India: common scams/hassles and how to avoid it

Just so you have an idea of the prices around, pre-paid taxi from the airport to Pahar Ganj, should be around 250 rupees, but if it is more, don't worry, they are not scamming you... It was some time ago that I took a taxi from Delhi airport, so the price might have gone up a bit. Also remember you don't need to tip the taxi driver in the end, even if he insists this is the normal way. It isn't!
Bottled water, for 1 liter 10 rupees, for 2 liters between 15 and 22 rupees... It used to be 15 rupees in Pahar Ganj, but again, that might have gone up a little... However, above 22 rupees is just a scam, especially in Pahar Ganj...
Cycle rickshaw, about 10 to 15 rupees per kilometer, but good luck getting it at that rate 😊
Most restaurants in Pahar Ganj are cattered to tourists, so they serve the usual travellers fares, like banana pancakes, fruit muesli curd (curd is yoghurt), fried eggs with hash browns, spaghetti, pizza etc. etc.. Tourist dishes are generaly a bit more expensive than local fare. Look at the menu or if there isn't any ask the price beforehand, because if you don't you might get scamed! A snack can be as cheap as a few rupees, while a meal can be anything from 20 to as high as you would like it... Generally in Pahar Ganj I think a breakfast with eggs and hash brown and a tea was about 150 or so rupees, but I can't remember for sure... It says on the menu.
A good way to get around Delhi is the underground, it is cheap, efficient and clean. Otherwise walk, it is about an hours walk from Pahar Ganj to the Red Fort, and it is quite pleasant as it takes you through the old town.

Don't listen to people trying to sell you trips, if you have something in mind go to a travel agent and be specific. Pahar Ganj is crawling with touts, and they have a keen eye on anybody who looks like they just arrived. They will be slick and persuasive... Ignore, ignore, ignore is the mantra... A good way to make life a bit easier is to walk like you know where you are and you are comfortable. New people invariably look confused and have big question marks on their faces, they walk slow, looking around them all the time and seem surprised by everything they see. That is why they also have a cloud of touts surrounding them. I personally have actually never had any problems with the touts in Pahar Ganj.

Most common scams:
The one Mel mentioned with the train ticket office. It is in the train station on the first floor, don't let anyone tell you it is closed or has moved, not even if they look official. The last time I was there, a man who looked like a security guard told me it had moved due to renovations on the first floor, together with another man with an Indian Railway uniform on. I told them I would check it out for myself and of course it wasn't...
Tout trying to convince you to buy gems or diamonds, which you will be able to sell at home at a profit.
Tout trying to sell you a houseboat in Kashmir or a trek in the mountains or whatever for a ridiculously low price. If it is too good to be true, it is just that. Go to an agency, don't talk to the men on the street. And go to many agencies.
Restaurant owner telling you that the prices listed are old, and they haven't changed them yet... Of course this is only after you have got the bill and ask about the tripling of the price. Just pay the price that is mentioned on the menu. I always calculate the total price of my meal before even ordering.
Oh and the classic, "remember me, you told me yesterday that you would come to my shop/talk/buy a trip/give me all your money"... They will try to make you feel guilty, or make you feel like scum... Its all part of the fun!
Agreeing on a price with the rickshaw driver, and him telling you a totally different price, with a straight face, as you arrive at your destination, and on top of it accusing you of trying to scam him. Or perhaps getting lost and having to drive around to find the right place and than charging for the extra time it took him to find the place (yes they might even get lost on their way to something as well known as the Red Fort in Delhi, it is all a trick)

But don't let it worry you or make you scared, just think of it as a game! These are poor people trying to make some money, that's all. Some are genuine crooks, some not. And I can tell you that you are safer on the streets in India than in most European cities. There are a lot of scams, but not much in the way of robbery and you needn't worry for instance about drunken hooligans that have just exited the pub and want to fight you! Unlike in quite a few big cities in good old civilized Europe.

As for meeting people, go to one of the travellers restaurants, look how many people are hanging around, find the other single travellers (of which there are many) and ask if you can sit with them. You will not be the only one looking for company.

Most of all, just have fun, don't be too stressed or uptight about it all and don't get too angry. A big smile and a friendly attitude will get you miles... Reply to this

The funny part is that tourists have actually bought the Taj Mahal and even got official documents claiming it belongs to them!

Bought it?! Incredible, that anyone can buy such a monument. One would think it does not belong to anyone, because it is priceless. You mean they were scammed, and think they bought it?

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What do you mean? The Taj Mahal I bought isn't for real 😊 Damn, I thought I had bought the monument! And for a good price too!

Anyway I forgot a few more handy tips... First of all, while you could book your accomodation online and have an airport pick up, there are a few things to remember. It might not pan out to be all that it is made out to be on the website, photo's can be faked, so can online recommendations and as for the airport pick up.. One time I got a pre-paid cab to town, I was sharing with another guy whose hotel airport pick-up hadn't materialized! So there are no guarantees! If you book online, just book for one night as someone else already mentioned.

