Getting ripped off in Thailand

[khunPer]

16 hours ago, cat handler said:

 

Can you you try writing that in English, and since when was it illegal to drink after 2am? I’m guessing you’re related to the rip off filth in Chang Mai if you think a gill of 18’000 Baht is “a bit high”, I can just imaging you picking you’re nose and having a feast while you wrote that.

Actually it's theoretically midnight, as the Law says that alcohol can be sold between 17 and 24; and yes you can also have alcohol for lunch, if it's between 12 noon and 14...?

[Thaidream]

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

 Its simple common sense

While it is common sense to you and I- the OP and his friends may not have understood this. He and friends made a mistake just as others before him and unfortunately others after him.  The authorities know these places exist but continue to allow them to cheat people .  Actually, the OP did a service by pointing it out and reminding everyone of what still goes on.

 

My real objection is the holier than thou brigade who would blame someone for being out and about after hours looking for  drink and company and try and use the fact that it is illegal.  If it's so illegal why do the police allow it to function.  CM used to have great after hours places that were not rip offs and great street food where one could sit at any hour of the day and night and enjoy Thai food and a cold beer.  Bangkok used to be the same.   If someone wants to enjoy a cold beer at 3 AM and a chat with anyone-  why shouldn't they be allowed.

 

The powers that be know where these rip off places are and let them operate but close down legitimate places.  It's no wonder many tourists are going elsewhere.  

 

T

[NCC1701A]

17 hours ago, cat handler said:

How many people on here actually realise how badly they are and can be ripped off in Thailand

almost everyone after about one or two days. or after reading about Thailand on the web for about 10 seconds. 

 

17 hours ago, cat handler said:

the Tuk Tuk Driver said he knew where to get some so more drinks and girls

classic. after tens years of coming to Thailand you are still asking Tuk Tuk drivers for anything?

 

17 hours ago, cat handler said:

from me to avoid what could have become an ugly  confrontation,

police owned Karaoke bars in Chiang Mai are famous for this. it's no secret and all over the web. many stories of Farangs getting the sh*t beat out of them when the checkbin arrives. 

 

I specifically went into three Karaoke bar in Chiang Mai AFTER reading about how they are designed to rip you off just to see what it was like.

I walked in with a friend who is ex LAPD, saw a line of extremely beautiful girls (who do nothing) and very tough looking Thai men standing at every exit. And in the parking lot. They explained the hourly rate and anyone with a brain knows you can party with two bar girls all night for half of what they want. 

[watcharacters]

48 minutes ago, sanemax said:

And Pattaya is beautiful , clean sea , walks along the beach at night , nice family orientated bars .

High class people from all over the World visit Pattaya to sample such delights

 

42 minutes ago, The manic said:

Thank goodness is not like you describe.  Why do you think people want to live in a tedious, anodyne family friendly resort going for walks by the sea? Millions don't. Not everybody shares your tame views .

 

Don't you detect a bit of scarism in  sanemax's post, mate?

 

[ReneTH]

The tuk tuk to karaoke after normal bars close in Chiang Mai are known to be a scam / dangerous.
You most likely went to Chang Klan road, I have been locked up there myself once and ended up paying 2000 baht for 1 big heineken and 2 drinks for a girl (they wanted more initially) and this was without a karaoke room or food too.

Even after paying I still needed to run, there were over 5 muay thai guys, the tallest I have ever seen.
Lucky for me that I run fast and they were too lazy to continue on bikes in the rain.

Edited August 27, 2018 by ReneTH

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, Thaidream said:

While it is common sense to you and I- the OP and his friends may not have understood this. He and friends made a mistake just as others before him and unfortunately others after him.  The authorities know these places exist but continue to allow them to cheat people .  Actually, the OP did a service by pointing it out and reminding everyone of what still goes on.

 

My real objection is the holier than thou brigade who would blame someone for being out and about after hours looking for  drink and company and try and use the fact that it is illegal.  If it's so illegal why do the police allow it to function.  CM used to have great after hours places that were not rip offs and great street food where one could sit at any hour of the day and night and enjoy Thai food and a cold beer.  Bangkok used to be the same.   If someone wants to enjoy a cold beer at 3 AM and a chat with anyone-  why shouldn't they be allowed.

 

The powers that be know where these rip off places are and let them operate but close down legitimate places.  It's no wonder many tourists are going elsewhere.  

 

T

The powers that be have closed many of these Karaoke bars down .

And I would suggest that the only reason why they got away without paying the full amount is because the karaoke bar knew they would get into trouble with the authorities , had the guys been physically forced to pay up .

   The authorities have clamped down on these places

[sanemax]

8 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

They explained the hourly rate

What was that hourly rate ?

[NCC1701A]

4 minutes ago, sanemax said:

What was that hourly rate ?

I can't remember something like 200-300 baht a hour for each girl, plus your drinks and theirs.

 

[sanemax]

15 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

CM used to have great after hours places that were not rip offs and great street food where one could sit at any hour of the day and night and enjoy Thai food and a cold beer.  Bangkok used to be the same.   If someone wants to enjoy a cold beer at 3 AM and a chat with anyone-  why shouldn't they be allowed.

