Help! Our Bikes Were Vandalized!

[Rudy47]

My husband & I parked our rented motorbikes in a public area near walking street. We both rented Finos. On our return from the restaurant, both our bikes' seats were stabbed & slashed with a knife. Someone had also carved up the body of the bikes with very deep grooves.

We figure the shop where we rented them from will attempt to charge us a lot using their own repair shops. Maybe/maybe not? They have 2000 baht deposit and a copy of our passports. We're honest people and will pay for this.

We have 2 more weeks in Pattaya and was wondering if anyone can please help us find an inexpensive shop to have these repairs done before returning them to the shop in 2 weeks? We've both saved up all year and did so many hours of overtime just so we could make this 3 week holiday.

Any serious help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Phyllis & Rudy Stone

[Thaifan2]

Sorry to hear .Never happened to me ,in many years of hiring in Pattaya .By the way many ,hire people will take just 1,000 baht as deposit plus a photo copy of your passport .I would never leave them my passport .Never heard of them asking for a deposit plus passport ,its usually either or .

Many bike repair shops in Pattaya .They are all over the place .Don't have a personal recommendation as thankfully have never had to get a bike repaired in Pattaya so far ,touch wood .

[piker]

Somewhat unrelated, there was an old scam that I read about where the owners of the rental shops would follow the customers and either steal the motorbike using their copy of the key or remove a small part that would prevent the bike from starting. Then the customer would likely contact the shop who would gladly help by sending a mechanic of their choice who would charge an exorbitant amount for the "repair."

I hope someone can give you the advise you require. Good luck and happy holidays from now on.

[thai_narak]

Somewhat unrelated, there was an old scam that I read about where the owners of the rental shops would follow the customers and either steal the motorbike using their copy of the key or remove a small part that would prevent the bike from starting. Then the customer would likely contact the shop who would gladly help by sending a mechanic of their choice who would charge an exorbitant amount for the "repair."

I hope someone can give you the advise you require. Good luck and happy holidays from now on.

this is unlikely. normally when there's a problem with a rental bike or car the company should replace it free of charge. they should have insurance or something to protect them in their rental business and they know the risks.

my advice is, return the bikes and complain to the owner that they were bandalised and you cannot use them in these condition. demand that they replace them ASAP or return your money back.

enjoy your holiday!

[thai_narak]

by the way, if the owner have insurance he may need your help to get a police report on the incident so he can claim the damages back.

you did read the agreement aren't you?

[tropo]

This story is very worrying.

Perhaps you parked your bike somewhere it shouldn't have been and the property owners got angry. Perhaps you parked them in a motorcycle taxi spot...those guys can be ruthless. Maybe one of your "girlfriends" got jealous??

Did you report this to the police?

I would just return them to the shop...not all rental companies are scammers.

Even if you took them to a repair shop it's likely the bike owner will notice something is not right and charge you anyway.

Edited November 27, 2007 by tropo

[Thaifan2]

>>Perhaps you parked them in a motorcycle taxi spot...those guys can be ruthless. <<

Very true .The one sure way to have agro in Pattaya ,is to park on a motorcycle taxi bay .

[sweetchariot]

By the way many ,hire people will take just 1,000 baht as deposit plus a photo copy of your passport .I would never leave them my passport .Never heard of them asking for a deposit plus passport ,its usually either or .

Please read the OP before commenting.

this is unlikely. normally when there's a problem with a rental bike or car the company should replace it free of charge. they should have insurance or something to protect them in their rental business and they know the risks.

my advice is, return the bikes and complain to the owner that they were bandalised and you cannot use them in these condition. demand that they replace them ASAP or return your money back.

Please visit Thailand before commenting.

To the OP,

indeed I would recommend that you find a garage to fix this for you, as if you take them back in this condition you will likely pay many times the going rate to have them fixed.

Yes, they only have a copy of your passport, but a 'friendly' local policeman will call immigration for a 'donation', and you will be unable to leave the Kingdom until the bill is settled.

