Thailand reopening: Deceitful hotels tricking tourists are "letting the country down and damaging its image"

[khunpa]

Happy to see things are getting back to normal…

[tomazbodner]

6 hours ago, HaoleBoy said:

Thai people not wearing masks (and foreigners) in some type of disco in Phuket.

Video posted on IG from a Thai girl 3 days ago ...

 

And there is your answer why powers in charge want to keep nightlife shut.

[Bruno123]

On 11/23/2021 at 7:37 AM, Spock said:

For me, 3040B is an expensive hotel. Maybe not so for the hiso foreigners who have money to burn on accommodation.

You also need to take into account that the country is not fully open; so no one in their right mind would pay full price. So 3k per night should get you something of a high standard these days. If not, keep looking.

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, bougnat said:

How many countries have legalized the scam by the solemn declaration of a constitutional court with the sole and only argument that it benefits the country? ONLY ONE <Thailand.

Obviously you are going to back up that comment by providing the source.

[fabruer]

On 11/23/2021 at 1:19 PM, Boomer6969 said:

Top hotel? ????

Currently, you will get a room at Sheraton Grande for less than that.

It's a 5 star hotel.

Add another THB1,000 to the initial number and you will get a room at Shangri-La. That indeed is a top hotel in my book.

[Daithi85]

15 hours ago, Citzofwrld2 said:

I was talking to a couple last night in the Balkans about their two week stay in Thailand four years ago. Nothing good to say about taxi's, rude, high price, took them to wrong place, then took their baggage out of trunk and threw it on ground. I said, had similar experience  with them and baht buses overcharging. I also brought up how rude small shop owners are if you touch merchandise and don't buy, or ask for a certain color and they wave you off, meaning, I'm to busy playing this computer game to look for you. After almost five years of living in Thailand I was so glad I didn't buy property there. Had a really bad gut feeling about the place.

Amazing how a small few seem to have  all the bad luck and have all these terrible things happen to them ,while the rest of us live here happily with absaloutly no problems at all, ahhh well I really hope you recover from the terrible experiences you have had .

[sandyf]

12 minutes ago, bougnat said:

All Thaivisa subscribers have read the article recounting a farang's approach to a Petchabury court against double pricing and the court's decision arguing. You are the only one to ignore it ....

And that relates to quarantine hotels in the UK and Thailand, how exactly?

More unsubstantiated garbage.

You do not object to dual pricing, happens everywhere. You have your knickers in a twist over dual pricing based on being a visitor, that also happens elsewhere. Time to grow up, it is what it is.

[zzaa09]

4 hours ago, jdlhalliday said:

What will happen to these deceitful scamming hotels ?  Will they be prosecuted and fined ? Will they lose their license ?   Of course not !!  Thais are allowed to rip off foreigners, the same as the Thai government with their airport taxes and dual pricing in national parks. I have lived in a small village for 5 years now ( and 10 years in other areas )  But I am still referred to as " The Farang "  never by my name.  ( What does the Farang eat ? Never a polite enquiry like Does your husband like Thai food? )  

Ahhh.....another happy and contented Farang. ????

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts and the replies have been removed.

 

A post using a trolling image has been removed.

 

A post in which the quoted content had been translated into a foreign language has been removed. 

[sekmet]

On 11/22/2021 at 6:02 PM, Guderian said:

What a weird article. It starts off as clickbait with a headline purportedly showing the authorities are on the side of foreigners being exploited by unscrupulous Thai businesses, yet no solution to the problem is mentioned so presumably nothing will be done about it other than a bit of moaning for show, no fines or enforcement measures are discussed. Then in no time at all, of course, we're back to complaints about foreigners in hotels not wearing face masks (sorry, I meant dirty foreigners) and how much they should be fined for such perfidy. If Thailand and/or Asean Now think that this kind of approach is going to win the hearts and minds of all those dirty foreigners thinking of a visit in the next few months, they really need to think again.

I come here for good news. I'm always disappointed.

 

It will be interesting if when in the future things really do open up, will people go elsewhere.

[spidermike007]

17 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

As it's been mentioned more than a few times, it might be worth repeating - all these continued shenanigans are surely gonna come back to bite them on the backside......very quick and very soon. 

It already is. The economy is imploding, tourism is crumbling, suicides and homelessness are increasing, and unemployment is skyrocketing. Thailand is becoming a historical footnote. 

