Tourist Police in Bangkok?
May 1st, 2009, 06:51 PM
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Tourist Police in Bangkok?
I think I just experienced my first attempt at a scam yesterday. Some guy was being quite pushy about getting us to hop on a tuk tuk to go to some tourist information place. We refused and kept walking, but then a minute later another came up to us a asked us what the other guy was talking about and he showed a badge that indicated he was the tourist police. Is this for real or was I just an obvious target?
May 1st, 2009, 07:11 PM
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There are tourist police in Thailand.
The guy urging you to get into a tuk tuk likely wanted to take you to a jeweler or a tailor so he could get gas coupons.
I've not known of the tourist police being interested in this kind of thing.
The guy urging you to get into a tuk tuk likely wanted to take you to a jeweler or a tailor so he could get gas coupons.
I've not known of the tourist police being interested in this kind of thing.
May 1st, 2009, 10:51 PM
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Given the numbe rof times I have visited Bangkok, I am embarrassed to admit that I fell for this one. We were searching for the TAT office in Siam Square one morning when a woman approached us and flashed her TAT badge and said she was off duty but could she help us find what we were loking for. She then told us that that particular TAT office did not open for a couple of hours but said that she would get us a tuk tuk to the closest one. She negotiated teh very competitive fair for us (20 baht) and teh driver took us straight to an ordinary travel agent next to Huamlampong station. Sinc ethat time we have been approached by "tourist police " a number of times so maybe it is just the laytest con?
May 2nd, 2009, 05:12 PM
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Interesting crellston. The TAT is the tourist authority, right? not the tourist police?
Trackcoach, was the badge-flasher trying to get you to go with the tuk tuk driver or was he concerned that the driver was scamming you? Tourist police often get involved if a tourist has a wallet/passport stolen, etc.
Trackcoach, was the badge-flasher trying to get you to go with the tuk tuk driver or was he concerned that the driver was scamming you? Tourist police often get involved if a tourist has a wallet/passport stolen, etc.
May 2nd, 2009, 05:41 PM
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I have never been bothered by fake police or even real police in a dozen years in and out of Thailand - always the first time I suppose!
If you are in Bangkok for the first time maybe get a tuk-tuk ride for the heck of it. Late at night they are cooler. You can't see much out of one because the awning-roof thing curves down and blocks a lot unless you squat down.
Otherwise avoid tuk-tuks because meter taxi cabs are cheaper when you do not bargain the ride and you tell the driver to use the meter. I rarely get a meter taxi who will not use the meter, if he does just get one of the many hundreds cruising by. I avoid the parked taxi cabs outside hotels and grab a moving taxi from the street. Parked taxi cabs more often want to bargain the ride and you pay more. Besides being cheaper the meter taxi cabs are air conditioned, I think they are safer than tuk-tuks too!
The tuk-tuk drivers wouldn't be trying to entice tourists to go with them if it didn't pay off for them. Nothing is for free, if something sounds too good to be true(like a cheap tuk-tuk ride)it's probably a scam.
Have fun in Thailand
If you are in Bangkok for the first time maybe get a tuk-tuk ride for the heck of it. Late at night they are cooler. You can't see much out of one because the awning-roof thing curves down and blocks a lot unless you squat down.
Otherwise avoid tuk-tuks because meter taxi cabs are cheaper when you do not bargain the ride and you tell the driver to use the meter. I rarely get a meter taxi who will not use the meter, if he does just get one of the many hundreds cruising by. I avoid the parked taxi cabs outside hotels and grab a moving taxi from the street. Parked taxi cabs more often want to bargain the ride and you pay more. Besides being cheaper the meter taxi cabs are air conditioned, I think they are safer than tuk-tuks too!
The tuk-tuk drivers wouldn't be trying to entice tourists to go with them if it didn't pay off for them. Nothing is for free, if something sounds too good to be true(like a cheap tuk-tuk ride)it's probably a scam.
Have fun in Thailand
May 2nd, 2009, 06:34 PM
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The person with the badge was curious what the other person was discussing with us, but then it seemed as though he was urging us to take a different Tuk Tuk and he was going to negotiate the rate for us, but to the same place the other person was urging us to go to. Confused?
May 2nd, 2009, 08:13 PM
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Ok, it sounds like he wasn't the tourist police then, just another entrepenuer. Any time someone with a tuk tuk wants to talk to me, I "just say no."
I take taxis and in over 20 trips to bangkok I've only ha to get out of a taxi two or three times because the driver didn't want to use the meter. In my experience, taxis you take from a hotel when the doorman gets the taxi for you will always use the meter (the doorman is watching). Taxis that park close to a hotel and try to get passengers when the doorman is occupied usually don't want to use the meter and they often want to take you to a jewelry store.
I take taxis and in over 20 trips to bangkok I've only ha to get out of a taxi two or three times because the driver didn't want to use the meter. In my experience, taxis you take from a hotel when the doorman gets the taxi for you will always use the meter (the doorman is watching). Taxis that park close to a hotel and try to get passengers when the doorman is occupied usually don't want to use the meter and they often want to take you to a jewelry store.
May 3rd, 2009, 01:45 AM
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Sorry Crellston, you were scammed. No TAT officer ever goes out and about advising tourists on this or not. Your 'officer' at Siam Square was just part of the over-charging cheating travel agent scam which runs at travel agents just outside of Hualumphong Station. She would have made commission after the agents gave you false information and over-charged you. Never use the service of any travel-agent in that area, including the touts in and around Hualumphong who work for them.
May 3rd, 2009, 06:41 AM
#9
"If you are in Bangkok for the first time maybe get a tuk-tuk ride for the heck of it. Late at night they are cooler." A big problem with tuk-tuks is that you're breathing all those exhaust fumes from the rest of the traffic.
May 3rd, 2009, 08:26 AM
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Kathie - thanks for pointing out my mistake. TAT badge should of course read Tourist Police badge.
Siam Jai - you are of course correct that it was a scam, or at least an attempted scam. All we lost was a little time. When we arrived at the travel agent the prices he was quoting were so baltantly a rip off that we just laughed and left straight away. You are quite right to warn about the touts in and around the station though. the last time we were there we were approached at least 5 times between the subway and the ticket counters. I am sure some of them were Thai Rail staff and were genuinely trying to help but it is difficult to tell.
Siam Jai - you are of course correct that it was a scam, or at least an attempted scam. All we lost was a little time. When we arrived at the travel agent the prices he was quoting were so baltantly a rip off that we just laughed and left straight away. You are quite right to warn about the touts in and around the station though. the last time we were there we were approached at least 5 times between the subway and the ticket counters. I am sure some of them were Thai Rail staff and were genuinely trying to help but it is difficult to tell.
