'Jack Dekfarang' apologizes for taxi rant which riled Phuket

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

The Governor should be the one apologizing to the Thai people for allowing this to go on.

I wonder who is profiting from this???

[mesterm]

The cops are careful to take care of the hand that feeds them. So a little shot fired across the bow to Jack, and he's clever enough to dutifully fall in line.

And what a wai! He seems to have learned well during his time here.

[mike324]

There is also nothing wrong about voicing your opinion....Jack Dekfarang broke no law ...the police and army needs to take a chill pill and stop acting like a cry baby.

[Roomuck]

This is all about face. Nothing more

Yip.

"face" is the thing that has held this country back and so many other negative problems the place has.

Glad to be leaving

Any room in your suitcase for Jack?

See yah.

You're not allowed to put a human in a suitcase and put him on a plane mate. I'd get in trouble and most likely Jack would get an injury.

I can't see Jack having enough to pay for an airfare. Maybe we could stow him away on a fishing boat.

[Thaddeus]

What exactly was he arrested for?

Being.

[DrDave]

In BKK 30 km about THB 250.-, fair deal

IN Phuket 1 km THB 200.- is not overcharged ? No, it is totally rip off

30 Kim's for a measly 250 is not a fair deal.

Why should the price in Phuket be the same as Bangkok?

In London a similar journey costs more. Does Jack complain about that?

Pretty simple, if it was too expensive he could have just walked the kilometer or just declined. There was no need to be rude.

He was lucky the cops gave him an attitude adjustment, if the driver decided to he may well have been bashed.

What is wrong with these people with no manners coming to Thailand as a guest but thinking they set the rules and wanting the locals to wait on them hand and foot?

Go back to where you came from Jack.

So much wrong here. Where to start....

30 Klm's for a measly 250 is not a fair deal.

Why not? The rates in Bangkok were set and approved by government officials, just like they were in Phuket. Just a different set of officials - ones that don't have their snouts in the trough.

Why should the price in Phuket be the same as Bangkok?

What's the cost of living differential between the two places. Is it 30 times higher in Phuket than Bangkok? I think not, but the taxi fare in this case was about 30 times higher. One big difference between tuktuks in Phuket and taxis in Bangkok is that many of the Phuket tuktuk drivers spend a good part of their day sleeping in the back of their vehicle, while the Bangkok taxis are mostly on the move, looking for fares, and burning fuel.

Let's turn it around. Why should short taxi rides in Phuket cost at least an order of magnitude higher than those in Bangkok, and longer rides about double?

In London, a similar journey costs more.

On average, a the London taxi fare is about 2.80 pounds/km, or about 145 baht/km, with a minimum fare of 2.60 pounds (135 baht). So for a short 1km ride, a London taxi is actually cheaper, but no doubt more expensive for longer rides.

I would venture a guess that the cost of living and the operation of a taxi are both much higher in London than Phuket. In Phuket, a typical meal for a driver costs about 50 baht. Can you buy a meal in London for less than 1 pound? How about the cost to purchase a black taxi? Roughly the same as a tuktuk? Here's a hint - a new black taxi costs about 40,000 pounds (or a little over 2 million baht). Petrol is probably about the same. In London, it takes years to prepare for the exam to become a licensed taxi driver. And Phuket? Cost of a home or rent - about the same in London as Phuket, right?

Now let's look at New York City. The regulated meter rates are $2.50 for the flag drop, and $.50 for each 1/5 of a mile. That translates to $4 (140 baht) for a 1km ride, $5.50 (195 baht) for a 2km ride, and $10 (350 baht) for a 5km ride. How about the cost of operating a taxi in NYC. Are you aware that every taxi must have a "medallion"? This is essentially a permit to operate as a taxi in NYC. Currently, medallions cost about $1 million. That's right - about 35 million baht. The taxi itself costs about $25,000 or about 875,000 baht. How much does a tuk tuk cost? Average, I believe, is about 350,000 baht.

There was no need to be rude.

How is asking the driver how much he owed at the end of the ride being rude? All remarks regarding the fare were made after the tuktuk departed. To whom was he being rude?

He was lucky the cops gave him an attitude adjustment, if the driver decided to he may well have been bashed.

