taxi complaint ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

taxi complaint

Replies: 19 - Last Post: 24-Jul-2005 16:30 Last Post By: BangkokBoy

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Posted
22-Jul-2005 02:48
by: lemonpie

Posts: 3
Registered: 28/03/05

taxi complaint

Yesterday I went to the Grand Palace in Bangkok and got diverted by the infamous tuktuk jewelry scam people, who told me I couldn't enter the palace until 1PM and I should take a tuktuk around the city for a few hours until then. I had been warned in advance about these people and somehow I still managed to fall for it! I guess I'm just that dumb, but luckily, I wasn't dumb enough to actually buy anything; I just got taken around the city for a tour of sketchy jewelry stores, sketchy tailors, and the like. And although it makes me mad strangers would lie to me about being palace officials, in the end I can acknowledge I didn't lose a lot except time. I can handle that, I guess.

So today I thought to myself I'd take a meter taxi, thinking these would be safer, in terms of getting ripped off, than tuktuks. The driver was a grandfatherly looking old man, and I was glad because he looked harmless. Anyway, about halfway to my destination (Pratunam market) he stops, indicates that there's no gas in his tank, and that I should get out and take another taxi. And I'm thinking this isn't really fair, because then I'd have to pay more money to take another taxi... do you know what I mean? And all the while as I'm trying to tell him in English that it's not that much farther away for him to drive me there, the fare keeps going up. And then he just starts driving around, and it seems like he's not really going to the place I had in mind. Then he took my hand, kissed it, and started caressing it with his fingers and hand, going up my arm. I took my hand away, and I couldn't start arguing about it because he's driving and I'm afraid at this point he's going to take me to God knows where, and then he put his hand on my knee and starts going up my thigh and then he took my hand again and started kissing it. And at that point, I just opened the door even though the taxi hadn't stopped fully. And of course I'm nowhere near my destination by this time; in fact I have no idea where I am, but I just paid the full fare and got out. Before I left, I took note of the ID number that was on the card that had his photo and info on it -- but here's the thing, if that was his photo, it was a very very old picture of him, because it didn't look like him at all. Maybe it was him fifteen years ago.

And at the time, I just thought, well, I got out safely and didn't lose too much money, so all's well and good. But right now -- I can't really express how very unnerving and disgusted and depressed I feel. I really can't articulate why. And for that reason, I can't imagine going to the Thai police with this ID number, because one, they wouldn't understand me because I don't speak Thai, and two, it's the sort of thing where I can totally imagine them saying, so what, count your blessings, it's not like he raped you or you lost a great deal of money. I don't know what to do, and I don't have anyone in this country whom I could speak to about such a matter. No wait, actually, I'm leaving the country tonight and I have never been more glad to leave any place. I know this board is full of people who love Thailand, and I don't mean to offend anyone, but I spent almost a month here and I can honestly say that there have been wonderful experiences, but also enough bad shit to go with it that make the overall trip not worthwhile. I've gotten hit on by so many creepy old men it makes my skin crawl, I've been made to pay more than twice the going price for transportation because I just couldn't make them understand what I wanted, and all the while no one lifted a finger to help, maybe because they couldn't speak enough English to communicate with me anyway. I did try to learn Thai, but I never got past... like numbers, hello goodbye how are you.

All I want to do right now is for that bastard to get his comeuppance in some way, and I want to be able to figure out why this whole episode bothers me so much... and maybe the latter will happen, but the former probably won't. If you can give me some advice or something, that'd mean a lot to me. I don't plan to tell anyone what happened because I wouldn't know how to phrase it and I'm afraid people I know would just think I'm overreacting. I mean, maybe you'll think so too, but the great thing about the Internet is that you can just brush off that sort of thing.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 02:55
by: lemonpie

Posts: 3
Registered: 28/03/05

1

And another thing I have to add is that I really don't know what the driver had in mind. My first instinct was that he was just a lonely pathetic old pervert who thought his behavior was in some way appropriate... and maybe it is in this country, how the hell would I know. And yet another thing I have to add was for some reason, I just sat there for awhile, disgusted but stunned, letting him paw at me, because I'm just that slow to react and do anything. And now I wish I had just hit him in the face and gotten out without paying the fare, but of course I just let him do whatever he wanted and then I actually PAID the fucking bastard. I feel like a total loser right now.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 03:07
by: lordhelmchen99

Posts: 7
Registered: 10/01/05

2

1st: Never take those magic mushrooms again!
2nd: Maybe you discovered that your gay or bisexual and liked it, that usually scares men to death
3rd: You did the right thing, no fight, pay and leave

What did you loose so you feel like a looser? Don´t get it at all.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 03:08
by: girllrig

Posts: 2,603
Registered: 08/02/02

3

curses! a similar thing happened to me but i was taken to a love hotel down some dark alley before i realized what he was doing.

taxi drivers in thailand are the scum of the lot. there is an occasional decent one though.

as for the gem scam, maybe you are too nice.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 03:36
by: thaifan

Posts: 66
Registered: 03/12/03

4

#2. The OP is female,i think you are presuming male ?

Same Same, but different !

