Can you believe that a taxi drives away with all your shopping bags in the back of the taxi then after one hour he comes back then he wants you to pay for that ?
Well , that is what exactly happened to us . I had just left the taxi and wanted to open the back of the car when he drove away and left me in the middle of the road . He forgot the bags obviously . Then I called the karwa supervisors - they wanted to know all sorts of things about me and my bags - that had nothing to see with the matter .But finally they found the forgetful driver .
I expected him to apologize but at my greatest shock he wanted me to pay for his coming back .I was furious I told him my mind . But he would not get hurt and would not go away . He was just standing there in front of our house .
Finally my husband gave him some money .You can laugh at us -but it was so disturbing to see that he was ready to camp in front of our house for the want of 25 riyals . ...
Things like that happen only in Qatar I think .
Showing posts with label taxi in Qatar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taxi in Qatar. Show all posts
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
I have been living in Qatar for a while and I remember well - those orange cabs . Those folks with big beard and national wear - never telling anything to you -but always taking you to the place where you want to go .. and never cheating you ...
Well nowadays taxi drivers have nice uniform and no beards but they do not know the city well .The other day I came across a driver from Burma who did not know where Villaggio mall was .
Even worse he did not turn when I told him to do so this way he made a tour of Doha with me which resulted in very high bill .
apparently karwa is not training the drivers before letting them work - but why I have to pay for that ? i find it very unfair .
but all these things are not new ... but what is really shocking for me is that last month I stumbled upon a lots of scammy drivers ...every three ..
their way was
1 not switching on the meter - then asking for a sum double than it should be
2 telling that they have no change ( they can not find 4 rials change )
3taking the money not giving back anything and telling that god will bless me ... I think last time a gypsy woman said me so in transylvania when buying forest fruits from her i studpily paid with a a bank note...
their way was
1 not switching on the meter - then asking for a sum double than it should be
2 telling that they have no change ( they can not find 4 rials change )
3taking the money not giving back anything and telling that god will bless me ... I think last time a gypsy woman said me so in transylvania when buying forest fruits from her i studpily paid with a a bank note...
I do not think that Qatar should sink to this level .
Nowadays I prepare well with small change in advance against these "allah karim mam" scammers
Nowadays I prepare well with small change in advance against these "allah karim mam" scammers
I give tip with pleasure when I am satisfied .It is usually 15 % . But I get furious when they want to dictate ...
the other day the driver did not turn where I told him to do so ... then I told him three times to turn at the next street - then he yelled at me " no speaking " you speaking once' enough ... when I told him that I m the customer then he answered yes - you customer and you speak once ..he told me with such a male pride that I really felt like giving him a punch
someone really should inform these guys about acceptable manners in qatar
the other day the driver did not turn where I told him to do so ... then I told him three times to turn at the next street - then he yelled at me " no speaking " you speaking once' enough ... when I told him that I m the customer then he answered yes - you customer and you speak once ..he told me with such a male pride that I really felt like giving him a punch
someone really should inform these guys about acceptable manners in qatar
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Qatari woman at the taxi station
It was at Villaggio Mall 's taxi station ... there were around three families waiting ... There was a queue . Then came up a Qatari(looking) woman -she stood right to the first place to get the first taxi coming ... The Indian supervisor sent her to the last place - taboor -he said ... the woman did not want to accept ... she could not understand how this Indian guy is sending her to the last place ... after all she is Qatari ...
But the supervisor was firm and sent her to wait ....
I could see through her veil how much she felt humiliated ... she had to wait like a foreigner ..she tried to call her family - but nobody had time .... then she just stood there staring bitterly into the dark parking space ... She must have been thinking about the golden age of Qatar when the Hindi guys served them first and would not dare to tell them taboor...Things have changed .....
It was at Villaggio Mall 's taxi station ... there were around three families waiting ... There was a queue . Then came up a Qatari(looking) woman -she stood right to the first place to get the first taxi coming ... The Indian supervisor sent her to the last place - taboor -he said ... the woman did not want to accept ... she could not understand how this Indian guy is sending her to the last place ... after all she is Qatari ...
But the supervisor was firm and sent her to wait ....
I could see through her veil how much she felt humiliated ... she had to wait like a foreigner ..she tried to call her family - but nobody had time .... then she just stood there staring bitterly into the dark parking space ... She must have been thinking about the golden age of Qatar when the Hindi guys served them first and would not dare to tell them taboor...Things have changed .....
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Is Hungarian similar to Persian ?
Where are you from ?
asked me the driver at the end of our ride .
From Hungary .