So then, I suppose that anyone in let's say London or New York who expresses his opinion that taxi rates are excessively high should expect to be hauled in by the local police to make an apology? I'm fairly confident that customers in major Western cities sometimes remark to taxi drivers that the fare seems high. Do they regularly get beaten by drivers?

What's wrong with these people with no manners coming to Thailand as a guest but thinking they set the rules and wanting the locals to wait on them hand and foot?

I didn't see any indication of a lack of manners in the video. Where in the video did Jack indicate that he should "set the rules" and the tuktuk driver should wait on him hand and foot? He merely made an observation that the fare seemed to be too high for a 1km ride. Much like a restaurant review on Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc, where a reviewer mentions that menu pricing was too expensive. Simple fact - Phuket lives or dies by tourism. Tourists, like customers of any business, expect a certain level of service and or value for their money. If you were to go to a shop with the intent of purchasing something, were treated badly by the staff and overcharged, would you be likely to tell your friends? How likely would be that you would return to that shop for future purchases? While I agree that some tourists are bad apples, being unreasonable and disrespecting the locals, I think they're in the minority, and I saw no such behavior in the video. Tourism is a service-oriented business. Mistreat your customers or rip them off, and it will surely come back to bite you. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but it will surely happen.

The bottom line here is that taxi rates in Phuket are much higher than they "should" be because:

(1) There's no limit to the number of taxis authorized to operate here, which creates an over-supply.

(2) There's a powerful "association" (many people refer to it as a mafia) that has influence over the local officials so that normal supply/demand principles do not apply. They've set the rate to whatever they want, and the local officials go along. Why? Let's just say that there are many snouts in the trough to be fed here.

[Franky Bear]

I can't see Jack having enough to pay for an airfare. Maybe we could stow him away on a fishing boat.

I don't know anyone that owns one???

[useronthenet]

Criticism is a healthy pastime. Thailand should really learn how to grow up. Or is the country still run by little children?

[MissAndry]

In BKK 30 km about THB 250.-, fair deal

IN Phuket 1 km THB 200.- is not overcharged ? No, it is totally rip off

In Chiang Mai 25Km costs 20bht.

Last week I paid 80bht for a 125Km journey (Sakhon Nakon to Mukhadan by minibus taxi)

Edited June 21, 2016 by MissAndry

[Thaidream]

I listed to Jack's report in Thai and he was not being rude at all. He did not talk to the driver other than to ask how much was the fare. His comments were made after the driver left. He certainly is entitled to his opinion. It is common knowledge that the Tuk Tuk rates in Phuket are high. Neither Jack nor anyone else states they are illegal- just excessive and all of us know why. Jack did what he had to do to remain in Thailand without problems. You can choose whether you want to go to Phuket or not. My choice is not to go because I have no desire to visit an overpriced tourist destination.

[recom273]

I had been to Phuket a couple of times.My 2nd trip was my last as I had no car and must rely on local transport mafia.It was so expensive and unpleasant so I had decided never to go there again.

That's it in a nut shell - yeah, claim it's fair, rubber stamp the charges and ( the usual righteous TV mantra of ) blame the farang for being tight, tell him to go back to where he comes from and complain.

But you are 100% - it's uncomfortable and an unpleasant event dealing with these clowns and we will vote with our feet.

Wouldn't it be an momentous event if the police / local government / junta / taxi mafia took on board what he was saying .. Actually, you taxi guys if weren't so greedy, you would make increase your turnover two or three times, of course you would have to do some work instead of sitting around but you might actually provide the rest of the tourist trade with with a service and make more money in the process .. How about that ?

[Old Croc]

deleted

Edited June 21, 2016 by Old Croc

[sawadeeken]

"Phuket Gov. Chamroen Tipayapongtada on Monday said the fare Brown paid was approved in 2013 and therefore not illegal and not something that should be complained about."

So you're not allowed to point out blatant overcharging now?

So you must look a little deeper into the 'operating system'......... This 'Police' decision is very important to be analysed before you consider it's fairness........ I thought all of you knew the Thai police were 'corrupt' (except maybe a scattered few).............

The BARS pay off the police, The BEACH VENDERS pay off the police. MASSAGE PARLORS pay off the police, TUK TUK DRIVERS pay off the police............ figured out where this is going yet??????????????

