Jaimito Cartero

No need to be bitter and sarcastic.

Anyone who has traveled much internationally has been ripped off by taxis. However, if you are more proactive, it certainly happens much less frequently. Many people just accept the ripoff, which is obviously why taxis try so hard with everyone to do it.

Black Adder

Well said, we've all been there. When I think back at some of the fares I happily paid before I knew any better, I'm quite embarrassed. Now that I know what to expect, it's pretty easy to avoid the taxi scams.

Mr H

I'm pleased for you. I find them easy to avoid by walking or getting the bus - but taxi drivers often refuse point blank to play ball.

moondog

In most places I've traveled, taxis tend to have a complaint phone number posted within; simply drawing attention to such numbers is often sufficient to get drivers to "play ball."

nycasp

I absolutely agree with you. I don't care if it's a rip off of 1 Yuan (Which is, what, 13 cents?), it's a matter of principle. "Oh it's nothing to you and means a lot more to them" is not an excuse to steal. It's not a 'cost of doing business' and it's not a 'local experience', it's theft and/or extortion and should not be tolerated. It's the same kind of logic that makes people say it's ok for illegal immigrants to do what they do. "Oh they just want a better life". Ok, then earn one the right way.

I'm glad there are people like you who are willing to point these things out, Jaimito.

HIDDY

Cairo taxi drivers are the worst in experience on all of my trips around the world.
One night we jumped in a cab and he delivered us to the wrong hotel with a completely different name from our own and nowhere near it either. It was obvious he knew what he was up to as we had shown him the hotel card.
Being tired and with no other taxis about we just had to stay with him and pay him the extra after arguing for a while and getting it reduced. Thankfully they are cheap so the cost wasn't too bad although the journey took us about 20 minutes more than it should have done.

On leaving we arrived at the airport and went to the wrong terminal. I knew there was a transfer bus so we went outside to wait for it. All the taxi touts converged on us once we came out with our luggage. I explained we were waiting on the bus but they kept insisting there was no terminal transfer bus. Things got out of hand and eventually a policeman came and helped us out. The bus did arrive.
Cairo will not see us back........it's not a relaxing place at all. One is always being pestered - very good humoured it has to be said but it gets all rather tiring.

JohnneeO

Not a scam, but I have had problems with Taxi drivers in BOS not wanting to take credit cards. One time, the driver dropped me off downtown, and when I went to pay with my CC, the driver said his machine was broken. I paid in cash, but no tip. Another time, as I boarded the cab at the airport, and told the driver that I would be using my credit card. He said he could not take it, and I promptly left the cab. The dispatcher came over to see what was going on. He eventually told the driver that he must accept my CC, and that I should call the police if he refused. Good advice for the the future.

goodo

I've had a couple of experiences, but thankfully no recent ones. Once due to delays and flight cancellations I ended up missing a transpac out of LAX. I took a cab to a cousin I was spending the weekend with. From LAX to Beverlywood the cab driver took the 105 to the 110 to the 10. While I don't know LA well something seemed suss about it, paid by CC, and took his card and made a note of the cab #. I contacted the cab company who apologized and basically said he was a new driver and cut the fare appoximately in half (which would've been a reasonable amount had I been charged that in the first place). The contact did say it was a new driver and thats why he drove out of the way. While I told them the new fare was an agreeable amount, I did mention that I didn't believe that story since the driver actually did put the address into his GPS .

My next story is worse, I was in NYC, a teenager overseas by myself, and someone started speaking to me on a bus in hebrew. I was visibly jewish and replied in hebrew. He basically gave me this whole sob story that his wife was in hospital and he needed to buy medicine and his bank's NY branch was closed. Yeah I'm sure you can guess what happened, I actually went to the ATM and withdrew some money for him (I'm not gonna say how much, too embarrassing) Suffice to say he gave me his name and address in Israel and I never saw him nor the money again.

goodo

codex57

One of the news stations (I think NBC 4) in Los Angeles showing how a bunch of LA taxi companies had meters that ran fast, etc. So, it can happen in the states too.

SocietyFlyGirl

When a driver tells me, "my credit card machine is broken", I tell them that I don't have cash*. They will often act really put out, and I'll have to insist again that I really don't have cash**. I have seen them guilt people into paying with cash but I've found as long as I don't take their bs, they are ALWAYS able to find a way for me to pay with my CC -- when their CC machines are really broken, they always have those manual slips.

