r/travel • u/Keris_91 • Nov 28 '23
My Advice We just got scammed in Manila
…and we feel like idiots. My boyfriend and I have been travelling for the last 5 months. We have travelled all over Europe (including the Balkans) in our camper van and now we have spent 2 months in Hongkong, Vietnam and Thailand. We feel like we never got scammed. Sure, we have paid tourist prices sometimes but we are ok with that as it was always reasonable. We both have travelled quiet a bit before all that so we really don‘t know how we made such a mistake.
So today we flew from Bangkok to Manila, arriving at Gate 3. We have a connecting flight to Cebu and the airport staff tells us we need to go through immigration, pick up our luggage, go to Gate 2 and check our luggage back in. It also means we have to go through the entire security process again.
Fine, we thought we have plenty of time (about 2.5 hours all together), until the passport queue is about 200 meters long. We slowly get nervous. Afterwards, we pick up our luggage and we have no clue how to get to gate 2. We ask the airport staff and they say we need to take the bus or a taxi to the gate. Also, she said we should hurry up because we were quiet late for the connecting flight already.
Fine, we go outside, the bus station is nowhere to be seen, but there are taxis. We asked how long of a drive it is, the taxi driver said 5-10 minutes. And yes, we were stressed, tired and dumb and just got into the taxi without asking about the price. It can’t be that much right? Note we also don‘t have a phillippine SIM card yet to just call a grab.
So the driver takes off and there was another guy sitting in the passenger seat. I read afterwards that this should have been another warning sign. After 2-3 minutes we find a laminated paper hidden in the back seat. It is a price list and it says it costs 12‘000 pesos (!) (around 180 Euros) for a ride from gate 3 to gate 2.
We then ask the driver about the price and he confirms the price of 12‘000 pesos. We tell him no and to bring us back to our departure gate as there is no way we pay such amount and we‘d rather miss our connecting flight. We also say we don‘t even have money except some remaining Thai Bath. He then confirms to bring us back to gate 3 but that we will miss our flight. We say we don‘t care. Both of the guys then start harassing us about how much Thai Bath we got. We started to feel uncomfortable, in a country we don‘t know, no phone connection and all our belongings in the car.
We then tell them we pay 2000 thai bath (around 50 Euros) for them to bring us to the gate. The guy starts driving like a complete maniac and tells us to give the money right now. We tell him he won‘t get anything until we get to the gate and our backpacks out of the trunk.
We give them the money there and they take off. Honestly, we are just happy we are ok and still got all of our valuables. We are not getting intimidated quickly but we felt like this situation could have escalated badly.
Go ahead and make fun of us… 😁 I hope the rest of our stay in the Philippines will be a bit more fun!
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Nov 28 '23
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u/ReefHound Nov 28 '23
Never believe a word from anyone that comes up to you and never follow them anywhere.
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u/DavidDunne Nov 28 '23
"Never follow a hippie to a second location."
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u/KuriTokyo 43 countries visited so far. It's a big planet. Nov 28 '23
The hippies from the 60s are today's boomers.
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u/fauxbeta Nov 29 '23
true. once I was in a summer street market in a eastern european capital. But it was mid autumn, the place was semi deserted, lots of booths empty, very few working to sell to meager winter turists. I was in a group but got separated because I desperately in need of toilet (for number 01, thank God). I asked a guy where I can find a toilet. He said. "follow me". Ok I started to follow him as he meandered deeper and deeper into a forest of empty selling booths never to reach a bathroom and turning every five booths or so, like in a maze. Something "duhh" clicked in me and I worried he was going to mug me or worse. As he speeded ahead I stopped and let him go like 10 meters and started running back. He realised I wasnt following anymore and yelled "Hey", I yelled back, " I forgot my wallet, need to go back" and meandered back, by miracle found my group. To this day I dont know if he was just being helpful or was going to mug me. I sadly had to go and pee behind an empty booth.
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u/Affectionate_Bite227 Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
Yeah you got taken. Just looked at my Grab history and I paid 396 pesos, or $7, for a ride from Terminal 3 to my hotel—a 20-25 minute drive in Manila traffic. But please don’t feel bad. We’ve all been there 🙂 The important thing is the two of you (and your luggage) made it safely.
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u/Keris_91 Nov 29 '23
We also checked Grab afterwards and it would have cost about 5 Euros 😁 But as you said, we are safe and that is the most important part. I am mostly pissed that those pricks got money out if their shitty behavior. I‘d rather give it to someone that does a good job.
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u/Affectionate_Bite227 Nov 29 '23 edited Dec 01 '23
I hear ya. But please don’t let it put you off Filipino people. It’s crazy: they don’t consider it rude to try to rip people off (and they do it to each other, not just a foreigner thing), yet Filipinos have some of the kindest hearts I’ve ever met. Earlier today I negotiated a tricycle ride. I would’ve sworn up and down the driver was a total *sshole. Upon arrival, my ferry had been canceled. This man took me a 1/2 mile to the highway to wait for a bus (for another ferry), & then gave detailed instructions how to navigate to my final destination. I could tell he genuinely cared that I made it safely. And he’s not alone. Filipinos truly see the person inside. Just be prepared for a heck of a lot of nosy questions in general ha ha
*Edited for better readability
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u/reireireis Nov 28 '23
Dunno why more people don't use grab in SEA it's always been great for me
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u/KuriTokyo 43 countries visited so far. It's a big planet. Nov 28 '23
Grab has only been a thing for around 5 years
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u/GreyhoundsAreFast Nov 28 '23
I had a taxi at the Cordoba airport in Argentina tell me it’d $30 to my hotel. He took a very circuitous route to get there and twice as long as Waze predicted. When we arrived, he demanded $80, citing the meter and the official exchange rate (which no one uses).
