What do you do when the cab driver lies?

[DandyDon]

Ok I paid 2,000 pesos to the airport.

Nah 110. Gave him 130.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

In Greece, when we stop, I just ask that we discuss with the tourist police. That works incredibly well for any bait and switch. Most tourists are unaware that such a police that focuses on protecting tourists exists. I've used it a couple times with hotel owners and taxis.

 

[Marie13]

In Greece, when we stop, I just ask that we discuss with the tourist police. That works incredibly well for any bait and switch. Most tourists are unaware that such a police that focuses on protecting tourists exists. I've used it a couple times with hotel owners and taxis.

There’s a tourist police in Playa del Carmen, at least, but I was told they only speak Spanish. I saw them everywhere around my hotel and the restaurants.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

There’s a tourist police in Playa del Carmen, at least, but I was told they only speak Spanish. I saw them everywhere around my hotel and the restaurants.

LOL, that's helpful if true that they don't speak English. At least in Greece, pretty much everyone speaks English quite well. Even the garbage men (not kidding, it is a requirement).

 

[mediumone]

I was told they only speak Spanish.

You were misinformed.

 

[Marie13]

You were misinformed.

I was told this by a long term resident so I had no reason to not believe what I was told.

 

[mediumone]

I was told this by a long term resident so I had no reason to not believe what I was told.

He/she was mistaken.

 

[ggunn]

In my mind, the stereotype of the "Ugly American" fits the person who seemingly doesn't care to learn what the customary price may be, who seemingly doesn't understand the value of money.

In mine it is the person who visits another country and becomes belligerent and/or condescending to locals over trivialities when he (it's usually a "he") doesn't get what he wants.

I once witnessed a very large Texan in full hat and boots regalia grab a waiter in a sidewalk cafe in Lima, Peru, by the lapel and speak loudly right in his face, "Vanilla. VANILLA! What's the matter, boy, don't you speak English?" That guy.

 

[El Graduado]

So if the driver is a member of that union, you could conceivably figure out how to complain to that union. I don't read or speak Mexican Spanish (or Castilian for that matter), so I wasn't able to figure out much more about it. Are you sure that compliance is compulsory for cab drivers?

No, the taxi union does not set the taxi fares. SINTRA (Secretary of Infrastructure and Transport) sets the rates. The taxi union can only ask for a rate increase (which they have) but SINTRA must approve it (which they have not, since 2016).

Many things in Mexico have price controls: gasoline, electricity, tortillas, etc. The prices of these commodities and services are set for the lowest common denominator (the Mexican poor) even though tourists and the Mexican upper-classes can also buy the same commodities or services at that low, government-controlled price.

However, there is a problem created when tourists overpay when the taxi drivers charge them more than the published rate (which is still very high for a poor family who needs the service to carry old people to the hospital or doctor, go for groceries, take the family to church when it is raining, etc.) The problem is that it makes the taxi drivers loath to work for the published rates for the folks that live in the poorer colonias. Long ago, this wasn’t a problem, nowadays, taxi drivers would rather wait in line at the piers or malecon to get a chance to pick up a tourist and make double, triple, or even ten times the published fare than they would if they made a 26 or 27 peso trip in town for a resident. This situation got so bad, that SINTRA now makes the taxi union dedicate a small (very small) portion of the taxis to take a daily rotation serving only in town so the residents can at least have some kind of service, even if sporadic and hard to find.

The SINTRA car is a red car with SINTRA printed on it. It is constantly pulling taxis out of line because it was supposed to be that taxi’s day in town, but the drivers would rather ditch the town beat and go for the over-paying tourist. It just gets worse and worse every year, because so many tourists take the attitude “It’s only a seventy-cents or a dollar more, I can afford it and the taxi driver is poor.” OK, maybe it will make you feel good like you are giving to a charity when you over-tip and over-pay a taxi driver, or knowingly let him overcharge you, but it is really hurting a lot of other poor people you don’t see. You are helping deprive them of the taxi service they need.

 

[BRT]

Probably more of local rate vs a tourist rate. I saw and experienced the same in Egypt. I learned to stand behind a local when buying food so to know what they paid. The tourist price was typically twice 60 cents vs 30 cents for a sweet roll or similar.

Knowing the local price was really helpful as sometimes vendors wanted ridiculous prices so I would refuse and walk up the next stall. Once had a vendor who I refused to buy from because of their prices watched me go up the street to another vendor. First started yelling at the second not sell to me below his prices. Which he did so I went to another market.

Reminds me of a Mexican guy who was a car dealer in Yakima. He had 2 lots, across the street from each other. He told me if someone became unhappy with prices or treatment on one lot they would show him.....and go buy from the other lot.