Being too nice and getting taken advantage of.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

Every time you visit a Thai general Hospital, you will pay a small consultation fee

It's normally 60bht.

[Enoon]

16 minutes ago, iroc4life said:

I dont know where all this thai losing face for questioning a bill. My wife (Thai) Will scrutinize evey bill, hospital, water, power, internet, etc and fight over 10 baht if its wrong. Over charge or padding is never right period. Thats also why i do not go to national parks and pay 300% more than thais

 

I have also encountered "assertive" Thai women.

 

No thank you.

 

But some men enjoy that sort of relationship

 

As long as you're happy.

 

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by Enoon

[thequietman]

3 hours ago, ChrisKC said:

I am sure you realise it is a matter of principle.  Overcharging and ripping off, which in my opinion is nothing less than stealing by stealth, from a few baht to thousands of Baht occurs quite frequently in many places where they think they can get away with it!

 

Please tell us at what sum you would decide on the baht rather than the principle?

1, 000,000 baht. ????

[thequietman]

57 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Questioning something in Thailand is the same as complaining. In Thai culture, that's equivalent to insulting the person.

Correctemondo Sir.

 

In my job here, when asked is everything OK ( it isn't) ..... the stock reply is " Yeeeeeeesssssss.' (even though it isn't)

 

Any other answer and you are insulting them.

 

Hence when they ask me to come in on the weekends, the answer is the stock 'Yeeeessss.' (I mean No) but that's not what they want to hear!

 

Funny culture innit. ????

[The Theory]

21 hours ago, flyingsaucersarereal said:

Meanwhile my girlfriend is upset at me because people are looking at me like I am cheap. 

They call us “cheap Charlie”, because we don’t let the money get away easy. 

And if you are stupid enough to let it go easy, you will be called a “Gentleman”.  ????????????

[thequietman]

53 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

did you kill the cat?

Why would U ask that?

 

The pussy is not to be touched. The pussy is not up for question. The pussy is always right. Killing the pussy solves nothing.

 

Why would you ask that? ????

[thequietman]

20 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

That's 15 pints of beer in Cambodia.

Or a day's wages for a Thai.

Sweet Jasus!

 

When u goin back? I'm goin wit ya. ????

[kekalot]

how about these.

 

I used to bring my dog to get shots at a vet shop here, I ONLY wanted shots but my Thai is not good enough to explain that so I brought a friend most times.

 

every single time I went there they would pick up my dog as soon as i entered the door and take it away without even knowing what i wanted, do whatever THEY wanted and then present me with a bill after they did it. +500 baht first time.

 

second time I went he had a wound from fighting with some dog, the wound it looked like it might be mange.. so I asked her to check with them if they knew if it was mange or not.. no answer, just took my dog out in the other room, cut a bit of skin off and said it wasn't and charged me 200 extra baht for it. (I didn't ask for that)

 

I told my friend that next time I only want the shots and nothing else and to tell them to ask me before doing something that they will bill me for.

 

friend started saying that I talked too much and.. you know the drill.

 

+

 

last time i went to the dentist i had a cut in my mouth so i told him to be careful, he said i could get some cheap stuff from the pharmacy to help it heal (10-15 baht he said)

 

at the end, he picked up a blank piece of paper, wrote down the name of the medicine and told me to show it to the pharmacy.. then charged me 100 baht extra for that paper, I wasn't impressed. (no, it wasn't a prescription)

 

of course the amounts are negligible but a lot of people don't like to be nickle and dimed

[BritManToo]

Just now, thequietman said:

Sweet Jasus!

When u goin back? I'm goin wit ya. ????

Next week.

[jbob]

whenever I need meds I have to see a stupid doctor and get blood pressure done just so they can look at a form my Australian doctor printed for me. 

 

In your case it was probably an administrative error you picked up on and you had a choice, cheat yourself out of 220b or like 5 beers or correct the error with a bit of uncomfortable assertiveness. I would have also prefered those 5 beers

[GreasyFingers]

10 minutes ago, thequietman said:

Why would U ask that?

