Scammed in Lisbon

[peregrina2000]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

 

[TulasiPriya]

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

What was that supposed to say? Sorry you got scammed.

 

[filly]

Well… dear Laurie! I just got scammed in a service station near Lisbon.

Ordered one coffee and custard tart and paid with contactless without checking the amount or asking for a receipt. I went to the baños and my partner waited. He was then asked to pay and did not realise I had already ‘paid’. On the tray was the bill I had paid… for the previous person for much more. Small matter and maybe not deliberate but the moral is:

- when paying ‘contactless’ look at the screen for the amount you are paying
- ask for a receipt as well as a bill

 

[filly]

… and I just read an article about the fact that Ubers were an issue in Lisbon as only official taxis had the gadget to lower street bollards in the very central controlled area … so maybe the moral is that you just live and learn.

 

[trecile]

I have always taken an Uber. I like knowing what the charge will be upfront.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Well… dear Laurie! I just got scammed in a service station near Lisbon.

Ordered one coffee and custard tart and paid with contactless without checking the amount or asking for a receipt. I went to the baños and my partner waited. He was then asked to pay and did not realise I had already ‘paid’. On the tray was the bill I had paid… for the previous person for much more. Small matter and maybe not deliberate but the moral is:

- when paying ‘contactless’ look at the screen for the amount you are paying
- ask for a receipt as well as a bill

one small reason to pay in cash for amounts under (say) E20.

 

[Robo]

A good warning and reminder to us all Laurie.
I think we've all been 'scammed' at one time or another

 

[dick bird]

You have my sympathy. It happens to us all. 35 euros may not be a huge amount in the great scheme of things, but it still leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Whenever it happens to me, I try to remember the words of Socrates ¨The best revenge is a good life¨ so I think you are doing well.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Sorry to hear your trip starting this way Laurie. Don't beat yourself up even though you are obviously feeling Very Stupid right now. And thanks for sharing to alert others to the trick.

 

[naplesdon]

Laurie,
I will be in Cascais this coming weekend (25-29/9). Do you have some time to meet?
PM me,
Don

 

[TravellingMan22]

I have always taken an Uber. I like knowing what the charge will be upfront.

Indeed, I try to avoid taxis like the plague but if I have to get one I always look for an Uber, Bolt, Cabify or whatever the local equivalent is. It takes away the ‘foreigner tax’. I can’t speak much about USA (they do seem better there), but in many parts of Europe and Asia, taxis are probably the most notorious scammers I can think of.

 

[tinway]

Thank you for sharing your experience to help others avoid scams. Where did you catch the cab? Was it from the official taxi pickup area? I took a taxi to my hotel this May, and I was also nervous watching the meter increase. To my surprise, it ended up being cheaper than the price on Bolt. However, I only used a taxi once in Lisbon, so I might have just been lucky.

 

[BombayBill]

You have my sympathy. It happens to us all. 35 euros may not be a huge amount in the great scheme of things, but it still leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Whenever it happens to me, I try to remember the words of Socrates ¨The best revenge is a good life¨ so I think you are doing well.

“….a good life“ and a kind heart. You have both and now a good story.

 

[VeroKen]

I had the same problem in Lisbon. I got a taxi from the airport. During the drive, I noticed the driver shut his glove compartment that held the taxi meter. When we arrived, he told me a very high price for the ride. I demanded that he open the glove compartment and show me the meter. It was much lower than he said. Live and learn.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I had the same problem in Lisbon. I got a taxi from the airport. During the drive, I noticed the driver shut his glove compartment that held the taxi meter. When we arrived, he told me a very high price for the ride. I demanded that he open the glove compartment and show me the meter. It was much lower than he said. Live and learn.

Good work! Remember you hold the power until you hand the money over!!! Just walk away if they try to rip you off!!

 

[lt56ny]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

We have all been scammed one time or another. Especially in The Bronx buying some things that would not be considered legal by law or proper society. haha. (But that was centuries ago in my very young days) I too only take Uber. I have on occasion taken a taxi when I am visiting my daughters in New York. My wife is Mexican and she loves to talk and drivers of course hear her accent. I am always vigilant because on more than a few occasions they have tried to take us on a tour of New York. I know Manhattan, The Bronx and Brooklyn like the palm of my hand. On a few occasions an "incorrect" turn or an attempted exit off one of our many antiquated highways are attempted. Of course I immediatly confront the driver in no uncertain terms with "DO NOT MAKE THAT TURN OR EXIT". That is not the way to go. From that moment on I do all the directing to the driver. In an unknown city or town it is Uber. I have found the few times I have taken a taxi in Santiago that the drivers always seem to take the correct route. Lesson learned but it was a little disconcerting to hear you say the receptionist at the hotel would have scammed you also if he didn't like you. Maybe he was kidding?

