Brit in Phuket Town condo saga continues amid fears of nine-story jump

[bkk6060]

Sure seems like there has been an increase in bad Brit stories.

Mind the gap!

 

[NamKangMan]

15 minutes ago, robblok said:

Do you have a link to his version of events ? But even so he is not that smart if he thinks that this will go away if he locks himself up.

 

The bond might be something in his head I know its common to happen still the action of not paying rent the last months is as illegal as not giving the bond back. Its actually worse as it happens before there is a conflict over the bond. 

 

I gotten my bond back but I rented only once.  

 

There's no link to his actual email, but this was reported in the original story.

 

"Mr Maclean, who sent a detailed email to The Phuket News, flatly denied the claim.

 

Instead he gave a detailed description of events, including dates, times, names and places, of how the rent was no longer being collected as the landlady had sent her adult children to collect the rent, but refused to give receipts for rent paid.

 

Mr Maclean also alleged two attempts of forced entry to gain access to the condo."

[NamKangMan]

 

Seems to be a bit of Brit bashing posting.  

 

Isn't he Australian?

 

"The Australian-born Brit, David Maclean, 50, from Brisbane"  

 

 

[robblok]

6 minutes ago, NamKangMan said:

 

There's no link to his actual email, but this was reported in the original story.

 

"Mr Maclean, who sent a detailed email to The Phuket News, flatly denied the claim.

 

Instead he gave a detailed description of events, including dates, times, names and places, of how the rent was no longer being collected as the landlady had sent her adult children to collect the rent, but refused to give receipts for rent paid.

 

Mr Maclean also alleged two attempts of forced entry to gain access to the condo."

So the guy did not pay rent as he allegedly did not get receipts. So let him pay and give him a receipt. The guy is bonkers if he thinks that he can get away with not paying for these reasons. 

 

I mean you seem like you have a brain, im sure they offered him receipts now if he paid.. and because its not resolved he did not. So I can only conclude the guy is trying to wiggle out of his obligation.

As for him being a Brit or an Australian, i thought Australians were convicted Brits ???? (just teasing does it really matter where the nutcase is from ?)

[Songlaw]

Two things. He has a bolt. And, if you are on the premises, they cannot enter without permission. It is a peculiarity of Thai law that I happen to support. At least it was leading up to the coup. I'm pretty sure it still stands.

[monkeycu]

24 minutes ago, NamKangMan said:

 

Seems to be a bit of Brit bashing posting.  

 

Isn't he Australian?

 

"The Australian-born Brit, David Maclean, 50, from Brisbane"  

 

 

Maybe convict stock repatriated  

[Shocked farang]

1 hour ago, KittenKong said:

Rent scams are common enough all over Thailand. This guy should have been given a receipt, and that's all there is to it.

But apparently the Phuket authorities prefer to side with the Thai landlord rather than protect the interests of tourists. There's a surprise.

As someone who has rented budget condos in Thailand I think that what he demanding is a receipt that shows the "breakdown" of the total of 8000 Baht. The rent is probably 5000 Baht, let´s say and he is being ripped off in the electricity, that´s the usual way that greedy landlords find to rip off clueless farangs. Probably he wasn´t so clueless and was saving in electricity consumption, trying not to use the air conditioning and when this 8000 Baht bill came out of the blue he just freaked out, lost his mind thinking that he would go bankrupt. If I were in Phuket I would go to his window and scream that I will pay his bill myself. That would end this ridiculous situation. 

[alex8912]

20 minutes ago, Songlaw said:

Two things. He has a bolt. And, if you are on the premises, they cannot enter without permission. It is a peculiarity of Thai law that I happen to support. At least it was leading up to the coup. I'm pretty sure it still stands.

I find that very hard to believe. So if you know the upstairs neighbor is flooding into your unit ( as in the landlords unit ) and your crazy tenant is home enjoying the flood and he says you can’t enter you have no right to enter??  I call major BS on you!!  Owner has right of entry. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by alex8912

[hottrader77]

2 hours ago, riverhigh said:

50 years old. Likely no job in home country. Living here 6 months. Most probably benefits cut off. Barricading himself in his room and threatening to jump for the princely  sum of 8,000 baht. "Give me a receipt for my 8000 baht or I'll jump".  A real waste of space.

