Scott, from Cheshire, had visited Hurghada in Egypt twice before, but a taxi ride back from a nightclub on his last trip has put him off returning to the Red Sea destination for good
Scott had enjoyed a night in Hurghada when the scam took place
A Brit has vowed never to return to an Egyptian holiday hotspot after he was scammed.
Scott, from Cheshire, had visited Hurghada in Egypt twice before, but a taxi ride back from a nightclub on his last trip has put him off returning for good. Despite being warned by holiday reps to agree to a total fare before getting in, Scott and his friends ended up paying well over the odds by the end of the ride.
“The worst part is how it’s stuck with me. I’d been to Hurghada twice before and enjoyed it, but that one journey ruined the whole holiday. You forget all the good bits, and that’s the part that stays with you. It’s put me off going back for good,” Scott told the Mirror.
The incident unfolded after an evening out in the beach resort city, which sits on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
“It was the strangest taxi journey I’ve ever experienced. We’d been told to always agree on a total price before getting in, so that’s what we did. But partway back, the driver pulled over and went off to get himself some food,” Scott explained.
When they got back to the hotel, the taxi driver announced a different, much higher price than they’d expected.
“When we finally got back to the hotel, he suddenly wanted us to pay per person. It felt like, these are tourists, we’re going to rinse them,” Scott said. The situation quickly escalated when the driver mentioned that they would call the police. Unable to speak the local language and unsure whose side the police would take, Scott focused on keeping things calm, and the group ended up paying more than they had agreed just to bring it to an end. “My friend was getting really anxious, and all I could think was, if the police turn up, who are they going to believe?” he explained .
“Honestly, it left me feeling really uneasy and quite vulnerable. We’d done everything we were told to do and agreed a total price before getting in, so when the driver suddenly demanded we pay per person, it felt like we were being taken advantage of just because we were tourists. Once he started talking about calling the police, that unease turned into real anxiety. My friend was getting really worked up, I couldn’t speak the language, and all I could think was, if the police turn up, who are they going to believe? In the end I just wanted it over, so we paid more than we’d agreed to keep things calm.
“It ruined the whole holiday. You forget all the good bits, and that’s the part that stays with you. Now I’d use Uber or a local app wherever I can, because you know the price before you get in. Having one guide or site that shows you which apps work in each destination and what an average fare looks like would give people that confidence before they even arrive.”
It’s experiences like Scott’s that led Confused.com to create its interactive global taxi guide. Travellers can search any destination to see which apps to use, what a typical fare looks like and the local tips worth knowing before they set off.
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