.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
moonseeker
-
Posts
2,006 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by moonseeker
-
-
Anybody seen prof./quality concert/stage trussing in town in any shop or maybe online in/from Thailand? THX. MS>
-
- Popular Post
Having lived in Pattaya for many, many years and always ready to assist if needed, I have been helping out in quite a few death cases of friends & friends of friends.. Simple ones & very complicated ones.
This is not to give out guidelines how to prepare for the final event, which is very important, too, but to point people in the right direction, if they ever need to organize or help out a friend locally or a family overseas. I have also a couple of honest & reliable lawyers for death and other cases. No back-yard "Do it all firms with 50% discount", real lawyers.
I have dealt with quite a few embassies, most of them are much more reliable, friendly and helpful then what we read on the forums, I have not had one negative experience really with at least 8 different nations. Best ever was the US embassy in a very sad case and also French, Swiss & German are quite good. Most others are very efficient, but might not be able to provide full services, as long as friends & family are around, that can take matters in their own hands.
One myth I definitely have never seen happen in 17 years is the "sealing of condo or home and/or taking possession of property of the deceased" by an embassy representative. Organize this part with your "best friend" & clear instructions.
In a home death case the local police shows and they are usually quite efficient working with the SB-Foundation which brings the body to BKK for mandatory autopsy in the police-hospital. Often they have several cases waiting in the morning. Transport cost a moderate 2'000.--
Then the real work of getting all documents organized, cremation and/or repatriation or burial or scattering of ashes in Thailand, begins
I have used several companies in the past, mostly gone with embassy recommendations, as language is always an issue.
In a very recent, still ongoing case, I decided to contact 4 different companies, all offering international services, located in BKK.
3 of them answered within hours on a Saturday. One with very basic info & offer. 2nd. one, large outfit, more detailed and still fair priced, but not cheap. Third one emailed within 30 minutes with a very friendly and personal letter and followed-up with a call to offer her support 3 hours later.
This was an easy decision. The third one it was. Kh. Dao from ALLISON-MONKHOUSE / http://www.funeralrepatriation.com/contact really knows how to take care of her clients.
Wow. In touch with further info 22.00 Saturday night and 3 times during Sunday afternoon. Ongoing Cc-updates on any efforts with family, local embassy and overseas foreign ministry. This in fluent E, Thai & French, where needed, obviously 1 person involved at Swiss embassy is French speaking.
By Monday morning 9 am I had copies of her efforts to get some urgent docs form the embassy, that only just heard about the death Fri afternoon & to my surprise by noon !!!! I received the all clear for documents and a complete itinerary of what was going to happen this week, including cremation date & time for next Saturday.
Procedures can be quite involved, as there is paperwork needed from overseas, from BKK and from Pattaya and officers attending the scene must be seen and various steps incl. getting documents translated and possessions secured and shipped.
I have never seen a more prof. & efficient service in this respect and am sure that Kh. Dao & Kh. Pim, as well as her team will be a valuable asset during hard hours of a death of friend or family.
Cost start at about 35'000.-- for a straightforward case, but can go higher obviously, depending on the demands and necessities.
No, I have no shares in that company. In fact talked to these people first time last Friday!
Hope this link helps some people, feel free to write me if you need more information! Wish all other things in Thailand would work half a good as this company and it would really be paradise. TIP OF THE DAY: Sign up for good health insurance, if you have none! Good night. MS>
-
4
-
Anyone with instructions or knowledge of:
- How to find 5.1 movies on Netflix?
Can't see any even on the drop down audio-menu of each movie?
- How to play them via my surround setup.
I play from computer via HDMI to receiver/amplifier. Prof. setup.
- Do I need to apply filters in laptop or just stream from laptop and decoding takes place
in receiver as it does with downloaded DTS/Dolby 5.1 movies after correct setup with filters etc.?
Thank you. MS>
-
3rd. visit lat night from 19.30 - 23.00
-Obviously still staff problems with few girls on the floor. Will be very difficult to resolve with state of local work-ethics!
-Good mixture of guests, about 60% occupied on gr. floor. OK for Monday and compared to other venues.
-Band shows some improvement, but is just the wrong venue for them to play, also too loud. Why does HOOTERS Pattaya have to have
a live bad at all?? Plenty of loud venues down the road. Play some great music, re-arrange the speakers for quality and not volume and people might stay and enjoy themselves.Seen very few groups staying on after dinner.