I really feel for you, this is a &lt;deleted&gt; intro to LOS, and many reasons why I left the UK. I have a car and 3 m/bikes, and would not leave any of them anywhere walking street for more than a few minutes. m/cyc taxis are very cheap, just put it down to experience (a nasty one), and leave your bikes at home.

Enjoy the next few weeks, Pattaya is amazing and hopefully you both will forget the 10k or so that it costs to get your m/cycs fixed.

Have FUN, and ignore the sychophants on this forum x

[bino]

As mentioned by another poster, I'm willing to bet that you inadvertantly and unknowingly parked in a taxi stand and it was the motocy taxi drivers that nailed you.

Unlike the rest so far, let me offer some practical advice.

The Fino is a relatively new model in Thailand, it has only been available for about a year.

You might find someone who can re-upolster the seat, but it probably won't look original. Same with trying to remove / buff out the scratches from the plastic parts.

Therefore, any parts or repairs that would pass the inspection on return to rental company would probably have to come directly from Yamaha.

Go for a ride around Pattaya and scope out the Yamaha dealers... wherever you see new Finos for sale on the sidewalk. There are bound to be several. (I'm in BKK- can't offer exact locations. Perhaps a member from Pattaya can recommend a good Yamaha dealer?)

Drop in on two or three of them and get them to give you a price- go with the cheapest.

[Thaifan2]

Quote ,Sweetchariot > "Please visit Thailand before commenting."<

How condescending can you get ,LOL !

I live in Thailand for a couple of months each year ,and have done so ,for the last 6 years .

Still can not see your point ,and what i said wrong ?

[Thaifan2]

OK ,on rereading i see that the hirer has a passport copy ,not the passport .

[Rudy47]

Thank you for all your replies. Interesting theories. I think we'll go make a police report with the tourist police in the morning for what it's worth and hope the shop has some insurance.

[tropo]

Thank you for all your replies. Interesting theories. I think we'll go make a police report with the tourist police in the morning for what it's worth and hope the shop has some insurance.

Unless you paid extra for insurance, you'll be covering 100% of the costs yourself. Even with insurance you'll probably only be covered for 50%.

You'll be paying...there's no way out of it.

One member suggested going around to find out how much a Yamaha shop would charge you to repair the damage. It could be a good idea to find out the going repair rate so that when you take it back to the rental shop you'll know if you are being charged fairly.

Just remember that it's unlikely they'll be satisfied until the bike looks exactly like new (original) so that may require replacing all the panels that are deeply scratched. There's could be a difference in the quality of repairs that you'd be happy with if it was your own bike, compared to what the owner of the bike wants.

I would just go back to the owner and try to negotiate the best possible settlement with some knowledge of what the repair costs should be.

[threelegcowboy]

"I would just go back to the owner and try to negotiate the best possible settlement with some knowledge of what the repair costs should be."

Correct.

Also be able to tell the shop owner the location of where this happened. He might go sort out the people who did this. Most rental bikes have rental logos that identify which shop it is.

Also your behavior after you parked the bike or where you parked(taxi or business parking only).

[Cuban]

> ...if the owner have insurance he may need your help to get a police report

> of the incident so he can claim the damages back.

Take Pictures of the damage.

Fill out a police report, it will be in Thai, they will probably ask to see your Passports (maybe driving licence but unlikely), go about 9am to Soi 9 police station - less busy then. Get a copy of the report, photocopy it.

Many motorbike repair shops all over the place - get a quote(s) for repairs.

(( If you are not happy/comfortable with the Thai Scoooter shed/tent shops, visit a farang run Big Bike Shop - they will point you in the right direction. ))

Now you are prepared to go and talk to the rental shop where you took the bikes from, armed with the police report and prices you can better understand what costs will be and whether this will be an insurance claim or out of your pocket expenses.

Likely cause was parking in a bike-taxi spot or cutting someone up while driving that then followed you.

[naka]

There's practically no chance the owners would have insurance.

I would go with your original plan.

Go to a good repair shop and get the parts replaced with identical genuine replacements.

Will not really matter which small repairer you go to, they will just nip down the road and

pick up the parts from the local wholesaler.

Might be a good idea to visit one of the big bike sellers (3rd road etc) and get some idea of the parts costs.