 

The pussy is not to be touched. The pussy is not up for question. The pussy is always right. Killing the pussy solves nothing.

 

Why would you ask that? ????

Cat is not the same as pussy. Killing the cat would be a bit dramatic but you can at least kick it.

[from the home of CC]

14 minutes ago, thequietman said:

Why would U ask that?

 

The pussy is not to be touched. The pussy is not up for question. The pussy is always right. Killing the pussy solves nothing.

 

Why would you ask that? ????

the pussy had rabies, which is like syphilis on acid.. 

[GreasyFingers]

36 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

That's 15 pints of beer in Cambodia.

Or a day's wages for a Thai.

You must drink in a different part of Cambodia to me and we always pay more than the 300 baht minimum.

[beautifulthailand99]

A lot of private hospitals are thieves and scammers - I managed to get my bill seriously reduced after having a lengthy spat with them and threatening actions. I would have waived 220 baht goodbye though .....

 

 

 

Dear Sir / Madam  I am writing to let you know of our recent experience of the service at ***. We had previously used your hospital around 2 years ago and found the hospital , doctor and the quality of the advice given second to none and world class. So it was without hesitation when looking for a doctor to give advice to my wife about menopausal issues during our two month trip to Thailand were very happy to return to the hospital and have an appointment with Dr. XXXXXXX I should note that the initial appointment for Friday afternoon was cancelled at short notice and we accepted a new appointment in the Women’s Health Centre for 11.30 on the 9th February. We arrived early and were eventually seen by the Doctor at - to be admitted to her consulting room whilst she continued a personal conversation with a relative for about 5 minutes whilst we waited. As to the advice sought and given her comments were sound and well received and we have no quibble with that. However what I do find most unethical and difficult to accept is the persistence of the doctor to upsell vaccination initially to my wife and then to me which was unsolicited and unnecessary within the contact of a menopausal consultation. At this point I should have inquired as to the cost and we would have refused it and we would have both been relatively happy with the service. However we did not ask about the cost and at no doubt were warned that it would be so expensive.  So you can imagine our surprise and concern when we got the bill which was 36,266 baht. We had fully expected for and budgeted for a bill of up to 20k Baht but to leave the hospital with a final bill of over 36k has left us stunned and dismayed.  I hope you can appreciate the nature of our concerns and I am sure you will look into this and see if there is any way you can help us once again to be happy and positive about the medical experience at such a distinguished institution at the XXXXX. Indeed the Prime Minister himself remarked back in May 2015 he was concerned at the prices and service foreigners were experiencing in Thai hospitals. Yours sincerely XXXXX Followed  up by Dear xxxx Thanks for the prompt reply assuring me our complaint would be taken seriously and I have been awaiting a response which I have yet to receive. I would also like to clarify some further issues that I didn't raise in my initial email.  My wife was seeking professional advice on the best form of HRT to mitigate some increasing menopause symptoms that she is experiencing. We had identified from your website that Dr xxxx who specialises in that area was suitably qualified and the best person to see for the consultation. So I not sure how in the end we ended up with Dr xxxx in the end. In any event I am dismayed that when we began the consultation with Dr xxxx and explained that HRT specialism was what we were seeking she didn’t understand the situation and then refer us to Dr.  xxxxxxl who would have been eminently qualified to provide detailed knowledgeable assistance. .  I see that your hospital's vision is to be “Your Trustworthy Lifetime Healthcare Companion” and your core values of :  “BDMS” B      Beyond Excellence, D      Deep Empathy , M     Moral Commitment S      Service with Thai Hospitality are your watchwords and I would hope and expect that you would uphold these values throughout the organisation. .  To compound this what we consider to be professional error on her part in declining an inappropriate consultation she further aggravated it with upselling unwanted vaccines during the half hour. It is wholly inappropriate during a professional evaluation about a specific issue to use that time to upsell a completely unrelated product. In any event at the very least we should have been informed about the high cost of the vaccines before being asked to agree to them. Had we known the cost we would certainly not gone ahead with the procedure.  Her consultation which included a gynecological examination was vague in response to say the least. Her advice was to eat well , exercise and meditate and when asked specific questions about different drugs for HRT and symptoms offered no meaningful responses.  So I hope that makes clear that when presented with a bill for 36,266 baht it came a complete shock and surprise. We feel we have had been presented with a huge expense for effectively very little and as a result has made us deeply unhappy with our visit , and one now we wish we had not made.  Furthermore as for the detailed final bill it included 1280 baht physician evaluation fee for Mr xxxx vaccination which when queried this charge the response back from the doctor was that she had asked him if he wanted it and answered a query during his wife’s consultation a conversation lasting a minute at most. Hardly a consultation and within the time allocated to his wife nevertheless. This was refunded after Mr xxxxx complained to the hospital. Secondly there was also a further bill for 1200 baht for Mrs xxxxx that was explained away as “a future booking fee” which I find surprising. .  In brief given the very poor quality of the service we have been provided with I am seeking a refund of the total money spent in order for us to feel satisfied and able to move on .  I see that you have Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation and if we don't find a suitable response and action from you within 1 week 27th February I will have no alternative as to raise a complaint with them about this issue regarding the handling of patient queries and the quality of advice and contact other accreditation bodies that your are party to. I will also raise the issue with the XXX director by means of a registered letter to Dr. xxxxxx outlining our concerns and our experience . I regret having to consider taking the matter further and I do hope we can resolve this issue with satisfaction in the timescale I have laid out and so not require any further action on my part. I should add as a conclusion that we were delighted with our previous visit a year ago and have no doubt the glowing testimonials are a true indiction of the care and quality one can expect at such a prestigious institution.  Your sincerely

