Not again! Phuket Sandbox tourists being gouged by taxis - one way rides 1,000 baht+

[harada]

They seem to be oblivious of the effects of social media, give it a couple of months and the numbers will start dropping, then they’ll start blaming someone else, same same BS.

[ChipButty]

10 minutes ago, calbts2 said:

I always rent a car when I go to Phuket as you can usually get a rental for around the same price as a short one way tuk tuk ride. It really is common sense. Don't know why more people just do this instead of supporting the taxi mafia. It is often fun coming out of the airport terminal and seeing the looks on those taxi mafia driver faces when I ignore their calls and head to the car rental counter. I will pay 1000 baht for a nice one day car rental vs 1000 for a one way trip to a hotel.

I always use to recommend to our guest Rent a car from the airport as we are in Rawai which was always a 1000 baht

[ChipButty]

It's been a 1000 baht for a long time from the airport to rawai and Yanui was 1200 baht 

[chuang]

I remembered paying 1000 bahts from airport to Patong pre-covid, booked online... 

[monty1412]

40 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

No surprise. I lived there for 2 years and the whole place is a ripoff. Even local market sellers who know you are living there try and charge you extra for being a foreigner, even as you go out of your way to support them. So much so that I stopped using them and started going to the big chains where prices are marked.

 

Then there are the tuk tuk mafia, the taxi mafia, the 'win' mafia etc. No taxi ever uses a meter. If you complain then you risk a beat down by 5 of their mates. Even many restaurants have a separate Thai menu where prices are around 30% lower than the inflated ripoff English printed menu.

 

I got to the point where my gf handled all the cash when we went out. If I paid for stuff, the evening was 50% more expensive. What a place...????

 

They don't deserve tourists.

 

 

 

 

I remember  very well my mate ( both farang) and I were outside a restaurant in Patong .. the girls  ( Thai) we were with went in and got a table . By the time we came in they had menus.. on seeing us farangs sit down the staff tried to change the menus to higher priced ones saying this was the latest menu... we left and my mate as we were going out the door stopped a party of 6-8 folks Thai and farang mixed and told them about the scam .... the restaurant owner ( I think he was the owner ) started shouting at us that we were bad people and not to come back...they cant help themselves and in their stupid actions hurt themselves then blame the  quests .. its Phuket to a P

[ChipButty]

I've lived here that long everyday I expect someone somewhere to try and rip me off, And I speak Thai.

 

I think in the gas station last week had me over for 100 baht, I could tell by the gauge when I drove off,  I know my fault I should have got out and stand there

 

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

"You can take a boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy".  Or "you can't teach an old new tricks".  Same, same but not different.  Welcome back to the Land of Smiles.  

What are you talking about the country, it happens in Phuket all the time. Not in most of the country.

Edited July 5, 2021 by FritsSikkink

[Bluespunk]

Taxi drivers and tourists brings to mind the old adage about a fox in a hen house. 

[BobinBKK]

I have nothing but utter contempt and loathing for people like this and they more than deserve every hardship that has come into their worthless lives. 

[Cake Monster]

This report involves the famed ' Taxi Mafia " of Phuket.

These Boys really are Scum, and are living up their reputation. But there will be others coming along soon to have there fill of the Farang Feast before the word gets out fully, and the Island is again devoid of Tourists.

Of course, thats if Covid does not shut the Island first.

[ezzra]

The story about the golden goose comes to minds, how typical of the locals to ruin everything with unbridled greed...

[sammieuk1]

Fear not there will be another taxi along any minute now returning a million baht left on the back seat ????

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

It's been a 1000 baht for a long time from the airport to rawai and Yanui was 1200 baht 

I remember those days of living in Rawai and paying the 1k baht to get to the airport from the house so I could fly to Bangkok.  It was the same on the return, and only when I finally made friends with a driver who had a private car did the price drop to 700 Baht.  I continued to use him and so did many of the friends I had at the time.  Because so many were using him he even provided us with water and snacks on the drive to the airport and on our returns.

[ChipButty]

35 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Fear not there will be another taxi along any minute now returning a million baht left on the back seat ????

If he does it's mine

[zzzzz]

2 hours ago, mancub said:

That and the vehicles being set ablaze by certain affected parties . https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/Battle-lines-drawn-new-Phuket-bus-service

thta was years before the "smart" bus started

 

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

No surprise. I lived there for 2 years and the whole place is a ripoff. Even local market sellers who know you are living there try and charge you extra for being a foreigner, even as you go out of your way to support them. So much so that I stopped using them and started going to the big chains where prices are marked.

 

Then there are the tuk tuk mafia, the taxi mafia, the 'win' mafia etc. No taxi ever uses a meter. If you complain then you risk a beat down by 5 of their mates. Even many restaurants have a separate Thai menu where prices are around 30% lower than the inflated ripoff English printed menu.

 

I got to the point where my gf handled all the cash when we went out. If I paid for stuff, the evening was 50% more expensive. What a place...????

 

They don't deserve tourists.

 

 

 

 

i have lived in Phuket over 30 years an count count on one hand the number of times i have been ripped off>
cant recall ever being overcharged in the market or shops>
Of course living here one does not deal with taxi's tuk tuk, 

You must rub people wrong
 

[stevenl]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

No surprise. I lived there for 2 years and the whole place is a ripoff. Even local market sellers who know you are living there try and charge you extra for being a foreigner, even as you go out of your way to support them. So much so that I stopped using them and started going to the big chains where prices are marked.

