I’m sorry, but I fail to see the difference between racial, ethnic, or national discrimination. All three are fundamentally the same thing. Sorry, Poagao, but you’re totally wrong on this point.
I can’t see that it is so difficult to see the distinction.
It happens on the ferry to Green Island and the local markets as well. At the fruit stand next to our house, I always get charged 10-20 NT more than my wife. Doen’t matter if my wife is with with me or not.
Yesterday I got some sweet revenge though when the fruit lady came into our lighting store to buy a light bulb. The price was clearly marked on it as 50 NT, however I insisted that this was only a wai guo ren price and that for her it is 70 NT. She paid and then mumbled something like “next time I until your wife is here.”
race/ethnicity does not equal nationality. If all non-French people miss out on a discount in France it would be a different situation than if all black people missed out on discount in France. I’m not condoning either one, but it’s a different situation.
very interesting. My GF (a foreigner) actually got a DISCOUNT at the Westin last week for having an ARC and thus being considered a “local.” 
[quote=“On The Brink”]I remember living in florida the state residents got discounted prices for almost everything. disney and other parks - discounted tickets, Bars-no covers, hotels - cheaper rooms, etc. made me want to switch my d/l over in a hurry.[/quote]Yeah…I think it has been mentioned before that in southern California, the Walt Disney theme parks have a % discount for people whose Drivers License address shows that they live in one of several southern California zip codes. However, this person can be of any race, color, creed, religion or body-type and still get this discount. The discount also applies to any guests they may bring with them. I have booked rooms at the Disney Land hotels for out-of-town guests and got the discounts. No problemo.
[quote=“bobl”]It happens on the ferry to Green Island and the local markets as well. At the fruit stand next to our house, I always get charged 10-20 NT more than my wife. Doen’t matter if my wife is with with me or not.
Yesterday I got some sweet revenge though when the fruit lady came into our lighting store to buy a light bulb. The price was clearly marked on it as 50 NT, however I insisted that this was only a wai guo ren price and that for her it is 70 NT. She paid and then mumbled something like “next time I until your wife is here.”[/quote]
Oh how I wish I’d seen that exchange!
[quote=“bobl”]It happens on the ferry to Green Island and the local markets as well. At the fruit stand next to our house, I always get charged 10-20 NT more than my wife. Doen’t matter if my wife is with with me or not.
Yesterday I got some sweet revenge though when the fruit lady came into our lighting store to buy a light bulb. The price was clearly marked on it as 50 NT, however I insisted that this was only a wai guo ren price and that for her it is 70 NT. She paid and then mumbled something like “next time I until your wife is here.”[/quote]
Hotels like to invent lots of different reasons for different prices, like airlines, so that they can charge whatever they like at any given point. It also means they do not have to repeat the discount they gave the man standing next to you because “oh but sir, his cousin twice removed once slept with a one-legged Afghani from Coventry and that means he gets the discount.” The Japanese usually get the shitty end of the stick because any holiday or flight promotion you see anywhere always “does not apply to the Japanese market because the Japanese are rich and were total cunts during the war.”
At the National Palace Museum foreigners show their passports and get in free. I went there and didn’t have my passport with me so I showed my ARC. I had to pay because I’m a “local” apparently.
These things cut both ways. Sometimes foreigners get things cheaper or for no charge. Like foreigner night at clubs where all the locals have to pay a cover charge, but not foreigners. When you’re rat arsed drunk on your scooter and/or don’t have a license and instead of writing you up, the cop just shakes his head and waves you on. Or when a cop pulls the local ahead of you over for not wearing a helmet and writes him a ticket and as a foreigner you get waved on. It’s happened to me. Sure, in Tainan their English may not be as good as in Taipei, which is certainly a contributing factor, but the point is that sometimes being a foreigner allows you to get away with stuff that as a local you wouldn’t.
As far as the hotels go. Back home, because of increased tourism from North America and Europe in the last 15 to 20 years prices have soared to bring them into line with “dollar prices”. It’s now a case where a South African can’t afford to go on a vacation in South Africa because it’s too expensive for a local. It’s cheaper to go to Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe or Mozambique than a few km’s from your home. Locals don’t get a discount.
I would prefer that we did. With exchange rates it’s not necessarily “discrimination”. However, in Taiwan they should at least give a local discount for a poor sod with an ARC.
[quote=“bismarck”]At the National Palace Museum foreigners show their passports and get in free. I went there and didn’t have my passport with me so I showed my ARC. I had to pay because I’m a “local” apparently.
