Why you should never leave a negative hotel review in Thailand

[webfact]

We've all been there. Whether it was a rude receptionist, an infestation of bedbugs or the stingy ratio of gin to tonic, sometimes, you've just got to vent.

 

Not to settle some petty score, no. As part of a noble cause to let the Internet know, so future travellers can choose a little better. 

 

In case you hadn't already guessed, I'm talking about hotel reviews. From contributing to Google Maps' reviews and ratings to leaving a scorching missive on Tripadvisor, there are many ways you can leave feedback for your host. Before you let your righteous indignation splurge all over your keyboard though, consider this: in some places, leaving a negative review can get you in trouble.

 

Enter: this controversial Reddit thread. In the thread, posted on Monday, a Reddit user made the claim "Thailand not allowing Bad reviews..." instantly sparking discussion among Reddit's r/travel community. 

 

Reviews are a great way to help other travellers out. But in some places, you might be better off staying quiet, as there could be serious consequences.

 

by James Booth

 

#news

Full story: https://www.escape.com.au/travel-advice/why-you-should-never-leave-a-negative-hotel-review-in-thailand/news-story/c3e4e20af7d200dd54fdc16dec24e5be

 

-- © Copyright Escape 2023-07-06

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

[stoner]

when you are as thin skinned as thai are you need ridiculous laws like this to protect your fragile ego. 

 

losers. 

[KhunLA]

I have, and simply need to word it correctly.

 

You could even make it comical ... with praise.

 

... thank you for not supplying toiletries, as we travel with our own.

... thank you not changing the soiled sheets/bed covering, as we travel with a top sheet.

... thank you not providing water to drink.

... so glad your restaurant had very small portions, as my spouse is overweight.

... thank you for not providing a lift.

... as all these keep your overhead low, and we didn't mind paying just a bit more than the other hotel that do provide those extras, as we only like walking up the 5 floors of steps, instead of using the elevator, for needed exercise.

[bob smith]

11 minutes ago, stoner said:

when you are as thin skinned as thai are you need ridiculous laws like this to protect your fragile ego. 

 

losers. 

couldnt have said it better myself! 

[h90]

just does not pass the reality check.....everything is full with bad reviews.....even reviews of dentists.....

[bamnutsak]

https://aseannow.com/topic/1245896-thai-hotel-threatens-customer-with-฿3m-lawsuit-over-bad-review/page/4/

 

One of many.

[Sandboxer]

It's all in the wording.

 

Always give 5 stars and then just write:

 

"Due to the risks of exposure to Thailand's legal system in regard to publicizing truthful experiences with/and/or opinions in regard to businesses/individuals, I am unable to comment on this hotel/restaurant/bar/etc."

 

 

 

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

If you write a bad review that is based in reality and not over the top you won't have a problem in my opinion. The one case involving a hotel taking action against a reviewer, for a hotel in Koh Chang a few years ago, involved a review that was over the top and made direct somewhat unreasonable comments against staff.

It was fair that they attempted to get the review removed but went too far by having the person prosecuted, in my opinion,  and paid a significant price in bad press for some time. Still that hotel has a banner warning reviewers on Tripadvisor, but the hotel has since updated their name, and reviews under the new hotel name do not have that banner.

Doubt it would happen a second time. 

[sqwakvfr]

In the last year I have sent lengthy emails to the General Managers of high end hotels in Chiang Mai with a list of complaints.  Both responded with lengthy emails.  I have never left a hotel review on google or TripAdvisor.   Better to ask to speak to a manager upon checkout.  As usual if the manager is not available then start typing.  If the hotel is part of corporate chain then most will respond.  I doubt a stand alone hotel in LOS will ever respond to an email complaint. 

[WHansen]

You see the fear of negative rating reprisals on Lazada all the time.

Before knowing what I now know, when looking at products I would always check the seller/product ratings, 5 stars out of 5, they/it must be good I would think. Then a dodgy product would arrive.

"How is this possible, I checked the ratings" I would say to my girlfriend. Not being able to read Thai was my downfall.

Showing my girlfriend the reviews, it became apparent that even if a Thai gets ripped off or is unhappy with service or product quality, they always give 5 stars but then go on to explain that the product was useless or damaged during transit etc.

Strange but true, at first glance the seller is great and so is the product, dig deeper and the seller is useless and so is the product.

