Thai Court rejects dual pricing case from expat in Hua Hin

[matta]

t is never easy to negotiate with people who know they are wrong.

[Neeranam]

10 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

lest we  forget I  just received two pfizer   covid  jabs inc free  labour from a  Thai  hospital, admittedly the vaccine had been donated by the US  (Thank a  Yank) but not everything is bad

Thanks for pointing this out to all the ungrateful posters here. 

 

Foreigners have been ahead of Thais even for the best vaccines. 

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Foreigners have been ahead of Thais even for the best vaccines. 

Not me.

As a very polite and compassionate foreigner I'm prepared to wait for all the Thais to get theirs first.

[pedro01]

33 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Correct in some way but but not correct in another way. I pay taxes and some of the doctors added medicines to the social insurance bill that normally had to be paid by me. He said let the generals pay. On another occasion in Sukhothai a doctor treated a Farang for free in government hospital. I had to go for a CT scan in a famous CNX hospital that has many American graduates and by hearing my name the price almost doubled, my doctor cancelled on the spot. In the tourist business hotel prices for THai and Asians are usually higher than those for the European market as the last group spend more in the hotel while the Thai buy outside.  Our embassies can help by refusing visas to a certain group (from all the corrupt departments) of people, not much but it would help, increasing import duty on shrimp and poultry would be another step.

If you are a taxpayer - you should get a Social Security card and have named a hospital for free or massively reduced healthcare.

 

I know I did - I never used it - but apparently it put me on par with the locals.

 

In the UK - you get free healthcare but foreigners have to pay. Same deal.

 

In Thailand - there are many that are not taxpayers too and don't have the social security card. These are the poorest of the Thais. Nobody should expect to pay what they pay. So by my reckoning - one price for Social Security card holders makes sense, one price for the dirt poor who are scraping by and not officially employed - then the foreigner price. I can see 3 tiers being ok. Not sure what #4 is though.

[eliassfeir]

Go ahead and dual price me 10x if you want, Thailand.

 

I don't mind paying an extra 96% when I go to hospital, that's gonna turn a $30 USD bill into a $58.8 .... Hell maybe that breaks the bank and I can't afford food for the rest of the month. ????

 

Bottom line is, as an expat whose main source of income is from overseas, no dual pricing or ten times pricing even will ever come close to what I am saving by not having to pay tax on Thailand compared to what I would have to pay just about everywhere else (Europe, USA)...

 

You can't expect to come Thailand, pay no tax except for VAT and then use and enjoy the infrastructures that the governments builds with taxpayers money (be it national parks, roads, hospitals).

 

And if you do pay taxes in Thailand, you can get the pink ID Card (or work permit) and in most cases they will levy the dual pricing for you.... And you'll also get the social security for health care....  

 

So, sorry if it hurts you to read these lines, but I see those who b**tch about dual pricing everyday as a sort of cheeky devils who want it all. Cheap food, cheap living, cheap sex, no taxes, and no dual pricing.

 

Is it a coincidence that ones that complain most about dual pricing tend to be the sexpats?

[natway09]

I am somewhat surprised about the adamant & upset comments about this.

It happens in most countries.

Those that I can name are NZ, Aust,Fiji,UK, Indo, Singapore, Malaysia, India, but there will be many more including the US when it comes to hospital bills

It is normal,they just call it a "locals discount" but it amounts to exactly the same.

Thailand has never & can not afford to subsidize any form of healthcare so you pay the top rate.

We should have all known that when we first came here. I just do not see the big deal .

I go for a swim in a local hot water spring, locals 20 Bht, I pay 40 Bht wow, big deal

[malthebluff]

It's sad Thailand will never change. Its was exactly the same 25 years ago when I came as it is today Everything about Thailand is corrupt and racist  and yet we still live here and tourist still want to come it's time to spread the word and tell the truth of what Thailand is really like then the tourist will have a choice and maybe when Thailand see the money they will be losing things may change after all it's all about money

Good luck with the appeal at least you tried Erwin Buse 

[cape]

Strange finding. It's OK because it's always been OK / others do the same.

So nothing ever need change on that basis.

