Originally Posted by jpatokal
If you're staying in a hotel, ask a doorman to grab a cab, that's what they're there for. They'll filter out the 'meter-no-work' guys and often even take down the license plate as extra insurance.
Well, I have one bad experience on that. I took a cab from a 4* hotel in Siam Square to airport. We told the bellboy to inform the taxi driver to use the meter. The bellboy conveyed the msg to the driver and we got in with my luggage. The driver sped off and we noted that the meter was not on. Of course, we voiced our concerns, and said that he wants flat rate of 500Baht to airport. We refused and he said that it is going to rain. We asked him to stop at the roadside and flag another cab which gladly goes with the meter on. Luckily, we did not have that many luggage to change cabs.