Crafts Alive vendors accuse taxi operators of misleading tourists
During last week, some of the vendors at Crafts Alive invited this news site’s reporter to visit the area on Sunday April 12, 2015 to see for ourselves whether they are open for business on Sundays.
They accused some taxi men of telling visitors that Crafts Alive is not open on Sundays. According to some of the vendors, this is with a view to taking the cruise passenger on tours in order to benefit themselves.
Many of the vendors, all female, said that cruise passengers have expressed to them in dismay that they were told that the Crafts Alive booths do not open on Sundays.
One woman, who did not want her name recorded, said it has been happening for years.
She said that during the week business is not bad but on Sundays and holidays things slow down and this she blames on the misinformation being peddled to the visitors.
The woman wants the matter addressed because she said she needs to ensure her business is sustainable. She said right now the money is only circulating to pay bills and replenish stock.
She doesn't want her name mentioned as she said that she was afraid somebody will come and close her down.
Another woman said, “on most occasions from my experience on Sundays and holidays, the tourists would be coming and questioning how are we open saying that the taxi guys told them that all over was closed…nothing to buy nothing to do. The only thing to do was to go on island tour or go back to the ship.”
Asked how long this has been taking place the woman said that it has been happening for years.
None of the women wanted to give their names or have their photographs taken for fear of victimisation by taxi drivers.
We open…ship or no ship
Another elderly woman, who operates one of the shops in Crafts Alive, said the problem has been ongoing for years.
“The tourists telling us that the taxi people telling them that most of the places like Crafts Alive are closed on Sundays. That’s not true. Some of us open every day. Ship or no ship…every day,” she said. “This has been going on for years and they need to stop that because some of the tourists when they walk around they ask, ‘how they say here is closed?” she said.
“It is as if the taxi men want to make money for themselves and carry the tourists on tour and bring them back to the ship,” she said. “It is just those who walk around and see that here is open who come in,” said the woman. “They are messing us up because when they do that you’re not seeing many people coming,” she said, referring to the taxi drivers.
Crafts Alive not open at 7.00 am when ships come
Meanwhile, President of the BVI Taxi Association Karl ‘Dub’ Scatliffe said the statements by the vendors are not entirely true.
“From my experience I know when the ships come in around 7:00 am most of the vendors of Crafts Alive are not open at that time so what we normally would tell the tourists is that we will take them on tour and on their way back we would stop them at Crafts Alive then they could walk back to the ship.”
He said that they would inform the tourists that the VI is a Christian community so on Sundays many places are not open until after a certain time. “We know that they are open. It is just that they are not open the time that the ships come in,” said Scatliffe. He said, however, he is not able to speak on behalf of independent taxi drivers who outnumber the members of the Association.
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21 Responses to “Crafts Alive vendors accuse taxi operators of misleading tourists”
Who should we believe then?
The problem is that they think they could just sit by their door step and people should just come in because they have a business. Where are the efforts by the business owners to get out there and hustle just like the taxi men. There are no free rides in business, get your @$$€$ up and promote yourselves. Where is the Crafts Alive Union that should be out there as one unit getting things done for the benefit of everyone in that complex? The energy used to b**x ch and moan would be better spent putting something positive forward. Further, what do these businesses sell? Would locals want little keep sakes from them? We don't know, why? Because nobody markets their goods. Suppose I have family visiting, why should I have them stop at crafts alive? Put yourselves out there, market yourselves, from a group within yourselves to lobby for your businesses. Stop the damn whining!