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

[suzannegoh]

7 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

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.

"Extortionate" was a poor chose of a word.  Of course it's outrageous to run away without paying regardless of whether from a restaurant or a taxi driver, and yes they could have just not hired the car if they didn't want to pay 1200 baht.  But the taxis drivers are not Lily White either. 

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed. 

[Russell17au]

It sounds like cyberfarang is having a farang attack session.

It is not only some farangs but it also includes many Thai's that are dead set to rip the farang off. Maybe when those farang found out how far it was that your mate took them that they realised that they were being ripped off. I caught a songtaew on his normal run with other passengers and he tried to charge me 250 baht for the 20 baht trip, I held up a 20 baht note and said 20 baht or the police, he chose the 20 baht and all the other passengers laughed at him. As for so called friends helping, my wife and I had the experience of a friendly neighbor that came to us and asked if we could help her out and take her to pick up some things and we did and then she wanted us to help her out and buy some of the product so my wife did. I changed my extension from a retirement to a marriage and the Immigration were going to come and do an inspection so my wife asked our neighbor if she could help us by being a witness to us living there together and the answer from her was "NO". So it is not only farangs that are like this, there are a lot of Thai's exactly the same. 

[cyberfarang]

40 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

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.
 

True, but those who are hanging out here on tight budgets should live within their means, not expect others or businesses to subsidise their lifestyles or expect special privileges, assistance or hand outs from others. Can`t afford, can`t have, that`s all there is to it.  Unfortunately there seems to be more and more of these cheap charlies coming over here, that have no moral compass and will take advantage of others, cheat, steal and borrow if given half a chance.

 

I know this is common practice, probably happening a lot more then most get to hear about. Undesirables that most of us would avoid like the plague in our own countries.

[1FinickyOne]

4 hours ago, miamiman123 said:

The cheap Charlie is alive and well in Thailand. I had a faring friend who asked me to help with installing a new operating system on his PC which was giving him trouble.

i agreed to help him do this and in all actuality I did it myself. I traveled to his home which was quite a distance from my place with all the equipment to do this. Spent about 2.5 hours completing the install of a SSD and the new OS windows 7 64 with MIcrosoft Security System.

His wife was home at the time. NO offer of lunch, a cola or even a class of water! She was too busy I guess plus I paid my own travel expense to his home. I didn’t expect any thing but....

He said he did not understand the expression “cheap charlie”, and I didn’t try to explain it to him.

We are not friends any longer! 

Sad but true! 

That's terrible... are you free next week?

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

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....

Chiang Mai better off if such a geezer would be back home in farangland chained to a wheelchair pushed up facing a wall in a home for the aged.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[jenny2017]

1 hour ago, suzannegoh said:

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.
 

That's certainly true and I'm too used to live my life here with my family. I'm not sure if I could "start over again" in a country that became so unfamiliar to me. I believe that I've unlearnt how to live in a country I've once called my home country. 

  

  "Plan B' for quite a few people seems to be suicide, unfortunately, does that not always succeed and people are in deeper <deleted> than they were before.

 

     

 

  

[jenny2017]

1 hour ago, cyberfarang said:

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.

Have you seen that with your own eyes? I'm sorry bothering you, but I don't get it. Why would somebody order food in a restaurant without the intention of paying for it?

 

    Considering that I've never experienced that here in the lower northeast, I can only assume that the "Cheap Charley" Syndrome must be somewhere in Pattaya, or any other tourist destination, where almost all broken hearts and broken people seem to fight for a life. 

 

  Isaan foreigners wouldn't order food they can't pay for.  Is it possible that more of the "quality expats" live in Isaan? 

 

  To get back to the 1,200 baht fare, I'd have my chat with the driver in his language, then make a reasonable price for the ride and finally pay for it. 

Edited January 6, 2018 by jenny2017

[johnnyonesock]

my g/f travels home from CM to her village in a Songthaew and the fare is 30 baht for the 35km journey

[mikey88]

12 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The Ops examples are extreme, I've not heard of them before, I've heard of Indians having massages then only wanting to pay discounted prices after. I've witnessed that myself. Unbelievable almost. It was actually quite amusing, Indian fella said "we not come back if we not get discount" massage lady said " we not want you come back, just pay" funny

 

As for tipping, what we need is employers to pay a decent wage and not shirk their responsibilities in trying to get customers to pay.

