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Don't mean to dis rickshaw drivers (met some great ones), but I've never seen a post on this subject on the TT, so I thought I'd start one.

In the bigger cities in India, every 3rd rickshaw driver I met had a "reccomendation book" (notebook that he handed to foreign tourists, so that they could write down their thoughts about the driver). The "book" was used to convince tourists that the driver was honest, reliable, and exactly the driver to be hired for "on call" transport during one's stay and/or as a guide.

First couple of times, I merely glanced at the books (knowing full well that the books were usually handed over for new comments BEFORE fares were paid). Then I started actually reading them, and some were HILARIOUS. Tourists clearly writing "between the lines" to tell that the rickshaw driver was a huge commission seeker, etc.

For example:

"Ashook knows the shopkeepers really well. He made sure that he took us only to the shops where he knew someone, so that we could get the best deal."

"Kumar was very assertive about telling us what we needed to see in Jaipur, as we told him that we'd never been there before. Originally, we'd wanted to see City Palace, but Kumar told us that it really wasn't very good, and took us to some "really good" shops instead."

"I had no interest in Indian musical instruments, but Raja insisted that they were fascinating, and took me to his friend's shop."

And my personal fave:

"Siroop he best massage guy. No problem. Good massage I like very much yes. Very much friendly." (signed Ann from England).

Still waiting to see:

"Murad is such a good rickshaw driver that he helped us find a new guesthouse after our guesthouse burned down. We'd probably have been stranded without him! He also helped us get train tickets through his brother (a travel agent) when the ticket office was closed (who knew that they were closed on Tuesdays!). And the shopping bargains we found at Murad's friend's shop were amazing. Murad told us that he'd been all over Agra, and he KNEW that the prices were really the lowest."

Happy Trails!

picklepak

Great idea, I had never thought of that! I an eagerly looking forward to reading these "recommendation books" now, when I go back to India this fall... the thought of it is very funny.

[

that rickshaw drivers carried such books - and yes, they take a commission for a living - real , live commissions .

So do airlines from hotels and vice versa - and you may not be guaranteed quality always or quality but not the best price. If you are new in town , fly AA and go to the nearest Holiday Inn , you probably missed the deal further down the road and yes,AA with their recommendation has pocketed the money.

Just advertising and getting business. very smart. very real .

Only these tourists who write snidely - would they do that to AA or AA and Hertz ?

travellers to India and TTIndia have the duties and privileges of a guest

KathSF

I myself have written a post encouraging tourists to let rickshaw drivers "take them to the shops for a day" in order to provide a little commission. And I don't think that the reccomendation books are a bad idea at all. Just wrote to tell how reading/writing carefully between the lines can fill in the picture in a most amusing way. Have you no sense of humor at all?

Happy Trails!

Anonymous
 

[

I absolutely would write snidely about appalling service received from a western company, and I am in the middle of complaining to "Subway" about something they have been up to in my local area (building work at 5.30 am on Sunday). I also complained vociferously about French Airways completely ballsing up a weekend away and got reasonable compensation for that. I would happily write what I thought about these companies in a book if such a thing were available in the same way as I have praised hotels/restaurants whilst wandering around Asia. We don't complain enough as far as I'm concerned. Anyway with rickshaw drivers you agree a price dependent on there being no messing around, and pay at the end. As long as it's fair ie 20-30% more than they should get, the extra cost is worth the reduction in hassle, although the magical mystery tour I was taken on during my first day in Delhi all those years ago was well worth the hassle although we saw few of the sites and ended up with him chasing us for miles!!

archits
 

You once wrote very rudely to me...i shall not reply to it. In another post you may have spoken differently about this book.

However, I shall be damned if these snide recommendations would have been written to a London cabbie or to the rickshaw driver if he knew fluent English.

Your sense of humour may be insulting to him , if he knew...this sense of humour or alleged humour may go unnappreciated.

Try a London cabbie and union one at that. Or your friendly New York cabbie...

"he took me to his friends shop" , indeed.



travellers to India and TTIndia have the duties and privileges of a guest

Anonymous

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try taking the mickey out of a london cabbie or new york cabbie.

this behaviour , i repeat, would be unpardonable by these people - i wish the indian rickshawallahs understood this sweet liberal humour - try writing it in hindi . see what happens.

archits

yes, write this in hindi and then see what happens to you either in between the lines or without the lines.

Really,would be interesting and is the point of my post. London or NY cabbie be damned. But yes, try being humorous in between the lines with them.

travellers to India and TTIndia have the duties and privileges of a guest

archits

[

to answer " Have you no sense of humor at all?

Happy Trails!"

all i would ask you is to put yourself in the rickshawdrivers pedal and see if you can smile in between the lines.

travellers to India and TTIndia have the duties and privileges of a guest

Anonymous

the world over should always be treated as untrustworthy scum (until proven otherwise), and I know from the tips I received from cab drivers in London for taking them Japanese tourists (working as a hotel porter) that it's true in the UK as it will be everywhere.
The reason that rickshaw wallahs are getting it here is because its the Subcontinent site, and it's amusing to have this way of getting back at them a little, because elsewhere you don't get the chance

unionsecretary
 

[

You bleeding humorist there are many rickshawallahs who seriously believe that these white apes are writing something nice and not something that can be read in between the lines.

Thanks for informing us otherwise - next time they see a whitey they shall see what to do about them. If they see them writing something , they will know better.


