Warning: Taxi Rip Off Scheme

[fanciman]

Surely this cannot be right:

A taxi, taken from the airport (outside, not from those rip off merchants inside) to Sukumvit, paying highway and tollway in the mid afternoon, costs:

60 for highway and tollway

350 on the meter

50 airport surcharge

ie 400 baht!

This has to be a scam! How did the meter get up so high? It used to only be about 150 on the meter, iirc.

He swore that the meter was legit...

What is going on?

[ThaidleHands]

YDRC. There are numerous ways to cause a taxi's meter to display an incorrect amount. If it showed exactly 350, it's obviously fraudulent since legitimate taxi fares always end in odd amounts.

[fanciman]

YDRC. There are numerous ways to cause a taxi's meter to display an incorrect amount. If it showed exactly 350, it's obviously fraudulent since legitimate taxi fares always end in odd amounts.

I wasn't monitoring it closely until near suk, but it seemed to be incrementing normally once I had spotted it, but it was at too high a level. I don't know how it got there. I should have checked the moment he started the meter.

I was just not thinking. Next time i will try to remember that everybody is trying to scam me, as increasingly seems to be the case, i am afraid...

[Pundi64]

Surely this cannot be right:

A taxi, taken from the airport (outside, not from those rip off merchants inside) to Sukumvit, paying highway and tollway in the mid afternoon, costs:

60 for highway and tollway

350 on the meter

50 airport surcharge

ie 400 baht!

This has to be a scam! How did the meter get up so high? It used to only be about 150 on the meter, iirc.

He swore that the meter was legit...

What is going on?

What else do you expect, we are talking about Thailand here????

[Shrubbery]

How refreshing. Another complaint about a "Taxi Scam".

When I went to school 350+60+50=460 not 400.

[cdnvic]

We need a Thaivisa drinking game where every time someone screams "mafia!" over the slightest overcharge, everyone has to take a drink.

We'd all be pissed in a hurry.

[qwertz]

Even a broken clock is correct twice a day, Bendix

[vegas]

I took a taxi from the airport a few years ago and all was normal until we exited the expressway at Ploenchit and the meter started to tick over at a rate of 2 baht every 50 metres. I leaned forward between the seats and pointed at the meter and said 'OI!' The guy nervously glanced at the meter as it ticked over again but said nothing. The meter read 350 baht when we arrived at my apartment and I gave the driver 250 baht and he took it without a word.

[Briggsy]

I took a taxi from the airport a few years ago and all was normal until we exited the expressway at Ploenchit and the meter started to tick over at a rate of 2 baht every 50 metres. I leaned forward between the seats and pointed at the meter and said 'OI!' The guy nervously glanced at the meter as it ticked over again but said nothing. The meter read 350 baht when we arrived at my apartment and I gave the driver 250 baht and he took it without a word.

I leaned over and pressed the stop button once. Driver kept taking insane wrong turns. Must have been a newbie. The Thai with me thought I was going to get a kicking from the driver. I didn't. Wasn't a very smart move though.

This meter sounds over but if the traffic was bad (it always is), a calibrated meter could cost, say, 280 Baht. What do you reckon?

[chiang mai]

I took a taxi on Friday, this time from Rama IV to mid Sukhumvit and yet again I didn't have a problem. I'm becoming a little worried since all my taxi rides of late are trouble free, do you think there's something wrong with me?

[PadThaiGuy]

I took a taxi on Friday, this time from Rama IV to mid Sukhumvit and yet again I didn't have a problem. I'm becoming a little worried since all my taxi rides of late are trouble free, do you think there's something wrong with me?

That's the way it should be.

Taxis with rigger meters, the AOT allowing a bunch of tout/scammers to overrun the arrivals area is worth discussion.

[simon43]

I travel every week from Suvanabhumi or Don Meung to Sukhumvit. The metered rate is about 150 baht every time, plus 50 baht airport fee, plus 60 or 65 baht tollway = 260/265 baht and I give 300 baht...

Simon

[Naam]

a friend of mine arrived Friday evening and told me about a crack down on illegal/free lance taxis at the airport. more than a dozen police officers involved.

[meemiathai]

We need a Thaivisa drinking game where every time someone screams "mafia!" over the slightest overcharge, everyone has to take a drink.

We'd all be pissed in a hurry.

Count me in!

[meemiathai]

Never happens to Bendix. You must be one of the stupid people he always talks about?

As fanciman has already said 'he wasnt thinking' then yes, PadThaiGuy, I'm afraid that you're right.

(for the first time in your posting history, i might add)

Good one!

A good laugh for a sunday morning!

[meemiathai]

Even a broken clock is correct twice a day, Bendix

[Mosha]

Actually of more concern should be making sure it is a taxi you get in.

My wife's cousin who speaks good English told me of a bad experience she had. Her sister who has a home in Bangkok, was taking her daughters to America. Her husband works for an American company who help with the kids education. So the cousin, knowing she wouldn't see her sister for a while took a bus ride fron Nakhon Sri Thammerat up to BKK. She went to see her off at the airport. She climbed in a car believing it to be a taxi, but as soon as he was on the toll way he pulled over, got a gun out and demanded her money and gold. She had a 5 baht necklace with a Buddha medalion on. When she handed everything over he opened the car door and literally booted her out of the car, depositing her on the ground. Then sped off. This was last year at Don Muang.

[tropo]

Actually of more concern should be making sure it is a taxi you get in.

