Low Thai craftsmanship: Cultural, or just a sign of their economic status?

[Hal65]

In Pattaya a cable installer ran a cord down a wall from outside. Instead of tucking it into the corner he just punched the cord holders in this wavy pattern in the fastest way he could. There is now a wavy cord running 4-5 inches from the corner of my wall. In bangkok another installer did it properly at my old apartment at least.

 

I had a flourescent light housing in need of replacement. It was also done crookedly and none of the waste material was cleaned up from the floor.

 

The board under my bed broke. A Thai handyman came to cut a new board to hold the mattress. It was not cut straight so a piece jutted out from the side. He didn't care and left.

 

A Thai man came to apply some white tile cleaner to whiten the cement between the bath tiles. Instead of cleaning the white residue everywhere he just left.

 

I'm sure you guys have similar stories. I wanted to ask if this issue of low quality work is specific to Thai culture or if most countries at their level of economic status behave the same?

[Mavideol]

I am a well traveled person and have to admit that Thailand is on the top of my list when it comes to craftsmanship and/or work ethics/professionalism, they do it for the money and don't give a rats a## how it turned out....

[OneMoreFarang]

It seems many Thais want everything cheap.

I.e. if they buy an electrical power strip then they buy often the cheapest they can get. I.e. one for 50B instead of one for 300 or 500B. And then obviously they have bad quality and problems and soon it's completely broken and then they have to buy a new one - obviously another cheap one.

 

And the same seems to apply with hiring people. Why should you hire someone for 1000B a day if you can find someone for 300B?

 

But there are good technicians. I know one cabling company which does terrific work. High quality material, high quality tools, and educated engineers who do the work and clean up afterwards. And obviously they are more expensive than many others. They exist.

 

Looking at all the new luxury buildings it is obvious that there must be lots of people who are skilled. And it seems they work i.e. in luxury projects and/or for companies who do that kind of work.

It seems to me the main problem is that those skilled workers have no interest to do small jobs like you describe. And many private people wouldn't be willing to pay them a lot more than unskilled Somchai. TiT

 

[riclag]

Cultural and low Thai Craftmanship !

 One would expect when hiring people to waterproof  your car park  and patio floor that they would move the potted plants, instead of painting around them !

 

I requested extra electrical outlets in each room ,instead of  running extensions  chords all through the room.

It was like pulling teeth to get them to do it.

[mikebike]

3 letters: D.I.Y.

 

Done and dusted.

[ukrules]

40 minutes ago, Hal65 said:

I'm sure you guys have similar stories.

Not really, I have only one rule.

 

Pay them once they've completed the job, not before. This gets things done.

[Kwasaki]

39 minutes ago, Hal65 said:

I'm sure you guys have similar stories.

No !!!   I get them to do it right or I set Rottweiler on them my Mrs. ????

I do a lot of things myself.

[bwpage3]

The fact you let them get away with it is troubling.

[pgrahmm]

We've been lucky in that regard.... We've had a lot of work done & it's all been done well.....

We found an electrician that did excellent work and used him for referrals for other tradesmen.....So far they've all turned in excellent work....

[CharlieH]

SIck n tired of it. Low quality fixtures and fittings, attitude and workmanship, everything has to be explained to the nth degree or they just cut corners whever they can and its done as cheaply as they can for max return.

Unless someone is recommended, and thats not guaranteed either, then workman are like a box of chocolates, ya just never know what your gonna get.

When you do find one that does a half decent job, you hang on to him like gold dust !

 

Generally the attitude is poor, the finished result worse.

 

That said, there are of course, cowboys, good n bad workers in every society, I just seem to encounter more than my fair share here.Thats 1 of the downsides of living in the sticks.

 

Your experience hopefully is better than mine and why I spent a small fortune equiping myself and a small workshop and do as much as I can myself.

[fusion58]

One problem is that jobs which require proper training and/or licensing in most developed countries can be done by anybody with a pulse here in LOS.

 

Indeed, any Tom, Dick or Somchai can call himself a plumber, electrician or "handyman." Ditto re: real estate agent, hairdresser, driver, etc.