Hungary ? Is it in the USA ?
No , it is in Europe .
I see . So you speak farsi? ( Persian)
Not at all, we have our own language Hungarian .
Similar to farsi not ?
That is a big question !
The taxi driver is not an expert just heard as speaking our language and it sounded him Persian .Officially the Finnish language is the closest relative of the Hungarian but in the 19th century there were researches pointing to the Sumerian ,Sanskrit ,Persian languages .
asked me the driver at the end of our ride .
From Hungary .
Hungary ? Is it in the USA ?
No , it is in Europe .
I see . So you speak farsi? ( Persian)
Not at all, we have our own language Hungarian .
Similar to farsi not ?
That is a big question !
The taxi driver is not an expert just heard as speaking our language and it sounded him Persian .Officially the Finnish language is the closest relative of the Hungarian but in the 19th century there were researches pointing to the Sumerian ,Sanskrit ,Persian languages .
Friday, March 20, 2009
Annoying things in Doha
Taxi drivers : we are waiting with my friend and with our kids .it is evening -it is windy - it was nice in the park but it is time to go home and have a rest .A taxi comes - it stops around ten meters from us -then before we could arrive at it - goes away .
The second taxi stops for us " Where " " we say the address " Not " is the answer and he drives away before we could say a word .
The third taxi stops .We tell him the address : Do you know it ? No .
No problem we will show you the way . We do so .We arrive home -but all the time he was talking and behaving with a stupid superiority on his face .As he did a favor for us . As he was in India in his village .
Accommodationn - the second time within a week the sewage flooded all the street . it was a challenge to our nose and our cars .And the worst : to our flats . The floor started to sink in the middle of the room . "no danger " - I hear from expert since the structure is not sinking .But our cupboards are leaning towards us and the gas cooker as well . telling the truth it has never been totally horizontal - even before the flood . My cakes always got strange shape ...We live in a ten year old building .
The lack of information
The other day one of my Hungarian friend complained to me . " I was at a private clinic with a minor problem : rude doctors , much money , waiting too much .
I was shocked : " Why do not you go to the Health center ? " Then it turned out that she did not know that she has the right to have free consultations and nearly free medicine in case she has a health card . She has been living and working in Qatar for years .She is on a medicine that she needs to take every day -and so far she has payed so much for it every month .She had applied for a card and visited a doctor and was very much happy with that .
I know that the Health Centers are not perfect - but are affordable solution for many of us .
Why nobody explains officially to the newcomers how things are working around here ?
Taxi drivers : we are waiting with my friend and with our kids .it is evening -it is windy - it was nice in the park but it is time to go home and have a rest .A taxi comes - it stops around ten meters from us -then before we could arrive at it - goes away .
The second taxi stops for us " Where " " we say the address " Not " is the answer and he drives away before we could say a word .
The third taxi stops .We tell him the address : Do you know it ? No .
No problem we will show you the way . We do so .We arrive home -but all the time he was talking and behaving with a stupid superiority on his face .As he did a favor for us . As he was in India in his village .
Accommodationn - the second time within a week the sewage flooded all the street . it was a challenge to our nose and our cars .And the worst : to our flats . The floor started to sink in the middle of the room . "no danger " - I hear from expert since the structure is not sinking .But our cupboards are leaning towards us and the gas cooker as well . telling the truth it has never been totally horizontal - even before the flood . My cakes always got strange shape ...We live in a ten year old building .
The lack of information
The other day one of my Hungarian friend complained to me . " I was at a private clinic with a minor problem : rude doctors , much money , waiting too much .
I was shocked : " Why do not you go to the Health center ? " Then it turned out that she did not know that she has the right to have free consultations and nearly free medicine in case she has a health card . She has been living and working in Qatar for years .She is on a medicine that she needs to take every day -and so far she has payed so much for it every month .She had applied for a card and visited a doctor and was very much happy with that .
I know that the Health Centers are not perfect - but are affordable solution for many of us .
Why nobody explains officially to the newcomers how things are working around here ?
Saturday, September 22, 2007
It is still hot . It is still difficult to find a taxi . One gets crazy in the sun - but must go out to arrange this or that .And it is exhausting . There are some illegal taxi drivers . They are able to find your house - too bad that they ask four times the price the legal ones do .
For many schoolers transportation is like the hell . Many Indian school buses are not suitable for kids transportation . Kids get sick during the journey - they get asthmatic attack - they faint .Parents pay more and more for tuition and for transport- but the level is just worse and worse .
Transparency is the thing the angry parents ask for when it is about the school's financial affairs .
