My gut feeling is the amount of discrimination you hear about regarding credit cards in particular is overblown. It’s not that you can’t get a credit card–it’s that these days you have to jump through extra hoops dealing with staff who just assume you can’t get a card because if any variable changes in their daily routine the answer is 沒辦法.
That’s not to say discrimination by incompetence isn’t a valid complaint–it’s still discrimination. It’s just not the systemic discrimination by built-in banking system rules that’s often brought up here.
Do we know the actual wording on the laws on discrimination? I am interested to know what Taiwanese companies are required to reform.
Go with one of us to Costco and stand in line behind us and listen to what they say when we ask to fill out a credit card application.
Watch how other companies standing near the exits of their stores offer all Taiwanese passing by the opportunity to fill out a credit card application and then see them pull the clipboard back in horror as one of us goes to ask to fill out an application.
I personally enjoy not having the correct “status” in this sense. Unless I am with my local friends or wife, I don’t get harassed by people handing out leaflets or other things.
There are days I feel pissed that I am not treated the same or even ignored by people who assume I don’t read / speak Chinese, but when I want to be left alone I am allowed to be left alone mostly (in Taipei, that is).
I definitely found that Taiwan is really accomodating to Visa runners.
However, many landlords rent property in Taiwan illegally for tax reasons. I have never found a house through English sources, but talking to a couple of friends it also seems that some landlords rent at aggressive (above-market) prices to foreigners who don’t know the market / only speak English.
This may account for why some landlords are willing to do this.
Based on what I have heard about how it is fairly easy to file libel suits in the courts here, it seems that people who have solid evidence of institutional discrimination could probably file this and maybe at least get the gears working in some institutions (banks).
I’m not sure how effective it would be in the short term, but I imagine that with enough trouble put on the predatory / discriminatory business, eventually they will have to do something about it.
It has gotten much better as of the last few years, yes. Some banks are stuck in the old days but a lot are more open to foreigners (but don’t think of asking for a personal loan, they won’t do it). But many times the jobsworth behind the desk can’t be bothered to do any work and would rather say 沒辦法. That’s why we need to be somewhat pushy at times
Wonder what would happen if after vacating a place, you claim itemized deduction for the rent at your previous place. If the taxman comes after you, show the bank payments made to the landlord and let him deal with it.
I think this mornings episode of overt racism has finally made my mind up. Taiwan sucks. Or at least there are a lot of really sucky people in Taiwan that like to make trouble for foreigners. I will never understand why this behaviour gets worse at exactly two different times of the year. The lead up to Chinese New Year and Summer Holidays. I’ve been well and truly beaten down by this “who sucks less” culture of mediocrity and ignorance. If I wanted to be treated like a second class citizen I would have stayed right where I was 20 fucking years ago. It never ceases to amaze me just how blatantly corrupt and hypocritical some Taiwanese can be. And usually those that have more money (or probably more debt and flashy things to be precise) are the worst offenders. And the rest of them just let them get away with it. 2020 has probably shown this more than any other year that I have been here. The retired public servant that liked to masturbate in the public swimming pool while staff politely ignored what he was doing made me sick. I mean this would be like 2 lanes away from kids in swimming classes. And it didn’t matter how many times you told the staff they never did a thing. If this is what Taiwan is going to be like then I really don’t want much of anything to do with it anymore.
Yes though ethnic Chinese are, generally, ok, even if they disclose they are entirely foreigners, foreign passport holders, etc.
Probably the highest earning foreigner that I know in Taiwan - from India - can’t even get a person to tell him ‘no’ that he can’t fill out an application.
Yep. For real. And I told staff on multiple occasions. One guy teaching a couple of kids just stood there shaking his head while watching this old guy whacking off in the very next lane. The first time I caught him doing it he was in the same lane as my kids. Staff did nothing.
From what I understand they tried to involve the police one time and that was it. Since then the guy has been going pretty much every weekend and masturbating at both ends of the pool. Usually near the kids classes.