Thais Giving Thais A Bad Name

[LoveDaBlues]

i would like to say that if one hangs around at patpong, soi cowboy, nana plaza and the many other numerous farang entertainment area's , they must have there scam radar on full alert, as it's a national pass time to rip of farang.

Absolute rubbish IMHO. I NEVER go to these places anymore, haven't even been to non-Thai bars in 3 years. I stay away from tourist spots.

It's a national pastime to rip off farangs EVERYWHERE. Keep trying to sweep the dirt under the carpet. It won't work.

I suppose it can come down to how you define "ripoff". For instance, my wife's family is poor and like many Issan families have more bank debt than they can handle. I'm paying off the banks slowly with the understanding that the family is NOT to get another loan of any kind without consulting me first. The family is hard-working. No drinkers or gamblers (in the immediate family). It's very hard to make it in certain areas of Issan as there is so much competition for the few baht to be earned. Things are getting better for the family; in a few years they will be debt-free and self-reliant again.

Am I being ripped off? I don't think so as I know the particulars and I'm doing this of my own free will. Others may disagree and say I'm being ripped off; they are entitled to their opinion too.

[bendix]

Caveat emptor.

It's impossible to get screwed if you arm yourself with basic information beforehand. Frankly, every farang who is dumb enough to take a taxi outside Patpong, is stupid enough to believe Wat Po is closed today, is persuaded to go to buy very cheap gems etc is asking for it.

In all of these most common examples of scamming, there is a very simple way out for the farang. Just say no. How hard does it have to be? Noone is being robbed at gunpoint.

I live on Sukhumvit 11. Just last night I watched as two Germans fresh off the plane congratulated themselves for successfully negotiating one of the Grand President taxi mafia down from 800 to 500 for a taxi ride to Khao San Road. They were happy. The taxi driver was happy. No force was involved. Should I have intervened? hel_l no. . . . . it was a commercial transaction between two parties and had nothing to do with me. If one side chose to enter negotiations armed with information and the other didn't who are we to interfere?

It's the freemarket, baby. And long may it reign.

I

[terry57]

Yet you still run a business that attracts people to this place?

I get big a THANK YOU! from my guests because I provide an honest service. Somthing almost unheard of in the Tourist spots.

Usually they are relieved that someone cares enough to give them solid info and not trying to scam them.

Like I said cdvic. Most of them have been cheated.

The sad part is, nobody does anything about it, not even one of the 900 employees at the TAT.

A bunch of them are most likely in on it, in some way.

skipper,

i think the problems lay with the newbies to los, and they will certainly get scammed.

myself having many years experience does not get scammed as i know them all.

this problem is not unique to los and this will happen to all newbies in most countries if they do not bother to research there destination thoroughly.

i think that because you hear the stories every day it has tainted your opinion of los.

its understandable but regretable that you now feel this way .

can i ask you if you would rather live elsewhere? and if so, why dont you leave los possibly living a more happy life.

thank you very much.

[terry57]

Caveat emptor.

It's impossible to get screwed if you arm yourself with basic information beforehand. Frankly, every farang who is dumb enough to take a taxi outside Patpong, is stupid enough to believe Wat Po is closed today, is persuaded to go to buy very cheap gems etc is asking for it.

In all of these most common examples of scamming, there is a very simple way out for the farang. Just say no. How hard does it have to be? Noone is being robbed at gunpoint.

I live on Sukhumvit 11. Just last night I watched as two Germans fresh off the plane congratulated themselves for successfully negotiating one of the Grand President taxi mafia down from 800 to 500 for a taxi ride to Khao San Road. They were happy. The taxi driver was happy. No force was involved. Should I have intervened? hel_l no. . . . . it was a commercial transaction between two parties and had nothing to do with me. If one side chose to enter negotiations armed with information and the other didn't who are we to interfere?

It's the freemarket, baby. And long may it reign.

I

bendix has hit the nail on the head,

farang must arm themselves with knowledge of there said destination.

all the scams are highlighted in every guide book and even though i feel a bit sorry for them, i cant side with them, as they have not done there home work.

i travel every year to a new destination and research my trips and all possible scams.

if i get scammed i blame myself for not doing my reasearch properly.

not very hard is it.