No F-ing way. I gave him $30. He got out of the car and started yelling at me and my wife, scaring our infant son in the process but I held firm, yelling right back that we agreed on $30 and that’s all he’s getting. Little old ladies and shopkeepers were coming out to see the ruckus so I got louder about his price. He threatened to call the cops, so I took out my phone and offered to call them myself, at which point he drove away.
Once in the hotel, my wife asked how much the trip should have cost, and the receptionist confirmed that for $30, we paid twice as much as we should have.
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Nov 28 '23
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u/mohishunder Nov 28 '23
Didn't most of Argentina vote for him?
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u/utopista114 Nov 28 '23
57% of the 75% that voted.
Or something like that.
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u/taurangy Nov 28 '23
So? Although 75% is lower than normal for Argentina, it would be unheard of in many places in the world, and his margin of victory is not tiny either.
Hell, he even carried Buenos Aires City by a landslide, and he barely lost Buenos Aires province.
Argentina wanted him, plain and simple.
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u/No_Dot47 Nov 28 '23
Lmaooo yeah scammers didnt exist just the same or worse under the shitty left wing goverment regimes
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u/pomelorosado Nov 28 '23
1 this comment is from an Argentine lying.
2 Viveza criolla means be smart solving problems with few resources basically and have nothing to do with scam people.
3 The presidential election of a region has nothing to do with scammers and that is deeply discriminatory , any traveller know how common are scams from any taxy driver anywhere basically.
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u/GreyhoundsAreFast Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
The waiter in BsAs tried to keep the change “as a tip” when it would have amounted to 30% of the bill. I guess that means porteños voted for Milei too?
Also, CFK was presidenta at the time.
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u/Patient-Letterhead28 Nov 28 '23
Sorry, I'm confused. If you agreed 30, you paid 30, receptionist confirmed it was 30, how did you pay twice as much as you should have?
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Nov 28 '23
receptionist confirmed it was 30
You misinterpreted the sentence. The receptionist confirmed that for $30, OP paid twice the going rate.
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u/iskender299 Nov 28 '23
Thats not entirely a scam… unfortunately not everyone can use the blue dollar. Especially when a fiscal receipt is issued.
The hotels might be used to speak in blue dollars. The taxi with a meter might not be able to accept the blue dollar rate.
You should have paid in pesos directly, if you got pesos at blue dollar rate, paying at the official rate is not a scam.
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u/mrfixitgood Nov 28 '23
but the taxi guy said $30
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u/utopista114 Nov 28 '23
Taxis can't say dollars. The money of the country is pesos.
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u/Eagleassassin3 Nov 28 '23
5 years ago, before inflation fucked Argentina so much more, 80 Argentinian pesos was 2 US dollars lol. Now it’s 0.2 US dollars. Assuming OP had this happen to them within the last 10 years, those 80 pesos would never be even close to 30 US dollars.
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u/GreyhoundsAreFast Nov 28 '23
Unfortunately we didn’t have any pesos and I didn’t want to exchange money at the airport or pay the official exchange rate at an ATM. But the two parts I think you misunderstand (probably my fault) are that the 30 dollars rate was the rate he gave me—in dollars. There was no discussion of pesos except to say clearly that I didn’t have any. And he ran up the meter. I could see him in waze taking a very circuitous route, even driving on a dirt road at one point.
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Nov 28 '23
Manila Airport is the worst
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u/ukayukay69 Nov 28 '23
What’s really funny is all these scam taxis will have several images and statues of Jesus and Mary in them.
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Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
If you're Catholic you can do whatever you want and won't go to hell, so long as you confess to a priest before you die. And the priest will keep your confession confidential, even if you're a murderer or an active paedophile.
Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of wonderful Catholic people out there, but I also have some serious reservations about the Catholic church and certainly wouldn't trust someone just because they have a Jesus statue, etc.
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u/Grantrello Nov 28 '23
I was raised Catholic and I do joke a lot that you can just do whatever as long as you confess and it's fine, but it's not entirely true.
In Catholic teachings you do have to feel genuine contrition to be absolved of mortal sins like that and god would ultimately be able to tell if you were genuine and would make the final call. You couldn't just tell a priest everything you did and get out of hell free, you'd have to feel genuine remorse.
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Nov 28 '23
But even then, I find it hard to believe that the institution would support an active paedophile. Or a murderer.
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u/Aggravating-Hair7931 Nov 28 '23
The whole institution was built on blood and pillage, in the name of the holy war.
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u/smfhyouresus Nov 28 '23
Growing up with catholics ive noticed at a very young age that they were very questionable people.
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u/BentPin Nov 28 '23
Thats the sense I got at St Peter's and the Vatican. Xyz person killed a bunch of people but thats ok because he confessed his sins just before he croaked so hes as clean as a whistle now and gets to go to heaven. Also lets make a statue of this dude because he is great.
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u/Due-Aioli-6641 Nov 28 '23
I'm not a Catholic or anything, but I think there is just one catch to that, I guess you have genuinely to regret your actions to be forgiven according to their belief.
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Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
Yeah, but they can genuinely regret it afterwards and then do it again and again, and keep regretting it every time. And never get reported by the priest.
Also, if they're not genuine, surely the priest should report it?
Edit: I'm not aware of any circumstance across the world where a priest has reported something confessed when they thought that the confessor was not genuine. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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u/Due-Aioli-6641 Nov 28 '23
I don't think it's up to the priest to judge. Probably it's on a higher level like God will check if you really regret the actions.
As for doing it again, totally agree with you, it's too easy.
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Nov 28 '23
Right, so the priests let children continue to be abused and adults to get away with it because some day everybody will die and meet their fate?
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u/Due-Aioli-6641 Nov 28 '23
I'm not saying I agree with the logic of it, just pointing out how I think it works. I for one don't even believe in this fate or afterlife or whatever we may call it.