Reality is that these four categories are "sales channels". Another example is cheap haircuts for OAPs. But this sales channel is based on race. That's not so good.

In practise, you can discuss price with the consultant and often a doctor will work at different hospitals, each  with different pricing for the same intervention.

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, eliassfeir said:

You can't expect to come Thailand, pay no tax except for VAT and then use and enjoy the infrastructures that the governments builds with taxpayers money (be it national parks, roads, hospitals).

Would point out 80% of Thais don't pay income tax.

Revenue is collected mainly through corporation tax, import duty and VAT.

 

I avoid dual pricing by never entering a place that plays that game.

My local hospital (San Sai) makes me pay an extra 50bht, and I'm OK with that.

[Fatty555]

Falang gets into vehicle accident with a Thai = Falang at fault, "if he wasn't here there would be no accident."

 

The same holds true for hospitalization, if you're not here you can get medical care in your own country! This is indeed their perspective. So why are you surprised when you're exploited in Thailand?

 

Now, I have lived in Thailand, and my wife and children all have dual-citizenship.  Taking trains, hospitals, parks etc... all cost more for me than it does them.  I can either accept it or reject it and move.  

 

There are many awesome places in SE Asia.  The PI for example are easy on immigration and are comparable to Thailand in a social sense.

 

My suggestion to expats is to do 36 months of tourist visa renews in the PI, and then a 3 month (visa-run) to Thailand. Rinse and repeat.

 

BUT

 

Whatever you do please stop complaining, the truth is foreigners exploit Thailand for their cost of living and other (cough, cough) distractions, so why wouldn't Thailand return the favor?

 

If you don't like it, leave!

 

 

[JRG23]

Unbelievable. How far is Thailand behind developed countries?

 

A long way.

[steven100]

15 minutes ago, malthebluff said:

It's sad Thailand will never change. Its was exactly the same 25 years ago when I came as it is today Everything about Thailand is corrupt and racist  and yet we still live here and tourist still want to come it's time to spread the word and tell the truth of what Thailand is really like then the tourist will have a choice and maybe when Thailand see the money they will be losing things may change after all it's all about money

Good luck with the appeal at least you tried Erwin Buse 

did you think an outsider farang is going to come here and complain about our prices and get it changed  ??

get real ......   While me & you and many don't agree with it ,   it will never ever change because it's money.

 

 

 

 

[eliassfeir]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Would point out 80% of Thais don't pay income tax.

That's no more than a barstool argument. 

 

I highly doubt you have any data to back up your claim...

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, eliassfeir said:

That's no more than a barstool argument. 

 

I highly doubt you have any data to back up your claim...

You'd be wrong ..............

https://asiafoundation.org/2015/04/15/thailand-and-taxes/

 

"Many Thais, both rich and poor, are simply outside of the tax system. Just three million Thais out of 67 million regularly pay income taxes."

 

Once you do the calculations to remove kids and OAPs from the 67M, you're left with 30-40M Thais of working age.

[steven100]

5 minutes ago, JRG23 said:

Unbelievable. How far is Thailand behind developed countries?

 

A long way.

do they care what you think  ?   no,  not at all

[steven100]

29 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Not me.

As a very polite and compassionate foreigner I'm prepared to wait for all the Thais to get theirs first.

great  ......   just got a txt your sinovac dose is ready .... 

[eliassfeir]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

You'd be wrong ..............

https://asiafoundation.org/2015/04/15/thailand-and-taxes/

 

"Many Thais, both rich and poor, are simply outside of the tax system. Just three million Thais out of 67 million regularly pay income taxes."

That's not what I see from the company in which my wife works as HR manager. 

 

She, as a foreigner won't get the visa / work permit if she doesn't pay her income tax. And the Thai employees (which there are over 2,000 of them) pay income tax as well, or they'll get fired. 

 

I still believe that's a barstool argument, regardless of what John J. Brandon says, he may have been high that day while writing the article...

[david555]

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

great  ......   just got a txt your sinovac dose is ready .... 

But.... But....! that was the reason he liked to let all Thais go first hoping Sinovac would become finished ....????

To get a better one ????

