grand palace closed scam on tv now

[fruitman]

A thai reporter was undercover and wanted to go to grand palace...they told him it was closed (which wasn't true of course) and they offered him a trip on the longtail boat instead. (same happened to me and my family when they came here to visit us).

 

They also did it at wat pho to the reporter.

 

Great that it's on tv now (after 25 years doing it)....let's see if the Thai finally can do something about it....

 

Did it also happen to you/

[Salerno]

1 minute ago, fruitman said:

Did it also happen to you/

Tried that <deleted> on me years ago, along with the seed to feed the birds. Both of them where "unlucky".

[fruitman]

They took them to the jewelry shop, it's on channel one 31 now...they said they paid the police to do this.

[fruitman]

Now Big Joke is on tv and questioned, he said he didn't accept any money....he is police now and needs to protect tourism from there.

[richard_smith237]

These scams are so very widely known, by foreigners and by Thais. 

 

Its hard to believe that anyone in any authority in Thailand does not know about these scams and many like it. 

 

The real truth of the matter is that 'those in positions are decision making power' are simply too lazy and just don’t care at all. 

 

The real truth of the matter is that 'those in positions are decision making power' only ever make moves to deal with such issues when they can either profit or they have been embarrassed (by social media) into taking action. 

 

Again, the real truth of the matter is that when 'those in positions are decision making power’ are embarrassed into doing something about these issues, they are so lacking in experience and education in handling such matters they all follow the same ’script’ which involves making a media announcement and arrogantly expecting everyone to fall in line. Those committing these scams do nothing other than continue on as they were, nothing changes. 

 

The reality - no one cares. 

 

[lemonjelly]

Those gem shop and long tail boat operations are owned by influential families.... doubt it’ll go away, might lay low a little while after exposure.

[BobbyL]

Happened 9 years ago to me and my mates. How they can't stop this is beyond me and just another example of the sheer laziness here. 

[Nyezhov]

51 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

These scams are so very widely known, by foreigners and by Thais. 

Exactly. After all these years, only the truly clueless fall for them.

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

59 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

These scams are so very widely known, by foreigners and by Thais. 

Exactly. After all these years, only the truly clueless fall for them.

 

True, but also harsh and seems to place blame on the potential victim which is wrong. 

 

Many of us are alert to these kinds of scams in any country, but there are many tourists who aren’t.

 

 

I remember my parents visiting Thailand. I took them to the Grand Palace and as we approached we were told by someone loitering on foot that the Palace was closed today. I didn’t even acknowledge the guys existence, but my mother replied, "oh really”... then proceeded to tell me "the Grand Palace is closed”... My mother was unable to comprehend how someone could so blatantly and shamelessly outright lie to her... 

We arrived at the Grand Palace and my mother was actually surprised to find it open.

 

This scam attempt left a poor impression as I’m sure it does on many foreigners. That people can so openly and brazenly lie without any retribution is despicable for a tourist nation. Unfortunately tourist area’s all over the world suffer the same blight, pick-pockets, scam artists, outright liars... Tourist area’s seem to attract the scourge of locals and often the sucrose of overseas scam artists looking to capitalize on the innocent - it really is a shame and needs far greater attention. 

 

 

 

[giddyup]

2 hours ago, fruitman said:

They took them to the jewelry shop, it's on channel one 31 now...they said they paid the police to do this.

I had the same scam done to me and a mate about 12 years ago. We'd already been to the Grand Palace and grabbed a tuk tuk to takes us back to hotel, but he took us to a jewelry shop instead and refused to take us a step further until we went in. Bought nothing of course.

[Pilotman]

27 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Happened 9 years ago to me and my mates. How they can't stop this is beyond me and just another example of the sheer laziness here. 

They just don't care enough, clueless morons  

[djayz]

They tried it on me the first time I visited but I had already read about it in a tour book. I did, however, fall for the "feed the pigeons" - LOL - Not one, but TWO bags of seeds! 

Simply walked away when the couple demanded Baht 100. 

I find it truely amazing that this goes on in broad daylight. There is simply no shame in how they get money - just as long as they get it. 

Edited January 5, 2020 by djayz

[Ventenio]

OMG..... Really???

