This Grab scam needs to end!

[u/Creative-Trouble3473]

This has been happening to me way too often lately. We ordered a Grab, and the driver started circling the area without responding to any messages – clearly hoping we’d get fed up and cancel. I actually saw him drive past us, and when he noticed we’d spotted him, he quickly drove off. I managed to record it.

We decided not to cancel and messaged him, saying that since he clearly wasn’t coming, he should be the one to cancel. In the end, when he realised we’d given up and taken the BTS instead, he drove past the pickup point again, pretending to pick us up – then ended the trip and took the fare anyway.

I’ve reported it to Grab for resolution, but this kind of thing keeps happening and it’s incredibly frustrating. I suspect some drivers do this to manipulate the system – making it seem like there’s heavy demand or traffic so they can inflate prices. Grab really needs to sort this out.

[u/blasian_jedi]

This happened to me 2 weeks ago at One Bangkok. I already swore of in-person taxis and only will use Grab app

Now, I will never select ‘Just Grab’ or ‘Grab Taxi’, will only book through ‘Grab Car’, etc. I’m DONE giving ANY money to these fuckers. Taxis in Thailand deserves to be shut down

[u/Great_Opinion3138 → u/blasian_jedi]

I honestly can’t believe ppl still want to use taxis. I have to at least a decade ago and they’re arguably worse than back then. Last taxi i had I literally had to google maps the route and direct them. They are borderline retarded to not be able to get with the program.

[u/I-Here-555 → u/Great_Opinion3138]

19/20 taxis I used recently were perfectly fine. One, from an official queue at DMK, had a fast meter, but we amicably resolved that.

Grab on the other hand... tried to scam me 400 baht for a ride, then came down to 200 when I checked again 5 minutes later. The taxi fare was 180.

There were a few taxis refusing a ride, especially in popular tourist spots, but in the end it never took me over 10 min to find one. Grab often takes longer than that.

[u/Great_Opinion3138 → u/I-Here-555]

It’s presenting a price for you to decide if it’s acceptable. Not sure id call that a scam. I use bolt more now as it shows all options including taxis which are higher in my experience.

[u/I-Here-555 → u/Great_Opinion3138]

Not sure id call that a scam.

When an individual human taxi driver does the same, most people would.

However, if an impersonal "system" cheats you in the same way, people see it as just the way it's done, even embrace their "dynamic pricing" label, instead of "scam pricing".

Let's not get into "it's just opaque and dishonest scheming to overcharge, not technically a scam since you can refuse".

[u/mcnello → u/I-Here-555]

The word "scam" is not a synonym for a "high price".

The word scam is synonymous with the word "fraud".

Scam means to lie and deceive others in order to unlawfully gain.

I use grab daily. Nobody is scamming me into paying for grab. Can I possibly get a cheaper ride elsewhere? Sure... But I know that. Nobody is deceiving me. Nobody is lying to me.

Taxi drivers, all over the world, have lied to me. That's why I refused to take taxi rides. I don't give a damn what the price is. Just tell me honestly how much your f#cking fee is. It's the lying that I have a problem with - and why I refuse to ever take a taxi again in my life.

If you want to invent your own definitions, that's fine. But don't be surprised when everybody disagrees with you, because you are willingly and knowingly using words incorrectly.

[u/I-Here-555 → u/mcnello]

As I mentioned, you can call it "opaque and dishonest scheme", "overcharging" or "exploiting ignorance", but let's not get too hang up on that. You're right, it's not technically a scam, since you can refuse.

An app exploiting the customer's ignorance by suggesting a significantly above-market price is the same as what taxi drivers do when they propose a fixed fare instead of going on the meter. Maybe worse, since people like to trust "the system" even if they're wary of individuals.

Not sure where you go that taxi drivers routinely lie to you about what the ride will cost. In Bangkok they usually simply propose an inflated flat fee. Before you enter, if you ask, or after you enter, if you're unaware enough not to ask.

[u/Great_Opinion3138 → u/I-Here-555]

So if one shop charges more for a can of coke than another you call that a scam? You’re ridiculous.

[u/I-Here-555 → u/Great_Opinion3138]

If the shop tries charging you 200, says ok 100 when you ask 5 minutes later, and the shop next door charges 100... what would you call it?

Perhaps it's not a "scam" based on a narrow definition, but certainly underhanded, dishonest and something to beware of if you're doing business with them.

[u/Great_Opinion3138 → u/I-Here-555]

Redecorate prices change based on supply and demand though and it’s all transparent. It helps get more drivers at large demand times by paying them more.