Edited March 29, 2019 by beautifulthailand99

[JordanJones]

Thais question bills. Not an insult at all. Whoever told people that were playing you. You stay calm and politely question each part if it's not clear. A smile goes a long way.

 

 

[AlexRich]

You did the right thing. As long as you were calm and polite no harm done. 

[Ctkong]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Questioning something in Thailand is the same as complaining. In Thai culture, that's equivalent to insulting the person.

When you questioned a thai, you are putting him/her at their place. Socially, intellectually and even economically. That means they will be hating you all their lives if they lose big face. May even escalate into physical blows or payback one way or another. Thais are not known to be gracious about their mistakes and grateful for you pointing out. 

[Ctkong]

22 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

You did the right thing. As long as you were calm and polite no harm done. 

I find the western insistence of the principle of being right can sometimes backfire in dealing with Thai people.. Everything must be taken in context. The error amount, the place, the computer system, the person administering, the mood all figures in the fixing of the problem. 

I have had occasion of finding some insects like big black ant and small roach in my food in upmarket restaurants. Pointed out the situation to the serving staff. Manager or manageress came apologizing and discounted out the food item in the final bill. Seeing it is not a big deal, so long as the restaurant management are aware of the problem and hopefully taken steps to reduce such incidents, my missus always insists on paying the entire bill including the discounted item. Her logic ? I don’t want people to think that we are trying to get a free meal... this is thai face for you. 

[Ctkong]

1 hour ago, kekalot said:

how about these.

 

I used to bring my dog to get shots at a vet shop here, I ONLY wanted shots but my Thai is not good enough to explain that so I brought a friend most times.

 

every single time I went there they would pick up my dog as soon as i entered the door and take it away without even knowing what i wanted, do whatever THEY wanted and then present me with a bill after they did it. +500 baht first time.

 

second time I went he had a wound from fighting with some dog, the wound it looked like it might be mange.. so I asked her to check with them if they knew if it was mange or not.. no answer, just took my dog out in the other room, cut a bit of skin off and said it wasn't and charged me 200 extra baht for it. (I didn't ask for that)

 

I told my friend that next time I only want the shots and nothing else and to tell them to ask me before doing something that they will bill me for.

 

friend started saying that I talked too much and.. you know the drill.

