Question Are You Tired of the Taxi Ripoff?

[living4experiences]

I've just arrived in Cozumel and have been ripped off four times by taxi drivers! I thought I did enough due diligence to be informed about what I should be paying from point A to point B, but the taxi Mafia has little care about adhering to their rules. The first three drivers refused to provide me the rate card. The fare should have been 260 pesos from Casa Mexicana to Iberostar. The first two drivers quoted 350 pesos to which I countered with the correct fare. The price was lowered to 300 pesos. Once I mentioned I wanted to see the rate card, they all of a sudden didn't understand what I was talking about. I walked away and headed down the road on foot to catch another taxi. Driver number three said 300 pesos and also refused to provide the rate card. Now I was running out of time to get to my destination, so I paid the $300 pesos.

Coming back from iberostar, with no option, I was forced to pay the $300 pesos from Iberostar to Casa Mexicana. Once we arrived, I waited till my stuff was out of the van and then I asked the driver for his rate card, to which he did not know what I was talking about. I then typed the question into Google Translate and showed it to him. He looked dumbfounded and wouldn't answer, even seeing the question in his own language. I then went to the front of the van and took a picture of his license plate. He conveniently found a rate card. This rate card was in USD for cruise ship passengers only, for transportation from the International and Punta Langosta Piers. It occurred to me now that the drivers are charging regular tourists the cruise ship passenger rates all the time. This was not a zone rate card and it was not in Spanish or Pesos. When I asked to take a photo of the rate card, he refused. Now I'm angry and telling him that by law he needs to show it to me. He finally let me get a photo, but he didn't make it easy and wouldn't let me touch it. He says that Casa Mexicana is at Punta Langosta Pier. So somehow that means I'm a cruise ship passenger?

I would be interested to know what the community here does in these situations in Cozumel. Besides taking a picture of the license plate, what other photos should one gather in the event of filing a formal complaint? I'm not saying I would take time from my vacation to do so, but this might be enough of an intimidation to the driver that I'm not a customer that will be taken advantage of.

I'm thinking that Maybe I should just get in the cab, knowing the price, and pay it at the destination. If he has a problem with it, then that would be another issue.

 

[ggunn]

I'm sad for you that you think a shakedown is an acceptable practice while being a tourist.

You would be wasting your time being sad for me. The aggravation of arguing over a buck or two with a taxi driver far outweighs the pain of the "shakedown", especially when I am on vacation. Principle be damned; I am there to relax and have a good time, not to get into altercations over trivialities. YMMV, but I am not going to sweat the small stuff.

That said, though, I know what the fares are for most of the taxi trips I take on the island, so at the end of the ride I hand the taxista the correct fare (in pesos - as we all know that makes a big difference), I say "gracias", and I get out.

In answer to the question posed by the thread title, what I am tired of is all the complaining about this. We all know what to expect by now, and we all know strategies to minimize it without getting confrontational about it. Some people seem to enjoy being angry; I am not one of them.

 

[DivingLane]

I'm sad for you that you think a shakedown is an acceptable practice while being a tourist.

you two are arguing over different things. Shaking down a tourist for a new price should be unacceptable. Offering a higher price than what is on a 15 year old rate sheet is negotiating. If the tourist doesn't know better and thinks it's a fair price, what's the problem?

 

[DandyDon]

Shaking down a tourist for a new price should be unacceptable. Offering a higher price than what is on a 15 year old rate sheet is negotiating.

Feels the same to me.

If the tourist doesn't know better and thinks it's a fair price, what's the problem

Oh, I usually know. It's a matter of do I want to bother arguing, shopping for a better driver, or walking.

 

[ggunn]

you two are arguing over different things. Shaking down a tourist for a new price should be unacceptable. Offering a higher price than what is on a 15 year old rate sheet is negotiating. If the tourist doesn't know better and thinks it's a fair price, what's the problem?

FWIW, I am not arguing about anything; I was just stating my position.

 

[NauticalNick]

I'm sad for you that you think a shakedown is an acceptable practice while being a tourist.

It's all relative and subjective. I'm actually pretty happy and stress-free on holiday unlike some on this board having brain aneurysms over 40p on principle. I'm not naive on what the actual going rate is (as opposed to the card) and frankly I have to deal with nonsense of "broken machines, cash only" and cabs declining my ride for not being far enough at the most inconvenient of times at home and I live in one of the biggest cities in North America. Working a 16 hour day and having cab after cab turn you down, cutting into your 6 hours of sleep before you have to do it again is much more dire to me but I have endured and realized sometimes it's just like that. Maybe I just have low expectations.

Stick to what you're comfortable paying and know sometimes you just have to say no. If you're really sensitive to pricing, try and plan up front (have the driver who drops you off pick you up for a set price for example) and try not to rely on desperately looking for a cab on the street. Like everything in life, when you're in a position with no leverage at all, you're generally going to come up short in the negotiation.

 

[Charred]

That said, though, I know what the fares are for most of the taxi trips I take on the island, so at the end of the ride I hand the taxista the correct fare (in pesos - as we all know that makes a big difference), I say "gracias", and I get out.

^^^This above is what we do too. And we strive to speak as much Spanish as possible #1 because its polite as a visitor to a country and #2 its not that hard to say "Hola Senior. La Choza por favor." for example.

 

[ggunn]

^^^This above is what we do too. And we strive to speak as much Spanish as possible #1 because its polite as a visitor to a country and #2 its not that hard to say "Hola Senior. La Choza por favor." for example.

Sometimes a cab ride is a Spanish lesson for me. A good phrase to know: "Como se dice in Español <word in English>?"

 

[ReefHound]

Playa Del Carmen taxi drivers just issued statement on this thread about Cozumel taxis....hold my beer! Taxistas golpean a pareja de turistas en Playa del Carmen

they gave a beatdown to some customers who didnt pay...

And they got arrested today,

Taxistas que agredieron a turistas en Playa del Carmen son detenidos por narcomenudeo

Los taxistas señalados por agredir a una pareja de turistas en Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo fueron detenidos por narcomenudeo

www.yucatan.com.mx

 

[rick00001967]

La Choza for example.

??

 

[brsnow]

??

It is a restaurant