American expat charged with defamation after leaving multiple negative reviews online

[rott]

5 hours ago, polpott said:

Those issues will be of no concern to the court. True or false doesn't come into it. Said/not said is all that matters and on those grounds he's banged to rights I'm sad to say.

That is the law. 

 

Look at Thai Criminal Code sections 326 and 330, 

[steven100]

9 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Get banged up for writing a bad review online or kill a cop whist drunk and coked up and spend not one second in jail. 
 

Yea, this seems fair in the broader context.  

your dreaming .... the problem is he posted <deleted> reviews on many sites instead of paying the corkage.

 

[rkidlad]

13 minutes ago, steven100 said:

your dreaming .... the problem is he posted <deleted> reviews on many sites instead of paying the corkage.

 

So people will read the reviews and understand he’s a dullard. 
 

And if they don’t, they won’t go there as they don’t understand the concept of paying money to drink outside-alcohol on restaurant premises; aka, corkage fees. 
 

When I read reviews, I normally stop at poor grammar. Good or bad, people who don’t know the difference between you’re and your, etc, probably aren’t the sharpest in the box. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by rkidlad

[cncltd1973]

On 9/26/2020 at 10:33 AM, rkidlad said:

Little bit advice to any business in any sector: don’t have your customers imprisoned. It isn’t a good look. 
 

People leave bad reviews. This is life. Explain why the review is wrong or at least try to settle it with the guest. This has now just made it much worse for the hotel. 
 

And before people say it’s the law or the police did it, etc, once you go to the police to file charges for someone writing bad reviews, you can safely assume they’ll be arrested if the case is accepted. That’s how filing complaints with the police works. 

Completely agreed. The headline the world sees is: Thai Hotel Jails Customer For Bad Review

 

[The Barmbeker]

12 hours ago, Yinn said:

Be careful na.

i will complain the police. You will have big problem. ????

 

170 post complain about USA guy complain the chekslovakia guy who complain with police and lawyer about the USA guy complain to much. Now barmbeher complain about Yinn complain about member who complain that.

 

Now the court will take long time, the lawyer will complain, the judge will complain waste the time, and the USA guy will complain about jail. His wife will complain not fair, his kid will complain not see dad. 

It never will end. 

 

Better if not complain. Be strong.

It's BARMBEKER, Yinn!

[ScotBkk]

7 hours ago, kenk24 said:

Seeing as you know me so well and call me an 'apologist' - - I wasn't apologizing for anyone... the guy states how he does not like it here and I tell him he has choices... I always had choices and exercised them to do what I wanted...

 

seemingly unlike you who is forced to return... sorry for your predicament but don't blame it on others.. 

There "are" - - but, maybe English isn't your first language... so, off you go - haunt those forums w/your negativity

 

and don't assume that I have a miserly miserable existence... you are not even close - - and I am here by choice and because I like it... you are the one who seems rather unhappy.. 

Thanks for your assessment. I assume had I been in your presence maybe you would have gave me some psycho analysis lol. Where did I specifically mention you were living a miserly existence on your interest? I was just generalising given that over the years reading certain TV members boring rundowns on life in Thailand realised that that's the calibre of some certain kind of people on here. If I offended you, I apologise profusely, it was not meant to be personal.

Have a good evening mate ...

[grumpyoldman]

On 9/26/2020 at 7:08 AM, Nout said:

Another self entitled yank bites the dust.lol

Amazing that "self entitled Yank" draws up 39 pages of responses.

 

More of a "making mountains out of molehills" situation. Let it go.

[shdmn]

What ever happened to that blogger that left bad reviews for some massage parlors in Pattaya?  Last I heard he was in a lot of trouble for that as well.  Yes, only in Thailand. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by shdmn

[oldhippy]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Might have known he'd be Chinese. I used to know the owner of Koh Samet, another influential Jek.

QUOTE: Might have known he'd be Chinese.

What do you mean?

And Jek?

Edited September 27, 2020 by oldhippy
.

[Neeranam]

39 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

QUOTE: Might have known he'd be Chinese.

What do you mean?

And Jek?

"Sia" "Jek" How long have you lived here?

[oldhippy]

2 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

"Sia" "Jek" How long have you lived here?

Sorry, I must be a little bit slow of understanding, I still do not understand what you are saying.

[AloisAmrein]

On 9/26/2020 at 4:19 PM, Tropicalevo said:

For goodness sake. Taking outside alcohol into a restaurant anywhere in the world is a no no unless you ask for permission.