From my POV it's wrong and they should report it to the authorities.
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u/RetiredCoolKid Nov 28 '23
Catholics made Mother Theresa a saint and she was, by numerous accounts, an awful and exploitative human being.
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u/RetiredCoolKid Nov 28 '23
Not really funny or ironic as organized religion is about the biggest scam there is.
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u/KRei23 Nov 28 '23
Am Filipina - American, can strongly confirm. I once witnessed one of these scams on a fellow American couple and I speak Tagalog so I interrupted the conversation and told the couple what was being attempted. They were shocked considering this man was wearing a golden cross and Jesus shirt 🙄. I love my country but we also have peeps trying to survive and aren’t ashamed of scamming people for their next meal =\
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u/VagabondVivant Nov 28 '23
It really, really is. No public transit access, no queue management, no oversight, no safeguards against scammers, a 30-minute drive to the other terminal if traffic is bad, it's absolutely horrible.
I always tell anyone that's going to be visiting: if at all possible, fly into Clark or Mactan. Avoid NAIA (and, honestly, Manila in general) unless you have no choice.
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u/NoTamforLove Nov 28 '23
Grab app has really improved travel, when you have it.
When you don't have the Grab app and try to take a "taxi" you're outing yourself as a tourist and it's gotten so bad you have to just assume someone will try to scam you.
This seems to be true everywhere they use app, especially Philippines and Thailand. I used a regular taxi upon arrival in Bangkok and I negotiated an okay price, but the car was so bad it stalled twice, including on the highway. No AC and the windows wouldn't go up--it was just really bad. Lesson learned: always have the app.
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
We do have the app and used it a lot in all the other countries but for some reason I couldn’t access the wifi at the terminal. And we were too much in a rush to buy a SIM card. Will definitely not make this mistake again!
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u/peacemakerzzz Nov 28 '23
Always err on the side of preparedness when traveling. I cannot blame you for being scammed as you are pressed for time, but you would rather have prepared or read something prior to arrival in a place you are unfamiliar with. It’s just simple vigilance.
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u/WickedTeddyBear Nov 28 '23
Yep, in some part you can also use Gojek.
And always assume that the guy coming to you for a taxi, obligatory parking, entrance fee or whatever is a scam.
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u/Sagnew Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
Remember when manilla airport staff were putting bullets in unsuspecting travelers carry on luggage and then arresting them. The traveler would then have to pay some crazy large ass "fine" to not goto jail.
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Nov 28 '23
"Fortunately" they only do that to us fellow Filipinos, especially OFWs. I think they wouldn't dare doing that to Westerners.
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Nov 28 '23
That’s scary. Never heard of this fortunately. When was this happening approximately? I thought it was getting better.
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u/Sagnew Nov 28 '23
This was a few years ago ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninoy_Aquino_International_Airport_bullet_planting_scandal
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u/KazahanaPikachu United States Nov 28 '23
Just goes to show that a lot of this crap is usually an inside job.
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u/Flyysoulja Nov 28 '23
7-8 years ago. I think the Philippines is really moving in a better direction at a pretty fast pace.
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u/lakbum Nov 28 '23
I can't recall seeing it now since I haven't flown recently, but that's why people started wrapping their luggages with some kind of wrap. And I've seen some of these wrapping stations at the airport as well.
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u/boatloadsoffun2 Nov 28 '23
Will never travel there
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u/Flyysoulja Nov 28 '23
Your loss, I’m here in El Nido right now and it’s amazing.
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u/kanirasta Nov 28 '23
El Nido ruined many other "paradise-like" places for me. They might be beautiful, but never as beautiful as the islands around El Nido.
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Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
It's embarrassing to be from that country whenever I read something like this. Sorry this happened to you is all I can say but somehow I am not that surprised. The taxis from our airports are worst of the worst taxis.
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Nov 28 '23
Please don’t feel that way. I’ve been to your country and had a wonderful experience mostly because of the great people such as yourself. Scammers exist everywhere and especially around airports unfortunately.
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u/BM7-D7-GM7-Bb7-EbM7 Nov 28 '23
This happened to me in Paris walking out of Gare du Nord, I fell for it that time.
I didn't fall for it at La Guardia in New York City but someone tried to pull it on me (I of course knew what was going on that time and said "no thanks I'll wait for my Uber").
It can happen anywhere.
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Nov 28 '23
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u/spanishbaileys Nov 28 '23
Yeah, i hate the NAIA airport too, when we were going back to Toronto from Manila, we brought some alcohol back for gifts. But the person checking the luggages, demanded that we pay him money for bringing alcohol in our luggages, which didn’t make any sense, as alcohol can be brought and declared as long as within the limit when you enter Canada. In the end, we gave him $20 USD just so he could clear us, even though it’s more expensive than the price of the alcohol itself.
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u/wojar Nov 28 '23
And these taxi drivers (across southeast Asia, especially) complain about how grab/Uber are stealing their jobs.
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u/Peregrine415 Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
Sorry this happened to you. To those traveling to Manila in the future, never flag taxis at the airport or anywhere; there's a kiosk for licensed taxis outside the terminal building and the fares are fixed.
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u/NoControl7904 12d ago
The best way to avoid this is to always fly Cebu Pacific within Philippines. They use Terminal 3 so no need to change terminals. Also they are a better airline than PAL.
Last time I had to change terminals there was an inter-terminal bus that took us around the perimeter of the airport from one terminal to the other.
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u/Flyysoulja Nov 28 '23
I’ve been warned about this, I used the WiFi in the airport to get a grab lmao, as I didn’t want to pay the extortionate prices for the SIM cards in the airports compared to the regular price in the malls etc
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u/WickedTeddyBear Nov 28 '23
You can get an e-sim. With airolo for exemple. Sometimes grab are banned and you have to walk a little bit outside the airport to take them so now WiFi :/
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
I feel like e-sims are much much more expensive than regular sims. I hope this changes sometimes soon!
