Attempted Taxi Scam In Bangkok

[onnut]

I hear what you're saying but 200 Baht. For example recently took a meter taxi from Sukhumvit Soi 23 to the airport....no expressway....took 40 mins at a cost of 182 Baht.

Its still a rip off fare.

200 baht is as much of a rip off fare as the fare the OP gave the driver. In a cab ANYWHERE in the world you check that the meter is turned on and that it is ascending at roughly the correct rate. If the meter is not on and you missed that, then you're as much at fault as the driver in my opinion, unless there was a reason you were unaware, such as the meter being concealed.

I hope your column will be up on time today

its not like you to be arguing on Thaivisa.

[britmaveric]

Well Stick is Stick. Meter or no meter if you know the cost it does not matter much if the muppet doesnt put the meter on.

[givenall]

good job onnut - he knew he was wrong because I saw it on his face. Just wondering how many who do not know better get taken?

I never get in a taxi that des not turn his meter on. There are many more taxi available who will turn their meter on

[chiang mai]

The taxi fare from Soi 8/Suk to MBK is one thing, the return fare though is substantially greater because of the one way system and the no turn rules. I reckon there's a fair chance that the return trip fare is something in the order of 300% greater. There used to be a short cut down Soi Nai Lert but I believe that is now no longer an option.

[smokie36]

OK for my next example a trip from Khao San Road to lower Sukhumvit which took nearly an hour and cost 100 Baht.

300% more?? more like 80-90 Baht maximum I would reckon.

[britmaveric]

Less than a 100bht for sure, done that many times before w/meter.

[DP25]

Yeap, that's good point about the fare from MBK to Soi 8 as opposed to the opposite, it is definitely not 60 baht. Maybe this a good scam for down on their luck farang that can't afford to pay the full taxi fare.

[britmaveric]

Moot point as I stated nowhere near 200bht. Perhaps gullible farang like to give unearned donations to the thai taxi scammers.

[hughben]

Curious to know exactly what the law is (not that is makes any difference in Thailand).

If you get into a cab and the driver doesn't put the meter on and you reach your destination, are you legally bound to pay anything?

[Goshawk]

but people like you make the cab drivers realise how easy it is to rip us off, which in turn makes it harder for us.

ha.. i missed this one.

.

jeez, i've ridden more taxis in Bangers than i've had heartbeats... read again & understand the OP's post and responses directly related to it before you show yourself up anymore..

& quit the 'us' sh*t... you're not part of a secret cabal, ya know..?!?

[robblok]

but people like you make the cab drivers realise how easy it is to rip us off, which in turn makes it harder for us.

ha.. i missed this one.

.

jeez, i've ridden more taxis in Bangers than i've had heartbeats... read again & understand the OP's post and responses directly related to it before you show yourself up anymore..

& quit the 'us' sh*t... you're not part of a secret cabal, ya know..?!?

Yes sounds real convincing.... more taxi's then heartbeats.. Anyway i usually tell them to put the meter on. Also i have been scammed once.. but the gf did not want me to report it at that moment because the guy was doggy. I just accepted what she said.. i hate scammers.. but im not going to risk much for 100bt.

[bkkjames]

I took a taxi once from heathrow terminal 3 to one of those nearbye transit hotels, 15 pounds according to the meter. Now that's a scam!

[theoldgit]

I took a taxi once from heathrow terminal 3 to one of those nearbye transit hotels, 15 pounds according to the meter. Now that's a scam!

Yes, and no doubt he got the right hump with you for wanting such a short journey.

I had an office on the Bath Road and the taxi drivers always gave me grief when I asked to go to the office from Heathrow, though they begrudgingly shut up when I reminded them they could get a ticket to go back to the front of the queue after such a short journey, ended up taking the local free bus in the end.

[theoldgit]

I recently took a taxi from Thonglor to Suvarnabhumi , the guy stuck the meter on without being asked and after a while I noticed that the meter wasn't moving, when we got to the airport slip road the driver noticed that the meter was stuck on 40 Baht, and he tapped it and it started moving again.

When we got to the departure drop off point the meter was showing 50 baht, it's normally about 200 - 250 Baht, I asked the guy the fare and he shrugged his shoulders, laughed and pointed to the 50 Baht, of course I gave him the 300 Baht I normally pay.

