Revenge Against Taxi Drivers

[Dumsoda]

I also agree with the general comments above about not ****ing with the Taxi driver's, it's just not worth chancing it.

But, having said that, I've never had a problem with one.

Find a lot of the driver's are from up country (North - East) and when the better half is travelling with me, I usually end up "listening" to a non stop conversation for the entire duration of the trip.

These guys do it really hard, trying to make a living and have to put up with shit from all angles.

The Xmas before last we were in Pattaya and were to go back to bkk for the last couple of nights. It was mid week, so me being me, didn't pre-book a taxi. No probs darling, I'll go down to the end of Second road where the taxis wait and organize one. WRONG, it must have been "National Taxi Drivers' Picnic day" because there was not a Taxi to be found.

 

Did the next best thing and went into one of the Tour Offices to "Book"

5 phone calls and a 10 minute disappearance on the motor cycle, and the guy comes back.... solly no have taxi for 800Bt....but can get special Limo...1400Bt......I'm smelling a rat ..big time...but I'm stuffed like a Christmas Turkey, and I know for sure there are absolutely no taxis about.... O.K... let's go says me...biting my tongue...

Special Limo arrives to pick up us in Yensabai 20 minutes later...Honda accord...nice car...Load up and off.......... Straight around the corner to the front of V.C. Hotel and stops, starts unloading my bags into the most decrepid beaten up Corolla Taxi, I've ever seen......I do a major dummy spit...something Basil Fawlty would have been proud of.... but the better half just accepts it and gets pissed at me for being..."not polite".....yeah right !!!!

So, off we go in the "clap trap"...I'm in a filthy mood, so the better half completely ignores me and chats with the driver... Then I notice the Driver getting agitiated and more animated and he pulls 700 bt out of his shirt pocket and shows the missus!!!!!!

That's what the slimey pricks paid him to take us back to Bangkok.

I completely changed my attitude, because I realised that I wasn't the only one that had been shafted......told the missus to get him to stop at the next servo and bought us all food and drinks. Then told him to take the Toll way and I would pay.... the guy kept looking at me via the rear view mirror, all the way back...guess he was having trouble working out the Schitz in the back seat....

Got to our Hotel and tipped him 300Bt....the look on his face was priceless.

All up the most expensive trip I've ever had, but I learnt a lesson that I won't forget.

These scum bucket "Agents" will rip off there own Countrymen just as quickly as us walking ATM's, so better to stay calm and in future...plan ahead.

 

Chock dee Dumsoda

[Neo]

Taxi drivers don't like to go to Pantip because traffic is horrible around pratumwan (sp) and I get the feeling they lose money being tied up there. When denied, just listen for the words "rote tit" which means traffic jam. I am usually understanding when a taxi doesn't want to go somewhere unusual as their profit margins are extremely thin as it is, though at times admit to having been bewildered at the few when they wouldn't go to simple places in the city center. While the way you dealt with that guy gave me a chuckle, I don't think it's a good idea to tangle with those guys. I know someone who had a knife pulled on him by the driver when he got drunk and got into a stupid argument though fortunately he walked away. The drivers that get my goat are the ones who won't use the meter hanging out at tourist rants scamming unknowing tourists.

 

But my overall impression of taxi's is extremely positive. They are cheap and everywhere! Try Singapore sometime and wait in a queue for 40 minutes to get a taxi and you will appreciate what Thailand offers very quickly. I once had a driver who was taking me from the BKK airport and made a traffic violation trying to make up for missing a tollway turn that apparently caused an accident that I was unaware of. He calmly drove me to the side of the road, switched me to another taxi, refused to take the meter fee, the 50 baht airport toll he was owed, or even a 20 baht note I offered him and glumly U turned back to turn himself in. That guy was my hero.

[carew66]

Tagging on the end...

 

 

On a positive note - and whilst agreeing that a) yes, there are some assholes driving cabs in BKK and don't fuck with them 'cos they might hurt you, I've generally had positive experiences.

 

I got caught out in a monsoon downpour trying to locate a friend's (superposh) apartment in Chidlom, an area I don't know at all. This 30 odd story apartment building was so discreet as to be virtually invisible from the road (!) And you know the numbering system in BKK means jack shit at the best of times.

