Bali Taxi - The brazen thief!

[CanonMan]

It's a sad thing I know to have to judge all by the actions of one, and I hope this doesn't come across as so.

The missus had to take the baby for his latest jabs yesterday, so she get's dropped off by the Taxi at the house and pays. She then put her wallet back into her purse and gets out of the car. In the time it took her to do so, exit the vehicle, the taxi driver was able to whip her wallet from said purse and then hand the purse to her with an innocent smile. The wanker then went to a shop in Kuta and rang up a 2million RP purchase on the credit card. BUT my wife is Japanese! The signature has Chinese characters in it which means that either the shop didn't check the signature or the shop didn't care! Trying to get the transaction number from the credit card company and then planning to go to the shop and ask to see their records and check the signature. I'll probably get told to piss off but in a land with no recourse for the criminals it's just so damned frustrating.

As a general rule the wife and I make note of the three digit Taxi ID number but given she had the baby with her, he was also kicking and screaming a bit and had the pram and all the general baby clobber, sadly in this instance she didn't get the number.

I guess this is a post to suggest care be taken when getting out of taxis for the ladies if they don't have purses surgically attached to them, which I believe is the next best thing, especially in this den of thieves.

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[Markit]

I'm sure you already know you can supposedly get the money back from the credit card company - or at least so they say.



I would be interested in that process here if you care to report it too?

 

[CanonMan]

I had the same issue when my card details were scanned at the Bali Mall ATM counters. The assholes took around $4k before I noticed, I don;t check online balances daily. That was a while back now and the Bank returned all the cash to the account, it was a no brainer, I was in Bali and the cash was being withdrawn in Jakarta.

In this instance how do the Japanese card issuers do their investigation? They just have to use their own judgement I guess. Will see what happens and let you know.

Maybe this kinda thing doesn't happen away from the south but the sad fact is that I live in the south so this is my blinkered view of the island. Another reason to back up the recent decision to knock this place on the head.

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[balibule]

Was that a Bluebird taxi?

 

[CanonMan]

Yes mate, Bluebird Taxi, this tend(ed) to be our taxi company of choice as we'd had problems on numerous occasions with the other companies. And the fact that they are metered. Thing is she didn't call for the cab and I'm sure if they get hailed off the street they don't call it in, hence no record. I wonder if these asswipes sit through a journey with a fare just wondering how they can rip off the fare, sad way to go through life.

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[balibule]

I had an issue with Goldenbird (same company as Bluebird) a couple of years ago. I did report it and the driver got fired (he already had two warnings or something like that).

Maybe you should contact the Blue Bird office. I would imagine that they have a complaint department or something. All Bluebird cars have that little box sitting at the drivers dashboard showing their route. Maybe then can track and see who your driver was if you have the time and date?

 

[sakumabali]

Some years ago I tried to overtake a Bluebird taxi in Kuta that was driving very slow but didn't give any space to overtake, I honked, he moved to the left, I overtook...then suddenly he drove fast & very close behind me...I braked...he had to brake hard to not hit me...I press gas and so on...1st red light he got out of his car ran to my driver door saw that I'm a bule then ran to the other door and tried to hit my balinese wife on the head (window was open a bit)...I got out but didn't do much as there were other taxi drivers among him, wrote down his DK plate & went to the police...they didn't do much at all...I called the central bluebird & complained about the driver...they didn't do much either..."oh he hit an indo woman?" Like they wanna say "who the peep cares dude?"

 

[CanonMan]

@balibule, good idea, will give that a try.

@sakumabali - and it's that lawlessness, especially now with a new family, that kinda signals the end of my Bali love affair. I had a similar issue with a truck driver, very much a case of "I've got the biggest vehicle so get outta my way" attitude. When you catch up with them at a stop light and stare at them you can see they're doing their hardest not to look at you.

 

[hinakos]

I had a similar (kind of)thing happen when i first got to Bali 10 years ago. To cut a long story short someone got a hold of my credit card and went to bali deli and bought cartons of cigarettes and bottles of whiskey(about $1000) worth.

I used my online bank statements to find out the exact shop (bali deli) and from the time on the bank statement and the items purchased...went with this info to the manager of bali deli who was really co-operative. Found the triplicate of the receipt (complete with shit signiature) and went through the video footage and got a look at the guy.

To cut another long story short got him and got far more than the $1000 back.

If the shop has security cams you can match up the time on the receipt with the transaction....and maybe ID the guy and then go to bluebird with this (if its the taxi driver that went in and not one of his buddies).

Worth a shot.

 

[tintin]

...The wanker then went to a shop in Kuta and rang up a 2million RP purchase on the credit card. BUT my wife is Japanese!
Mark.