True very well described , this guy in the story is trying it on , the good news is when he is deported he will be banned from coming back , hope he does not live near me in uk 

[Lucius verus]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

Rent scams are common enough all over Thailand. This guy should have been given a receipt, and that's all there is to it.

But apparently the Phuket authorities prefer to side with the Thai landlord rather than protect the interests of tourists. There's a surprise.

What is a rent scam? I've lived and paid rent for 20 years in Los  but never had a problem with rent or landlords. Pay rent and get a receipt.End of story.I am more inclined to believe the Thais on this one. Thais love renting to farang

Good source of steady rental  income and farangs are generally well behaved. Thai tenants are a disaster.Here today gone tomorrow at 4am

PEPPERCORN RENT. Still exist in Thailand but drying up now .One of my last 'landords'was actually on a30 year PEPPERCORN and suddenly came around to my place and removed all the timber that was piled up on the roof. Few days later I was approached by wife of the retired general who apparently owns the whole street. They wanted me to pay for the missing timber...I refused because they never told me the'landlord' was on a 200 b/_month peppercorn that had now expired. 1978-2008.

They gave up on the timber and we parted on amicable terms... No problem!

Never heard of rent scams but title deed scams are rampant. Alot of deeds are on Buddha land ..sort of like a pro-forma Deed. Thais get hoodwinked all the time by other Thais.

[balo]

I don't get it, why don't they just break the door down , if he's suicidal just take him out of there.  He is a lost case anyway in the eyes of the police.

Ask for assistance from the Australian embassy , maybe he is broke , send him home. 

 

[geriatrickid]

45 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I find that very hard to believe. So if you know the upstairs neighbor is flooding into your unit ( as in the landlords unit ) and your crazy tenant is home enjoying the flood and he says you can’t enter you have no right to enter??  I call major BS on you!!  Owner has right of entry. 

Two very different circumstances. Eviction and repossession require a court order. Protection of property in the event of a  catastrophe like a fire or water pipe break is very different.

 

3 hours ago, ajarnmarc said:

It's great to see the fire brigade looking very professional, all suited in uniform, and welcoming for any issues which might arise from this mentally unstable situation. 

The occupant is probably just waiting for monies to be properly transferred over, 

so he may clear the rent. It's just a misunderstanding, which the landlord wasn't willing to understand through proper body language translation, since English skills here are still very low line in most parts, as not being any sort of priority to consider when running a business. Hopefully it will all sort itself out in a most positive fashion prior to any sort of overstay, which might cause him to be banned from the country in the future.

Arrogance  on display. Why do you expect the Thais to be fluent in English?

Do you demand that the English landlords of Manchester be fluent in Urdu? or the Australian landlords of Cairns be fluent in Mandarin Beijing dialect? The tenant is a visitor in the foreign country. The obligation is on the foreigner to speak the foreign language. The building is a budget building targeted at the Thai market, not at the low end foreign visitor market.

 

This is precisely the type of visitor Thailand neither needs not wants. Obviously, the man  has mental health issues and perhaps the receipt issue is legitimate. However, this is not how  these disputes are handled. Mentally stable adults do not barricade themselves in an apartment.  The police have been very patient and can break down the door and remove  the man if they believe that it is a matter of protecting the  man from himself.  What we are seeing here is an illustration of how the marginalized, mentally unstable foreigners harm themselves. The next time people in TVF start speculating as to why someone jumped from a building, they can read this thread to understand.

[SuperTed]

1. I feel bad for the landlord.

 

Think of what they will be stuck paying the cops and firemen - the landlord filed a report, so they are now on the hook for all those brown envelopes. Whose idea do you think it was for the fire brigade to show up? No doubt the fire brigade!

 

2. If the poor disgrace of a man jumps from his flat, the landlord will believe they and the flat are cursed by his ghost. Not worth 8,000baht.

