Swindling cabby story goes viral after discovery of "Turbo Switch" under the dash

[Fred white]

6 hours ago, Netease said:

How about charging him with fraud which is a jailable offence,

protected by the taxi mafi

[StevieAus]

7 hours ago, Netease said:

How about charging him with fraud which is a jailable offence,

Ever heard of a taxi driver being charged with fraud and jailed for overcharging in any Western country, how about your country of origin ?

[Fred white]

7 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

Yet another reason to only use Grab. Experienced it once years  ago, always had to keep an eye on the meter until Grab, now just relax

that's why they want to ban grab and other ride sharing apps

[ratcatcher]

54 minutes ago, jany123 said:

The picture... but I’m happy to be wrong.

Well jany 123, let me make you unhappy, because I concede that you are possibly right.

[dallen52]

7 hours ago, Netease said:

How about charging him with fraud which is a jailable offence,

Theft by deception. 

Farang = 10,000 and suspended sentence. 

Thai = 500 and three wais.

[oldrunner]

As long as authorities? permit blatant FRAUD by TAXI drivers, they are going to continue to do it. How much was shared with the Police? There are just some places where one needs a taxi but who to trust? I have a driver who is 99% Taxi driver but when we know we have to go somewhere, and he is available, we reserve his service. He and his family live local and are more like friends than just our driver.

[terryofcrete]

10 hours ago, Tayaout said:

Experienced it like 5 years ago. Always used uber/grab since then. 

But how can you get one from the airport ? .. surely they are barred ? By the taxi mafia of course !  

[timewilltell]

The real story here is a very common one. Do anything wrong and more often than not even when you get caught the authorities just treat it as practically nothing. Fraud is ramapant and the fraudsters don;t care becausew they never meet justice. It is a terrible indicator of this place.

 

I'm refe3rring to Thais of course - if you're a foreigner then the book will be thrown at you or as much money as possible extracted. Racist

Edited August 15, 2019 by timewilltell

[Ctkong]

4 hours ago, Formaleins said:

Always the same paltry fine and never anything more. They should start jailing these dogs for fraud or theft and get the message out there. Then again, it is only when they steal from the "Rich" that don't need the money that they end up with 40 years or more in jail. Rob the ordinary people and it really doesn't matter.

When the plebeians scam and steal from among the plebeians, they get a slap on the wrist but if the plebeians ever try to steal from their ‘lords’, there would be quick and punitive action. This is to send a message loud and clear that those elites are untouchable in this society. 

[lensta]

Why is his face not shown. Name and shame in cases like this.

[Paul Henry]

Every one stop dreaming. Thailand is the world capital of rip off merchants and the RTP do nothing because they get their kickback. TAT will once again implore the industries associated with "TOURISM" to smile and make the visitors welcome. The Chinese know a con when they see one the Indians are the masters of conning. THe statistics reflect the truth! fewer and fewer tourist find it attractive to come to Thailand.

Welcome to Vietnam and Cambodia the true lands of smiles and welcome. and simple little cons. BYE BYE Thailand.

[Lokie]

Was it not a 'simple case of miscommunication' 

 

The passing engineer - Ahh is that a Turbo switch you got there Somchai?

[White Christmas13]

7 hours ago, nickmondo said:

taxi drivers really are the scum of the earth.

never use them, ever

Grab, Uber or public transport every time

well if you live in Thailand you are aware of it but what about tourists

[White Christmas13]

5 hours ago, Matzzon said:

This is nothing new. It has been there for at least 10 years now. Sensational news, we seem to be very good at. The police know it, and the government knows it, but nobody want to deal with it.

nor with the taxi mafia in Phuket or Pattaya

[Tayaout]

2 hours ago, terryofcrete said:

But how can you get one from the airport ? .. surely they are barred ? By the taxi mafia of course !  

You open the app and get one. I usually send them a picture of the exit number so they know where I'm waiting. 

[dallen52]

15 hours ago, mercman24 said:

how many more like him , i bet there are quite a few,  when they get chatting, * i know a guy etc* because you can bet its beyond a cabbies knowledge to install this

The same back yard operators that spin the speedos for car dealers. 

Some thais possess the skills and knowledge to do minor electronic enhancements. 

(Its not that hard to change the input signal that generates the meter values).

Many countries have meters that have more than one tariff setting. 

Normally for night time and weekends. 

Quite possible that the meters used in Thailand taxis are multiple tariff types and they are simply switching to the higher tariff. 

 

Be it all for the purpose of conning and ripping people off.

