Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rchristo10]

Now, I've lived here on and off for nearly a decade. And I have left and come back several times during that period for brief moments home and also to other countries. I also speak Korean with fairly high proficiency.

I remember faintly seeing something on TV about taxis during the holidays and don't know if their was much else done on the matter. However, today I took two cabs (I nearly always take cabs) to get to places that I know fairly well and was met with drivers who were purposely trying to throw a ruse.

Two asked me whether I wanted to go right or left to places where only direction is possible. I kindly did the uh...I'm sorry? And was met with which direction and I answered again politely and with a bit of a giggle I answered both drivers. I also asked both (separate cabs now) why the strange question and they said some people go the other direction and they were verifying. I asked how is that possible and they both cabbies gave me some rather incoherent answers so I just well...went to my destination.

In a third cab I told the driver to go to Coex Mall, and suddenly on the way he asked me Coex Mall or Coex. This was several hours after the two other cabbies. So I not-so-kindly asked him is there a difference, then answered for him that the same so what exactly is he talking about. I was clearly perturb, but I immediately giggle (but inside I was livid). He went on to explain that I could mean a Mall near Coex. And then I went into debate mode...explaining that if a person says Coex Mall, then they mean Coex. He explained that most Koreans would only say Coex. So, I said well obviously I'm not Korean (which I assume was the main factor for the initial retardation) and where else would I mean by Coex Mall. Then, I went into lecture mode explaining that I'm a bit appalled at such behavior in a metropolis as large and international (I'll avoid saying global for other reasons). I couldn't believe that he would try to dupe me speaking to him in fluent Korean from 청담 (which ain't far from the mall) to a place as well-known as COEX Mall. I also explained that I haven't seen such tactics taken in a place (that Koreans assume to be somewhat backward) as in Beijing. Now, I know people can be affronted by this comment and it was a bit out of my place, but it's what I felt.

After the lecture, he explained that he's only 32 years old. That, THESE ARE HIS WORDS: the job of a taxi driver is not such an ethical one. (REMEMBER THAT I HAD JUST COMPARED THE TAXI SERVICE OF KOREA TO CHINA...WITH THE POINT BEING THAT SEOUL'S SHOULD BE MUCH BETTER THAN THAT OF BEIJING'S.) He goes on to say that it's not like in Japan, where taxi driving is a "good" job. I remind him that I didn't say that taxi driving was a great job and that I surely wasn't comparing it with Japan. I also said that I was shocked that after taking the taxi examination he would somehow confuse Coex & Coex Mall as being completely different places. (AND YES, I know that they are different. But to be honest, there's only one way to get there.) Then, I commented that with Korea hosting such great international forums and events such behavior is embarrassing and doesn't exactly make his job any better. We ended there and on pretty cordial terms. I thanked him, wished him to have a great New Year's and he commented that my Korean was great and he was happy to have the conversation (which was in some ways my 15 minute vexation/ civilized tirade).

Then after the mall, I got in a cab to go home. Told the guy fairly clearly to go straight and he stopped to let me off at the foot of the hill I live on. I wasn't angry (I'd just been shopping). I asked him kindly to go up the hill (I know some get angry about this and I feel for them, but it's also why I'm paying....so I usually keep my cool). Then we get in front of my home, (I could tell something was eating at him and I assumed it was the hill) I asked him to pay using my credit card via the T-money machine. He looks back at me swipes it instead and hands it back to me. As I'm getting out, (apparently he doesn't know I speak Korean) he curses me like not such good cursing either. So I bend in and ask kindly, I'm sorry what was that. He says, literally (but in Korean), "I was saying something because you want to use T-money and care whether I swiped it...f*&^king foreigners...you don't even understand me." I kindly slammed his door and walked into my building with him cursing and spitting explicits my way.

Was it really the blurb on TV that let to this or is something else going on? I'm really trying hard to deal with these taxi issues, but they seem to be getting worse. Is it just seasonal or something? Would guys have dealt with these situations differently? I'm not shocked, but I'm seriously wondering why the taxi manners seem to be getting worse these days...I mean they're only getting like 3,000 or so won more than they should even if they do run their scam unperturbed...but well...that's also half or a total meal depending on where your eating. WTF is going on here with taxi drivers? IS IT REALLY GETTING WORSE OR AM I JUST LOSING IT...??

[aphase]

I don't know if it has to do with the holidays, but I've noticed strange taxi behavior these days also. For example, a taxi driver telling me to take a taxi on the other side of the street, when I was clearly on the correct side. Then he told me he didn't know where Jong-gak is, even after i explained it to him in Korean. (it's 7 minutes away from where I live.)

My tactic of dealing with annoying taxi drivers is just to not get too stressed about it and get out to take another cab. I never close the door behind me in those situations tho. If they want to inconvenience me, they can get out and shut their own door and be inconvenienced as well.

[Joe Boxer]

[Zyzyfer]

I'm not sure if it relates to the TV blurb, but I had to take taxis four out of five mornings to work last week and had an odd experience with one of them.

Where I live, not many taxis just cruise the nearest main road looking for passengers. One morning, this younger guy pulls over and I hop in. He has a cigarette and lighter out, so I figured he had planned on lighting up and decided on the fare instead. I tell him my destination and we head off for a bit, then he asks me which way I'd rather go. Since both are basically the same fare and traffic isn't all that predictable the way that I prefer, I generally just say go the fast way. Unfortunately, my voice was pretty crappy that morning, so he didn't understand me. I probably sounded mad at him repeating myself, but I was mainly annoyed I couldn't get the words out in Korean. Anyway, he doesn't seem to react. However, he does seem annoyed at other vehicles on the road, and is muttering under his breath from time to time.

Later on, when we're about 2/3 of the way to the destination, he gets a phone call. It's another driver, and what I could make out was that my driver was planning on heading somewhere to meet the caller but picked up somebody on the road where he picked me up. My destination is totally in the opposite direction of where I guess these two wanted to meet, so my guy is grumpy but not too foul-mouthed. I'm thinking to myself, "I just totally ruined this knucklehead's morning. Oh wellz."

The fare ends up 8500 won or so, so I pull out a 10 and ask for 1000 won back. He tells me he doesn't have any small change (you don't have a thousand won, man?) and says I should use my card. I assumed he meant T-Money - I'm not big on using bank cards in taxis and forget I even can half the time - but my traffic card doesn't have enough cash on it. He mentions using a card again and, since I take taxis when I'm running late, I start getting annoyed. I bicker a bit in English about how he seemed totally disinterested in picking me up from what I gathered during his phone call, and now he doesn't even have a thousand won on himself. No screaming or ranting, just kind of having a WTF moment. It is then that he relents and pops open the glove box and pulls some coins out of a cup.

Just...weird. He was either the laziest taxi driver ever, or the most passive aggressive ever.

Of course, the same week, I get an extremely old driver who provided some of the most professional service I've ever had, and another extremely good-natured middle-aged guy who wants to practice a bit of English and find out a bit about me.

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I'll have to remember that about leaving the door open. Slamming it feels good but that's just mean.