The reality is that there used to be hoards of drunken Westerners roaming the streets between 2-6 AM , drinking, shouting , singing , arguing and fighting and these people disturbed everyone else who were trying to sleep .

   This is the time when many accidents occurred , along with the injuries from fights and the constant tuk-tuk noise and the police and ambulance sirens throughout the night

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, rodney earl said:

EVERYTHING in this country is designed to separate you from your money. I stopped drinking years ago and I do not regret it, I am very glad that I did, nowdays I only drink orange juice so I only get ripped off a little bit.!!

Maybe I can get some answers to this.

On average, in a bar, what is the difference in price between a pint of beer and a pint of orange juice?

IMO The orange juice should be about half of the beer.

[chippendale]

18 hours ago, cat handler said:

the Tuk Tuk Driver said he knew where to get some so more drinks and girls so we let him take the lead.

That's where you screwed up, chump. ? Beginner's mistake. Is this your first time abroad?

[The manic]

6 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Maybe I can get some answers to this.

On average, in a bar, what is the difference in price between a pint of beer and a pint of orange juice?

IMO The orange juice should be about half of the beer.

what kind of bar? Go Go? Karaoke? Bar Beer? Pub? Night Club?

[The manic]

29 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

Don't you detect a bit of scarism in  sanemax's post, mate?

 

Er....yes. But my response remains the same.

[NoshowJones]

6 minutes ago, The manic said:

what kind of bar? Go Go? Karaoke? Bar Beer? Pub? Night Club?

I have already said "In  a Bar". What is the difference in that or Bar Beer?

[The manic]

18 minutes ago, sanemax said:

The reality is that there used to be hoards of drunken Westerners roaming the streets between 2-6 AM , drinking, shouting , singing , arguing and fighting and these people disturbed everyone else who were trying to sleep .

   This is the time when many accidents occurred , along with the injuries from fights and the constant tuk-tuk noise and the police and ambulance sirens throughout the night

No. Your dystopian view is probably a mirror of your own disapproving, anti social nature. CM used to be good fun but it was never as rowdy as you describe. Currently it's, a joyless polluted city known for its elderly farang homosexual boy/gay scene,vegetarian top knotters in pyjama trouser, an authoritarian Immigration office and its depressed population. Bring Back the old days. Make Chiang Mai great again!

[SpeakeasyThai]

2 minutes ago, The manic said:

No. Your dystopian view is probably a mirror of your own disapproving, anti social nature. CM used to be good fun but it was never as rowdy as you describe. Currently it's, a joyless polluted city known for its elderly farang homosexual boy/gay scene,vegetarian top knotters in pyjama trouser, an authoritarian Immigration office and its depressed population. Bring Back the old days. Make Chiang Mai great again!

When i hear 'bring back the old days' i see an old git on a bar stool with a large Chang at 10am. Lol

 

I agree with your one point about the CM pollution. Abhorrant.

[Mangkhut]

2 hours ago, The manic said:

Sex workers and booze usually go hand in hand. You are giving a moral judgement reflecting your own prejudices not an accurate assessment. 

Absolutely not. The fact that many a poor guy has wasted heaps of money on prostituts and booze, actually much more than needed if ya know what I mean isnt not exactly rocket science. I know that very well myself from experience so absolutely now predudices involved here, just pure knowledge. Ask any sailor will ya...

 

Bult luckily I have learned ? Hopefully TS has too...?

[CanuckThai]

Good to know about which bars or karaoke joints, have no qualms bitch slapping, or known to give a tourists a sucker punch bill.  

 

If there was a thread, about Thai pubs/karaoke bar ratings/warnings, I'd be searching through it, before weekend roadtrips.  

 

Eg:

The Thai Pub Thread

 

Xcity PubA: Good pub, live music XXbaht for a pint, 3K bfines, no grief, mostly farang, had a great time

Xcity PubB: Good pub, karaoke, XXXbaht for pint, no bar fining, mostly Thai, watch your bills, over charged but sorted it out, great place.

Xcity PubC: Dirty pub, no music, XXbaht for pint, 1.5K bfines, young Thai crowd, a lot of trouble,  credit/ATM card not recommended, many have been scammed.  Good fun but keep your shiet together and use cash 

Edited August 27, 2018 by CanuckThai

[The manic]

2 minutes ago, CanuckThai said:

Good to know about which bars or karaoke joints, have no qualms bitch slapping, or known to give a tourists a sucker punch bill.  

 

If there was a thread, about Thai pubs/karaoke bar ratings/warnings, I'd be searching through it, before weekend roadtrips.  

 

Eg:

The Thai Pub Thread

 

Xcity PubA: Good pub, live music XXbaht for a pint, 3K bfines, no grief, mostly farang, had a great time

Xcity PubB: Good pub, karaoke, XXXbaht for pint, no bar fining, mostly Thai, watch your bills, over charged but sorted it out, great place.

