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Warning about Taxi Drivers and Paradise Beach

Beach710

By Beach710,
in Cozumel

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Beach710

Beach710

Posted
Posted

We took a taxi from the pier to Paradise Beach. The charge was to be $13 for 2. When we arrived at Paradise Beach the taxi driver could not provide change for a $20 bill nor would the shops at the entrance provide change. I was forced to buy a $3 POS. Even though it is only a few dollars it's not right to be taking advantage of.

Please make sure you have change for the taxi.

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kitsVA

kitsVA

Posted
Posted

Also, I wonder if Taxi drivers get any commission for getting customers to Paradise beach. Last time we asked to be taken to Nachi Cocum and driver suggested Paradise beach. Tis time we asked to be taken to Chankanaab and asked driver if there is better beach for Snorkeling and he suggested Paradise beach. Does it really have good snorkeling there?

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Laughing Angel

Laughing Angel

Posted
Posted

As I was preparing for my first cruise to Mexico back in 2005, I was told from the get go: Have plenty of ones and fives on hand, and always pay exact amounts. Remember, you are in another country, and technically they don't even have to take USD. Change for a $20 dollar bill is not readily accessible to most drivers there.

 

That said, I prefer to carry pesos for small purchases and cab fare.

 

kitsVA, Paradise Beach is sandy, and not the best for snorkeling. You'll probably want to go elsewhere.

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BethCarp

BethCarp

Posted
Posted

They weren't really forced to give that much of a tip. They didn't have exact change. You can't expect cab drivers to carry around all sorts of change. The OP bought something at PB that they didn't want in order to get change. Why not just give the guy the whole tip then? Because at that point, you're only talking about a few dollars regardless of the percentage.

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SeaPA1

SeaPA1

Posted
Posted
As I was preparing for my first cruise to Mexico back in 2005, I was told from the get go: Have plenty of ones and fives on hand, and always pay exact amounts. Remember, you are in another country, and technically they don't even have to take USD. Change for a $20 dollar bill is not readily accessible to most drivers there.

 

That said, I prefer to carry pesos for small purchases and cab fare.

 

kitsVA, Paradise Beach is sandy, and not the best for snorkeling. You'll probably want to go elsewhere.

 

Unless it was very early in the morning (like first fare of the day early), I very seriously doubt that a cabbie on Coz would not have the $7 change. It's simply a means to push for the full thing as a tip.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted
We took a taxi from the pier to Paradise Beach. The charge was to be $13 for 2. When we arrived at Paradise Beach the taxi driver could not provide change for a $20 bill nor would the shops at the entrance provide change. I was forced to buy a $3 POS. Even though it is only a few dollars it's not right to be taking advantage of.

Please make sure you have change for the taxi.

 

You should not expect taxi drivers in third world countries to be able to change $20 bills. Maybe a couple of dollars back but never as you needed. I always take a bunch of ones and pay the exact amount. I even do that here in the US. If a driver gets a few in a row with twenties they can run out of change fast. You can get ones at the pursers.

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swedish weave

swedish weave

Posted
Posted
OK so everyone but me knows / expects to be ripped off by taxi drivers in Mexico and always remembers to bring exact change. I just hope someone who is not posting is helped by my warning.

 

Your responses would have probably been less critical if you had warned people to take small bills instead of pointing the finger at the taxi drivers.

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lovevacadays

lovevacadays

Posted
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Was it really that hard to give him a $7 tip?

 

 

I'm a big advocate of tipping as I was raised by a waitress. However, I don't think a $7 tip was called for here. I think the OP was just trying to educate people to bring small bills. I think many will find the post helpful and hopefully most won't call in to question the OP's choice.

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lovevacadays

lovevacadays

Posted
Posted
OK so everyone but me knows / expects to be ripped off by taxi drivers in Mexico and always remembers to bring exact change. I just hope someone who is not posting is helped by my warning.

 

Donna, I think there will be people who will be helped by your post. Those posters who think the taxi drivers in Cozumel just didn't know they should have change or were just too uneducated to know - well I'm not sure why they think this but I'm sure they have their reasons. In Cozumel, where there are tourists everyday, believe me the taxi drivers know they need small bills but they also know if they don't offer them they may make some extra money. I love Mexico, I travel there all the time, I love the Mexican people but I also understand commerce in tourist areas of Mexico.

 

Thanks for helping others who may read your post and not be so critical.

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Laughing Angel

Laughing Angel

Posted
Posted

What swedish weave said.

 

I wasn't trying to be critical of the OP. I was trying to point out that using United States Dollars in a foreign country just as you would in the U.S. is a situation that *can* present some problems. It's called "dollarization" and it's happening in a lot of places.

 

I don't think anybody was straight up trying to "take advantage" or "rip off" the OP in this case. I just think because the U.S. dollar is not legal tender in Mexico, all transactions involve converting those funds. Then there's the burden of handling multiple currencies while dealing with dozens of customers. And SeaPA1, imagine what happens if the last five or six fares before you each gave him 20 dollar bills? Don't forget that those drivers, merchants and service people are then required to convert your dollars back into the currency of the country in which they live. That adds several steps to the process of getting paid.

 

And no, I wouldn't tip a taxi driver in Mexico unless they did something special or extra for my group.

 

That said, I'm sure the OP's message will be helpful to many on these boards.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted
Whether she was the first fare of the day or not, wouldn't a prudent taxi driver start the day with some small bills in his pocket for such a scenario? Or why couldn't he exchange money when he gets to Paradise Beach?

 

Because the currency in Mexico is the Peso. Yes, they will take dollars but it will cost them to exchange them one way or the other at their banks.

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BethCarp

BethCarp

Posted
Posted
I'm a big advocate of tipping as I was raised by a waitress. However, I don't think a $7 tip was called for here. I think the OP was just trying to educate people to bring small bills. I think many will find the post helpful and hopefully most won't call in to question the OP's choice.

 

I understand why the OP posted what she did. It was a very good bit of info. And I didn't really mean to sound as snarky as I did. I just didn't understand why the OP went to the extra work of going into the shop to buy something she didn't want or need simply to save $4 (even though it meant wasting $3). I would be embarrassed to do that.

 

 

As to the driver not having change on purpose or not, who the hell knows. Yes, he knows he'll be dealing with US dollars. Yes, it would be good business practice to have change. But really what if he just gave all his change to the last customer?

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AWCHIEF

AWCHIEF

Posted
Posted

OP: This is a good heads up for first timers and others going to Cozumel. Please just ignore the nagative post (some people just like to argue). You did learn a lesson from your experience and hopfully someone else will from your posting it here.

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swedish weave

swedish weave

Posted
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Some of us do not understand the lack of wealth in some of the countries we visit. Twice in Belize and a few times in other places we have visited, the Taxi driver has asked us to pay a portion of the fare so he could get gasoline in the vehicle. They don't have a lot of money or credit cards like we are used to seeing in the USA.

 

Maybe this is the situation in Cozumel. I don't think they purposely try to rip you off, even though that is still a possibility.

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Tinkrbell

Tinkrbell

Posted
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Everytime we have gone to Cozumel and paid a taxi driver with a bill that needed change, we have always gotten the "no change" story. Now, we always take at least $50.00 in one dollar bills with us when we travel to avoid this situation. They know what they are doing when they do this, and they are taking advantage of tourists everyday, but what are you supposed to do when you are stuck in that situation. Be prepared.

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