Short changing scam

[Gabe H Coud]

Lived here about 7 or 8 years. In that time I've had say 3 attempts at being short changed, up until a week ago!

In last 7 days I've had THREE attempts at being significantly short changed.

Points to note

1. its happening at reputable places mostly, along with one 7 Eleven incident
2. the scam that they use is always to try and create confusion/ distraction. One example today....i was at a prestige golf club, in a rush, and suddenly I'm asked for some booking number that I've never been asked for before, so while Im panicking looking for the e mail on my phone, she quietly lays down the incorrect change hoping i wont notice. Plus the change she initially gave me matched the amount I was trying to pay, so some may confuse this as 'correct'. I just looked at the money and looked at her once and instantly there's this "Oh, sorry!" and immediately without any confusion or checking she delivers the correct money( which she had waiting below the counter ready for herself) Yeah right! Similar thing happened at a 'nice' restaurant the other night
3. please be aware that this is on the rise
4. I understand the economic pressures, but doesn't make it acceptable!

anyone else seen this recently?

Gabe

[faraday]

Nope

[baansgr]

7/11 at it all the time...scan items twice is a popular one, short change maybe only 3 or 5 baht but with hundreds of customers a day it's a nice earner.. change from 1,000..100 baht less..gotta be in your toes with that lot

[The Cobra]

Never experienced it. EVER

[allane]

At 7-11's, the cashier register displays the cumulative number of items, as well as the price. And, the total number of items is on the receipt, as well as the price of each, any applicable discounts, and the total price.

[innosiem]

one surprise i had years ago, was 20 baht short change attempt on Air Asia flights
on flights with a specific head steward
i only noticed as i was travelling lots on silly amount of flights and had him on 4 flights and was same each time
he would punch the total price in the calculator and show it to me, each time it was 20 baht off
first time i thought ok, maybe he just stupid, got a calculator and still got it wrong
2nd time i corrected him again and thought there is a pattern here and noticed same calculator actions with other passengers
3rd time, i loudly told him and then mentioned this was 3rd time he has done this
he quickly asked me to be quiet, give me a million wai's and whispered sorry sorry
4th flight he quickly recognized me, and didn't go near his calculator 

i then seen him on a flight a few months ago,
and it looked like he had been demoted to just steward as was no longer the head steward

Edited July 19, 2020 by innosiem

[Olmate]

Interesting! What was the bin at the prestigious golf club? Did you use a 5000 baht note?

[Don Mega]

I got given the wrong change yesterday morning by the Mcdonalds delivery driver.

 

Extremely hung over I did not count my change and just jammed it in my pocket, 2 hours later Mcdonalds called and said I was given the incorrect change.

Upon inspecting the contents of my pocket sure enough the delivery lad gave me change for Bt.1000 instead of the Bt.500 I paid with.

 

Told them to send him back round to collect and he arrived with a free big mac meal !!

[ezzra]

It happen very rarely, and if and when it dose and i catch, i have no problem in pointing out the error to them, politely though... 

[worgeordie]

It used to be a regular happening to me at a local hardware shop,

buy something ,pay with a 1000 Baht note,and she would try to 

give me change for 500 Baht...after 3 attempts, i would hold the

1000 baht above my head and wave it about,both laughing.if it

only worked a couple of times a day,she was earning money,if

you look at people receiving change not many check it.

 

Expect it's happening more now as people will be desperate,

P.S. she sold the shop and land for 25 Million Baht,with the

money she must have made off her scam,she did alright.

regards worgeordie

[FritsSikkink]

Why would you panic when asked for a booking number?

[LomSak27]

I recently had it happen at Tops. Years ago a Tesco Lotus out in nakhon nowhere.  

Usually paying with a 500 or 1000 bill. They make change, but miss a hundred and hope you will too. If you catch them, it's sorry just a mistake, uh huh. 

 

I mention the T Lotus because they must have had problems with it. Next month or two the managers were supervising the cashiers, so uh huh, an ongoing problem and with the locals as not many farang in those parts.

 

Edited July 19, 2020 by LomSak27

[Gabe H Coud]

15 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Why would you panic when asked for a booking number?

Because as instated I was in a rush to get on the tee ahead of 2 4 balls and she knew it. She deliberately tried to throw me by asking for some number that has ne ere been asked for before. She was just hoping I would just grab the(incorrect) change and run! 

[Wongkitlo]

My local 7 11 attendant gives me the wrong change by 20 or 30 baht often. I don't know if it is deliberate or if she is dumb. She is very pretty though so I never say anything. 

[Kadilo]

14 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

My local 7 11 attendant gives me the wrong change by 20 or 30 baht often. I don't know if it is deliberate or if she is dumb. She is very pretty though so I never say anything. 

Maybe she’s not so dumb after all. 

