Cheap Charlie Farangs that expect service but do not want to pay

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

i reckon i would ....

You would Steven.

[hansnl]

10 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Many, many years ago in Pattaya, way before motorcyccle taxis, hiring a songtaew to take one over the hill for an afternoon on Jomtien beach was all done quite honorably. The fare was agreed pre-departure and the pick-up time for the return trip agreed. No money was paid until the return trip had been completed. Nobody was bilked and nobody was left stranded on the beach.

 

I guess there was just a much better class of 'tourist' and songtaew driver back then. Even in Pattaya.

Or maybe, just maybe, the so-called cheap Charleys became just tourists and expats willing to pay a fair price but not getting it and therefore  getting wise, and the Thai "service providers" can't cope with the farang getting the measure of the double- and triple pricing.

[atyclb]

2 hours ago, Finlaco said:

It's often funny to read articles like this and the experts advising ....

 

The cost of a songthaew ride is B40 per person each way to/from Doi Suthep. They depart from Huay Kaew Road near the Zoo.  

 

The ride back into town is B20 per person.  

 

 

to be expected on a 5 star forum 

[1FinickyOne]

13 hours ago, steven2018 said:

If your friend is driving people that length of distance he needs to require 1/2 fare upfront or no ride. And when the client returns for the return, get the fare upfront. It is disrespectful for anyone to refuse to pay an agreed price for services rendered.

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I agree wit this if it is happening often... I would asume anyone not wishing to pay half up front has other ideas... Not only is it disrespectful, it is theft... 

 

So sad to hear that there is so much of this going on... 

 

 

[pgrahmm]

18 minutes ago, DipStick said:

I think you missed the point! I think MM was trying to point out that the guy he was trying to help out,  made no  effort to offer him any refreshments Etc, which in my book is just plain ignorance and rude and no wonder they are no longer friends.

And - no matter the country....

[scubascuba3]

Here is another example I`d like point out. would not had believed it unless I had not witnessed this with my own eyes.
 
I have been out with Farang friends/acquaintances and their friends dining at coffee cafes and restaurants. Their friends have sat there with us for a couple of hours enjoying the company, nice aircon environment and free water offered by the restaurant yet not ordered even one item off the menu. This has happened on several occasions. Eventually I blanked these people, simply not the type of expats I want to be associated with, even remotely.

I agree with that example, you can't sit in a bar, coffee shop, restaurant etc and not buy something

[atyclb]

7 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

20 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

Here is another example I`d like point out. would not had believed it unless I had not witnessed this with my own eyes.
 
I have been out with Farang friends/acquaintances and their friends dining at coffee cafes and restaurants. Their friends have sat there with us for a couple of hours enjoying the company, nice aircon environment and free water offered by the restaurant yet not ordered even one item off the menu. This has happened on several occasions. Eventually I blanked these people, simply not the type of expats I want to be associated with, even remotely.

I agree with that example, you can't sit in a bar, coffee shop, restaurant etc and not buy something

 

 

very tru. the worst business may be the freestanding coin operated massage lounger chairs at some malls and big c. typically the chairs are occupied by sleeping locals that dont care in the least no money is used and block them for paying customers that may want a massage.

[observer90210]

3 hours ago, elektrified said:

Indian guests in Thailand at 4 and 5 Star hotel spas are notorious for trying to get the price down after the spa treatments.

That is something that caracterizes wealthy people and not just rich indians. The rich will agree to pay say 200'000 €uros with no bargaining, for a brand new lamborghini, but will argue with the vendor to cut the petty car registration fee and make a scene if there is no free branded umbrella or towel given free with the supercar !!

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

Cheap Chuckies short changing songthaews would be menaced , possibly violently. Fight back a pack of Thais forms and put you in Hospital. There it is no pay no treatment, they hold your passport. Old men who pilfer toilet paper and stuff pockets with butter pats at buffets are kleptomaniacs. The ones I have encountered have plenty of money and serious personality issues. Certain nationalities argue over retaurant bills and send back half eaten items, not Farangs. maybe that is what is seen more now. It is part of their culture to bargain agressively. Also yes Indians.