If you tell him in his language then you will know. What is this shit about " he took me to his friends shop" . Sure he did. He knows him and they do business together. How do you know what you get there is not worse than elsewhere ? Most first time tourists like you anyway know shit...

So you find it humorous..give me your book towrite..I shall write something.." Kath is a nice person and you have to go by her recommendations ".

Do not insult and make fun of poor Indians. Try to keep your condescending humour for your servants if you can afford them.

The rickshawwallahs protest and refuse to take you. We may be poor , but we have respect. Keep your humour for your own recommendation book. Do not look down upon us. Send your book to us and we shall make our entries..."prissy woman , just because she has more money , can make fun of us " .

sandro968
 

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If you take a rickshaw knowing where to go and fixing the price before you leave, you will have the 99% of possibilities to reach your place. But, if you are undecided, for example you say 'take me to the city-market', then you will be a good chicken!!
Remember this sentence:
<< Just see, not buy, five minutes! >>. The dealer will stop you for one hour, he will show you all his stuff, he will insist until you are 100 m out of his shop, but if you say NO, at the end it is NO!!
It always worked with us!
Recommandation: be always sure of where you want to go and fix the price; free or cheap sightseeing is a bad signal!
This always worked with us in our 3-weeks trip.
sandro968@libero.it

Wader

Lots of laughs, thanks.

Give unionsecretary your tourist recommendation book,maybe he can jot down in hindi - " this nice tourist woman saar, she tips poorly , but will settle at four times the normal price , so still worth it. Comes from good family. But watch out for her jokes. She will have her way , so do not waste too much time with her. Father gave up long ago "

Go from hotel to hotel and show your tourist recommendation book with these comments in Hindi.

Enjoy their humour , dear.
Happy trails !

travellers to India and TTIndia have the duties and privileges of a guest

Most reccomendation book had only good/sincere reccomendations. None of the reccomendation books had truly "bad" stuff (except for the massage one that I read, which I'm fairly sure was written by the rickshaw driver himself in order to get "massage" business). All of the books were handed over to me in order to get my business, which, according to my needs, was the business of hiring an honest rickshaw driver who would take me to the places that *I* wanted to go (not the places that the rickshaw driver wanted me to go). I didn't get the feeling that any of the comments were to make fun of rickshaw drivers, in general. Just to lightly warn that you MIGHT be taken to places you didn't really want to go by THAT PARTICULAR rickshaw driver.

I figure that if a rickshaw driver is giving good, honest service, he has a right to expect good commentary. If a rickshaw driver is doing some of the things posted in my original post (e.g., attempting to convince people to go to commission shops INSTEAD OF going to monuments), then he can't complain if people allude to what he did (and it's not even ranting about it, it's just telling it the way it is). Many (maybe most) travellers know that rickshaw drivers will try to make a commission if they can. And who can blame them (I can't), for they're paid little enough. But if I want to hire a rickshaw driver to take me sightseeing, I'm most grateful to know beforehand that he'll harangue me until I go shopping.

That said, I generally hire longer-term rickshaw drivers because I happen to like them, reccomendation book or not. But I don't think that rickshaw drivers who try to take one to places one hasn't asked to go to, then ask for reccomendations in order to get business, can ask for or expect that the truth doesn't come out.

Happy Trails!

That said, I generally hire longer-term rickshaw drivers because I happen to like them, reccomendation book or not. But I don't think that rickshaw drivers who try to take one to places one hasn't asked to go to, then ask for reccomendations in order to get business, can ask for or expect that the truth doesn't come out.

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To the best of my knowledge a simple "no" works often enough and anyone going beyond that , using the rickshaw driver and subsequently writing something unscrupulous or unmentionable (*you saw perhaps .001% of all books) would call for serious trouble if the driver knew what was written.

I stand by me recommendations that they these people who write dodgy comment should have the courage to do so in Hindi or simply tell the rickshaw driver what they experienced.

It really will be enlightening to the tourist if he/she carries a book like this in Hindi about himself / herself . Good to know the kind of impact you make and how you are perceived ...

That is the only good thing to come out of this post.

 

I am an idiot
 

i am not sure what planet archits is on.

A con artist is a con artist, just because he/she is poor and has to feed the family doesn't make him less of one.

Not all rickshaw drivers are bad, usually the ones near the tourists spots.

These guys are assholes, point blank. Morality is not a luxory good. Sure there may be good reasons why they are assholes, but that is what they are.

I have no sympathy for them. And I have been to dozen of cities all over the world. And cabbies are not all equal. I would prefer a new york cabbie over a Dehli rickshaw driver any day of hte week

Mind your language you #$#@%^%$#

Stay in new york and do not come to india. con artists - phew what was rockefeller,kennedy,reagan to name some honourable ones. They did not even have the luxury to say we are hungry. Rickshawallah , a conartist due to free pricing and advertising ? Be one for a week - you will understand better and your bestseller ...

Behave yourself buddy. If you do not like things , beat it.Understand ? Do not insult here. Say what you want to say politely. You will be answered. And if you have something new to offer , appreciated. On the count of differential pricing and online realtime retail pricing of goods and services - we do it everyday at the street level. In da USA Enron is now attempting via computers this with an online exchange for energy and water.

You need computer to accept the reality of a marketplace ? Sure you must be a dumb American , what else ? Get an online package on this in USA ,,learn it and then come over. You will no longer be disturbed.