new taxi meter scam

[England man]

beware of the yellow taxi meter reg number 2569 woman driver long dark hair tied back where jeans red tshirt late 30's . went to departures tell me 1500 bangkok airport to to pattaya i said no 1200 i always pay she say ok no problem when get to pattaya she refuse open to back trunk for my luggage unless i gave her 1500 i told what we agreed and started to tell to get let me have my luggage police come take her side and i have to pay. now i will always say you are meter taxi put the meter on because from reading up on it it is actually the law or get a reset or contract written up front. and ask more details like company work for and name.

[Edge]

beware of the yellow taxi meter reg number 2569 woman driver long dark hair tied back where jeans red tshirt late 30's . went to departures tell me 1500 bangkok airport to to pattaya i said no 1200 i always pay she say ok no problem when get to pattaya she refuse open to back trunk for my luggage unless i gave her 1500 i told what we agreed and started to tell to get let me have my luggage police come take her side and i have to pay. now i will always say you are meter taxi put the meter on because from reading up on it it is actually the law or get a reset or contract written up front. and ask more details like company work for and name.

 

Don't know about the meter, but standard fixed rate BKK - Pattaya from the Rank is 1500 Baht last time I went down there.

 

Sounds like you tried to beat the system and failed.  

[crossfield]

Ok did you go to the actual rank at Suvarnabhumi with the concierge?

[Oukiva]

Which Police ? Who call it ? You on 1337 ?

 

You have the taxi #. Did you report the problem on 1337 ?

 

If you want scams to stop, you must reports them to authority.

[FROST MEDIC999]

Or just book with a company before coming and know price beforehand

 

Mr T and many others.

 

Never gona Win your word against hers and if she used highway paid Tolls then not a massive ripoff as it could of been

 

Ghosty

[Oukiva]

Don't know about the meter, but standard fixed rate BKK - Pattaya from the Rank is 1500 Baht last time I went down there.

1500 is not the "standard rate". It works like for ladies:

They have an "asking price" and a lower price they can agree with ;)

 

1200 is the price most taxi still agree with at airport... if you ask for it.

[jocky king]

This is thailand , you have to be one step ahead of them to avoid the scam . I think 1,500 bt is almost the right price , max . 900 bt min .

[Darvid]

If you are a member here on PA there is no reason to go and just jump in a random taxi at the airport and hope for the best.

 

Plenty of threads and people posting legit drivers who will do right by you.

 

[email protected]

 

Tom, his brother in law, sister and a friend all have cars and I have travelled all over with each of them.

[Perthie]

I don't know how the system works in Thailand, but here at home a taxi usually has multiple drivers using it in shifts, so in reality having a reg' number may not be of any use.  Despite which, thanks for the warning.

 

Bit of a sour way to start a trip, but in the end run it only cost a couple of quid more than you thought you had agreed to.  One of those things you have to learn to brush off and move along from, sure as sure we all get caught like this from time to time.

 

Most pre-booked taxis (Mt T etc etc) charge either 1k or 1.2k Baht for the trip from BKK to Pattaya, which is why the majority of BM's have a booked ride waiting for them at the airport.  As soon as you step into a vehicle from a firm you don't know, you're wide open to the fare changing if the driver thinks they can get away with it..  The average BM also doesn't want to waste time tracking down a taxi, negotiating a fare, and possibly noting down all the driver's details, they just want to get into a car and roll asap.

 

I well remember my first trip to LoS, where I jumped into a random "limo" at the airport in Phuket.  The driver made out he needed to stop for directions to my exact hotel, and I spent a very unpleasant 20 minutes stuck at some house whilst his female co-workers tried to get me to sign up for every blasted tourist trip on the Island.

 

It is a long trip from BKK to Pattaya and I've always wondered how these guys make any profit at all from the drive.  The equivalent journey here at home would be more like 5.000THB.......

 

Cheers

 

Perthie

[Perky]

I paid 1000 baht last August from pattaya to Bangkok Airport. Is that a bargan then?

 

From Airport I went with Bell Bus Service also very good dirt cheap and took me to hotel door after a bus change in pattaya Can not remember the Price about 400 or 500 baht I think

[Oukiva]

I paid 1000 baht last August from pattaya to Bangkok Airport. Is that a bargan then?

Not really. It's often cheaper in the way to the airport with many airport based taxis

looking for a passenger to go back home ;)

[scotty man]

Quite right, The taxi desk always tries it on, 1200 baht is a fair price, get them to write it on the taxi slip that they give you.

[petermik]

I paid 1000 baht last August from pattaya to Bangkok Airport. Is that a bargan then?

 

From Airport I went with Bell Bus Service also very good dirt cheap and took me to Hotel door after a bus change in pattaya Can not remember the Price about 400 or 500 baht I think

Bell Bus is 230 baht for online reservations and 250 from their offices     

[jocky king]

I paid 1000 baht last August from pattaya to Bangkok Airport. Is that a bargan then?