Park your bikes at a distance and walk to the shop.

Naka.

Edited November 28, 2007 by naka

[LeungKen]

There's practically no chance the owners would have insurance.

I would go with your original plan.

Go to a good repair shop and get the parts replaced with identical genuine replacements.

Will not really matter which small repairer you go to, they will just nip down the road and

pick up the parts from the local wholesaler.

Might be a good idea to visit one of the big bike sellers (3rd road etc) and get some idea of the parts costs.

Park your bikes at a distance and walk to the shop.

Naka.

Yes I reckon Naka is right.

Cut your losses and save yourself the time and just go to genuine Yamaha dealership

and replace all necessary bits.

Cheers & Good Luck

[thai_narak]

Please visit Thailand before commenting.

sweetchariot, have you seen my location just under my avatar? i don't have to visit thailand because i live there.

gosh, some people here are idi0t...

[sweetchariot]

Please visit Thailand before commenting.

sweetchariot, have you seen my location just under my avatar? i don't have to visit thailand because i live there.

gosh, some people here are idi0t...

My humble apologies. Perhaps I should have said please learn something about Thailand before commenting.

There are lots of monkeys that live here too, luckily they haven't learned to type yet, but when they do perhaps they could offer some more insightful advice.

I agree, some people here are idiots.

[thai_narak]

Please visit Thailand before commenting.

sweetchariot, have you seen my location just under my avatar? i don't have to visit thailand because i live there.

gosh, some people here are idi0t...

My humble apologies. Perhaps I should have said please learn something about Thailand before commenting.

There are lots of monkeys that live here too, luckily they haven't learned to type yet, but when they do perhaps they could offer some more insightful advice.

I agree, some people here are idiots.

apology accepted.

don't eat too much banana...

[Humphrey Bear]

So, 20 posts and not one recommendation, apart from going to the main Yamaha dealer.

While this is sensible, it is not cheap.

My wife uses a repair shop in Soi 17, near the Liberty Mansions building - but there are a couple of others in this street. Personally I would try to get a Thai to handle the matter for you.

There are so many posters on this site who claim to use motor-bikes, yet it seems none of them know of a good, cheap, repair shop.

[farangtingtong]

Write down the engine number and/or licenseplate details.

Try to find a sticker showing where the is bought.

Go there and ask the people whether this bike has a all-damage insurance (pretty normal with young bikes).

If yes, go back to the rental service and they'll probably keep the deposit as an exess amount. (also normal with Thai insurances)

[Rudy47]

So, 20 posts and not one recommendation, apart from going to the main Yamaha dealer.

While this is sensible, it is not cheap.

My wife uses a repair shop in Soi 17, near the Liberty Mansions building - but there are a couple of others in this street. Personally I would try to get a Thai to handle the matter for you.

There are so many posters on this site who claim to use motor-bikes, yet it seems none of them know of a good, cheap, repair shop.

My husband and I went to the Mityon shop on Pattaya Klang corner soi Arunotai. They would loan us bikes while doing the body work. Total cost 3,550. Anyone with an opinion of this price? Thank you for all your replies.

[MisterFingers]

So, 20 posts and not one recommendation, apart from going to the main Yamaha dealer.

While this is sensible, it is not cheap.

My wife uses a repair shop in Soi 17, near the Liberty Mansions building - but there are a couple of others in this street. Personally I would try to get a Thai to handle the matter for you.

There are so many posters on this site who claim to use motor-bikes, yet it seems none of them know of a good, cheap, repair shop.

My husband and I went to the Mityon shop on Pattaya Klang corner soi Arunotai. They would loan us bikes while doing the body work. Total cost 3,550. Anyone with an opinion of this price? Thank you for all your replies.

Seems reasonable to me.

[PhilHarries]

So, 20 posts and not one recommendation, apart from going to the main Yamaha dealer.

While this is sensible, it is not cheap.

My wife uses a repair shop in Soi 17, near the Liberty Mansions building - but there are a couple of others in this street. Personally I would try to get a Thai to handle the matter for you.

