In Reply to: come on mate dob the posted by sunshinecoasts on Thursday, 8. September 2005 at 09:39 Bali Time:
No worries, easily done
But I still won't do that. There are enough clues in my original post to identify him.
Those who have been researching for a driver should easily know who he is.
Anyway you don't really need to know who he is - that's not intention of my post.
My intention is simply to warn others (especially Newbies) to always have your wits about you.
I just related my story as warning of how I got into a situation that you can avoid - that's all.
Cos the next 'recommended driver' could also get smug and try to pull a fast one after getting peoples confidence.
So its not just my feedback on one particular driver - cos others will come.
Others advise just using a driver outside your hotel by sussing him out first - fine, may work for some.
But that still can't beat those recommended on BFT, especially when different people are recommending him.
Am not advocating one way guarantees a better driver, but I think BTF research gives you higher chance.
Lets also differentiate what kind of driver we are all talking about - is he a 'taxi' driver or is he a 'guide' driver.
I'm referring to driver as a guide-cum-driver - cos having a good one makes a big difference
Between a good holiday and a special holiday - just read the BTF to get others 'off the beaten track JBR's' experiences when drivers offer a 'genuine' detour. Nothing beats local knowledge. The other thing is time advantage - I did not want to spend time verifying if the driver's info is credible before making decisions - I wanted to rely on an honest person to save me time by giving me good recommendations, as all I wanted was to enjoy Bali, not waste time goinf to places where he earned a cut.
In hindsight when booking any driver in advance tell him that you got his contact from someone on BTF and that after the trip you are going to do a JBR. That should keep him honest even if he's tempted to pull a fast one. Cos he's recommended on BTF for a reason, and that's bcos others found him useful. When you land verify its him and remind him that you will more than glad to recommend him if he does a fantastic job as he did with the previous others - honest ones should have no problem with that (if fact they will be glad for referrals) and the less honest ones will think twice. Cheers