Rip-off at famous Thai floating market: "Long running con" investigated after tourist pays 5,000 baht for two hour trip

[webfact]

Daily News Thai Cap: Taken to a rip-off!

 

Daily News went to investigate after a tweet on Twitter from a Thai tourist who said they were charged 5,000 baht for a two hour boat trip at the Damnoen Saduak floating market in Ratchaburi, south west of the Thai capital Bangkok. 

 

The tourist who had been with her husband said that they faced high charges everywhere they went on a two week trip to the country.

 

She seemed to have a foreign husband in tow, suggests ASEAN NOW. Either that or they were paying more because they were going to places with foreign tourists.

 

Picture: Daily News

 

She said they paid a Bangkok cabby 1,200 baht and he took them from the city to a pier on a day trip where they were obliged to pay the exhorbitant charge. 

 

She further commented that in two weeks they had spent 60,000 baht on hotels and food. 

 

The tweet had 4,000 retweets and 200,000 views. 

 

Yesterday the media contacted Damnoen Saduak district chief Suwitchart Nuampetch. Tourism at the floating market had picked up post-pandemic but this tweet was a minus for the area.

 

At the pier in question there is signage stating charges of 2,000 - 3,000 - 5,000 baht. But the sign is out of the way hidden from view. 

 

The real charge for an hour from two other piers in the area should be 400-600 baht depending on whether it is a paddled boat or a motorized one.

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Local operators said the prices were fixed and suggested that the rip-off occurred outside the market area.

 

One man who is a guide for Chinese tourists, Pharit, 53, said this con had been going on for years and involved taxis and unscrupulous operators that worked with them.

 

Picture: Daily News

 

In some cases tourists are fleeced out of 15-20,000 baht he claimed. This reflected very badly on the honest operators at the floating market who followed the pricing rules.

 

People were advised to report infractions to the district chief for action if they are taken for a ride in this manner. 

 

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[Shuya]

Land of Scams in full swing again

[nigelforbes]

3 minutes ago, Shuya said:

Land of Scams in full swing again

That's really very naive!

 

What kind of tourist comes to Thailand and spends 5k a night on a 5 star hotel and then thinks a boat trip on the river cost between 5k and 20k! Tourists need to use some common sense and help themselves just a little bit, nobody ever said you couldn't get ripped off in a tourist area but that happens almost everywhere in some shape or form.

 

[Celsius]

I really like it when capitalist comes to Thailand and then complains about Thais being a capitalist.

 

Remember, in Thailand there is always a choice.... as a matter of fact a lot more choice than back home. If you are lazy to do a research then you really shouldn't complain about being "ripped off". It's called capitalism, not scam.

[2baht]

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

The tourist who had been with her husband said that they faced high charges everywhere they went on a two week trip to the country.

 

Just can't help themselves, can they? Greedy Buddhists!

[4MyEgo]

The land of opportunities, reminds me of a time in 1990 when I was in Venice with my X wife who of course was my wife at the time.

 

She wanted to go on one of those Gondola's, me thinking, yeh right, me not being the romantic type, anyways to shut her winging up, I went up to the guy and said how much for a ride and he said 20 minutes $100, which would be about 2,500 baht in my home currency back in 1990.

 

I said, "how much" and he repeated, him looking at my wife and saying, for Bella Bellisimo, is a so cheap for her to remember this for the rest of her life, I felt like saying <deleted> you idiot, but instead politely said no thanks and walked away, the wife following in toe and breaking my balls, then this guy appears out of nowhere huffing and puffing and said, ok Mr, how much you pay, I said $50, he said no, no, $75, I said forget it and started walking off, again wife in toe breaking my balls again, he grabs my arm ok Mr, ok, I wanted to deck him and her, there and then, anyways I ended up on this piece of <deleted> with happy wife snapping away with her camera and snuggling up to me, Mr Gondala singing along as this thing was moving along, me $50 out of pocket which could have fed us for the whole day, what a nightmare, and no, there was no happy ending to this story. 

 

Would I do it again with wife number 2, I wouldn't even have to think about it, as she would stop me in my tracks real quick, she is on the same level as me thankfully.

[pokerface1]

28 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

The land of opportunities, reminds me of a time in 1990 when I was in Venice with my X wife who of course was my wife at the time.

 

She wanted to go on one of those Gondola's, me thinking, yeh right, me not being the romantic type, anyways to shut her winging up, I went up to the guy and said how much for a ride and he said 20 minutes $100, which would be about 2,500 baht in my home currency back in 1990.

