Korean Job Discussion Forums

[falco]

Interesting thing happened to me today. I usually walk but today I was running a little bit late so I decided to catch a taxi to my haekwon.

Anyway I got in the taxi, closed the door and "smash"....the door window shattered into a thousand pieces. Naturally enough I was highly embarrassed and apologised profusely. The taxi driver got out, walked around to the door, looked at it for a while and then demanded W100 000. I refused and tried to explain to him in my broken Korean that I was very sorry but it wasnt really my responsibility coz it was an accident and it was his taxi after all -NOT mine.

We started arguing and he started grabbing me. I started to get mad and pushed him back. Then I started to walk away and he grabbed me on my arm again. After much yelling and shouting he called the cops. By this time we were both steaming mad. I called my haekwon director.

After about 5 minutes two(!) police-cars arrived lights flashing and sirens wailing! The cops took my foreigner ID number & passport no. Atabout the same time my haekwon director arrived and told me that he would handle everything and told me to get out of it....which I gladly did.

Anyway I went back to my haekwon and began my classes. When the director arrived back he told not worry about anything.

On reflection though I wonder if I did the right thing here. Cant help but think I should have at least offered to pay half. Thing is though I've had so many bad experiences with Korean taxi drivers (I've been in Korea a while but dont have a car or anything so I frequently use taxis), that my natural reaction when I have any kind of altercation with them is not to give an inch. I dunno....wot u think??

- falco.

[tzechuk]

1. you got in, closed the door, the window smashed.

How does this not make it your responsibility?

2. he got out, looked at the window and demanded 100K.

You were right not to pay - he should either: a.call his insurance company and let them deal with it, or b. find out how much it would cost first before demanding any money from you.

You shouldn't really have lost your cool...

[Atavistic]

[Qinella]

What is a haekwon?

[butlerian]

[Masta_Don]

[whatever]

[Qinella]

[Masta_Don]

[djsmnc]

Wow. That's one of those things that I instantly turn my head away from and act as if nothing happened while I scurry away quickly. Very quickly.

[Jellypah]

I don't see how it's the OP's fault. Doors are meant to be opened and closed. It's not like he tried to enter the cab by bashing the window in!

I once had a guy in a pickup truck tailgate me while honking his horn and flashing his lights. I wasn't about to stop, as I was alone on a rural road. When I finally got to a parking lot and pulled over, he jumped out of his car and demanded money - pointing to a crack in his windshield. He said my car's tires had kicked up a rock which hit his windshield.

I laughed at the guy, and said he should demand the money from my tires then. Or go back and find the rock that had hit him and see if that would pay.

[SuperFly]

If it's not two much twouble, I'd wike to tewl you a stowy about my expewience. When I was in cowege, my woomate and I went out to a nightcwub. As we appwoached the pawking wot, we see a big guy punching a little giwl, she must've been about twenty. Anyway, my woomie, who is a big guy, puwwed right up two the actiown and befowe he could get out of the caw, the dwunk guy puwnched wight thwough the window.

Amazing stowy, but all twue.

[Jellypah]

[SuperFly]

Weww, dwunk guys fathew was vewy wich. Had a pwumbing business. A few days waiter, he cawwed us on the phone and apowogized, so Hewb dwopped the chawges.

[Lao Wai]