 

 

 

 

Yes the wages are shocking.

And yes we need to get employers to pay a decent wage...

But it won’t happen through us wishing it...

it probably won’t happen at all really.

So I tip people I see regularly because I know what wages people get....40 baht an hour for waitress...

i gave my local girls 500 for New Year....why not.

 

[scubascuba3]

It sounds like these Chang Mai cheap charlies are unlikely to have the proper visas

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

my g/f travels home from CM to her village in a Songthaew and the fare is 30 baht for the 35km journey

I get on the same to Sangkhampaeng to visit my friend or Hang Dong. The white and yellow ones what are they 15 baht? Songthaew drivers and their racist pricing schemes are going the way of the DoDobird. Driven out of business by Uber, I don't give a fig.

 

 

 

 

 

[orang37]

3 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

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.

The one time I have seen this (in many years), the customers were forcibly restrained until they paid up, and I am sure violence was going to be the outcome if they didn't.

[jenny2017]

7 hours ago, miamiman123 said:

The cheap Charlie is alive and well in Thailand. I had a faring friend who asked me to help with installing a new operating system on his PC which was giving him trouble.

i agreed to help him do this and in all actuality I did it myself. I traveled to his home which was quite a distance from my place with all the equipment to do this. Spent about 2.5 hours completing the install of a SSD and the new OS windows 7 64 with MIcrosoft Security System.

His wife was home at the time. NO offer of lunch, a cola or even a class of water! She was too busy I guess plus I paid my own travel expense to his home. I didn’t expect any thing but....

He said he did not understand the expression “cheap charlie”, and I didn’t try to explain it to him.

We are not friends any longer! 

Sad but true! 

I'm not sure who the CHEAP CHARLEY here is. I hope the guy reads this post. BTW, I've spent a lot of time helping friends and do not regret one minute of it. Sad, but true. 

[elektrified]

8 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.  

 

 

In your dreams!

[wazzupnow]

14 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

 

If hes charging 1200b to do a run up D.S and back no wonder he thinks people are cheap and going to haggle. 

i have never heared about anyone  paying more than a 200 bht fare to doi suthep go and back

i have sold this trip many times to guests of my guesthouse

mini van with aircon 12 people at 200 baht is 2400 baht ( in fact it was only 180 bht )

so who wants to ride in an old shaky oil fuming shitcar anyway

driven by the most worst and anoying drivers of this planet

(by the way i know toiletpaper stealing backpackers too, cheap charly is everywhere get used to it)

[zoza]

I have just returned from a trip up country and was surprised at the attitude of the

staff at some of the bars and restaurants, at one they put an extra 50 baht on the

bill?at another place they told my wife it was an old menu and the prices had gone up, at yet another informed her that for takeaway food it was more expensive?

near every place the beer was about 30baht dearer than you pay in Pattaya, this was not one or two places, it was only one or two that seemed to not try to have you over at every turn,

and then there was the push back, bumped into a group of expats, sitting near a

hotel entrance and as I knew one I was invited to join them, it turns out they were

buying beer from a shop across the road and drinking it on the hotels bench.

it is high season and lots of businesses want to make big money, and maybe not as

many tourists as hoped for have arrived, so what do Thais do when the numbers are down they up the cost of everything, so you have two sides of the coin.

on my first trip here 16years ago I flagged down a rickshaw to take us to the shopping mall a bit of a novelty for twenty baht...well that went out the window when the 90 year old driver impressed us with his fitness as he pedalled like mad

to make good his escape with my 100 baht in his hand..swings and roundabouts 

[ericthai]

12 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

Only saw this once....At the riverside Dukes.....

Older farang (EU accent), single diner - 1100B bill...Stood at the counter and loudly complained about his food, the quality, quantity, unwrapping & checking everything in his take home bags and complaining about it.....Just haranguing & hassling the help (3) and purposely annoying everyone around.....

 

I was at the closest table and was just about to tell him to pipe down and pay his bill - - just as he paid it.....Something out of character for me but it was about a 10 minute long disturbance and it was ruining our meal....

