1BADDAT

Always ask for a receipt. Don't move from the register until you have examined the receipt and your change. If there is a problem, show the clerk the receipt and the change that person handed to you. If you get the run around, stay where you are and ask for the Mgr. to do an inventory of the register. That is very time consuming so in most cases you will get the reminder handed to you.

If you still get the run around tell them you are calling the Police. If you still get the run around, call the Police and don't move from the register. As silly as these sounds, you will then get the correct change and push that scam back in their faces. Of course on small amounts you might just consider the rip off charity.

I've been here for 9 years and never had a problem with being short changed until this year. A week doesn't go by where I have to argue with a clerk or a waitress.

Be real careful with 500 THB and 1000 THB notes. When I hand them to a waiter or waitress I remind them what I am handing them. I even put my initials and date on the note in case I have to have a cash register inventory or pocket check done.

Remember, always ask for a receipt, even at the clinics and check your change.

When going through the BTS station or MRT change a 1000 THN note and always have 10 baht coins, and notes in 50’s and 100’s. Most of the taxi drivers always allege no change. Now it’s hard to get them to turn on the meter and if they do, it is either no change or they hold back some cash looking for a tip. Always give them the exact change. Don’t argue with them. If there is a problem pay them and snap a photo of the driver as you are exiting and a photo of the license plate as they drive away and report the incident. They may pull over and pay you or worse!

Money is drying up from inflation, higher taxes and more, so expect more of this. People who are hungry have nothing to lose!

Wow. No wonder some of them think foreigners are crazy. If I ever have this much time on my hands someone please shoot me. And if you are in front of me in line will you just accept the money that you thought you were ripped off from me so we can all move along with our day?

Good God, it's less than one cent.

Get a grip, or go home.

Its not the point, they are stealing.

It's the principle, not the money.

you guys are amazing. Drive across town and spend more money based on principle.

you need to know the lady for 2 years at least and show she is not a bar lady.

many ladies denied. especially with the USA.

if she dress too nice, it will be suspicious. it means she try to look good.

if you go casual with flip flop and t shirt you have more chance than dressing like a princess and high heel.

and where exactly did you get this information from? And is this recent? Because the political climate related to immigration is changing day to day.

You are fooled home being deceived in the pub

You travel to Thailand, you are being cheated in the same way. but in promoting languages.

Thenk There, Same jerk but a Sproket you do not understand

Could not have said it better myself.

Thailand is close and easy to get to. I think there will more Chinese coming to Thailand in the future; a lot more.

They haven't been talking about a fast rail link for nothing have they?

Who patronises all those shops selling $25,000 watches and Lamborghinis on the 2nd Floor of Paragon? Japanese, Korean, Chinese fat cats. Can't get them here in enough quantities I'd say, and Bangkok, is probably the cleanest, most efficient, most sophisticated and most interesting city in Asia.

Where else do you go shopping? Where else has shopping centres like we do here. Who else puts on Film Festivals with free admission. I'd like to know actually.

I love Bangkok but there is no way that you can believe its the cleanest, most efficient, most sophisticated city in Asia. I will agree that it might be the most interesting.

I agree about food being expensive especially eating out. Even Chipotle is $9 for a burrito and a drink.

Am I the only one who doesn't consider $10 for a meal "expensive"?

no

It was only $7 for the same thing when I left the US in 2010. Thats a big increase in 6 years. Thats a good 5% increase a year. Compare that to the 0-2% increase in social security.

That is just one example of many. Rents have gone up by more.

you are obviously not an economist.

I agree about food being expensive especially eating out. Even Chipotle is $9 for a burrito and a drink.

Am I the only one who doesn't consider $10 for a meal "expensive"?

no

I agree about food being expensive especially eating out. Even Chipotle is $9 for a burrito and a drink.

Less than 300B. About what you pay here for a quality burrito. Which we don't have! Sadly.

A Chipotle quality steak burrito here would be at least twice as much. Like you said, it doesn't exist here. I spend 300 baht for Mexican food at lunch here with a water. Mexican food in California is one good reason for me to go back.

None of them have an Ice skating rink yet...there is a plan for the New Harbor Mall to have an ice rink as well as some sort of snow park.

correct

This is the place he is referring to

Uhm Im confused. Is there another Central Festival Im not aware of. Isn't Central in Pattaya Klang?

The one on Klang is called "Central Festival Pattaya Beach"

the one at North Pattaya is "Central Festival something else I've forgotten as its been so long since I went there"

but also known as Big C North Pattaya

Its called Central something..but not called central festival.