 

3. Clearly, someone needs to call David Maclean’s Mom. She is likely the only one who can resolve this.  If Big Joke flew her in, though, we would have a TV poster threatening to jump each week, in hopes of a free visit from Mom.

[Suradit69]

4 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

Can you name a place in Thailand where tourists are not scammed, in one form or another?

It's been a long time since I qualified as a tourist, but I don't recall being scammed then or since. Some tourists may have a "kick me" message on their backs and probably have similar problems wherever they are.

[Shiver]

If you pay by direct debit then receipt is not an issue, as you have all the evidence needed.  DD is not easy to explain here, but it's just as possible as in most countries.  My Landlord (LandLady in my case) never ever makes issues, and has always been a stand up character.

In the above case (and for disclosure I haven't read the full article), it seems that a nothing burger turned into a 'thing' with no good for either party.  Probably an apology, misunderstanding, a wai and a bunch of finger pointers showing where the plane leaves would be a probable outcome.

[murraynz]

how pathetic--all this over 8,000thb????  there must be more to this story ??

"sticking to principles'----at 50yrs old, surely there must be more to his life, than barricading himself for 8,000thb---grow up and move on--surely your happiness is worth more than 8,000thb....

we all know that renting condos from thai people is "risky"...

living in thailand has many risks---but dont get sooo upset about such minor problems...

there are too many good things here, to make the most of..we all only get one life...at 50yrs old, it is more than half gone...

[smudger1951]

Usually, you get the chec bin mostly with water & elec meter readings added. On payment of said sum it's stamped. I have asked for it to be signed as paid. Where does this go wrong ?

[roo860]

True very well described , this guy in the story is trying it on , the good news is when he is deported he will be banned from coming back , hope he does not live near me in uk 

Apparently he lives in Brisbane which seems to be in Australia, not the UK.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[roo860]

Apparently he is surviving on toast, as it can easily be slid under the door.

How much food does he have in the apartment? Or drinkable water for that matter? 3 weeks is a long time in this case.
 
If food is being provided how is he getting it if he hasn't opened the door?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[moutamine]

Bust the door open and rough him up!! Problem solved. Then bring him to the airport and bobye!

Edited February 4, 2019 by moutamine

[chrisinth]

24 minutes ago, moutamine said:

Bust the door open and rough him up!! Problem solved. Then bring him to the airport and bobye!

Block the window first from the outside so he can't jump and hope there aren't too many sharp knives so he can't slice himself while they kick the door down.

 

I reckon that this reason, self harm, is the only thing stopping them doing exactly that, it must be quite unhygienic in there at the minute.

 

@roo860, a lot of crumbs from the toast they keep sending under the door............... 

[NamKangMan]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

So the guy did not pay rent as he allegedly did not get receipts. So let him pay and give him a receipt. The guy is bonkers if he thinks that he can get away with not paying for these reasons. 

 

I mean you seem like you have a brain, im sure they offered him receipts now if he paid.. and because its not resolved he did not. So I can only conclude the guy is trying to wiggle out of his obligation.

As for him being a Brit or an Australian, i thought Australians were convicted Brits ???? (just teasing does it really matter where the nutcase is from ?)

 

I'm not defending the guy.

 

He's obviously having an "episode" of some sort.  

 

Maybe he's on drugs, or on a "bender" - who knows?  Any perceived threat of violence by the landlady, or her family, could just be paranoia.  

 

There's two sides to every story with these things, and he is entitled to his side.

 

This incident could be just the straw that broke the camels back for this guy. 

 

If he is a scammer, I'm sure he would be trying a smoother con than this. 

 

For all we know this guy has the the financial capacity to pay. He may even be reasonably wealthy.  He's just having some mental health issues.  Maybe he has a istory of mental health issues, and has strayed from his medication. 

 

I made humor out of it in the other thread, but I hope he doesn't jump.

 

He needs to be extracted from the condo and admitted to hospital for assessment.  The various financial consequences of his actions can be dealt with later, even by his family, if need be. 

 

I don't think the police leaving the scene is the best way to deal with this. 