-Add couple big screens out-front.
-Try to somehow get a warmer feel to the place to pull in people. Lights? Candle glasses along beachfront bar, torches?
-DJ tries to entertain, but same bull-ride routine and all girls doing their pathetic dance routines - sorry Thais just can't move - every hour or so.
Certainly quite boring and trivial after second visit.
-Waitresses still running around trying to match food to tables & guests, while food gets cold. Jez..., after almost 3 weeks this should not happen anymore. Train your staff! Get a system going.
-Another problem will be girls with the typical local "I am beautiful attitude & faces" There are a couple natural smiley ones, but just not enough. The best one was missing last night, a little speedy and very attentive, funny and friendly waitress with great E. Will be tough to find natural ones
who realize working is part of life in most parts of the world and for most people.
-Food was good and portions huge. Took a while, but that is fine......
-Get a dedicated couple girls to set-up or rather clean tables. What a mess!!
-Get a floor manager, that knows what he is doing, the skinny Farang looks totally lost and just does not present enough for a place like this. Neither does he catch up on people wanting to order, pay or on dirty tables or problems with guests, that girls can't resolve themselves.
>>>>> Train staff....It is just the wrong vibes & feel, still. And guests do feel this and do comment on it.
Some improvements, but still no HOOTERS atmosphere, still an overall amateurish feel to the entire operation.
Keep going guys and make it happen! Plenty of us want you to be successful! MS>
-
1
-
-
There are many options to help you. You could only eat papayasalad and donate your TV to some poor family. You could delete/supress the Fox channel or you could use the button on your remote to watch another channel. If you need help how to do this, there should be some experts ready to instruct. Or as you suggest, call the cops. I actually enjoy some of Fox News and some of the Fake-Blonds are well educated, smart and successful. Of course no match for the local available real black-haired ones.....5555......and if it gets real bad you can always watch some Thai soap-drama.....Enjoy.....MS>
-
What a PITY !!!! We just went to HOOTERS for the third time, but this time we turned "at the gates to heaven". Still this absolutely horrific band, which was the man reason we left. The song they played was so "out-of sync" it was beyond amateurish. There were about 40 guests in total, few waitresses, the funny girl with a personality -mentioned before - trying to get guests coming in at the door. If you can't find a band that can really entertain the people, just get a fun DJ and start playing a good mix of oldies, soft rock with the occasional contemporary hit. Many of us would like a clean place with good food & drinks and great music. Keep trying! MS>
-
Wow Susan, you really are fired up. I think we have plenty of low-class people and crooks of any nationalities here in this lovely town. But we also have some good people. Most on TV and in your particular post so far, seem quite reasonable and friendly.
Read the Condo Act below and sort out what is truth & fiction.
I have been on several committees for many, many years and the kind of accusations we hear all the time of fraud & embezzlement, mostly originating from people who can not even read a budget or basic balance sheet, just blow my mind. They also feel, while allover the world prices raise, Pattaya anything on slae in Tghailand should be frozen at price levels of 20 years ago, incl. Condo-Fees. :-)
Any straightforward questions with factual details & background will certainly find an answer on this forum. Take it easy. MS>
http://www.samuiforsale.com/law-texts/new-thailand-condominium-act-2008.html
-
Thank you. Just found good choice online. Nice evening...MS>
-
As normal I think the Condo act is not clear.
On reflection I do not know if the Condo act says the number of committee members must be 3 or more up to a maximum of 9 members or if it allows a Condo to set any number between 3 and 9. I have always felt the former not the latter. My translation says:
"37. The Management committee comprising not less than three and not more than nine members shall be appointed by the resolution at a general meeting."
When it comes to committee members serving more than 2 terms again I feel this is always possible provided there are vacant spaces in the 9 allowed. So you can vote in 4 new members and 3 more who have already served 2 terms.
It is possible for owners to refuse to re-elect committee members. It has often been argued that electing a committee member is a motion and as such requires a majority vote of those present to elect them. Some have even argued that you have to get more than 25% of all the owners to be elected, similar to electing a JP.
