We Got Scammed in Istanbul. Don't Be Like Us.
I am extremely ashamed of this. Disappointed, really. I was scammed—having survived in all these countries, Turkey got me. First time for everything, I guess.
So. What Happened?
Life was good. We had just landed in Istanbul for a 5-day break from the 8-5 (yeah, not even 9-5) daily grind we both endure. I had memorised my first basic Turkish to charm the border guard. It didn’t work, but I felt good about myself. With bags and cash collected, we now needed to get to our hotel. But how should we do this, we thought.
Max, adamant about saving money as always, longed for the metro. Mia, as time efficient as ever, begged for the taxi. Max caved.
Now, I was aware of the notorious Turkish taxis. But I came prepared (or so I thought). I had previously downloaded the Bitaksi app—think of it like a worse version of Uber. “It is safe,” I had read. Hmm.
Anyway, we call a cab on our app—estimated price shows around £30. Fine, that’s £15 each, I thought, let’s just do it.
Cab journey goes well—I end up talking about football (as per usual), thinking I have him in the palm of my hand.
All is going swimmingly—we arrive at the hotel and the meter reads 1000 Lira (£27). Great, I think.
We all get out. My phone buzzes. Bitaksi says “Please pay 2400 Lira (£60).” This can’t be right, I proclaim. Taxi man is having none of it. I cave (again!) and pay, muttering under my breath. He asks for a tip. I decline.
I had been scammed.
So what happened next?
Now thankfully, the wonderful staff at Zeyn Otel phoned up Bitaksi, and after about a 30 minute hold, we negotiated a deal in which I received the 1400 Lira extra back from the trip. 3 days later, I was a richer man.
But we were lucky. Don’t take cabs in instanbul! (Unless it is organised by a reputable hotel).
So, What Should We do Instead?
Take the bl***y metro!
