teslawasrobbed

Yes Indeed...well said.

Many have the same sentiments...including myself...a frequent visitor for 10 years....in the past I hasten to add.

Phuket is losing many friends...with it's over pricing.... over building... Greed and Multi Scam mentaility.

Hence many like you and I have abandoned the place.

Of course Any criticisms made..does not go down well with Ex-Pats that have been foolish enough to sink all their assets there...with little or No ability to return.

To think in the late 80's apart from Phuket Town...the rest of the Island was quaint beaches with little or no building.

Now its Concrete Mixer paradise...Thailand surely lost it's Jewell in the Crown.

"Phuket is losing many friends" yet last year there were a record number of arrivals to the island. Over pricing, over building and greed are everywhere and not just isolated to Phuket. Your assumption that expats are foolish to invest in Phuket with little or no ability of a return only shows that you dont have a clue what you are talking about.

I think its fair to say that people don't have a problem with the Time Share itself but rather the devious way in which they approach customers and trick them into being taken to listen to a hard sell about time share, if they were up front from the beginning then people could chose to go and have a look or refuse. I am sure there are people that think time share is a good idea and suitable for them just as there are those that do not find it attractive. The issue is solely with the way these people go about trying to sell and the bad reputation they give Phuket.

Where are these banners?

One is outside the new J J Market behind Jungceylon, you can clearly see it as you drive out of Jungceylong onto "Jungceylon Boulevard" and there is a massive one at the bottom of Patong hill which you can not miss. I wonder if there are any more.

I was pleased to see the very large banners that warn tourists about the "time share" and "holiday club" scams that have become such a menace in Phuket, about time!!

I have no problem at all in Kamala, what internet provider are you using? I have 3BB and it has been fantastic so far.

Police used to ride them all the time along the Beach Rd in Patong, now I see them just sitting rusting outside the Police Station.

This place is in Kamala and has some very good furniture.

http://www.beautifulworldthailand.com/

Nothing to do with me, but yes the guy is a friend. If you're around that way check out the showroom. This is quality furniture though, not the likes you'll find in Index etc...

Where in Kamala?

Good.

Those parasail operations are a physical hazard to people just trying to walk on the beach. If tourists are stupid enough to ignore the public safety warnings of their home governments not to use them, and if they are stupid enough not to exercise common sense and if they are selfish enough not to care about the noise and water pollution or the imposition on others those activities cause, then they get what they deserve. I have zero sympathy for the tourists that engage in such activities in Phuket.

What do you call that huge chip on your shoulders...Must be a real burden for you.

I have a business opposite Loma Park on the Beach Rd. Yesterday several of my staff heard a loud scream and looked up to see a lady falling from a parasail from above the tree line into the ocean from, they ran across to see if she was ok and when they got there she was surrounded by people trying to help her and they couldnt see if she was ok or not. The water was only knee deep so I hope she is ok.

Anybody have any info

Hello, Woody! (I hope that this is correct)

I would like to know how one is charged for the use of the internet. Is it a flat monthly rate (or can one just pay a monthly rate as an alternative to other fee plans?). What are the other fee plans?

Thank you so very much as I need this information for a friend who will be living there in a couple of months.

Anyse

I pay 888 per month for the 8mb plan from 3bb.

If you sign up as a foreigner you have to pay 12 months in advance.

If a Thai signs up you pay as you go month by month.

I must say I am very happy with 3bb, I live in Kamala

The Speedtest.net results in Phuket are rigged. We uncovered a Potemkin a couple of weeks ago, using 3BB as an ISP. Blatant.

Far better to use the speed test mentioned by Mr. Yogi. Run it and tell us what you get. I'd be very interested in seeing the discrepancy!

(BTW, 3BB is a good choice in many cases.)

I gave a talk on this subject at the IBAP meeting last night. Good turnout - standing room only, in a big room. I'll have the slides online shortly, and will post a link.

I ran the test as suggested and my download is 6.28 so it seems you are correct about 3bb, I am paying for 8mb download so I guess its not too bad.

I must say I am very happy with 3bb, I live in Kamala

Sovrana Spa just google them to find locations

Soccer Bar in Soi Easy, Bangla has Tetleys on Tap and should have Carslberg next month.

Thanks for your feedback.

I would have thought that a 10%-15% tip would be well appreciated by most masseuses, and others in the a number of different services.

I'm curious to know if most of the expats here also tip 40% of the bill to their hard working masseuses, as well as their hard working servers at the restaurants, their hard working baristas at Starbucks, their hard working construction folks that build the fancy houses/condos here for a tiny wage, their maids that make less than what the master spends on beer each month, etc?

As a westerner, its has been a traditional part of my culture to tip 10-15% for a number of services that i receive in the west. However, as an expat living in Asia for a number of years, many of my Asian friends have said that tipping should be modest or none at all.