My wife's cousin who speaks good English told me of a bad experience she had. Her sister who has a home in Bangkok, was taking her daughters to America. Her husband works for an American company who help with the kids education. So the cousin, knowing she wouldn't see her sister for a while took a bus ride fron Nakhon Sri Thammerat up to BKK. She went to see her off at the airport. She climbed in a car believing it to be a taxi, but as soon as he was on the toll way he pulled over, got a gun out and demanded her money and gold. She had a 5 baht necklace with a Buddha medalion on. When she handed everything over he opened the car door and literally booted her out of the car, depositing her on the ground. Then sped off. This was last year at Don Muang.

How could anyone not be sure about whether a car is a taxi or not? They're all bright coloured cars with huge signs saying "taxi meter". You can spot them a mile away.

Edited November 11, 2007 by tropo

[jstumbo]

Surely this cannot be right:

A taxi, taken from the airport (outside, not from those rip off merchants inside) to Sukumvit, paying highway and tollway in the mid afternoon, costs:

60 for highway and tollway

350 on the meter

50 airport surcharge

ie 400 baht!

This has to be a scam! How did the meter get up so high? It used to only be about 150 on the meter, iirc.

He swore that the meter was legit...

What is going on?

Maybe he did not reset the meter when you got into the taxi? Maybe the meter already read 200 when you started. Also if you catch a taxi where they drop people off instead of in the taxi line, you do not have to wait in line, and you do not have to pay the 50 baht airport surcharge

[jstumbo]

How could anyone not be sure about whether a car is a taxi or not? They're all bright coloured cars with huge signs saying "taxi meter". You can spot them a mile away.

This happens all the time in Jakarta. They have fake taxis. They paint them and put the signs on and everything and pick you up, take you to a deserted place and then rob you and dump you.

When you try to report it, you give the police the taxi number, but it is a fake number, that comes back to another legit taxi.

[legag]

... about a crack down on illegal/free lance taxis at the airport. more than a dozen police officers involved.

Same ol sh**. Crack down ain't gonna happen and if it really does, wait to see how long it stays clean.

You're right this is Thailand. What can we do?

[tropo]

How could anyone not be sure about whether a car is a taxi or not? They're all bright coloured cars with huge signs saying "taxi meter". You can spot them a mile away.

This happens all the time in Jakarta. They have fake taxis. They paint them and put the signs on and everything and pick you up, take you to a deserted place and then rob you and dump you.

When you try to report it, you give the police the taxi number, but it is a fake number, that comes back to another legit taxi.

So have we got fake Taxi-Meters in Bangkok now?

[pgs]

a friend of mine arrived Friday evening and told me about a crack down on illegal/free lance taxis at the airport. more than a dozen police officers involved.

They were there from around lunchtime. We arrived at 1PM & they were hard at it then.

Suv to Mor Chit @ 11.30 Wed night - 35 min & 170B inc tolls.

Pratunam to Suv @ 12.30 Fri Arvo, 55 min & 260B inc tolls.

[Siki]

A couple of years ago I took a taxi at Don Muang Airport to lower Sukhumvit. At about Sappan Kwai I noticed that the metered amount was about 200 baht over what it should have been. I sat forward and forcefully told him that something was wrong with his meter (in English). I had my cell phone in hand implying that I was going to call someplace. He immediately removed some type of cover on the meter and underneath, the correct amount showed. He said, “Is that better?”. The cover fit perfectly over the regular meter and appeared to work as the real meter below it. I did not ask to examine it.

It seemed in this case, the driver was afraid of some kind of problem with the authorities. It is possible that there are crack downs from time to time.

Be aware of what it should cost for a certain distance and time. There are all kinds of scams.

Aloha

Siki

[chevykanteve]

We need a Thaivisa drinking game where every time someone screams "mafia!" over the slightest overcharge, everyone has to take a drink.

We'd all be pissed in a hurry.

Good idea, cdnic! Will YOU ring the bell for the first round? (I'll get the second round.)

[Naam]

We need a Thaivisa drinking game where every time someone screams "mafia!" over the slightest overcharge, everyone has to take a drink.

We'd all be pissed in a hurry.

Good idea, cdnic! Will YOU ring the bell for the first round? (I'll get the second round.)

ring ring ring... i just poured the third round

[madjbs]

I was under the impression that the drivers can get in quite a bit of trouble for rigging the meter. It would be possible to change the wheel and tyre size after the meter has been calibrated, not sure if this could cause such a large difference though?

[meemiathai]

Actually of more concern should be making sure it is a taxi you get in.

My wife's cousin who speaks good English told me of a bad experience she had. Her sister who has a home in Bangkok, was taking her daughters to America. Her husband works for an American company who help with the kids education. So the cousin, knowing she wouldn't see her sister for a while took a bus ride fron Nakhon Sri Thammerat up to BKK. She went to see her off at the airport. She climbed in a car believing it to be a taxi, but as soon as he was on the toll way he pulled over, got a gun out and demanded her money and gold. She had a 5 baht necklace with a Buddha medalion on. When she handed everything over he opened the car door and literally booted her out of the car, depositing her on the ground. Then sped off. This was last year at Don Muang.

How could anyone not be sure about whether a car is a taxi or not? They're all bright coloured cars with huge signs saying "taxi meter". You can spot them a mile away.

I think he was trying to warn blind people.

[Manchester]

I travel every week from Suvanabhumi or Don Meung to Sukhumvit. The metered rate is about 150 baht every time, plus 50 baht airport fee, plus 60 or 65 baht tollway = 260/265 baht and I give 300 baht...

Simon

? Suvanabhumi and Don Meung are the same distance to Suk?

[Sakeopete]

There is an easy way to avoid scams, find a good taxi and keep him. I have been using the same driver for 5 years now. Sure I pay him a bit more but he is worth every penny. Drives safely and can be trusted everytime I come home from the UK he is there to pick me up in his newish Isuzu suv. That is why he has many farang regulars.