The 'Cops were just earning some of their 'PROTECTION' money.............

Just like they warn the bars and 'Soapies' of impending raids................ (except the one recently carried out by Army and 'outside Police' unbeknown to local cops in time to warn the venue - they caught a lot of violaters in this one even though all the later raids turned up only 'clean houses' after their tip-offs.)

Just a few days ago I was visiting a Bar in which a girl that I have known for a few years works. I had called the girl first to ask her to come meet me at my room, She told me the 'boss' didn't want any girls to go out for a while as the Police were coming to check the bars. So I went to have a couple drinks with the girl to 'watch'. The girl told me that a couple police came to this whole group of bars outside Pattaya and went from one to the next warning the bars that there is a planned raid coming later in the afternoon. So if there were any underage girls or girls that couldn't pass a pee-test, get rid of them. The Police also had a zip-bag for the donations that each bar made. My girl saw it all. It started pissing down rain and I knew the cops wouldn't come till much later so I Left. I got a message from my girl later around 7:30pm that they had just arrived at a bar across the street

[12DrinkMore]

It seems like a lot of posters have not read the article.

It is the maximum rate which can be bargained down,” said an unidentified official from the Phuket Land Transport Office after explaining the fare was approved by provincial authorities.

So it would seem that 200 Baht is the maximum the tuk-tuk driver can charge, and you are suppose to bargain this down BEFORE the journey.

Our Jack has been around long enough to know that. He was just making a video. But he claims he did not

“I didn’t know we could bargain,” he said.

Yeah, sure, I'll believe you.

Still maybe something good will come out.

Authorities said they would discuss adjusting the fares with drivers. They said they would also order warning signs installed in four languages for tourists saying that fares must be agreed to in advance.

So, to all those guys on the ground in Phuket.

Anybody notice this?

After the widely shared video caused massive distress in Phuket’s tourism sector

I wonder who got massively distressed by a YouTube video?

Some very sensitive souls over there......

[Psimbo]

'200 baht is the maximum and can be bartered down'. Yeah, good luck with that one!

[welshissan]

Aw, leave Roomuck alone.

He's only having his daily anti Brit rant!

He thinks he is Thai and likes to pull farangs, edpecially Brits,down on every occasion that he can, bless him

[Sean87s]

I dont get it.

Why does authority care about his video?

Why does he need to apologies and to who?

Why do the authorities know who he is and where to find him? Is he famous?

Who cares ?

Absurd.

[nakhonandy]

Never heard of anyone being able to barter down, 200 Baht, take it or leave it.

I never use them in Phuket, just hire a motorbike and go where I want for next to nothing all day.

In Pattaya I use the "Baht bus" all the time, cheap and efficient, mostly full for 10 Baht a ride.

Cheaper than my bike.

[SOTIRIOS]

....opportunistic....

[asiaexpat]

Only a new tourist would get in a Tuk Tuk without negotiating a price first. This guy knows the score and seems to just be using this for the topic of video for YouTube.

[Dancin Dna 11]

In BKK 30 km about THB 250.-, fair deal

IN Phuket 1 km THB 200.- is not overcharged ? No, it is totally rip off

30 Kim's for a measly 250 is not a fair deal.

Why should the price in Phuket be the same as Bangkok?

In London a similar journey costs more. Does Jack complain about that?

Pretty simple, if it was too expensive he could have just walked the kilometer or just declined. There was no need to be rude.

He was lucky the cops gave him an attitude adjustment, if the driver decided to he may well have been bashed.

What is wrong with these people with no manners coming to Thailand as a guest but thinking they set the rules and wanting the locals to wait on them hand and foot?

Go back to where you came from Jack.

Is this sarcasm?

[sawadeeken]

BUT THE PERSON WHO JUMPED ON THE FARANG CAR LAST WEEK, NO BIG DEAL. THIS IS BEYOND BELIEVE.

That farang probably don't pay the police regularly as the Tuk Tuks do...............

That's why the police are backing up the Tuk Tuks................

[pieeyed]

Typical island mafia. Never change. The tuk tuk should be fined at least 10,000 baht.