 

[Traveller44]

And make sure to count your change. Twice in the last week i was shorted. Once for only 2 € at a small tienda and the second time i bought a tube of toothpaste at a larger grocery store. I counted my change and when i realized i was short 10€ and after a " Disculpe Señorita "the cashier handed me the 10€ without even looking at me. Makes me wonder how mant times she has been successful in the past.

 

[Lexicos]

I know not everyone can do this but …… in three years of extensive travel including 3 Camino’s in that time and visits to quite a few cities, I’ve never taken a taxi or an Uber, and I don’t plan to in the future. I use public transport or I walk. And that’s because I’ve had crappy experiences like what you describe, once in Athens and once in Florence. I vowed “never again!” And I’ve stuck to my pledge.
Quite good at it now.
Peace of mind.
Sorry it happened to you, but, as I once had to say to my Mum, ‘there are bad people in this world Mum!!’

 

[El Cascayal]

Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

Don’t beat yourself up. You were jet lagged and stressed. 2 pluses: It won’t happen again anytime soon. You have warned all of us.
PS: your friends love you!

 

[Terry&Dianna]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

Sorry to hear of your misadventure. My experience from the Lisboa aeroport as well as the Algarve has been very positive with public transport, particularly using BOLT...very honest and caring drivers. Hope your driver experience was but a rare and unfortunate event. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Mikey - camino]

Sorry to hear you got scammed. I've gotten scammed a few times, theft is a better word.
I have never understood why folks do not obtain a receipt for a credit or debit charge. how do you verify the charge when the bill comes due??

 

[peregrina2000]

Where did you catch the cab? Was it from the official taxi pickup area?

Yes, it was an official green and black small Mercedes cab, which drove up to the official taxi pick-up area, and then showed me an official looking printed list of ridiculous prices. As @Kiwi-family noted, I felt Very Stupid. 20 years taking cabs in Lisbon and I have had a few occasions to insist that the driver put the meter on, or to point out that we were going in a very roundabout way, but never anything like this!

But you know, it is a whole less off-putting than getting flashed, which has happened to me more than I can count on Caminos. So by comparison, this was easy to shake off.

And then when I arrived in Villa Franca de Xira, having walked from the Cathedral on my jet-lag day, when I saw that an Uber back to Lisbon would cost less than half what I paid yesterday from the airport, I gave up my virtuous plans to use the train and hopped in an Uber! I am using that scam price as my daily upper limit now.

Thanks to everyone for the consolation. And I hope it never happens to you!

 

[AidaYYC]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

Oh, my dear fellow Pilgrim. I am so sorry to hear this happened to you as well. If this was the case, I was also scammed because I paid about the same but I never been to Lisbon assuming these were the taxi fares, I did not report it. I would not call myself 'nice' but it is small consolation that I am in the good company of a nice lady like yourself. We are both the wiser for it. Thank you for sharing and Bom Caminho

 

[coastlk]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

No reason to be embarrassed, we've probably all had something similar happen to us. Thank you for the warning!

 

[artsschmidt]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

I was conned to in Lisbon. Same deal but the cab was not that new or clean.

 

[peregrina2000]

I was conned to in Lisbon. Same deal but the cab was not that new or clean.

The sad thing is that people take official taxis because they think the odds of scamming are lower, but this may not be the case. As others have said, Uber gives you a lot more security. It’s too bad, because the taxi drivers used to make a decent living, and now they are undercut by Uber and its pretty exploitative practices.

 

[Freewalker]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

Awe Laurie I am sorry to hear that !! Geeezz it happens to the best of us. I am always dead tired after flying transatlantic and can be as gullible as a fish! I don't seem to fly well anymore. Take good care and enjoy every second. Bom Caminho !

 

[domigee]

@peregrina2000
Don’t feel bad, I got scammed in my own city, Paris! Or should I say, they tried to scam me! I put the taxi driver to rights! I was fuming!
Sorry it happened to you

 

[ShoshTrvls]

We've all been there. I once paid for two nights in a (nonexistent) guest house in Cusco, Peru from someone who I later learned was essentially squatting in a closed "travel agency" storefront in Lima. (In my defense, this was 1989, pre-internet for all intents and purposes, so no way to determine whether said guest house existed much less how much it cost; still, it was unbelievably stupid to just hand over my meager cash to someone just because he opened a door as I walked by).

 

[trecile]

What was that supposed to say? Sorry you got scammed.

FindPenguins is a travel blogging site/app.

Plan, track, and blog your trips

Automatically and effortlessly track your travels, simply with your phone in the pocket. Create a beautiful travel journal and enjoy the benefits of our leading travel app.

findpenguins.com

 

[TulasiPriya]

FindPenguins is a travel blogging site/app.

