SteeleJoe Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 They give small groups tours to the clubs. Take them there and watch over them for a bit till the get settled in or leave to their hotels. Nice easy work and not bad pay. Indeed. I didn't bother to mention to the previous poster - since the OP never said she was working - that it's not the least bit unusual for a good guide to show his/her clients the nighlife as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaka Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 This kind of thing happens 2 or 3 times a week with me. Because its a short distance the driver doesn't want to turn on the meter and charge a flat fee of 100 baht. Soi 11 to 39 on the meter would be half or less than that. I just ask now "meter". If they say yes I get in or waive them off. Sometimes it takes 5 cabs before I will get an honest driver and then I am always happy to give him 100 baht but I won't be told I have to by a thieving cab driver. So you are happy to pay 200% of the normal price? Your point being? Next time the driver will demand the same increased price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidu Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I admire the woman's gumption for pursuing a police report. Very exceptional for a Thai, particularly a female to take such dynamic action. For the taxi drivers not doing their job, why can't the police do sting operations, even hiring farang to assist? Oh, almost forgot, this is Thailand, and cops are incapable of doing sting operations. It perhaps comes as no surprise that the taxi drivers are all jazzed about Thaksin. 'It takes one to know one' as the schoolkids say, or re-phrased: It takes a group of bullies of look up to a big bully. Parting shot: If Bangkok is such a drag (we hear a plethora of complaints about the place), why do farang reside there, unless they absolutely have to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbeam1 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 We Tried to get a cab between Xmas & New Year around that same area at 12.00 midnight to take us to Prawet. At least half a dozen turned us down, before we found someone prepared to take the fair. jb1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caykay Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 What kind of tours are these female guides giving at 4am? Sexy ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocN Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Taxis play games with us so I play it with them.... I open the back left door and ask if they are willing to take me, when they refuse I gently shut the door so its not closed all the way and walk on Its a serious stretch for them to reach the back left door to shut it I like that - will give it a try. I don't even pretend to close the door, just smile and a polite mai pen rai... then I leave the thing wide open.. walk away, look back and wink at em.. Good insight into why some are so unhappy here and feel like they are viewed and treated like trash by the locals. Yes, Nisa! Right! Bad farang! Very , very bad! Who are we, to expect service from someone in a service- function and in a service- business! Bad farang! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JemJem Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I live in sathon and it amazes me the number of taxi's I sometimes have to flag down before one is willing to take me where I want to go. As for the popular tourist areas (I.e sukhumvit, patpong) i have seen them queuing up, yet refusing to take passengers unless they pay up. Unfortunately sooner or later someone will pay over the odds generally out of drunken desperation to get home, which the taxi drivers know only too well. it's not right and rather annoying. I don't go out late at night anymore but a few years ago, the taxi situation along Silom late at night was also as you described above. Possibly still the same now ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JemJem Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 The fundamental problems are that the government keeps taxi fares artificially low because it isn't politically expedient to increase them but at the same time neglects to enforce the laws which are supposed to protect both operator and consumer. In most countries (that do enforce laws) either the taxi fares would have to keep up with inflation or there wouldn't be enough taxis on the road. However in Thailand, the combination of low fares and lack of law enforcement means that the best option for a taxi driver is to seek other ways of increasing income. I think that the police know this and are reluctant to take much action. Realistically, taxi fares in BKK could double and they would still be cheap by most standards. Maybe we should think like this : Taxi fares here in Thailand are reasonable but the taxi fares, say, in Japan or the UK, are unneccessarily expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freedom4life Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 1,000 baht fine possible for assaulting a woman. Perhaps if they made it that cheap in my country I would make it a hobby to assault women. Of course I'm not serious, but I do think it's outrageous. No no..be serious, you've got something there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPI Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Taxis play games with us so I play it with them.... I open the back left door and ask if they are willing to take me, when they refuse I gently shut the door so its not closed all the way and walk on Its a serious stretch for them to reach the back left door to shut it Very clever, I think I'll try it next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteeleJoe Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Taxis play games with us so I play it with them.... I open the back left door and ask if they are willing to take me, when they refuse I gently shut the door so its not closed all the way and walk on Its a serious stretch for them to reach the back left door to shut it Very clever, I think I'll try it next time! Pathetic. Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDog Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Taxis play games with us so I play it with them.... I open the back left door and ask if they are willing to take me, when they refuse I gently shut the door so its not closed all the way and walk on Its a serious stretch for them to reach the back left door to shut it Very clever, I think I'll try it next time! Love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiwill60 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Well, this will only stop happening when the Thai's themselves get so pissed off about it that a stink is made and things change. wel at least it has happened to a thai in this instance, goo dfor them to report it. But a 1000 bht fine? What a joke. Maybe it will only be a matter of time before what has recently happened in India , will be happening here , then maybe some one in authority might get their lazy head off their desk and really do something. Thailand is getting a real bad reputation recently, Kho Pangnan etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nisa Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 The taxi on soi 11 would have surely also turned down any foreigners want to pay the meter rate as well, so it is not just a racial issue If ever in that area, don't even bother asking any of the taxi that are parked on the side of the road... No matter where you are, these guys are just looking to rip off tourists. None of them will use their meter no matter what race you are RACE...???!!! Bigoted comment. Neither being Thai not being Foreign has anything to do with 'RACE'. Very similar to the comment expressed by the alleged victim in this story ... "They were waiting only for foreign passengers since they paid more," a furious Kanyanat told police. "I decided to call on passing taxis instead" Ridiculous. There was nothing bigoted about either comment, accurate or not. Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap I didn't say nor imply either were but was just pointing out the alleged Thai victim in the OP shared those feelings.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteeleJoe Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 RACE...???!!! Bigoted comment. Neither being Thai not being Foreign has anything to do with 'RACE'. Very similar to the comment expressed by the alleged victim in this story ... "They were waiting only for foreign passengers since they paid more," a furious Kanyanat told police. "I decided to call on passing taxis instead" Ridiculous. There was nothing bigoted about either comment, accurate or not. Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap I didn't say nor imply either were but was just pointing out the alleged Thai victim in the OP shared those feelings.. Yes, you did. No, she didn't. Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverSure Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) I've gotten in the habit of just getting in and sitting down before I state my destination. That works sometimes. Yesterday, for the first time, I found a cab that had the doors locked. The driver simply reached back to roll down the window before waving me off and driving away. It's criminal. They benefit from being licensed, but refuse their responsibilities for fair service. Just another layer of corruption in the system. absolutely true...this happened to me outside Siam Paragon couple weeks ago when I took the skytrain there and while returning home, chose to take a taxi because the queues at the train ticket window were too long... criminal indeed... one taxi driver even screamed at me and gave me the middle finger when I challenged him to explain why he will not take us to Rama 3 area... the fact that I was with my teenage daughter did not deter him from behaving in a rogue fashion....scary thing to happen... some taxi drivers have no concern if the passengers have family with them.... can't imagine what some tourists would be facing while dealing with the wring cabbie... I have a lady friend in Isaan. She has a masters degree and is a grade school head. She's 35. I sent her a link to the story and asked her if assaulting a woman was such a small deal in Thailand as to be worth a 1,000 baht fine. Remember this driver forcibly removed the woman and I find that unacceptable that he put his hands on her. Here is her answer: "is just 21:35 PM here but I am very sleepy and tired, I'll go to bed early. But I will reply you before. It is a very terrible problem, when I went to Bangkok I was very afraid the taxi. Many taxi drivers are good but some are bad. I heard this bad news, all women are afraid the taxi especially country women who come from another provinces. I think Thai law punishes too light, I don't like and I think most of Thais don't like this too. I don't know how to explain, this topic is very difficult to explain ka. We have to be careful the taxi when we have to go Bangkok." Edited January 7, 2013 by NeverSure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudzu Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 She is very good tour guide. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nisa Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) Very similar to the comment expressed by the alleged victim in this story ... "They were waiting only for foreign passengers since they paid more," a furious Kanyanat told police. "I decided to call on passing taxis instead" Ridiculous. There was nothing bigoted about either comment, accurate or not. Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap I didn't say nor imply either were but was just pointing out the alleged Thai victim in the OP shared those feelings.. Yes, you did. No, she didn't. Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa ap Of course you know best what I wrote and what it meant but it simply meant the Thai women said something similar in the OP and if I was to think deeply about my possible reason for pointing this out then it was to say if somebody wants to consider the poster (CMW) racist or a bigot then they should think the same of the alleged victim in the OP. CWMcMurray stated : "No matter where you are, these guys are just looking to rip off tourists" In the OP she stated: "They were waiting only for foreign passengers since they paid more," Not sure how any reasonable person can say they are not similar nor imply I meant to confirm they were racist comments. Although I am not sure what Taxi drivers think in these situations but would guess they probably do believe the odds are greater of getting a foreigner to pay extra since they typically do have more disposable income and many probably see paying double for a taxi ride in Bangkok is still a low price compared to back home. Edited January 7, 2013 by Nisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewlyMintedThai Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Well, this will only stop happening when the Thai's themselves get so pissed off about it that a stink is made and things change. wel at least it has happened to a thai in this instance, goo dfor them to report it. But a 1000 bht fine? What a joke. Maybe it will only be a matter of time before what has recently happened in India , will be happening here , then maybe some one in authority might get their lazy head off their desk and really do something. Thailand is getting a real bad reputation recently, Kho Pangnan etc etc I don't know how many times this has to be said before it sinks in, but I'll give it one more try: THE 1,000 BAHT FINE IS FOR A TAXI DRIVER REFUSING SERVICE. It has nothing to do with the assault, which would be an ADDITIONAL FINE AND/OR JAIL SENTENCE, DEPENDING ON THE JUDGE'S RULING. I mean, for crying out loud people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nisa Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) Well, this will only stop happening when the Thai's themselves get so pissed off about it that a stink is made and things change. wel at least it has happened to a thai in this instance, goo dfor them to report it. But a 1000 bht fine? What a joke. Maybe it will only be a matter of time before what has recently happened in India , will be happening here , then maybe some one in authority might get their lazy head off their desk and really do something. Thailand is getting a real bad reputation recently, Kho Pangnan etc etc I don't know how many times this has to be said before it sinks in, but I'll give it one more try: THE 1,000 BAHT FINE IS FOR A TAXI DRIVER REFUSING SERVICE. It has nothing to do with the assault, which would be an ADDITIONAL FINE AND/OR JAIL SENTENCE, DEPENDING ON THE JUDGE'S RULING. I mean, for crying out loud people. Easy concept to grasp but I personally have a feeling the assault charges won't be decided by a judge because I am not sure it is illegal to use force to remove somebody from your property or business who you have told to leave. If I recall correctly from the OP, the taxi driver never said he wouldn't take her but she simply didn't like the look he made about having to do it and have a suspicion he probably didn't like having to do it but her mouth is what got her in a position of being told to get out. Another scenario could be is he took her for free (no mention of him wanting money) to an area he was going anyway and where she would be able to grab a taxi more easy ... have had taxi's do this for me and even have had taxi's change their mind about taking me somewhere because of traffic including 1 block from my home during Songkran and other times after traveling a good distance and having the taxi experience problems ... never a charge in these situations. I would guess just because the law says they must pick you up doesn't mean you have the right to force them to do so or force them to take you somewhere. If she legally had a gun would she be able to force him at gunpoint to drive her the rest of the way? I think not and think she would end up with a kidnapping charge or something related. The fine for not picking up a passenger is 1000 baht and not open season to get into a taxi and try to force them through intimidation to get to your destination ... the remedy provided for victims of such an incident is to report the incident and not use physical force (refuse to leave another person's business or property) until you get what you want. Although I seriously doubt we will hear more, I really would be interested in learning how this turns out and why. Edited January 7, 2013 by Nisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewlyMintedThai Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Dunno, but there are still some Einsteins out there who don't get the fact that the 1,000 baht fine has nothing to do with assau.t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nisa Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Dunno, but there are still some Einsteins out there who don't get the fact that the 1,000 baht fine has nothing to do with assau.t I think many of them get it but it doesn't conform to the position of promoting unfairness in the Thai Justice System regardless of based on fantasy or fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26vinny Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Never use them is the best way i found, skytrain and feet, and i would rather pay a family member a good wage as a taxi, and keep the gravy train in the family. not rocket science.and this is a real problem anywhere u go, Barcelona