Since the JP can be a company it does not really make sense to limit them to 4 years, do you have to keep changing company every 4 years? But I understand when one individual is JP and becomes a dictator then the owners must act to oust them. Not impossible if the majority of owners think the JP is acting against the interests of the building. The only time I hear of it being 'impossible' to get rid of a JP is when those owners can not even get 20% of the owners to support a change, ie a small group want to do things their way?
Exactly, not clear. Maybe clearer in Thai version??? As unclear as the votes required for electing members. In another condo I serve on, which by vote allows multi-term members to stay on, we use the majority system, absence of clear Condo Act definition. The land-office told us way back (many years), when few condos even had a translated Act or committee, to vote on any unclear issues and go ahead, if majority of present owners want go for a certain issue. This would in case of very unlikely court action result in a compromise. We have never been questioned about the deposited Minutes of any AGM since.
Section 44 The/ (A?) resolution of the general meeting shall be by the majority of votes of joint-owners attending the meeting unless this Act will have provided otherwise.The initial question remains open. Thanks & nice weekend. MS> -
Dear all:
I need a quality respirator / face mask to protect from organic vapors etc. Seen anything like this around town? Thanks a lot. MS>
http://www.gemplers.com/product/10164/3M-Paint-Pesticide-Respirator
-
The Condo act takes precedent over the rules and regs of a Condo. The Condo act says maximum of 9 - that is the number to use regardless of what your rules and regs say.
Thank you Briley. Fully agreed & understood. BUT, can we still add "old" members to the min. numbers of 3 or do we have to leave it at 3 new members? THX> MS>
-
Thank you all kindly. MS>
-
Condo Act means minimum of 3 and maximum of 9 on committee. Your R & R says 5 so you should only have 5 on committee. That number can be changed to something between 3 and 9 at next AGM if majority of owners approve.
Thank you. Can these be 3 new members & 2 old ones, which already served 2 full terms? Or are they excluded and there will be only 3 legal new members.Thank you. MS>
-
Thank you. R. & R. states 5 members, which contradicts the present Condo Act. Not a clear situation really.....THX. MS>
-
Switching from big bikes to small one. Already drive nice 135-ccm Nuovo, 2014.
Would like to get new one. Any recommendations? What is the ideal automatic bike for in-town driving only. 6'6"/90kg.
Thank you. MS>
-
Dear all:
Legal question for the experts:
Large Condo Juristic Person, difficulty finding willing & suitable members. Condo Act stipulates 3 - 9 members. Not more then 2 terms, unless no suitable replacement found.
What, if we add 3 new members this year? Can previous members with 2 terms stay on legally with voting right up to the number of 9 or less, as otherwise we are leaving it up to a very small group of 3 people to make important decisions?
I am aware that much in the law here is theory, unless or even if you contest violations :-)
How should we proceed at the AGM in this case?
Thank you kindly. MS>
-
Where is best place in neighboring countries to get a tourist visa? Friend, with EU passport has used up his first one that was issued in his home country and would like to stay another 2 months. Cambodia or Laos? Any ideas about present requirements? Clean passport, no visa-runs or back-to back stamps.Thanks all. MS>
-
Yup, it's the staff here, people won't take their job seriously, because it has never been expected from them.
Farang friendly managers? Very difficult task, unless they pay 5 star hotel salaries, it won't happen.
You mentioned posdibly hiring few gay guys, great idea, except even Boyztown businesses can't find good, reliable staff.
If I ran Hooters, I'd hire mostly ladyboys. They can extremely efficient and competent at customer service. They would bring in curious tourist, I'm convinced! One small issue tho, I'd have to pay them about 30.000 thb a month, anything less and they wouldn't bother working, they make more freelancing.
And we are back to staffing!
Good idea! And it would create a huge PR for HOOTERS allover the world. Free! Good night for now. MS>
-
Top-season with 833 hotels offering plenty of vacancies & many offering big discounts. WOW. Certainly business is down. Passed by LK around 19.15.....Almost totally deserted with very few people in empty bars & restaurants. I live on a busy Soi, with several well-know hotels, restaurants and some bars. None of them ever been full this season and streets are the most quiet ever. No screaming girls or drunk farangs in the early morning-hours. There might be plenty of "new & different" tourists in town. But certainly I am missing the good old days with a certain party-atmosphere in Soi 8 & 7 and even in Walking Str. and then the quieter months to realax on empty beaches to refuel for the good nights with friends visiting.