 

+

 

last time i went to the dentist i had a cut in my mouth so i told him to be careful, he said i could get some cheap stuff from the pharmacy to help it heal (10-15 baht he said)

 

at the end, he picked up a blank piece of paper, wrote down the name of the medicine and told me to show it to the pharmacy.. then charged me 100 baht extra for that paper, I wasn't impressed. (no, it wasn't a prescription)

 

of course the amounts are negligible but a lot of people don't like to be nickle and dimed

The 100 baht is what the dentist thought he should be entitled to since he is saving you some big bucks. It tells more about the dentist than you. He is nitpicking. I wouldn’t go back to such a dentist ever. These type of professionals are the worst of their profession. So are those lawyers that bill you every single item they service for you. Whatever happen to those saying “this one is on the house ?”

[Ctkong]

Some Thai girlfriends or wives are proud that their farang husbands can ‘overlook’ some charges because they can afford to. It is a status symbol to them. Some sort of a one upsmanship. A “My husband can afford to disregard the overcharged amount because it is small beer to him” mentality. So nitpicking the excess charges in her eyes is demeaning and cheap. Why.. I bet she is even offering to pay the disputed amount just to make the confrontation go away. 

[emptypockets]

12 hours ago, ricklev said:

I was on Samui a few years ago and a songthaew  driver was threatening and waving a knife at the passengers who were refusing to pay a ridiculously inflated price.  I went into a nearby hotel and quickly explained the situation and asked them to call the police.  The front desk clerk insisted on payment in advance for the phone call before he would call the police.  Not my best moment, but I flipped out and started screaming and swearing at that point.  

And your and your point is??

[Ctkong]

I always check myself every time I sensed some discrepancies in the billing. I normally have a certain amount in my mind, of the bill I am going to pay and if it is in the ballpark of that amount, I will be less vigilant about it. After all , it is small beer. Overall ambiance matters more than a night of angst. My previous wife ,an accountant, always scrutinized all billings and contracts during our outings. Nothing kill the feel good holiday mood faster than an argument with the establishment or tour guide over some promises and then threatening to bring up the matter to the head office if not resolved amiably. It is not the money she said. It is the principle of the matter. And I must add she is Singaporean educated overseas in the west. 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Benroon said:

If I showed my Mrs up over a fiver I wouldn't get fed for a few days either.

You treat your wife as a servant?

I'm surprised.

[BritManToo]

41 minutes ago, Ctkong said:

I find the western insistence of the principle of being right can sometimes backfire in dealing with Thai people..

When I buy discounted items at 7-11, I stand at the till with the money in my hand, and wait until the discount comes up on the till. It's amazing how many times there's a big pause while they wait for me to pay the full price. Then they realise why I'm waiting and hit the total key.

 

I would say they try to cheat me 25% of the time.

And yes, I don't want to have 5bht stolen from me by the checkout operator.

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by BritManToo

[emptypockets]

7 hours ago, justin case said:

alternative name:

Enoxaparin sodium is an anticoagulant medication. It is used to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism including during pregnancy and following certain types of surgery. It is also used in those with acute coronary syndrome and heart attacks.

 

you could just take GARLIC with every meal and no need for this chemical crap

 

 

look at this dudes

 

Possible side effects of Clexane

• Bleeding. ...
• Pain and irritation at the injection site.
• Blood clots which form a solid swelling at the injection site (haematoma).
• Decrease in the number of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia).
• Major bleeding (haemorrhage), for example in the abdomen or inside the skull.

 

The possible  side effects are more attractive than stinking to high heaven to the point even the bar girls no longer find me Hansum thank you very much!

[RocketDog]

7 hours ago, justin case said:

alternative name:

Enoxaparin sodium is an anticoagulant medication. It is used to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism including during pregnancy and following certain types of surgery. It is also used in those with acute coronary syndrome and heart attacks.

 

you could just take GARLIC with every meal and no need for this chemical crap

 

 

look at this dudes

 

Possible side effects of Clexane

• Bleeding. ...
• Pain and irritation at the injection site.
• Blood clots which form a solid swelling at the injection site (haematoma).
• Decrease in the number of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia).
• Major bleeding (haemorrhage), for example in the abdomen or inside the skull.

 

Every medication has side effects. 

If garlic were so universally effective it would be well-known, recommended by doctors, and used more universally. 