Not at all. With an average IQ below 100, I am glad I had a better education than the Thai system.

IQ is a very poor measure of a person's intelligence. For example, an Australian Aboriginal would most likely flunk badly. However, if you were to put them in the middle of the Great Sandy Desert they would survive and thrive, whereas your educated Westerner would be dead in 1-2 days. Their survival skills are far superior in that situation.

The worldly accepted measure of intelligence (IQ) is a poor measurement of actual intelligence in your opinion. The desert survival test is a more accurate measurement of intelligence? I am pretty sure Steven Hawking would fail that test miserably. Does that mean he has a low IQ in your opinion?

More often than not I am more surprised how honest people are here. I have left my 5000 baht sunglasses on the restaurant table twice. I have no idea how much they thought they were worth, I just know they followed me to return them.

The other day I put my motorcycle helmet on my bike floor. When I came out from the shop it was gone. It is a cheap helmet for around town so I didn't really care too much but I didn't really want to go get another one. I turned around and the security guard had put it up for me at the desk he was at. I don't know if he had done it because it fell on the ground or not, I just know they made sure I got it before I left.

Hardly ever have an issue with cashiers and a few times they have actually returned money to me because I gave an extra 1000 instead of 100 (or similar). Only had one bad experience when it appeared the cashier at Family Mart was going to pocket the money instead of ring it into the register. Eventually she rang it up through the computer. I commented on that occasion and I was accused of being a thai basher...go figure.

The main thing that I have learned from Thailand is to try and stay calm and think things through rationally. I commend the OP for admitting he was wrong.

Can't believe so many people choosing the frigid Nordic countries. In fact anywhere in Europe. Even Canada has crap winter. Clearly lot of people on TV love snow

Vancouver winter isn't bad.

Vancouver? That is part of China. Just full of Chinese

Funny, when I went there I pass through Canadian immigration.

Even funnier is that I went through US immigration there.

Then it really does becomes cattle class.

Yes.

You know Ur getting fat when you sit in economy and your body flows over into the seats next to you, leaving the poor suckers in those chairs fighting for space.

^ I can't stand those fat people. They come and sit down and have to take up both arm rests and shoe horn themselves in. To get up takes assistance from someone next to them. They should make fat seats and charge by the Kilo over the base minimum like they do luggage. I fly a lot and I dread when I see some fat person walking towards me and then starts looking up at seat numbers. Its like a bad lotto game. Sadly most fat people stink too ( at least I have found that to be the case)

I think Southwest Airlines in the US was the first to enact this policy of charging for two seats. They don't have a business class (i dont think) so not an option. Below is the latest article i found.

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/fat-fly-passenger-sues-southwest-airlines-discriminatory-actions/story?id=16271932

I have the attention span of a bowling ball, but I found that very entertaining.

Man... that video is a treasure trove.

"She's half Chinese"

The video is funny for sure. There is a debate whether it is a wind up or if the guy is serious. I think it is a scripted joke but some people in Cambodia are saying they know the guy and he is actually this stupid. "Western girls just don't seem interested in dating guys." lol

Wonder why?

I was in PP last weekend and met a guy named Nick from NY the has lived in PP for 4 years. I talked to him for 5 minutes and I am convinced he is the same guy.

Pattaya Bigwing has a few used bikes outside, they dont get many

About the same price as internet sale sites

I bought my used CBR500 there. They were also willing to buy it back after 2 years but they didn't offer me what I wanted.

Last year I had a friend who made the mistake of keeping a Thai guy from bashing his own g/f - wife even more. And my Swedish friend got bashed ... and alcohol was involved. Intervening in domestic disputes is not a good idea.

About last October, a friend of mine moved a sign about 1/2 meter to park his g/f's car at a public park. This sign marked off parking spots for Samlor Tuk Tuk's. Six of the drivers immediately surround him and started a verbal barrage. My friend speaks Thai quite well and understood the threats being yelled at him and tried to calm them down. Then at full speed a guy with a big traffic cone jumped through the six guys and bashed my friend on the head with the hard plastic edge. This cut a 4-5 inch gash down to his skull and blood spurted everywhere. Well the hot headed drivers made a mistake. My friend is martial arts trained and the whack on his head did not phase him - only pissed him off. He then was attacked by the drivers one after another - with Muay Thai kicks ... My friend just grabbed their leg - then their throat and choked them out - put a thumb in the eyes of two of them and he then bashed their heads on a passing taxi and song taew. Three were down and my friend challenged the rest - they backed off. I was witness to this as I was running across the park and car park to get to him and calm him down. Police came -- several were arrested after they got out of the emergency room. They were later fined and given suspended sentences ... My friend was paid 20K baht for his medical bills - collected from the drivers by the Phuyaiban and the town attorney... Amazing Thailand.

