After a week long absence without my PC, I finally came home with the whole thing brand new (formated and upgraded and with new modem~!), it’s nice to finally get a worth while email addressing the latest and most sickening problem : taxi touts in the KL International Airport.
To make a long story short, I’ll just cut and paste the entire email here :
“Dear All,
MTGC was represented at the emergency meeting called by MAB this afternoon at the LCCT.
Highlights of the meeting:
1. The recent case of the 6 touts caught at KLIA by the joint enforcement of MAB/PDRM/JPJ will be heard before the courts on August 17th, 2006. The recently passed Road Transport Act 2006 on touting will see this case as a precedent on the penalty that the courts will impose on those found guilty. The Act imposes a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum jail sentence of 5 years, or both.
2. With effect from July 20th, 2006, all counter service staff have been directed to stand behind their respective counters to wait for their clients/customers. Any counter operators whose staff are found in contravention of this directive will risk their Agreements with MAB reviewed or terminated, and their breach reported to MoTour which can cancel their license to operate.
3. A specially cordoned area will be designated for those holding the paging boards and specifications will be given to all hotels and tour operators to ensure that the paging boards are standardized. These staff holding paging boards will have to register with the KLIA Information counter and provide the Name of the group/passengers together with their flight numbers.
4. Each counter operator, will be issued six (6) restricted IDs and at any one time only two (2) staff should be working at the counters. The restricted IDs will enable them to get staff benefits in terms of rides on the ERL and food at the canteen. New designs of the counters which are cubicles, will provide some privacy and after office hours security to the operators.
5. Hotels, tour/travel operators, and transport operators will all be grouped and put in different areas around the arrival hall.
6. Counter operators will be monitored and those found to have committed unhealthy practices or engaged the services of touts, will risk their contracts/agreements being terminated and a report made to MoTour for their deregistration.
7. For tourist guides who are at the airport for special “Meet & Greet”
without paging boards from hotels or travel/tour agents, they can approach the Information Counter and show their license/guide badge and provide the assignment form/guests’ name(s) together with the flight numbers, to borrow a paging board.
8. MAB Information Counter staff will also check the validity of the guides’ badge before the paging boards are issued. Such checks would include: colour of the badge (only biege and blue allowed to do airport transfers), the validity of the license and ensure the person with the badge matches the photo on the license.
9. All operators were invited to today’s briefing and after the grace period given to enable them to brief their management and staff, strict enforcement will be conducted with effect from September 1st, 2006.
Thank you.
Diana Lee
Executive Secretary, MTGC”
Okay, while this is a good move – imposing hefty fines and stricter rules and enforcement and all, I am going to sit back and watch these jokers do their job. We have been complaining about these touts ’stealing’ away our tourists for months and months on end, and so far there’s only 6 convicted cases? Damn…
The most recent case I heard from one of my tour leaders (the one who represents the touring group and is generally incharge of being the middle man with me and his/her countrymen) was from Singapore.
Apparently, one of the tourists was wandering around the Changi Airport waiting for his representative to pick him up when a tout got to him – offered him a ride to the hotel. Being new and (honestly, let’s face it) a little stupid about the whole situation in a new place, he accepted the ride after much persuasion and in the end paid a heavy sum for the fare. When his representative finally got to him at the hotel (after frantically searching the entire Changi Airport for him), an arguement ensued – the tourist finally understood he’s been cheated & the whole complaint went up the the Singapore Tourism Board.
Being in such a strict and orderly country, the Singaporean government was ashamed such a thing happened and get this (this is the best part) – to appease the angry tourist – they paid for his hotel bills, his transportation and his airplane ticket back to his country as well. The ONLY thing they want from him is the license plate of the taxi driver, and details of the whole situation. I can only imagine what has happened to that taxi driver by now.
Okay, Malaysia may be a friendly place to visit and all, but seriously, just like any other country, we have these assholes who couldn’t give a shit about what others think and only wants profit on their end.
First time visitors to Malaysia – I do not want to scare you – but do take note. There are taxi/limo rental counters you can go to in order to book a transport properly. If you get individual guys in suits and ties and airport staff tags around their necks (yes, they dress up for the part as well), offering you rides to the city and offering to push your luggage carts for you – tell them to f*** off. They’ll say anything to get you into their cabs. Always look after your own luggages and be smart, look for the taxi rental counter. Atleast with this service, you’ll get a proper receipt and your movements will be monitored by the rental agency.
If you’re visiting and you have someone to greet you at the airport, look for that person. Ignore everyone else who offers you a ride to the hotel or wherever it is you’re going to at a sum. Some touts even went to the extent of telling the tourist / visitor that his/her representative is currently stuck in traffic or some tall tale – and that he will give him/her a ride for a certain sum in which they can claim from their agency. This is happening ALL THE TIME. Be wary! I can’t stress this enough because I have too many stupid tourists who believes in these excuses when our travel agency has promised that we (the field staff) are there to recieve them, come hell or high water.
Okay, one other thing. The hotel representatives, they act as agents to these touts too. What they do is present themselves to the tourists they rope in, offer them their help on getting hotel reservations (which totally alright & legal, by the way) and then, they’d convince you to engage the services of a taxi/cab driver they know (this is bullshit – I can’t stress enough that there are rental counters available all around the airport!). If the tourist is bought, the hotel rep will get a percentage from the driver he has introduced to.