 

I said, "how much" and he repeated, him looking at my wife and saying, for Bella Bellisimo, is a so cheap for her to remember this for the rest of her life, I felt like saying <deleted> you idiot, but instead politely said no thanks and walked away, the wife following in toe and breaking my balls, then this guy appears out of nowhere huffing and puffing and said, ok Mr, how much you pay, I said $50, he said no, no, $75, I said forget it and started walking off, again wife in toe breaking my balls again, he grabs my arm ok Mr, ok, I wanted to deck him and her, there and then, anyways I ended up on this piece of <deleted> with happy wife snapping away with her camera and snuggling up to me, Mr Gondala singing along as this thing was moving along, me $50 out of pocket which could have fed us for the whole day, what a nightmare, and no, there was no happy ending to this story. 

 

Would I do it again with wife number 2, I wouldn't even have to think about it, as she would stop me in my tracks real quick, she is on the same level as me thankfully.

Price is often set by what the biggest fool is prepared to pay. You must be a smart guy sorry about the ex 

[4MyEgo]

2 minutes ago, pokerface1 said:

Price is often set by what the biggest fool is prepared to pay. You must be a smart guy sorry about the ex 

Please don't be sorry about the ex, best part of my life was her being out of my life, no regrets, happily remarried 15 + years of absolute bliss.

 

Smart guy, I like to consider myself to be streetwise.

[vivananahuahin]

a big shame for the thai authority not a good publicity for the tourism, they will pay the price cash also later.

[Mavideol]

they just can't help, it's on their DNA, they started to see some tourists coming and they would let the opportunity go by, scam after scam, just remember the girl from Taiwan...., RTP said trust us, however in other words that means " trust us, all back to normal extortion/scams " amazing Thailand, the land that keeps giving 555

[MaiChai]

What happened to "No thank you*? You can say no if something seems over priced? No need for Thai bashing; other places have tourist traps as well.

[bradiston]

You think it's any different in your country, wherever that is? You come from the land of no scams? Ha! Pull the other one. Everyone's a scammer babe, and that's no lie...

[ChaiyaTH]

3 hours ago, Celsius said:

I really like it when capitalist comes to Thailand and then complains about Thais being a capitalist.

 

Remember, in Thailand there is always a choice.... as a matter of fact a lot more choice than back home. If you are lazy to do a research then you really shouldn't complain about being "ripped off". It's called capitalism, not scam.

What does this have to do with anything at all? If a price is 400 baht per hour, and you charge 5000, that is a scam, not capitalism. Go back to school before you say things.

 

Those who work there, the 400 is similar than 100 us dollars is for a minimum wage worker abroad. Charging 5K for a trip would equal like 1000-1500 dollars abroad for the same.

[MrJ2U]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The tourist who had been with her husband said that they faced high charges everywhere they went on a two week trip to the country.

 

Thailand is open for business.

 

Hotel prices definitely reflect that.

 

Perhaps in a month or two prices will stabilize.

 

5,000 for a private two hour boat trip along Bangkok canals seems a little high but not excessive. 

[Sydebolle]

Literally crooks wherever you look or go; welcome to the land of cheaters and crooks who give the unseen, unheard majority of honest Thais such a bag name .......... simply because the latter has no interface with tourism ????

[Burma Bill]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

suggested that the rip-off occurred outside the market area.

Whatever - from this afternoon's AN (1st February 2023)

 

RTP Chief apologizes to Taiwanese actress: \"Good cops will be rewarded - bad ones punished\"

Guides\' group say Pattaya cop extorted 30K in E-cig case

Thai media investigate floating market tourist rip-off

Thailand Elite Card embroiled in scandal over suspicious Chinese businesses Thailand - the hub for tourist scams, extortion and corruption???

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In some cases tourists are fleeced out of 15-20,000 baht he claimed. This reflected very badly on the honest operators at the floating market who followed the pricing rules.

Some Thai friends took me there prior to Covid, a family of four wanted to take me there and show me a good time at a Thai floating market.

As a foreigner the prices were hiked up for everything we did.

They opologised and said they were embarrassed that this openly happened.

They as Thais had never witnessed it before.

[aussienam]

That's why I have never been to these tourist places.  Rip off prices for what's usually a rather lame experience. 

 

People saying that these tourists should have researched pricing etc - holiday mode, people aren't going to do that normally. You can always call the consumers out as being the ones to blame. 

Scammers know that.   And it ain't capitalism charging 5000 Baht for something that is usually 10% of that price.  It's called price gouging.  Other nations have consumer watchdogs just for that reason.  

[jimn]

45 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

What does this have to do with anything at all? If a price is 400 baht per hour, and you charge 5000, that is a scam, not capitalism. Go back to school before you say things.