Plan, track, and blog your trips

Automatically and effortlessly track your travels, simply with your phone in the pocket. Create a beautiful travel journal and enjoy the benefits of our leading travel app.

findpenguins.com

Oh, thank you! It seemed like a very odd typo!

 

[chinacat]

Thank you so much, Laurie, for ‘coming clean’ so you could forewarn us all


I would like to offer something to balance @ShoshTrvls experience.
In 1972 I was wandering around Athens with a couple of friends when a young guy came up to us and offered the use of his apartment.
He seemed okay so we accepted.
When we got upstairs we found ourselves in a palatially spacious flat, high, high ceilings - the works. It was a little dilapidated but it had a view of the Acropolis and a lovely Californian couple already in residence. They were going overland. We stayed for about a week, shopping in the market and cooking pizzas etc on a couple of camping stoves .. lots of ratatouille!
The young man had recently inherited the apartment and was slowly doing it up. We offered help but he never let us do anything. Nor would he take any money from us.
I think he just wanted to share his luck with some laid-back travellers. I caught the train back for uni; everyone else travelled onwards.
It was a precious time and I’ll never forget it.

 

[dpatterson0516]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

I had a number of issues with Portuguese taxi drivers trying to run up fares and demanding cash. One dropped me off miles from my destination. I now use a map app to make sure I am not being screwed. Frankly between the taxi scams and horrible drivers, I doubt I'd visit Portugal again. My loss because it is a beautiful country where I met many wonderful people.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Thank you so much, Laurie, for ‘coming clean’ so you could forewarn us all


I would like to offer something to balance @ShoshTrvls experience.
In 1972 I was wandering around Athens with a couple of friends when a young guy came up to us and offered the use of his apartment.
He seemed okay so we accepted.
When we got upstairs we found ourselves in a palatially spacious flat, high, high ceilings - the works. It was a little dilapidated but it had a view of the Acropolis and a lovely Californian couple already in residence. They were going overland. We stayed for about a week, shopping in the market and cooking pizzas etc on a couple of camping stoves .. lots of ratatouille!
The young man had recently inherited the apartment and was slowly doing it up. We offered help but he never let us do anything. Nor would he take any money from us.
I think he just wanted to share his luck with some laid-back travellers. I caught the train back for uni; everyone else travelled onwards.
It was a precious time and I’ll never forget it.

In 1981 my wife and I did some travelling around the US and Mexico then went to stay with my Brother in Oregon for a month or so.

After a while I got itchy feet again and so we bought an old Nash Rambler in Oregon, drove up to Banff and then back down to the Trans Canadian highway and made our way across Canada from West to East.

Along the way we met a young guy from New York, possibly a couple of years younger than us, got on quite well with him and he hitched a ride with us for a while.

Of course, we got talking about where we had been and where we were going. We mentioned that we were heading to New York eventually and from there we had a ticket to fly to London.

He gave us the name and phone number of his girlfriend, also from New York, and encouraged us to look her up when we got there. He told us that she loved travelling but hadn't been to Aotearoa New Zealand or Australia yet and so would be interested in meeting us.

About three months later we arrived in New York and we got a "room" in the YMCA, Sloan House. Even by our fairly low backpacking standards Sloan House was pretty rough.

The next day I found a payphone and called the young lady at her work in one of the very high class jewelry stores in Manhattan.

She seemed quite intrigued with my call as she hadn't heard from her now ex-boyfriend for some months. She suggested meeting in Central Park for lunch.

We managed to find each other in Central Park after a few misses and we had a very animated and interesting conversation over lunch.

I guess that she must have liked what she saw because towards the end of lunch she invited us to dinner with her at her favourite restaurant in Greenwich Village, gave us the address of her apartment and asked us to meet her at her apartment in Greenwich Village at 6:30 pm.

That evening we made our way to the building that housed her apartment, rang the buzzer and she buzzed us in. We walked upstairs to her apartment and knocked on her door.

She opened the door,ushered us in and held up her apartment key. She said "I am really concerned for your safety in Sloan House, I want you to stay here for as long as you like. I am going to move in with my current boyfriend who lives a couple of blocks away. Enjoy!"

Of course, we were completely blown away by her hospitality towards two people who she had barely known for an hour over lunch and we accepted and the three of us went off to dinner at her favourite Italian restaurant, arm-in-arm.

That, plus a few more details, is the story of how we spent three weeks living in Greenwich Village for free while we explored New York.

We remain friends to this day but I still haven't managed to get her to visit Aotearoa New Zealand so that I can repay her hospitality

 

[naplesdon]

Some times you have to pay for a good service and the price makes no difference. I am now partially disabled and I arrived at the airport in Lisbon during a major rain storm. My taxi driver had issues getting me and my bag to a small BnB that I booked in a pedestrian tourist area in Cascais, but he carried my bag for me to this remote location and only charged me 75e, I was happy to pay. Tomorrow I have a taxi picking me up at the front door of this establishment, he driving me to Oriente train station and he will carry my bag to the departure platform for 50e. I could not be happier paying for service like this.

