stevenl

If it was a mistake then why did he have to go to consumer affairs to get it resolved?? If it was a mistake, they felt it was in their favor, tried to play dumb still tried to go along with it assuming the customer was ignorant and weak minded and would just give into them, that defines dodgy to me..

A reputable, upstanding company that recognizes and accepts their error doesn't operate that way..

With cases like this I think it is very simple: based on one story, without having looked at policy, I reserve judgement. So that is why IMO it too early to judge. They make have acted dodgy in this case, they may have made a mistake in this case, they may simply have given in because it was not worth the hassle, or it may be a dodgy company.

All seems to be possible, and I'm sure there are more options possible as well.

Please don't edit my posts, let the reader read all. Please.

If you want me to continue about what l know and have seen, l will, but it seems you don't like other folks posts, just your own.

Looks like we don't agree on this and some other things

Best wishes to the victim, hope he makes a full recovery.

I was just wondering, do all regional forums on Thaivisa report about every Thai motorbike accident in their region or is it something peculiar to the Phuket one?

I know we have several English lanquage newspapers/blogs on the island who sensationally report these prangs all the time and we seem to follow up with a thread in the news section. It makes life on Phuket seem much more hazardous than it is.

Do the other regional forums do the same or do they only report expat news?

Don't forget that also Phi Phi and Phan Nga news is reported on the forum here as Phuket news.

Your in LOS now.

Does not change the principle at all.

Insurance company likes to save some money and be guaranteed of good quality by sending insured to preferred repairers. Main dealers don't like that because they are no part of that 'chain', because they are too expensive. At the same time insured likes to go to main dealer because a. he knows them; and b. perceived higher quality.

Therein lies the tension.

Not going to argue the point <snip>

Bit late for that, isn't it.

Easy way out, 'you obviously don't know ...'.

Your in LOS now.

Does not change the principle at all.

Insurance company likes to save some money and be guaranteed of good quality by sending insured to preferred repairers. Main dealers don't like that because they are no part of that 'chain', because they are too expensive. At the same time insured likes to go to main dealer because a. he knows them; and b. perceived higher quality.

Therein lies the tension.

A bit off topic but when we were building our house a two week old 6 wheeler backed into our truck giving it rather a big dent.

Well the driver owner dealt with our insurance company and all seemed fine.

Later heard that 6 wheeler dealership took his 20 odd grand insurance money and never forwarded the cash to the insurers.( think it was someone in the office at the dealership who was guilty) I guess it was all sorted in the end but geesh cannot trust anybody it seems...

We are insured through what was called AIG ...forget the new name....they directed us to a private body shop not Mazda ...makes sense if the costs are that much higher in the dealerships ..there is no reason to believe alternatives are any less skilled....personal choice though I guess..so long as it gets fixed to the owners satisfaction...

Some non main dealer repairers use parts from right offs or pattern parts where as the main dealer ''should'' be using new genuine parts.

The main dealer charges more for the same service/quality because they can get away with it, the clients will come because they prefer to be serviced by a main dealer, looks/feels better. The non genuine parts is just a story from the main dealer to justify their higher prices.

Do you know what a ''pattern part'' is ?

Do you know what happens to salvageable parts from wrecks ?

Cos l do.

So do I.

I set up a system of preferred repairers back home for an insurance company. So I know exactly what I'm talking about, in contrast to some others on here.

A bit off topic but when we were building our house a two week old 6 wheeler backed into our truck giving it rather a big dent.

Well the driver owner dealt with our insurance company and all seemed fine.

Later heard that 6 wheeler dealership took his 20 odd grand insurance money and never forwarded the cash to the insurers.( think it was someone in the office at the dealership who was guilty) I guess it was all sorted in the end but geesh cannot trust anybody it seems...

We are insured through what was called AIG ...forget the new name....they directed us to a private body shop not Mazda ...makes sense if the costs are that much higher in the dealerships ..there is no reason to believe alternatives are any less skilled....personal choice though I guess..so long as it gets fixed to the owners satisfaction...

Some non main dealer repairers use parts from right offs or pattern parts where as the main dealer ''should'' be using new genuine parts.

The main dealer charges more for the same service/quality because they can get away with it, the clients will come because they prefer to be serviced by a main dealer, looks/feels better. The non genuine parts is just a story from the main dealer to justify their higher prices.

A reef as a whole can recover, but the individual corals are and will remain dead.

Agree with the remarks about Slater, he really has no clue.

Excellent race from Alonso, Hamilton is losing it (or himself maybe better). Looks like a race between Button and Vettel this season, Mercedes unknown as of yet, but doubt they'll be able to match Button or Vettel.

In Rawai we have our own well, in Kata at the shop though we are dependent on government water as well. And the last 2 weeks it has been on and off there.

I don't care what other countries do. I have never mentioned any. But if they approach you in a public place, there has to be some burden of proof that what you are carrying was brought into the country by you. Just having something in a bag in a public place isn't enough. If that is how they do it at BKK, then it is a stupid way and prone to situations where someone can reasonably argue that what is in their possession isn't subject to excise.

"Burden of proof" pshaw - You obviously have no clue about how things operate on the ground in Thailand. The only purpose of "laws" here is to allow officials to line their pockets by arbitrarily "enforcing" whatever catches their fancy. Imagine the government being run by the mafia and you'll begin to get the picture.

