you clear arrivals area. Been using them for years and never had a reason to change. Excellent service.

[moontang]

i would just walk to airport plaza and catch a yellow into town for 10 thb...after 9 pm I would catch a songtaew that just dropped someone off..never more than 100 thb to cmu with 50 kg of luggage and my liter from duty free...on a cooler, breathable evening i just walked it.....the fancy SUV taxis charge 200..and that was fine with tons of luggage.  The old GF's daughter works at the limo desk..cmu grad, speaks ok english...is 100% honest.  There is a big price to pay in LOS for being too hiso to ask the price, as evidenced by the ongoing karaoke scams...the russian clubs do the same thing in miami.

Edited April 13, 2019 by moontang

[eyecatcher]

Tbh you dont even need to ask for the price, as there is a giant poster behind the desks with the price of everyy area of chiang mai clearly displayed.

But hey if you want to save 150bt for a trip to the moat then walk, many people do, before stopping after 300m, catch a songthaew and arrive in style, albeit knackered, with broken suitcase wheels, sweaty and in a foul mood

 

[JimmyJ]

I take Grab from CNX.

 

Costs a small bit more but to me it is worth it.

[puukao]

son is here.  wow, you must be soooo happy!!!!  Oh no, you are mad.  you lost like 350 baht and take to TV to complain!!!!!

 

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

 

i remember once my dad tipped someone 10 euros more than i thought was necessary.  he said, it's only 10 euros and it will make them pretty happy.  so, your son made a Thai happy and they can have a better  life.  

 

but oh no..... it's 350 baht too much!!!!!!!!!!   call the World Police!!!!!  I would leave your son right now and go complain until the cows come home

[moontang]

1 hour ago, eyecatcher said:

Tbh you dont even need to ask for the price, as there is a giant poster behind the desks with the price of everyy area of chiang mai clearly displayed.

But hey if you want to save 150bt for a trip to the moat then walk, many people do, before stopping after 300m, catch a songthaew and arrive in style, albeit knackered, with broken suitcase wheels, sweaty and in a foul mood

 

The biggest difference in wearing a Speedo and pulling luggage with wheels in Thailand is that a Speedo is actually functional.

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

Grab best you get price on your phone. 

[NancyL]

7 hours ago, Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai said:

Grab best you get price on your phone. 

Grab is actually more expensive than the 150 baht taxis outside the north door of domestic terminal.  Plus no waiting and wondering which car is yours.  Grab has a surcharge for airport delivery/pickup.  I guess this is to cover "hazardous duty" since there have been incidents at the airport where the licensed commercial drivers don't take kindly to Grab taking away their business.

[JimmyJ]

9 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Grab is actually more expensive than the 150 baht taxis outside the north door of domestic terminal.  Plus no waiting and wondering which car is yours.  Grab has a surcharge for airport delivery/pickup.  I guess this is to cover "hazardous duty" since there have been incidents at the airport where the licensed commercial drivers don't take kindly to Grab taking away their business.

Yes, I mentioned it costs a small bit more.

Perhaps it was about 30 BHT extra.

 

However, I've never had a Grab surcharge for airport delivery/pickup, including at Chiang Mai where I've also taken it to CNX twice from my hotel in CM.

Perhaps that's been added in the last 9 months?

(Unless it's baked into the overall price listed for the ride and I didn't see a breakdown).

 

The first time I arrived at CNX I did take one of the airport fixed price taxis to my hotel, and it was not a bad experience - IIRC, the driver was non-communicative and unfriendly but perhaps he didn't understand English - and was unfriendly.

 

The 2nd time I arrived at CNX I used Grab. Not much of a wait, but it's true that I guess one can always get a cab at once.

 

I've pretty much always had good experiences with Grab everywhere I used it in SE Asia.

Edited April 14, 2019 by JimmyJ

[rumak]

On 4/13/2019 at 9:57 PM, eyecatcher said:

albeit knackered, with broken suitcase wheels, sweaty and in a foul mood

you described him to the T  ...... 