[alacrity]

54 minutes ago, fusion58 said:

One problem is that jobs which require proper training and/or licensing in most developed countries can be done by anybody with a pulse here in LOS.

 

As can any-one with a lower double digit IQ in those 'developed countries'.

[clivebaxter]

Never had any job done properly. Had a tiler do the kitchen after seeing a decent looking job he had done. Caught him having just started to put the tiles on running downhill and told him about it. Thought he would take some off but he just carried on and made a mess. Another lot ran out of tiles outside and instead of telling us, just found some smaller ones in a totally different colour we had put in the bathroom. They thought it quite ok to carry on with them instead. etc etc does not seem to matter how much you pay either.

[alacrity]

Have seen very impressive cable runs on private and public installations here. Yet, some sub-sequential connections have been a nightmare.

 

Sometimes it's due to unconscious error and sometimes, it's simply that, they don't like/respect you. Others, actively introduce faults in order to commission more business and associate costs.

 

[pgrahmm]

23 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

Never had any job done properly. Had a tiler do the kitchen after seeing a decent looking job he had done. Caught him having just started to put the tiles on running downhill and told him about it. Thought he would take some off but he just carried on and made a mess. Another lot ran out of tiles outside and instead of telling us, just found some smaller ones in a totally different colour we had put in the bathroom. They thought it quite ok to carry on with them instead. etc etc does not seem to matter how much you pay either.

Luck of the draw...The guy that did our tiles used a laser projection guidance system to position & cut the tiles & build the counters....My wife wanted some special decorative tiles included not thinking they were different sizes....He worked them in seamlessly He built the entire kitchen to my design down to the centimeter.....We then used him for other large projects after seeing his precision....

We were fortunate to have been referred to him....Husband & wife team....

[clivebaxter]

18 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Luck of the draw...The guy that did our tiles used a laser projection guidance system to position & cut the tiles....My wife wanted some special decorative tiles included not thinking they were different sizes....He worked them in seamlessly.....We then used him for other work after seeing his precision....

If he's in bkk do you have his contact? Had to have the downstairs re done 2 years ago while I was away as they all tented and broke up. Bloke the Mrs got did it all with an ordinary trowel, string and cement, another mess with various gap widths and heights. Offered to order spacers but he said no need as he knew what he was doing! Mrs thought OK as 'cheap' Oh just noticed you not in Bkk.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

Ordered this wooden food kiosk for my wife's shop in the moo ban market. Handmade by a custom furniture shop in the changwat capital, then delivered. I watched as they made others when we made the order.

 

Nearly two meters wide. Laminate countertop. Rounded and sanded edges. All the pieces seem to have been fitted together flawlessly. I'm quite impressed.

[fusion58]

3 hours ago, alacrity said:

As can any-one with a lower double digit IQ in those 'developed countries'.

 

Not where jobs which require training and licensing are concerned (which was the point.)

[Captain Monday]

3 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Ordered this wooden food kiosk for my wife's shop in the moo ban market. Handmade by a custom furniture shop in the changwat capital, then delivered. I watched as they made others when we made the order.

 

Nearly two meters wide. Laminate countertop. Rounded and sanded edges. All the pieces seem to have been fitted together flawlessly. I'm quite impressed.

Reminds me of when I had granite put in. Rounded and sanded edges? One corner of a worktop completely broken off they installed and departed. Everything else was fine. Why would they even bother bringing such a piece to the site like that, to fob off on a farlang? 

 

[Susco]

I had a house build..............one day I will write a book about it, which I'm sure will beat all sales records of Private Dancer.

 

What was supposed to be finished in less than a year, took 3 full years, for the reason that I was there 25 hours a day to check and correct everything

[impulse]

36 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

Why would they even bother bringing such a piece to the site like that, to fob off on a farlang? 

 

Asked and answered.

 

I found the same phenomena in China.  Tradesmen will do the minimum they can to get the job done and save their customers' money.  Even the good ones.  The difference is that, once you explain that you're willing to pay extra for the nice touches, the good ones can do great work.  The hacks will still booger it up.

