Opinion: Bad review of Koh Chang hotel: The only real loser is Thai tourism

[Sheryl]

5 hours ago, DirtyHarry55 said:

They talk about multiple bad reviews but does anyone know exactly how many bad reviews he posted in Total?
My understanding is he posted the 1st very bad one on Tripadvisor which the Hotel had removed by Tripadvisor for violating Rules.

So he posted another on Trip Advisor which wasn't removed and wasn't as bad as the first also he posted 2 on Google so

that's a total of just 4 with one removed and the last 3 were not as bad as the first.
If I am upset with an online company I also post multiple bad reviews to warn others.
Ps User reviews are always only personal opinions and not stating facts.
If only good reviews are allowed then there's no pint in having reviews.

 

this "multiple reviews" bit for a single stay had me confused also.

 

Do trip Advisor, google etc allow multiple reviews for the same stay by the same person? If so, they shouldn't as it gives an incorrect impression.

[PatOngo]

8 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

 

I thought so. Just bluff and bluster. No need. No one thinks the less of you if you don't know. But they won't think much of someone who claims they know, but really don't.

 

 

 Foreigners don't own land in Thailand, a company in Thailand is 51% Thai owned and 49% can be held by foreigners as I understand it. If you engage 5 Thai's holding 10.002% each and the foreigner holds 49%, the  foreigner still controls the company  (hypothetically)   If you know different, I am open to your knowledge.

[klauskunkel]

Too bad the internet and international press doesn't focus on the real problem: Thailand's libel and defamation laws having been designed to shut up criticism

[scaldedfummy]

The hotel, the Sea View Koh Chang resort on the island of Koh Chang, it looks okay for me though 

[hellohello123]

5 hours ago, finnsk said:

Rule nr 1 : Tourism industry is a service industry, where you must work with the slogan that the clients is always right (nearly)

 

Rule nr 2 : All hotels and restaurants in the world had to live with tripadvisor and other platforms like this, nobody is talking about it is the truth, but everybody can write what they like on these platforms. Thats 2020 now, everybody must learn to deal with the internet.

 

Rule nr 3 : As a manager of a tourism service you must never let a conflict grow big, you must be ready to lose face and compensate the client even it is not fair and do it before the conflict is getting to big.

 

If the hotel/restaurant manager had acted after these simple rules, there would never being a case like this.

 

This would normaly only have being a case between the hotel and the client all over the world.

 

It is unthinkable what is going on now, they take a tourist, arrest him, put him to jail maybe up to more than 2 years, for a simple normal restaurant conflict. Now it is on the headlines on all the mainmedia around the world, now tourist worldwide can/will get scared to visit Thailand.

 

Is this a good deal for Thailand ?

 

The loser is Thailand, I wish all the best for Thailand, in many ways it is fantastic place, but there is some problems with some of the staff................

Rule number 3: totally agree!!

As a hospitality industry person, this rule is the biggest difference between one who is not suited vs one that has empathy and can see beyond ego and emotion

Edited October 1, 2020 by hellohello123

[from the home of CC]

5 hours ago, Skallywag said:

The guy was a jerk.  Deport all American jerks I say. (just not me - haha)

I know other Americans and UK expats and younger people living here who are same way. 

Some have been here for years and complain about the "standards" of Thailand businesses, wondering why they do not operate on the same level as American or UK establishments for 1/3 the price.   They cannot seem to think rationally or accept reality IMO.  

The story of this guy sounds like he was acting entitled and superior and just plain argumentative.  No wonder no one at the resort "smiled" at him or were polite

criminal or civil, most countries have laws on the books for defamation. As I have said before many fools can't believe the world they grew up in doesn't follow them around through their travels. A lot of these idiots should have stayed home in the basements of their mommies..

[sucit]

The hotel caused a horrible situation for all parties here. 

 

First, everyone perceives the world differently. One guy thinks a woman is beautiful, another guy thinks she is dog meat. Same with how a staff at a hotel is treated. Just because you think you may know how they are actually treated, that does not mean a thing. Reviews are about an individual's point of view. 

 

Further, who is the actual bad guy here? A reviewer should never be contacted by a hotel to revise their review. That's ridiculous. That compromises the entire point of the reviews. The hotel was completely out of line for ever contacting him. That should not be an option. If the reviewer says something completely out of line, then the hotel should contact the website about taking it down. 

 

In my opinion 100% of the fault lies with the hotel here. Any legit problem they have with the review should be able to be taken up with the review website and their regulations. If they don't like those terms, then ask the website to be taken off the site. But, you can't have all the good that comes with reviews and none of the bad. That is precisely what the hotel is trying to do. They are 100% wrong here, it is as clear as day. 