[cncltd1973]

10 hours ago, jdlhalliday said:

What will happen to these deceitful scamming hotels ?  Will they be prosecuted and fined ? Will they lose their license ?   Of course not !!  Thais are allowed to rip off foreigners, the same as the Thai government with their airport taxes and dual pricing in national parks. I have lived in a small village for 5 years now ( and 10 years in other areas )  But I am still referred to as " The Farang "  never by my name.  ( What does the Farang eat ? Never a polite enquiry like Does your husband like Thai food? )  

Reminds me of the convicted felon that spent years in Aussie prison for drug smuggling and is now a minister of something in the Thai gov't, which is ok in Thailand because he wasn't convicted in a Thai court. The Thai perspective is incredibly short and ends at the borders of the kingdom, the 2 categories of people in the world are Thai and then everyone else. It's a backwater kingdom that won't change, the master and the generals make sure of that while they ride the gravy train into the dirt. As bad as it is now, I expect it'll get much worse with less freedoms and more censorship as more protesters go missing or found floating in the Mekong (remember that news tidbit that journalists haven't followed up on?). I doubt I'll leave the US to visit the wife again, it annoys me too much to see it unfolding the way it is

[jacko45k]

17 hours ago, jdlhalliday said:

The Farang "  never by my name.  ( What does the Farang eat ? Never a polite enquiry like Does your husband like Thai food? )  

Oh he can eat spicy, was a frequent comment I recall. Made me feel like a performing poodle and really made me less likely to get involved with these social groups. 

[Bruno123]

15 hours ago, Daithi85 said:

Amazing how a small few seem to have  all the bad luck and have all these terrible things happen to them ,while the rest of us live here happily with absaloutly no problems at all, ahhh well I really hope you recover from the terrible experiences you have had .

Then you woke up and realised that two week tourists do not have the same experience as people who live here and know the ropes.

Think before you post.

[brianthainess]

The true 'FACE' of Thailand.

[pixelaoffy]

A disgusting unscrupulous little kingdom 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Oh he can eat spicy, was a frequent comment I recall. Made me feel like a performing poodle and really made me less likely to get involved with these social groups. 

In Mexico, if you have lived there for ten years, you are not only entitled to permanent residency, you are treated like an honorary Mexican. In Thailand, we will always be outsiders. I have asked my wife to please stop using that ugly f word to refer to us. How about foreigner? Or our nationality? 

 

What on earth are the Thais so pathologically afraid of, anyway? 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Oh he can eat spicy, was a frequent comment I recall. Made me feel like a performing poodle and really made me less likely to get involved with these social groups. 

Or a mention that my Thai wife, son, and myself were going to visit; which produced:

 

- Panic

- Tell the neighbors but also mention that the farang will only be here 24 hrs

- How can we get farang food because farang don't eat Thai food.

- Comments like : If a farang steps inside your house the whole family will have severe bad luck forever.

- Lock up the children / send the children away for a few days etc., because all farang are pedophiles.

- Farang drink only Hineken beer, we can't afford that.

[Daithi85]

2 hours ago, Bruno123 said:

Then you woke up and realised that two week tourists do not have the same experience as people who live here and know the ropes.

Think before you post.

????

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Or a mention that my Thai wife, son, and myself were going to visit; which produced:

 

- Panic

- Tell the neighbors but also mention that the farang will only be here 24 hrs

- How can we get farang food because farang don't eat Thai food.

- Comments like : If a farang steps inside your house the whole family will have severe bad luck forever.

- Lock up the children / send the children away for a few days etc., because all farang are pedophiles.

- Farang drink only Heineken beer, we can't afford that.

I went through all of the above but very quickly the word spread that I wasn't a danger to anybody, I eat anything including quite spicy and I always help to prepare meals, I never demand anything, I drink beer from anywhere and I prefer a 50/50 mix of some beers, but Heineken not my preferred beer.

 

Didn't take long to a situation where my Thai father in law when he came to our house would ask if I wanted to have some beer?. I always answered 'yes' and he always insisted that he get: the beer, ice, glasses, bottle opener ready, open the bottles, and pour and serve the drinks. 

 

First time my wife took me to visit her parents she spoke very advanced English* to me and I responded in English. Within the next hour she spoke perfect Thai to me and I answered her in good Thai; everybody in the room froze, but a couple of comments 'not possible, farang cannot learn Thai'. 

(*My Thai wife (since passed away) was a Dr. of medicine, came from a poor family, won a lengthy scholarship, completed/qualified from 12 years at medical school and completed a Ph.D. in Melbourne, she spoke very advanced English with a strong Australian accent.) 

[FunkyDunky58]

No image to damage. Thailand routinely scams tourists and expats. 

 

[wensiensheng]

On 11/23/2021 at 2:52 PM, Skeptic7 said:

Headline could just as easily been "Deceitful Thailand Letting Everyone Down". Government, hotels, hospitals, taxis, attractions, street vendors and the beat goes on.. 

 

Typically Thailand. 

Coming off a beach in Phuket the other day an ice cream vendor on a motorcy sidecar type thing, charged me 30 baht for an ice cream. My girlfriend bought the exact same thing from the exact same guy at the exact same place the previous day for 10 baht. Only difference is that she is thai.

 

i paid the 30 baht just for the joke of it, but it sums up how tourists get cheated all the way up and down the line. Always have done.

[Skeptic7]

1 hour ago, wensiensheng said:

Coming off a beach in Phuket the other day an ice cream vendor on a motorcy sidecar type thing, charged me 30 baht for an ice cream. My girlfriend bought the exact same thing from the exact same guy at the exact same place the previous day for 10 baht. Only difference is that she is thai.