LK Metropole is nice for a visit, but gets depressing, Jesus...what a crowd....I feel sorry for the old guys having to walk along the crazy traffic in Soin Boukaoa. Times are changing..They always have :-) MS>
-
Moonseeker, the Hooter's bosses should hand you $10,000US to clean the place up. Seriously.
From the video, not a single greeter or staffer near the front. Could see the heads of two staffers rushing to tables but it looks woefully under-staffed, as you say. These stories are legion in Pattaya and Thailand in general, but I know two restaurants that suffered because of lack of staff: one had to close (Darkside fast-food place with long thread on Pattaya subforum) and another had to close down morning operations and open mid-afternoon. Another way around it seems to be to hire only Cambodia/Burmese staff. A friend owns and runs a small but respected Japanese bar/resto on soi 33 Bangkok. All Burmese and all with proper work permits. She has no staffing problems. Ahem . . .
Thank you kindly. It sure itches, every-time I see & observe start-ups.
It takes a few hours to assess the most pressing problems and probably 2 days of observing the operation and get familiarized with HOOTERS policies. These problems are soooooo....common here in Thailand especially in Pattaya, but also in other countries, when people dream of easy success. It takes forever to establish a good team and you will still have almost daily surprises here.
I did not expect this to happen @ HOOTERS, just thought they are prepared for "Thai-ways". But even some BIG name industrial companies struggled to establish functioning operations or gave up altogether. It is beyond me how investors can risk such huge amounts without understanding local culture and it's impact on business.
Thailand is the only country I have ever been to, where even the 2 or 3 major Fast-Food chains are a chaos & mess and I never ever get hot & crispy fries :-). Usually my order comes in installments 5 minutes and my appetite is gone and replaced by anger....until I try it again 6 months down the road.
First of all the need a Pro-Farang manager, actually 1 per shift with a track record and personality and experience as trouble-shooter in Thailand, who is willing to work more than any of the staff and put in 18- hour days.
I see many places in Phuket & down South hire almost exclusively young people from Burma. You recognize them immediately, they are friendly & smile, eager to serve & work and speak mostly reasonable E. Actually also Muslims from the South are showing a good work attitude, mainly in big hotels.
Not sure they fit HOOTERS criteria.....
Then they also need a couple of Thai-girls / fl. managers or why not a couple of gays who have more feel fort thsi kind of work here, who liaise directly with front & back staff, as a Farang will not succeed by himself. They got one little very dynamic waitress who seems made for this position. I even told her during my visit.
Hiring a GOOD band and a GREAT DJ, with a local following, able to get people rocking and feeling good can be a major asset during the hard beginning days. Why not use your DJ do make announcements, to apologize when staff is overloaded, run a few spontaneous specials, announce events, call some fun-people to try a free bull-ride, give out free wings to try (dress up a cook and send him out with the funniest waitress), hand out a shot-glass size "taster" of your daily special drink to people passing by the door girl, which by the way made a sour face as if she would rather see us turn-around, before we got in the other day...Russian? Blond..
.
People are willing to spend money, they are on vacation, they want to have fun and HOOTERS is to provide some of this package.
Personally I am against soft openings, unless guests are clearly told and fully understand and are able to profit from the "soft" i.e. with some freebies or major discounts. Why should they pay full price for half-ass-service and pay for the business-learning experience.Too much damage can be done. It is so hard to get a disappointed customer back in.
I believe HOOTERS can be a great addition to the Beach-Front and the more such destination places open up, the better. Pattaya is changing drastically and now more then ever the City should get their act together and start "guiding" the place in the right direction. Never have I seen a seafront more "mis-used" and neglected. This bay could be a dream-holiday place if........5555555......."Sorry, I was dreaming!"
Good luck HOOTERS. Make it happen, there is plenty of "us" out there, who would enjoy your bar. You sure picked one of the most difficult place to start a business like this. Good night.....MS>
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Sunday, 8.30pm, Im bored to death, so decided to get to the bottom of the mystery of Hooters, and their burger and wings. Went there, but there is a live band, and they are butchering a good song. So no luck tonight. t's just not humanly possible to suffer through band.
Place looked buzy tho:
+1, absolutely horrific band!!!!!!! Amateur-choice & amateur-opening. And I am not a guy that makes comments from a bar-stool, but have built & opened several big clubs, bars, and run hotels etc. on 2 continents for 38 years...
