[MinMin]

Beware of vanishing cabbies and pressure sales tactics in Phuket

I WOULD like to warn Singaporeans of some unsavoury sales tactics I encountered in Phuket during my recent visit with my family in the second week of June.

When we arrived at Phuket airport, one taxi driver approached us. He agreed to drive us to our hotel for an agreed sum. He then asked us to follow him.

We thought he was taking us to his taxi. Instead, he took us to a counter near the exit. A woman tried to sell us a Marriott hotel holiday package, but we said we were not interested. When I returned the brochure to her, she snatched it rudely. And as for the taxi driver, he had disappeared.

We made our way out and were greeted by many taxi drivers. We took one.

About 20 minutes into our journey from the airport to our hotel in Patong Beach, the cabby turned into a carpark outside a tour agency, saying he had to sign something, and jumped out.

We waited for a few minutes. Two women from the tour agency approached us and spoke for more than 15 minutes, asking us to book an island tour. The driver did not come out and we felt stranded and pressured. In the end, we gave in and signed up for the tour at an overpriced rate, as we discovered later.

On the day of our tour, the driver came earlier than the specified time and claimed we did not show up. Fortunately, we had many witnesses who saw us waiting at the hotel lobby and carpark.

We took a cab to the office to claim a refund. The tour agency agreed to 50 per cent refund or another tour for us the next day. However, our trust in the agency was broken and we did not want to continue.

We called the police for assistance, as the situation was becoming aggressive - one of the staff members threatened to pour water over me and my camera because we had taken a photo of the office. With the aid of the police, we managed to get a full refund, minus the 3 per cent charge for using our credit card for payment.

I urge the public to be wary of taxi drivers from Phuket airport.

First, do your homework on taxi fares to your destination. It is better to hire only metered cabs.

Second, as a precaution, tell the taxi driver beforehand you do not want to make any stop on the way to your hotel. I found out it is against a government rule to do so.

Third, the number you can call if you run into trouble in Phuket is 1155 (tourist police). Check out the website at phuketdir.com/pkttouristpolice.

Goh Toke Nang (Mdm)

Beware of vanishing cabbies and pressure sales tactics in Phuket

[buaya]

lol.. I also just came back from there.. overall nice place lah... and I didn't take those kind of cabs.. I had everything pre-arranged

[Zmonkey]

Hi Buaya, Do you have contacts for Phuket holidays? Can to share how did you prearranged your trip? I am planning for a trip there in Aug.

[gunners46]

lol, this is the result of nv do homework... but still sometimes its a matter of luck.