There are so many posters on this site who claim to use motor-bikes, yet it seems none of them know of a good, cheap, repair shop.

My husband and I went to the Mityon shop on Pattaya Klang corner soi Arunotai. They would loan us bikes while doing the body work. Total cost 3,550. Anyone with an opinion of this price? Thank you for all your replies.

I am not currently in Pattaya, nor do I ride a m/c nor do I have an idea whether the price is right but I do know a bit about bodywork repairs. As has been said earlier NO repair to any plastic fairing is going to look exactly as new. There is a possibility that the repair MIGHT be good enough to pass a cursory glance but it might not and then you'll be stuck with an arguement regarding damage and repairs and end up paying anyway. You could drive around a lot and try and hide the areas with dirt and hope they don't wipe it clean during inspection. You could just return them and blank the rental shop when they accuse you of damage (from your OP I would guess you're not this kind of person) but you are likely then to be meeting the BiB (police) which will cost you more.

Personally I'd either go the get quotes and come clean route or get total replacement identical genuine parts.

[nonameidentified]

there's a little bike shop at Naklua just opposite the market and beside the famous tree. This young guy is very decent and does not overcharge. he tells you what's best for the bike. If the body of your bike's scratch, usually it takes at least one day for them to order the components. And hey, the Yamaha dealer will be a lot more expensive actually and takes a lot more time. About 2 weeks.

I've got experience with my Yamaha Nouvo which I've got a little accident and the body got scratched.

I've checked the price at Yamaha but it way too expensive and they'll take too long to repair it. I've got the other guy to do it and they did it right and good. They've got the same kind of stickers for the body and they repaired them correctly. it's as good as new now.

Personally, I will go with the idea of repairing them rather than reporting the police or confronting the bike rental shop. They are too capable to ask you to pay up or you'll even end up paying more than what it could have been for the repairs. And the police wouldn't be that helpful either. They'll be on the thai side as usual.

But if you're looking up to repair the bikes, try finding a thai reliable enough to go with you to help you out.

I wish you all the best! Must felt really shitty to have your holidays started off this way.

[begsaresponse]

Thank you for all your replies. Interesting theories. I think we'll go make a police report with the tourist police in the morning for what it's worth and hope the shop has some insurance.

Its best reported to the Police Station Beach Road, corner of Soi 9. I would be surprised if the Tourist Police take your report. Normally people who go to them are referred to the Police Station Beach Road.

[bino]

My husband and I went to the Mityon shop on Pattaya Klang corner soi Arunotai. They would loan us bikes while doing the body work. Total cost 3,550. Anyone with an opinion of this price? Thank you for all your replies.

Seems reasonable to me.

I agree. This does sound reasonable. The bike will be fixed properly by a dealer. Furthermore, their generous offer to give you bikes to ride while they do the work lessens the impact of being without transportation for a day or several of your holiday.

You might save a few hundred baht of labour cost by finding a backyard or "tent" mechanic who will go to Yamaha and buy the same parts and install for you, but the workmanship may be poor (and / or slow), and he will probably not be able to offer motorcycles for you to use during the repair.

I don't know where you come from, but I can say that repairs of this nature would be substantially more expensive from a Yamaha dealer (at least double, possibly triple or more) in my home country of Canada. 3550 is about 120 CAD, so sixty bucks each for new seats and plastics does not seem unreasonable to me at all.

It might be a piece of your vacation budget which you worked hard and saved carefully for- but look at the bright side. The bikes could have been stolen (not uncommon in Thailand / Pattaya) and you would have been forking out substantially more.

[Cuban]

I got a price for misc bike seats last night, about 450 Baht each.

3,xxx Baht sounds fair to resolve the problem, cheaper than you will be charged at the hire shop.

[Asiacat]

Where exactly did you park?

It's a bad situation for you and I can see no way that you aren't at the very least going to be a few thousand baht out of pocket but it may be fair to warn other members of the wherabouts of this phantom slasher.

I'm very sorry your holiday has started off like this. I hope however it doesn't totally ruin your well earned break. What's done is done, don't let it ruin your enjoyment of the rest of your holiday.