 

I asked the head waitress after & she said they reduced the bill to 900B but he still wanted more but finally settled up.....

 

She also added that he did this every time....

 

It's a pretty safe bet he did this where ever he went.....

 

It was really a pretty ugly performance to watch and sit through.....Miserable sot....

The issue is so many expats think every thai is out to cheat them, so they fight with everyone. I had a good friend that we used to work together in Thailand. When we were in Thailand for work he didnt worry about 2-3 baht change for a taxi ride and leave good tips.  After he moved to Thailand and was here for a few years his attitude changed, he would argue with a taxi diver for his 2 baht change, complain everyone is out to cheat him. He finally moved back home.  Myself nothing has changed. If someone wants too much I go somewhere else. In the last 20+ years I think I have had an issue with overcharging maybe 2-3 times. all tourist places. Never had an issue in Isaan.  

[Destiny1990]

Nice troll post.

[radiochaser]

22 hours ago, elektrified said:

"... Other stories I am hearing, many Farangs going to hospitals for minor treatments or emergency service such as dressing or stitching a wound and then either doing a disappearing act or refusing to pay, claiming don’t have any money..."

 

That is difficult to do. All hospitals in Thailand have a system in place to keep an eye on patients attempting to flee hospitals without paying their bill - particularly those with large bills. I can't say for certain about minor services such as dressing or stitching a wound, but when my friend in Bangkok wasn't able to pay the 175,000 Baht balance of his bill upon discharge, he said they must have tripped a silent alarm because within 45 seconds there were two plainclothes security guys behind him. Those two guys drove my friend home in a luxury mini-van and stayed parked out in front of his house for the next 3-4 days until he was able to pay his bill. He said they told him in a very gentle and polite manner not to worry and to to go inside and relax and recuperate (he had a heart attack and was in the CCU for about 4 days), and that when he was up to it, and had the funds lined up, that they would drive him wherever he needed to go to get the funds. My friend's wife even gave them a key so they could use the downstairs restroom at night. On about the 4th day my friend had lined up the money.

Off topic but in response to the bill for a heart attack hospitalization.  
 

I thought I was having a heart attack about 15 years ago, in Pennsylvania, U.S.  I went to the emergency room, then was kept overnight before being discharged about 30-33 hours later.  

Total bill was 975,000 baht!  I remember that they charged me 1,625 baht for a baby aspirin, which is 81 mg in size.  

I have found that hospital costs in Thailand are much, much cheaper than here in the United States.  I almost died from lack of proper treatment by a medical doctor and have had several bad treatments by doctors here.  

So far, I have had good results with minor problems, illness' and a couple of emergency visits to a hospital in Bangkok without the high charges.  

[steven100]

9 hours ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

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

what's strange about supporting a government that provides peace & security while creating economic development ?

what's strange about not wanting to associate with farangs in Thailand   ? 

I didn't come here to meet farangs.

Edited January 6, 2018 by steven100

[jacko45k]

When aren't these people crying poverty and abuse and woe is me!

If he is getting cheated often he needs to stop accepting these long rides and just do shorter metered ones. Or perhaps asking for money up front or driving to the police station if there is a problem,.

 

Personally I wouldn't dream of reneging on an agreed fare but it sounds like  some nationalities don't think it is a problem.

[dpdp]

If your friend was using a meter he would not be cheated. So he just deserves it.

I like Russian and Chinese for this !

 

[impulse]

11 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

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.

 

While I agree that you shouldn't renege  on a pre-agreed price, sometimes you don't know you've been cheated until after you've received the goods or services.  Especially tourists that haven't a clue how far someplace is- until they actually make the trip.  I can't count how many times I've felt like a sucker paying the agreed price when the journey wasn't nearly as far as that fare should have taken me.  Like Tuk-tuks on Sukhumvit that ask 200 baht to go 1/4 km.  Tourists who don't know their destination is only 250 meters away may agree up front, then have second thoughts when they find out they've been fleeced.  I'd still pay, but I wouldn't blame others for arguing.

