Anotherday - Another (public) Taxi Scam

[lingnoi34]

Arrived at the airport (with Thai wife and our daughter) and went to the public taxi queue. Got a ticket and off we go with the meter duely turned on.

During the journey I keep watching the meter frequently and halfways into the trip notice that the distance must have jumped by 10 km or so. Arrived at destination (rama I and soi kasem san) and meter shows total distance of 44,5km when it should have been 34,5km (always has been between 32 and 35 km). Very cute trick but I didn't feel like arguing over 100 Baht.

That was the only incident in 2 weeks so I say "mai pen rai"

LN

[lothda]

Happened to me only one time. They can advance the meter by pushing a button somewhere. I mailed in the complaint form to see what would happen - nothing. Time for the airport express to start.

[hkt83100]

They can advance the meter by pushing a button somewhere.

I show the driver my mobile phone with a running GPS which records the distance and speed. They look interested and their meter shows quite exactly the same distance as my GPS...

[thaibkk]

if you took the line and paid your 50 baht extra, you also got a slip to file a complaint, right ?

so use it

[Robroy]

I find the most common scam is making vague noises about the cost of the trip when you get in (simultaneously hassling you to hurry), then stating whilst moving that the price is not the vaguely mentioned 250 baht but 400 baht.

The trick seems to be to not get in (& hold firmly onto your suitcase) until the fare is crystal clear.

This Xmas the only loss was in Melbourne - ripped off by an Indian taxi driver.

[freeurmind2]

My nth time travelling to BKK, my nth time at a Silom Road hotel. Fare typically between 280-290 from Swampy, make it in about 40 minutes [on a good day] to 1.5 hours. I tell driver the soi and he nods. Maybe that was my first red flag.

Got through Expressway okay, but instead of taking the left off ramp that leads to Rama IV, driver goes straight towards --- Victory Monument! Clear through the other side of town. We crawl through heavy holiday traffic. I raise my voice [yeah, I know we shouldn't], muttered a lot. When we finally make that roundabout turn towards the other end of Rama IV, driver is clueless as to where the soi was. He attempted to drop me off at one of those sleazy parts of town. I refused to get off. I try to get my bearings, give the idiot directions. By now he is smiling and trying to chat me up b/c we are out in free flowing traffic.

I don't let him off the hook. When we get to hotel, I motion the driver up to the Thai front desk manager, who speaks English. I ask him to translate: Why did he use Victory Monument road? Reason? Too much heavy traffic going to Rama IV. I counter that we took even longer going his dam_n way. I ask him why he claimed he knew this road when it was clear he didn't. He said he was asking me where the soi was. As they are wont to do, two local bellboys approach and look like they are ready to defend the idiot driver. Then they look bored as they see the manager waving the driver off with what sounded like a reprimand, with a mumbled apology to me.

Total time to hotel: 3 hours. Total fare: 420. Idiot driver tells me he doesn't want the 50 baht no more. I give him a threatening look, but am only able to pay 400, the only bills I've got.

[jfchandler]

I came back from an annual trip to the U.S. at the beginning of the year. Since I've lived in the same BKK location for my entire duration here, I know the general price for a taxi trip from the airport to my home.

Never had any public meter taxi problems from the airport before. But on this trip, I did. Got assigned to an oldish looking sedan taxi... OK.... Get in, and the driver asks me to give him the paper receipt given me at the taxi desk... (can't recall that ever happening before), but I handed him my paper as we began driving.

As we get on the expressway, I'm looking at the meter and pretty quickly the total is both a) rising much more quickly than normal and the total is quickly reaching almost the total price for a normal trip.

OK, so at this point, I start thinking I've gotten a bad taxi. So I turn around to look at the rear interior door panel where the taxi ID number is normally displayed, and there's no ID sticker anywhere. So I start talking to the driver, who's been very chatty with me until that point.

I start telling him, I'm seeing the meter and it looks too expensive. I tell him, I know the trip and take it many times, and know the distance to my home, and there must be some kind of problem with my meter. And I tell him, I think I'll need to file a complaint about this. Suddenly, the driver's not so chatty anymore.

In the end, I settled the issue by negotiating a set price for the trip that's in the neighborhood of what I'd normally pay, and less than what the meter was reading. The driver at that point didn't argue or object.

It occurred to me later the driver wanted my copy of the taxi desk receipt so I wouldn't have anything later to prove/document the trip. So, for the future, don't give up the paper receipt. And if you don't see a taxi ID number displayed on the cab, make another choice.

[Meridian007]

As I've said before, this is becoming more common. The past six months have seen an increase in the "faulty" meters. See the other thread for similar stories, and a video of it happening:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=3249934

Does anyone know which government office is in charge of the proper running of the meters? Can anyone remember when they first forced the use of meters here, which government office was behind it? I know that things are worse in other parts of the country where you won't even get a meter, but I think meters are the answer if they are monitored and regulated properly.