[ChipButty]

51 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Do you honestly think I am unaware as to WHO holds the 49% and WHO owns the 50%? ????

Who's got the 1%?

[British Bulldog]

Ha ! Went to a Restaurant in Vientiane once, I took a bottle of Champagne that a friend had bought me for my birthday ... the restaurant said, I'm sorry there is a corkage fee equivalent to $12 ... I said, OK how much for a bottle of this Champagne here .... they went off, came back and said; Sorry Sir, we don't sell that brand ... so I said OK, I can drink mine here ... no surcharge ... took a bit of back and forth, but they eventually agreed ... after I'd near on finished the bottle ...

[NotJoeMama]

I stayed there in June of this year.  The first customers there upon reopening. 

 

Agoda has it listed as a 5 star.  The only thing 5 star about it is the view.  The beach is only decent at high tide and only in a certain area or else you’re walking on rocks and shells.  Two swimming pools.  One is very nice and the other mediocre.  Unless you get the golf cart,  you’re walking up VERY STEEP hills,  especially from the top pool to the top (above it) rooms where we were staying.  No safety measures working in the cable car when it broke on us.  We had to scream for someone to hear us to send help.  Breakfast is very poor.  Nothing around so without a car,  you’re not going anywhere.  I wouldn’t go back,  no matter what the price.  We got it for a deal at 100 bucks US a night and I don't think it was worth that.  They deserve bad reviews,  but probably not what this guy did.  I purposely didn't post a review as I know,  as seen here,  what can happen.

[Deli]

5 hours ago, Skallywag said:

The guy was a jerk.  Deport all American jerks I say. (just not me - haha)

I know other Americans and UK expats and younger people living here who are same way. 

Some have been here for years and complain about the "standards" of Thailand businesses, wondering why they do not operate on the same level as American or UK establishments for 1/3 the price.   They cannot seem to think rationally or accept reality IMO.  

The story of this guy sounds like he was acting entitled and superior and just plain argumentative.  No wonder no one at the resort "smiled" at him or were polite

I you wanna work in the hospitality industry, you must smile also at people you would love to kick in the bolloxx. It's a part of the deal and this management should better work as wardens, if they can't do it. Waving the corkage fee and a free drink on the house, served with a smile and a Wai - case closed and a nice review would have been easily earned.

[ourmanflint]

Bad management is bad for business is the only takeaway from this. It should never have been allowed to escalate. 

[HappyinNE]

In my opinion the real problem is basically stated here by pkrv "For me, the thing to take away from the whole debacle is the severity of the draconian defamation laws here and how they can be used (misused)".  The defamation laws of Thailand are the real embarrassment for Thailand. 

[Old Croc]

I guess this hotel was lucky the American wasn't able to bring his guns into Thailand:

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/the-man-who-wrote-the-bad-reviews-for-the-koh-changs-sea-view-resort-has-a-criminal-record

 

[robblok]

1 hour ago, Laughing Gravy said:

How about ignoring his posts like adults do or even better respond in a professional manner on Tripadvisor and explain the full story.

 

But no behave like a spoiled child who can't stand any form of criticism, justified or not. Who has now the worlds attention and has made a right mess of things.

I think its justified, however your quite right that they got the worlds attention. 

 

But its a bit hard to ignore when a guy like this keeps posting and does not seem to want to stop and not respond to emails. 

 

But this is far more damaging for them then those reviews. 

[Megasin1]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I dont think it will effect tourism in Thailand might effect that hotel for a while the amount of bad publicity koh Tao got I mean that was plastered all over the English tabloids it even got the name "Death Island" did it stop people going there?

These OTA's thrive on reviews a listing with no reviews doesn't get bookings then thats no good for for TA or any other OTA 

yes it did, when my kids went on island hopping tours around Thsiland and Asia they were advised by me to stay away and they didn't go to 'death island'. I have advised many to stay away and they have all listened. If you multiply that out by others advising the same then I would estimate that rightly so it has stopped people going there to some extent.

[PhilippBKK]

They will settle and this will become a quirky news footnote. 

As for damage to Thai Tourism, don't think this will have any impact since the borders remain closed anyways.

However another reason to finally dump Tripadvisor, the forum of the super whingers ????

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, Megasin1 said:

yes it did, when my kids went on island hopping tours around Thsiland and Asia they were advised by me to stay away and they didn't go to 'death island'. I have advised many to stay away and they have all listened. If you multiply that out by others advising the same then I would estimate that rightly so it has stopped people going there to some extent.