My fault I know, but how weird is it to give top marks when you're  not happy.

I always let the boss check the product reviews before buying now.

[NativeBob]

Always leave review. If it's good place I'm happy to share it. If it is not - they should not even open it. 

Don't care: hotel, service center or hospital. If they can't handle reviews then pull their shop from google maps. 

[Ben Zioner]

Do not write any review, good or bad, for services in Thailand. I stopped reviewing after that incident in Koh Chang. 

[Joseph98765]

well...you can if you are leaving the country very soon.....555555

[McTavish]

I once left a scathing, though 100% factual, review for a Bangkok hotel.  When reading about the Koh Chang episode I checked my old review with a view to deleting it until I noted the 1,000's of views.  Went walking the Google man past the address and the hotel site had been demolished, Asoke Towers now stands on that site.

 

I normally research places pretty well before dining or booking a room and have left 100's of positive reviews on both TripAdvisor and Google.

[itsari]

If you are not happy with a service you have paid for then do not ever use the business again . 

If you were pleased with the serice then you return and recommend to others .

Reviews can be misleading and often vindictive .

I would only write a review if it was positive as I have no desire to destroy somebodies business .

Yet there seems plenty of people around that do not care and give negative reviews often.

[BarraMarra]

Wait till your home then post name hotel and how you were treat. After all would you board a plane if you saw reports on delays due to technicle issues with that airline.

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, itsari said:

If you are not happy with a service you have paid for then do not ever use the business again . 

If you were pleased with the serice then you return and recommend to others .

Reviews can be misleading and often vindictive .

I would only write a review if it was positive as I have no desire to destroy somebodies business .

Yet there seems plenty of people around that do not care and give negative reviews often.

I appreciate negative reviews, as a heads up, and taken with a grain of salt.  Usually read the negative ones, mostly, after a few glaring ... "OMG-must try" reviews.

 

Photos are more important, and # of reviews.

 

Most times LAZ & TA reviews are totally useless...IMHO.  Gmap being my main research tool.

[novacova]

Thais do leave scathing comments and reviews, just not on google. They’ll use Thai discussion boards and they are quite crafty at it. Thai discussion boards are a good source of information 

[Ben Zioner]

50 minutes ago, McTavish said:

I once left a scathing, though 100% factual, review for a Bangkok hotel.  When reading about the Koh Chang episode I checked my old review with a view to deleting it until I noted the 1,000's of views.  Went walking the Google man past the address and the hotel site had been demolished, Asoke Towers now stands on that site.

 

I normally research places pretty well before dining or booking a room and have left 100's of positive reviews on both TripAdvisor and Google.

And sadly I wouldn't believe any of your reports, as I know that the system can be manipulated in the most ruthless fashion. Reading reports of doubtful veracity is just a waste of time.

[hellohello123]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I have, and simply need to word it correctly.

 

You could even make it comical ... with praise.

 

... thank you for not supplying toiletries, as we travel with our own.

... thank you not changing the soiled sheets/bed covering, as we travel with a top sheet.

... thank you not providing water to drink.

... so glad your restaurant had very small portions, as my spouse is overweight.

... thank you for not providing a lift.

... as all these keep your overhead low, and we didn't mind paying just a bit more than the other hotel that do provide those extras, as we only like walking up the 5 floors of steps, instead of using the elevator, for needed exercise.

But sarcasm requires a certain competence and common sense to understand........

[spidermike007]

Never, ever allow yourself to be cowed into submission by cowards and fools. 

 

The defamation laws were written by sold out cowards, to protect rotten players from reprisals, due to bad service, faulty products and bad business. They have no place in today's world. They represent a heinous over reach of toxic power. 

Thailand deserves whatever comes its way as a result of this. Those insane and cowardly defamation laws have been around way too long. They were written and passed by sold out politicians, for men who sell inferior products, offer inferior services, and steal alot of money. And do not intend to be answerable to anyone. Perhaps some of that will change. 

 

For those of us who have been here a awhile, we know that positive change only happens here through utter embarrassment, humiliation, and a loss of face. It never happens because it is the right thing to do, or due to fairness or equity. So, it must be thrust upon them, such as in this incident. 

 

The lack of vision prevents them from seeing it coming. Egg on the face can be a cure for many diseases and weaknesses. 