Spent 90 minutes in HOOTERS yesterday to learn from the one waitress - the one who seemed to run for all the others -that they are "very low staff" and can't find suitable girls etc. In the 90 minutes 3 large tables left, after not being able to place their order. 1 of them actually was approaching 1 of the farang managers on the way out,to make fun of him. Looked like he did not even catch up what was going on after 2 x 5 guests had walked out. He was chatting with the door girl and did not pick up on the fact that 2 tables in front of his nose desperately tried to place their orders.
BTW, the place was reasonable busy around 21.00, compared with other venues and had a good mixed crowd, even couple of families with kids. Food looked & tasted good, portions very generous, US-style!
The waitresses take orders "by memory" or notepad.....&%$#@ Amazing, now that even Thai places go full computerized. They walk around with trays of (good looking!) food trying to find the tables who ordered.
There is much more wrong and just hopefully they will correct most of it fast and customers will give them a second chance. I really like the place and the prices are acceptable for an international venue in prime location. Obviously out of reach for the Bouakao crowd, that is looking for 40 baht beers & drinks.
But with an opening band that makes you run for cover, orders and food service that takes up 30 minutes, unfortunately way too small TV's in a what is supposed to be sports-bar and just an overall confused and unprofessional atmosphere, they need to act fast.
First step, the owners should get a couple of prof. floor-managers, who know what they are doing. They must take control of the front and back and coordinate. Then keep hiring staff, which will be very difficult, as most business-people in Pattaya can confirm. This place is an extremely hard place to find proper staff and establish a good team. Even more difficult finding good looking girls with personality. One of the waitresses immediately caught my eye, she should be made floor manager and would do well. She corrected more mistakes in 1 hr. than the 2 foreigners, who probably are managers and should be dressed accordingly and being identifiable for guests, that need help.
I really wish them best of luck and I will get back, as soon as I can leave my ear-protection home :-). With tha band, most will leave within 15 minutes after eating!
Guys, get the overall picture right, then guests will be more tolerant towards small mishaps. Get a couple of big-screens with sports in. Right upfront!
And for God's sake, don't let the girls do their silly dance, when you have 4 large groups ( 1 Indian, 2 Japs or Koreans & 1 local Americans) just sitting down and trying to order. etc. etc.
GOOD LUCK to the HOOTERS-Team and show the Pattaya crowd that you are successful. This could become a great meeting point. I felt like back in Lauderdale or even better Bayside Miami! MS>
-
6
-
Hooters - not wanted not needed in Pattaya or anywhere in Thailand - They are opening one on the site of the Golden Bar at the Nana Hotel - why? It was a a great busy bar. Hooters has awful food - mind numbing drum and bass music and tedious sports on giant screens. What's the point? Anodyne, commercial - vacuous. If people really want this McDonald's experience they should stay at home
The Hooters located at the Nana Hotel has already opened. See my post # 309. Now the old drunks that used to sit at the Nana bar can sit at Hooters. Other then yourself who else has said Hooters is "not wanted not needed in Pattaya or anywhere else in Thailand"? I and many other think they will be a welcomed addition to the Pattaya scene. If you don't care for the place then don't go to it. My guess is you are more the Soi Bukhao type.
-
Does anybody know what a comparable HOOTERS in the US charges for wings? Apples with apples, please. Prime location with prime location.....Waterfront in Miami/Lauderdale/S. Diego?
These prices really sound quite high, but I still think plenty of people will enjoy the place. HAPPY NEW YEAR. MS>
-
Can't see where Hooter's concept meets Mantra,Hilton or Marriott?? Must have missed the sports bars in those venues....Was rather referring to the crowd that does not mind spending a few bucks in a clean and pleasant atmosphere, as opposed to the ones who are sitting in the car fumes & dust clouds in the classy venues along Soi Bouakao.
To each his own, as I mentioned. Prices will be high enough to keep certain groups out anyway :-) As to Australia, quite surprised to read rather bad reviews, indeed. Mostly staff complaints...???? Probably hard to find any servers below 75 kg's....judging by the comments my Aussie friends make about Australian women...., with which I might say I don't agree, there are plenty of good-looking women in any country..... MS>
Strong recommendation for Funeral & Repatriation Service / J.A. Monkhouse
in Pattaya
Posted
I sure hope not...:-). Have a good day. MS>