What Would U Do?

[TenDreams]

i just ran into a friend of mine who told me the following story:

he got a bike from down the road from his apartment to not far away, knowing it would be a 30B ride. the guy asked for 50 and my mate refused. the guy got aggressive, so my mate just walked off, the guy came after him of course, and my mate gave him 40b and said that was it. the guy got really agro and asked him if he lived int that apartment, and told him to watch his back, and that he should be scared, and yada yada yada. my mate isnt too concerned, but we have both heard stories as u do.

well, i had very little advice to give...anyone else?

<he didnt get the number of the guys shirt, or the bike reg., though this could be arranged>

sorry if this is incoherent, im writing in a hurry...

[dominique355]

Would t be an option to contact Tourist Police? They speak English.

[samuibeachcomber]

i just ran into a friend of mine who told me the following story:

he got a bike from down the road from his apartment to not far away, knowing it would be a 30B ride. the guy asked for 50 and my mate refused. the guy got aggressive, so my mate just walked off, the guy came after him of course, and my mate gave him 40b and said that was it. the guy got really agro and asked him if he lived int that apartment, and told him to watch his back, and that he should be scared, and yada yada yada. my mate isnt too concerned, but we have both heard stories as u do.

well, i had very little advice to give...anyone else?

<he didnt get the number of the guys shirt, or the bike reg., though this could be arranged>

sorry if this is incoherent, im writing in a hurry...

maybe the correct fare was 50baht,hence the reason the taxi guy got mad.

[junki3korean]

no ones going to do anything over 40 or 50 baht.....he is just trying to scare you friend

[TenDreams]

i just ran into a friend of mine who told me the following story:

he got a bike from down the road from his apartment to not far away, knowing it would be a 30B ride. the guy asked for 50 and my mate refused. the guy got aggressive, so my mate just walked off, the guy came after him of course, and my mate gave him 40b and said that was it. the guy got really agro and asked him if he lived int that apartment, and told him to watch his back, and that he should be scared, and yada yada yada. my mate isnt too concerned, but we have both heard stories as u do.

well, i had very little advice to give...anyone else?

<he didnt get the number of the guys shirt, or the bike reg., though this could be arranged>

sorry if this is incoherent, im writing in a hurry...

maybe the correct fare was 50baht,hence the reason the taxi guy got mad.

nah, if i ever take a bike, its from further away than this friends place, to the same location and costs 40b.

[TenDreams]

no ones going to do anything over 40 or 50 baht.....he is just trying to scare you friend

yeah, the whole thing is kind of pathetic i know, but i have heard of bad things happening to people for less.

[Kf6vci]

Well, if they keep this up, folks will be shunning motorcycle taxis like the plague.

I was getting a long scenic tour once and had to fork over 100 baht. I tried to pay less but Thais at the party sided with the driver.

to them, I just lost face by haggling over the fare.

My wife explained he probably could not read the address in English...

It is a shame as there are very kind and friendly bikers out there! if only they would stop riding on the wrong side of the road

[garyh]

Easy to avoid just ask for the price before going.

[twschw]

But that wouldn't make for a very interesting story, garyh

[Neeranam]

I've known a few guys to end up in hospital after being arseholesand ripping motorcycle taxi drivers off. Tell your friend that he should apologise imediately.

I never ask how much - just tell them where to go and ask how much at the end. They never rip me off - it's all to do with attitude.

[garyh]

Is that why I am bored

[Neeranam]

I used to drink with some motorcycle guys in different parts of Bangkok many years ago when I was a drunk.

They see these rich farang travelling all round the world with high-paying jobs and taking back girls to their apartments many nights yet try to get off with 10 baht with them for a ride. These are hard-working good guys generally, who work 7 days a week to get 5,000 of which half is often sent to their family up country.

They are poor but very proud and will beat someone up without an hesitation if they deserve it.

Often it's the expats lack of communication skills that is the problem.

Imagine if you were tax driver in London and some Oil Shiek flagged you down and tried to get it 1 quid cheaper than the meter , babbling away in Arabic - you'd think he were a real &lt;deleted&gt;, wouldn't you?

[tmd5855]

All the years been here never had a problem with these guys, except their speed and direction of travel .

Always ask how much.

Helps if you can say where you want to go and how much in Thai. These guys have helped me out more times than you can shake a stick at.

Taxi's at short notice when the booked one fails to turn up. Getting things repaired from the house.

After an accident, when a drunken Thai motorist demolished a row of bikes waiting to turn right at traffic lights. Thai motorcycle taxis were first on the scene helping out before BIB turned up.

Anyway 10bt or 20pence...........................times must be hard .

People bemoan how cheap it is to get people hurt, then try to cheap themselves by arguing and shouting with a local over 10baht, 2faced springs to mind.

[Ta22]

THe problem with alot of farang , is that there will go reach some forum about standard price . and then .. alway ASSUME is the standard price apply . not checking when the post is posted .

-

i had seen taxi drive fighting farang . and i try to help cos i speak thai and english .

farang refuse to pay the meter cos he feel he got cheated . but the reason is he speak bad thai and give wrong adddress .

and so on ..

. SO the story is ( i got it from DIE HARD MOVIE - hope i spell right )

" ASSUMPTION IS THE MOTHER OF ALL F*** Up "

it would be great news when you get Killed for 10 baht .

i be waiting

[tmd5855]

I used to drink with some motorcycle guys in different parts of Bangkok many years ago when I was a drunk.

