Should I Pay Twice For A Bowl Of Rice At Fuji Restaurant?

[Rimmer]

Yawn

[Globeliner]

We have a saying in my country "you break it you bought it" welcome to Thailand you should have checked the sauce before using it in fact you bought an extra bowl of rice.

Oh really? Should I have checked the rice first to see if it was real rice? Should I check the bottled water to see that they didn't really refilll it with tap sludge? Should I have checked the slaughtered cow to make sure it didn't have disease? I think it's reasonable that when you go to a supposedly upscale (by Pattaya standards) restaurant, to presume that they deliver what you ask for.

And your "breaking it", like a piece of china, and my tainting an overpriced rice bowl, when I was given a different sauce than what I clearly ordered, are two very different things. Nice try, though.

Thought you were eating salmon? What's a slaughtered cow got to do with it?

You've got a mighty big chip off your shoulder, and the mods should close this thread, as it's getting really boring

[DrFisher]

We have a saying in my country "you break it you bought it" welcome to Thailand you should have checked the sauce before using it in fact you bought an extra bowl of rice.

Oh really? Should I have checked the rice first to see if it was real rice? Should I check the bottled water to see that they didn't really refilll it with tap sludge? Should I have checked the slaughtered cow to make sure it didn't have disease? I think it's reasonable that when you go to a supposedly upscale (by Pattaya standards) restaurant, to presume that they deliver what you ask for.

And your "breaking it", like a piece of china, and my tainting an overpriced rice bowl, when I was given a different sauce than what I clearly ordered, are two very different things. Nice try, though.

As I said welcome to Thailand and what you have described would be same same in New York city no doubt but it would cost you a lot more than 16B.

[barryofthailand]

You should realize, the server probably does not speak fluent english. To her, teriaki and fish sauce is one of the same. If you had dipped your fork or chop sticks, whatever you were eating with in the sauce, before pouring it on the rice, you would have realized the mistake, had the server replece the sauce at no charge and this issue would have never come to being.

So the piont is you didn't test the sauce, you oured it on the rice, and since you ordered another rice bowl, you should now pay for two.

Barry

[Weho]

We have a saying in my country "you break it you bought it" welcome to Thailand you should have checked the sauce before using it in fact you bought an extra bowl of rice.

Oh really? Should I have checked the rice first to see if it was real rice? Should I check the bottled water to see that they didn't really refilll it with tap sludge? Should I have checked the slaughtered cow to make sure it didn't have disease? I think it's reasonable that when you go to a supposedly upscale (by Pattaya standards) restaurant, to presume that they deliver what you ask for.

And your "breaking it", like a piece of china, and my tainting an overpriced rice bowl, when I was given a different sauce than what I clearly ordered, are two very different things. Nice try, though.

As I said welcome to Thailand and what you have described would be same same in New York city no doubt but it would cost you a lot more than 16B.

I disagree... In New York, I'm quite certain if they made the mistake, like Fuji did, they would promptly, and without debate or discussion, simply bring me a new untainted bowl of rice. Therefore it woudln't even cost 16 baht. And honestly, with all the talk about 5 and 20 baht meals, don't you find 16 baht expensive for a bowl of rice in the first place? Had I wanted a supplemental bowl of rice, in a restaurant like Fuji, I still think it shouldn't cost more than say 5 baht. 16 baht makes me question their management/pricing strategy. This ain't Manhattan here, folks.

And I'm sorry some of you are "bored", and are yawning. But i guess you found enough energy to type in your bored status. There are other threads you could go to. Why would you post on one that you find so uninteresting?

[Weho]

You should realize, the server probably does not speak fluent english. To her, teriaki and fish sauce is one of the same. If you had dipped your fork or chop sticks, whatever you were eating with in the sauce, before pouring it on the rice, you would have realized the mistake, had the server replece the sauce at no charge and this issue would have never come to being.

So the piont is you didn't test the sauce, you oured it on the rice, and since you ordered another rice bowl, you should now pay for two.

Barry

You say "to her..."

Maybe "to her", teriyaki and fish sauce are the same, but NOT TO ME. Otherwise they woudln't distinguish between the two... had I just said, "can you bring me some more SAUCE", then it would be MY mistake... but it wasn't. I was clear.

And "to her" is, again, a sexist comment, making assumptions about someone's gender you don't know about. Do you assume that all serving people in Thailand are "hers"?

I am well aware of language differences, and I always consider that the serving person probably knows 100 times more English than I know of Thai. But "teriyaki sauce" is pretty standard to me. And if their management doesn't bother to train their serving personnel properly, then once in a while, they should have to "eat" a bowl of rice that was tainted due to THEIR NEGLIGENCE.

