It’s getting to that time of year when people are starting to think about booking holidays.
After all, it’s normal to crave a little sun. But, if you’re heading to Turkey anytime soon, tourists have been urged to avoid one thing. Influencer Josh Daly admitted he recently fell victim to a common “scam” while abroad, and he doesn’t want it to happen to other people.
In a candid TikTok video, he revealed what people need to be aware of if they’re planning on visiting anytime soon. He said he’s been to Turkey before, and it’s never happened, so he couldn’t believe he experienced it during the first day of his recent trip.
He admitted he thinks Turkey is a “beautiful” country, but he wants people to know about the problem. Luckily, he didn’t lose a lot of money, but he’s worried people could.
It all involves an alleged scam whereby people pre-book their transport from the airport. He said it was a “big mess” when he got picked up.
Josh said: “We eventually got put into a taxi and he offered us a complimentary drink – a complimentary drink, which I confirmed with him after several conversations, that it was going to be a free drink.
“Obviously, I’m quite a nice guy, I thought ‘you know what, it won’t be a free drink, because I’m going to tip him 200 Lira anyway’, which is around £4/£5 for two cans of very, very cheap beer, so still he would have been turning a profit.
“I then get to the end of where I’ve got to get to, get to the hotel, go to give him the 200 and he goes ‘No, no, no. 800’. He was trying to charge me 800 Lira, which is like £16 I believe, for two cans of incredibly cheap beer, and he was becoming very aggressive.
“This is where you don’t fold. You stick to your guns and say ‘I’m not paying’. Then he’ll threaten to take you into the hotel and sort it out, and don’t be threatened – let them go into the hotel.
“He come into the hotel I stayed with, and they had a great conversation, and were actually able to translate back to me in English. Eventually, he just took the 200 and did move on.”
The video has been viewed thousands of times since it was shared, and people were quick to comment too. They had all sorts of stories to share.
One person said: “Private taxi company did this to us. We agreed the price of £50. Got to the airport and the driver was demanding £80, and wouldn’t give us our suitcases. I showed him messages from the company’s owner.”
Another wrote: “Been going to Turkey for 20 years, and never had this.” A third replied: “Been to Turkey and never had issues like this. I use private transfer every time. No issues and free drinks too.”
In the comments, Josh clarified that people shouldn’t worry about booking transport with reputable companies. He simply advised them not to accept free drinks in taxis if they get offered.