They see these rich farang travelling all round the world with high-paying jobs and taking back girls to their apartments many nights yet try to get off with 10 baht with them for a ride. These are hard-working good guys generally, who work 7 days a week to get 5,000 of which half is often sent to their family up country.

They are poor but very proud and will beat someone up without an hesitation if they deserve it.

Often it's the expats lack of communication skills that is the problem.

Imagine if you were tax driver in London and some Oil Shiek flagged you down and tried to get it 1 quid cheaper than the meter , babbling away in Arabic - you'd think he were a real &lt;deleted&gt;, wouldn't you?

DITTO et DITTO

[surface]

Tell your friend not to feel special. Thais also get overcharged if the driver doesn't recognize them. Who really knows what the prices are or should be? Only after taking a route a few times with different drivers can you start to be sure of the price.

As for your friend, tell him to apologize and expect to pay 50 baht each time or move.

[kmart]

I used to drink with some motorcycle guys in different parts of Bangkok many years ago when I was a drunk.

They see these rich farang travelling all round the world with high-paying jobs and taking back girls to their apartments many nights yet try to get off with 10 baht with them for a ride. These are hard-working good guys generally, who work 7 days a week to get 5,000 of which half is often sent to their family up country.

They are poor but very proud and will beat someone up without an hesitation if they deserve it.

Often it's the expats lack of communication skills that is the problem.

Imagine if you were tax driver in London and some Oil Shiek flagged you down and tried to get it 1 quid cheaper than the meter , babbling away in Arabic - you'd think he were a real &lt;deleted&gt;, wouldn't you?

Nice perspective.

[sassienie]

A similar thing happened to my brother in law in Chiang Rai.

He rode on a motor bike taxi, only 1 kilometer. The guy wanted 70 baht. My brother in law refused and only gave the driver, 40 baht.

But at least my brother in law had a happy, healthy and prosperous life for another 6 months before he was murdered by the motorbike drivers gang. So we dont feel all that bad about it.

I often use the same motor bike taxi and of course I pay whatever he asks. Everyones happy all round.

[Mosha]

When you get on the bike just say Meter Krap.

[2008bangkok]

This is a crackin read..so let me get this right the taxi driver who dont earn shit wanted an extra 10p off your mate and he refused and walked off.

[lazygourmet]

i just ran into a friend of mine who told me the following story:

he got a bike from down the road from his apartment to not far away, knowing it would be a 30B ride. the guy asked for 50 and my mate refused. the guy got aggressive, so my mate just walked off, the guy came after him of course, and my mate gave him 40b and said that was it. the guy got really agro and asked him if he lived int that apartment, and told him to watch his back, and that he should be scared, and yada yada yada. my mate isnt too concerned, but we have both heard stories as u do.

well, i had very little advice to give...anyone else?

<he didnt get the number of the guys shirt, or the bike reg., though this could be arranged>

sorry if this is incoherent, im writing in a hurry...

... and then yada yada yada ; must be yaba yaba yaba!?!

[dave9988]

why didnt he just pay the 20 baht and not have to worry about being killed?

[sassienie]

Your friend done the right thing, why should he give in to this sort of pressure?

He fought for all that is good and justice the American way.

At least he will die a martyr and will always be remembered as a true hero.

I have requested that Thaivisa create a special forum on behalf of his memory.

Edited November 25, 2008 by sassienie

[dotcom]

Looks like some drunk made that cross.

[dumball]

Looks more like a hanger for his epitaph than a cross , you know , for use afterwards not during .

[dingdongrb]

When you get on the bike just say Meter Krap.

I have never used a taxi scooter before, only tuktuks and taxi cars... Do the scooters have meters?

[TenDreams]

i do like all the assumptions about this guy!

555

a. he speaks excellent Thai and all the dialogue was all in Thai

b. of course he is not that concerned over a few baht, but he is not a rich well paid farang

c. he has been here a long time and sticks to his principles in those kind of matters

d. i was asking what would you do, not what would/should you have done.

the first thing i said was maybe he should buy the guy a beer and say no hard feelings, but his opinion is then the guy would get all he could out of him and do him over with his mates anyway.

thanks for the posts!

[Kerryd]

i just ran into a friend of mine who told me the following story:

he got a bike from down the road from his apartment to not far away, knowing it would be a 30B ride. the guy asked for 50 and my mate refused.

Always check the fare first. If you don't agree to a fare before hand, the driver can quote any price he wants. There is no "fixed" price.

I used to use moto-taxis a lot (before buying my own moto). Only once did a driver try to charge me extra. I had asked the price on my way home from the bar (20 baht). Got to my place and asked him again. 40 baht he said. I laughed and reminded him he had told me 20 baht before. He laughed and agreed. I'm sure he figured I was drunk and may have forgotten. The outcome may have been different if I had of become all "pissy" and agressive like some people seem to do.

If I forget to ask the fare before the trip, then I pay whatever is asked at the end. Never had any of them try to overcharge me.

[ForrestGump]

I would pay what he asked without much hesitation. I would probably be offended, but shut up about it because he's got a hard job and makes very little money. Maybe he's skimming, but who wouldn't in a situation where this is as good as it gets for you, meaning you might never be able to advance financially in life and will always have to work very hard for very little. However, I never go with an open price, I always ask for the meter or a fixed price. Especially if I know the usual price for the ride. Otherwise it's a bit like asking for a conflict, unless you are aware that prices differ or don't care about a couple of baht.

[Mosha]

When you get on the bike just say Meter Krap.

I have never used a taxi scooter before, only tuktuks and taxi cars... Do the scooters have meters?

Waste of a couple of smilies