Oh Man! Foreign tourist racks up 50K bar tab after ringing the bell 20 times!

[tropo]

21 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

I was in a bar in Pattaya, and I bought 1 lady a drink, and I had a small Leo.

I decided to move on, and was presented with a bill of over 700 baht, and when I questioned it, the owner said I had ordered drinks for other girls. Had I been a newbie, I probably would have paid it begrudgingly, and moved on, but as I first visited there in 1991, and have lived in the N.E. for 15 years, as a matter of principle, I disputed it.

She wouldnt back down, and either would !, so she called the police, and minutes later they arrived in a pick-up (probably expecting a good pay day from stupid farang !).

It was then decided that I would have to go to Soi 9, in the back of the pick up, and when there, I was told I would be put in a cell for the night, and would appear in court in the morning. They were probably expecting me to bribe my way out of my now predicament, but, instead, I called a highly influential lawyer in Khon Kaen, and passed the phone over to the officer. To this day I do not know what was said, but on handing me the phone back, he told me I was free to go, and the matter was closed.

I find in a lot of places, up here included, some bars are trying scams, as an awful lot of them must be losing money day after day, with customer numbers drastically reduced. 

Did you have a plan B in case you couldn't get your lawyer on the phone. Not all lawyers are available after hours anytime you need them, especially the senior influential ones. I have a very good lawyer in Pattaya, but if something happened late at night I'd probably be out of luck, meaning, in a case such as yours I'd be held overnight. Good lawyers usually have court cases to attend at 9 am. Perhaps if they know you have a good lawyer they will lay off? I always carry my lawyer's business card.

 

On a side note, my lawyer recommended that I never show or hand over my passport to the police. They can be used as bargaining chips and have been known to get lost (by the police). Show them a copy, and if they have a problem with that, tell them it's at your lawyer's office (for whatever reason). It's all a game and we need to know the best way to play it.

Edited September 14, 2019 by tropo

[lapamita]

in defence for Pattaya, in over 30 years, i was never overcharged in any of the Bars.The Bills always correct and mostly placed in front of me, not even any baht i spend i not regret ! , not for grils not for drinks!!!!!!!

( yes their some exempt places sure in thais like karaokes 2nd floor bars bars enter w guides and so on ) etc, but never go

Not that Thailand is perfect , i Tryed to get cheat from repairshops, but up to shaddy workers  , tuktuks and so on

 

By the way an omani..if they went to bahrain.. the bill just start at 50k, not feeling sry about this incident, girls need a compensation for..staying with....

Edited September 14, 2019 by lapamita

[hioctane]

I was in a bar in Pattaya, and I bought 1 lady a drink, and I had a small Leo.
I decided to move on, and was presented with a bill of over 700 baht, and when I questioned it, the owner said I had ordered drinks for other girls. Had I been a newbie, I probably would have paid it begrudgingly, and moved on, but as I first visited there in 1991, and have lived in the N.E. for 15 years, as a matter of principle, I disputed it.
She wouldnt back down, and either would !, so she called the police, and minutes later they arrived in a pick-up (probably expecting a good pay day from stupid farang !).
It was then decided that I would have to go to Soi 9, in the back of the pick up, and when there, I was told I would be put in a cell for the night, and would appear in court in the morning. They were probably expecting me to bribe my way out of my now predicament, but, instead, I called a highly influential lawyer in Khon Kaen, and passed the phone over to the officer. To this day I do not know what was said, but on handing me the phone back, he told me I was free to go, and the matter was closed.
I find in a lot of places, up here included, some bars are trying scams, as an awful lot of them must be losing money day after day, with customer numbers drastically reduced. 

Sounds a bit of BS to me. You was willing to go to jail over 700 baht (let’s assume your bill was 300) so 400 overcharge. even on principle. SMH. [emoji2357] The easy resolution was to find the girl(s) you bought the alleged drinks for. Are they going to lie to your face?




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[hioctane]

But I've also seen punters just wave at the staff when they've tried to present a bill (or just point to their bin cup) and not even look at it. Little wonder some of them are surprised when the night is through and it's time to pay up.
You almost get the impression they think that all the drinks they are buying for the ladies are free or something !

...

But 99 times out of a hundred, if someone is shocked by their bar bill at the end of a night - it's usually because they weren't paying attention to how much they were drinking (or how many they were buying for others) or they were trying to be the big shot "Mr Popular" with the girls.

 

This and this. Yes. Accidents happen and they sometimes add up the bill wrong. I always keep track of my bin and tally up the total so I have a rough idea of how much my bin is. I have never see blatant padding though.