 

From Airport I went with Bell Bus Service also very good dirt cheap and took me to Hotel door after a bus change in pattaya Can not remember the Price about 400 or 500 baht I think

Yeah you got a bargain , I usually take a Pattaya Airport bus at Level one Gate 7/8 , 134 bt for the trip . last departure is 10 pm .

[Edge]

1500 is not the "standard rate". It works like for ladies:

They have an "asking price" and a lower price they can agree with ;)

 

1200 is the price most taxi still agree with at airport... if you ask for it.

 

When I say "standard rate at the rank", I mean the rate printed on the sign and the rate which the girl at the rank kiosk writes on the ticket you then pass to the taxi driver.

 

At which point do you negotiate a lower price - with the girl at the desk with that queue behind you?

 

I admit I've only used it twice as we usually use Mr T.

[Oukiva]

At which point do you negotiate a lower price - with the girl at the desk with that queue behind you?

Since there is this small outside "desk", I always saw the next taxi driver in the queue waiting next to the desk lady. Waiting for his customers with the option of the lady translating destination and cost for him. I say hello to the lady, then ask if he is "my" driver and then talk directly to him. It's just a few seconds talk. Then the lady write a ticket with destination and agreed price.

[filibuster]

Quite right, The taxi desk always tries it on, 1200 baht is a fair price, get them to write it on the taxi slip that they give you.

 

I'm not sure they're trying it on.  The taxi rate cards are issued by the Dept of Land Transport - they set the rates.  They show the metered rate within the BMA area, the distance rate for return journeys beginning and ending in the BMA area, and the one-way rates to different destinations outside the BMA area.  That's not to say that you can't try and negotiate the price down with the driver for the fixed rates.

[Edge]

Since there is this small outside "desk", I always saw the next taxi driver in the queue waiting next to the desk lady. Waiting for his customers with the option of the lady translating destination and cost for him. I say hello to the lady, then ask if he is "my" driver and then talk directly to him. It's just a few seconds talk. Then the lady write a ticket with destination and agreed price.

 

Well done, but when I went down there were two queues of passengers plus people waiting beyond that for drivers to pull in so that wouldn't have worked.

 

No doubt there are work arounds at times, but I'm still convinced that the "standard rate" to Pattaya is listed at 1500 Baht.

[nutosf]

Mr T taxi, 1000 baht.  

[Goolabert]

The standard rate to Pattaya at the Taxi Stand is 1500 Baht. I was working in Laos and took the taxis there many times when travelling back and forth. 1500 was always the the price that was asked so that is what I would call the "Standard" price. My company would pay for the cab rides so I never bothered to negotiate a lower price. Make sure the fare is written on the ticket.

 

If you negotiate a lower price you also have to specifically agree on who pays the tolls. The "Standard" price always meant that the driver paid the tolls.

 

If taking the bus you may still have additional expense getting from the bus station to you destination. Sometimes one method may be better for a particular trip. If I have a lot of luggage, or if I just completed a 20 hour trip, then I want a cab that takes me to my front door in the minimum time regardless of paying a few hundred baht extra.

[bangna]

OP said he went to departures.... OK I've done it when going into Bangkok,  taxi agreed to use meter

[blue1878]

I'm landing at BKK airport on the 23rd of this month.  And I have already pre-booked a Mr T Taxi to pick me.  I sent them an e-mail telling them my name and flight details.  They quickly replied saying that the fare will be 1000 Baht which includes airport parking and motorway tolls.  And the taxi driver will meet me at the meeting point by door 3 in arrivals

 

And whenever I book with Mr T Taxi's I usually get good service so I usually give the driver a tip

 

And as I have had a long trip between England and Thailand I just want to get to my hotel in Pattaya as quickly has possible so I will never use a bell bus or try and waste time sorting out an airport taxi.

[rainman333]

not sure i'd call this a scam since 1500 is usually the standard price for random taxis from bkk to pattaya.....

 

sometimes it is better to just move on instead of wasting time and being stressed out over that extra 300baht

[Daddee]

beware of the yellow taxi meter reg number 2569 woman driver long dark hair tied back where jeans red tshirt late 30's . went to departures tell me 1500 bangkok airport to to pattaya i said no 1200 i always pay she say ok no problem when get to pattaya she refuse open to back trunk for my luggage unless i gave her 1500 i told what we agreed and started to tell to get let me have my luggage police come take her side and i have to pay. now i will always say you are meter taxi put the meter on because from reading up on it it is actually the law or get a reset or contract written up front. and ask more details like company work for and name.

good to know, glad I always arrange a pickup in advance...  always a driver waiting with my name on a sign, 1000 baht to my hotel... 900 baht return to airport...

 

pt taxi or mr t

 

have never grabbed a cab from the cab stand at the airport to Pattaya, have to Bangkok, don't remember how much but it was a flat rate, I think 500.

[Dalef65]

I paid 1000 baht last August from pattaya to Bangkok Airport. Is that a bargan then?

 

From Airport I went with Bell Bus Service also very good dirt cheap and took me to Hotel door after a bus change in pattaya Can not remember the Price about 400 or 500 baht I think

Bell Bus THB250

 

Unless you were ripped off as well?