Korean Job Discussion Forums

livinginkorea · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Location: Korea, South of the border

Don't let the title fool you but I'm curious how much people have been ripped off in this country.

I go to Suwon every weekend to meet my girlfriend and usually I stay in the same motel as they charge 55,000 for me and not the usual 60,000 as I have been there on several occasions. However this only works if the lady of the house is there. If not then I get charged 60,000 by the other staff. Lucky when I meet my girlfriend she explains to the motel staff and I get my money back. She calls it a "foreigner special", where I actually pay more than everybody else rather then less as they lead you to believe.

Before I learnt the bus route and what bus to take to the city centre to meet my girlfriend I had to take a taxi. The usual price was around 4,000 won. I would tell the landlady and she would call a taxi to pick me up. However this taxi came before and it cost me 6,000 won and he wanted another 1,000 cas it was called from the motel. I never heard of this before so obviously I was ripped off!!!

It's not much money but I'm just wondering about other people. I know that it happens often here in Korea. When they see me I can see the Won sign in their eyes!! I'm just wondering what other people have been over charged for.

Gollum · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Location: Japan

Sometimes I take a taxi from Itaewon to Bundang in the middle of the night. It should cost about 16,000 to Seohyun via meter. Of course, they want 2,000 for the toll (wonder if I should pay 1,000).

Often, the cab drivers in Itaewon try to negotiate a flat price, which I have learned is a screwjob 99 percent of the time. I've been quoted 30,000 to 50,000 won to go the same route!!

Happens every time. The guy who told me 50,000 made me so mad I flipped him the bird and called him a Shipseki SOB! He was shocked, but I didn't care. I had a bad night.

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

I think most asian countries have the idea that all westerners are loaded, rich, priveledged people, and that they (asians) are struggling underdogs.

nev · Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Location: ch7t

And to a large extent, that's true.

Doesn't really apply so much to Korea these days, mind you.

skinhead · Joined: 11 Jun 2004

jazblanc77 · Joined: 22 Feb 2004

Homer · Guest

Well said Jaz.

There is a call fee when you call in a cab.

As for getting ripped off, I guess it happens to some wae guks and not to some others.

I would belong in the second category. I may have had one or two cabbies try to jack up the fare in 7 years. That is no different from the cabbies back home who sometimes take the longer way when they are not sure if you familiar with the city. Kind of a world-wide cabbie tactic.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

animalbirdfish · Joined: 04 Feb 2004

chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

"Call Taxi" service actually does have a 1.000 won surcharge. I have read it in Korean someplace.

http://www.whatthebook.com

Thunndarr · Joined: 30 Sep 2003

I've had a couple different taxi drivers try to give me the old tour of the city, but they were too inept to pull it off as I was only going from Nowon Station to the bank junction in Jungye, a trip that costs the minimum late at night. Anyway, this one guy drove up and down the same street about 3 times and then took a few more unnecessary turns. Final tally, 6000 won. So, I looked at the guy, made a sort of circular motion with my finger (how do you mime "You took me for a ride, really?"), and paid him 2,500. He looked sheepishly embarrassed, but didn't argue at all.

Thunndarr · Joined: 30 Sep 2003

Ah, another story. There's a 24 hour kimbap joint near where I live where me and my friends would go a fair amount. It also got alot of other foreigners there. Anyway, after going there for a few months, they apparently had had enough foreigners in there, because they set up a special foreigner table. If you went there when it was busy you could sit anywhere, but as soon as the foreigner table cleared out, they moved your food to that table and made you sit there. I never at at the place again.

ladyandthetramp · Joined: 21 Nov 2003

I think we may feel that we are getting overcharged for being foreigners more often than we actually are.

At namdaemun, tongdaemun, technomart and yongsan I've witnessed plenty of Koreans paying a lot more than they should be paying. Koreans with money often don't even think about bargaining.

However, I do think that foreigners (or should I say White people, because of Mashimaro's post?) are overcharged a bit more often than Koreans. Especially in the taxis, where it is assumed you don't know the route home (which is probably true for most).

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

This "scenic tour" route-taking is hardly exclusive to Korea; it happens everywhere. Personally, I have never had it happen in 9 years. I guess my face doesn't scream "sucker".

Also, I always knew where I was going enough to grumble if I sensed the driver derivating from the course, so perhaps the low, "��...?" was enough to freak him into thinking I knew the score.

Jumping into a taxi in any country and not knowing the language nor where you are going is a recipe for rip-off.

I got ripped off in France a lot....even the street vendors tried.

jazblanc77 · Joined: 22 Feb 2004