I too have advised people (usually young friends) travelling through Thailand in a back-packer manner to avoid Koh Tao outright (some have listened, others haven’t). I also advice how to handle taxi’s and other attempted rip offs, to use meter taxis or negotiate a clear unambiguous fare first (and confirm its not per person etc), not to use Jet Ski’s. 

 

 

[ChipButty]

16 minutes ago, NotJoeMama said:

I stayed there in June of this year.  The first customers there upon reopening. 

 

Agoda has it listed as a 5 star.  The only thing 5 star about it is the view.  The beach is only decent at high tide and only in a certain area or else you’re walking on rocks and shells.  Two swimming pools.  One is very nice and the other mediocre.  Unless you get the golf cart,  you’re walking up VERY STEEP hills,  especially from the top pool to the top (above it) rooms where we were staying.  No safety measures working in the cable car when it broke on us.  We had to scream for someone to hear us to send help.  Breakfast is very poor.  Nothing around so without a car,  you’re not going anywhere.  I wouldn’t go back,  no matter what the price.  We got it for a deal at 100 bucks US a night and I don't think it was worth that.  They deserve bad reviews,  but probably not what this guy did.  I purposely didn't post a review as I know,  as seen here,  what can happen.

Its strange how the star rating works because I know they dont come out to inspect the property it must work on an points accumulation of star ratings in the reviews, to me from the photo's it look old 

[Wongkitlo]

1 minute ago, ChipButty said:

Its strange how the star rating works because I know they dont come out to inspect the property it must work on an points accumulation of star ratings in the reviews, to me from the photo's it look old 

I don't think there is any supervision. Is just self voted.

[ChipButty]

2 minutes ago, PhilippBKK said:

They will settle and this will become a quirky news footnote. 

As for damage to Thai Tourism, don't think this will have any impact since the borders remain closed anyways.

However another reason to finally dump Tripadvisor, the forum of the super whingers ????

Booking.com is right up there with them

[Wongkitlo]

1 hour ago, GeilGeilertzen said:

Just

scrap TripAdvisor for whole Thailand.  Would suit me well so the future tourism could be halved or more ????

I don't quite understand trip advisor. Whenever I look it up most of the information seems from years ago. Does anyone really bother about it ?

[ChipButty]

3 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

I don't think there is any supervision. Is just self voted.

Something in the algorithms 

[ChipButty]

Just now, Wongkitlo said:

I don't quite understand trip advisor. Whenever I look it up most of the information seems from years ago. Does anyone really bother about it ?

Do you mean the property profiles are old or the reviews?

[PremiumLane]

There is a lot of hyperbole on this forum. I think the resort were totally wrong for getting the police involved and the defamation law in Thailand is extremely troublesome for free speech.

 

However, the hysteria from some TVF members, saying if you post a negative review you are going to be locked up. There are plenty of negative reviews online for hotels and resorts. Some of you should calm down. 

[robblok]

What I don't get is that so many think they had to waive the corkage fee right away (they did in the end). But why should they do that if its their rule then they should stick with it. Otherwise its unfair towards others. That means people with a big mouth willing to cause trouble will always win. 

 

They should apply the same rule for all and not give troublemakers more rights.

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, camble said:

This resort owes the customer a free weekend in their finest suite for having to spend a weekend in jail, and with no corkage fees.

They owe him nothing. He should apologize for his rude behavior.

[hellohello123]

42 minutes ago, British Bulldog said:

Ha ! Went to a Restaurant in Vientiane once, I took a bottle of Champagne that a friend had bought me for my birthday ... the restaurant said, I'm sorry there is a corkage fee equivalent to $12 ... I said, OK how much for a bottle of this Champagne here .... they went off, came back and said; Sorry Sir, we don't sell that brand ... so I said OK, I can drink mine here ... no surcharge ... took a bit of back and forth, but they eventually agreed ... after I'd near on finished the bottle ...

What on earth?

 

So just becuase they don't stock the drink you brought,  you are entitled to drink it without surcharge??

 

No wonder thais think farangs  are idiots

 

Is your first name Wesley by any chance?

Edited October 1, 2020 by hellohello123

[Dustdevil]

Whether the guy's a jerk or not is irrelevant in the larger picture. Where I come from, defamation cases are civil, not criminal, and libel or slander cases are difficult to win, protecting ordinary people from the rich and powerful.

[ChipButty]

5 minutes ago, hellohello123 said:

What on earth?

 

So just becuase they don't stock the drink you brought,  you are entitled to drink it without surcharge??

 

No wonder thais think farangs  are idiots

Laotian