Slip in service with Mr T taxi ? [Archive] - Sawatdee Gay Thailand the oldest and most popular gay forum on Thailand and South East Asia

anonone

December 9th, 2012, 05:42

I wanted to see if anyone else has noticed a slip in the service with Mr. T Taxi.

For the past several trips, the driver has not been waiting for me at the airport. I have had to get some phone credit and give them a call. Driver then shows up 5 or 10 minutes later.

This recent last trip, after calling and waiting about 5 minutes for the driver to show up, the driver indicates we need to wait for another customer as their driver did not make it back to the airport in time. I had thoughts of bailing all together, but the other customer showed up quick and we got on our way and I didn't want to mess with finding a different ride. Price dropped to 600 baht. Anyone else seeing this type of problem?

I think the next trip I will try a different service...so any recommendations? Service is more important to me than price. I really want someone reliable that will be there when I come out of customs and get on the road right away.

Neal

December 9th, 2012, 06:43

Because I saw all the great reviews on my forum I Wrote to Mr Ts to go to Siem Reap. When I asked for a price I got a brief response back that said "no can do". I though it odd that it was so brief. Then I heard about the fact that many cars cannot go into Cambodia but to take him to the boarder and have someone waiting for me. So I wrote again and asked if he could arrange for someone to meet me in Cambodia at the boarder and take me to Siaem Reap. Again a cryptic "no have freind". I was about to give up when the hotel wrote me and said that they would have a van meet us at the boarder so I wrote him again and asked for the price to take us to the boarder at Siem Reap. The answer? No can do. Well I gave up.

anonone

December 9th, 2012, 06:49

Hmm. That is rather strange. Maybe he just concentrates on airport runs. I would think a long drive out to the border would be a good gig. :dontknow:

Also, I failed to mention something in my original post. In all fairness, I did use Mr T for all my return trips (from Pattaya to BKK) and they all went off without a hitch. Driver showed up exactly on time at the various hotels / guesthouses. This is very important to me as I typically leave Pattaya at about 0300 hours to get back to BKK in time for the early morning flights out to Tokyo. If the driver does not show up at 3 AM, I would think it would be a difficult thing to find an alternative at that hour.

Anyway, interested to know of other's experience. Perhaps I should just shrug off the enforced "shared" taxi ride to Pattaya as an aberration, probably not ever happening again?

catawampuscat

December 9th, 2012, 06:51

I am extremely pleased with T. He is always prompt both coming and going to the airport.
The only thing that surprised me was the fare to the airport from Pattaya was reduced unless my memory is slipping
and was only 1200B. We did hit some traffic leaving Pattaya last time and he was concerned he might be late for
his pickup at the airport.
I am sure that there are times when scheduling problems and traffic jams cause him to not be waiting and the need to
wait for a few minutes but this would affect all taxi services.

I recall reserving a car when I booked a few nights at the old Howards. It was so simple to do on the internet.
I ended up waiting and waiting and finally had someone call the phone number for me after many tries.
It turned out that the driver was there all the time but his sign had someone else's name on it.
I didn't know the driver and he didn't know me.

I know T and reccommend him for excellent service but of course there will be bumps in the road sometimes.

anonone

December 9th, 2012, 07:04

Thanks Catawampuscat, for your post.

The driver did seem very apologetic for having to ask about it being OK to"double up" for the trip to Pattaya. I really think he was trying to avoid having either one of his customers spend a long time waiting for someone to pick them up. I have no idea if it was due to traffic (unlikely at 2330 hours), a mechanical problem, or whatever.

It takes me over 20 hours of flying to get to BKK, so I am really rather annoyed when the driver is not waiting for me. I often remind myself to take a breath and get back into Thailand mode. But between the past several times of having to call to find the driver and the one-off shared taxi ride, I just wondered if others have been having issues.

I did finally figure out how to keep my SIM card active for longer stretches, so it is now also not going to be quite as big a deal to call when I land.

Oh, and I am not sure what prices you are talking about. For BKK to Pattaya, I am always quoted 1000 baht total (no extra for tolls). For the return from Pattaya to BKK, it is 900 baht all inclusive.

christianpfc

December 19th, 2012, 23:41

I did finally figure out how to keep my SIM card active for longer stretches, so it is now also not going to be quite as big a deal to call when I land.
Can you please elaborate on this? I had problems keeping my 1-2-call SIM active between holidays. Now I transfer balance from my card to a friend's (and keep the validity that comes with the balance, 20 days for 100 Baht) or validity from friend's card to mine.

