My Jaw-Dropping WTF Taiwan Trip
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Alright, no problem! Let me help you make this "complaint session" more suitable for foreign readers, while preserving its amusingly irritable tone!
Travelers planning a trip to Taiwan on your own should be aware! The experience with this car rental service was rather unpleasant, so I'm sharing it for everyone to avoid this pitfall! (See the store information at the end)
- Yesterday, my friend and I rented a car from Ali Mountain and set off for Taipei at noon.
- Usually, a drive from Ali Mountain to Taipei without heavy traffic takes around 5-6 hours, and even with congestion, it’s about 7-8 hours.
- But what happened? We still hadn't reached our hotel by past one in the morning!
- (Note: Some of our fellow readers mentioned in the comments that there was indeed heavy traffic that day. However, traffic wasn’t the main point we wanted to complain about. The real issues come later, and I appreciate you following along in the comments!)
- Throughout our journey, we repeatedly asked the driver to follow the navigation (as it usually recommends the most efficient routes), but he refused!
- He claimed, “This is my car, and you passengers cannot demand which route I choose.”
- What really got under our skin was his later assertion that he had driven us for 13 hours because we insisted on taking the highway (in truth, we wished to take the route suggested by the navigation, which suggested taking expressways), instead of his "experience-based" choice - a mix of "back roads and local ones".
- Every time we requested to check the navigation, the driver would yell at us in a fit of emotion. Eventually, fearing for our safety and feeling unwell, we opted to leave earlier than planned.
️ Safety Tips (Take Note!)- Distracted Driving:
- During our descent from Ali Mountain, he began watching YouTube videos on a phone! (Ali Mountain is a well-known mountain in Taiwan; its winding roads require good driving skills.)
- What To Do: If you notice a driver's distracted behaviour, such as watching videos or mobile phone usage, speak up immediately to remind them of their responsibilities in ensuring safe driving. You can also consider recording videos as evidence, and insist they cease the distracting behaviors if necessary.
- Poor Driving Behaviors:
- The car almost never took the expressway when it was perfectly passable.
- The driving speed was very low, occasionally reaching speeds as slow as 50 km/h (on many routes in Taiwan, this is below the minimum speed limit)!
- My friend, who is well-versed with cars, observed that the driver swerved over lanes and looked tired and seemingly drove while fatigued.
- Once, in order to evade cars behind, the driver swerved suddenly, nearly hitting another vehicle and shutting down our engine in the process! We were all nervous throughout the trip.
- What To Do: If you feel uncomfortable due to the driver’s risky driving behaviors (e.g., speeding, driving too slowly, non-compliance with road rules, or driving when fatigued), clearly indicate signs of concern to them. If conditions don’t change, insist on stopping at a safe location and contact your rental company or platform for complaints.
- Risks Encountered at late night during travel:
- Around midnight, we reached Xinbei City near Taipei, and once again requested to follow the guidance of the navigation system.
- He directly turned off the navigation app and claimed familiarity with the area. For a while, he kept driving on dim back roads.
- At that moment, we were really concerned for our personal safety. In the end, after another bout of yelling from him, my friend felt sick and we had to quickly request to disembark.
- What To Do: If you feel unsafe when a driver doesn't use navigation aids or behaves in an irrational manner, especially at night or in sparsely populated areas, trust your instincts. Keep your phone handy, send your location to friends or family. If things worsen, firmly ask to stop at a safe spot where there are more people and more light, and consider contacting the police.
More complaints upon feedback to the store:
- When we contacted the store's customer service with our issues, their response (similar to @Woops comment) was incredibly poor!
- They thought the extended time due to traffic was totally normal.
- Furthermore, they blamed us saying that it was our insistence on the GPS navigation that prolonged the trip and disregarded the importance of our personal safety altogether.
Postscript:
- Overall, going to Taiwan is fun, there are lots of delicious eateries, and most people encountered along the way are generally friendly.
- This car rental experience, however, is just an isolated situation. I hope all travelers have smooth and trouble-free journeys, especially on important holidays (like the Spring Festival).
️ Name of Car Rental Store to Avoid:- Reservation Platform: Fliggy Travel (an app widely used in China)
- Store Name: Guangdong Prosperity Travel*Shenzhen Exclusive Store
- I am tagging the platform and its customer service (@Fliggy Travel @Fliggy Customer Service) hoping they will look into this!
#TaiwanTravel #Taiwan #TaiwanSoloTravel #TaiwanCharteredCar #StudyAbroadTravel #AliMountain #AliMountainCarService #TaiwanCarHire #TravelAvoidPitfalls #TourFeedback
- Yesterday, my friend and I rented a car from Ali Mountain and set off for Taipei at noon.
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Could you share the total cost?
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Around 1460 RMB.
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Traffic jams are expected during Chinese New Year... The itinerary definitely needs good communication. Perhaps the driver tried to take a shortcut, thinking he was being clever, but it backfired.
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That's possible.