Should expats try to emulate the local customs in regards to tipping??? Or, should expats pick and choose the services they believe deserve an extra-ordinary tip(as opposed to local custom) vs those they believe don't deserve any extra-ordinary tips?

You are comparing a good massage lady, killing her hands to give you a great massage for peanuts, to a bunch of guys wearing beany caps sitting around all day putting concrete together with no regards to levels or straight lines or a bunch of girls sitting around for hours and finaly bringing you a coffee when their phone as ran out of battery.

If you cant tip 3-4$ for a good massage, you're either a teacher or a scumbag

many of your asian friends are definately broke or egocentric ******. Not tipping well is only acceptable for easy jobs, like the news paper delivery, waiting tables, bagging your groceries, etc.

This is a goddamn 3rd world country. The east vs west can be debated a lot, but overall the western world is way more advanced and we know better. We know tipping can help change someone's life. even 50baht extra is 2meals for some of these people.. Won't kill you to be a non-egocentric asshol_e like 3world asians are thought to be? Show them that being nice and thoughtful is something good.. they might change?

Well said, I totally agree with your comments, they are the hardest working people I know and deserve a tip no less than 100 Baht, unfortunately I see on a daily basis people giving 10 and 20 baht tips to the dismay of the massage therapist who has put in a great deal of effort to please the customer, of course they never show this to the customer

It appears that the banks are always changing there rules and the different branches within each bank are also free to make up their own rules. I have opened accounts with Bangkok Bank, SCB, Ayudhya and TMB an never had to show a visa just my passport. As for internet banking it is all good until you want to send money out of the country then its impossible without sending a whole bunch of documents to Bangkok to verify you are not laundering money.

If anyone knows of a Thai bank that lets you send money overseas by internet banking without all the paperwork please let me know

cheers

Trust me you go out and try to get a few girls to work. Easy to get ex bar girls but you try to get a trained girl that is not looking for a BF

You are exactly right very difficult to get staff that actually want to work, I am always trying to get staff but as soon as they are told we dont allow happy endings they usually leave.

Actually I DO know what the shops pay the girls, it would appear that you know nothing about doing business in Thailand especially Phuket.

You said that ALREADY and I replied to you already. What are you looking for, a medal of some kind?

Sorry accidental duplication

I find that a ridiculous question. You don't know what that shop would pay the workers, you don't know whether the INCREASED VOLUME would compensate or more than compensate for the lower prices. Basic economics that for some reason is repressed in Thailand, lower prices, larger volume, in some cases, higher profits. Aren't most of these massage workers IDLE most of the time? Potentially even their working hours could be shortened if they were actually engaged in actual work during their entire shift.

Actually I DO know what the shops pay the girls, it would appear that you know nothing about doing business in Thailand especially Phuket.

I find that a ridiculous question. You don't know what that shop would pay the workers, you don't know whether the INCREASED VOLUME would compensate or more than compensate for the lower prices. Basic economics that for some reason is repressed in Thailand, lower prices, larger volume, in some cases, higher profits. Aren't most of these massage workers IDLE most of the time? Potentially even their working hours could be shortened if they were actually engaged in actual work during their entire shift.

Actually I Do know what they get paid and its obvious you know nothing about doing business in Thailand especially Patong

Price fixing is the issue here. It's fine if people are happy to pay 250 baht but if a shop wants to increase volume and compete with a 150 baht price, that should be fine. Free market. If its not and lower price shops receive outside pressure, that's bad. The tuk tuk thing, not a free market.

Why would a shop want to charge 150 Baht for a 1 hour massage when the girls get 100 Baht, leaving just 50 for rent, power, water, and massage product.

It always amazes me that people want a foot massage so cheap, do you have any idea of what the costs of running a business here is and what the staff costs? Also consider that 65% of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream and directly affects your organs, so you should be very concerned about the quality of oil they are using on your feet, which are the most absorbent part of your body.

Don't be such a cheap charlie and pay the normal price!

I live in Kamala and the rate I am charged is 15 Baht per cubic meter, my bill is never more than 400 Baht. However I also run 3 shops in Patong and pay the bill directly to the government at a rate of approx 27 Baht per cubic meter, I say approx because the more water you use the higher the rate per cubic meter you have to pay. I actually went to the government water office in Kathu and got the rate sheet as we use a lot if water in Patong, 5 -7 K per month.

Dude better you just leave instead of hanging around getting riled up about a lifestyle you obviously dont want anymore. I have been here 7 years and still love it even if it can drive you crazy from time to time, the best is not to compare it to the west as this is not the west and there are certain things you just have to accept, if you cant accept them better to leave.

I finally got time to get to SB Verasu and check out their grinders, most were pretty much useless but they did have a commercial grade grinder by Pavoni which was able to grind fine enough for my needs, plus it was on special at 14,000 so I decided to buy it.

Very happy so far with the quality of the grinding, it may be a bit extravagant for 1 espresso per day but life is too short to drink shit coffee.

Cheers