Two million Rp, that's about US$200. It's not worth for your Japanese bank to investigate anything. This type of thievery is just part of doing business for a bank: report the theft of the card and you are no longer responsible for any charges which may follow. And you should have a new card with a new number a few days later.

 

[SHoggard]

I'd think that the Japanese bank would be totally scrupulously honest when it comes to investigating a fraud perpetrated on THEIR customer.
Yes, it will take time given the distance/language barrier, but from experience of Japanese businesses they tend to be very customer-oriented particularly when it comes to protecting their reputation/face (oh and the vaguest hint that your wife might name & shame them in the media wouldn't go amiss also).

Oh.... a complaint to Bluebird would also be in order. You don't have much to give them, so it won't achieve the same result. But they also have a reputation to protect (see Blue Bird Group, Indonesian Women’s Most Favourite Taxi: Blue Bird Group, Indonesian Women?s Most Favourite Taxi Blue Bird Group | Beyond Transportation ) - there was a TV documentary about them on Channel News Asia a few months back.
[email protected]

Go for it : Unleash the dogs of war! --- you're leaving anyway

 

[balibule]

So if the signature on the receipt doesn't match the signature on your wife's credit card, will you get your money back?

 

[CanonMan]

So if the signature on the receipt doesn't match the signature on your wife's credit card, will you get your money back?

Nope, not that but aren't teller operators at merchant accounts supposed to check the signatures against the card? It's just another piece of evidence to add to the case. As was mentioned prior it could also be that their may be surveillance cameras if the shop where the transaction was made is large enough, this again would be able to match up the receipt number / time with the exact person via the surveillance records. However, we are talking Bali here so if any of this actually works then I'd be surprised.

@ SHhoggard I may be leaving but it is more for health and safety concerns for the new family member. I wouldn't want to go out in a sh1t storm just for the hell of it. Or would I?

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[balibule]

Nope, not that but aren't teller operators at merchant accounts supposed to check the signatures against the card?

So what is the purpose of the signature? Would you not claim your money back from the bank and the bank cancels the payment to the shop owner who made the error of not verifying the signature?

 

[hinakos]

As was mentioned prior it could also be that their may be surveillance cameras if the shop where the transaction was made is large enough, this again would be able to match up the receipt number / time with the exact person via the surveillance records. However, we are talking Bali here so if any of this actually works then I'd be surprised.

As suprising amount do have security cameras.....not so much to catch theiving customers but as a deterrent to stop employees tickling the tills. They may not be visible either. The fact the check out chick did not even check the signiatures and a fraud was commited on his premises sould be enough motivation for the store you help you (hopefully). It worked in my case.

Time is not on your side though.....the size of the HDD that backs up the footage will determine how long you have before that footage loops over itself.

Id say no more than a few days though.

Get after him.......!

 

[CanonMan]

We're waiting for the Japanese bank who have this morning informed us that they are on the case. Surveillance tapes would be nice but the merchant will get ID'd so that's cool.

 

[sunyata]

I disagree with tintin. 200 USD is serious money, and then there's the principle. Generally speaking the Japanese will care and pursue it. There are some clever pointers noted here by others ... most fleet-vehicles have all manner of route-tracking gismos installed, so Bluebird, Chinese-run and reasonably competent, will see if they can remove this sardine with a jerk from his can!

Best of luck ... do keep us updated of how it all pans out ....

Re. the love-affair with Bali ... thieves and fruitcakes are everywhere. Change your mind about things, and the world changes ... when you go back where you have come from, you'll note other things that will bother you ... all things told, Bali is a great place, but have no illusions that for all the light there are also shadows ....

 

[SuperBukowski]

Sorry to hear this. Immensely frustrating!

 

[CanonMan]

The long and the short. The taxi company wouldn't allow us access to the records to track the driver. Just another statistic bule getting in their way, easy pickings indeed. We also went to the Police to file the report at the request of the Japanese Bank, job done and then the copper took my wife to one side and asked for a 'processing fee' for filing the said report, of course it started with the words "How much you want to pay"? Once this was sent to Japan the Bank issued a new card which should be here by courier next week, as they are FDIC insured the transaction was cancelled and commissions returned. At the end of the day nothing lost but just the running and faffing around to replace the card and the associated stresses that brings.

My take on this is that the authorities simply don't give a hoot about transgressions on Bule's, unless of course it is grievous enough to make the headlines then of course there is a token show of stoicism. In general I feel we're very much seen as viable victims and indispensable entities on this rock. Exit visa has been purchased...

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[hinakos]

My take on this is that the authorities simply don't give a hoot about transgressions on Bule's,

Cheers,
Mark.

they never have, whats more- never will.

sucks about the taxi company not co-operating. im going to try and remember the taxi number of each taxi i get into. maybe save it in my phone when getting in. another security measure to add to the routine. this is living.