Shuee

December 20th, 2012, 03:14

whats more important is what to do when your taxi booking fails to show or is going to arrive too late, when you need to get to airport on time from pattaya, & you got all your bags & luggage beside you also, what do you do......what would you do? what other taxi can you call at short notice?
can anyone spaek from experience, that must be a terrible feeling to know you could miss your flight!

joe552

December 20th, 2012, 04:16

Happened to me last June when the transport for Bell Travel failed to arrive. I was staying at Mosaik apartments and they arranged a car for me. I left about 2 hours later than planned and it cost a lot more (1400bt), but since I always allow loads of time, it wasn't a problem. Still, I didn't need the stress and wouldn't use Bell Travel again. My advice would be to allow plenty of time before your departure. I'd rather be sitting in the airport having a drink, than sitting in Pattaya afraid I'll miss my flight.

newalaan

December 20th, 2012, 05:37

anonone wrote:I did finally figure out how to keep my SIM card active for longer stretches, so it is now also not going to be quite as big a deal to call when I land. "Can you please elaborate on this"
Yes I never had a problem in the past with keeping my thai number and leftover baht 'live' until the next trip, usually about 3 months, this last time it expired. Can anyone elaborate as requested by christianpfc?

I know T and reccommend him for excellent service but of course there will be bumps in the road sometimes.
For a taxi firm the whole thing is about reliability, if you have made it clear to the taxi firm the date, time and place he needs to be, then there can be no 'bumps in the road' there is no excuse, a reliable taxi firm finding a problem with traffic or another unexpected problem should always have enough contacts in the taxi industry to be able to get a replacement there on time. It happened once to me years ago and the taxi firm involved got another to take the fare, I only knew because I didn't recognise the driver and he explained the problem and that the original firm turned my fare over to him as a vehicle had broken down on the way to pick me up, he said he had the call a hour before, he was waiting for me. Any taxi firm worth their salt should always have a 'network' at the end of the phone.

I'd rather be sitting in the airport having a drink, than sitting in Pattaya afraid I'll miss my flight.
After the first year of visiting when I spent a great deal more time back then in Pattaya than I do now, I started staying in Bkk for the last 2-3 nights of very trip in the silom/suriwong or Saphan Kwai areas an hour or so from the airport. Still have the last 2-3 nights in Bkk somewhere I find it's a nice easy end to the trip and no worries about getting to the airport.

As for Taxis from Bkk to Pattaya and vise-versa......PT Taxi Service have never let me down, driver always there ahead of time, sometimes 20-30 mins. Always quick, safe journey's with no faffing around. Even last-minute changes have always been accommodated, and often with sms/text to confirm even after email confirmation. Highly recommended. Airport-Pattaya and VV Bt1000 inc tolls. Pattaya-Silom/Suriwong/Sathorn and VV. Bt1100 inc tolls.

andrewcraig

December 20th, 2012, 05:55

We used to use PT but are looking around for someone different. having to wait in a service station whilst he fills the tank was the first gripe, then we went to another and then last time went to a third. too much

the drivers were hitting 140 which makes us nervous and then he was taking phone calls and driving we became scared at any urgent braking. and always PT drivers go along south road which is always chocka full late afternoon

anonone

December 20th, 2012, 09:05

Hey..some great recent comments. Thanks.

Regarding Mr T: Yes, not having the taxi show up at 0300 hours at the Pattaya hotel would be VERY bad. I travel way too much to pad my schedule and spend a lot of extra time at the airport. Plus I want to stay with BF as long as possible before I have to leave. That is actually the main reason I have not already ditched Mr. T. They have been at my different Pattaya rooms without fail and right on time for the trips to BKK.

If they ever did not show up, i would be scrambling up the street hoping to find one of the many "taxi to BKK" stalls and hope they have a taxi immediately available. Risky....

I will be back in Thailand in a couple of weeks. I am going to try Mr T once again and see how things go. I might mention to him in my email to arrange for the pickup the recent experience and see if there is a return to former service levels. Again, I appreciate the driver working with a bad situation and getting both his customers to Pattaya without undue delay. I just wasn't expecting (nor was I really in the mood) to spend 90 minutes in the taxi with a breeder. :sign5: Turned out to be a pretty nice guy and we had some good conversation. He had not been in Thailand for years and was very excited to be back.

Sounds like PT has some issues as well. Am I reading that correctly that you stopped at 3 fuel stations on a single trip to Pattaya from BKK? :dontknow:

And again, if anyone has a REALLY GOOD taxi driver / company and would like to share their info, I would appreciate it still. I would be very willing to pay 1300 baht and have someone waiting for me then 1000 baht and have to muck around with calling them and wandering around looking for them.