[Scott]

Thai's certainly don't have a monopoly on greed and it's probably incredibly unwise to somehow attribute it to them in some racial/genetic manner.

That said, I've been here many years and have worked in nearly 20 countries in my previous incarnations. Thailand is, hands down, the worst when it comes to rip offs. It's not just the rip offs, but the blind eye that everyone turns to it, including the police that make it a problem.

It's sad because it is a tourist destination. Higher prices can be expected in most any touristy area, but blatant scamming should be dealt with legally.

In spite of all of that, most of this is confined to the tourist areas. I live in a suburban area of Bangkok and I almost never run into it. I always forget to ask the motorcycle taxi or the tuk-tuk driver how much before I take them and the price is always the same--for me or any Thai person. It's just not a part of the mindset further away from the tourist areas. I've even left small tips on the table and had the waitress come running because I forgot my money! (out here you are best to hand it directly to them).

[Phil Conners]

Please post this in the thread complaining about Thai people instead of starting an entirely new negative thread. I think we have enough of these already.

The old adage about "no smoke without a fire" comes to mind. Could it be there are so many negative threads because a lot of people have a lot of negative experiences?

[sbk]

Please post this in the thread complaining about Thai people instead of starting an entirely new negative thread. I think we have enough of these already.

The old adage about "no smoke without a fire" comes to mind. Could it be there are so many negative threads because a lot of people have a lot of negative experiences?

My point being that we don't need two threads (or more) discussing essentially the same thing.

[KhunMarco]

Some people simply is not ready to live or traveling in certain areas of the world, I've been here nearly 3 years and I've never been ripped off,(ok maybe the odd 10 baths here and there, but how do you know).

Why? because I didn't give them the chance, very simple.

And people tried to rip me off in Canada, USA, Franch, Spain,Italy.....

Certain people should limit their trips to idiot proof countries, or ask mum a couple of things before leaving (or read TV as a start)

[PeaceBlondie]

I've lived in Thai tourist towns for almost 4 years now, and the ripoffs have been almost nonexistent. As a tourist alone in CMai, I left my ATM card in the machine, and the bank employee chased me down. Working in a provincial town for almost two years, I received no ripoffs, just respect.

As Bendix said in Latin, buyer beware.

[onzestan]

Please post this in the thread complaining about Thai people instead of starting an entirely new negative thread. I think we have enough of these already.

The old adage about "no smoke without a fire" comes to mind. Could it be there are so many negative threads because a lot of people have a lot of negative experiences?

I don't think so.

When I'm here in Los for an extended period of time, the small annoyances seem to get to me and add up.

Then when I go back to my home country, after three days I get homesick for Thailand.

That said, I live near Pattaya, in the 17 years that I live here, I have never been robbed, beaten and/or brutalised in any way.Very rarely I feel cheated, and then only because I blame myself for not being more careful. In my home town of Antwerp Belgium there are neighborhoods where I wouldn't take a walk after sundown for any amount of money, and where even the police is afraid to go only when in large numbers. And for the police turning a blind eye, they also turn the blind eye to a lot of misdeeds and outright scandelous behavior of many farangs

cheers

onzestan

Edited March 27, 2007 by onzestan

[Scott]

There are two things that make the ripoffs stand out so much.

First, the generally warm, happy, trusting nature of the Thai people that lead many a person down the unsuspecting path of believability.

Secondly, Thais seem to have a very good sense of who is a sitting duck and who isn't. I've lived in the tourist areas and haven't had much problem. I don't know exactly how they know, but they seem to know I live here and I am not a tourist. And it's not language, because I seldom, if ever, speak Thai to the likes of a taxi driver--mostly because I don't want to have a conversation with him in Thai on my way home. But even from Silom at 2:00 a.m., I get in the meter is on. The parked ones, of course, are more.

I've had a lot of friends and relatives come and they catch taxi's--whatever-- and they get scammed. I usually don't tell them because it's not a lot of money; certainly cheaper than home, and why ruin it for them.

Airport crap is always a problem, because very often everyone knows your on your way out of the country and you really don't have time to make problems/call the police etc.