[LivinginKata]

Typical island mafia. Never change. The tuk tuk should be fined at least 10,000 baht.

Why should the tuk tuk driver be fined ? He stated the taxi fare, the pax accepted .... end of story .... well, other than the excessive fare structure here in Phuket ... but not illegal, maybe immoral ...

[NamKangMan]

I didn't see his YouTube clip as a "rant."

It was more about drawing attention to the out of line transport prices on Phuket.

He may have publicly apologized, but all this has done has given him further publicity for his YouTube channel, and with the officials publicly stating these are the "legal" transport prices on Phuket, further made people aware of the ridiculous transport prices here.

"Jack" wins again, and the Thai officials here can't even see it.

[NamKangMan]

Duplicate post removed.

Edited June 21, 2016 by NamKangMan

[BernieOnTour]

In BKK 30 km about THB 250.-, fair deal

IN Phuket 1 km THB 200.- is not overcharged ? No, it is totally rip off

30 Kim's for a measly 250 is not a fair deal.

Why should the price in Phuket be the same as Bangkok?

In London a similar journey costs more. Does Jack complain about that?

Pretty simple, if it was too expensive he could have just walked the kilometer or just declined. There was no need to be rude.

He was lucky the cops gave him an attitude adjustment, if the driver decided to he may well have been bashed.

What is wrong with these people with no manners coming to Thailand as a guest but thinking they set the rules and wanting the locals to wait on them hand and foot?

Go back to where you came from Jack.

sorry, but thats utter xxx ! (if it isn't meant to be ironically)

It's not about setting rules for Thailand, it's about complaining about a blatant rip off!

Nowhere else in Thailand you pay these taxi fees and not London (with totally different cost of living, taxes, ...), but the (for Thailand) relatively expensive Bangkok is a good comparison. In Bangkok, you can walk away and take the next taxi - in Phuket not! In Phuket, you are forced to take one with 200 Thb standard price, they are all controlled by the (mainly muslim) gang, who beat the hell out of anybody trying to undercut with (for Thailand) more realistic prices.

I once had to take one of these gangsters, as I had a injured knee and they charged me 200 thb for a 300m drive. I kept control, but my Thai friend from Bangkok went ballistic about that - best sign, that not Westerners try to "set rules", but that it is a rip off from a Thai point of view.

Only in Jung Ceylon, formerly a safe harbour for the most infamous pirates in that sea area...

Edited June 21, 2016 by BernieOnTour

[Gassit]

Shanks's Pony? I wouldn't ask a Tuk Tuk or Taxi to take me 1KM??

[gemguy]

Actually I was expecting this.

After seeing his video I was thinking he would be criticized by Thais ......just for criticizing anything about Thailand.....which is no surprise.

I believe the situation in Phuket is such that each Tuk Tuk driver has to pay hefty sums to continue to operate while there exists a taxi Mafia on top of the police cut, on top of the local administration profiting from it also.

There are limited amounts of Tuk Tuks on the island and I can only surmise that the system is rigged so anyone wanting to operate a Tuk Tuk can not get a license easily and probably has to pay a sizable amount of money to get the license while having to join the Taxi cooperative and tow the line.

I bet you if you talked to the Tuk Tuk drivers you would learn that they still do not make a whole lot of money themselves while all too much of the fare price ends up in the hands of the various people and government entities that control the whole affair.

So when you are complaining about the prices and or as to why the price is so high, you are in effect complaining at or complaining about the police, who are making money off the Tuk Tuks while helping to sustain the high prices all in the best interests of the various people or government entities that worked hard to create the rigged system and profit from it.

Meantime, more than likely they think everyone else are fools for not rigging the system in their areas and milking the local transportation industry for all that it is worth.....lol

Cheers

Edited June 22, 2016 by gemguy

[Sydebolle]

If the authorities would have just let it go it would have disappeared into thin air.

But now, with all those big wigs making it a point, that the local Somchai charges more than what you would pay for a one kilometre distance in the world's possibly most expensive cab in Zurich/Switzerland .......

Ah, yes, latter has a flag fall of CHF 8 (THB 280, compared to THB 35 in Thailand) whereas the kilometre is then clocked at CHF 5 (THB 175, compared to THB 200 in Phuket) - Nuff said!