Picture this: you’ve decided to try something adventurous on the weekend and you opt for jet-skiing. The operator tells you the ride costs only AED 50. Sounds amazing, right?

Bet it is until the point he throws you a four-digit bill.

This is exactly what jet ski operators in Al Mamzar are doing

Residents have been complaining of incidents where they were being asked to shell out crazy amounts for their jet ski rides.

Why?

Because of the jet ski “accidents” that take place during the ride – a scam modelled after similar kind of rackets in Phuket and Pattaya. Some companies operating jet skis work as organised gangs and target thrill-seekers.

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How the “accident” happens…

Indian expat Ravi Talreja shared his experience with the XPRESS where he says his ‘AED 50 joy ride turned out to be an AED 3,000 nightmare’. Midway into his jet ski ride he fell into the water while he was trying to avoid a collision with another jet ski – something orchestrated by one of the gang members. When he reached the shore he was given an AED 5,000 bill for “damages” which they claimed included a dent and water in the engine.

What followed:

Talreja was given two choices: either to pay AED 5,000 or get the jet ski repaired himself. But the latter would mean AED 1,000 in compensation each day – a price he’d have to pay for the loss of business the company would face.

With his Emirates ID kept as guarantee there wasn’t much choice for Talreja. He had to bargain for nearly 30 minutes before they brought the price down to AED 3,000.

He wasn’t the only one…

Two other groups were in the same situation with these jet ski operators at the time Talreja was. What’s extremely surprising though is that the incident happened less than a month after Sharjah Police confiscated 60 jet skis as part of an awareness campaign.

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