Xcity PubC: Dirty pub, no music, XXbaht for pint, 1.5K bfines, young Thai crowd, a lot of trouble,  credit/ATM card not recommended, many have been scammed.  Good fun but keep your shiet together and use cash 

Which city.  What are the names of the places? What time do they close?

[sanemax]

13 minutes ago, The manic said:

No. Your dystopian view is probably a mirror of your own disapproving, anti social nature. CM used to be good fun but it was never as rowdy as you describe. Currently it's, a joyless polluted city known for its elderly farang homosexual boy/gay scene,vegetarian top knotters in pyjama trouser, an authoritarian Immigration office and its depressed population. Bring Back the old days. Make Chiang Mai great again!

It really was , I was one of them out there as well .

After a few years of drinking all night and rowdy behavior , I got bored of it and welcomed the changes .

   I finally got the teenage mentality out my system and grew up

[The manic]

4 minutes ago, Mangkhut said:

Absolutely not. The fact that many a poor guy has wasted heaps of money on prostituts and booze, actually much more than needed if ya know what I mean isnt not exactly rocket science. I know that very well myself from experience so absolutely now predudices involved here, just pure knowledge. Ask any sailor will ya...

 

Bult luckily I have learned ? Hopefully TS has too...?

Not really your business what other people do with their money is it? Whatever your experiences have been? "Many a poor guy has wasted heaps of money". Not wasted if he was having a good time.  Why deny to others or criticise a lifestyle choice you, on your own admittance, once embraced? Sounds a bit hypocritical to me. Just saying.

[Sprigger]

What a prick, sound like another plastic Hells Angel to me. 

[The manic]

21 minutes ago, sanemax said:

It really was , I was one of them out there as well .

After a few years of drinking all night and rowdy behavior , I got bored of it and welcomed the changes .

   I finally got the teenage mentality out my system and grew up

Yes you sound very mature. Just because you were an anti social  trouble maker does not mean a whole town should change. You seek to deny to others that which you enjoyed.  Many of us drink and party without the immature behaviour you practised. It's your problem not ours. 

Edited August 27, 2018 by The manic

[watcharacters]

59 minutes ago, The manic said:

Er....yes. But my response remains the same.

 

 

Good enough.  but your reply  to obvious  sarcasm leaves me wondering..

 

[sanemax]

26 minutes ago, The manic said:

Yes you sound very mature. Just because you were an anti social  trouble maker does not mean a whole town should change. You seek to deny to others that which you enjoyed.  Many of us drink and party without the immature behaviour you practised. It's your problem not ours. 

It wasnt just me though , it was the whole drinking population out there causing mayhem on the streets. 

  Anyway cannot talk now, my boy needs attention , asking then names of things in English

[The manic]

22 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

Good enough.  but your reply  to obvious  sarcasm leaves me wondering..

 

It shouldn't. It's straight forward. Whether real or imagined I do not like his version of Pattya. It sucks.

[The manic]

14 minutes ago, sanemax said:

It wasnt just me though , it was the whole drinking population out there causing mayhem on the streets. 

  Anyway cannot talk now, my boy needs attention , asking then names of things in English

You have a rich fantasy life or false memory syndrome. The idea of the whole drinking population causing mayhem in CM is silly and patently an exaggeration.  I wonder if you over inflate your importance in the history of CM night life?

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Mangkhut said:

 The fact that many a poor guy has wasted heaps of money on prostituts and booze,

1

I wasted much more money on my cold English wife, than I ever did on prostitutes and booze in Chiang Mai.

If I were able to live my life again it'd be more hookers/booze and drugs, and I'd give the English wife a total miss.

 

Edited August 27, 2018 by BritManToo

[Skeptic7]

You came to the wrong place for commiseration dude! Lots of deniers, holier than thous, teetotalers, early birds and selective memories here. Yes...Thailand can be a Tourist Trap ripoff nowadays and has been for the past decade. Been here 25 years, so have a decent reference time frame. Have to be very careful and watch and inquire about everything. Many years ago I dubbed LOS (formerly Land Of Smiles)...Land Of Scams & Snarls. 

 

All that said, it certainly does not happen everywhere...nor all the time. When out of your comfort zones and familiar watering holes...ASK UP FRONT. Even that won't always save you from being gouged and/or encountering a very unpleasant situation. (Think some upstairs bars in Pat Pong).

 

Anyhoo...y'all got ripped. Chalk it up  to experience and move on. Happens to all of us...or most of us...or at least some of us. Remember the old adage...'fool me once...' 

 

Cheers?

Edited August 27, 2018 by Skeptic7

[Ks45672]

12 hours ago, The manic said:

I doubt it is a municipal decision, certainly not from a democratically elected local government. I suspect you are projecting your own feelings about Pattaya. I am certain you do not speak for the people of Chiang Mai. At any level, at any CM council meeting- is there a record of Pattaya ever being discussed? I reiterate: Pattaya's freedom is the envy of every local government in Thailand because it creates massive wealth and massive employment. 

Pattaya is not known as the toilet of South East Asia for no reason, An accolade Chang Mai doesn't need or want I'm sure.... ?