How to AVOID Getting SCAMMED by TAXIS in Paris

when you land in Paris chances are you're going to feel a mix of excitement overwhelmed and probably really tired and you'll have one thing in mind please take me to my hotel quickly and that's when you may be approached by someone saying do you need a taxi while this may be very tempting that's a fake taxi and if you take it you're gonna get scammed so in this video we're gonna tell you 10 things you need to know about the taxi scams in Paris at the end we're going to tell you where and how to report it if it happens to you and we're also going to give you few phrases in French that may be helpful foreign taxis are everywhere but they are really easy to spot the only way fake taxis can operate is by offering their services before you get to the official taxi stand in Charles de Gaulle they often stand right by the exit to the official taxi stand in the train station they'll be inside or just outside the doors and they offer their services they can look and sound legit but they are not and they are not insured to protect you in the event of an accident now outside the fact that there are unlicensed AKA a fake taxi they charge exorbitant rate we know of people that were charged three to five times the regular flight rate of 55 Euros we even heard someone that paid 300 Euros for a ride from the airport to the city where the regular rate is 55 Euros and as you can see in this video they can be really persistent and a little bit aggressive but it's yeah it says taxi is this Taxi yeah thank you look it couldn't be any more clear as soon as you step outside there is this big sign here and then it says all this dark orange part is 55 Euro and all this light orange part is 62 Euro flat rate no surcharge that's the price you're paying and if you're going outside of the Paris City like for example Disney or Versailles or other areas or to orally all the pricing is listed here it just could not be any clearer so here is the number one rule to remember don't ever ever accept a ride from inside the airport from someone that is claiming to be a taxi driver always go to the official taxi stand number two where to find a taxi stand in Charles de Gaulle or orley airport just follow the signage and ignore anyone that tells you otherwise the same applies for major train stations and Charles de Gaulle at Concourse 2E where most of you will arrive the exit to the official taxi stand is at door number 10 and that's just outside the baggage claim area and I've put a list for all other terminals in the description below so you'll know where to go for the rest of Paris look for these Square blue signs that are the official emblem of the taxi stands and in Paris we use the G7 app it works just like uber where you can order or schedule a taxi on the app and they'll pick you up from right where you are and the transaction goes through the app so you don't have to worry about payments or exchanging money and I've put a link for that in the description for your convenience and if you see a taxi driving by with a lighted taxi sign and a small green light that means they're available and you can hail them just the same way you do in any other part of the world foreign number three an official taxi in Paris will always have a lighter taxi sign on top of the car and if it doesn't then it's a fake taxi even if they tell you that they're a real taxi just walk away the only exception to that would be a private driver of course if you book yourself a private driver they'll have a sedan and they won't be parked at the official taxi stand now if all that is making you nervous I'd recommend that you book yourself a private driver that will be waiting for you just outside baggage claim with a sign and your name on it it may be a bit more than the flat taxi rate but it may be worth it based on your level of comfort you may also ask your hotel if they offer that service and we've put some links to private drivers we recommend in the description below just in case number four unfortunately even some of the official taxis may try to scan them if you're riding from one of the Paris airports into the city there is a flat rate both ways and that's it the flat rates vary depending on your final destination and they are clearly posted in the taxi stands at the airport we've heard that taxi drivers in Paris may show you a small card with rates for various locations around Paris and tell you that there's a flat rate from Gardiner To the Left Bank for example not only is this not true but it's illegal for them to do that the only flat rate is to and from Paris airports the rest of all of the rides should be using a meter regardless of traffic or the time of day they may also have a surcharge for early pickup times and if you call them to pick you up immediately and these surcharges should be between four and seven euros but anything beyond that is a rip-off the French government has a website with all of their official information listed in English and there's a copy to that link in our description below thank you number five we get a lot of questions from people asking if a taxi can ask for a surcharge because there is a lot of traffic the straight answer is yes but they must disclose that up front the following rates are posted on the official French government website for Knight taxi ride they cannot charge you more than 50 percent of the regular rate for taxi ride that may require an empty return for example if you're going from Paris to Shanti and then they are going to have to drive back all the way to the city they can charge you no more than a hundred percent of whatever the fare was to take you there you can also ask for a surcharge of no more than 50 percent for snowy or icy road condition if the special equipment like snow tires are being used and they can also ask for a surcharge if it's a rush hour and they're going to be sitting in traffic for a long time but again they have to disclose that up front and no extra charges allowed for wheelchair or for a person with disabilities number six not all taxi drivers speak English now that being said a lot of taxi drivers in Paris don't speak fluent or any English and you shouldn't expect them to but if that's important to you you are free to decline the ride and go to the next taxi in line and if they tell you that they speak English that doesn't mean that they're fluent or can engage in a conversation with you they may just know enough of the basics that should be sufficient for a taxi ride and on that note tipping a taxi driver is recommended if the driver did a good job 10 percent seems fair to us but you can tip anything you feel comfortable with number seven in Paris taxi drivers are required to accept credit cards and we've heard some taxis claim that they don't accept credit cards and request cash payment only that's not legal they have to have an operating credit card machine in their taxis and we've heard that some taxi drivers claim that their machine is broken and they offer to take you to an ATM machine that's a big No-No and a red flag if their machine is broken that's on them not you in an abundance of caution you should always ask before you get in a taxi do they accept credit cards and if their machine is working and if it's not go to the next one in line foreign number eight if you think your taxi driver is being unethical you should record them on your phone you don't want it to be their word against yours and they're very likely to implicate themselves by lying if you're recording them remember that they can always deny saying anything to you and the recording will set the record straight now don't be confrontational with your phone in their face but just record discreetly what they're saying and what's happening because in the event that you must file a police report you can always use the recording as evidence of what was said and done and make sure to get their license number and all the details about the driver and the vehicle and don't pay cash insist on paying with the credit card cash will leave no trace of the ride and they'll claim that they never gave you a ride and with no credit card receipt they may get away with it so if this happens to you please stay calm there's no need to scream or get upset stay firm and calm and ask them to call the police to resolve the issue number nine if you believe that you were the victim of a taxi scam it's fairly easy to report it the Paris Police Administration has created a form on their website in English where you can file your complaint note that this form is for Parisian taxis only for any other location you'll have to see with the local authorities where to file your complaint you'll need to have the make and model of the car their license plate number you also need a brief description of the driver of course where you were picked up and dropped off and the date and time of the incident and of course you'll have your credit card receipt and the recording on your phone or what was said and done and we're going to put a link in the description to that form foreign here are a few phrases in French that may be helpful when you're dealing with a taxi driver the first one is taxi silvous which means can you call me a taxi please that may be helpful in the hotel next is acceptable which means do you accept credit card next is which means please put on the meter next helpful sentence is which means I'd like to go to Garden or please and another great sentence is which means please stop here another sentence that could be helpful is which means can you please take me to the Eiffel Tower and don't underestimate the value of Google translate it will always be your friend in case of doubt next I would watch this video about how to outsmart pickpockets and until next time [Music] foreign

Channel: Les Frenchies

Views: 322,177

Keywords: taxi scams in paris, fake taxis in paris, avoid scams in paris, paris scams to avoid, scams in paris, les frenchies travel, les frenchies, visit paris, things to do in paris, best places to visit in france, paris travel tips, paris vlog, paris tour, paris travel, paris travel guide, paris travel vlog, paris scams caught on camera, paris tourist scam, Paris scams tourist

Id: 8RmNz_jVJgo

Length: 10min 43sec (643 seconds)

Published: Sat May 20 2023