Have to say I have never had a driver try to rip me off, though I do avoid those who lurk outside hotels and entertainment venues.

[ChangMaiSausage]

You been in Thailand for a while since you joined ThaiVisa in 2003 and you still feel the need to write about this ?

Come on everyone knows, when you take a taxi from a tourist destination make sure he puts the meter on or take an other cab. This is a business actually, if the taxi feels he doesnt need to put the meter because you didnt ask him to, its his right to charge you what he feels, otherwise ask for the price before the ride. That is what we do in any country where taxis have no meter....

Same would happen everywhere in the world. If I take a limo in NY I will make sure I know how much the ride with the limo to the airport is before I get in... I said limo but even taxis in NY from the airport dont put the meter, you have to negotiate with them, they have the fix rate of course, but they always try to cheat you.

So get on and you should be the one to grow a pair and negotiate the cost of the ride if you dont want him to put a meter. The working people have other things to do than playing games. And if you get in and ask the price, he tells you 200 or 2000 bath just say thank you and find an other taxi.

I dont see any scam here.

I've seen this a few times is bath the same as Baht? A bath is somethign you clean yourself in, is it not?

[witold]

OP, it sounds like you are just looking for trouble. Eventually, you will find it. Hopefully, you won't get your head kicked in too bad. There is a difference between standing up for yourself, and simply looking for a fight.

I don't know why it seems so hard for you to ask the driver to put the meter on, or not take the cab that refuses to do so? It seems like you've been around Thailand for a lot longer than I and still haven't learned this simple rule of thumb.

Personally, I've found BKK taxis to be VERY fair and honest compared to other developing countries. It is not even close. All you have to do is not take the taxis from right outside tourist spots/hotels, use the meter, and you will find that vast majority of these guys are just great. This is in contrast to 2 months ago when I was in Bogota, and at least 2/3rds of the cabs drivers tried to screw me - either overcharging me straight up, or taking me the long way - and the overcharge was always _much_ bigger than the typical Thai overcharge.

[robblok]

OP, it sounds like you are just looking for trouble. Eventually, you will find it. Hopefully, you won't get your head kicked in too bad. There is a difference between standing up for yourself, and simply looking for a fight.

I don't know why it seems so hard for you to ask the driver to put the meter on, or not take the cab that refuses to do so? It seems like you've been around Thailand for a lot longer than I and still haven't learned this simple rule of thumb.

Personally, I've found BKK taxis to be VERY fair and honest compared to other developing countries. It is not even close. All you have to do is not take the taxis from right outside tourist spots/hotels, use the meter, and you will find that vast majority of these guys are just great. This is in contrast to 2 months ago when I was in Bogota, and at least 2/3rds of the cabs drivers tried to screw me - either overcharging me straight up, or taking me the long way - and the overcharge was always _much_ bigger than the typical Thai overcharge.

Your contradicting yourself.

[onnut]

but people like you make the cab drivers realise how easy it is to rip us off, which in turn makes it harder for us.

ha.. i missed this one.

.

jeez, i've ridden more taxis in Bangers than i've had heartbeats... read again & understand the OP's post and responses directly related to it before you show yourself up anymore..

& quit the 'us' sh*t... you're not part of a secret cabal, ya know..?!?

[witold]

Your contradicting yourself.

Not at all. In Thailand, Taxi drivers rarely screw you over, especially if you are outside of the tourist zones, and if they do, it isn't for much. In many other developing countries, vast majority of Taxi drivers will try to screw you over, and for much bigger surcharge. It is a huge difference in the prevalence and extent of the problem. People complaing about Thailand don't seem to get out much outside of their home in EU/US and Thailand.

[robblok]

Your contradicting yourself.

Not at all. In Thailand, Taxi drivers rarely screw you over, especially if you are outside of the tourist zones, and if they do, it isn't for much. In many other developing countries, vast majority of Taxi drivers will try to screw you over, and for much bigger surcharge. It is a huge difference in the prevalence and extent of the problem. People complaing about Thailand don't seem to get out much outside of their home in EU/US and Thailand.

I will agree that taxi drivers usually don't scam you. But when its raining and they have the upper hand things change. Also you do get scammed near tourist area's and they will scam unsuspecting people. I have been scammed twice with a rigged meter.

