Plight of a Thai shop owner in the Land of Scams 

In the past few months I have seen an unprecedented surge of complaints from my overseas customers about unscrupulous cab drivers taking them for a “ride”.
Several of my foreign customers – both new and old ones – complained that, either at the airport or elsewhere, taxi drivers refused to take them to my shop, often after they had made a phone call. These cabbies had in fact called me, demanding a commission for dropping a passenger at my shop. When I refused, they would turn to the unassuming tourist and unabashedly lie to him or her, saying my shop no longer existed, and then offer to take them to other shops, where presumably they would get a “cut”. Many tourists also whined about cabbies deliberately taking them on a detour and charging an exorbitant fare, often off-meter. 
It’s about time that the Tourism Authority, Land Transport Department and police worked together to crack down on these dishonest taxi and tuk-tuk drivers who prey on foreigners and tourists, and once and for all put a stop to these scams.
Our country’s image is only as good as the way we treat our visitors, a status we Thai people have proudly upheld for decades. We certainly don’t want to lose it at the hands of some money-hungry cab drivers. 
I urge The Nation to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter.
Tony Wynnseree