 

i paid the 30 baht just for the joke of it, but it sums up how tourists get cheated all the way up and down the line. Always have done.

Word. No dispute. Been here a quarter century. Used to be cute when the place was so appealing. Now everything is just an egregious money grab without any of the old Asian Charm. Not much appealing remains. 

[Nino3]

I typically don't take time to publish my opinions on such matters but I woke up this morning in an off mood. One must be bat .... crazy to have not seen this coming, any of this, even the positive PCR test after landing. Stop complaining and realize that you will do nothing to make change and in this case as many, the government doesn't give a .... either.

 

Many have identified a 3000B hotel room as being expensive. This is utter nonsense. If one travels internationally and has a difficult time digesting the thought and expenditure of 3000B nightly is best to not travel. 

 

In this case, I find the resolution or the path to minimize this happening to one is to book at an internationally trusted hotel chain such as Westin, Hilton, Sheraton etc;. Agoda, Expedia, Hotels.com, blah, blah, blah. Agoda told me this, Agoda advertised this, but Expedia said this, give me a break. Learn to book directly with airlines and hotels directly. You may just find that you have a much more enjoyable and less stressful travels.

 

 

[aussiexpat]

13 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

Coming off a beach in Phuket the other day an ice cream vendor on a motorcy sidecar type thing, charged me 30 baht for an ice cream. My girlfriend bought the exact same thing from the exact same guy at the exact same place the previous day for 10 baht. Only difference is that she is thai.

 

i paid the 30 baht just for the joke of it, but it sums up how tourists get cheated all the way up and down the line. Always have done.

Here's another way to look at it. If you are happy paying 30 baht for the ice cream, what does it matter how much they charge Thai's?

 

Where does it end, I've seen tourists pay 500 bt per T-shirt when I came in and paid 200, while I'm sure someone else more patient would pay 150. We're all happy or we wouldn't have bought them...up to you ????

[jacko45k]

33 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

Here's another way to look at it. If you are happy paying 30 baht for the ice cream, what does it matter how much they charge Thai's?

 

Where does it end, I've seen tourists pay 500 bt per T-shirt when I came in and paid 200, while I'm sure someone else more patient would pay 150. We're all happy or we wouldn't have bought them...up to you ????

Or go to the 7-11 where the prices are fixed..... I can save 10 baht/Magnum over the ice-cream motorcycle guy, but he comes to my gate.! Fortunately he has not caught on to charging me 3x the price. Phuket has always been like that!

[wensiensheng]

6 hours ago, aussiexpat said:

Here's another way to look at it. If you are happy paying 30 baht for the ice cream, what does it matter how much they charge Thai's?

 

Where does it end, I've seen tourists pay 500 bt per T-shirt when I came in and paid 200, while I'm sure someone else more patient would pay 150. We're all happy or we wouldn't have bought them...up to you ????

Who said I was happy? I paid it as a sort joke, proof of the type of scams going on type thing. I’m not happy the guy thinks I would be such a sucker to pay such an inflated price and I made sure in a joking way that he knew, that I knew, he was ripping me off.

 

and you are missing the whole point of the story. Ripping off tourists is endemic in Thailand from a humble ice cream seller, to big companies to government and everything in between. THATS the point.

 

it’s the case in other countries of course, prices are higher in tourist areas, higher in tourist season etc. the difference is that everybody pays those prices if in a tourist area and in tourist season AND there is usually some semblance of government action to protect tourists from price gouging to the extent that the tourist might not come back. I see no such action from the Thai government.

 

but I take your point. If the tourist is happy with his “bargain”, then fine. But what happens with those tourists who get gouged and aren’t happy? Might they not come back?

[wensiensheng]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Or go to the 7-11 where the prices are fixed..... I can save 10 baht/Magnum over the ice-cream motorcycle guy, but he comes to my gate.! Fortunately he has not caught on to charging me 3x the price. Phuket has always been like that!

I think you are missing the point of my anecdote. I was referencing the endemic ripping off of tourists in Thailand. Of course there are fixed price shops to buy ice creams, I had a ton of the stuff in my freezer that I bought from Macro.

[jacko45k]

57 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

I think you are missing the point of my anecdote. I was referencing the endemic ripping off of tourists in Thailand. Of course there are fixed price shops to buy ice creams, I had a ton of the stuff in my freezer that I bought from Macro.

Perhaps why I did not quote you?

[VBF]

23 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

Coming off a beach in Phuket the other day an ice cream vendor on a motorcy sidecar type thing, charged me 30 baht for an ice cream. My girlfriend bought the exact same thing from the exact same guy at the exact same place the previous day for 10 baht. Only difference is that she is thai.

 

i paid the 30 baht just for the joke of it, but it sums up how tourists get cheated all the way up and down the line. Always have done.

I had an almost identical encounter on Phuket 30 years ago! Only difference was it was a fruit seller....10 Baht to a Thai customer; 40 Baht to the Farang......10 Baht when it was discovered that said Farang knew JUST enough Thai to question it. ????