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.

 

[DandyDon]

Please stop encouraging the illegal fares being charged

Imoveqroo clarifies no rate hikes approved for public transport - Riviera Maya News

Riviera Maya, Q.R. -- Imoveqroo says they have not authorized any public transport rate increases anywhere in the state.

riviera-maya-news.com

Exactly, but I have a bad knee and can't stand walking far so I end up giving in.

 

[ggunn]

Please stop encouraging the illegal fares being charged

Imoveqroo clarifies no rate hikes approved for public transport - Riviera Maya News

Riviera Maya, Q.R. -- Imoveqroo says they have not authorized any public transport rate increases anywhere in the state.

riviera-maya-news.com

Exactly what do you suggest we do?

 

[mediumone]

Exactly what do you suggest we do?

Pay the correct fare.

 

[ggunn]

Pay the correct fare.

Easy to say, not so easy to do. First, one has to know what the correct fare is, and then one has to ask beforehand what the taxi driver will charge and refuse to get in if it is more than that. I, for one, am not going to go to the mat with a taxista over a 10 peso "overcharge". YMMV.

 

[mediumone]

Easy to say, not so easy to do. First, one has to know what the correct fare is, and then one has to ask beforehand what the taxi driver will charge and refuse to get in if it is more than that. I, for one, am not going to go to the mat with a taxista over a 10 peso "overcharge". YMMV.

It IS easy to do.
I've posted the strategy no less than 1/2 dozen times.
I have El Graduado's "Everything Cozumel" on my phone, which has the rates and zones.

 

[ggunn]

It IS easy to do.
I've posted the strategy no less than 1/2 dozen times.
I have El Graduado's "Everything Cozumel" on my phone, which has the rates and zones.

That addresses the first part of what I wrote, but posting on ScubaBoard only reaches a minuscule fraction of the people who use taxis on Cozumel. The second part depends on people contesting every taxi fare, and if the overcharge is small, most people are just not going to do it. I know that I'm not.

My wife and I have a "no arguments" policy when we are on vacation because winning an argument is not worth wasting vacation time. Arguing with taxi drivers is the same to me; I'm not getting my knickers in a wad over ten pesos.

 

[ReefHound]

That addresses the first part of what I wrote, but posting on ScubaBoard only reaches a minuscule fraction of the people who use taxis on Cozumel. The second part depends on people contesting every taxi fare, and if the overcharge is small, most people are just not going to do it. I know that I'm not.

My wife and I have a "no arguments" policy when we are on vacation because winning an argument is not worth wasting vacation time. Arguing with taxi drivers is the same to me; I'm not getting my knickers in a wad over ten pesos.

You have a saying, "Different strokes for..." hmmm, at our age maybe we shouldn't be saying the S word? Anyways, I agree and disagree. Certainly don't make it a hill to die on but a little pushback if the fare seems high, even if you yield to the requested fare, might be helpful if enough people do it. Not saying to argue or to walk but just knowing when the fare is way out of line. Not ten or twenty pesos, like you I'm not going to get that picky (and with surcharges for waiting, queues, night, etc. I could well be wrong in my chart readings), but a hundred pesos over should be challenged.

 

[ggunn]

... a hundred pesos over should be challenged.

That is something I have not personally had to deal with, but if I did and had I not gotten the fare settled ahead of time, I would be more inclined to let the driver know that I have his cab number and he would not have another opportunity to have me as a passenger. "Senor numero XXX, no mas!"

... and then I would get on with my vacation and try not to give it another thought. A hundred pesos is still a pittance.

 

[ggunn]

It IS easy to do.
I've posted the strategy no less than 1/2 dozen times.
I have El Graduado's "Everything Cozumel" on my phone, which has the rates and zones.

What I meant was that it would be hard to get enough people to challenge taxi drivers for fares more than "the card" says for it to make any difference to the situation.

 

[Lorenzoid]

What I meant was that it would be hard to get enough people to challenge taxi drivers for fares more than "the card" says for it to make any difference to the situation.

When I toss something in the recycle bin other than an aluminum can I feel like there is no way it's going to make a difference. But I do it anyway.