Whether you've actually broken any "law" or not isn't relevant, simply how much they want from you, you're willingness to hand it over, and your realpolitik power and willingness to use it relative to theirs. Mess with the wrong people and they'll get back at you in a way that you never have any idea where it came from.

Farang die or disappear here all the time and rarely are the true reasons known by anyone except the perpetrator.

Do you really believe that the more you repeat your words they are slowly becoming the truth?

I don't think so Steve, they clearly tried in vain to manipulate them and denied they even had that option in their contract and the OP was then forced to take their complaint to the authorities to gain some leverage and finally did but, if not, the insurance company would have been very happy to screw them, I'd say that categorizes them as "dodgy" in my book and he should protest with his feet to another insurance company. Let them feel it where it hurts, in their wallets and he seems to have enough business with them to get some attention on that front.

Op make sure when you do make your changes that they understand why so it doesn't go unnoticed and don't just tell the agent either, go to the top..

Could have been easily an updated list of 'preferred repairers', while the policy stated the old one. Of course the police is valid and they should honor it. But calling a company dodgy over that is IMO way over the top.

They tried to screw him and he had to go to Comsumer Affairs to get the right outcome.

I guess your definition of "dodgy" and mine differ.

Regards

Will

I'd have to agree in this case Will, I'm not sure what would define "dodgy" to you Steve?

Dodgy would IMO be if e.g. what happened here is company policy. And maybe it is, but it could also simply have been an mistake.

Flying, it depends on models, but Ford quoted me June for the 3.2 Wildtrak.

Chevrolet quoted 1 month for the 2.8 LTZ71 4x4.

Toyota had Vigo in stock but won't let you test drive.

I have yet to take a look at Isuzu.

2 months at the moment for Isuzu.

On both of my visits to Phi Phi I witnessed drug use and casual violence between both Thais and foreigners. Not my idea of a fun place to be.

Phuket has plenty of lovely spots...my only real complaint would be a lack of trees on the beaches giving little to no shade. Oh and the traffic....

Glad to hear you feel that way.

Plenty of trees and shade at Kata Beach.

Another happy tale from the cesspit of Thailand. The island is full of every lowlife type imaginable, both foreign and Thai.

Don't change sides, last time you meant Phuket with 'the cesspit'.

Had problems with AIS Edge/GPRS today in Rawai. All ok again now.

Yes, balancing should do the trick. I had exactly the same with a motorbike, at 140 k/h they started vibrating, at 160 it was over. Balancing and all ok again.

So they tried to send you to their preferred service center, you wanted to go to the one you preferred. Yopu were in the right and got what you wanted.

'dodgy' and a boycott seems a bit over the top here.

I don't think so Steve, they clearly tried in vain to manipulate them and denied they even had that option in their contract and the OP was then forced to take their complaint to the authorities to gain some leverage and finally did but, if not, the insurance company would have been very happy to screw them, I'd say that categorizes them as "dodgy" in my book and he should protest with his feet to another insurance company. Let them feel it where it hurts, in their wallets and he seems to have enough business with them to get some attention on that front.

Op make sure when you do make your changes that they understand why so it doesn't go unnoticed and don't just tell the agent either, go to the top..

Could have been easily an updated list of 'preferred repairers', while the policy stated the old one. Of course the police is valid and they should honor it. But calling a company dodgy over that is IMO way over the top.

So that's why you're so bitter. Your parents spoilt you too much and you did not have enough character to motivate yourself to get out of that.

Where on Phuket are you staying?

I would not worry about getting charged for damage you did not cause, as LIK has said, make some photos and you'll be fine.

Also, theft (or scammed theft) is a far smaller problem IMO than sometimes suggested, but a more realistic issue than getting scammed for damage.

"is a far smaller problem" - so, the "problem" exists. Your advice is to "roll the dice." My advice is, DON'T DO IT. Do not rent a bike and ride here. You place your health and safety, and your financial well being at great risk.

Starting to look like you're following me. Any thread, any answer from me and you'll quote me and contradict.

they wont answer. As i keep saying all they care about is their little beach life with chang and motorbikes. The hell with the kid's future and safety.

As you can see he takes my comments as insults. They're not insults unless you know you're doing something terribly wrong.

Yes, it's a good life. However, that life was made by working in the west, on western money. Try making that life here, from age 18, earning the Thai baht.

No, it was not, that life is being made here by hard working.

You're lowering yourself to thailand's level with remarks like this.

I'm always happy to listen, and learn, from other points of view. Having said that, tell me, where, and what, do you see you kids doing at 18, after finishing school, and why?

I see the oldest one going to university in Bangkok and ending up in some kind of technical profession. Mind you, he is still only 4, so really hard to predict. The other one I really don't know yet, only 3.

But I do have the feeling at least one of them will return to/stay on Phuket.

Why? Sorry, that question is impossible to answer.

"Technical profession. Where? Phuket, or overseas?

You really think I can answer these questions for a 4 and 5 year old?

The oldest may end up a motorbike repair guy somewhere on the island.

So they tried to send you to their preferred service center, you wanted to go to the one you preferred. Yopu were in the right and got what you wanted.

'dodgy' and a boycott seems a bit over the top here.

I used to drive a 4WD here, but have changed to 2WD. I was hardly using it, and when using it it was more 'I have it, so I'd better use it'.

Where on Phuket are you staying?

I would not worry about getting charged for damage you did not cause, as LIK has said, make some photos and you'll be fine.

Also, theft (or scammed theft) is a far smaller problem IMO than sometimes suggested, but a more realistic issue than getting scammed for damage.