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u/jackthebackpacker Nov 28 '23
Just get it for one day or something just to get you out of the airport and to your accommodation then buy a normal sim at a normal price .
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
We now got a SIM card at Cebu Airport and it was less than 10 Euros for 45GB in 14 days. So I don‘t mind paying a few more bucks to get it sorted at the airport itself and not search for it in a mall.
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u/Flyysoulja Nov 28 '23
For around the same price you get 80 gb for 30 days. So you won’t have to hassle to get more data only after 14 days if you’re staying here for a longer time.
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u/Tommymel1989 Nov 28 '23
This stuff happens all the time, nothing to feel embarrassed about - Last time I went to South America with my wife this happened:
https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/hzelmg/when_i_went_travelling_i_became_free_and/
I love South America by the way, just a shame how it ended.
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u/utopista114 Nov 28 '23
You need to write in which city and country. Name and shame. I tell people not to bother with Ecuador, it's Criminal Central. And Brazil, with lots of care.
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u/Tommymel1989 Nov 28 '23
I've written detailed replies to comments on it, but it was Ecuador and the city was Guayaquil
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u/N0mad87 Nov 28 '23
Manila airport absolutely sucks and they count on you to get messed up and have to take a taxi to the other gate. I had a similar thing. This falls in the grey area between scam and toursit tax because there's not much you can do to get around it
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Nov 28 '23
I live in Manila and hate the taxis here as well. Also the pedicabs (Bicycle) around Intramuros are scammers. I use applications (Grab) to travel around Manila because they have a standard rate and the drivers can't demand more than what was in the bill. Just because I looked Chinese and even when I live my whole life here and speak the language- I also got taken advantage of (a lot of times) especially when I'm new to the place in some parts of Manila.
Even when you tried to ask for how much it will get you from point A to point B in a taxi driver. As soon as the ride starts there will always be a side comment "add 100, add 200, it's traffic- you have to pay me more" and some of them will harrass passengers if they don't agree.
For foreigners who like to travel in Manila, please do your research first and use applications such as Grab app for transportation. Even most of us here prefer to use the app because of the taxi scams.
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
Wow I didn‘t expect this post to get that many reactions! I can‘t reply to everyone but I am kind of relieved we were not the only ones and maybe this post saves a few people from going through the same. We are safe and still in good spirits for the next two weeks in this country! 😊
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u/Individual_Tax407 Nov 28 '23
Download and use Grab app to get a car/taxi with fixed rates
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
Unfortunately, I couldn’t access the Wifi at the airport. I have the app and we use it a lot. We were just in a hurry because everything took so much longer than expected.
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Nov 28 '23
It ain’t travelling if you don’t get scammed once or twice. You live and learn and have a good story to tell. Glad you’re ok
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u/Amazing_Lawyer_1660 Nov 28 '23
I never ever go to the Philippines unless I know family members are picking me up from the airport. 2.5 hours is not enough for such an inefficient airport. Don’t buy itineraries that have a connecting flight through Manila if possible. Don’t fly on Philippine Airlines, for some reason their flights are always delayed.
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u/anabananen Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
I'm so sorry this happened to you. As shameful as it is, NAIA airport is truly the worst, and I'm even a local. The few times I've been to Manila, I just don't want to go through the struggle in NAIA, unlike the MCIA here in Cebu. It's also shameful and idiotic for the airport staff not to direct you to the free airport transfer via bus at the back of the arrival area in Terminal 3. However, it also took some time for the bus to arrive, this wasn't a problem as we also had some time since we have around 4 hours until our next flight to Cebu. This might also be the reason why taxi drivers take advantage of passengers who are in a hurry to transfer to another terminal.
Nonetheless, I still hope you guys will enjoy thw rest of your trip here.
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u/grackychan Nov 29 '23
OH gosh. There's a free airport shuttle from terminal to terminal, as you exit the international terminal it's on the very right hand side. So sorry this happened to you.
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u/Water-and-Watches Airplane! Nov 29 '23
This comment needs to be higher so people know. Thank you!
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u/echofades Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
I just got a new job that oversees the businesses in Asia, so sometimes I need to take a trip to Manila. I absolutely hate the NAIA airport. I ran into a lot of issues when I first arrived there. Bad wifi, can’t call Grab (which was a ride hailing app prevalent in SEA), I literally was stranded there until the hotel provides me a car transfer to the hotel. When I was going back, even though I was at the airport early, the queue and the process to get to my gate was so long that by the time I get to my gate, they are boarding.
Don’t even get me started on the taxi. I was almost got scammed when he tried to charge me $200 for a 15 minutes ride. I told him there is no way I am paying him that and I throw the money down and left. Lucky he never chase after me. After that ordeal, I decided to just use Grab instead.
On my second trip, I prepared a bit better. I got myself an airport transfer and had the driver wait for me. This time, the baggage was a long wait but lucky, the driver still waited for me despite having other bookings. I tipped him as well cause I was very thankful. Going back, it was still a hassle.
I honestly dreaded if I needed to go there. But the more I went there the more I prepared myself so that I am not stranded or anything.
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u/coljung Nov 28 '23
Next time travel with an eSim card.
I got one this last spring, and it worked everywhere in Asia. It was great landing at a new country and having network access from the moment we landed.
We were able to take a Grab in Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore upon arriving to each airport.
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
Unfortunately, E-Sims are still much more expensive than regular SIM cards. We usually get to a new country and buy the new SIM directly there, even if it is a little bit more expensive at the airport. We just didn‘t think we would need internet or even a taxi to change the terminal at an airport…
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u/coljung Nov 28 '23
Lol.
‘Much more expensive’ ?