[OJAS]

Happened to me at my local immigration office several years ago when they "omitted" to give me a 100 THB note as change for the 2 x 1,000 THB notes I'd handed over for payment of my annual extension application, until reminded of this "omission" by my wife. Ever since then I've always made a point of including a 500 THB note + 4 x 100 THB notes (as well as at least 1,000 THB note, of course) in my wallet at annual extension of stay time so as to make the 1,900 THB payment in exact cash. 

Edited July 19, 2020 by OJAS

[rvaviator]

28 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

My local 7 11 attendant gives me the wrong change by 20 or 30 baht often. I don't know if it is deliberate or if she is dumb. She is very pretty though so I never say anything. 

The perfect example of 'value for money' .....  You should tell her ... with a big smile on your face that it has been a pleasure to have been paying an extra 20THB just for the pleasure of being served by a pretty girl like you. ????

[garygooner]

Sure it's happened in the bars between 11:00 pm & 2:00 am to many of us.... We just don't know. 

[holy cow cm]

Happens to everyone as just not exclusive to rip foreigners off. Using 1000 baht notes to pay is typical in getting wrong change back.

Edited July 19, 2020 by holy cow cm

[Sundown]

Wow! I was going to open the same exact topic some days ago then I thought "let's not open another against Thailand".

 

But yes, it is happening to me as well. last time, handed a 1000 bill and got change like I gave her 100. The thing that strikes me is that they are not even sorry one bit when you catch them. Instead, they look quite annoyed!

[Wongkitlo]

1 hour ago, rvaviator said:

The perfect example of 'value for money' .....  You should tell her ... with a big smile on your face that it has been a pleasure to have been paying an extra 20THB just for the pleasure of being served by a pretty girl like you. ????

I want to ask her about her mother. I'm sure her mother worked at the local massage shop (now closed) and was very accommodating. She told me her son worked at the 7/11 so I wonder if her  daughter followed in his footsteps. I used to give the Mum big tips at start of term time to help her pay for the kid's books. Maybe I'm still paying. 

[Bob A Kneale]

4 hours ago, Gabe H Coud said:

3. please be aware that this is on the rise

As a generalisation, that is not correct, it may have happened to you but that doesn't mean that it's "on the rise".

 

"4. I understand the economic pressures, but doesn't make it acceptable!

anyone else seen this recently?"

No.

Edited July 19, 2020 by Bob A Kneale

[Puchaiyank]

It is not the amount of baht that is troubling...it is the culture of corrupt business practices that is unacceptable. 

Not to mention the looks that could kill when you call them out...

[Olmate]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

It is not the amount of baht that is troubling...it is the culture of corrupt business practices that is unacceptable. 

Not to mention the looks that could kill when you call them out...

Similar to paying,tipping wait staff in US,that’s a strange culture!

[EVENKEEL]

At 7-11 I make sure the 100's are correct as she counts the change to herself. But beyond that I could be getting shortchanged every time and not know it if it were small amounts.

[scorecard]

7 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

I recently had it happen at Tops. Years ago a Tesco Lotus out in nakhon nowhere.  

Usually paying with a 500 or 1000 bill. They make change, but miss a hundred and hope you will too. If you catch them, it's sorry just a mistake, uh huh. 

 

I mention the T Lotus because they must have had problems with it. Next month or two the managers were supervising the cashiers, so uh huh, an ongoing problem and with the locals as not many farang in those parts.

 

 A buddy had the 500/1,000 problem twice at  a specific hypermarket in CM.

 

Two different cashiers insisted he had given 500, he insisted he gave 1,000. Cashier supervisor came and both times said 'my cashiers are very careful, we don't make mistakes like this' and walked away.

 

Next time when the cashier said the price he pulled out a 1,000 note, put it on the edge of the till and took a smartphone photo, all watched by the cashier and a couple of nearby customers, then held the phone with photo in a position where the cashier had to see it. No short change. 

[Puchaiyank]

2 hours ago, Olmate said:

Similar to paying,tipping wait staff in US,that’s a strange culture!

You have an option...not obligation...to tip in the US based on the service you receive.  In Thailand, who the hey tips a cashier at a 7/11?  Oh, yes, of course...you do!  ????

[Andrew Dwyer]

7 hours ago, rvaviator said:

The perfect example of 'value for money' .....  You should tell her ... with a big smile on your face that it has been a pleasure to have been paying an extra 20THB just for the pleasure of being served by a pretty girl like you. ????

Or you could use the catch phrase from an old anecdote about paying a lady for her “ services “.

” I looked her in the eyes and said, its been a business doing pleasure with you !! “

                             Frank Skinner.

[Jack Hna]

Happens a lot but also happens the other way round.

 

I purchased 52 packs of milk and the cashier twice counted the milk and stated 50. She spoke good English looked like a student I did tell her I thought it was 52. Anyway I see the packing format is 16 to a bag so confirm all same and there's 4 cartons left so they believed me in the end.

 

Happens all the time the short change crew but it happens to thais much much more in my opinion.

 

 

[jackdd]

I've been given the wrong amount of change quite a few times, but i got too much change more often than too little.