32 replies to this topic

[Bolton Beast]

You dont get it do you,its the principle not the amount,I go to someones country and spend like its going out of fashion and will pay the going rate without complaint,but I will bitch like a bastard if I think someone is trying to diddle me out of a quid,some of these people are to stupid to realise that if they give a good service the tip will be bigger than the small amount they are trying to scam, my way they lose out both ways.
I spend in the region of 6weeks or more on each trip to Thailand and sometimes it wears a bit thin.
I dont know you or if you have ever even been to the place,if you have you should certainly understand my point.
Anyway my take on it and I aint getting into a discussion about it,you do yours I do mine.

[Beerlao]

can't stand taxi and tuk tuk drivers in phuket - the whole thing is a big scam from the start.
apart from that i must say the taxi scene in general is much better now than years before.

it always pays to duck around the corner from places like nana and patpong where you can find
good taxi drivers at 2am who don't charge anything extra - i usually add a little to show a bit of
appreciation for the decent ones there.

[Slacker]

Neither do I intend getting in to a discussion with someone who resorts to name-calling just because someone doesn't agree with them. Yes, I do get it...but instead of coming out with sweeping statements such as "they ought to be fucking grateful we come to their shithole of a country", maybe you could direct your vitriol to the appropriate person, i.e. the taxi-driver instead of applying it to the whole country. For someone who travels extensively to Thailand you don't seem to have got the Thai approach to things - it's not England and never will be. You should know by experience that the 'going rate' in Thailand is whatever the market will stand. It's disappointing to see so many people travel the world and vent their spleen because it's not the same as home. Why travel in the first place ? You see the same approach to customer service by cabs all over the world, England too - I hope you treat them the same.

[Bangrock]

I insist on a meter, almost always. In and around town, 100%. If they don't do meter, I don't go with them, that simple. There are typically taxis lined up down the block.
Hell, 80% of BK traffic is probably taxis. you can always get a better deal if a taxi doesn't want to play fair.

As for tuk tuks, never. They combine the worst elements of motorbikes with the worst elements of cars and the benefits of neither.
Although in Phuket, what is called a tuk tuk is usually a tsong tau, or more like a small, open van, which is ok for a ride.

Edited by Bangrock, 19 December 2010 - 07:03 PM.

[Dickvd]

All taxi driver world round is a conning artist,Phuket and Samui is worst,I tell in Phuket meter at airport ,if no meter they can kiss my ass and I find one who does.

[Bangrock]

That's one thing I hated about Samui - NO METERED TAXIS! When I first got there, I called a taxi to take me the 2k to Chaweng and he wanted b250 when he got there!
I told him to piss off and slammed out of the cab. He then proceeded to bitch to the hotel staff and I told him to piss off again. I walked .5k and got a motorbike for
b200/day. Fuck him, fuck that, fuck Samui.

[Dickvd]

Bangrock, on 21 December 2010 - 08:52 PM, said:

That's one thing I hated about Samui - NO METERED TAXIS! When I first got there, I called a taxi to take me the 2k to Chaweng and he wanted b250 when he got there!
I told him to piss off and slammed out of the cab. He then proceeded to bitch to the hotel staff and I told him to piss off again. I walked .5k and got a motorbike for
b200/day. Fuck him, fuck that, fuck Samui.

+1 from me ,hate taxi driver world over. Think maybe in Thai Bagkok ones are best as 90% put meter without being telled,Samui are shit add 90bht plus meter if they have one and Phuket Airport is 50 plus meter then argue liek hell not to put on. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[mike l]

Usually in Pattaya I try to use the baht buses, but, as most of you will have experienced, there are times
when a taxi is more convenient ar the just isnt a baht bus going where you want to get to. At these moments, I always seem to get the Pattaya taxi with the broken meter
Although in Bangkok there are plenty of scam merchants, it easy to walk away as you know a meter taxi will soon come along, in Patts, thats not so likely, which is why the drivers seem more willing to stand there ground and refuse to use the meter.

[Dickvd]

mike l, on 24 December 2010 - 05:58 PM, said:

Usually in Pattaya I try to use the baht buses, but, as most of you will have experienced, there are times
when a taxi is more convenient ar the just isnt a baht bus going where you want to get to. At these moments, I always seem to get the Pattaya taxi with the broken meter
Although in Bangkok there are plenty of scam merchants, it easy to walk away as you know a meter taxi will soon come along, in Patts, thats not so likely, which is why the drivers seem more willing to stand there ground and refuse to use the meter.

Pattaya never use taxi,only for airport if flight is very early or late,use baht bus or motorbike,fuck taxi drivers

[Bangrock]

The scam I hate in Pattaya is how the taxi stands advertise b800 to BK Airport, but it's never that price when you ask them.
I asked one of them how much it would be just to Silom - prolly 50k shy of the airport, and he tried to upsell me! I explained that
I just needed off right by the expressway, but he could not (would not?) grasp the concept that it was a shorter distance. My guess
is, they only want to go to Suvarnabhumi so they can scam people there on the other end. They truly get you coming and going.

Edited by Bangrock, 28 December 2010 - 05:23 PM.

[blubb]

Umm....Silom is further away from Pattaya than Suvarnabhumi! That's why it's more expensive. Unless you know of a place called Silom close Bang Pakong, or something? I've never heard of a taxi that have to drive through central Bangkok to get from Patts to Swampy. That is pretty much why it's more expesinve to go to down town Bkk, than the airport.

But why take a taxi from Patts to Silom if price is important to you?
1. Get on a baht bus. Take it to the bus station. 10-20thb.
2. Take the bus to Ekkamai station, BKK. 113 thb.
3. Take the BTS to Silom. 30-40 thb, maybe?
Then you're looking at 150-200 thb.

If you're lazy, and like traffic jams, you can take a taxi from Ekkamai to Silom. Add 100 thb to the total price, if you can manage to walk 20m extra to get a metered taxi. If you're not able to walk, you'll have to settle for a pixed price taxi, add another 100 thb.

[yumyum]

dickvd - all taxi driver world round is a con artist & hate taxi driver world over - well, i am a taxi driver and i have to work 60 to 70 hours a week in order to finance my 2 months a year in pattaya, and i can fucking tell you i AM NOT a con artist and how fucking PISSED OFF people like you make me by tarring(spelling!)all taxi drivers with the same brush.
You can take every profession in the world and find good and bad. With the number of members here how many others have you offended, perhaps you don't care. This was an informative thread that was giving good intel, i didn't need to read your abuse. First justified rant over

[DPkrass]

I always get meterd taxis ,if no meter then i hop right the hell out and flag another ..its as easy as that! im not a mug and im not ever desperate to hop into those bkk shit hole taxis ..ill wait 15 minutes on the side of the road for a nice taxi to pass by before i stick up my hand ..100 shitters could go past in that time and bothers me none!

Edited by DPkrass, 24 January 2011 - 12:32 PM.