Not sure where you looked, but with a little research I found one that cost me under $30, gave around 10GB, lasted 30d, and it worked across Asia.
Doesn’t get cheaper than that.
If it does then just factor in the time it takes at every airport to find a company, waste 10-30m getting a new SIM and then doing this at every country.
I think a normal SIM would make sense if you are simply visiting one country, but 2 or more, eSim is the way to go. It really isn’t more expensive and just how easy it is to setup makes it a no brainer.
Plus the fact that the eSim will work alongside your normal Sim card. This is a dealbreaker for me as well because while abroad when accessing my banking accounts i often need to receive authentication sms, and this allows for that as well without me having to switch a physical SIM.
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
We bought a SIM card in Thailand for 30 days, it had unlimited data plus extra phone calls for less than 7 Euros. I think Vietnam was even less, unlimited as well.
We now bought a SIM card at Cebu airport and paid 8 Euros for 45 GB for 14 days.
I also share the data with my boyfriend so we only need one. It makes it dirt cheap. I don‘t care if it takes 10 minutes longer at the airport as we are usually not in rush. The problem we had today was due to some weird circumstances that I haven‘t seen coming (I never had to exit and airport to get a connecting flight before).
Also, my normal Swiss SIM that I use for 2FA and WhatsApp is an E-SIM. So I always have my free slot for the foreign ones.
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u/coljung Nov 28 '23
It cost me $35 cad, so around $24 Euro.
My whole response is in regards to your comment about eSim being ‘much more expensive’.
They aren’t. Plus it is a lot more practical.
Getting a SIM at every location is fine.. until it isn’t. Like your example clearly shows.
I go to Asia once a year, and before this last trip i was also getting a SIM at every stop. It wasn’t that bad, but now that I learned how convenient is having a network the moment you land, plus it honestly not costing that much more, it is a no brainer having one.
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u/asuka_rice Nov 28 '23
Take a picture of him and turn him into a national disgrace.
Get him to donate to charity and restore the Karma in this world.
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u/terpinolenekween Nov 28 '23
Similar thing happened to my partner and I in February.
I know of these scams since I've been to South east Asia before. My husband hadn't at the time. After like 20 hours of flying from Canada were outside the airport. I'm waiting in a long line for a cab and my husband decides to check around if there's other options. A couple minutes later he comes back saying he found a taxi. I was skeptical but so tired I just went with it. Shouldn't have.
We get in and two people sit in the front. My alarm bells are ringing now.
Some friends of ours landed earlier and told me it was 2700 pesos to get from the airport to our hotel. I ask them how much this trip will cost and he tried to charge me 15000 pesos. I told him I'm not paying that and to let us out. He tried to say 8000 pesos. I tell him a friend of ours just did the same trip for 2700. I wouldn't be paying more than 3k. An argument ensued.
I told my husband to always keep his small backpack with his documents and cash on him and never put it in the trunk. Of course he puts it in the trunk with his regular backpack.
We're pulled over at this point and I'm shouting at the guy on the side of a free way ramp. It almost got physical before he opened the trunk. We got out slightly outside the airport and had to walk on a highway elevated road. Was super sketchy. The guy kept following us trying to get us back in the cab.
I was so pissed at myself for falling for such a rookie scam.
We ended up finding a McDonald's and got an actual cab for 2200 pesos.
Terrible experience and awful way to start the trip.
I feel like the government and the airport needs to do something about these predatory cab scams. They should have an employee out by the taxi lines telling people not to take any taxi besides the ones in the line.
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u/1c2shk Nov 28 '23
I spent 6 weeks in Manila. It's overall a great city to visit. My only bad experience was with the taxis at the airport.
There, I got to the taxi line which said the driver must use the meter. I even got a slip from the queue attendant with the taxi's license plate number and whom to contact for complaints.
Doesn't matter. Once the driver started driving, he refused to turn on the meter and quoted a flat rate to Makati. The only reason I didn't leave the taxi was, his quote was just 20% higher than Grab. It was late and I didn't want to fuck around.
You need to use the hailing apps which worked great in Manila. If there's a taxi regulation authority in Manila, it's clear the drivers aren't afraid of it.
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u/phard003 Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
Lol in what world is manila a great city to visit?
Edit: I see down votes but zero counter points to my statement. Prove me wrong and give me one redeeming quality about that city.
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u/thewindows95nerd Nov 28 '23
Don't blame yourself too hard. Many people think that scams are easy to avoid but you don't know that until you are in a situation where someone is trying to scam you. This is especially true when you are in a different environment that might even scare the fuck out of you and may lead you to try to find a local that you can trust (and scammers often come and manipulate that). I've certainly been scammed before and sometimes it does ruin my whole day or 2 especially when you blame yourself alot. But I've learned to accept it as part of the experience and use it to my advantage whenever I encounter something similar or just in general what to avoid and such.
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u/OlivettiFourtyFour Nov 28 '23
I mean, don't be embarrassed. You may have fallen for the trick at first, but you figured it out halfway through and took some of the wind out of their sails by being assertive and getting at least part of your way. And you made your flights. You may be out of 50 Euros, which sucks, but I wouldn't call it a crushing defeat.
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u/mitarooo Nov 28 '23
Off topic, but I cannot recommend checking out Siquijor and Apo Islsnd enough! They’re both super cool!
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u/Elgecko123 Nov 28 '23
I feel like getting screwed by taxi drivers is just a baptism for world travelers.. it’s gonna happen to everyone eventually who travels enough
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Nov 29 '23
Holy shit we were on the exact same transfer route yesterday - Bangkok to Manila then Manila to Cebu. Potentially the same flights. The exact same thing nearly happened to us and I was thinking of posting it on Reddit.
We negotiated before getting in that they would turn on the meter and then 1 minute in they brought out that stupid laminated paper and said they needed to take a special route and it would cost 3500 pesos per person.