 

Then there are the tuk tuk mafia, the taxi mafia, the 'win' mafia etc. No taxi ever uses a meter. If you complain then you risk a beat down by 5 of their mates. Even many restaurants have a separate Thai menu where prices are around 30% lower than the inflated ripoff English printed menu.

 

I got to the point where my gf handled all the cash when we went out. If I paid for stuff, the evening was 50% more expensive. What a place...????

 

They don't deserve tourists.

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, monty1412 said:

I remember  very well my mate ( both farang) and I were outside a restaurant in Patong .. the girls  ( Thai) we were with went in and got a table . By the time we came in they had menus.. on seeing us farangs sit down the staff tried to change the menus to higher priced ones saying this was the latest menu... we left and my mate as we were going out the door stopped a party of 6-8 folks Thai and farang mixed and told them about the scam .... the restaurant owner ( I think he was the owner ) started shouting at us that we were bad people and not to come back...they cant help themselves and in their stupid actions hurt themselves then blame the  quests .. its Phuket to a P

As was to be expected, the amount of BS on a thread like this is through the roof.

[khunPer]

Didn't the prime minister Prayut say that the mafia should keep low profile when tourists returned, i.e. taxis should not overcharge foreign guests...????

[Rhacsyn]

Just as an aside, I entered via sandbox COE option on 2nd July and SHA+ hotel taxi was mandatory and needed to be pre booked as part of SHA+ rules. I paid Baht700 to the hotel for taxi from airport to Patong area. Am happy with that price.

[ThailandRyan]

53 minutes ago, stevenl said:

 

As was to be expected, the amount of BS on a thread like this is through the roof.

Hard to see the truth when your staring at it isn't it.

[sqwakvfr]

What are you talking about the country, it happens in Phuket all the time. Not in most of the country.

Edited 2 hours ago by FritsSikkink

 

I guess if you have never been to the American South this quote would not have any meaning to you.  My apologies.  

[Bob12345]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Others chipped in with tales of 800 baht (to Patong), 900 baht (to Karon) and even 1,350 baht rides. The last of these was one way from the airport to Kata Noi that the poster said would normally be 600 baht. 

These are normal prices, they have been charging this for ages already. 

You could also take a taxi with a meter, but it will end up at about the same price as the fee per km is much higher than in BKK or other places (and those fees are set by the government). 

 

This is what it costs in Phuket, now, next year, and 10 years ago. They can keep whining about it forever, or just rent a car near the airport (700-1000 per day).

[Bob12345]

Double

Edited July 5, 2021 by Bob12345

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

 

As was to be expected, the amount of BS on a thread like this is through the roof.

As was to be expected, TV's deluded Thai apologist comes along to dispute things that nearly every long term expat has encountered at one time or another.

 

Denying the existence of the Taxi mafia and double pricing on Phuket... Disingenuous in the extreme.

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, zzzzz said:

i have lived in Phuket over 30 years an count count on one hand the number of times i have been ripped off

 

An count count?

 

Clearly dementia not only affects one's ability to recognize and remember when one has been ripped off, but also the ability to form a coherent sentence.

 

Maybe time for a snooze, zzzzz.

[Sydebolle]

You cannot take Thailand out of a Thai ......... 

Pristine perfect advertising; the goons at the Tourism Authority of Thailand - please note! 

[LivinginKata]

2 hours ago, zzzzz said:

<snip>

i have lived in Phuket over 30 years an count count on one hand the number of times i have been ripped off>
cant recall ever being overcharged in the market or shops>
Of course living here one does not deal with taxi's tuk tuk, 

You must rub people wrong
 

 

Well ... I have lived here only 26 years. I can think of many times I was short changed, over charged, or 'try'  to rip off.

 

The old Esso petrol station in Patong was famous for short change as used to tourists not sure of money. Guy tried to give me a 100 when it should have been a 500 note.

 

Taxi I always avoid but once I ran out of gas outside Patong. Tuktuk passed by so I asked price. Crazy 500 baht so I walked the 10 minutes to my house to get gas can and other vehicle.

 

Too many other tourist market scams to talk about.

Edited July 5, 2021 by LivinginKata

[LivinginKata]

1 minute ago, LivinginKata said:

 

 error

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by LivinginKata

[scorecard]

6 hours ago, keith101 said:

Another reason to never go there for me anyway , Phuket has always been known as a rip off place where most foreigners have to pay a lot more for everything and this comes from people i know who have been and will never go back .

 

Same twenty five years ago. Work buddy from Bkk flew to Phuket for the long week-end.

 

On arrival he went to a mocy rental shop and rented a bike. Fifty metres up the road he gets surrounded and stopped by taxis (no meters in those days), and their 'leader' asks him how many days he's rented the myco for.

 

He answers '3 days'. Taxi leader tells him 'OK 1,000Baht per day, 3,000Baht now or we break the bike'. He paid.

 

Next day more taxi trouble and more cash so he took the mocy back to the rental shop and stayed in the hotel until time next day to take taxi at outrageous cost to the airport.

 

He never went to Phuket again.

Edited July 5, 2021 by scorecard

[scorecard]

5 hours ago, Thechook said:

Prayuth told the Governor not to let the Mafia start up again.

So the reality is that the authorities don't/won't/can't control the taxi mafia.

[Nanaplaza666]

If the hotels where smart they would have arranged transport for these people that are being back on their island and they are so happy to have back . They should jump thru hoops to leep them happy and come.back next time but as soon as the room is booked and the roomservice is paid for they do !@#$ all . They have had months to plan this to go smoothly but after 1 day it's all down the drain(ok most of us knew it would be even before it started but hey bennefit of the doubt) .