Thai business owners who think they own the public road

[andre47]

37 minutes ago, markaoffy said:

They own the sidewalks unless "the law" removes them temporarily. then they return. If a "member of the public" push any of their "fake Junk or poisoned food stand' to get by, then you could be subject to verbal or physical abuse.You'll never change attitude here in a million years

They own the sidewalks?????

 

I don't think so.....Where did you got this information?

[Lacessit]

Life is too short for me to worry about where I park my car.

[giddyup]

13 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Life is too short for me to worry about where I park my car.

See how laid back you are when you come back and find it keyed or tyres flat.

[tryasimight]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

See how laid back you are when you come back and find it keyed or tyres flat.

Has this ever happened to anyone personally?..... Not a friend of mine stories...... 

[helloagain]

8 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Is that an actual photo of you in your avatar? 

 

Did you explain the law to them in Thai? If not, you might as well be clucking like a chicken for all the good it would do you. 

 

Having said that, I feel your pain. At some point, however, you should understand that your car will be "keyed" by someone, or your tires slashed. Just FYI.

The saying <deleted> for brains comes to mind. Not you the shop owners

[ELVIS123456]

Chiang Mai has heaps of this going on when we were there for a few years - and wife reckoned they pay police/amphur official for the 'privilege'. 

 

I suggest OP stop this practice and let it go, or he may one day be the subject of a TV story.  Asking for trouble often gets it in Thailand.

 

[My Thai Life]

Well GOM, obviously you love your car. It's at least your 2nd car post, or 3rd , 4th?

 

Did you ever reply to questions arising from your post about why you've been stopped every day in your car? I think not, but I could be wrong. 

 

This new one is even weirder. Yes CM is a bit different from Lough Ness.

 

The CM forum has been quiet for a long time; do you have  a vested interest in these inanities?

[Ulic]

Thai business owners, ....ha, ha,..... all business owners. Even RETOX on Soi Lenkee has signs

posted, customer parking only. That said I do believe the LK Metro loop is a private road owned by

the LK family business empire. They would be in the right to collect a parking fee or rent the road

space out to food carts. Just don't die defending your parking space right. 

[fullcave]

9 hours ago, cmsally said:

I would say not totally the fault of the business owners. Whoever invented the ubiquitous shophouse really counted on the fact that each unit would have to use the street in order to survive. So the planning dept is just as much to blame.

Planning dept? You are joking of course, there is no such thing as planning dept.

[moe666]

In Chiang Mai what the point you will be having this fight every time you wish to park. Stay below the radar what is the point of pissing off a bunch of people

[Dumbastheycome]

7 hours ago, seancbk said:

If I owned or rented a shop I would consider the parking out front to be mine.   

 

If? Maybe   best  luck  you do not ! 

[RocketDog]

As many have said, you are thinking with your anger, planning for confrontations, and you will indeed get them regularly. Eventually you will bite off more than you can chew.

 

Right or wrong, is this an issue worth the sacrifice of your daily equanimity?

 

Smile and the world smiles with you. Fight and the world..............

 

If I parked in the same places regularly here is how I would approach it. Talk to each owner and request to 'rent' each place for 50 ฿ per month. I bet they would remove the chairs for you every time you drive up and also guard your car.

 

Rewarding bad behavior? Yes. But also making my life more stress free for a pretty small price and also making some new friends.

 

You will not change Thai society or culture by challenging it. That task is up to them.

Drop the whole "grumpy" gig and seek joy, not trouble.

[Dumbastheycome]

As  of today  have had a repeat  issue with this problem . A  certain nation wide company  with a distribution centre  in an inappropriate commercial  street location expects exclusive access  to  parking space to accommodate  an  articulated 8  wheeler truck ,delivery  vans  and  motorcycle   sidecar  seller units over parking space of not  less  than  40 metres for  a duration  of  2 hours at a time that  is  random.

In  the  same direct  area are  two Banks,  2 Medical   Clinics ,  4 Food / Restaurants and  various other small retail outlets.

Multiple  times  I  have  parked in a spot that is not  convenient for  them at  least  1  hour  before their anticipated  delivery in  order to  attend  one  of these medical  clinics. 

Initial  reaction to  my  "ignorance"  was  quite  aggressive. So was  my  refusal !

I pretended  to  call  the  Police. There  was  an instantaneous  departure  of  many of  the minor players. The instigators became  sullenly  silent. 