[Heng]

I'm paying off the banks slowly with the understanding that the family is NOT to get another loan of any kind without consulting me first. The family is hard-working. No drinkers or gamblers (in the immediate family). It's very hard to make it in certain areas of Issan as there is so much competition for the few baht to be earned. Things are getting better for the family; in a few years they will be debt-free and self-reliant again.

Hopefully they'll really be self reliant again. I've seen this situation countless times before though, and IMHO, that's rarely the case. People who were once laden with debt typically only appreciate being debt-free when they have dug their way out of it with their own two hands.

[mrt273nva]

There is one peeve of mine that I would like to mention about Thai people that seems to be repeated constantly. Not that I am bashing Thai people, but when someone says that something will be finished that day (such as motor cycle repair, or screen printing, etc) they really mean 2 or 3 weeks (then sometimes call after 3 weeks saying that it can’t be done because they don’t want to do it). This is a generalization, but I find Thais to not be very timely.

I know Thai time is a bit slower but when you try to run a business things need to be done fast. Perhaps they could attempt to earn the overly inflated price that I am giving them for their services.

That off my chest, I love the lil guys. Just annoyed at times.

[qwertz]

It's human nature and not just Thai. If you set out to earn from a certain source, in this case tourism, you'll go for maximum profit, minimum losses and pass on as many of your operating costs as you can to the user. It's business acumen and has little to do with race or creed. In your own jungle, wherever that may be, if you don't push for a discount (i.e. the right price) you don't get it. If you're going to pay for something, accept the stated price and pay with no complaint or go into a transaction. The only adjustment I make in LOS is: if I'm buying goods of any kind, I get the price in writing. Otherwise that price could well be higher tomorrow when I go to collect.

[terry57]

Please post this in the thread complaining about Thai people instead of starting an entirely new negative thread. I think we have enough of these already.

The old adage about "no smoke without a fire" comes to mind. Could it be there are so many negative threads because a lot of people have a lot of negative experiences?

I don't think so.

When I'm here in Los for an extended period of time, the small annoyances seem to get to me and add up.

Then when I go back to my home country, after three days I get homesick for Thailand.

That said, I live near Pattaya, in the 17 years that I live here, I have never been robbed, beaten and/or brutalised in any way.Very rarely I feel cheated, and then only because I blame myself for not being more careful. In my home town of Antwerp Belgium there are neighborhoods where I wouldn't take a walk after sundown for any amount of money, and where even the police is afraid to go only when in large numbers. And for the police turning a blind eye, they also turn the blind eye to a lot of misdeeds and outright scandelous behavior of many farangs

cheers

onzestan

yes, i like your reconing,

and the police do turn a blind eye to a lot of misdeeds and outright scandelous behaviour by farang.

so in my books it makes it even, regards the police, locals and farang.

a very valid point and thank you very much.

can someone please highlight the scam's that bothers them so much. ?

i'll kick it off with the ones that should never happen and any farang that gets caught on these ones deserve it.

1.= taxi's. what is so hard about getting the driver to turn on the meter. never been a problem for me.

2.= over charging at restaurants. check prices first.

3. = gemstone rip offs. not worthy of an answer

4. = wat pho closed today.

5. = getting ripped off in patpong, soi cowboy or any other sex related area. give me a break.

6. = paying too much for tourist related goods. still heaps cheaper than at home and one must learn to be a better negotiator.

7. = anything to do with scams relating to working girls.

anybody else got anymore.?

thank you very much.

[qwertz]

Re. last quote: You missed the panhandling farangs with sob stories and offers you can't refuse. They're a must to avoid.

Edited March 27, 2007 by qwertz

[LoveDaBlues]

I'm paying off the banks slowly with the understanding that the family is NOT to get another loan of any kind without consulting me first. The family is hard-working. No drinkers or gamblers (in the immediate family). It's very hard to make it in certain areas of Issan as there is so much competition for the few baht to be earned. Things are getting better for the family; in a few years they will be debt-free and self-reliant again.

Hopefully they'll really be self reliant again. I've seen this situation countless times before though, and IMHO, that's rarely the case. People who were once laden with debt typically only appreciate being debt-free when they have dug their way out of it with their own two hands.

Well, I agree with what you're saying. I hope (and really believe) they are the exception. With debt, no capital,and no credit left they were really hurting.