*I only do this in the States and with taxis or shuttles (just had this happen with the Go driver in Miami) where I've ascertained prior to boarding that they are supposed to take credit cards.

**It's true, I usually don't carry the cash and credit cards are easier to get reimbursed for business expenses.

Mr H

I guess those are not the places I tend to go to.

CMK10

This is a great thread, I've just spent an hour reading it.

Sadly, three years ago in Rome, I fell for the string around the hands scam. I ended up out 10 Euro because my friend and I just agreed it was easier to pay the man and leave. Nowadays I wouldn't do it.

Once about four years ago I took the train from Rye to Grand Central in New York and asked for a cab to LGA. As I'd been doing that run for years I knew it should have been around $20. The driver decided we were obviously tourists and drove through central park to the west side and back to the Triborough Bridge. Once we got to LGA the fare was $39.60. I told him "I live here, I know what you did, here's $40, enjoy the tip you (explative)". My complaint to the TLC went unanswered.

tjl

Some of the big scams (not necessarily travel related, e.g. immigration scams and investment scams) that make the news are those where the scammer uses shared ethnic or religious background as a means of gaining (misplaced) trust from the victims.

SJC1K

Why didn't you object and demand a different route as soon as he made the first wrong turn? I've done that in Shanghai--called a friend to interpret and tell the driver by telephone "Your passenger knows how to get to the airport. You can take him any way you want but he's only going to pay you 150 RMB, and he's already written down your taxi number."

psychoidiot

But I think there's a difference knowing you're going to get scammed and can't do anything about it and the ways that things work.

It's not a scam, but while I was in Seoul, the tour guide warned us(as we were going clubbing in Hong Dae??) that taxis in Seoul were evil at night and they will ask you where you are going before you get in the taxi. If the taxi driver doesn't think the distance is far enough, he will refuse to let you get on. You must offer at least 2000 won over the going rate(if you knew it). Getting to the club, it was around 8000 won, so we offered 10000 won going back, but the meter said it was only 6000won(and the rates were more expensive at the time we left the club) I always wondered if the first guy jipped us(since I was the one that said 8000 won wasn't enough to tempt the taxi driver, of course I was puking all over the place as well)

Man, I've never fell for ANY scam(other than this one taxi in mainland china, I was so mad and sad at the same time since I was so pissed at the driver and I wanted to get out, I dropped my new ipod in the taxi). Then after coming back from Asia, I get scammed right in front of where I work. A guy on a really hot day, now where near the airport, lugging a huge luggage. He offers a sob story of how his car got towed and he really needs money to get to the loop to make appointments. He offers his cell phone and double my money, takes down my phone number(I never understood this, I was already walking away), and fakes yelling "TAXI" For some reason, I gave him 70 when he only asked for 50. I was only going to give him 56, but then he was like can't you just give me the 20, I'm just going to double it. My younger brother was just shaking his head the entire time he forked over the 20 since I didn't have any, just the 50. Of course he never calls. My mom tells me the later tonight when I tell her, some guy tried the same trick and the customers exiting the restaurant gave it to him. Don't know if it's the same guy, but after traveling in shady Guangzhou that was a complete let-down.

The taxis in Australia were okay I felt, one guy fare was about 10 dollars less the other guy(but the other taxi didn't go through the toll, although I think he was thinking about ripping us off, then my mom yelled at me(I was whining the shuttle was cheaper), and he changed something on his meter thinking she was cursing at him)he gave me $3.00 when I gave him too much instead of keeping it as tip.

Basically every time I step in a taxi, I always feel like I'll get scammed(especially in Guangzhou, but I think I've never ever actually did get scammed, in fact the taxi drivers got really offended when I mentioned why were in the wrong lane(we weren't it's all one direction), but it's really cheap enough that it doesn't matter sometimes....

As to the second post of this thread, $2 yuan for a short tour doesn't seem so bad a price. I've paid $6 yuan for a poor rickshaw/bicycle thing to take me to my hotel in boondocks, China and I felt bad for him since my suitcase was at least 50 lbs not including me and my uncle. I was even thinking about tipping him, but my uncle was like what are you doing...