pretty bad, portugese island of Madiera really bad in Scilly island Italy, I have worked in the tourism industry on and off for many years, no different anywhere in Europe, Turkey wasnt great either, same problem all over, not just Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) They give small groups tours to the clubs. Take them there and watch over them for a bit till the get settled in or leave to their hotels. Nice easy work and not bad pay. Indeed. I didn't bother to mention to the previous poster - since the OP never said she was working - that it's not the least bit unusual for a good guide to show his/her clients the nighlife as well. The Daily News article the story is taken from stated she had been out socialising with friends in a pub on Soi 11 on the night of the incident. I have a lady friend in Isaan. She has a masters degree and is a grade school head. She's 35. I sent her a link to the story and asked her if assaulting a woman was such a small deal in Thailand as to be worth a 1,000 baht fine. Remember this driver forcibly removed the woman and I find that unacceptable that he put his hands on her. Here is her answer: "is just 21:35 PM here but I am very sleepy and tired, I'll go to bed early. But I will reply you before. It is a very terrible problem, when I went to Bangkok I was very afraid the taxi. Many taxi drivers are good but some are bad. I heard this bad news, all women are afraid the taxi especially country women who come from another provinces. I think Thai law punishes too light, I don't like and I think most of Thais don't like this too. I don't know how to explain, this topic is very difficult to explain ka. We have to be careful the taxi when we have to go Bangkok." The Daily News article the story is taken from stated the 1000 Baht fine is for refusing a passenger, not for assault, which is a separate matter. http://www.dailynews...th/crime/176528 Edited January 7, 2013 by katana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewlyMintedThai Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Hallelujah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charmonman Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I used to live on Soi 11 several years ago. I had to move away as it was becoming such a nightmare in the evenings, with the whole soi jammed up with taxis trying to pick up fares from all the big nightclubs and bars on the street. It's even worse now. As for the woman's belief that the problem is caused because taxis are "waiting only for foreign passengers since they paid more", it seems like the typical ignorant reaction some Thais have these days to blame foreigners for problems of their own making. I can assure her if she had been willing to pay the exorbitant fee demanded, he would have taken her to her destination the same as any foreigner. I can also inform her that I, a foreigner, am regularly refused by taxi drivers, some of whom don't even bother giving me the option of paying an exorbitant fee (which I would refuse to do anyway). This is a common problem regularly faced by BOTH foreigners and Thais. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rionoir Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I've seen Japanese tourists coming out of the mall before and agreed to pay a Tuk Tuk driver 500 baht to go where a taxi would've cost them less than 100. I just have to bite my lip sometimes - but I do shake my head everytime I see farang in a tuk tuk because you just know they are getting ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsujin Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I've seen Japanese tourists coming out of the mall before and agreed to pay a Tuk Tuk driver 500 baht to go where a taxi would've cost them less than 100. I just have to bite my lip sometimes - but I do shake my head everytime I see farang in a tuk tuk because you just know they are getting ripped off. Not necessarily getting ripped off . . . when I first came to Thailand, I remember going to the Grand Palace area, hiring a Tuk-Tuk for the whole day and getting taken around their "rip off" route visiting the jewellers, tailors etc along with the usual tourist sites. It was an "experience" that I asked for and was thoroughly enjoyable, highlighted by having lunch with the driver, his wife and young baby at her noodle stall. Well worth the 500 baht I paid him for the whole day, and that included our lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppmacready Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I live in sathon and it amazes me the number of taxi's I sometimes have to flag down before one is willing to take me where I want to go. As for the popular tourist areas (I.e sukhumvit, patpong) i have seen them queuing up, yet refusing to take passengers unless they pay up. Unfortunately sooner or later someone will pay over the odds generally out of drunken desperation to get home, which the taxi drivers know only too well. it's not right and rather annoying. It's all part of the charm of Thailand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppmacready Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I've seen Japanese tourists coming out of the mall before and agreed to pay a Tuk Tuk driver 500 baht to go where a taxi would've cost them less than 100. I just have to bite my lip sometimes - but I do shake my head everytime I see farang in a tuk tuk because you just know they are getting ripped off. I've seen Japanese tourists coming out of the mall before and agreed to pay a Tuk Tuk driver 500 baht to go where a taxi would've cost them less than 100. I just have to bite my lip sometimes - but I do shake my head everytime I see farang in a tuk tuk because you just know they are getting ripped off. Or just enjoying the ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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