Who goes to The Riverside and does take out? Never seen it I eat there at least once a month and if you are a miserly old man there are many cheaper places. An old coot who did it more than once would be banned future service. Sounds like somebody has been feeding the OP tall tales or a bit of a weekend windup.



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[natway09]

I blame the cheap airlines.

Far too many cheap charlies travelling now that should have stayed at home

[craftyhen]

46 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

 

There are those who can afford to spend but won't. But there are also a lot of people who settle in Thailand who were not very prosperous in their home country and really don't have two nickels to rub together.

 

i doubt the ones that settle want to get a taxi to doi suthep..

[holy cow cm]

9 hours ago, tonray said:

I did the trip to Doi Suthep just a few weeks ago as a tourist (reside in BKK). If I remember the standard fare from downtown was far less than 1200 roundtrip. The driver did not wait but came back after a few hours to pick up his group. 

 

An additional fact, there was a couple who wanted to pay him only the trip up as they wanted to spend more time than 2 hours and he argued violently and they had  to fight him to accept the cash on the arrival.  These guys act like a price fixing Mafia and are not acting simply as taxi drivers which leads to people feeling they are shoe horned into a deal or take a hike.

 

Sorry but while I am sure there are tourists who try to stiff the fare, the main reason is the inflexibility of the drivers and their Mafia like grip on the trip.

Want a real story on this then just go sit at Chang Phueak market where you catch a red truck. The white haired dude down there can be very aggressive. Yes they have their little mafia ways about them. 

[scorecard]

9 hours ago, steven100 said:

There's so many cheap charlie farangs in Thailand .....   They expect 5 star service for a three star price .....  

That's why I don't drink with farang ....    they are cheap.  !!

 

And they come from all socio-economic situations. 

 

I know of a US doctor of medicine been working in Thailand for many years, well established that he's quite wealthy, he could write a series of books on how to be stingy. His very few friends won't go with him to a restaurants because:

 

- He demands 60% and more discount on items as he orders and/or just deducts a sizeable amount from the bill, pays the lesser amount and walks out.

 

- If there is a prior agreement to share the bill, when it comes he insists on receiving the bill then says: I didn't specifically order or agree on ordering xx dish or I didn't like yy dish so I not paying any share of that dish.

 

He does an overall quick calculation meaning he pays way less than all others at the table, put his money on the table and walks out, possibly quickly hailing a taxi and going home.

 

He wonders why people won't eat with him.

 

Also pays less than what's showing on the meter when he gets out of taxis - it's a mystery how he hasn't been beaten up. 

Edited January 6, 2018 by scorecard

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

My experience lately the Songthaew drivers have become greedy. Nimmanhemin is bad thanks to "How much?" Chinese. Last month one driver demanded double price to go a short distance, I said no thanks he jammed the accel pedal in a huff and drove off.

 

I swear to Buddha two days later I boarded the same couples' Songthaew at the same spot with two Thai ladies from our condo and it was no problem.

 

Do you think is OK to have to pay double just because I have white skin?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

I'm trying to sell a couple of valuable items on ebay at the moment -  I'm shocked at the amount of scammers out there and the level they will go to in their desperate attempt to appear legitimate.

 

It seems to me that I have been too trusting in the past - while I have always been able to recognize a scam it never ceases to amaze me at how many times people will look you in the eye and still try it on. 

 

While on my flight returning to Thailand yesterday I sat next to a uni-graduate reading her Thailand Travel guide, she was discussing her plans with her friend. The discussion concentrated on how to avoid being scammed !!!!

 

It certainly appears that while humans are inherently good people, given a chance there is a minority who will attempt to scam the majority - its a sad trait of humanity. 

 

 

Thus: Cheap Charlie Farangs trying to scam others... Yes of course, I'm certain many will try it on. I'm also certain many will find themselves subject to scams attempts - its a part of being in Thailand - for most its expected, for many its part of the excitement of being here and is a tail to be retold when back home of how they foiled a scam attempt. 

[poanoi]

2 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

My experience lately the Songthaew drivers have become greedy. Nimmanhemin is bad thanks to "How much?" Chinese. Last month one driver demanded double price to go a short distance, I said no thanks he jammed the accel pedal in a huff and drove off.