Example. My wife has a lease (40 baht per year) from the gov't on 1 rai of land. There is a huge lake just across the road from the land. I bought a Honda 5.5 horse water pump for 8,450 baht. The father and son plowed the field and planted corn. With the pump they had a way to water. The first crop earned a profit of about 3,500 baht after expenses. Sadly, the second crop was looking good but a storm came thru and destroyed about 60% of the corn. With the pump they have a way to earn money that wasn't there before.

I've helped them start another biz too which shows promise. They were paying so much interest they just couldn't catch up. There were 2 events beyond their control that led to the original debts. Nothing to do with gambling, etc. that others report about; just bad luck that could happen to anyone. They work very hard.....always trying......I guess that's why I want to help them so much.

[marc288888]

Please post this in the thread complaining about Thai people instead of starting an entirely new negative thread. I think we have enough of these already.

The old adage about "no smoke without a fire" comes to mind. Could it be there are so many negative threads because a lot of people have a lot of negative experiences?

I don't think so.

When I'm here in Los for an extended period of time, the small annoyances seem to get to me and add up.

Then when I go back to my home country, after three days I get homesick for Thailand.

That said, I live near Pattaya, in the 17 years that I live here, I have never been robbed, beaten and/or brutalised in any way.Very rarely I feel cheated, and then only because I blame myself for not being more careful. In my home town of Antwerp Belgium there are neighborhoods where I wouldn't take a walk after sundown for any amount of money, and where even the police is afraid to go only when in large numbers. And for the police turning a blind eye, they also turn the blind eye to a lot of misdeeds and outright scandelous behavior of many farangs

cheers

onzestan

yes, i like your reconing,

and the police do turn a blind eye to a lot of misdeeds and outright scandelous behaviour by farang.

so in my books it makes it even, regards the police, locals and farang.

a very valid point and thank you very much.

can someone please highlight the scam's that bothers them so much. ?

i'll kick it off with the ones that should never happen and any farang that gets caught on these ones deserve it.

1.= taxi's. what is so hard about getting the driver to turn on the meter. never been a problem for me.

2.= over charging at restaurants. check prices first.

3. = gemstone rip offs. not worthy of an answer

4. = wat pho closed today.

5. = getting ripped off in patpong, soi cowboy or any other sex related area. give me a break.

6. = paying too much for tourist related goods. still heaps cheaper than at home and one must learn to be a better negotiator.

7. = anything to do with scams relating to working girls.

anybody else got anymore.?

thank you very much.

[marc288888]

how about working as a teacher and u want to rent a place to live and the thai,s charge you 3000 baht more unless you have a thai wife or girl frend with you, where i come from this would be called racist ..............

[terry57]

how about working as a teacher and u want to rent a place to live and the thai,s charge you 3000 baht more unless you have a thai wife or girl frend with you, where i come from this would be called racist ..............

this is not the norm. where you are applying for accomodation?

it is not the norm.

[bkkmadness]

It happens often though, best bet is to get a Thai to call up and check the prices of apartments before you turn up to have a look at them.

[November Rain]

how about working as a teacher and u want to rent a place to live and the thai,s charge you 3000 baht more unless you have a thai wife or girl frend with you, where i come from this would be called racist ..............

this is not the norm. where you are applying for accomodation?

it is not the norm.

Sorry, Terence. You know you have my deepest respect and admiration for the work that you do in the parish of Rambuttri, but I must beg to differ on this point. It is normal amongst some landlords. I have rented 2 houses & come up against it both times

[terry57]

how about working as a teacher and u want to rent a place to live and the thai,s charge you 3000 baht more unless you have a thai wife or girl frend with you, where i come from this would be called racist ..............

this is not the norm. where you are applying for accomodation?

it is not the norm.

Sorry, Terence. You know you have my deepest respect and admiration for the work that you do in the parish of Rambuttri, but I must beg to differ on this point. It is normal amongst some landlords. I have rented 2 houses & come up against it both times

ok MISS rain,

since you and maddy have my top respect , i'll take your word for it and withdraw my statement that farangs dont pay more to get accomodation than thais.

im a little bit confused and have reached a conundrum.

i thought i was once wrong but i was mistaken.

anyway,

i must offer you this top bit of inside information concerning my detective work regarding renting accomodation in bangkok.

when i was last in bangkok in december, i was pricing rental accomodation in some condos around banglamphu.

all the places were giving me printed prices, negotiable if staying long term.

do you think that they had 2 different pricing scales regards farang and thai.?

when i get back in may im going to get my mates thai wife to ring up and find out if this is true.

thank you very much MISS rain.

the reverend.