Posted
22-Jul-2005 03:41
by: els17

Posts: 2
Registered: 10/06/03

5

none of this is ok and you should try and complain to someone. You can find the number in any taxi, or if you don't want to do that I think the desk at your hotel/guesthouse could tell you the number. Like #3 said you're probably too nice but still a smart move to not use violence as this would have totally escalated. I do hope that the rest of your stay will be better and be able to wipe some of this from your mind so you don't go back with nothing but bad thoughts of this beautiful country.

x

Els

Posted
22-Jul-2005 03:55
by: thaifan

Posts: 66
Registered: 03/12/03

6

Just as a side note.The entrance to the Grand Palace must have the greatest concentration of skimmer's in Thailand.Personally i wont get in a Tuk,Tuk again,they're vile.I found most metered taxi's fine,with decent drivers,but that's speaking as a male.

Same Same, but different !

Posted
22-Jul-2005 04:38
by: Jacque_S

Posts: 42
Registered: 02/07/04

7

Agreed with lordhelm, you ended up with a scumbag cab driver, had to react to a tough situation, and managed to get out of it intact. Good for you. Important thing (as you realize yourself) is not to overreact. Not that your feelings about the incident, or about the country in general, aren`t valid, but you need to keep in mind that they`re based on limited interactions with a limited number of people in limited geographic areas in a limited part of the economy. I found it interesting to note that even though you knew all about the gem scams, you got into the tuk-tuk anyway. Is it possible that you overly idealized Thailand before going? Part of your negative feelings toward the country could stem from having found out that the backpacker tourist trade and the transport industry are generally a receptacles for Thailand`s human detritus.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 05:28
by: lemonpie

Posts: 3
Registered: 28/03/05

8

thanks for your replies. i didn't really mean to sound as though i hate thailand, although at that particular moment, i most certainly did hate it and everyone in the country. in general i'm not a big city person and bangkok just wasn't my favorite part of my trip, although even then there were parts i liked. i got the best haircut there, for instance, for the lowest price too.

i guess i'm wondering if anything will come of complaining to the police or to the taxi people... my gut feeling is no.

about the gem scam -- they didn't tell me they were taking me to jewelry stores; they told me they were going to take me around the city for some sightseeing. among the small temples i got taken to, they brought me to someplace they called "thai center," acting like it was a museum or something. i didn't realize what was going on until afterwards. obviously shouldn't have gotten in the tuktuk in the first place.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 07:29
by: VincenzoOli

Posts: 180
Registered: 16/11/04

9

As it is probably too late now; but it is really to bad that you didn't go to the English-speaking tourist police. With you having the ID # it could possibly have helped someone else in a similar situation.

"In the water there are fish, in the fields there is rice...The faces of the people shine bright" Stone inscription 1292 - King Ramkhamhaeng the Great of Sukhothai

Posted
22-Jul-2005 07:51
by: carlweaver

Posts: 1
Registered: 14/09/03

10

A few points.

1. My wife and I got taken on a tuk-tuk ride with one of those scams. We were half exhausted from the jet lag, not thinking straight, had also read about the scams but got in anyway. At the end we paid the driver 40 Baht and had about two hours of sightseeing and cultural experience. Dont's sweat getting in the tuk-tuk. You probably had a nice ride, or at least an interesting experience you won't forget.

2. Most tuk-tuks are fine. You tell the driver where you want to go and negotiate a price. They are little sheet metal deathtraps, but otherwise safe.

3. About the cab ride experience, don't beat yourself up. You did not ask for that or provoke it. It's natural to be angry, but don't let it eat at you. Be sure to talk about this to your friends. Talking is cathartic.

Cheers,
Carl

Carl Weaver
Photographer, Writer
carl@carlweaver.com
www.carlweaver.com
carlweaver.blogspot.com

Posted
22-Jul-2005 12:52
by: Hacky

Posts: 2,787
Registered: 10/09/03

11

lemonpie, sorry this happen to you. Perhaps, IF there is another trip to Thailand, try the other parts of the country beside Bangkok.

You should have kiss the bastard on the balls.

Yim nit-noi.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 14:43
by: froude1

Posts: 1,292
Registered: 06/10/04

12

as a single lady you should not have sat in the front seat with him,since you did not react right away to his groping you I think he felt that you did not mind,put it behind you and move on as it maybe that what you saw as his license was not really his,Know that you are mad and upset but feel that pursuing will just aggravate you more

Posted
22-Jul-2005 19:25
by: girllrig

Posts: 2,603
Registered: 08/02/02

13

#12/13 how do you know she was in the front seat? i was in the back seat and still had problems with a taxi driver trying to feel me up.

Posted
22-Jul-2005 22:00
by: Manja

Posts: 14
Registered: 29/05/01

14

Unfortunately, Thai men see a lot of porn and western movies which portray western women as looking eagerly for sex with strangers and jumping in bed with people they barely know. The taxi driver is perverted and if the OP does report it to the police, even if just in a lettter sent from overseas, perhaps if enough tourists send letter they will eventually realize there is a problem. Perhaps you could send a letter to the Bangkok Post. I think because so many western men come looking for sex perhaps they believe the same is true for women....who knows what lurks in the criminal mind, anyway???

One thing I do when I travel is wear a small wedding band and always tell people my husband is waiting at the hotel or at the temple or whatever. I also use my mobile phone (even I don't actually call anyone) and pretend I'm calling someone and telling them the license number of the taxi and when I should be expected. Don't admit you are travelling alone.

I believe a previous poster said she was actually raped by the driver and if these incidents go unreported the drivers will become more and more out of control.

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