[dallen52]

11 hours ago, hansnl said:

Seems to be rather easy to install...

Like said in another post, most meters have settings for multiple tariffs. 

He is simply switching the higher one on..

(Normally nights and weekends rates in some countries)

[Just Weird]

9 hours ago, jany123 said:

Lol... a passing engineer... damn farangs.

 

but one does have to wonder about that.... the DLT inspected the vehicle three times, but a farang has a quick look and oh dear, what do we have here? A rather obvious switch it appears... little wonder the cabbie figured they would find nothing wrong, as the DLT are either on the take or completely useless

Where did you get the "farang engineer" nonsense from?

[Just Weird]

6 hours ago, jany123 said:

The picture... but I’m happy to be wrong.

Consider it proved.  The picture is of the back of the head of someone with their face obscured, why would it be a farang and why would a farang be involved in a LTD investigation?

[Just Weird]

5 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Well jany 123, let me make you unhappy, because I concede that you are possibly right.

Yes, there are so many farangs working at the LTD.

[ttrd]

RE - Back at the police station he told the cops he would remove the switch himself.

 

* Its not the switch itself which make the boost - it only trig it - so to remove the switch only doesn't help especially not after he has replaced it with another one  ….

Edited August 15, 2019 by ttrd

[Andycoops]

As I stay around Nana when in Bangkok and go to and from Swampy.

I now use the BTS and ARL.

Much quicker and very inexpensive. 

When the red line opens next year I'll use that from DMK and the cheating ***** will get nowt.

[Galactus]

wonder what is the job of the police? couple went to police station and was told to go to DLT??

what i was night time? this is a criminal offence and police should have been charged the driver there.

 and really?? : 'he told the cops he would remove the switch himself. '

 

 

[jarda]

This is common practice in Prague Czech Republic. Cabbies have turbo switches on gearsticks and happily ripping foreign tourists up something chronic.

[Naamblar2014]

Daily News called it a "turbo switch"

The Thai version of the 'flux capacitor' in the DeLorean.

 

The flux capacitor makes time travel possible.

The turbo switch makes double dipping by deceitful cabbies possible.

[justin case]

TIT ... cops do nothing and then the guy will remove the cheat himself...

[Naamblar2014]

Add to TIT

 

The cabby threatens the passengers that they will have to pay him 500 baht for wasting his time.

 

TIT the hub with NO moral compass

[off road pat]

"The driver was fined by the DLT. Back at the police station he told the cops he would remove the switch himself." ...?!?! In any normal country they would remove it there and be sure it's gone !!!

[Janner1]

Two days ago checked out off hotel in Bkk and asked the porter to get me a taxi with the meter not the mafia to take me to swampy.

 

Taxi arrived with the meter on showing 35 baht so I got in and we started out when the driver suddenly said 400 baht + expressway ok!

So I said no and took a picture of the ID on the dash.

 

Suddenly he got very scared and said ok I will take you for what you normally pay, to which I said 250 maximum. He did not like that squirmed a little and said I will stop so you can get another taxi but I said if you do not take me I will report you to the chosen one.

 

So very carefully ( probably the most careful journey i have ever made to swampy ) we proceeded there and arrived with a meter price of 247 Baht which is 3 baht under the price for Soi 11 Sukhumvit to swampy unless the road is very busy, and that is what I paid him. I also refused to pay the 75 baht expressway charge just to teach him a lesson for cheating, and showing him the picture stopped any complaint.

 

Just for good measure I waited because he spoke to a couple of new arrivals to take them back to Bkk and as they agreed to get in his cab I told them about his attempt to scam me, so they changed there minds and the traffic marshals moved him off the airport, so there was a good chance that he had to return to central Bkk empty.

 

This is not the first time this has happened, one even had a meter that started at 37 baht and jumped to 47 baht before we had gone 20 metres, he also got threatened with reporting and reluctantly took me to swampy for 250 baht.

I don’t suggest that everybody does this but they should certainly photograph the driver ID as soon as they get in the car ( easily done from the back seat ) and number plate of the car if he is a scammer and report him.

 

Most are good but some try it on and need to be taken down one way or another.

 

Ps

just so you know Swampy to Nana is under 250 baht + 75 baht expressway unless the roads are busy but never more than 280baht even if the driver tries to up the price by doggedly sitting in a traffic jam when he can easily jump the qui as they normally do.

 

If going to the Ekamai area of Sukhumvit Road the price is around 200 baht and no expressway charge because there is no need to use it

[observer90210]

What?!...people are still naive enough to use official Thai taxis instead of using GRAB ?