 

Can't really blame them, when most of their local customers would rather have a lower price on a functional repair than a higher price on a pretty one.  The average salary in Thailand is about 10% to 20% of the average back home.  Ponder that for a minute...

 

[HeijoshinCool]

Your post has impeccable timing, considering that condo in south Florida....

[Captain Monday]

13 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Asked and answered.

 

I found the same phenomena in China.  Tradesmen will do the minimum they can to get the job done and save their customers' money.  Even the good ones.  The difference is that, once you explain that you're willing to pay extra for the nice touches, the good ones can do great work.  The hacks will still booger it up.

 

Can't really blame them, when most of their local customers would rather have a lower price on a functional repair than a higher price on a pretty one.  The average salary in Thailand is about 10% to 20% of the average back home.  Ponder that for a minute...

 

My experience exactly is if "it works fine" no concern for aesthetics. Renovating a condo many ridiculous mistakes had to be redone if not looking directly over their necks.

 

There are good guys out there hard to find and very busy!

[sezze]

Imho , you have to supervise everything or do it yourself .  It does not mean you constantly look on their hands , but just check on the job , and explain multiple times "i want it like this" . There are certainly well trained people around , but they are not stacked up high , especially if you aren't in a big city .

[OneMoreFarang]

5 hours ago, Susco said:

I had a house build..............one day I will write a book about it, which I'm sure will beat all sales records of Private Dancer.

I hope you write all in first person style like in Private Dancer

Peter: I just met Somchai. He seems to be a competent handyman. I explained to him what he should do and he understood it right away.

Somchai: I just met that farang. I had to laugh. The guy seems to think he knows my work. Obviously he has no idea what he is talking about. I smiled and nodded a lot and I received lots of money to buy some material. Tonight I will go out with my friends and we will have a great party.

[1FinickyOne]

I think it is a hit and miss thing anywhere in the world... living in a tourist mecca, I think you increase the odds of getting transient workers... and I don't think it is necessarily representative of the whole country... 

 

I have recently had 3BB come in and the young guys were polite, efficient and really helpful. After they left, I rcvd a follow-up call from the office asking me if I was pleased w/the visit... 

 

good luck w/all down there.. 

[mfd101]

One thing to remember is that none of your tradespersons have ever lived in a Western-style house or quality. So they (often) simply don't know how to do things or why. Examples in my experience:

- Toilet paper holders carefully placed so you have to do a double twist with pike to get at it when you need it.

- We lived at the Trendy in BKK for over a year. Very comfortable but I couldn't work out why the water from the shower over the bath always ran out over the floor. Had to use putty patches to make it run into the bath. Then I remembered that my Khmer family at the farm here in Surin wash themselves crouching down on the floor with buckets of water. So they imagined that that's what Falangs do in the bath ...

- Italian dishwasher (never used) was installed in our kitchen in the new house we built here in Prasat. Only thing was it was rather tall and the kitchen bench was built over it so that it was too high for me to work there, let alone any Thais. had to get them to redo it twice before I got them to actually LOWER the d/washer installation.

 

When you find a good tradesman, you become lifelong friends. They look after you. You look after them.

[Peterw42]

Are people actually hiring tradesmen/craftsmen ? There is a big difference between Somchai the local handyman and Somchai the Tiler who has been doing tiling his whole life. If your first consideration is price then you get what you pay for.

Its not hard to find examples of craftmanship, wooden furniture, traditional wooden houses, boats etc. The tileing in the pool/foyer of a 5 star hotel. Metal building fabrication, shipping container constructions, Most temples have some pretty impressive craftsmanship.

I think a lot of the problems come down to who you get to do a job, misunderstandings of the scope/requirements etc, basic communication problems. And of course, what you want to pay.

[aldriglikvid]

Interesting phenomenon, indeed. Witnessed it myself there's an urge to cut corners and, simply, just get it done and out as quickly as possible. 

What's also interesting is the contrast to other things that, I might say, they excel at. 

 

If we look at food, for example, that is something they take their time with and do it with care (and most of them do it very well). In regards to hygiene, and especially dental health, that's also something they take enormously care, time and effort with.  

[Bob4u]

Where else is the world is this possible ?