It is funny when people are drunk they always think.. “someone broke into my safe and stole some money” or “my bin has been padded and I can’t possibly have drank so much.” When they are sober, they realize “<deleted> was I doing?!?” You do stupid <deleted> when you are drunk!


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[Thaifriends]

The bar people should have informed him on the first bell, what it means.

 

Poor fellow didnt even realize the free drinker happy farang faces ???? as they only smile to Thai bartenders ????

Edited September 14, 2019 by Thaifriends

[Thaiwrath]

1 hour ago, hioctane said:

 

Sounds a bit of BS to me. You was willing to go to jail over 700 baht (let’s assume your bill was 300) so 400 overcharge. even on principle. SMH. The easy resolution was to find the girl(s) you bought the alleged drinks for. Are they going to lie to your face?




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It's not BS at all, why would I make it up ?

I was not prepared at all to go to jail, but I was prepared to fight my corner against being ripped off by a bar owner. I had a bar here for nearly 10 years, and I can honestly say I never once ripped a customer off, and would never even consider doing so. One of the main things my late parents taught me was honesty. 

I would do exactly the same again.

It's no wonder there are so many bars open there, when punters, like you, are prepared to pay whatever bill is put in front of them, even if they suspect it is padded.

[oldrunner]

Eons ago I was a major partner in a bar on Patpong. Somewhat late in the evening the bell was run, to the joy of all, then soon it was rung again, and again. Time to pay and the non-English speaking person claimed he did not have the money to pay. I told him about the Police, etc. but no money was to be had. He left and I had my manager advise the 'ladies' that no commission from their drinks would show up in their pay. About an hour later, just before closing, in came this man and immediately rang the bell. He paid the balance of his previous bill, gave me back the 100 baht taxi fare I gave him. His ship was to leave the next morning but he promised to return. He never did, ladies got their commission and everyone was happy with the outcome.

[bulldogbarton]

What's the name in his passport say ? Quasimodo.

[berrec]

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead ............ well the man from Oman may have been if the Mafia wanted their 50,000 Baht there and then.............

 

I sincerely hope a lesson well learnt but I am certain as sunrise we will see more stories like this in the future.................... 
 

[Derek B]

On 9/13/2019 at 6:47 AM, Thaiwrath said:

a highly influential lawyer in Khon Kaen

Any chance of passing on the lawyer's contact details?

 

[JHolmesJr]

The default trust setting for any farang towards a Thai should always be set on zero.

 

Unless time and experience allow you to gradually raise the setting.

 

I always pay as I go, so there is never a check loitering in my bin. 

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, lapamita said:

in defence for Pattaya, in over 30 years, i was never overcharged in any of the Bars.

Do you ever go out? How about short changed?

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, oldrunner said:

He never did, ladies got their commission and everyone was happy with the outcome.

And they all lived happy ever after..........

[lumply]

Very unfortunate, however, Oman is a very liberal place where Omanis frequent bars and drink without restrictions. Most muslims I have ever known in my 30+ years of working there consume alcohol so let’s put the record straight. On the other hand the vast majority will not eat pig meat

[PoorSucker]

+1 for headline. ????

[Daveyh]

Another example of the mindset of locals towards tourists who come to Thailand to enjoy Thai hospitality .......... this is very common in the bars & any "new" girlfriend suggesting you take her to a bar for the evening is probably working a scam. These ladies are all in cahoots & will bleed you dry given the chance  ............ it's dog eat dog when they meet unsuspecting tourists ........ fact of life here. 

[hioctane]

Do you ever go out? How about short changed?

Short changing and overcharging are different things. Overcharging is intentional. Short changing may or may not be. Say something is 56 baht. You pay 106 baht. Look at the confused look on their face as they give you the wrong change and a bagful of coins! [emoji2357]


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[hioctane]

It's not BS at all, why would I make it up ?
I was not prepared at all to go to jail, but I was prepared to fight my corner against being ripped off by a bar owner. I had a bar here for nearly 10 years, and I can honestly say I never once ripped a customer off, and would never even consider doing so. One of the main things my late parents taught me was honesty. 
I would do exactly the same again.
It's no wonder there are so many bars open there, when punters, like you, are prepared to pay whatever bill is put in front of them, even if they suspect it is padded.

I definitely would not pay. I wouldn’t let the police be called over a 700 baht bin though. I would settle it before it got that far. I would say, I ordered this and that and that is what I am paying for. If I ordered drinks for some girls, then bring them over and let’s discuss it. If I never even talked to her, then why would I order her a drink?