 

I've been trying to go there for the last 201 days and it's been closed every day.  I end up being taken to a super nice Jade place where it's all real and the prices are really reasonable.  Then we go to a buffet for dinner, but they never have prices.   

 

Will it be open tomorrow?

 

 

[worgeordie]

The biggest surprise to me is they have an investigative journalist here, (well kind of).

regards worgeordie

[blackcab]

A post has been removed 

[fruitman]

6 hours ago, giddyup said:

I had the same scam done to me and a mate about 12 years ago. We'd already been to the Grand Palace and grabbed a tuk tuk to takes us back to hotel, but he took us to a jewelry shop instead and refused to take us a step further until we went in. Bought nothing of course.

I had the same, tuk tuk brought me and my ex gf to a jewelry where they all put everything on the counter...i walked out and told the driver to go, he refused...so i started the tuk tuk myself and told him to come of i would drive off...then he came and brought us to the destination...but first he brought us to the tailor shop and told us to only get in and out so he would get a free fuel coupon, we did that for him.

 

I'm glad the scam is on thai tv now about the palace is closed...and also that they asked Big Joke about it...they can scam anywhere in thailand but not at the grand palace...i don't understand why the owner of it accepts this scam which is going on for 20-30 years already.

[fruitman]

7 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

These scams are so very widely known, by foreigners and by Thais. 

 

Its hard to believe that anyone in any authority in Thailand does not know about these scams and many like it. 

 

The real truth of the matter is that 'those in positions are decision making power' are simply too lazy and just don’t care at all. 

 

The real truth of the matter is that 'those in positions are decision making power' only ever make moves to deal with such issues when they can either profit or they have been embarrassed (by social media) into taking action. 

 

Again, the real truth of the matter is that when 'those in positions are decision making power’ are embarrassed into doing something about these issues, they are so lacking in experience and education in handling such matters they all follow the same ’script’ which involves making a media announcement and arrogantly expecting everyone to fall in line. Those committing these scams do nothing other than continue on as they were, nothing changes. 

 

The reality - no one cares. 

 

Well you know who owns the palace right? How can he let this happen? That's what i don't understand about it.

 

For all the other onces involved i can understand it because they only care about the money...

 

After they told me and my family the palace was closed 10 years ago we went to the longtailboats, smelled a scam, walked back all together and we met the same guy who told us it was closed...we already knew that the palace was not closed so me and my dad starting asking that guy why he had told that to us...my wife got really nervous and pulled us away from him, she said he is the maffia and we can't argue with him...so we let him alone.

 

Anyway, it's about time this silly scam stops...i don't invite anyone of my family to thailand because of scams like this...i'm too embarassed and feel like a loose face when this happens to my guests. Not that thailand has a good reputation where i come from but it's shamefull for my wife as well...when we are on holiday in Europe we even sometimes say we are from singapore, just to avoid saying thailand.

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, Ventenio said:

OMG..... Really???

 

I've been trying to go there for the last 201 days and it's been closed every day.  I end up being taken to a super nice Jade place where it's all real and the prices are really reasonable.  Then we go to a buffet for dinner, but they never have prices.   

 

Will it be open tomorrow?

 

 

 

No, but I know a lovely couple with whom you could enjoy an afternoon playing cards.... 

[impulse]

My favorite was the guy at the palace that told us Chinatown was closed because it was a Sunday.

 

[canopy]

12 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

After all these years, only the truly clueless fall for them.

There is bound to be millions of tourists any given year that don't know about this. The scam works because people have no idea bout it. And many will be none the wiser they were scammed, instead just a disappointing day. And remember the people falling for this scam would laugh at the scams you fell for in your life because they would not have fallen for them like you did. The fact you were clueless doesn't make these scams against you or anyone else right.

 

[canopy]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

My favorite was the guy at the palace that told us Chinatown was closed because it was a Sunday.

Actually that's true. Chinatown is mostly shuttered up on Sundays so would depend on what you wanted to go there for. Food ok, but shopping maybe not so much.

 

[scorecard]

On 1/5/2020 at 7:56 PM, fruitman said:

They took them to the jewelry shop, it's on channel one 31 now...they said they paid the police to do this.

Twenty plus years ago I hailed a taxi in Bkk (well before taxi meters), gave the driver the card for a restaurant and we agreed a fare.