I offered  the solution that THEY  secure  me an alternative  parking  space convenient  to myself. They  did.

And  so  it  continues.  Same  or similar  scenario. 

Today  in anticipation I  approached  them. Solution rapidly accommodated. Appreciatively.

But it  still irks me that a  business that is based in a location  that relies on tactics  of  intimidation to  the  general public at  inconvenience  to other  retail  or  valid  business should  have expectation  of  such  "right" to commandeer casual street  parking  space.

What   makes  it  ridiculous  is  that the  "agents"  of  this  Company  were relieved at  the  outcome which  made  their  task easier ( with   no impact  on  employment  status? ) as  well as being  cognisant  of  the  reason not  just  myself  needed  to park  in  the  area.

I  would  add  that I have never  been treated as some ignorant  "farang" but  only  as an ignorant to their  perception of "right". I  can  confirm  that  due to  observation  reaction  to  Thai people  who  also  park in  same  spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dumbastheycome]

16 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

As many have said, you are thinking with your anger, planning for confrontations, and you will indeed get them regularly. Eventually you will bite off more than you can chew.

 

Right or wrong, is this an issue worth the sacrifice of your daily equanimity?

 

Smile and the world smiles with you. Fight and the world..............

 

If I parked in the same places regularly here is how I would approach it. Talk to each owner and request to 'rent' each place for 50 ฿ per month. I bet they would remove the chairs for you every time you drive up and also guard your car.

 

Rewarding bad behavior? Yes. But also making my life more stress free for a pretty small price and also making some new friends.

 

You will not change Thai society or culture by challenging it. That task is up to them.

Drop the whole "grumpy" gig and seek joy, not trouble.

Rubbish !

That  supports the acquiensence of  thaksinites!

 

[andre47]

23 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

If I parked in the same places regularly here is how I would approach it. Talk to each owner and request to 'rent' each place for 50 ฿ per month. I bet they would remove the chairs for you every time you drive up and also guard your car.

I like your post, but here you are dreaming..:)

 

50 Baht per month?? Maybe 20 years ago.

[Tchooptip]

7 hours ago, Grumpy Old Man said:

 

Each box is full of chains, in fact, OP sells chains the little secretive man!

[ajarnmarc]

11 hours ago, Juan B Tong said:

Changing the world one parking space at a time!

Good luck Mr. Grumpy.

 

 

I'm not sure why the OP has to be referred to as Mr. Grumpy?

It's everyones right to park on the public road, and 99% of the time nothing is or would be said it the person parking were Thai. It's more often than not simply because they see it's a foreigner that they come off there soap box, and decide to take on their authoritative tone, just so they can tell us what needs to be done. I have had this resistance done to me before, concerning parking, and it was in front of barber shop I had planned to visit. I parked there anyway, and the senior lady that told me I couldn't not, 

simply proceeded to beat my car with her broom. I contacted the police, and after waiting for 30 minutes for them to so up, the shop owner explained to the police, and the police kindly asked me to move my car, so the lady would stop complaining...

The next time I visited the barber, I was able to park at another near by spot instead, and during my wait in the shop I saw several thai's park in the same spot the lady had such an issue with. Each time she came out and each time when she saw it was Thai citizen she just turned around and walked back into her shop. 

I thought perhaps all excitement was behind me, and I would not get to see the shop owner vent her more desirable side, when I was just about to leave, she got a motorcyclist trying to park in this precious spot, and when the driver took off the helmet, her she came in full force. 

The driver didn't know what was going on, so the lady simply pushed over the motorcycle.

Driver apparently called the rental agency, and when they arrived was when the fun really took off.

Thai man pulled a chair out of his truck, and proceeded to chase the lady into her shop, bashing everything in sight, after breaking up most of the store front good, he picked up the motorcycle loaded it into the truck and drove off.

So yes the shop owners thing the street belongs to them, 

as does Central plaza shopping, where they try to sell vip parking slots in the underground parking lots.

 

[chickenslegs]

27 minutes ago, ajarnmarc said:

I'm not sure why the OP has to be referred to as Mr. Grumpy?

His TV nickname might be the biggest clue.

[Ulysses G.]

11 hours ago, seancbk said:

If I owned or rented a shop I would consider the parking out front to be mine.   

 

If there is driveway in front of the shopfront, it is illegal for a car to block it so the renter can get in and out. However, it is almost impossible to keep the space free.