 

Also, imagine agreeing to pay 100 baht for "a beer", then being presented with a shot glass half full of beer.  That's an extreme example, but it demonstrates that it's possible to be cheated- even if the price is agreed up front.  Some of us (myself included) would suck it up, call it tuition and pay anyway.  But others are just as justified in refusing to pay the agreed amount because they refuse to be scammed.  It's not that they had no intention of paying.  It's that they didn't know they were being scammed when they agreed to the price.

 

[Dante99]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

 I can't count how many times I've felt like a sucker paying the agreed price when the journey wasn't nearly as far as that fare should have taken me.  Like Tuk-tuks on Sukhumvit that ask 200 baht to go 1/4 km.  Tourists who don't know their destination is only 250 meters away may agree up front, then have second thoughts when they find out they've been fleeced. anyway.  

 

People have responsibility to know what they are asking for including about how long a ride they want.   

[suzannegoh]

Have you seen that with your own eyes? I'm sorry bothering you, but I don't get it. Why would somebody order food in a restaurant without the intention of paying for it?

 

A close friend of mine runs a small café in a section of Chiang Mai that attracts a lot of backpackers and digital nomads that is popular but gets complaints about the prices being too high.  According to her, in the past several years she’s had only two cases of customers who ran out without paying their bill.  Both were single tables with bills of maybe as much as 300 baht.  One of them was a farang guy who sat there for a couple hours using the internet and ordering drinks and desserts.  Another was a farang woman who was claiming to work for the Rough Guide (of maybe it was the Lonely Planet) and was very friendly with the staff and made a point of telling them that the Rough Guide would not allow her to accept free food from the restaurants that she reviews.  Both just quietly slipped away rather than asking for the check & paying.  Pretty lowbrow stunts but that's two customers out of hundreds.

 

 

Edited January 7, 2018 by suzannegoh

[newatthis]

" He told me that the Chinese are not the last of the big spenders as TaT claim, most times they will walk or if wanting a taxi will go as a group expecting to pay the fare of one person."

 

I don't understand that point. If the fare is 1200 baht to go to a certain place, then surely the driver wouldn't expect each person to pay that price. For example, if a day tour around Ayutthaya is 400 in a tuktuk, then it's 400 baht whether for 1 person or 4 people. You hire the tuktuk for 400 baht. You can't expect the driver to get 1600 baht, just because he has 4 people.

Sure, people are entitled to make an honest living, but the key word is "honest."

[Dazinoz]

I once got a sonthaew from Loi Kroh road in Chiang Mai to the airport. A thai lady got on a few meters further on down Loi Kroh. We both went to the airport. She got out and I saw her pay the driver 20baht. I handed him 20 baht and he held up 2 fingers, so I gave him 40 baht. Nope he wanted 200 baht. 

 

Early in my days in Thailand and taught me a lesson to ask before ride. I probably would have cared so much if I hadn't seen her pay 20. I am not a cheap Charlie, more like a Spender Spencer but have had to pull my horns in.

[tgeezer]

I remember when a Tuk tuk was a means of transport for everybody, but they are surely a novelty now. Why would a tourist hire one to travel from Chiang Mai city to Doi Suthep? I suspect that the driver knows that the novelty will have worn off by the time they arrive and that the return journey is not going to happen which explains why he wanted so much.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[newatthis]

On 1/6/2018 at 7:59 AM, 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.  !!

An interesting read this over a Sunday coffee.

You may be right steven100, but there are many Thais offering a 3  star service and wanting a 5 star payment.

Did some home improvements and I paid very good money to a recommended tiler to get a new roof put on. A week later, we got a storm and it leaked like a sieve. "Please come and have a look?" "Sorry, no can do. Finished now."

 

After the flood, the wife and I decided to invest in upgrading the front garden to protect it in the future, A neighbour and his wife came along and offered for him to help. My wife said they were struggling financially so I offered to pay him 400baht a day [paid daily] to help me. Hours 8.30 to 4.00 and he can go home for a hour for lunch. He would turn up at 10.00am, talk to the next door neighbour for about an hour, then do a little bit of work. My wife had to stand over him the rest of the day. ["You're too jai dee"]

He turned up the next day and I said: "Right, we're going to do this, this and this today and we'll finish." "No, no,, no. I like to work at my own pace. It'll take us 3-4 days to do that." Sent him packing.

There are cheap Charlie Thais, too