 

[wensiensheng]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I have, and simply need to word it correctly.

 

You could even make it comical ... with praise.

 

... thank you for not supplying toiletries, as we travel with our own.

... thank you not changing the soiled sheets/bed covering, as we travel with a top sheet.

... thank you not providing water to drink.

... so glad your restaurant had very small portions, as my spouse is overweight.

... thank you for not providing a lift.

... as all these keep your overhead low, and we didn't mind paying just a bit more than the other hotel that do provide those extras, as we only like walking up the 5 floors of steps, instead of using the elevator, for needed exercise.

It’s easier and safer to post nothing. Even a back handed ‘compliment’ in the manner you suggest can get you in trouble if deemed to be negative, which of course is exactly what your suggestions are meant to be.

 

[hellohello123]

I usually write reviews for most hotels i stay, personally its about 70% excellent, 20% good, 10% scathing

 

Ive never thought about timing it but i do it well after checking out.

 

Havent been detained yet (i only found out about the thai defamation laws recently)

Maybe ive been lucky

 

Oh and my reviews are factual, unemotive and very direct, including staff names

 

[Soondae]

2 hours ago, WHansen said:

You see the fear of negative rating reprisals on Lazada all the time.

Before knowing what I now know, when looking at products I would always check the seller/product ratings, 5 stars out of 5, they/it must be good I would think. Then a dodgy product would arrive.

"How is this possible, I checked the ratings" I would say to my girlfriend. Not being able to read Thai was my downfall.

Showing my girlfriend the reviews, it became apparent that even if a Thai gets ripped off or is unhappy with service or product quality, they always give 5 stars but then go on to explain that the product was useless or damaged during transit etc.

Strange but true, at first glance the seller is great and so is the product, dig deeper and the seller is useless and so is the product.

My fault I know, but how weird is it to give top marks when you're  not happy.

I always let the boss check the product reviews before buying now.

In the case of Lazada reviews I always use Google Translate, copy the review then paste into Translate.... works really well.

[Jackbenimble]

It's the vindictiveness and malice that makes me take negative reveiws with a pinch of salt. people just having a bad day write them, people without just cause (butt hink they have) write them, your competitors write them. Most negative ones are just vindictive vents. 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, stoner said:

when you are as thin skinned as thai are you need ridiculous laws like this to protect your fragile ego. 

 

losers. 

Spot on.... 

[Nicholas Paul KNIGHT]

f you reside here, best bet leave zero review and you pose no propblems for yourself, however if you are a tourist write the review afte you have left Thailands shores on sites that are active in your own country..

 

But in reality wpord of mouth is far better and safer and quicker in many cases.

 

[Myran]

Absolute nonsense. There are tons and tons of bad reviews of everything in Thailand. It's when you go over the top, like claiming that the employer treats his staff like slaves, that you might end up in trouble.

[moe666]

Do not attack anyone personally, I have read many negative reviews and a few lies. A friend ran a guest house here in CM, people came and left he gets a review that there was no parking but the guest had no car. Also his information on the hotel indicated no parking so go figure.

[Jackbenimble]

8 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Never, ever allow yourself to be cowed into submission by cowards and fools. 

 

The defamation laws were written by sold out cowards, to protect rotten players from reprisals, due to bad service, faulty products and bad business. They have no place in today's world. They represent a heinous over reach of toxic power. 

Thailand deserves whatever comes its way as a result of this. Those insane and cowardly defamation laws have been around way too long. They were written and passed by sold out politicians, for men who sell inferior products, offer inferior services, and steal alot of money. And do not intend to be answerable to anyone. Perhaps some of that will change. 

 

For those of us who have been here a awhile, we know that positive change only happens here through utter embarrassment, humiliation, and a loss of face. It never happens because it is the right thing to do, or due to fairness or equity. So, it must be thrust upon them, such as in this incident. 

 

The lack of vision prevents them from seeing it coming. Egg on the face can be a cure for many diseases and weaknesses. 

 

deliberately making one of them lose face will decrease your chances of finding a resolution dramatically and - due to the legislation in this country - put them in the right and you in the wrong. Regardless of who is to blame for the "incident" the one who has caused another to lose face is always deemed as the one who has erred. You have been here a while so should know this and should be used to it and not be surprised. I know it doesn't make it any less annoying but forewarned is forearmed.