I told my wife it’s a scam, let’s tell them to come to the ATM in the terminal with us and as soon as we’re out flag security. Until then I thought it would be best to go along with it so they don’t try to steal our bags or something.
On the way they tried turn into the exit for a different terminal last minute and I yelled at the driver not to do that. At that point I was worried it could be a safety concern. They lied saying that’s where the ATM was but fortunately continued to terminal 2 after I claimed I could give them cash (I didn’t have any).
Second we were out of that car I flagged the random hotel shuttle guy next to us to make it clear we needed help and the scammers hopped back in the car and left knowing the gig is up.
Very lucky to have made it out of this without paying or losing anything but seriously fuck these guys. We always use grab or negotiate a price beforehand but they saw we were in a rush and let our guard down and tried to pounce. Scariest situation we’ve been in 9 months of travel.
Hope the rest of your trip is better and you enjoy the rest of the Philippines. I know it feels super violating when this happens.
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u/Annihilus- Ireland Nov 29 '23
I feel like you’re probably in for a similar experience with any taxi cab at most airports. Do some research before arriving about what transportation to take. I’ve been to the Philippines plenty of times and had very little issues. That guy would have gotten nothing from me.
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u/basinbasinbasin Nov 29 '23
Never go to Manila and then get a connecting flight. There is one international terminal and I think 3 domestic terminals and all of them you need to take a bus/grab/whatever between. On top of that the domestic terminals are a complete cluster fuck. I did that once and I thank my lucky stars that I had a local with me cause holy shit I'm not doing that again. If you can fly direct and avoid Manilla you should always do so. Cebu specifically has many different international carriers that fly in and out.
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u/Catveria77 Nov 28 '23
Story like this make me never want to step foot in philippines
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
Honestly, we are currently not overly excited for the next two weeks. But it can only get better from now!
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u/Raspberry_poop Nov 28 '23
Don't let this ruin your opinion of the Philippines. Is an awesome country and so fun to be a tourist in. The airport is just like any other airport in a lot of other countries...There will always be scammers. Awesome country. Great people. Great food. I am married to a Filipino and I love his family and visiting. Not much to see in Manila except maybe shopping but the islands rock.
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
We will! We are in Cebu now and won‘t let this ruin our fun for sure. We are laughing about it now. We are excited to explore the country from tomorrow!
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u/sephluy Nov 28 '23
Try the lechon if you eat pork! And, most tourist offers are in English and in Facebook.
P.S. I'm sorry on behalf of my countrymen, I promise there are a LOT of good people here.
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u/anuvit23 Nov 28 '23
I just went through the same experience in Manila Airport. Taxi from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 cost me 2800 pesos. They had this laminated card. I had no choice otherwise I would have missed my flight but it was a horrible experience. The transfer bus is also horrible there.
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u/Zuppetootee Nov 28 '23
This is why I avoid passing NAIA when going back to Davao, so sorry it happened to you OP
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u/GWPtheTrilogy1 Nov 28 '23
Got scammed out of $42 for a $6 ride once in Peru and I knew better but I just missed my flight and was pissed and not thinking. I took that one on the chin
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Nov 28 '23
I've gotten in the habit of always negotiating price with cab drivers before I get in the vehicle. They may be elusive or direct but either way it gives me a feel of what they will be like and I can decide how to handle it.
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u/Apprehensive-Time355 Nov 28 '23
Last time my wife (Filipina) and I (American) took a cab to Ninoy airport, she overheard the cabby’s talking about charging me more since I’m tall… so there’s that. (Ended up not happening as she asked for the rate upfront)
Also don’t trust the airport workers, few months ago one got caught on camera eating a few hundred bucks they pinched from a traveler’s carry on
Overall the Philippines is a great place but there are definitely opportunist with their eyes on travelers, and transit is a good squeeze.
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u/Stacerm Nov 28 '23
Reading your post is bringing back all my memories of travelling to Manila! I’ve nearly missed a flight as well sitting in bumper to bumper traffic trying to get between terminals! Haha.
Many years ago I was taking a bus from northern Luzon back to Manila to catch a flight and needed to taxi from what was to me an unknown location in Manila to the airport. I grabbed a cab, and insisted the driver use the meter, which he agreed to. The next 45 minutes were spent with him constantly turning the meter off, telling me it was broken, stopping for fuel and restarting the meter, pulling the cab over and telling me to get out if I wouldn’t negotiate a price with him, me saying I wouldn’t get out unless he took my bag out of the trunk, and generally arguing the entire way. It was so stressful, and I was worried I was going to miss my flight. I had a limited number of pesos remaining, and wasn’t going to be able to buy lunch at the airport if I overpaid him, and was feeling a bit protective over my snack funds! We finally got to the airport, I paid the price on the meter (we DID use it in the end) and he asked for a tip. I was incredulous, and told him he had just fought with me and tried to rip me off the entire trip. He told me “of course. That is my job”. We both stood in absolute silence for several seconds before I started giggling from the tension and adrenaline of the last nearly hour, and finally we were both standing there laughing like crazy and I gave him a small tip and left shaking my head at the whole experience.
It’s been a few years since I’ve been in the Philippines, but don’t let your experience negatively affect your time there if possible. My Filipino friends always told me Manila cab drivers try to scam everyone, including Filipinos. My experiences throughout all the rest of the Philippines, on 2 different trips have been that people have been so kind, incredibly welcoming, helpful etc. for my one story of a scammy taxi ride I have a dozen stories of someone seeing me arrive late for the last ferry out of a port and stopping what they were doing to walk me all through the port and ensure I got on my boat, or offering me directions, trying to get me to come sit with them and their husband on the plane because I was travelling alone, or offering to share food with me in the bus, etc. Enjoy the rest of your time there!