Some Islam scholars were holding a talk on the Arabic media . They criticised the boring Islam channels . The lack of courage to talk about the social aspects of Islam .
The housemaid who has been in coma for some years died . She came some years ago to work at a Qatari family - but was admitted to hospital with serious injuries due to a blunt object which hit her head
. The Qatari family has to pay 300 .000 Qatari rial as compensation for the family in Indonesia
Poor woman . Finally , she was able to help her poor relatives in her death .
God will judge about the others .
For many schoolers transportation is like the hell . Many Indian school buses are not suitable for kids transportation . Kids get sick during the journey - they get asthmatic attack - they faint .Parents pay more and more for tuition and for transport- but the level is just worse and worse .
Transparency is the thing the angry parents ask for when it is about the school's financial affairs .
Some Islam scholars were holding a talk on the Arabic media . They criticised the boring Islam channels . The lack of courage to talk about the social aspects of Islam .
The housemaid who has been in coma for some years died . She came some years ago to work at a Qatari family - but was admitted to hospital with serious injuries due to a blunt object which hit her head
. The Qatari family has to pay 300 .000 Qatari rial as compensation for the family in Indonesia
Poor woman . Finally , she was able to help her poor relatives in her death .
God will judge about the others .
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
THE WEATHER IS QUITE HOT HERE and taxis are scares . .Especially hearttaking to see at Hamad hospital as pregnant mothers , out-patients , tired nurses are queueing in front of the Taxi station . Station ? It means you have to queue
standing in the scorching sun . Taxis if any will arrive there .There is a supervisor who does not allow anybody to jump the queue .
As a new immigration office was opened at the hospital district there are too many nowadays wanting a taxi .
The Immigration office was a nice idea . It is a lovely place , my husband has just arranged our visas there . ON the other hand it seems that nobody thought about how to arrange the increment of the passengers .
standing in the scorching sun . Taxis if any will arrive there .There is a supervisor who does not allow anybody to jump the queue .
As a new immigration office was opened at the hospital district there are too many nowadays wanting a taxi .
The Immigration office was a nice idea . It is a lovely place , my husband has just arranged our visas there . ON the other hand it seems that nobody thought about how to arrange the increment of the passengers .
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Funniest taxi driver
It happened to us four years ago.I had to
go with my child to a school celebration .We were new to Doha and being
so were not very confident about going out on our own .But my husband
was very busy and we had no choice but to take taxi .
The driver
looked like a North Indian guy wearing beautifully embroidered small
cap .As he started driving he spitted through the window and started
singing .It was very very funny .My first thought was that az extra charge must be paid in Venice when the guy in gondola is singing .I wondered if the same would happen to us .
My second concern was how to restrain from laughing .It was not an easy task . We pretended to cough during the trip.
However , the song was very nice , I guess a North Indian folk song .I feel sorry that I had not been able to record it ...
It happened to us four years ago.I had to
go with my child to a school celebration .We were new to Doha and being
so were not very confident about going out on our own .But my husband
was very busy and we had no choice but to take taxi .
The driver
looked like a North Indian guy wearing beautifully embroidered small
cap .As he started driving he spitted through the window and started
singing .It was very very funny .My first thought was that az extra charge must be paid in Venice when the guy in gondola is singing .I wondered if the same would happen to us .
My second concern was how to restrain from laughing .It was not an easy task . We pretended to cough during the trip.
However , the song was very nice , I guess a North Indian folk song .I feel sorry that I had not been able to record it ...
Friday, February 23, 2007
Qatari taxi drivers
are not Qatari in fact . Though once I met such one as well . The rare exception .Most of them are Indians , Far Eastern and perhaps some Arabs as well/?/ ,
last week I had to see the doctor .I had an appointment .I did not have to wait a lot . The greatest suffering was to find a taxi to arrive at the out patient clinics . it was around eleven o clock .It took me forty minutes to find one . BUt what kind a ...
He was a short Indian guy , he kept shouting during all the time with other drivers , calling their names in Tamil and showing obscene signs by his hands .
I tried to explain him where to stop exactly , but his answer was rude as well to me ..
Karwa is the name of the taxi company here . My message is the following to them : it is not enough to buy nice , modern cars .You know taxi is a service .Being so , the human factor is much more important than the quality of the car .You should carefully check the persons you employ .Are they fit for this job mentally? Do they have basic knowledge in Engilsh and in Arabic ?Do they know the city they work in ?
I must add that most of the drivers are not like the above described one . But after all I am the customer I pay for the ride , I have the right to travel in a peaceful atmosphere .
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