Scam Alert
I did a very brave thing this morning. Or, perhaps, it was a very stupid thing as my actions had me quaking after several minutes.
But first, a little background. Yesterday I took a metered taxi, (which is the recommended way to travel to avoid rip-offs), from the Old Quarter in Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. I know this area reasonably well now and he seemed to take a fairly direct route. However, when we stopped and he told me the cost of the trip it was considerably higher than I thought it should have been. Nonetheless I shelled out the money. He demanded a tip out of the change too.
Once I left the cab, I realized that I had been ripped off! In fact I’d paid 6 times what I should have and I couldn’t blame anyone but myself for not recognizing the scam and challenging the scumbag. I was so cross with myself.
Then, this morning I was sitting in Gloria Jean’s (the best place I’ve found around here for coffee) and I looked through the window to see the likely lad.
I quickly gathered my things and went outside and confronted him. What was I thinking?
I told him he’d taken me for a ride (figuratively and literally) the previous day and he had ripped me off. I asked him for my money back. Of course, he suddenly had difficulty understanding English when the previous day his command had been excellent. He refused to refund me saying that he had no money. I didn’t expect to see the money anyway, I just wanted to make a point.
I demanded to see his taxi card and his drivers license. He refused. Meantime, many people gathered around us to see what the fracas was all about. I stood my ground and kept asking to see his documents. When he shook his head, I said “OK, I just wait here” and I folded my arms across my chest and stood my ground. I was hoping the police would come by.
After awhile in this stand off position, he wandered down the road. I don’t know what I planned, but I followed him, my legs still shaking. He leaned into the car window of one of his taxi driver mates and got into the passenger seat and he was driven off.
However, before he disappeared I got a reasonably good photo of him. I also snapped the sign written car and the number plate of the taxi he was in. I tried calling this number but no luck – they didn’t understand English. I also tried to enlist the people in reception at my hotel but they wouldn’t help.
However, I have registered my complaint with the Vietnam Tourist Authority and they have his photo and that of the signwritten car.
That’s about as much as I can do. I feel vindicated by taking this action. Hopefully they will take some action and use this photo to rid him from the tourist industry. Cities like Hanoi generating massive revenue from tourism don’t need this type of scam.
I share my story with other travelers and with you to be alert when traveling by taxi in this city. Every person I talk to has a taxi scam tale to tell including meters suddenly leaping in number of kilometers traveled, agreed fares increasing markedly etc. It’s not good.
I did a very brave thing this morning. Or, perhaps, it was a very stupid thing as my actions had me quaking after several minutes.
But first, a little background. Yesterday I took a metered taxi, (which is the recommended way to travel to avoid rip-offs), from the Old Quarter in Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. I know this area reasonably well now and he seemed to take a fairly direct route. However, when we stopped and he told me the cost of the trip it was considerably higher than I thought it should have been. Nonetheless I shelled out the money. He demanded a tip out of the change too.
Once I left the cab, I realized that I had been ripped off! In fact I’d paid 6 times what I should have and I couldn’t blame anyone but myself for not recognizing the scam and challenging the scumbag. I was so cross with myself.
Then, this morning I was sitting in Gloria Jean’s (the best place I’ve found around here for coffee) and I looked through the window to see the likely lad.
I quickly gathered my things and went outside and confronted him. What was I thinking?
I told him he’d taken me for a ride (figuratively and literally) the previous day and he had ripped me off. I asked him for my money back. Of course, he suddenly had difficulty understanding English when the previous day his command had been excellent. He refused to refund me saying that he had no money. I didn’t expect to see the money anyway, I just wanted to make a point.
I demanded to see his taxi card and his drivers license. He refused. Meantime, many people gathered around us to see what the fracas was all about. I stood my ground and kept asking to see his documents. When he shook his head, I said “OK, I just wait here” and I folded my arms across my chest and stood my ground. I was hoping the police would come by.
After awhile in this stand off position, he wandered down the road. I don’t know what I planned, but I followed him, my legs still shaking. He leaned into the car window of one of his taxi driver mates and got into the passenger seat and he was driven off.
However, before he disappeared I got a reasonably good photo of him. I also snapped the sign written car and the number plate of the taxi he was in. I tried calling this number but no luck – they didn’t understand English. I also tried to enlist the people in reception at my hotel but they wouldn’t help.
However, I have registered my complaint with the Vietnam Tourist Authority and they have his photo and that of the signwritten car.
That’s about as much as I can do. I feel vindicated by taking this action. Hopefully they will take some action and use this photo to rid him from the tourist industry. Cities like Hanoi generating massive revenue from tourism don’t need this type of scam.
I share my story with other travelers and with you to be alert when traveling by taxi in this city. Every person I talk to has a taxi scam tale to tell including meters suddenly leaping in number of kilometers traveled, agreed fares increasing markedly etc. It’s not good.
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