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Taxi scam - driver swapped notes

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  1. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    For the very first time yesterday, I paid the taxi driver with an Octopus.
    I hope it becomes more common.
    Was it one of those new cabs?

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by civil_servant:
    Was it one of those new cabs?
    No, old regular cab but he had :
    - octopus sign outside
    - octopus signs on the headrests
    - and an extra Samsung phone on the dashboard ready to accept octopus.

    He punched in the amount, put the card under the phone and then the very familiar "toooot" - we were done.

    Very happy with the experience. Checking the Octopus website, I see they are pushing the app and Octopus acceptance a bit more under their "business" programme. Its a shame they are so late to the game. They were miles ahead of everyone and then sat on their asses while the rest of the field passed them. Still hoping they get their act together and do better since I dont have Alipay, WeChatPay or any of those other payment systems.

    Cash & Octopus with a minor bits of credit card keeps me happy.
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  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cornmeal:
    That's unfortunate @HK_Katherine

    Had one cluless red taxi driver who didn't know where Taipo was or how to get there. Thought he was pulling something but really was quite clueless. In the end I paid him what the fare should've been. One green taxi driver refused to take us and our boxed tv last year and sped off almost clipping my spouse with the door but these are the only two incidents of note in dozens and dozens of trips.

    I ride a taxi every other day. Although not as nice as other places they're generally fine for me. And should mention we did have a polite red taxi driver from central yesterday...
    I would say my experience is that a taxi from the airport is WAY more likely to be problematic than any others in HK. I think they deliberately choose the airport if they are wanting to scam people!
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  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    I would say my experience is that a taxi from the airport is WAY more likely to be problematic than any others in HK. I think they deliberately choose the airport if they are wanting to scam people!
    How was this driver trying to charge you more?

    I get upset when I'm a single traveler with one bag and they want to charge $5 more. It's their right, but it's so unfair you could have four more smelly, heavy people and not pay more! Always try to shove my bags on the seat with me.

    As for HK_Katherine being correct, it's refreshing to see a woman confident she's correct.

  5. #25

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    Seen on a popular FB group today.
    Someone got stiffed with a 10MOP note instead of a 100HKD note.

    When you give $500 and get back 4 red ones, do you check them 1 by 1?

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    HK_Katherine and Morrison like this.

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    No, old regular cab but he had :
    - octopus sign outside
    - octopus signs on the headrests
    - and an extra Samsung phone on the dashboard ready to accept octopus.

    He punched in the amount, put the card under the phone and then the very familiar "toooot" - we were done.

    Very happy with the experience. Checking the Octopus website, I see they are pushing the app and Octopus acceptance a bit more under their "business" programme. Its a shame they are so late to the game. They were miles ahead of everyone and then sat on their asses while the rest of the field passed them. Still hoping they get their act together and do better since I dont have Alipay, WeChatPay or any of those other payment systems.

    Cash & Octopus with a minor bits of credit card keeps me happy.
    its obviously some good development but i doubt the acceptance rate will be high..

    - obviously there are cost.. octopus will charge for the administrative process
    - driver cannot 'top up' to the dollar and charge client
    - driver does not collect outright cash.. we might think this is not important but for some guys that lives day to day, they need to collect the cash to pay their 'car-lord' and fuel the cab
    - income is potentially trackable now...

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Elegiaque:
    How was this driver trying to charge you more?

    I get upset when I'm a single traveler with one bag and they want to charge $5 more. It's their right, but it's so unfair you could have four more smelly, heavy people and not pay more! Always try to shove my bags on the seat with me.

    As for HK_Katherine being correct, it's refreshing to see a woman confident she's correct.
    It was exactly this. I took my bag in the cab with me (as I always do) and he tried to charge for it. I've measured it in the past and it's well below the size for chargeable luggage (and indeed, the last time a taxi did this to me I got the police to come and measure my bag, in front of the driver, and they also confirmed it was allowable size). So yes, I know I'm correct. And I will do this every time I take a taxi from the airport which tries to charge for luggage inside the cab, because if I don't then they keep doing it.

    Happy for the rules to change - I don't really care. I just want the rules that actually exist to be applied.

    I would say they try and charge for luggage in the cab about 70% of the time from the airport. I have never had one try and do this on the way TO the airport (or anywhere else when I carry large amounts of crap in a taxi)... Usually I just point out it's correct size and inside the cab and they shrug and give me my 5 dollars back. This guy was off his head. Started shouting and screaming in Cantonese and then locked the cab so I could not get out (he had my money by the way, I was just asking for my change!). That's why I reported him to the police - the locking me in the cab and the verbal assault.
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  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by HowardCoombs:
    Seen on a popular FB group today.
    Someone got stiffed with a 10MOP note instead of a 100HKD note.

    When you give $500 and get back 4 red ones, do you check them 1 by 1?

    I never pay with a 500 so I'm less likely to get caught out by this. But it's useful to know that's going around. Although to be fair there is a (small) chance that the driver himself got scammed and didn't notice and just handed it on....

  9. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by freeier:
    its obviously some good development but i doubt the acceptance rate will be high..

    - obviously there are cost.. octopus will charge for the administrative process
    - driver cannot 'top up' to the dollar and charge client
    - driver does not collect outright cash.. we might think this is not important but for some guys that lives day to day, they need to collect the cash to pay their 'car-lord' and fuel the cab
    - income is potentially trackable now...
    The second point is false : - driver cannot 'top up' to the dollar and charge client

    He certainly was able to : he can enter any amount and I told him to give himself a small tip and paid over and above the meter fare.

    Granted, I dont know how many will do this, but I did and the capability for a tip does exist.

  10. #30

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    "I think they deliberately choose the airport if they are wanting to scam people!"

    They are also still allowed to charge the $30 toll fee each way even though the toll structure was separated last year (or whenever it was) into two separate payments of $15 (in and out).

    HK_Katherine likes this.