FR Video - Foreign Tourists Ripped off - Paris

shyvas

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This was in today's The Local showing how easily foreign tourists can get ripped off by
illegal taxis. He charged them 247 € for a 55 € fare.

 
This happened to me in Paris in 2015. We were charged over the top like he was trying to do us over 100 euros and I think I got him down to about 80 and it should have been 40 or 60. I was going to take a photo of the number plate but he lifted up the trunk/boot to get the luggage out, and then quickly drove off with the trunk/boot still sticking up in the air. This was to stop me getting the license plate.

I think the next time I get into one of those situations I am going to get the license number of the car before paying and see if that gets the price down.

Sometimes (e.g. in the US) there is also some usual info like an identifying code in the vehicle.

The worst place I've ever been to was Athens. Apart from Athens, I think taxi drivers are mostly honest of course.

A good tip is to research the price of the taxi in advance online so you know if you are getting ripped off.

The biggest difficulty with taxi drivers being ripped off is always the other people you are with (your family and friends) who would much rather get ripped off to avoid the unpleasantness of the argument and the slight risk of being wrong. And therefore everyone in the cab is always against you. I don't think I've ever seen a single instance of anyone else challenging a rip off but me.

I've never been knowingly ripped off while travelling on my own. It's a lot easier to deal with these situations without family or friends present.

Of course a lot of people would have complained about 200+. But if in the above instance they had charged 95 instead of 55 most people from out of town would pay it.
 
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I dislike vulnerable people such as tourists getting ripped off. It is very frequent in France.
I also remember getting ripped off when I was very young during a trip to Paris. The waitress doubled the price of the meal. As my French was poor plus I was so young, I just paid up. It certainly would never happen today !!! I stick up for myself as life has taught me to do so.

Paris is an awful place due to pick pockets and criminals using knifes to rob tourists. Spain and especially Barcelona is the worst place in Europe for crime. When I used to work, we mainly received calls from clients in Barcelona stating that they had been either robbed or
that were tricked by getting out of their car only to be robbed of all of their possessions. One tip is to never, ever get out
of your car if someone suggests you to do so.

I found the attitude of the taxi driver appalling and thought that the tourist managed very well.
He was quite calm and said the right things. Moreover and happily his English was very good. It's a shame that he paid up but I think that due to
the aggressive manner of the driver, he may have been frightened and wanted to protect his girlfriend.
I really hope that the police find the driver but I think there is very little chance. I really would like him off the streets ! Such an appalling criminal !:(

I always take public transport or private hire vans when travelling to and from an airport/station. In London, I take a black cab and have always felt safe. I always check the fare beforehand and ask the driver to quote the price before getting into the taxi.

Europe's worst countries for tourist scams
 
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