[ZeVonderBearz]

If he knew his son and gf was coming to CM why didn't the OP advise his him on how to avoid being ripped-off at the airport by taxis? Tell him to take the bus or walk outside the airport grounds and order a grab. No real excuse for someone who is at least a tiny bit familiar with taxi practices at most all airports in the world to be getting ripped-off as there are almost always alternatives, it just takes a little research and patience. 

 

Sounds like there was no ripping-off being done here to be fair to the taxis, just a case of an ill-informed person making the wrong choice and then whinging about it.

[samsensam]

2 minutes ago, ZeVonderBearz said:

If he knew his son and gf was coming to CM why didn't the OP advise his him on how to avoid being ripped-off at the airport by taxis? Tell him to take the bus or walk outside the airport grounds and order a grab. No real excuse for someone who is at least a tiny bit familiar with taxi practices at most all airports in the world to be getting ripped-off as there are almost always alternatives, it just takes a little research and patience. 

 

Sounds like there was no ripping-off being done here to be fair to the taxis, just a case of an ill-informed person making the wrong choice and then whinging about it.

 

agree, a quick browse on the internet would give anyone all the information needed, a) to avoid being ripped off and b) to select the most convenient mode of transport from the airport. it's not rocket science.

[EL159]

Sorry. But this story is just untrue if you use the official airport taxi service. They dont use the meter but the lady with the clipboard who allocates customers to cars tells you the price based on where you want to go. I live at Nongkwai, near Hangdong, and the fare from the airport to my house is always about 350 baht. Never been more than that, and sometimes only 300.

If these people used one of the scammers who hang around the arrival area at most airports in the world, thats why they might have got ripped, but the offficial airport taxi service is as good as gold.

[freedomnow]

Tell em to get the free open air shuttle to airport plaza 5 minutes away if during open hours, then pay normal prices from there by getting a confirmed taxi meter or reasonable fixed price.

M g/f does that sometimes and she is Thai...so they are out to rip-off anyone.

Edited April 15, 2019 by freedomnow

[mercman24]

i think its the same most places,  many chinese get the bus from Pattaya to Ekkamai bus station, the  taxis that pull in 100% rip them off, as said, just walk outside of their comfort zone in this case 20 metres to sukhumvit road and hail a taxi there, same goes for BKK airport,go to level 4 ? get a taxi that has just arrived and is going back to the city empty,get a good deal that way.

[Mitkof Island]

Easy solution ! Just avoid Chiang Mai altogether. i have since 2005 no regrets.

[connda]

On 4/13/2019 at 7:29 PM, arithai12 said:

It seems you do not know Chiang Mai. The procedure to get a taxi at the airport is: go to the booth, state your destination, be quoted a price, get a piece of paper with destination and price to show to the driver, go outside and and wait for your number to be called.

In the time that you've done that, I've walked to the road and hailed a tuk-tuk or Songthaw. 

[jak2002003]

22 minutes ago, connda said:

In the time that you've done that, I've walked to the road and hailed a tuk-tuk or Songthaw. 

There are also the new air conditioned busses that are right outside near the carpark... they are 20 baht into the city and even to the central festival shopping mall.  

 

 

[jmd8800]

Ahhh is this the 'invisible hand' the free marketeers speak of?

[usviphotography]

On 4/14/2019 at 11:52 PM, ZeVonderBearz said:

If he knew his son and gf was coming to CM why didn't the OP advise his him on how to avoid being ripped-off at the airport by taxis? Tell him to take the bus or walk outside the airport grounds and order a grab. No real excuse for someone who is at least a tiny bit familiar with taxi practices at most all airports in the world to be getting ripped-off as there are almost always alternatives, it just takes a little research and patience. 

Not even that much research, or that much patience. A simple Google search will reveal everything you need to know about getting from the airport to downtown in just minutes. That is something you should look up ahead of time anytime you are traveling to an airport. Important life lesson learned.  

[bkk6060]

The OP should reimburse his son for the extra cost for not advising him what to do.

They do not open meters from the airport.

I take the taxi service all the way to Mae Rim and it is always quoted 450 b.

On the big picture of taxi type rip offs in Thailand, CM is very low on my list.

Phuket is #1.