I sweaf to Buddha two days later I boarded the same couples Songthaew at the same spot with two Thai ladies from our condo and it was no problem.

Do you think is OK to have to pay double just because I have white skin?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 

no, i go out of my way not to pay double pricing,

i guess its over 10 years since i took a song taew, i default on a bike taxi if i havnt got my own bike handy, i'm done with the song taew drivers

[Gas666]

40km one way? Dreaming mate. From middle of town to the base would be looking at 5 kms, and if you were going up to the temple i reckon anothet 5kms...wouldn't be close to 40km return journey. For 1200thb would expect an esky full of cold cans chucked in.

be suprised if the clown that wrote this post has even been to CM

[pgrahmm]

53 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

Cheap Chuckies short changing songthaews would be menaced , possibly violently. Fight back a pack of Thais forms and put you in Hospital. There it is no pay no treatment, they hold your passport. Old men who pilfer toilet paper and stuff pockets with butter pats at buffets are kleptomaniacs. The ones I have encountered have plenty of money and serious personality issues. Certain nationalities argue over retaurant bills and send back half eaten items, not Farangs. maybe that is what is seen more now. It is part of their culture to bargain agressively. Also yes Indians.

Who goes to The Riverside and does take out? Never seen it I eat there at least once a month and if you are a miserly old man there are many cheaper places. An old coot who did it more than once would be banned future service. Sounds like somebody has been feeding the OP tall tales or a bit of a weekend windup.



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No - he dined in + had 2 doggie bags that he unpacked, inspected; criticising the packing & also indicating there should have been more (like they cheated him out of his table scraps) had the stuff scattered around him on the counter taking a loud aggressive posture......

It was about then it became apparent it wasn't just a pricing error  - which is what I'd originally thought at the start......

He was being far too aggressive for a normal situation and in their Thai(ness) the wait staff (all female) were ill equipped to handle the guy.....They were kind of perplexed & back on their heels.....

He was being a complete @$$høle....

[pgrahmm]

15 minutes ago, Gas666 said:

40km one way? Dreaming mate. From middle of town to the base would be looking at 5 kms, and if you were going up to the temple i reckon anothet 5kms...wouldn't be close to 40km return journey. For 1200thb would expect an esky full of cold cans chucked in.

be suprised if the clown that wrote this post has even been to CM

Just clowning around.......

Edited January 6, 2018 by pgrahmm

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, hansnl said:

Or maybe, just maybe, the so-called cheap Charleys became just tourists and expats willing to pay a fair price but not getting it and therefore  getting wise, and the Thai "service providers" can't cope with the farang getting the measure of the double- and triple pricing.

 

Agree, there must be some truth in this point.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

3 hours ago, suzannegoh said:

 

That's a good point, 1200 baht seems a bit extortionate. The drivers that ask for 800 to 1200 baht to go up Doi Suthep are usually the lazy SOBs who park all day by the side of the road on the east side of the moat waiting for hapless tourists to come by.

 

 

 

There's one trick that songthaew, subaru and other for-hire vehicle drivers sometimes pull that's as old as the hills: when the fare arrives at its destination, and if the price has not been pre-negotiated, often the driver will claim that the vehicle was hired as a whole ('rot mao'), whereas the foreigner thinks he got on as a fare-paying passenger on a regular service. 

Edited January 6, 2018 by PerkinsCuthbert

[jerojero]

There are a asssholes in every culture, race and country. Just like there are people of all cultures, races and countries who are too trusting of others. Quit the generalizations please.

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[jerojero]

I did the trip to Doi Suthep just a few weeks ago as a tourist (reside in BKK). If I remember the standard fare from downtown was far less than 1200 roundtrip. The driver did not wait but came back after a few hours to pick up his group. 
 
An additional fact, there was a couple who wanted to pay him only the trip up as they wanted to spend more time than 2 hours and he argued violently and they had  to fight him to accept the cash on the arrival.  These guys act like a price fixing Mafia and are not acting simply as taxi drivers which leads to people feeling they are shoe horned into a deal or take a hike.
 
Sorry but while I am sure there are tourists who try to stiff the fare, the main reason is the inflexibility of the drivers and their Mafia like grip on the trip.