[Damrongsak]

Bolt cutters are so passé .

 

 

Edited July 13, 2018 by Damrongsak

[Damrongsak]

10 minutes ago, Ulysses G. said:

If there is driveway in front of the shopfront, it is illegal for a car to block it so the renter can get in and out. However, it is almost impossible to keep the space free.

There was a recent news article where some older lady got blocked in her driveway.  I think she went ballistic on the car.  Don't recall exactly.

[1FinickyOne]

19 hours ago, Grumpy Old Man said:

 

Yes the photo is of myself.

 

Thank you; I do understand there is a risk factor for standing up for yourself

I understand the annoyance you feel... but there are both issues of law and issues of customs. It happens often enough that the custom seems to be the owner of a property can reserve the space in front of their premises. I don't like it either but there are customs in my country that I don't like and have to accept. 

 

Whether it is convenient for me or not - polite or not... it is really in my best interest to go along with and accept this reality. A parking space is not worth a fight to me...

 

ps - I once had a very old lady throw water on my car window while I was parking in front of her shophouse... she was about 90 and pretty frail but I think I might have been able to take her in a street fight... but, even if I won, there seemed no honor in the victory. For as long as she has lived there, she has considered that her right. And besides, what if I lost? 

 

[Lacessit]

13 hours ago, giddyup said:

See how laid back you are when you come back and find it keyed or tyres flat.

You've misinterpreted what I posted. If a shopkeeper tells me I can't park there, I just move to where I can.

[anon537687643]

The OP remember nothing is rational in Thailand. And when it comes to Falang you mean nothing


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[thailand49]

Interesting really got my attention when you indicated you had a bolt cutter?  Yea right.

[Farangwithaplan]

10 minutes ago, markaoffy said:

The OP remember nothing is rational in Thailand. And when it comes to Falang you mean nothing


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I disagree with that statement. Just because the rationale is different to your upbringing and what you conceive to be correct, does not make it irrational. And if you have been treated or have viewed others being treated as if you are "nothing" then I suggest you take a good long, hard look at yourself and try to understand why you receive no respect.

 

 

อึนก  ฝรั่ง comes to mind and I hear it when a lot when I go to places heavily populated by westerners in singlets or 200 baht knock off t-shirts, shorts and flip flops.

[BobBKK]

Good for you and you are 100% right but please be careful as Thais overreact, throw fits and love dramas. Basically if they think your actions make them lose their precious 'face' you could have a serious problem.  But you are right.

[BobBKK]

54 minutes ago, Farangwithaplan said:

I disagree with that statement. Just because the rationale is different to your upbringing and what you conceive to be correct, does not make it irrational. And if you have been treated or have viewed others being treated as if you are "nothing" then I suggest you take a good long, hard look at yourself and try to understand why you receive no respect.

 

 

อึนก  ฝรั่ง comes to mind and I hear it when a lot when I go to places heavily populated by westerners in singlets or 200 baht knock off t-shirts, shorts and flip flops.

I would suggest the Thai HiSo's and Amaart treat them as 'nothing' not most foreigners.

[electric]

Parked kerbside right outside a nice restaurant last night. A Thai lady came out of the restaurant. Tap on the side window.

 

Politely, but very firmly "Cannot park here."

 

My wife explained that there were 4 of us, and we had planned on eating in her restaurant, which was true.

 

Big smiles. "oh .... ok ok .... park here no problem ok ok ok. "  55555555

 

She turned out to be a very charming host, and she later explained to the girls that they try hard to keep the 2 parking spots for customers, but mostly it was a losing battle.

 

 

[EricTh]

6 minutes ago, electric said:

Parked kerbside right outside a nice restaurant last night. A Thai lady came out of the restaurant. Tap on the side window.

 

Politely, but very firmly "Cannot park here."

 

My wife explained that there were 4 of us, and we had planned on eating in her restaurant, which was true.

 

Big smiles. "oh .... ok ok .... park here no problem ok ok ok. "  55555555

 

She turned out to be a very charming host, and she later explained to the girls that they try hard to keep the 2 parking spots for customers, but mostly it was a losing battle.

 

 

 

Parking spots in CM central are rare as gold , I can understand why they would reserve for their customers.

 

What I don't understand is with the rarity of parking spot and the small spots, why are there so many people with large cars hoarding half the road?

 

CM central is only suitable for bikes and small cars.

 

Edited July 14, 2018 by EricTh