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[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, hioctane said:

 

Short changing and overcharging are different things. Overcharging is intentional. Short changing may or may not be. Say something is 56 baht. You pay 106 baht. Look at the confused look on their face as they give you the wrong change and a bagful of coins!


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Well done Poirot.... 

Overcharging may also be unintentional, oh sorry it was a draft not a bottle! Short changing is a common intentional practice, mistaking 1000 for a 500 baht, an example! Not bringing the change hoping you forget, or get fed up is common. Smell the roses!

[Sydebolle]

That's what happens when a quality tourist visits the seaside resort close to Bangkok, known for its nature and family friendliness.

Are those in charge aware that the Internet is not a local thing within Thailand but all this stuff is read worldwide? I mean, just asking ........... 

[tropo]

14 hours ago, Thaifriends said:

The bar people should have informed him on the first bell, what it means.

 

Poor fellow didnt even realize the free drinker happy farang faces ???? as they only smile to Thai bartenders ????

The bars are not charities - they are businesses. If naive (and stupid) customers want to wrack up 50k plus bills... let them. The bar manager can handle the odd non-payer at the cop station, while the rest of them pay up. In this case he probably recovered the cost price of the drinks and he's not out of pocket. It's not the bar's responsibility to babysit idiots who should know better. I'm surprised the "foreign tourist" got out of it so lightly. Maybe they'll follow him and get their revenge in a dark alley somewhere. Some people are not suited to traveling and should stay home with mummy and daddy. I have no sympathy for that Omani <deleted>. He still owes the bar the balance IMO. The adult sex-industry is no place for children. What would happen in Oman if we failed to pay our bills while on vacation?

Edited September 14, 2019 by tropo

[tropo]

5 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

That's what happens when a quality tourist visits the seaside resort close to Bangkok, known for its nature and family friendliness.

Are those in charge aware that the Internet is not a local thing within Thailand but all this stuff is read worldwide? I mean, just asking ........... 

If you ever decided to visit the "seaside resort close to Bangkok", you might be surprised to learn that there are thousands upon thousands of families visiting every single day of the year. I'm talking about tourists that will never see the inside of a bar.

[tropo]

8 hours ago, Daveyh said:

Another example of the mindset of locals towards tourists who come to Thailand to enjoy Thai hospitality .......... this is very common in the bars & any "new" girlfriend suggesting you take her to a bar for the evening is probably working a scam. These ladies are all in cahoots & will bleed you dry given the chance  ............ it's dog eat dog when they meet unsuspecting tourists ........ fact of life here. 

Yes, and most other tourist resorts around the world. Ripping of tourists is a world-wide business. I was living in Surfers Paradise, Australia during the Japanese economic boom in the mid to late 80s. You should have seen how the Australians ripped them off, left right and center. I'm sure there are plenty similar stories from around the globe. If you're going to be a tourist in any far-off land, you need to do your homework before you arrive. This goes double if that far-off land is a developing nation.

[Damrongsak]

Did they give him any free peanuts or pretzels?

[ttrd]

13 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

It's not BS at all, why would I make it up ?

I was not prepared at all to go to jail, but I was prepared to fight my corner against being ripped off by a bar owner. I had a bar here for nearly 10 years, and I can honestly say I never once ripped a customer off, and would never even consider doing so. One of the main things my late parents taught me was honesty. 

I would do exactly the same again.

It's no wonder there are so many bars open there, when punters, like you, are prepared to pay whatever bill is put in front of them, even if they suspect it is padded.

RE - I had a bar here for nearly 10 years, and I can honestly say I never once ripped a customer off,

 

* Sounds plausible enough to me - if you did otherwise you may still have been a bar owner ...

Edited September 14, 2019 by ttrd

[Damrongsak]

50K for ringing a bell ...  damn!

 

 

 

[pegman]

The guy never said he didn't ring the bell 20x. I very much doubt he didn't know what that meant. It's this sort of  behaviour that bars Arabs for many bars in Pattaya.  The police likely thought that  what he finally coughed up was the best they were going to get from him. 

[hioctane]

The bar people should have informed him on the first bell, what it means.
 
Poor fellow didnt even realize the free drinker happy farang faces [emoji7] as they only smile to Thai bartenders [emoji23]

There are signs everywhere next to bells.


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[john ianson]

On 9/13/2019 at 12:14 PM, BritManToo said:

So he was right then, overcharged by nearly 40Kbht.

Police made him pay 14,500bht. 

 

Nice girlfriend too, he didn't know what ringing the bell meant, and she didn't tell him.

GIRLFRIEND ???????????????????????????????

[elgenon]

Didn't they put the charge for each round in his "cup" where he could see it