Regarding the expiration of mobile phone, I will open up a new thread....I would like to hear other ideas and experience with this and don't know if people will read about it here.

andrewcraig

December 20th, 2012, 09:46

yeah 3 stations. as he uses gas with long queues waiting that may have been problem. first station the long line of cars was moving too slowly so we went to another. the last time he did it twice. makes it hard when trip is delayed by up to 30 minutes

arsenal

December 20th, 2012, 13:38

Andrewcraig: I had the same with PT. Instead of going straight onto the motorway he went into the 8.00pm Fri night traffic to fill up his car. It added 45 minutes to my journey and then, yes, he's doing 140 to make up the time. The journey back was in torrential rain and I had to tell the driver to stop talking on his mobile phone.
This seems to be something common, not just in Thailand but everywhere. Either things cost a lot more or what you get is less. A visit to a recent hotel buffet was a good example. Ths cost was the same as just over a year ago but the carvery had gone, the wine had gone, the dessert selection was derisory, the bread was stale and there was no coffee.

Neal. Perhaps a gentle word to both the taxi companies would solve all these problems. The owners might not know what the drivers are actually doing.

Krazy4thai

December 21st, 2012, 00:01

I use a private taxi guy when I go from air-port to Pattaya. He shares the name of Tee but is not Mr T taxi service. he's a very nice guy, speaks reasonably good english and has always been reliable. this is the link to his web page. http://www.taxi.suneeplaza.info/ He's a former KrazY Dragon boy trying to make a living now he's "aged " out of the bar boy category ;)

Rolling Stone

December 22nd, 2012, 22:51

I have been using Toom's taxi services for a few years now. Reliable, on time. Email toom39@msn.com; he replies fast (in a few hours).
Every year I average use their service 7 or 8 times or so.
In fact today I used them again from Pattaya to BKK airport.
BKK city (or Airport) to Pattaya 1200 and Pattaya to BKK city 1200; Pattaya to BKK aiport 1000.
I know his prices may not be the best but no problem.
Oh there was one time I could not find the driver so I took a public taxi at the counter. But later on when I thought about that, maybe it was my fault (not really sure about what was the problem). I gave him another chance and it has since been excellent. No need to call Toom and he does seem to have a network. Seldom do I see a same driver.

frequentflier

January 9th, 2013, 13:08

Neal

January 9th, 2013, 13:19

It appears that several of our members have encountered new and growing problems with Mr. T's service and until we can hear that the service has been restored to what some have experienced as a good service, we need to list Mr. T's as a NOT recomended taxi service. Sorry.

See thread from last month:

post265467.html?hilit=mr (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/post265467.html?hilit=mr) t#p265467

Does anyone know of a real good service? Last month a took a van to Poipet and he did a very good job and met me on the return promptly. I am using him again for the same trip to and from Poipet and will report his name and phone number upon my return if all goes well.

frequentflier

January 9th, 2013, 13:41

A reliable taxi service is very important,especially after 2 long flights.Hope someone can recommend one.

Neal

January 9th, 2013, 13:47

Also be advised that a letter with the link to the topic has been sent to Mr T so he is aware of the problem and complaints on this forum and is welcome to respond.

frequentflier

January 9th, 2013, 17:03

I would be interested to hear what he has to say..I have kept my email to him re. bookings.etc.

anonone

January 10th, 2013, 02:37

Follow up....Mr. T taxi is now off my list for use.

I gave them one more shot. Afternoon (1700) pickup from BKK to go back to Pattaya for me and BF, coming back from Isan. Driver waiting for us and seemed to be going well.

BUT, about 1 hour into the trip, driver appeared to get very tired. Drifting around the lanes, inconsistent speed, rubbing and shaking his head, etc. I am not a nervous passenger, but both BF and I became concerned. A pretty stern "sabai dii mai krap" got him perked up a bit and we made it to destination without further incident. But this was the final strike.

Based on recommendation in this thread, I gave Mr Toom a try. Very pleased with service. Good communication, vehicle in very good condition, driver arrived early for the 0330 hours pickup at hotel, and appeared to stay wide awake for the whole trip...which is more than I can say for me. :sign5: 1000 baht fare, with 200 baht tip. (I tip a bit more for these early morning pickups)

While just one experience so far, I have a good vibe with them and will be using Mr. Toom going forward. A bit more expensive, but totally worth it to me.

Impulse

January 10th, 2013, 03:47

Just want to say I used Bell transport a few times. One time they never showed up....so I would call them unreliable.

blazer

January 10th, 2013, 11:48

I booked mt.t for my visit to Thailand recently.
I arrived on the 21st December,driver waiting as arranged.Gate 3.
Drove me to Pattaya and did not know the directions to La Cafe Royale..soi 3.Drove me to north Pattaya.
Eventually arrived as per my directions.
I had arranged to be collected at the hotel at 3.30pm on the 3rd.of January.At 3.45 I rang him and was told there was no booking.
He said he would send a car to collect me.He rang back at 4pm and asked to speak to someone who could speak Thai..as he did not know the directions to LCR.
Eventually he arrived and drove me to the airport.On arrival he turned to me and said,pay in taxi now.I did,gave 20pc. tip as normal.
When I got my bags from the car I realised that he had dropped me off at the arrivals hall not the departure gates..I will never use this service again..