[Chunky1]

funny to see people arguing over 140 baht

[MrRichard2009]

funny to see people arguing over 140 baht

That's 4-5 meals for some people here ! LOL

[witold]

I will agree that taxi drivers usually don't scam you. But when its raining and they have the upper hand things change. 

Oh yeah, absolutely.  I've been in situations where I literally asked 5+ drivers if they would use a meter to get me home late at night from a touristy destination and they refused to use the meter.  They wanted to charge a flat fare.  I would not call this a 'scam', though.  They are just refusing business.  That seems pretty fair to me.  

[lopburi3]

As far as rigged meters go I have had the "bump" mode used several times (well under 1%) but the increase in cost is less than a normal tip in most countries (less than 20%) on a fare that is extremely low so not worth risking your life over by going postal.

You do find those of dubious value target the tourist stops and pay for prime locations so the 'take the taxi in motion' idea is valid to increase your chances of not meeting con artists.

In many countries taxi driver is not a professional occupation so most visitors should have a good idea of what to expect. I understand this may not be true of the UK and some countries in Europe where drivers are held to a higher professional standard.

For sheer terror my rides between airport and Athens have to be among my worst experiences. And I was younger than and had owned a Jaguar XKE but the Greek drivers were worse than any amusement park ride.

[Arkady]

Well I was going to tell him to put the meter on but I wanted to see how big he wanted to mug me -4x the normal fare is taking the piss royally.

Brilliant idea. The former sports manager at the British Club had an altercation with a tax driver who refused to switch on his meter. The driver resolved the issue with a machete resulting in 100 stiches around the sports manager's head and face and disfigurement for life. Needless to say the police were unable to trace the taxi driver, despite Bangkok's pervasive CCTV system and the presence of other taxi drivers nearby. Keep on picking fights with miserable taxi drivers who try to crook you out of five dollars which they are prepared to kill for at the drop of a hat. I hope you have good medical and life coverage.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Arkady

[Arkady]

As far as rigged meters go I have had the "bump" mode used several times (well under 1%) but the increase in cost is less than a normal tip in most countries (less than 20%) on a fare that is extremely low so not worth risking your life over by going postal.

You do find those of dubious value target the tourist stops and pay for prime locations so the 'take the taxi in motion' idea is valid to increase your chances of not meeting con artists.

In many countries taxi driver is not a professional occupation so most visitors should have a good idea of what to expect. I understand this may not be true of the UK and some countries in Europe where drivers are held to a higher professional standard.

For sheer terror my rides between airport and Athens have to be among my worst experiences. And I was younger than and had owned a Jaguar XKE but the Greek drivers were worse than any amusement park ride.

Ha ha. Brings back memories. I also remember many near misses in Greek taxi death rides to and from the old Ellinikon airport in Athens. There was also the entertaining pantomime of the driver taking his hands off the wheel to roll his eyes heavenward and shouting "malaka" at the other driver. One advantage though was that for flights outside rush hours, you didn't have to allow much time to get to the airport.

[smokie36]

This morning when checking out of my hotel on Soi 23 the porter grabbed my bag and asked if I wanted a taxi to which I replied I did.

When I had finished checking out he tried to get me to book with a "taxi stand" just inside the door of the hotel for 800 Baht.

Naturally I made it perfectly clear i was having nothing of this and he hailed one outside. I get in and as we head off the driver asks for 500 Baht to take me there.

I tell him repeatedly to turn the meter on then he says "toll road" which is ridiculous coming from Soi 23 on a Saturday morning. I tell him no and he eventually switches on the meter.

193 baht to the airport in silence...really its beyond a joke!

[TantraMantra]

Interesting, I was in a Taxi yesterday, from the airport in Perth , just arrived in from Thai , the driver George was telling me that a few drivers in Perth have been in trouble for similar stuff but the long way around with the meter going ,needless to say they are new comers to the country and me no understand , why me crap, same happened to me a few times in Honkers, the drivers then went into retard ,me no understand english, so yeah, its happening everywhere , especially if U don't know the way .

The first time I went NYC I was overcharged $50 for short ride from Port Authority. And you only need to stand outside Victoria station in London for 10 mins to see the cab drivers robbing their tourist passengers.

[pauljones]

I never ask them to turn on the meter.

My duty is to get in, tell him the destination and pay what the meter says.

Not my problem if they don't turn it on.

I know the minimum fare is 35 so that is what they get.