It seems you don't know well the world. In many countries, even in Thailand, I never had a problem to bring my own drinks. If I want to drink Chang beer and they have Singha and Leo only, then this is absolutely normal, I never had a problem. Even in Australia there is BYO, bring your own. Because many restaurants don't have the alcohol licence.

[oldhippy]

6 minutes ago, AloisAmrein said:

It seems you don't know well the world. In many countries, even in Thailand, I never had a problem to bring my own drinks. If I want to drink Chang beer and they have Singha and Leo only, then this is absolutely normal, I never had a problem. Even in Australia there is BYO, bring your own. Because many restaurants don't have the alcohol licence.

In Chanthaburi it is most common to bring wine or liquor to a restaurant.

I don't know if there is a corkage charge for glasses and ice - I leave the "auditing" of the bill to my wife and Thai friends.

[uncle_tom]

Travel to the USA, especially away from the big cities, and you find some of the nicest and most hospitable people on the planet.

 

But whenever they venture overseas, most of them transform into selfish idiots..

[JensenZ]

1 hour ago, grumpyoldman said:

Amazing that "self entitled Yank" draws up 39 pages of responses.

 

More of a "making mountains out of molehills" situation. Let it go.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean as it's somewhat ambiguous, but if you're suggesting this topic is trivial you are very mistaken. The Thai defamation laws ensure that these molehills (in this case posting bad reviews on travel sites) can become mountains (prison time with fines).

 

All expats need to know this.

[Don Chance]

Why would TA give up this guy's IP address?  Looks bad for TA. Then need a court order in America. American free speech laws apply i believe.  Looks bad for Thailand too, if no freedom of speech. Governments need to issue travel warnings.

 

TA should block all reviews in Thailand of hotels or restaurants. Not safe for travelers.

[RefinedGentleman]

A tourist thrown in jail for posting a bad review? Imagine the losses this resort will see as a result of this story making international news. Now compare that to the corkage fee they wanted. Dumb! Add in the already difficult climate with Covid and tourism and it's even dumber. Whatever you might think of this American guy, the resort has completely screwed themselves with their actions.

 

[Don Chance]

2 minutes ago, RefinedGentleman said:

A tourist thrown in jail for posting a bad review? Imagine the losses this resort will see as a result of this story making international news. Now compare that to the corkage fee they wanted. Dumb! Add in the already difficult climate with Covid and tourism and it's even dumber. Whatever you might think of this American guy, the resort has completely screwed themselves with their actions.

 

I think a lot of hotels and guesthouse have a bad attitude towards farangs. I have had numerous bad experiences with Thai guesthouses. One guesthouse i stayed at in Krabi since it opened for years, every year for weeks at a time. I had the same room on the 3rd floor in the back. I doubt anyone stayed there as long as i did. When i came back a year ago they raised the price and only wanted to give me the noisy room in the front! It was family run too. With an old mother and their three daughters. But did they get greedy! They kept the quiet room for their Chinese Booking customers. How rude.  That night i showed up they even claimed that my old room was booked - it was empty!

Compared to say India or Nepal, hoteliers are much nicer they are thrilled if you return year after year. They would never raise the price like that. If i come back years later to Goa, people still remember me by name.

[AloisAmrein]

55 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

In Chanthaburi it is most common to bring wine or liquor to a restaurant.

I don't know if there is a corkage charge for glasses and ice - I leave the "auditing" of the bill to my wife and Thai friends.

You have to pay for the ice, sometimes overcharged. Mostly 10 Baht per cup. I never came across a corkage charge in Thailand, I spent a lot of time there. If so, I would not have paid it and would have left the restaurant.

[lkv]

2 hours ago, The Barmbeker said:

It's BARMBEKER, Yinn!

He knows, just fooling around with broken English.

[whaleboneman]

On 9/26/2020 at 11:25 AM, rott said:

Yes, acquaint yourself with Thai law before commenting. 

gee, i thought questions were allowed on this forum.

[ChakaKhan]

20 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

However, if you murder someone, run someone over and your Thai, you walk away

Dont forget a good finger pointing to shame, so we will blur all thai faces, to save said face..carry on TR

[Stargeezr]

This American deserves the jail time. The resort will not suffer any losses, because.

1. No current international travel happening, and 2. This will be yesterdays news very

quickly.  This US guy is not the only so called, (Ugly Amrrican) that I have seen or read about

in Thailand. I told a Texan that he was a walking dead man, when he pushed his way through a crowd in Chiang Mai a few years ago.    my Thai

friend who was a policeman agreed, so we went to a near by police vehicle, and the Yank,

made it back to his hotel and left to Bangkok. There had been 4 Thai guys with knives

following the Yank, and they would have stabbed him before the night was out.