[Neeranam]

27 minutes ago, eliassfeir said:

Is it a coincidence that ones that complain most about dual pricing tend to be the sexpats?

Not only sex addicts, but also alcoholics. 

[steven100]

5 minutes ago, david555 said:

But.... But....! that was the reason he liked to let all Thais go first hoping Sinovac would become finished ....????

To get a better one 

david555 ,  I think your in the wrong forum.

[david555]

Just now, steven100 said:

actually his sinovac dose expired a week ago but I think it'll be fine for him ....   

think he go only accept Pfizer or moderna .....  oh wait ! could be AZ. his choice  as i just realize he is a Brit ???? ,but i can not blame him  to reject sinovac ...

[big dendrobenaes]

6 hours ago, bkk_bwana said:

Matters relating to the constitution cannot be decided by a provincial administrative court.  If he won, it would have been appealed. This case will follow due process and find it's way to the constitutional court. 

and take years and years for result !!!!

[david555]

1 minute ago, steven100 said:

david555 ,  I think your in the wrong forum.

you mentioned the sinovac ....???? hence i followed 

[big dendrobenaes]

he was going to lose from the start.......

[big dendrobenaes]

48 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

Bizarre - the doc that did my knee op graduated in Harvard and worked at a govt hospital and Bumrungrad. English was perfect. The anesthetist gave me options prior to the op that was like a Smorgasbord of opiates, gasses, injections for me to choose from - all in English and I even asked him if he wanted to come to a party at my house in a few weeks and could he bring his bag of drug - all in English, he got it, we had a laugh.

 

In fact, I cannot recall going to see a doctor in the past 15 years that didn't speak perfect English. 

 

In fact, a friend of mine is a software developer for Bumrungrad and she speaks perfect English too.

 

Where is it you live in Thailand? 1980?

 

Also - I don't take my wife into doctors appointments. That sounds weird to me - does she go in on the offchance you might use it as an opportunity to escape or something?

all docs in the world ARE supposed to speak ENGLISH.....it is common practice

[Fairynuff]

Many years ago I was told by a Thai friend “my country had a lot of growing up to do”. How little has changed. A very developed country with a Third World mentality.

For my part, nothing will change either, I still won’t visit National Parks or any business that overcharges non Thais.

[Raybo]

I lived in Thailand in 1964-65 and 1968-1970.

Thailand was the same then and will stay that way.

[Kaopad999]

6 hours ago, sanuk711 said:

 

Shame on you Thailand....

 

What a pathetic statement to make

Administrative Court in Phetchaburi ruled that multi-tiered “dual pricing” in Thai hospitals are not discriminatory as they benefit Thailand.

 

Not discriminatory as it benefits Thailand, says it all..........................

Agree. absolutely disguising. Shame on them  

[steven100]

18 minutes ago, david555 said:

you mentioned the sinovac ....???? hence i followed 

we can change the discussion and really confuse everyone ....   easy peasy. 

[recom273]

13 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

Bizarre - the doc that did my knee op graduated in Harvard and worked at a govt hospital and Bumrungrad. English was perfect. The anesthetist gave me options prior to the op that was like a Smorgasbord of opiates, gasses, injections for me to choose from - all in English and I even asked him if he wanted to come to a party at my house in a few weeks and could he bring his bag of drug - all in English, he got it, we had a laugh.

 

In fact, I cannot recall going to see a doctor in the past 15 years that didn't speak perfect English. 

 

In fact, a friend of mine is a software developer for Bumrungrad and she speaks perfect English too.

 

Where is it you live in Thailand? 1980?

 

Also - I don't take my wife into doctors appointments. That sounds weird to me - does she go in on the offchance you might use it as an opportunity to escape or something?

Like I said, I'm sure they are out there .. Some do speak to some degree, but I do find their English ability lacking - not worthy of the using it as an excuse to price gouge. I like the way you use Bumrungrad as a typical example of a private Thai hospital - lol. I would imagine the English requirement to study at Harvard are pretty high. 

 

Where do I live? 1980?? I lived in the deep south of Thailand, and I visited what is considered a reasonably priced independent hospital. Sorry, this is only my experience of 12 years a long way from the VIP treatment of your international hospital.