Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crazylemongirl]

I was in a bit of a rush today and decided the quickest way to get from Sookmyung to Hongdae was to taxi it. Or so I thought.

Conversation went something like this

CLG: Please go to Hongdae
Driver: What did you say?
CLG: Please go to Hongdae
Driver: I don't know (In English)
CLG: Hongdae Ip gu Station. It's on subway line 2.
Driver Ok.

We drive the road. He starts fidding with his on-board GPS

Driver: What was the name of the street?
CLG: I don't know. Go to Hongdae Ip Gu Station please.

Driver still playing with GPS

Thinking I'm being misunderstood, I wrote:

홍대

on a piece of paper.

Driving starts tapping that into his GPS! And can't find it!

At that point I fling him his fare and find another taxi!

[sock]

Wow, no idea where Hongdae was, that's pretty pathetic. Maybe he was from North Korea and just got lost or something, ha ha. If that were me, I wouldn't have given him any money.

Once I got into a cab, and the cab driver immediately pushed the fare button. I tried to tell him to go to the immigration office (had it written in Korean, and my Korean pronunciation is usually pretty good). He didn't have a clue what I was saying. So I had him read the hangul. He still didn't know. Showed him my ARC card, where it's written--he still acts like I asked him to drive me to the moon. Finally I asked him for the English translation service because I figured they could at least tell him the address. He doesn't want me to use his phone (even though all the cabs say Free Translation) and my phone is dead.

I just got out of his cab, despite his whining protest that I pay the meter. I didn't see why I should pay him for all the time we sat in the cab, not moving, him not having any clue where to take me and making absolutely no effort to find out, and not even providing the free translation service. You're in my world now, buddy, and the rule is no service, no payee.

Some of these taxi drivers really amaze me. They're expert death-defiers and they all know sneaky little ways to rip foreigners off, but sometimes actually driving you where you need to go is just too much to expect from them.

(Although to be fair I've met way more honest, great taxi drivers than slimy or incompetent ones.)

[blaseblasphemener]

I got into a cab with my mom when she was visiting. Immediately the driver took me down a back street that no cabbie has ever taken me before, and are greeted by a one way street where, of course, nobody wants to concede the right of way. I just told my mom the driver was stupid and we got out without paying. I'm not paying for his stupidity.

Biggest cabbie pet peeve: not having seatbelts in the back.

Of course, I saw another mother with her kid tied to her back, get into her car that way and drive off. It's amazing to actually witness evidence of a country going from the stone age to the wireless age in 30 years.

[eamo]

I guess he was confused because the name of the station is Hongik Station. You were asking for Hongdae Station.

[uberscheisse]

[Lizara]

[Qinella]

My subway map says 홍대입구..

Sounds like the driver was just a little durmb.

[JongnoGuru]

[JongnoGuru]

Guru's Fabulously Stupid Taxi Tricks

(I know I've posted these somewhere around here before. Read them through before deciding who the stupid is.)

1. Getting in a taxi late at night, legless, and telling the driver to take me home. And then waking up and being totally disoriented and biatching at the driver for getting us lost... before realising that the destination I told him was where I used to live. Done that a few times.

2. Getting in a taxi late at night, legless, and telling the driver to take me home. And then waking up and being totally disoriented and biatching at the driver for getting us lost... before slowly seeing familiar sights, buildings, shops, etc. Damn, does this area of Seoul look completely different when you're drunk!

3. (saving the best for last, this one involved no alcohol)
Weekday morning rush, monsoon season, I slept over at a friend's, so I'm not familiar with the buses. I stumble outside with a borrowed umbrella and no overcoat. Through buckets of rain I see a single cab waiting, make a mad dash for it, yank the rear door open, leap in, collapse the umbrella outside, pull it inside, slam the door, and away we go...

Me: To the Posco Building.
Driver: ...
Me: To the Posco Building and hurry.
Driver: (mumbling) ... Posco Building...
Me: That's right. In Teheran-ro. Now let's move it!
Driver: (sits there a bit before slowly pulling out, then drives for a few minutes, and finally...) I can't drop you off in front, you'll have to cross the street and walk a ways.
Me: No, no. You're taking me right to the front door. If I wanted to walk in this rain, I would have taken a bus.
Driver: But I'm not going in that direction. (his tone wasn't obstinate or combative... actually sounded kind of sorry)
Me: (late night, rough morning, and seriously not in the mood for this *beep*) Hey, I don't care. I'm paying you to take me where I want to go. All taxis take passengers right to the front of the building, and so can you.
Driver: But...
Me: No, you're going to do it.
Driver: ... But this isn't a taxi.
Me: What??! (I look around frantically... oh god, there's no meter!! It's not a cab!!!! It's just some guy in his car going to work!!!)
Uhh... yeah, across the street'll be just peachy.

[JeJuJitsu]

[eamo]

[Qinella]

[JeJuJitsu]

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Riddzy]