But really you don't need to pre-book, there are plenty of options and you won't be walking around for hours looking for a hotel. Especially in the Pahar Ganj area, you can't walk a meter without being offered a room. What I would suggest is to find a hotel in your guidebook and go there first. If you don't like it, go for your next choice or go on the street and you are sure to be attacked by people offering rooms. Remember that they get commission from the hotel, which you will be paying for in one way or another, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing, if the tout got you a room you like and you are paying 50 or 100 rupees more than you should, see it as a way of saving you the hassle of having to find that room yourself. If you talk to a guy on the street offering you a room, always aim low with your price range and specify what you expect from your room, for instance a clean bathroom, western style toilet, hot water, cable tv etc. etc. Maybe the first hotel and room he brings you isn't what he promised, not to worry, most hotels have rooms in all kind of price ranges and some will be cleaner than others. You can check out a few once you are there, and if you don't like it, tell the tout that the next place he brings you to better be good or you will ditch him and get somebody else!

Now for what to expect for your money in Pahar Ganj. The rooms come as cheap as 100 rupees, but expect what you pay for, a filthy prison cell type of room. Since you have a very, very respectable budget (I live for 4 month in India on 500 pounds) you needn't worry too much about this price range.
For 200 rupees to 400 rupees you should be able to easily find a room with private bathroom, some clean, some not.
For 600 to 1000 rupees, you should get a clean room, with a clean bathroom, western style toilet, hot water, cable tv.
For everything above you should get soaps and shampoes in the bathroom as well as a clean towel and other such luxuries and much more... Now this doesn't mean everything is so clean cut, some people pay 400 rupees for a room in the 600 to 1000 rupee range, and sometimes you pay 1200 rupees and you are shown a shithole. But this should give you a basic idea what you can expect for your money. So if a tout asks you if you are looking for a room and what price range, tell them that you are looking for instance for something between 400 and 800 rupees, even if you are willing to pay 2000 or so for the right room. You will be surprised what you can get and if it isn't good enough the hotel is most likely to have better and more expensive rooms. Never start with a high price range, he is likely to show you a shitty room for so called 2000 rupees, it will actually be only 400 rupees and the hotel owner and the tout will cream of the rest. And again, I can't stress this enough, be clear in what you expect and tell him. You don't want to be walking around the whole day with some tout who keeps showing you rooms you are not happy with.

You will most likely be scammed at one point or another, be it for the price you pay for your room, a ticket, a taxi or whatever; we all do. Don't let it bother you, remember that in the end it isn't much money you are scammed out of. If you are paying 400 rupees more for your room or being scammed out of a 1000 rupees, it is no big deal, you are talking about 10 pounds or so. Yes it can be irritating, but as long as it doesn't happen all the time and every day, it won't break your back and it won't be worth getting upset about and having it ruin your vacation or your view of India. Scammers and touts make up only the tiniest of the tiniest proportion of the population of India, the only problem is that they hang around tourist areas because that is where the money is. Perhaps we are talking about 10000 or so, on a population of 1 billion that is negligable. Reply to this

I guess the list of SCAMS is getting long for you bourney 😊....But Ralf has got lots..lotsa points to make here 😊...u are awesome man...i must say..even I missed out on many ..and have been scammed myself..in North india...😊 Reply to this

And Yeah to add one more to the list ----- If someone says that he has a confirmed train ticket...and claim himself to be a railway employee....dont you get carried away by such offers... The only place where you get train tickets are either --- Railway Booking Counter, or indian railways website.... 😊

Am I going right Ralf ??? Reply to this

But why this topic like SCAMS IN INDIA created..??? Sorry but I didn't like it...Just change the heading to -- Travel Tips in india..... Reply to this

One more thing so as you dont get too scared...............this is a natural thing which will happen in tourist places........(common in a developing country...)

I think moderator should change topic to "common scams/hassles and how to avoid it "

FYI......
Even in Europe scams happen but in a very refine manner......when I came to EIndhoven..I was told there is a housing problem here...and cost is very high so we took whatever house the agent showed us ...he even charged us way above the normal for utilities.....but I came to know about it only when I went to register myself in Gemente thats municipality of Eindhoven...the official there were surprised at the amount we were paying for staying in Eindhoven....

So its normal to pay more in initial day s...in any place .....😊

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Yep, scams are not an Indian thing, but since the topic was about an first timer to India, it turned into the Indian hassle thing... If you go to Amsterdam as a backpacker you might encounter scams that are related to that city. A common one there is somebody offering a joint for a cheaper price than you can get in the coffee shops, two things can happen, either he takes you to a quiet alley (pretending that he can't deal in the open) and robs you or you pay for a joint with rubbish in it, like tea leaves or just plain old normal lawn type grass...

Every country has their scams and touts, mostly getting you for something specific, something they know the tourists comes for...

Giving to beggars I consider a personal matter, I don't do it, but others do. As long as you don't feel obliged to do it, even if the beggar in question makes you feel bad about not doing it, or actually especially if they make you feel bad for not doing so. And it is indeed a trade in the tourist places, just like any other. The best beggars are placed by their pimps at the best spots. So those at tourist places are real proffesionals 😊 With giving to beggars there is always the question if you are making things better or worse, or if you are helping or not. It might be better to give to a charity or something, somewhere that you trust and know that it goes to the right place and people. Again that is up to you.

You know in the end, scams, touts and beggars and all that, it is all part of the journey and it will open your eyes to a different world. There is a lot of poverty in this world, and in India you might see more of it, as in many developing nations, but at least it is more honest there. We have poverty as well in the west but it is hidden away, and it is different. Reply to this