 

[bullingtonce]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

On the other hand, you are now forewarned from henceforward on. In a sense, it is good this happened to you as you will more alert to certain situations and circumstances. Also, look upon this as a charitable contribution because for many people, surviving in these times is quite challenging and difficult. This is person is not evil in the true sense of the term; he has sinned of course but so have all of us, every single one of us.
And as for telling your family and friends, why the inclination to not do so? Caminos and non-Camino treks ALWAYS contain simeilar situations and incidents. It is part of life. And insofar as your family and friends are concedrned, you are, in fact, obligated to tell them because they are so close to you. If you can't tell them but can tell strangers, this is a bit off-kilter. Be proud to relate your experiences in life, whether good or bad. These experiences are what makes life worth living. As for me, I do not see you as a fool or unwise . . . very few people in life have not fallen for a scam of some type and some of these are big/gigantic scams. This is because we can be naive and over-trusting at times; we are, after all, humans. And to finish this much too long missive, your journey is much more interesting and relishing because of this, what is after all, a minor incident.
Let us know what other similar incidents occur on your trek as they spice up your journey tale.
And I will say again, you have told this tale to so many on-line forum strangers; you are oblgated to relate this spicy incident to your friends and family; otherwise, they are not true family and friends.
Chuck

 

[MikeyC]

I had a number of issues with Portuguese taxi drivers trying to run up fares and demanding cash. One dropped me off miles from my destination. I now use a map app to make sure I am not being screwed. Frankly between the taxi scams and horrible drivers, I doubt I'd visit Portugal again. My loss because it is a beautiful country where I met many wonderful people.

In a place new to us we also use a tracking app - Google maps if available - to make sure our taxi is not taking the scenic route. Also useful on a bus to check your progress.

 

[Old Kiwi]

I never take taxis if I can walk or take a bus, but this last June, my daughter and I had no choice buy to take a taxi from Lisbon airport to our hotel. I was very surprised to find it only cost eight euros. A few days later we got a taxi from Oriente station in Porto to the Porto Pilgrims Albergue which again cost a whole eight euros. I always pay in cash for everything while in foreign countries and therefore never have problems with credit cards or Eftpos cards being scammed.

 

[Caminogoat]

I am very embarrassed to write this, because this is the twentieth year I have come to Lisbon to teach a two-week course, but I was scammed today. Hopefully, my embarrassment will save someone else some cash!

I got to the Lisbon airport and hopped into a cab. Very nice young man, very proper. I always try to speak Portuguese when I can, because almost everyone speaks English, and my Portuguese is shamefully inadequate after having spent so much time here. So we were having a jolly time conversing. When we got to my hotel, the bill was 38.50!! WHAT???? Well, as I now realize in retrospect, he had been building the case for this since I got into the cab. He told me he was a driver who was specially licensed by the city, one of a group of taxistas who only do airport runs. They pay more in taxes, but get priority in the long lines at the airport. It all seemed reasonable till I saw the charge. When I expressed my incredulity, he pulled out a very official looking laminated poster, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and maybe one or two more languages, which detailed the charges from the airport to the city, to Cascais, etc. It even had the seal of the city of Lisbon on it! I thought that it must be an initiative to raise salaries, so I gave him my euros.

When I was checking into the hotel, I commented to the receptionist about how much taxi prices had gone up in Lisbon. Another woman heard me and told me it was a scam. She had been a victim of the same thing. She paid the price, but asked for a receipt (I didn’t) and wrote down the taxi number, and then called some central taxi office in Lisbon. She was promptly refunded the difference. The receptionist at the hotel felt really bad, but he told me that I should be comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t have scammed me if I hadn’t seemed like such a kind person. Small consolation, but I think the operative word is gullible.

ANYWAY … the taxi prices have not gone way up in Lisbon. Taxi fares from the airport to the central city should not be more than 10-15. If this happens to you, get a receipt and get the taxi number. Or avoid the whole issue and take an UBER!!!!

(P.S. I am writing a find penguins but I am not going to admit to this stupidity to my family and non-camino friends!).

I was similarly scammed in Madrid. After arriving in Madrid and waiting for a train, I had enough time to visit one of my favorite restaurants. I was there many times so I knew the route, but I noticed he was driving along a very unfamiliar route. It should have cost around 15 Euros, but the bill was around 35 Euros. I realized what happened but didn't argue because it was the only time in Spain. I was always happy with all those other honest and kind taxi drivers, and I wouldn't let that one instance ruin my memory. I confess I did not tip him.