 

No, I'm not a doctor but I have enough common sense to see that all these miracle treatments for virtually every aliment, such as Apple cider vinegar, garlic, mushroom, etc. are generally just wishful thinking.

 

Maybe you're right, but I seriously doubt it and won't bet my life on such heresay as many patients do and end up dying for it. 

 

Aspirin occurs in naturally in willow tree bark, and the pharmaceutucal companies were quick to jump on it. But today we are supposed to believe that drug companies are all conspiring to suppress simple treatments, car companies are suppressing water engine patents, power companies are suppressing cold fusion energy, blah, blah, blah, etc. 

 

Just my opinion. 

[emptypockets]

3 hours ago, Thongkorn said:

 Morally right counts for nothing then , Thats why Thailand gets away with legal robbery. If enough people had balls and said No and question things , things would change instead of just rolling over,

Yeah yeah I agree.... Let her die for the sake 200 baht. They think we are made of money. No problem just get another teeraak  there are many hotties just dreaming to find an old age pensioner with a language they can't understand( even if they can speak English) just waiting to sweep them off their feet.

My Mrs. had a detached retina a couple of years ago. Paid 70,000 baht without a question. We both wanted her fixed. That the difference. She is my wife and Not a commodity which may be a concept some members may find difficult to grasp.

[uhuh]

1 hour ago, iroc4life said:

I dont know where all this thai losing face for questioning a bill. My wife (Thai) Will scrutinize evey bill, hospital, water, power, internet, etc and fight over 10 baht if its wrong. Over charge or padding is never right period. Thats also why i do not go to national parks and pay 300% more than thais

Yes, sometimes Thais certainly examine the bill very thoroughly. Restaurant bill, taxi fare, BigC, you name it. If you want your gf to do this

 

- she mustn't think,  it's the farang's money,  i don't care.  Rules ot most girls

- she must be good at math

- she must understand the subject matter.  Restaurant bill is easier than hospital bill

- she must have a quarrelsome disposition (Chinese) 

- she must not feel inferior to the billing person in the social hierarchy. To complain, she must be at least on the same level. This rules out most girls who have a farang as most are very low on the social ladder and don't dare to complain. And complaining at a restaurant is easier than at a hospital or another big institution. 

 

It is not about face.  It is about hierarchy.

 

Of course,  if the complainant is way higher in the hierarchy than the billing person,  he or she won't bother to complain.  In this case, it would be a loss of face.

 

In the West,  much more transactions occur between partners of equal standing.  So we complain a lot more.

 

[emptypockets]

2 hours ago, kekalot said:

how about these.

 

I used to bring my dog to get shots at a vet shop here, I ONLY wanted shots but my Thai is not good enough to explain that so I brought a friend most times.

 

every single time I went there they would pick up my dog as soon as i entered the door and take it away without even knowing what i wanted, do whatever THEY wanted and then present me with a bill after they did it. +500 baht first time.

 

second time I went he had a wound from fighting with some dog, the wound it looked like it might be mange.. so I asked her to check with them if they knew if it was mange or not.. no answer, just took my dog out in the other room, cut a bit of skin off and said it wasn't and charged me 200 extra baht for it. (I didn't ask for that)

 

I told my friend that next time I only want the shots and nothing else and to tell them to ask me before doing something that they will bill me for.

 

friend started saying that I talked too much and.. you know the drill.

 

+

 

last time i went to the dentist i had a cut in my mouth so i told him to be careful, he said i could get some cheap stuff from the pharmacy to help it heal (10-15 baht he said)

 

at the end, he picked up a blank piece of paper, wrote down the name of the medicine and told me to show it to the pharmacy.. then charged me 100 baht extra for that paper, I wasn't impressed. (no, it wasn't a prescription)

 

of course the amounts are negligible but a lot of people don't like to be nickle and dimed

You expect the dentist to work for free?

[kekalot]

Just now, emptypockets said:

You expect the dentist to work for free?

I expect you to read, he added 100 baht on the base rate for writing the name of a medicine on a piece of paper
it was not a prescription