Seems like a lot of trouble for a parking space.

A different place, a different day, different cops, a different weapon, a different Phuyaiban, and we may be reading about your deceased friend, or your friend in prison.

Sometimes I'm glad that mopping the streets with a bunch of thugs isn't even an option for me. I'd just have to find a different place to park. I can live with the shame.

My friend had no intention of disturbing anyone -- the movement of the sign did not displace even 1/10 of a parking space. No driver was displaced. My friend attempted in as calm a manner as possible to talk through the problem. But he had no choice but to fight back - he was viciously attacked just like the folks in Hua Hin ... You seem to have the odd take of the story that my friend intentionally went out looking for trouble. He has been in Thailand for 16 years - speaks Thai near native and was trying to defuse the situation. Your take that he was a foolish fist slinging cowboy is way off base. He had no choice but to fight his way out of it ... they had him surrounded and would not let him leave... Good Grief - all the keyboard know it alls --- you weren't there...

I am not saying what your friend did was wrong but it may not have been the best option. If he speaks fluent Thai and knew what the cones were for, then it probably would have been a better idea to just politely ask the taxi drivers if he could move the cone to park.

No more than normal,it's just becoming more visible due to an increased use of social media and the like.

You are very uninformed. The fact is that this phenomena is vastly increasing world-wide as the pressure of life is becoming unbearable for the 99% of non-elite. To say its normal is totally wrong (and dangerous for unsuspecting visitors), and Im surprised that so many equally ill-informed people agreed with you. However, I do agree that it is becoming more visible as taking a video of an atrocity is seen as "popular and cool and funny" rather than intervening as an individual/group/community as it detracts from the enjoyment of watching an innocent family being brutally mugged. But, more importantly, changing the culture of many Thais of being so aggressive and hateful toward innocent foreigners is necessary. As long as the culture of corruption (both financial and moral) prevail in Thailand the problem will never be solved. Clearly as there has been a very long hideous history of this in Thailand, I can only surmise that many Thais (particularly the authorities) just don't care and probably get off on it.

The best way to make your point invalid is to add a statistic that obviously makes no sense. The pressure is too great for 99% of the population? If it is unbearable, then what do they do exactly? They 99% fight among themselves? The 99% all attack the 1%?

Jonatong: You would probably be amazed at the varieties of theft in Thailand (and elsewhere.) For example, it's not uncommon for pickpocket gangs to pass off what they relieve from the "mark" two or three times. For bag snatchers, there ways to divert a "mark's" attention and then pass the stolen item to accomplices. Many people are amazed by the amount of thievery going on. I was in Vietnam so I've seen it all. I could go into a lot of detail but one of the most remarkable theft rings in Vietnam was run by the Sergeant Major of the Army and his ring of sergeants major at different locations. They WERE caught and did get terms at Leavenworth. The amount that they stole ran into the millions. There is more thievery going on all the time than most people realize.

I am not amazed at all by how much theft there is in the world. I am amazed that you decided to start a thread about a "theft ring at a supermarket" to warn others about a crime that wasn't actually committed. You saw the CCTV and had the bag when you left.

Have seen this guy before on second road. I wasn't too happy to see a large snake when I turned around. Good job Pattaya police.

Seems like the identity of man as 'provider' is more important to some than others.

Personally, from my perspective it seems like an outdated concept from previous generations. The world has moved on.

Since your wife earns more than you, did you stay home to raise kids?

Pattaya is somewhat unique in that it's a relatively small beach resort town with a seemingly endless appetite for retail.

Your definition of relatively small is a lot different than mine. Not going to get into population argument because it doesn't appear that are are good numbers for that. What I can say is that from the 34th floor of the Hilton, Pattaya looks massive to me. It just keeps going and going. Just look at sukhumvit road. Its 8 lanes in most places.

From that height, it's probably Bangkok that you're seeing...Pattaya proper is actually quite small. ☺

Suggesting that I am looking at Bangkok just shows that that you either don't have a clue or you just choose to ignore reality.

Germany

Pattaya is somewhat unique in that it's a relatively small beach resort town with a seemingly endless appetite for retail.

Your definition of relatively small is a lot different than mine. Not going to get into population argument because it doesn't appear that are are good numbers for that. What I can say is that from the 34th floor of the Hilton, Pattaya looks massive to me. It just keeps going and going. Just look at sukhumvit road. Its 8 lanes in most places.