Did the trip also while back, 1200. Had the most respectful and courteous driver. Waited for as long as we wanted to do the return trip. There are kinds of drivers, people and tourists. Can't generalize based on one person or one incident. And quit complaining. We all know Thailand taxi costs are terrifically low compared to any Western country!

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[jenny2017]

6 hours ago, transam said:

Noooo, some farangs don't even know what 5 star entails and how to deal with it...

 

Trans is a 2 star guy and you would enjoy my chat and.....

If you're a 2 star guy, how would you rate your wife then? 

[pgrahmm]

3 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

If you're a 2 star guy, how would you rate your wife then? 

I'm sure he'd say she is indeed a heavenly body.....

[jenny2017]

 

 I'm volunteering for an organisation that helps certain nationalities in emergency situations. The new report about the second part of 2017 is breathtaking to me.

 

      Quite a lot of foreigners who lived on 150 to 400 Euros. No insurance and usually the same old story with their spouses. One of them was a Euro millionaire, but his wife did all to take all money and land away until he suffered of a stroke and had to get in touch with our organisation.

 

  But they all had something in common. No insurance policy, and all of them were already older people. They all had to be "Cheep Charlies", because of the little amount of money they could spend. Why these people want to live here is something I do not understand.

 

   If I feel that I can't buy a piece of cheese and bread from time to time, and I can't afford to have a beer from time to time, it's really time to go back. 

 

 

 

  

 

              

[suzannegoh]

7 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

 

 I'm volunteering for an organisation that helps certain nationalities in emergency situations. The new report about the second part of 2017 is breathtaking to me.

 

      Quite a lot of foreigners who lived on 150 to 400 Euros. No insurance and usually the same old story with their spouses. One of them was a Euro millionaire, but his wife did all to take all money and land away until he suffered of a stroke and had to get in touch with our organisation.

 

  But they all had something in common. No insurance policy, and all of them were already older people. They all had to be "Cheep Charlies", because of the little amount of money they could spend. Why these people want to live here is something I do not understand.

 

   If I feel that I can't buy a piece of cheese and bread from time to time, and I can't afford to have a beer from time to time, it's really time to go back.

               

Part of it might be that the "Plan B" of going back home when money gets tight is not always easy to implement.  If someone has been in Thailand for a long time and doesn't have strong family connection in their home country then they might not have anything to go back to.
 

Edited January 6, 2018 by suzannegoh

[cyberfarang]

3 hours ago, suzannegoh said:

 

That's a good point, 1200 baht seems a bit extortionate. The drivers that ask for 800 to 1200 baht to go up Doi Suthep are usually the lazy SOBs who park all day by the side of the road on the east side of the moat waiting for hapless tourists to come by.

 

 

 

That`s not the point and whatever the fare is irrelevant. The point is; these passengers agree to the price before setting off on their journey, could be Doi Suthep or anywhere. If they consider a quoted fare too high then they should look for another taxi that may agree a lower price. If they can`t afford the fare, then take a bus or hitch hike. What`s happening is these passengers are agreeing to a price but actually have no intentions of paying the agreed fares at the end of their trips. Those who consider 1200 baht for a return almost 80 kilometre trip that includes a driver hanging about for several hours including petrol costs, not including the drivers meals while waiting during that period and has dedicated an almost entire day to that passenger as a personal chauffeur is extortionate are exactly the type bottom holes my friend was talking about. Personally, I wouldn`t be a taxi and chauffeur for an entire day with a complete stranger for anything under 5000 baht.

 

Similar is happening in Restaurants. Farang customers ordering alcoholic drinks and big meals with no intentions of paying the full cost when the bill arrives.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

the world is so full of low life farangs ......  as I said ... I have nothing to do with them ...   thai's yes .... farang no

Oh Steven, you love the Junta but you absolutely hate all farangs.  What a strange person you are!

[jenny2017]

6 minutes ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

Oh Steven, you love the Junta but you absolutely hate all farangs.  What a strange person you are!

+ 1 This guy is unbelievable and his posts are more than questionable. Especially the ones where he lifts the little man up into the sky. Why?