Golf course fracas with foreigners has Thai public posing taxi bag carrying question

[Burma Bill]

Think I will stick to "crazy" golf - no caddies or cabs!!

[pedro01]

 

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Since 2000 or so, I always use the meter and never any issue. It eh early 90s, used to be issues as they never used the meter but never any issue now. I wonder why you ask for a price before?

Same here - I NEVER ask for a price, I always ask for the meter.

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Since 2000 or so, I always use the meter and never any issue. It eh early 90s, used to be issues as they never used the meter but never any issue now. I wonder why you ask for a price before?

This year (in central Bangkok sukhumvit area at about midnight) I’ve not had one taxi agree to to use the meter... all ask for between 200 and 300 baht for an 80 baht journey - they’ve got it locked in...

 

Grab / Bolt are nowhere around at these times (I suspect it may be unsafe for them).

 

The taxi drivers are up to all of their old tricks.... they are worse actually. 

 

Of course, in ‘more normal areas’ away from entertainment area’s of Sukhumvit / Nana to Thonglor  the taxi drivers are quite reasonable.... these central areas just attract the ‘dregs’ of the taxi driving fraternity. 

 

-------

 

In this example: The Taxi driver is clearly taking the pish... Its not worth getting ‘machete-ied’ over but its also a blatant pish-take....

 

Now this has been raised in the media I expect the taxi driver will be ‘called in’ and have to pay a 500 baht fine and make an apology, have his licence removed for 3 months.... and of course, be driving again anyway without a licence and pulling the same stunts to try and recover his 500 baht fine !!! 

 

[Neeranam]

24 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

 

Same here - I NEVER ask for a price, I always ask for the meter.

I never ask for the meter, I just get in and tell them where I want to go. 

If they know you are not a tourist, chances are they won't rip you off. 

I usually have a bit of friendly banter, talking to them in Isarn dialect, as most come from there. If they don't, still have a laugh. 

[scorecard]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:25 AM, Hamus Yaigh said:

Probably not part of the scope of work, which is just copying anything they find on the internet.

And repeating it verbatim even if paragraph 1 says 2 dead and paragraph 3 says 3 dead.

[richard_smith237]

43 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

 

Same here - I NEVER ask for a price, I always ask for the meter.

And when 10 taxi drivers in a row say no?

 

 (Area specific I know, but in some areas of bkk at peak times no taxi driver will agree to a meter)

[richard_smith237]

19 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I never ask for the meter, I just get in and tell them where I want to go. 

If they know you are not a tourist, chances are they won't rip you off. 

I usually have a bit of friendly banter, talking to them in Isarn dialect, as most come from there. If they don't, still have a laugh. 

I also often have a chat ( in Thai) and a laugh with a taxi driver…. But I also get a lot who outright say no to the meter or want to charge a flat fare….  My standard of Thai is not a factor… they don’t care if I’m not a tourist…

 

In the past I’ve had them outright refuse, I suspect because I speak Thai & they are waiting to rip off the unsuspecting tourist.

 

As I wrote a couple of posts above, some areas just attract the taxi driving dregs…

[brianthainess]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:24 AM, webfact said:

Drivers should always inform passengers of any extra charges before a journey commences. 

 

On 1/5/2023 at 11:12 AM, Denim said:

Nice bum on 270.

 

Might take up golf without needing any clubs other than the putter I was born with.

 

 

I'd give her a big tip. 

[mikebell]

17 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Do you speak Thai?

Nit noy.  What's got to do with the latest  taxi scam?  Getting a metered taxi in Bangkok is a 70-30 chance against.  Getting one in Pattaya is virtually 100% against.

[jacko45k]

16 hours ago, pedro01 said:

 

Same here - I NEVER ask for a price, I always ask for the meter.

There were quite a few cases where meters had been tampered with to clock fast... ever suspected that? 

[Neeranam]

4 hours ago, mikebell said:

Nit noy.  What's got to do with the latest  taxi scam?  Getting a metered taxi in Bangkok is a 70-30 chance against.  Getting one in Pattaya is virtually 100% against.

My point was that maybe they can't speak English so can't tell you the meter is broken. 

[JayClay]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

My point was that maybe they can't speak English so can't tell you the meter is broken. 

I strongly imagine that the percentage of meters that are actually broken is such a small number as to be statistically irrelevant.

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

My point was that maybe they can't speak English so can't tell you the meter is broken. 

They can certainly tell lies, that's a given!

 

[blackshadow]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:44 PM, jacko45k said:

Not sure how this relates to Taxis in Thailand.....

IT is called "a comparison"

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, blackshadow said:

IT is called "a comparison"

It is also called a distraction!

Who cares what happens in Canada!

[Captain Monday]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:12 AM, Denim said:

Nice bum on 270.

 

Might take up golf without needing any clubs other than the putter I was born with.

 

 

Is hooking up with caddies at "The 19th hole" a real possibility or just another myth?

[n00dle]

6 hours ago, mikebell said:

 Getting a metered taxi in Bangkok is a 70-30 chance against.

utter nonsense. i take at least 2 taxis daily. maybe one in ten tries me on. 