[Heng]

I'm paying off the banks slowly with the understanding that the family is NOT to get another loan of any kind without consulting me first. The family is hard-working. No drinkers or gamblers (in the immediate family). It's very hard to make it in certain areas of Issan as there is so much competition for the few baht to be earned. Things are getting better for the family; in a few years they will be debt-free and self-reliant again.

Hopefully they'll really be self reliant again. I've seen this situation countless times before though, and IMHO, that's rarely the case. People who were once laden with debt typically only appreciate being debt-free when they have dug their way out of it with their own two hands.

Well, I agree with what you're saying. I hope (and really believe) they are the exception. With debt, no capital,and no credit left they were really hurting.

Example. My wife has a lease (40 baht per year) from the gov't on 1 rai of land. There is a huge lake just across the road from the land. I bought a Honda 5.5 horse water pump for 8,450 baht. The father and son plowed the field and planted corn. With the pump they had a way to water. The first crop earned a profit of about 3,500 baht after expenses. Sadly, the second crop was looking good but a storm came thru and destroyed about 60% of the corn. With the pump they have a way to earn money that wasn't there before.

I've helped them start another biz too which shows promise. They were paying so much interest they just couldn't catch up. There were 2 events beyond their control that led to the original debts. Nothing to do with gambling, etc. that others report about; just bad luck that could happen to anyone. They work very hard.....always trying......I guess that's why I want to help them so much.

Certainly more along the lines of 'teaching a man' to fish, well done. You definitely have a better shot at making things work long term than the folks who just pay off others' debts.

[marc288888]

how about working as a teacher and u want to rent a place to live and the thai,s charge you 3000 baht more unless you have a thai wife or girl frend with you, where i come from this would be called racist ..............

this is not the norm. where you are applying for accomodation?

it is not the norm.

Sorry, Terence. You know you have my deepest respect and admiration for the work that you do in the parish of Rambuttri, but I must beg to differ on this point. It is normal amongst some landlords. I have rented 2 houses & come up against it both times

[marc288888]

its has happened 3 times to me phayothin and rangsit and ramkhaem all charging me 2000 /3000 baht more and its happened to every teacher at my school unless they have a girl freind who is thai so it does seem the norm .....

[soundman]

its has happened 3 times to me phayothin and rangsit and ramkhaem all charging me 2000 /3000 baht more and its happened to every teacher at my school unless they have a girl freind who is thai so it does seem the norm .....

Why not just offer them the price you know to be the going rate.... Take it or leave it.... Its not like there is a shortage on rental properties. My wife owns a small estate of low end rental properties. They are never more than 60% full. Apparently thats about normal.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[bkkmadness]

its has happened 3 times to me phayothin and rangsit and ramkhaem all charging me 2000 /3000 baht more and its happened to every teacher at my school unless they have a girl freind who is thai so it does seem the norm .....

Even if you turn up with a Thai many places will still try to squeeze you out of a bit extra. Get the places called by a Thai first, it's the best way to be ensure the right price unless you know other people in the building.

[qualtrough]

Just trying to screw another Farang. Who would care? It's national policy.

How can you stand living here when every post you make is dripping with bitterness and cynicism?

Don't know why he continues to live here either, but as for the reason he is dripping with bitterness and cynicism: cherchez la femme.

[qualtrough]

I'm in the tourist industry and I hear allot about the ripoffs our guests encounter EVERY DAY, ALL DAY LONG.

From the moment they pass thru Thai Customs till the last taxi ride back to the airport, they are scammed, cheated, overcharged, ripped off and lied to.

It tickes me off that nothing is done to protect the novice tourists.

Does make one very cynical.

I challange anyone, to go to any hotel lobby, and interview some departing guests.

7 out of 10 will say they were screwed around.

The other 30 percent are 'clued up' .

No doubt some tourists here have a bad experience, but if the stats were anywhere close to what you cite above (7/10) the arrival numbers would be nowhere close to what they are every year.