After being a loyal customer of a huge local hotel for over 15 years, I have been forced to retire from my favourite sport; table tennis.  The management, in a drive to lose money, first turned off the air/con.  At 79 I gamely struggled on for a week.  Eventually they came up with the final financial nail in their own coffin: money was no longer acceptable as payment!  I was asked to provide a bank card.  Given the scandal about banking locally, I refused.  The hotel has lost 800 baht a week from me and my partners.  

 

My question is; every bank note has the King's head on it; can this legal tender be refused? Needless to say Facebook messages to the Bangkok management have promised a response but one has not been forthcoming.

800 bahts a week's stay for two is ridiculously cheap...

14 minutes ago, chuang said:

800 bahts a week's stay for two is ridiculously cheap...

 I did not stay there for 15 years but have been using their excellent sports facilities 4 times a week @ 200 baht a pop = 800 lost.

Seems to be the way things are going.  Here in Bangkok, most Starbucks and Subways are now "cashless".

Follow the narrative...cash is dirty!

Banking scandal? Table tennis payments? Is this a wind up?

1 minute ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Banking scandal? Table tennis payments? Is this a wind up?

Just a thread that will keep going backwards and forwards til someone gives up.

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

My question is; every bank note has the King's head on it; can this legal tender be refused?

I was in the UK a few months back and a multitude of entities were refusing to accept cash, airlines have been doing it for years.

It is a controversial issue, my understanding is you have the right to settle a debt in cash but a seller has the right to sell and the debt is yet to be established.

In simple terms it all depends on if you have already obtained the goods or services.

I was in London  last year and a restaurant had a sign 'no cash payments  card or digital  payment only'

The next door restaurants had a sign: 'cards not accepted. Cash payments only.'

For small businesses  cards and digital  payments  are brilliant, secure, and efficient.

Cash is king.

7 minutes ago, champers said:

Cash is king.

Exactly mate, when I'm trading in the UK, always a bit of discount for cash, straight in the ar$e pocket.

Inflexible people will have hard times in the current ever changing environment.

In UK I got so used to using my touch and go card I stopped  carrying cash except  to give to the beggars

1 hour ago, champers said:

Cash is king.

I thought Debt had taken over as king, it's very popular now.

regards worgeordie

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Seems to be the way things are going.  Here in Bangkok, most Starbucks and Subways are now "cashless".

Obligatory?

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Given the scandal about banking locally, I refused.

What scandal about banking locally ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Seems to be the way things are going. 

Cashless is simply a lot lot easier....

 

But the ‘Tap & Go’ doesn’t work properly in Thailand, that would make it even simpler. 

 

That said, a business ‘refusing’ cash seems a little silly, but as does being stubborn and refusing to use a bank card for a simple transaction. 

 

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, bbko said:

Inflexible people will have hard times in the current ever changing environment.

I can still touch my toes.

15 minutes ago, champers said:

I can still touch my toes.

So can I, if you stand close enough to me. ????

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

What scandal about banking locally ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well we just had a major Thai bank high interest account scam.... plus a spate of multiple small deductions from accounts via Debit Cards.... watch this space!

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Obligatory?

Yes.  Cash not accepted.

Many shops will charge 2.5 percent for using a bank card in Chiang Mai area . Forcing you to head off to a ATM conveniently  located at the entrance to the shop .

Appears to me that the shop owners just want cash for tax avoidance as proper receipts for the payment needs to be asked for and often reluctant to supply .

26 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Well we just had a major Thai bank high interest account scam.... plus a spate of multiple small deductions from accounts via Debit Cards.... watch this space!

An individual's scam ,not from the bank....as i never got a proposition for a 3.5% a month interest????...????

And those multiple small deductions via debit cards happened with other banks too....????

 

BTW any updates from Police in the case   as we are already 12 January ...?

Governments, banks and businesses love cashless. More control, more secure, less outlay, less staff, less tax evasion.

At least they still accept bank cards! I'm more concerned about places that only accept QR code payments. While that isn't a problem for me personally, a foreign tourist can usually neither open a Thai bank account nor a TrueMoney wallet, so how are they going to pay at such a place?

2 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

In UK I got so used to using my touch and go card I stopped  carrying cash except  to give to the beggars

Yep, same here. Was back over Christmas and to my surprise found that could just swipe my card on underground and on buses in London. Did not withdraw any money in two weeks I was there [had a couple of hundred in cash left over from last visit two years ago and that saw me through]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Obligatory?

Eventually  yes for small businesses. Its saves on security and cuts down on robber, cashing handling  and storage.  The phone app records cash flow and helps with stock control and help  with accounts  and tax returns etc. The new  phone based buy and sell apps are cheaper  than bank card too.

3 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

I was in London  last year and a restaurant had a sign 'no cash payments  card or digital  payment only'

The next door restaurants had a sign: 'cards not accepted. Cash payments only.'

For small businesses  cards and digital  payments  are brilliant, secure, and efficient.

The taxman absolutely loves digital payments.

3 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Oh, my God! Now they will surely die, when such important and prominent customers leave them. Talk about a huge self-importance chip on the shoulder.

I would call it stupidity on the hotels part. For every 4 persons over 50 weeks is equal tp 160,000 thb.

Just now, SidJames said:

The taxman absolutely loves digital payments.

And governments  too. No hiding place But legitimate  small businesses  love digital  payments to. No cash on premises. No accountant required. No unhygienic  paper