[Denim]

48 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

Is hooking up with caddies at "The 19th hole" a real possibility or just another myth?

I couldn't wait for the 19th . I'd just keeping playing every shot into the rough then go in there with her to help find my balls. My handicap would suffer a bit , end up around 140.

[djayz]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:24 AM, webfact said:

Drivers should always inform passengers of any extra charges before a journey commences. 

If they did this, then the problem would be solved immediately. Either accept the charge,  or look for an alternative taxi. 

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, n00dle said:

11 hours ago, mikebell said:

 Getting a metered taxi in Bangkok is a 70-30 chance against.

utter nonsense. i take at least 2 taxis daily. maybe one in ten tries me on. 

utter nonsense. My experience is different from yours so you must be wrong.... 

 

See what I did there ???

[mikebell]

19 hours ago, n00dle said:

utter nonsense. i take at least 2 taxis daily. maybe one in ten tries me on. 

I moved out of Bangkok 16 years ago when the meters worked but the traffic meant 2 hours of my day sitting in a taxi.  I came to Pattaya where NONE of the meters work so I bought a car.  I visit my son in Bangkok 3 times a year; the taxis I take are all near Suk soi 15 - 19 so I am lumped in with the Nana crowd.  Try taking a taxi on soi 4.

[mikebell]

21 hours ago, Neeranam said:

My point was that maybe they can't speak English so can't tell you the meter is broken. 

Kao chai.  You don't really think the meter was broken?

[NanLaew]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:27 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Thing is there are foreigners who roll straight over and pay anything so encourages Thais to keep doing it

I 'roll straight over and pay anything' just to annoy the noisome farangs that claim they're here to reform Thai society.

 

It's called a quiet life.

[NanLaew]

19 hours ago, Denim said:

I couldn't wait for the 19th . I'd just keeping playing every shot into the rough then go in there with her to help find my balls. My handicap would suffer a bit , end up around 140.

How do you spot the caddie that likes it (in the) rough?

[Denim]

2 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

How do you spot the caddie that likes it (in the) rough?

Grass stains on rear of trousers.

[toofarnorth]

20 hours ago, Denim said:

I couldn't wait for the 19th . I'd just keeping playing every shot into the rough then go in there with her to help find my balls. My handicap would suffer a bit , end up around 140.

You have reminded me of a golfing event a few years ago.  Wife slices the ball , it goes over a fence and ends up in the rear of a cow. They walk over and hubby on seeing the ball up the cow's rear says ' That looks like yours '  I think an iron was wrapped round his neck shortly after.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

I 'roll straight over and pay anything' just to annoy the noisome farangs that claim they're here to reform Thai society.

 

It's called a quiet life.

Yes many guys have the same policy with the wife

[n00dle]

5 hours ago, mikebell said:

I moved out of Bangkok 16 years ago when the meters worked but the traffic meant 2 hours of my day sitting in a taxi.  I came to Pattaya where NONE of the meters work so I bought a car.  I visit my son in Bangkok 3 times a year; the taxis I take are all near Suk soi 15 - 19 so I am lumped in with the Nana crowd.  Try taking a taxi on soi 4.

I live on 11. My experience differs, so Ill take my year round experience over your three times a year.

 

I never have problems with the meter, but sometimes taxis refuse service to certain areas, especially during shift changes. 

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, n00dle said:

I live on 11. My experience differs, so Ill take my year round experience over your three times a year.

 

I never have problems with the meter, but sometimes taxis refuse service to certain areas, especially during shift changes. 

 

All anecdote, there is no ‘one size fits all’ experience... this alone highlights the issue, because if there was a consistent opinion / set of anecdotal information as there is in Tokyo or London etc that all taxi’s use the meter then we’d have a fairly conclusive information set. 

 

My anecdotal experience of Sukhumvit Soi 11 in Bangkok is that its always been a horrible pain in the backside to get a taxi... pre-covid it was a pain in the neck to get an ‘honest’ taxi in the evenings with numerous attempts to charge a flat rate or out right refusal. 

 

With your anectodal information [n00dle] you seem to be sending the impression that because you have no (few) problems with taxi’s using the meter that everyone else must be making up the stories of being refused or over-charged taxi’s - you’re falling into the ’car-crash fallacy’... (i.e. I’ve never had a car-crash ergo they don’t happen regardless of the evidence to the contrary)... obviously getting ripped off by a taxi driver is less obvious than a car accident, but the point remains the same... just because you have not had issues with taxi’s refusing to use the meter does not mean other people do not...  IMO the very area you mention [Sukhumvit 11] is one of the worst for trying to get taxi’s late in the evening and has been for over a decade. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BusyB]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:25 AM, Hamus Yaigh said:

Probably not part of the scope of work, which is just copying anything they find on the internet.

Not very likely they stepped off a plane to go straight to a golf course - don't look like they're dressed that way either.

 

Looks like a throwaway Smart Alec comment to get the required column inches in.