These things cut both ways. Sometimes foreigners get things cheaper or for no charge.[/quote]Agreed. I was going to write the same (including the NPM example).
In Yilan, there are a couple places (Traditional Arts Museum, Dongshan River Park) where you can get a discount if you’re Yilanren. When a Taiwanese friend from Taizhong came over, I was able to flash my ARC and get the Yilan price while she got stuck paying the regular price. I gave her grief all afternoon about her being a waidiren.
Some of you seem to be missing the point. Truant’s mate wasn’t charged more because locals get a discount, or the Taiwanese government subsidizes their hotel rooms.
He was quoted higher prices because of the safety issues - whatever they are - inherent in having a foreigner stay in the hotel. Sounds like out and out racial discrimination to me.
How about a sticky for people to list foreigner unfriendly businesses? I for one would like to avoid them, and they shouldn’t mind. Afterall, if I’m not good enough for them then neither is my money. Right?
But there is a difference between the hotel charging all foreigners more based on the hotel’s policy and the individual cop that let’s you get off for free because he can’t speak English and doesn’t want to bother with you. At least I do not think that the laws make a difference between locals or foreigners nor that his superiors advised him to do so.
Curious though, which night clubs do not charge foreigners but locals?
[quote=“SuchAFob”][quote=“TomHill”]
Went to the Ritz Landis (ya do) in Taipei once. Me and Mrs Hill were to stay together on the Saturday night, then she went back to the chung and I was to stay an extra night. At the desk they told us it was (approx) 5 grand for the first night (2 people, double room) and then 7 grand for me to stay the next night in the same room. MrsHill went into crazy local speak and got the room for the same price for both nights.
She puked in the lobby there once, but thats another story.[/quote]
I more and more love Mrs. Hill.[/quote]
I feel the same way too.
I can understand why a public place subsidized by the government, such as a zoo or museum, would give discounts to residents and charge non-residents higher. Residents presumably pay taxes that subsidize the parks and museums; non-residents don’t. It’s the same principle that applies to the vast differences between in-state and out-of-state tuition for state-funded colleges and universities back in the States.
However, a private institution such as a hotel has no excuse for charging higher prices for non-residents. Taxpayers don’t fund hotels, not that I’m aware of.
I tend to think that you just have to be as careful about prices in Taiwan as you would anywhere.
About five years ago when I was the representative for my department on the union at work I was put on the committee responsible for arranging the annual company holidays. The committee decided that one trip to Kenting would be taken and another trip overseas. I was put in charge of arranging the Kenting trip. At that time, the Howard Beach Resort website quoted prices around NT$1,000 per night per room higher on their English site when compared to its Chinese site. We made sure that a local person made the booking.
Then, just recently, a new gym opened up not far from where I live in Taipei. My Christmas present to the wife was a one-year membership. When the wife and I went there to ask about prices the manager wanted me to sign up and he wanted to give me a price about NT$5,000 per year less than he was willing to give my wife! He didn’t seem embarrassed about it at all. It was just business.
But there is a difference between the hotel charging all foreigners more based on the hotel’s policy and the individual cop that let’s you get off for free because he can’t speak English and doesn’t want to bother with you. At least I do not think that the laws make a difference between locals or foreigners nor that his superiors advised him to do so.
Curious though, which night clubs do not charge foreigners but locals?[/quote]
Well, that would be in Tainan. I presumed it would be similiar elsewhere. In Tainan all nightclubs (dancing pubs) are free entrance for foreigners, even the Taiwanese oriented ones like LA Sight. On special occasions (like New Years) everyone pays, but usually not foreigners.
And that’s also just business. They probably reckon that the more foreigners inside will mean more local women and the guys buy drinks for them anyway. Also, the foreign guys probably have a reputation for drinking so they think they make money on us that way regardless of whether we pay cover charge or not.
But please, don’t get me wrong. I would be highly PO’ed if I was quoted more on a hotel than my wife. I’d make a big stink. Then I’d prefer to stay elsewhere, or have her make the booking. I usually do that anyway.
Pity you didn’t have Lord Lucan with you.
He could have gotten the room for you at 9 grand, or even more…
Wait? You can go to the NPM for free? And I’ve been paying a whole 30NT for two visits? Aww. Dumb me!
That’s not exactly true. Foreigners don’t pay on Foreigners’ Night (usually Fridays) but have to pay like everybody else on other nights. Similar to having one night a week as Ladies’ Night, and one night as Students’ Night. Of course if you wait until 3:30 A.M. anyone can get in for free…