[DirkGently]

While you and I could never be friends in the real world Weho, I'll fight your corner. I would have laid out the money less 16 baht and be done with it.

Service in Thailand is terrible because no body complains and nobody ever has to face up to their mistakes. By showing the girl (and I say girl as I have no idea that it wasn't and dont see your point about the sex of your server) that she made a mistake and has to deal with it, she will be less likly to do it again. Therefore the service at that place has improved.

Now to play devils advocate. I don't think that the rice was 'tainted' as you call it. Rice with fish sauce is still edible and is eaton across Asia. If she had given you a bowl of sump oil and dandruff, then it would be tainted.

[genobkk]

[wow so much hate here!!! I can see both points, but it was thier mistakke and I would say 100 percent of Thai people would complain, exp thai-chiense.....one thing since you know that laungage to be an issue in Thailand it would be a good idea to taste it, but if the lady agreed, seemd to know what you ment, repeated it back why would you? if you order something, and it is repeated back to you, and if you do NOT get what you ordered you should complain......some say only 16B who cares, not sure if I would have or not, depends on how I felt that day I guess, depends on if I got my refiels on green tea....ahh I forget they dod NOT give refiels on green tea anymore...no refiels on green tea anymore is why I stoped going to that place and Zen is much better.......

I think it was your choice, you are NOT a bad perseon, the restraunt is NOT eitehr, she jsut made a mistake, they made it right case closed...as I said maybe I would have complained maybe not, or maybe I just would not have left any tip it all depends on my day..... sometiems the servers may have to pay for soemthing they mess up, so if she had to pay she will learn.....grow up people....if you are going ot fight, please fight about soemthing that matters, the poster did what he thought was right, maybe you would have done it differently, SO WHAT!!!! the restruant made it better, he is happy......

so when do you complain??? 20B, 40B, 100B, 200B???? umm if something is really wrong and choice to complain thhen that is your business, rich people do NOT get rich buy giveing money away or waisting it.....company do NOT grow buy paying to much for supplies and overpaying staff..... I am sure if you only have 30,000 THB per month to spend you might want to complain more, if you make 150,000.00 maybe not, but honnestly the people I know that make 150,000 THB per month would complain first.....like some english tears I know that will spend 2,000 THB to drink, but think 2,000 THB to eat a nice restruant is to much.....that is thier business NOT mine just as you saveing the 16 THB....it was your call and you made it!!

[Basset]

Pass the Weho please.

[Weho]

[wow so much hate here!!! I can see both points, but it was thier mistakke and I would say 100 percent of Thai people would complain, exp thai-chiense.....one thing since you know that laungage to be an issue in Thailand it would be a good idea to taste it, but if the lady agreed, seemd to know what you ment, repeated it back why would you? if you order something, and it is repeated back to you, and if you do NOT get what you ordered you should complain......some say only 16B who cares, not sure if I would have or not, depends on how I felt that day I guess, depends on if I got my refiels on green tea....ahh I forget they dod NOT give refiels on green tea anymore...no refiels on green tea anymore is why I stoped going to that place and Zen is much better.......

I think it was your choice, you are NOT a bad perseon, the restraunt is NOT eitehr, she jsut made a mistake, they made it right case closed...as I said maybe I would have complained maybe not, or maybe I just would not have left any tip it all depends on my day..... sometiems the servers may have to pay for soemthing they mess up, so if she had to pay she will learn.....grow up people....if you are going ot fight, please fight about soemthing that matters, the poster did what he thought was right, maybe you would have done it differently, SO WHAT!!!! the restruant made it better, he is happy......

so when do you complain??? 20B, 40B, 100B, 200B???? umm if something is really wrong and choice to complain thhen that is your business, rich people do NOT get rich buy giveing money away or waisting it.....company do NOT grow buy paying to much for supplies and overpaying staff..... I am sure if you only have 30,000 THB per month to spend you might want to complain more, if you make 150,000.00 maybe not, but honnestly the people I know that make 150,000 THB per month would complain first.....like some english tears I know that will spend 2,000 THB to drink, but think 2,000 THB to eat a nice restruant is to much.....that is thier business NOT mine just as you saveing the 16 THB....it was your call and you made it!!