 

Within a minute we were at the very high gates of a compound, he gates opened quickly nd we inside quickly, the gates closed quickly (full metal sheeting) and locked.

 

Shop staff open the taxi door and escort me quickly into a large jewelry shop and quickly lots of pressure to buy.

 

I kept saying i'm not interested and i don't want to buy anything.

 

Then a shop employeed gives a card to the taxi driver and he gives the card to me, The card says, in English:

 

"Please buy something or they will damage my taxi".

 

I found a chair and sat down and totally ignored the threats of violence from the shop staff and the taxi driver.

 

Maybe an hour later the taxi driver motioned to me to get in the taxi, the gates opened and we left. As soon we were out the taxi had to stop for traffic in a quite busy area, I quickly jumped out of the cab and fled into the crowd and into a normal shop, then later walked back to my 5 star hotel.

 

I asked to speak to the hotel manager and told him what had happened, he just laughed and said 'same thing happens many times every day at many jewelry shops', and walked away.

 

 

[spiekerjozef]

Happened to me in London.

[legend49]

On 1/5/2020 at 3:55 PM, Salerno said:

Tried that <deleted> on me years ago, along with the seed to feed the birds. Both of them where "unlucky".

I was lucky my brother was with me he lives and works in Bangkok so he sent the scumbag packing that was 15 years ago and they still doing it?

[fruitman]

26 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Twenty plus years ago I hailed a taxi in Bkk (well before taxi meters), gave the driver the card for a restaurant and we agreed a fare.

 

Within a minute we were at the very high gates of a compound, he gates opened quickly nd we inside quickly, the gates closed quickly (full metal sheeting) and locked.

 

Shop staff open the taxi door and escort me quickly into a large jewelry shop and quickly lots of pressure to buy.

 

I kept saying i'm not interested and i don't want to buy anything.

 

Then a shop employeed gives a card to the taxi driver and he gives the card to me, The card says, in English:

 

"Please buy something or they will damage my taxi".

 

I found a chair and sat down and totally ignored the threats of violence from the shop staff and the taxi driver.

 

Maybe an hour later the taxi driver motioned to me to get in the taxi, the gates opened and we left. As soon we were out the taxi had to stop for traffic in a quite busy area, I quickly jumped out of the cab and fled into the crowd and into a normal shop, then later walked back to my 5 star hotel.

 

I asked to speak to the hotel manager and told him what had happened, he just laughed and said 'same thing happens many times every day at many jewelry shops', and walked away.

 

 

Same thing happened when we booked a group tour in Hongkong for a boattrip with lightshow and coffee in the harbour. They first brought us into a large jewelry shop, gave us some drink (which i refused) and we had to wait there for an hour while the sales were pushing us to buy...i just sit and when i saw the tourguide from our group i always told her that i was bored and wanted to see the city...after an hour or 2 we left there by group but many had bought something.

 

Now i 'll never go back to hongkong.

[Golden Triangle]

I heard about this scam from a friend in the UK who had been here many times so was ready for it, and sure enough they tried it on so me and my mate with me told them to leave us alone, I always carry the business card for the hotel of where ever I am staying, so we thought it would be a laugh to get a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel, the driver wanted to take us to the usual gold/jewellery/tailors shops instead, I showed him the hotel card again and said firmly from here to there in a straight a line as you like with no diversions or we get out and find another, he was not a happy bunny but did as he was told.

[topt]

On 1/5/2020 at 3:53 PM, fruitman said:

Did it also happen to you/

On my first visit in 1994.....

Wat pho I think we were trying to get to.

 

So it has been going on for well over 25 years.

[Henryford]

Had this happen to me when i first came to Thailand 15 years ago. I was naive then. Went in a tuk tuk and he took us to 3 different places. Didn't spend one satang so he wasted his time and petrol.

[Chazar]

On 1/5/2020 at 3:55 PM, Salerno said:

with the seed to feed the birds

I  take it t hats  pigeons and feeding them is  also  banned  I  think?

[fruitman]

57 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Had this happen to me when i first came to Thailand 15 years ago. I was naive then. Went in a tuk tuk and he took us to 3 different places. Didn't spend one satang so he wasted his time and petrol.

No they get free petrol when they bring in customers at the tailor shop or jewelry...