View Poll Results: What percentage of taxi drivers have tried to rip you off?

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93. You may not vote on this poll
  • Never

    10 10.75%
  • Less than 1/10 of 1%

    19 20.43%
  • Less than 1%

    31 33.33%
  • Less than 5%

    20 21.51%
  • Approximately 10%

    9 9.68%
  • Approximately 50%

    3 3.23%
  • Almost 100%

    1 1.08%

Thread: Taxi Ripoffs

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  1. #49
    About 4 years ao I saw a small group of Hell's Angels, wearing their colors, taking a coffee at an outdoor cafe in Recoleta. They were cleaner than their US counterparts but the colors were valid.

    All 100% outlaw motorcycle gangs are involved in strip clubs in the USA, so why not here?

    There are also some local gangs out in the provinces, the Clarin ran a story on them a couple of months ago. Pretty standard memership rules and attitude about life.

  2. #48
    Mongers-

    I think this has been made clear before, but I will reiterate it: NEVER take a taxi, radio taxi or otherwise, waiting outside any hooker club. They will try to rip you off every single time if they think they can get away with it. Just walk 50 feet down the road and flag down a passing cab. If you are at one of the Vicente Lopez vicinity clubs, either walk down to Las Heras or get a cab actually driving down Vicente Lopez with its "Libre" light on. This sort of bullshit is part of the reason that Buenos Aires will never be ready for mainstream tourism.

    Suerte,

    Dirk Diggler

  3. #47
    Senior Member


    Posts: 38

    Yeah I got screwed. Lesson learned

    Quote Originally Posted by Badboy13
    Hells Angels? I didn't know those guys were in BA,

    Anyway Hefe thanks for the info, I have seen the guy there before, he drives an older model 7 series (I personally like that model) I have never taken the service because he is NOT a taxi. He is a Remis. A remis service is basically like a taxi, BUT it is more expensive, usually twice as much. I have taken a remi to the airport once or twice and it cost me $40 US. It is a service for those who don't mind paying twice as much for the priviledge of getting driven around in a nice unmarked new model car by a private driven as opposed to the average black and yellow bucket with no tinted windows driven by the occasional coked out taxi driver.

    I am not into paying twice as much for a remis when I go to the grocery store or the local ***** house (Madahos) but for dates with certain "normal" girls or trips to pick up certain friends and or family from the airport, a remis service can be the right choice.

    Bad.

    But $ 75 pesos for a 10 minute ride is pretty rediculous, this guy sounds like he is charging 4 times as much since he is at Madahos and you "spoke english". I guess he figures since the taxis out there try to charge twice as much, he will go ahead and charge 4 times as much.
    Yes,

    I felt like an idiot paying the guy. Hell's Angels, according to him, he was in the U. S. And decided to come back to B. A. He said he still has a lot of brothers in Hell's Angels. Anyways, the next day he asked if I needed a ride again. I told him I was going to go back in and then when he left, took the radio cabs.

    Have you noticed radio cabs turning off their meters when you come out late. Sometimes I feel they rip me off

  4. #46

    Taxi report

    I'm happy to report that I had no problems on my just concluded trip to BA. I probably took about 25 trips total, and other than a few guys who got lost, no problems. Fares rounded up or down 20-30 centavo's sometimes, but came out even on it.

    I was switching from the Intercontinental to the Hilton for a day, so I asked the taxi driver if he knew where the Hilton was. "Oh yes, no problem". He's going by Puerto Madero, and then takes a side route, so I figure there may be construction or a protest or something. I then tell him that he's already passed it, and he seems confused. He pulls over and asks a parked taxi driver.

    We're in a horrible traffic jam then. He is cursing to himself in a low voice. He finally reaches up, and turns the taxi meter off. When we finally get to the Hilton, I ask him how much, figuring it will be a gouge. He says 7 pesos, and all is done. Given the route he drove, I'm sure it would have been 18 or 20 pesos, but 7 is about right if he had driven it correct from the beginning.

  5. #45
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1657

    Lightbulb

    Hells Angels? I didn't know those guys were in BA,

    Anyway Hefe thanks for the info, I have seen the guy there before, he drives an older model 7 series (I personally like that model) I have never taken the service because he is NOT a taxi. He is a Remis. A remis service is basically like a taxi, BUT it is more expensive, usually twice as much. I have taken a remi to the airport once or twice and it cost me $40 US. It is a service for those who don't mind paying twice as much for the priviledge of getting driven around in a nice unmarked new model car by a private driven as opposed to the average black and yellow bucket with no tinted windows driven by the occasional coked out taxi driver.

    I am not into paying twice as much for a remis when I go to the grocery store or the local ***** house (Madahos) but for dates with certain "normal" girls or trips to pick up certain friends and or family from the airport, a remis service can be the right choice.

    Bad.