  I have alway remembered that us foreignors are guests of Thailand,  and it is best

for your health, and finances to just behave.  Guess the US guy will have to do

that in jail now. I will await his review  when he gets out.

Geezer

 

[polpott]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

"Sia" "Jek" How long have you lived here?

The hotel owner wasn't Chinese. He may well be Thai Chin but not Chinese. There's a big difference.

[You Cannot Be Serious]

I have read both sides of the argument and I am of the opinion, like so many others, that this should be a civil matter and not criminal as it has now developed into by way of a police report, arrest, charge and incarceration. The customer/offender did not commit a crime and is entitled to post a review or reviews of his opinions and experiences should he so wish. Moreover, Trip Advisor obviously moderated the posters composition before publishing it so therefore they have a part to play in this debacle also.

On the other hand, my thinking is that much of this unsavoury carry on could very well have been avoided had the offender/customer behaved in a more dignified and gentlemanly manner. I have never in my life attempted to bring liquor acquired elsewhere into a restaurant/hotel establishment and if I were to do so then I would at least have the etiquette and good manners to request permission to do so and pay the appropriate charges applicable with good will and without any fuss.

Unfortunately, there are no winners here and this applies most especially to the hotel resort's management team as this storm in a tea cup story has now gone into virol overload around the planet. I fear the resulting fallout from this negatively distasteful publicity may potentially and ultimately be a great deal more damaging than a just a handful of bad reviews on TA.

[sotonowl]

Oh when the big mouths meet the ones who can't accept criticism, does it have to come to this. Sounds like the yank can't accept that he can just walk all over people and the hotel really should have nipped this in the bud. They're complaining about poor reviews? Well get ready, I suspect you'll be getting quite a few now.

But really, should it make the internet? Get a life guys.

[You Cannot Be Serious]

28 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

This American deserves the jail time. The resort will not suffer any losses, because.

1. No current international travel happening, and 2. This will be yesterdays news very

quickly.  This US guy is not the only so called, (Ugly Amrrican) that I have seen or read about

in Thailand. I told a Texan that he was a walking dead man, when he pushed his way through a crowd in Chiang Mai a few years ago.    my Thai

friend who was a policeman agreed, so we went to a near by police vehicle, and the Yank,

made it back to his hotel and left to Bangkok. There had been 4 Thai guys with knives

following the Yank, and they would have stabbed him before the night was out.

  I have alway remembered that us foreignors are guests of Thailand,  and it is best

for your health, and finances to just behave.  Guess the US guy will have to do

that in jail now. I will await his review  when he gets out.

Geezer

Jail time for writing a negative comment, are you serious? Regardless of what you may think of Texans and Americans in general there are two sides to a story and maybe, just maybe there was some element of truth in the customers comments even if he was an **e **le. Have you thought of that?

28 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

 

 

[oldhippy]

16 minutes ago, polpott said:

The hotel owner wasn't Chinese. He may well be Thai Chin but not Chinese. There's a big difference.

WooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooW.

 

I thought I was stupid, for not understanding Neeraram's comment.

I even looked up his comment on my post on page 9, to make sure it was Neeraram.

 

He said  QUOTE "What a truly racist, Thai-bashing post, you should be ashamed. I've no idea why you foreigners want to live here".. 

He replied that to me!!!!! Because I said that in my opinion Thais have a long way to go to democracy.

And now our anti racist friend is being racist against the Chinese, no, the Thai Chinese!!!!!!!!!

 

WoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooW.

[You Cannot Be Serious]

8 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

Oh when the big mouths meet the ones who can't accept criticism, does it have to come to this. Sounds like the yank can't accept that he can just walk all over people and the hotel really should have nipped this in the bud. They're complaining about poor reviews? Well get ready, I suspect you'll be getting quite a few now.

But really, should it make the internet? Get a life guys.

 

Well you're on here reading it arn't you?

 

[vinny41]

3 hours ago, Don Chance said:

Why would TA give up this guy's IP address?  Looks bad for TA. Then need a court order in America. American free speech laws apply i believe.  Looks bad for Thailand too, if no freedom of speech. Governments need to issue travel warnings.

 

TA should block all reviews in Thailand of hotels or restaurants. Not safe for travelers.

If a Thai court request's this guy details I would suspect that TA will provided them otherwise TA ip address's could be blocked

Man jailed for fake TripAdvisor reviews in landmark case

The man owns Italian company that posted false critiques on behalf of hospitality firms

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/man-jailed-for-fake-tripadvisor-reviews-in-landmark-case-1.3626862