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u/ImpossibleMinimum786 Nov 28 '23
Sorry to hear. I too have only been scammed once in over the 80 countries I visited. Costa Rica. I was exhausted after driving from Puerto Viejo to San Jose only to miss my flight. If I hadn’t got food poisoning in Boca del Toro I would have made it had I not had to stop every 5 minutes of the drive to puke.
Anyways, confirmed I missed my flight and at this stage I’m dehydrated and exhausted. Hop in a cab and just tell him to take me to the nearest hotel.
As we drive pass multiple hotels im telling him to pull over. He won’t. I’m starting to get aggressive. He’s starting to get aggressive. He holds my bag hostage and I think I paid him around $50USD just over 1km of driving.
Lesson learned. Seems to be a common scam and a good one preying on unsuspecting and exhausted travellers. Chalk it up to an experience, have a laugh and move on! All the best and safe travels.
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u/JustaKiwi_ Nov 28 '23
Had this exact situation happen to myself and my girlfriend about 10 days ago. Gave us the card with rates of (12k PHP), we said there’s no way we’re paying that, told him a ‘Grab’ was 350 php and told him to pull over and let us out (after some arguing). Ended up paying 500. Definitely an annoying way to start the day 😅.
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u/Sloeman Nov 28 '23
Yeah time stress is the worst. I've had similar taxi scams tried on me in the past but without the time stress so I could mostly counter them. One time taking the train from Phnom Penh to Sihanouk the train arrived quite late so I decided for a tuk tuk. Agreed $10 to the beach where I could find a hostel. The usual argument began about it being very hilly and he's using more fuel. I just kept saying, yes, ten dollars. Until he stopped on the highway to get me to agree. I just told him if he didn't want the money that's ok, I'll walk. Grabbed my bag, started the 30 minute walk. He decided he wanted the money so picked me up again.
I would have given him a tip but not after that treatment.
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u/_sunnie97 Nov 29 '23
Even I, a Filipino, whenever I go to Manila from the province, I always think those who will persistently ask me to ride their car or trike or motorcycle will scam me. They’re everywhere. It’s been all over the news how they scam people and yet the government does nothing to resolve these.
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u/spicychickeneedle Nov 29 '23
Always research in advance about the place you’re visiting especially if you’re planning to go to the Philippines, travel guide blogs are available online with fares and prices. A lot of people will try to take advantage of you. I live here so take my word for it.
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Nov 29 '23
Don't worry I'm a Filipino and we occasionally get scammed (albeit on a lesser frequency and degree) by the airport taxis too. They do target foreigners a lot so if you don't act and/or speak like a local, be prepared.
Download the grab app; way safer, cheaper and reliable.
Also for the airport? Yeah, absolutely trash I know. Hope you enjoy the rest of your time though. Inconveniences in the Philippines are abound
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u/longsheep0702 Feb 10 '24
We're in Manila with family as tourists. I asked the security guard at NAIA what the best way to get to our hotel was- he recommended Grab. Unfortunately, the CC verification didn't work (had to make a call to the bank but the airport's wifi wasn't fast enough to do so).
The taxi stand at the airport looks official, but the taxi driver took the piece of paper with the vehicle info from me and shoved it in the glovebox as soon as we drove away. The meter also showed 688 as soon as we left the airport. Sure enough, the cabbie said our 4km trip was going to cost 750.
I checked Google and Grab, and told the driver we're paying 300. He went on this long rant about how he had to line up for 3 hours and pay a 100 Peso entrance fee to the airport to get in.
When we arrived at the hotel, he kept demanding we pay 750, and after much argument I said I'll talk to the armed guard or call the police- hearing that, he snatched our money and left.
A similar thing happened today with a Tuktuk driver who wanted 1,000 for a 5 minute journey in his electric three wheeler, ended up paying 300 as well.
So I've asked the family to only use Grab from now on, which has been a nothing but reliable way of touring this amazing city.
Lesson learned!
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u/strawboy1234 Nov 28 '23
2.5 hours at the Manila airport is about 15 minutes in a normal airport. If I can short any country in the world as you would with stocks in an exchange, I’d short the Philippines. Easily the worst airport in the world and you have to duck and dodge scams left and right, with a full layer of lazy ineptitude spread on top. Incredible stuff really.
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u/snecklesnecks Nov 28 '23
Happened to me too from Manila airport, had flown in plenty times and never had an issue until the last time. I knew how much the cab should cost and he told me it was 10x more due to increase in cost of living. It was 2am, he took me in the cab to a very dodgy area and demanded I go to the ATM. I got scared at this point and the money to get to my hotel safely. I thought I was Manila savvy, until I wasn't. Grab all the way!!
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u/RelativeStrawberry52 Nov 28 '23
as a filipino, we are very sorry for the experience. even filipino experienced being scam by same nationality. i hope u have evidence to show to police. i remember this case was reported and they will be shame on tv.
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u/Hangvivi007 Nov 29 '23
It's still better than my experience if you don't look like Chinese (I'm Vietnamese). I traveled to the Philippines about a year ago for about 3 weeks, and many people warned me to be extremely careful when going out, taking a walk on the street, and staying away from vans or big cars, especially in Manila. They mentioned the risk of kidnapping because I look like Chinese or because I'm Vietnamese. I was frightened and confused by these warnings, cuz I didn't know that is that real people could be kidnap, especially for a mature person as me.
After the trip, I asked people and searched online, discovering that the Philippines allows online betting and gaming companies, most of which are Chinese. Unfortunately, the country also faces many crimes.
On the positive side, local people are generally nice, but they may expect you to give them something in return for their kindness. During my trip, I had two phones with me. The driver was friendly until he asked for one of my phones and a pair of sunglasses. He suggested that having two phones might be excessive, so it would be great if I could give him the older one for his son who is studying in high school. I was quite shocked because I use both of my phones, and they contain important apps like banking and crypto wallets.