Same this thing happened to me in December. On the return to BKK the driver was late so called the number Mr. T had left me in the email. The front desk clerk guided the driver in. That took an additional 15 minutes. The driver seemed very upset that I had called Mr. T. This driver also demanded the money prior to getting out of the car (no tip). I emailed Mr. T, he replied "Sorry about that".

I will not be using them again.

KevDik

January 10th, 2013, 13:05

Well it seems that most of the services to and from Pattaya are not very reliable, slipping from their good ratings of a few years ago, from the experiences voiced in this post.
So I have made contact with Dragon Tee, recommended in a post above, and agreed on a price etc for a pick-up at DMK and drive to the Baan Souy for 3 of us next month.
I hope he is reliable, as I don't want to be left 'waiting at the alter', as it were.
Thanks for all the useful information on this subject, men.
KevDik

ceejay

January 10th, 2013, 16:53

I've stayed out of this so far, because I don't like to talk down a business I have used in the past and been happy with. I used Mr T from and back to BKK in November. The service was on time and good, but I too was asked to pay in the car on the return journey. The driver gave me an explanation - he was not licensed to drop passengers at Suvarnabhumi and the police are apparently cracking down on unlicensed taxis at BKK. He didn't want to be seen taking money from a passenger at the drop-off point. I thought this might be a one-off, but apparently not.

anonone

January 10th, 2013, 22:39

That makes sense, ceejay. The driver with Mr Toom also asked for the money while in the car.

I had been happy with Mr T for several years, but had noticed the slip in their service recently. I am glad you have not had any troubles with them....

It will be interesting to see if they respond here, or reply to Neal, regarding the issues.

Neal

January 10th, 2013, 23:03

I sent them an email yesterday with a link to this thread.
No response.

firecat69

January 10th, 2013, 23:21

As I poster earlier in this thread. No reason to worry about pick ups etc.

Just use Mr Toom Toom@msn.com I have literally used him 50 times and everything has went smoothly.

Neal

January 10th, 2013, 23:23

Thanks firecat. Will give them a call and see if thy do drop offs and pick ups at the Poipet boarder crossing.

Neal

January 10th, 2013, 23:29

Firecat, can you please ceck that email address again cause my email to them was returned.

toom@msn.com

January 11th, 2013, 02:23

From memory it's toom39 @hotmail.com.

Used him many times, only problem turned out to be my fault due to drunkenly losing track of what day it was!

anonone

January 11th, 2013, 04:23

I used toom39@msn.com, but I think either msn or hotmail works.

I understand your error SG. I struggle to keep track of days/dates when in Thailand.

:occasion5:

firecat69

January 11th, 2013, 07:31

My Apologies. It is toom39@msn.com. Thats what happens when you post at 1am,my brain is mush.

Neal

January 11th, 2013, 07:34

:sign5: My brain is a mush no matter what time it is! :dontknow:

goteed1

January 11th, 2013, 09:12

On my recent trip to Pattaya, I used PT Taxi

http://www.pttaxiservice.com/

Cost 1200 baht from DMK. Confirmed by e-mail multiple times and was waiting at my gate when I got off the plane. Nice clean new car, jammed down the freeway (which I liked!) and called the hotel when we got to Pattaya to get specific directions. Very happy with the service.

For the trip back to BKK, I originally booked Bell Transport but the hotel (Bondi Bar) wasn't in the drop down menu on the website, so I sent them a note per their website instructions. Never got a confirmation. I finally made my way down to their office to confirm and some young woman looked at my booking and started literally yelling at me, that they do not offer a pick up service and I had to come down to the bus station to catch the bus. She would not stop screaming at me. I asked to speak to the manager and she screamed at him too. The manager was a very nice gentleman who could not speak English well, but basically let me know that their reservation system is very limited and he told me that I would be picked up at The Avalon Resort.

I felt in my gut that this would not happen, so on the way back to my hotel I stopped at the other bus station in Jomtien and bought a bus ticket for 134 Baht.

Sure enough they never showed up. When I called up the office to ask where the shuttle was the same woman got on the phone and began to shriek at me again. I asked for the manager and she told me he was not in, so I just hung up. I went over to the Jomtien Complex, had a nice liesurely meal and then walked over to the bus station, got on the 134 baht bus and had no more drama getting home.

Bell= NOT recommended.