I think the appropriate point to complain is at 1 baht, that is if you don't want to encourage overcharging... it also helps encourage them to improve their service and understanding of "farangs" who may not like being overcharged. I don't believe in arbitrary points made up out of thin air. So 1 baht is a good point to complain. Yes, the restaurant did make it right, in part because of asking the right way, in a firm but polite manner. Thank you for acknowleding that I'm "not a bad person". I was feeling so blue and about to end it all!! Even though that's a bit patronizing, I think what's most interesting here, as usual, is the "mob mentality' of just agreeing with the crowd, which is so unfortunate.

I find it hard to believe that every other person wouldn't do exactly the same thing, with no exceptions. I've seen no proof or evidence here to suggest that anyone would have simply "let it go", encouraged them to cheat people, and allow themself to bend over and get ripped off.

So what's discouraging is the dishonest and inability to have the courage to admit that others would do the same thing. We're not talking brain surgery here... it's a simple matter of being overcharged, when it is clear that the restaurant made the mistake, and I had no obligation or instruction to "test" any food before consuming it.

I like ZEN too... they have a card when if you get like 10 punches, you get a free meal. Fuji has some 10% off card, they sell for like 300 baht, which seems high to me... and I don't think the go the Sizzler route with the free meal on/near your birthday.

By the way, their salmon steak is quite good there, and a very healthy choice, compared to the street garbage so many of you freely admit to eating. Remember: fiber is life, and there is virtually NO FIBER in street food. Forget about the rancid oil and cholesterol of street food... just look at it from a FIBER standpoint.

[Jingthing]

I certainly do complain when I feel I am justified to complain.

I also agree that if the same mistake was made in the US, probably most of the time you would not be charged for extra rice in the story as told. But not all the time by any means.

Frankly, in Thailand, I would expect to be charged for that based on my experience here that charges are made "by the plate" system. Different countries, different customs.

Edited May 30, 2007 by Jingthing

[DirkGently]

I eat an entire wicker and cane chair every morning. That's how important fiber is to me.

I thik that there would be a great deal of fiber in some street food. Papaya salad comes across as fairly healthy.

[jdinasia]

if they had poured the sauce on it would have been their mistake ... as they didn't .... case closed

and Fuji being 'High End' in Pattaya? LOL ... not even when you compare it to Thai restaurants .... Much less when you compare it to Japanese and compared to Farang food it is a rather low end chain company .... <but I guess if you compare it to KFC it would be high end!>

Edited May 30, 2007 by jdinasia

[DirkGently]

You can always rely on JDINASIA to be rightest of all the right people in rightland. If he were a soldier he would march like this. Right-Right-Right-Right.

He only edited his post to make it even more right. I guess we should all move on now to a new thread and hope that Mr Right comes and shows us the errors of our ways.

[jdinasia]

Thanks ... glad you realise the fact Next I'll put on my lacoste shirt and some shorts and go wander BKK

[DirkGently]

I suppose you'll be right around the corner.

What colour shirt? So there are no mistakes of identity. Id sure hate to get the wrong guy!

[chuckd]

I haven't read this thread for a couple of days. It has gotten sillier and sillier.

Congratulations, weho. You have managed to spin this one out to 6 pages of worthless tripe.

Oh, one other question for weho. Are you a balloon chaser for free meals as well?

[Weho]

if they had poured the sauce on it would have been their mistake ... as they didn't .... case closed

and Fuji being 'High End' in Pattaya? LOL ... not even when you compare it to Thai restaurants .... Much less when you compare it to Japanese and compared to Farang food it is a rather low end chain company .... <but I guess if you compare it to KFC it would be high end!>

How silly you are... it's not a question of WHO poured the sauce, it is a question of HOW the sauce was REPRESENTED to me, by the restaurant. Had they put some motor oil in a dish, that could resemble teriyaki or oyster sauce, and I poured that on, would that be my fault too? Of course not... and there's no difference between misrepresenting ONE sauce/motor oil, or another. They committed fraud, by misrepresenting what I asked/paid for, as a paying customer. You've obviously joined the group MOB mentality, which is a sign of lack of self-esteem or lack of any ideas of your own. Personally, I think you have self-esteem issues.

Case closed. (at least until the next mob mentality person comes along, should be about five minutes).

[jdinasia]

from the original post

So, my question is: does anyone thing I was wrong, and should simply agree and encourage them to overcharge me and others for things we did not order?

yes you were wrong

no you should not pay for things you did not order

yes you ordered the second bowl of rice

finally ... Fuji <again> is FAR from High End

[tropo]

and I left my usual good and generous tip for their standard good and friendly service.

Are you aware that Fuji already charges 10% for service. Why would you add to that a generous tip? How much do you add?

Although the set meals are good value, I find the service in there extraordinarily bad.

Edited June 6, 2007 by tropo