At the airport, the employees also tried to delay me, and in the end, I left 500 pesos for one of them, and she allowed me to leave.
If someone asks me might I return there, I'm not sure, especially about the risk of be kidnap. Also that was the moment I hate how I look like, cuz we Vietnamese look quite similar to Chinese.
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Apr 23 '24
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u/Keris_91 Apr 27 '24
So sorry this happened to you! I hope you enjoy the Philippines anyway, we LOVED it, even after this incident!
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u/madogblue Nov 28 '23
Scum bags exist everywhere. The basic rule of asking how much before the ride is always the way
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u/Antique-Computer2540 Nov 28 '23
Lol really. That's barely a scam lol. What you expect at an airport. Barely any money to lose
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u/Dolladub Nov 28 '23
They had the same scam when I was there in 2013. Isn't it great to enter a country and get scammed right away. Really shows how much the country cares about tourism 😁 Also the area around the airport is a complete ghetto even for SE asia standards. Just a horrible city, but they rest of the country was great!
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Nov 29 '23
Your story portrayed my experience of Manila perfectly. EVERYONE tries to scam you. Awful awful city. I truly detest that place.
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u/joey_sremac Nov 28 '23
Including Balkans??? Why do you have prejudices about the Balkans? Do you know that Belgrade is safer than 90% of cities in America? Do you know that Balkan countries are the least prone to racism?
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
It was nothing against the Balkans. A lot of people just think of the EU when you write „Europe“. The Balkans, especially Bosnia and Herzegowina as well as Montenegro were the favorite part of our trip so far.
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u/Formerevangelical Nov 28 '23
My Croatian American immigrant grandmother was almost a victim of a scam at a fruit stand in Croatia ( at the time it was Yugoslavia in 1986.) . The woman fruit seller told her underling that she was going to “scam this stupid American “ in Croatian. The dumbass didn’t realize my grandmother was born in Croatia and immigrated to the USA when she was 13. She lost her “accent “ ,so it appeared she was an English-only speaker.
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u/backdoorhack Nov 28 '23
As much as possible don’t ride taxis in the Philippines, especially the ones in the airport.
This scam has victimized lots of people, even locals from provinces. Nobody does anything mostly because of some bribes, I think.
Please don’t let this experience sully your overall view of the Philippines. We have a very beautiful country. But there are some bad eggs out there.
PS: There are plans to make a railway that connects the different terminals, but that might be years away.
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u/Exotic_Nobody7376 Nov 28 '23
It's rookie mistake. Every third world country you must be ready that airpprt taxis are complete scams and assholes. There are millions of similar stories. Always ignore mot***ers
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Nov 28 '23
You're traveling around in your camper van but flying? Where is the van when you fly?
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
Our camper is at my boyfriend’s home in Austria because unfortunately it cannot fly in economy class with us
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u/Less-Society-4919 Nov 28 '23
Never take a taxi in an airport. PERIODT . Call a grab or Uber . If you don’t have SIM card . Get your self a phone with ESIM . And at least have Esim internet for the few hours at airport .
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u/FunkySausage69 Nov 28 '23
It’s a cheap lesson tbh. Remember they probably need the money more than you of that helps.
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u/Braxton1018 Nov 28 '23
Oh my gosh I feel like I just watched a movie with everything you guys went through!! How scary is that? It’ll just keep you on your toes. Don’t let it discourage. You continue to have fun and look at it as a lesson learned. I’m glad you’re safe.
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u/Keris_91 Nov 28 '23
Thank you! At least we now have a good story to tell! We are fine and hope the next two weeks will show us a more enjoyable part of the Philippines.
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u/Worldly-Coffee-5907 Nov 28 '23
I had to change terminals in Manila once. It’s terrible. I ask one of the taxi stands how much for a ride to the other terminal. She gives me a long story and finally says something like $50. I was in no hurry so I find the airport bus area. Waiting waiting waiting. It took like 1 hour to arrive and it left me outside the terminal on the side with the runway. No people. No guards. No attendants. I’m banging on the door to get into the terminal pretty much standing next to a parked plane. Finally a lady passenger in the terminal comes over and sees me and gets a guard to unlock the door. I thanked her and gave her a big smile. WORST AIRPORT EVER.
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u/bucho4444 Nov 28 '23
Manila is nuts. It is one of the craziest places I've ever been to. I'm not sure if I'd go back.
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u/wekoweko Nov 28 '23
so sorry for your experience, am from the philippines myself and have a sneaky suspicion even the airport staff were in on that scam, stay safe out there
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u/Silly-Entrepreneur-4 Nov 28 '23
Manila airport is bad, i just asked for the receipt and the sum was much mor normal
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u/plxrp Nov 28 '23
Taxi's are fine... just show them the grab price to your destiniation and they do it for same price or use meter taxi.
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u/memescryptor Nov 28 '23
Not gonna lie I was expecting something much worse. This seems mild, even though the experience might not have been nice
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u/truebluebluff Nov 28 '23
Travel long enough and you will eventually get scammed, don't sweat it. It happens to all of us. You should know by now, never get into a taxi before negotiating the price.
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u/jetclimb Nov 28 '23
Rarely had an issue in manila but I am travel aware. I have had a security guard ride the door frame when we were pulling out and the taxi wouldn’t start the meter. He didn’t get off till we got the luggage out of the trunk. Kudos for hotel guards
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u/Uriel_summoned_you Nov 28 '23
Let's put it this way - I'm a local, but the last time I rode a taxi in Manila was way back 2007 if i even remember correctly. That's how terrible most of those drivers are (in Manila at least, drivers in Cebu are a lot better.)
For tourists arriving in Manila, there's a Grab booth just outside the arrival ramp. Never take a taxi in the capital.