 

The taxi driver sucked a matchstick and racked his brains and really, really tried to get me there. Round and round we drove, stopping, starting, him getting out and quizzing people in shops, a right old kerfuffle ("Dat One!") Of course, he found it in the end and took just 50 baht off me. I tipped the same again I was so chuffed. A result: a nice geezer who found Brigadoon with a Corolla.

 

 

Then there was the old guy in his taxi who I hailed in Soi 4 at nearly midnight on a Sunday with the immortal words, "Take me to Rayong!", which is about 180 miles away. I thought, 'Nah, he's not going to have this, now is he?'. Wrong! He had a mate who lives in Maptaput up the road from me and he hadn't seen him for a bit so he thought he'd do the run for 1500. result.

 

As Stick sez - they have to take care of these taxis and it was a while before we got going. I went with him while he got the car cleaned and then he drove me to his house where he dropped off the car and then got his old taxi out (de-commissioned with no roof bar but a taxi nonetheless) and off we went. And yes - I was a bit nervous in that neighbourhood.

[whosyourdaddy]

Holy Shit. You are the type of tourist who give farangs a bad name here. A driver is not your slave. He does not have to give you a lift anywhere. With your shitty attitude you are luckily he even stopped. As a car driver in Bangkok I fully understand drivers dont want to go to certain areas at certain times of days. There are areas I will never go into just because I dont know the area well enough ( ex Chinatown).

 

Just becareful the taxi does not run you down when you pull a stunt like that. I am sure I will about another Farang being slashed by a taxi driver if people with your attitude keep on coming to town and causing chaos for a guy working 12 hours a day and making 6000B a month.

 

 

Give the guy a break. If you cant handle the fire take the fucking BTS

[RayRay]

whosyourdaddy said:

A driver is not your slave.

 

You are correct. My driver is more like my Personal Assistant. He drops off the dry cleaning, runs all my personal errands and even goes back and pays off the hooker if I FOC'ed the night before (F#cked on Credit).

 

Too bad he doesn't use his own money for these endeavours, but he's still learning. But seriously, he's great and does anything and everything I ask.

[Chanchao]

Jesus... can you believe some people.. And then people wonder why foreigners get an increasingly bad name in Thailand.. I'll think of you next time I get a bad vibe from a taxi driver, and remind myself what dickhead farangs they must get in their vehicles.

 

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Guest lazyphil]

Totally agree WYD. Also HH is lucky he didn't get hurt, I'm sure some drivers go to work 'tooled up'. Our house near bkk is a little out of the way and getting a taxi there can be problematic from time to time, if after my mrs finds out the driver doesn't want to go she simply askes another driver, simple!

[Guest]

Words fail me................. :: :: ::

[Zorro]

I have to agree with all the other posters.

 

I have tried a few times to get taxis from Suk to Pantip and many don't want to go because of traffic congestion.

In fact i even had a driver who spoke English reasonably well tell me that i was better of geting the Skytrain to somewhere and then walking which i ended up doing and it was indeed a good way to go.

 

Like others have said these guys are doing it tough and it is better not to mess around with them.

[Nervous_Dog]

It's bloody aweful, DISGUSTING, lets line up and shoot hugh!

 

Coming on a bit strong, while I agree with the concept, it's a bit strong.

 

I remember one of my first trips, I was staying at Ambasador but was leaving the Nana.

 

Pissing down rain, so I decided to get the taxi, and fark me, the cunt tried to take me for a ride!

 

He turned LEFT at Sukhumvit, NOT right!

 

BASTARD

 

He drove me in a big fucking circle, ripping me off, nothing I could do as it was raining!

 

WHAT A BASTARD - I cursed him soundly!

 

Of course years later I discovered that he had done the right thing, and couldn;t turn right on Sukhumvit! In fact, there are fuck all places you can turn right.

 

However, I also hear, and get attempted many times to be ripped off by Taxis, especially lately at domestic airport, where the pretend to be part of the "Offical" queue and then suddenly, Sukhumvit - 500 baht - you pay toll.

 

All in all, Hugh may have over reacted a little, much less than most of us have here though

 

DOG - Wish I could find that Taxi driver to appologise!