    But $ 75 pesos for a 10 minute ride is pretty rediculous, this guy sounds like he is charging 4 times as much since he is at Madahos and you "spoke english". I guess he figures since the taxis out there try to charge twice as much, he will go ahead and charge 4 times as much.

  6. #44
    Senior Member


    Posts: 38

    BMW Guy

    There is a guy in a BMW picking people up out of Madahos. He claims he works for them. Anyways, he speaks good English and claims to be with Hell's Angels. Avoid him. He charge me 25 US dollars to a trip to the Sheraton.

  7. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by Fretta
    I was in a taxi yesterday and the cab driver missed the correct turn and we had to circle around for a couple extra pesos of fare. I thought to myself "bastard," but when we got to my place he said that he was sorry that he missed the turn and knocked a couple of pesos off the bottom line.

    Lesson: do not be quick to judge.
    This happened to me once when the cab and I were talking and having a good conversation, he missed the turn and the series of one ways took more time and more $ on the meter to get back to my place. He ended up knocking 3 pesos off the fare and apologized for the missed turn explaining too much talking and not paying attention.

  8. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by Hunt99
    When it comes to the value of the education you received, that experience was a true bargain, amigo. We should all be so fortunate.
    Yeah. You bet. And I still get a good story to tell. Well worth the couple bucks, no?

  9. #41
    2 Soles would be exactly 1.94132 AR Pesos - You really got diddled! I got myself a great deal. I got a Euro coin somewhere and the only thing I can figure out is I got it from a cab driver instead of a peso.

    Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose!

  10. #40

    Rigged meter

    HobbyF: The "Libre" sign was on and he did not start his meter until the light was green and he started driving, so everything looked good.

    I do not really care about two pesos, but if the meter was rigged it added like 25% to the real fare, and for a longer trip that could ad up to some money. But what the hell - in my country the taxi meter starts at the similar to 44 pesos.

    I usually take several taxis every day and yesterday also I noticed that a cab made an unnecessarily long detour to get to a place, but what do I know. Maybe it was quicker even though it was longer?

    And I had my first scam for change on this trip. Instead of a one peso coin I got a Peruvian 2 soles coin. In a dark cab they look almost the same. I do not know the value of the 2 soles and I really do not care. It is to little money to get a fit over.

    All in all my experience with taxis are good. Most drivers are honest and hard working. I will not let a few bad seeds ruin my trip or their reputation.

  11. #39

    Hope

    I was in a taxi yesterday and the cab driver missed the correct turn and we had to circle around for a couple extra pesos of fare. I thought to myself "bastard," but when we got to my place he said that he was sorry that he missed the turn and knocked a couple of pesos off the bottom line.

    Lesson: do not be quick to judge.

  12. #38

    Rigged meters

    TeddyB: Meter rigging is pretty rare but it happens. Like you, I would not have said anything or done anything about a 2 peso difference, but you could well be right. Did you see "Libre" lit before getting in, or did you see him reset the meter when you got in? If not, then it could be he just had a small fare already on the meter.

    Once going from Barrio Norte to Microcenter 2 of my group of 4 Americanos noticed the meter going too fast (maybe 1.5 times or 2 times normal) and started talking about reporting the guy. But none of us could say for sure what the ride should have cost, and all of us here, uh, slightly under the influence. I became sure we were right because the cabbie became very defensive and nervous and discounted the fare.

    I've taken hundreds of cabs and most of these guys are super honest and work 60 plus hours a week. I think "less than 1%" is the right answer, unless you are asking for trouble. Speaking Spanish helps, of course.

  13. #37

    The argie got taken

    My client (argentinian) picked me up at my apartment in a taxi and we went to thier office. It felt like the cabbie was driving in circles but I dint say anything. $20.

    We walked 2 blocks after meetings to dinner afterwhich somone from the company called me a cab. They took down the number just in case and gave him directions and put me in (I don't speak shit for spanish) 9.60 straight to my place. Go figure.

  14. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Teddybear
    Just came home from Exedra and the trip back to my apartment is almost always in the area AR 7.50 or less. Tonight the meter was at AR 9.72.

    No traffic and a really smooth ride home. Can this be a rigged meter? And if it is, is there anything to do about it? Taking the cars number and reporting it or something?
    I had a double time meter from a "waiting" taxi in Puerto Madero a bit over a year ago. A 5.50p fare turned into 10.50. And then he tried to switch money out on me too! I'm sure they probably get less complaints if it's only rigged a bit. If the future, I'll write down the plate number.

  15. #35

    Meter running to fast?

    Just came home from Exedra and the trip back to my apartment is almost always in the area AR 7.50 or less. Tonight the meter was at AR 9.72.

    No traffic and a really smooth ride home. Can this be a rigged meter? And if it is, is there anything to do about it? Taking the cars number and reporting it or something?

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