 

It should be a full breach, and extraction. 

[NamKangMan]

4 hours ago, monkeycu said:

Maybe convict stock repatriated  

 

The Thai's don't discriminate.  We are ALL "aliens" here?  ????

[NamKangMan]

2 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

It's been a long time since I qualified as a tourist, but I don't recall being scammed then or since. Some tourists may have a "kick me" message on their backs and probably have similar problems wherever they are.

 

Go down to the beach tomorrow.  Rent a jet ski, and report back of your experience.  ????

[SuperTed]

I am starting a #GoFundMe campaign for David Maclean. All monies raised will go to purchasing food for David to make sure he has the sustenance he needs to survive this ordeal [, and related logistics].

 

The photo from today's news is most sympathetic; I can feel those donations coming! #FeedTilFreedDavidMaclean

 

We will need to sort out how to get the food up to him. I'm thinking of tossing stuff up; if anyone has a strong arm, please come down. We might also build a slingshot of sorts.

 

Will figure it out once I have raised the funds for the trip to PTY and set up the David Maclean Freedom Center at the Hilton Beach Road.

 

 

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, NamKangMan said:

 

Go down to the beach tomorrow.  Rent a jet ski, and report back of your experience.  ????

I have no interest in jet skis or lady boys on Beach Road or buying discounted emeralds or buying a "Rolleks" watch on Walking Street or swamp land in Florida.  Sometimes we have to exercise some common sense whether in Thailand or anywhere else.

 

People can be scammed, and are, in their home countries too. In most cases it's due to naïveté and poor judgment ... which why it's often referred to as being outsmarted.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Suradit69

[NamKangMan]

12 minutes ago, SuperTed said:

I am starting a #GoFundMe campaign for David Maclean. All monies raised will go to purchasing food for David to make sure he has the sustenance he needs to survive this ordeal [, and related logistics].

 

The photo from today's news is most sympathetic; I can feel those donations coming! #FeedTilFreedDavidMaclean

 

We will need to sort out how to get the food up to him. I'm thinking of tossing stuff up; if anyone has a strong arm, please come down. We might also build a slingshot of sorts.

 

Will figure it out once I have raised the funds for the trip to PTY and set up the David Maclean Freedom Center at the Hilton Beach Road.

 

 

 

"We will need to sort out how to get the food up to him." - I suggest drone deliveries.  ????

 

If he stays holed up long enough, his building will become a tourist attraction, then the Thai landlady will increase the price of rent on his apartment, because he made the place famous.  ????

[NamKangMan]

7 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

I have no interest in jet skis or lady boys on Beach Road or buying discounted emeralds or buying a "Rolleks" watch on Walking Street or swamp land in Florida.  Sometimes we have to exercise some common sense whether in Thailand or anywhere else.

 

People can be scammed, and are, in their home countries too. In most cases it's due to naïveté and poor judgment ... which why it's often referred to as being outsmarted.

 

 

 

 

 

So, if you catch a tuk-tuk on Phuket, late at night, after having a few to drink, and agree on the price of 400 baht (which is a scam within itself) but anyway, at your destination the driver says, "600 baht" and you start arguing the point, until it escalates to threats of violence, with other tuk-tuks starting to arrive on the scene, so you pay the extra 200 baht - have you been scammed, or not????  

[ttrd]

8 hours ago, dinsdale said:

They're not giving receipts. Why? The focus is on the bloke when it would seem the owners are bent, suprise, suprise. Job for Big Joke. Investigate the owners and the reason they're not supplying receipts which is a legal requirement. Suerly giving receipts should solve this problem? Pity the TV grab from the Phuket Post fails to mention the non compliance of issuing receipts which is the crux of the matter. ????

Yes - Its very common that the landlord at the end of the renting period often find some scratches or other minor issues to be able keep parts or the whole deposit so I understand his view of require the receipts both for the deposit and as well for the rent.

[Gracas]

A mans home is his castle. Like many castles in the past they have laid siege to it. He needs to sort this out soon or he will lose more than his castle.