Oh dear, you really need to learn how to read before you point the finger at others. The report said it was a different pier than the one quoting 400 to 600 baht.

 

" At the pier in question there is signage stating charges of 2,000 - 3,000 - 5,000 baht. But the sign is out of the way hidden from view. 

The real charge for an hour from two other piers in the area should be 400-600 baht depending on whether it is a paddled boat or a motorized one.

Local operators said the prices were fixed and suggested that the rip-off occurred outside the market area."

 

 

[Jonathan Swift]

4 hours ago, Celsius said:

I really like it when capitalist comes to Thailand and then complains about Thais being a capitalist.

 

Remember, in Thailand there is always a choice.... as a matter of fact a lot more choice than back home. If you are lazy to do a research then you really shouldn't complain about being "ripped off". It's called capitalism, not scam.

It's people who come here without doing any research or learning about Thailand. I studied it in depth for quite a few years before I came here, and when I came here I had friends to advise me about stuff like this. I knew about the crooked cabs, I knew not to take cabs from the touts at bus stations, I knew about police bribes, tourist trap roadblocks, etc. All that info is out there, yet people think this is gonna be just like Disney World in Floridaq.

[Confuscious]

59 minutes ago, MaiChai said:

What happened to "No thank you*? You can say no if something seems over priced? No need for Thai bashing; other places have tourist traps as well.

Some people just can not say "No".
That's not a reason to scam them.
Thailand or elsewhere in the world.
You input in this thread is pityful at the best.

[Jonathan Swift]

1 minute ago, jimn said:

Oh dear, you really need to learn how to read before you point the finger at others. The report said it was a different pier than the one quoting 400 to 600 baht.

 

" At the pier in question there is signage stating charges of 2,000 - 3,000 - 5,000 baht. But the sign is out of the way hidden from view. 

The real charge for an hour from two other piers in the area should be 400-600 baht depending on whether it is a paddled boat or a motorized one.

Local operators said the prices were fixed and suggested that the rip-off occurred outside the market area."

 

 

When you have doubts you walk around and ask people. There is always an ex pat somewhere, or a Thai person, who will be glad to advise or help. But you should get your advice before you even set foot in a place. I've been here ten years and I'm still learning and noticing details that I wasn't aware of. 

[ross163103]

4 hours ago, Celsius said:

Remember, in Thailand there is always a choice....

Agree totally, that's why I choose not to go to places such as this or places that have double pricing. I can afford it but it's the principle of the matter.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, MaiChai said:

What happened to "No thank you*? You can say no if something seems over priced? No need for Thai bashing; other places have tourist traps as well.

Um, in case you haven't heard, this is nothing, just look at the news with the RTP, can you say no to them, I don't think so. Are cops corrupt like the RTP in other places, Thai bashing this is not, this is life here in Thailand, grow a pair.

[still kicking]

4 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

That's really very naive!

 

What kind of tourist comes to Thailand and spends 5k a night on a 5 star hotel and then thinks a boat trip on the river cost between 5k and 20k! Tourists need to use some common sense and help themselves just a little bit, nobody ever said you couldn't get ripped off in a tourist area but that happens almost everywhere in some shape or form.

 

BS

[Jonathan Swift]

If you're gonna come to Thailand with pockets full of money and a t-shirt that says "I'm a dumb naive tourist" on it the scammers will swarm like bees around you. But to them they're just making a living, and charging what the market will bear - capitalism. I mean 60,000 baht? That's almost my entire monthly income. They could have asked around and gotten good advice, why didn't they? I'm willing to bet they carried stupid amounts of cash on their person and in their hotel. This doesn't mean there isn't an issue, this IS an issue, but will anything be done about it? Maybe. There seems to be more cabbies using meters than there used to be. The Bolt app will keep the cabbies in line by competing, and that app is great, I use it all the time. 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

1 hour ago, MaiChai said:

What happened to "No thank you*? You can say no if something seems over priced? No need for Thai bashing; other places have tourist traps as well.

i am sure other places, countries, have tourist traps as you say, but this article was very specific, about the floating market?

Saying its a scam or rip-off is stating facts not Thai bashing!

[nigelforbes]

7 minutes ago, still kicking said:

BS

No, NF.

[ignore it]

I tried calling the TAT office about all this  but nobody answered the phone.

[Ctkong]

Tourists areas everywhere worldwide have scammers ripping off tourists .. it is what it is. People should research the places they are going to familiarize about the charges. We brought a couple of overseas friends last sept to the market . Booked a motorized boat negotiated down to tb800 for 4 people. Business was quiet then too and more than half the stores were closed.