Why you should never leave a negative hotel review in Thailand

[CecilM]

26 minutes ago, chalawaan said:

All Google products link to your Gmail. And your account. It's not that hard to find you with that one bit of info. 

That’s true. But I can’t even remember if I used my real name when I set up my account. (I’m thinking I didn’t. And I’m thinking most people wouldn’t.)

[chalawaan]

I'm so glad mine is only addicted to candy crush and endless MFP rants on you tube.

[spidermike007]

46 minutes ago, itsari said:

Wast of the world's food resource by wanting to throw eggs at a business.

Most bad reviews are coming from US citizens as they are more accustomed to the internet .

Huh? Please, please, start making sense. We are talking hotels, restaurants, etc. Plenty of room for improvement. And if we are denied the ability to comment and post online, then the worst of the worst can get away with anything they like. 

 

Public forums are our right. And I won't let anyone take that away from us. Defamation laws are for extreme cowards. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by spidermike007

[itsari]

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Huh? Please, please, start making sense. We are talking hotels, restaurants, etc. Plenty of room for improvement. And if we are denied the ability to comment and post online, then the worst of the worst can get away with anything they like. 

 

Public forums are our right. And I won't let anyone take that away from us. Defamation laws are for extreme cowards. 

Defamation laws are for the customer and the business .

Many reviews from customers are just pure spite what i see.

Perhaps you can see both sides of you can .

[chalawaan]

14 minutes ago, CecilM said:

That’s true. But I can’t even remember if I used my real name when I set up my account. (I’m thinking I didn’t. And I’m thinking most people wouldn’t.)

You can use aliases on You Tube etc and they encourage it. YT is owned by Alphabet, the Google parent company. 

The thing is, the vast data they collect. 

It's often not clear how much data these companies agree to share with Thailand for the right to operate here. 

I use a VPN rigged so if it goes offline, I can't even use the internet. 

That at least hides my device IP. Also, do take a look at your Google account and make sure you have alternative ways to log back in, that they're all up to date. 

I had some Chinese jackass somehow log in to my Google account from Central Thailand. Luckily I have login alerts switched on. 

After that, I used 2FA or biometric logins as well.

Getting locked out of your Google account without up to date email addresses and phone numbers can really ruin your week. 

[save the frogs]

I'm guessing there are a lot of fake bad reviews.

Possibly from competitors. 

 

[spidermike007]

5 minutes ago, itsari said:

Defamation laws are for the customer and the business .

Many reviews from customers are just pure spite what i see.

Perhaps you can see both sides of you can .

I have been a business owner for decades, and really, really go out of my way to take care of my customers. I get alot of reviews. Always positive. They are almost always right, in a sense that I will bend over backwards to make sure they are satisfied. It works. I have alot of repeat business. Some just don't know how that works and the forums are a good way to warn others. 

[chalawaan]

8 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I'm guessing there are a lot of fake bad reviews.

Possibly from competitors. 

 

Fake reviews and similar dodginess are coming to an end. 

And Google is "cracking down" in a big way. 

New Google lawsuit aims to curb fake business reviews.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/new-google-lawsuit-aims-curb-fake-business-reviews-2023-06-16/

[save the frogs]

8 minutes ago, chalawaan said:

And Google is "cracking down" in a big way. 

I think they've been making that claim for a while.

Not sure how easy is it is to implement given online handles do not require real names. 

 

Amazon has "verified users" .... but not all users are verified ... but it helps if you're not sure if you should trust the review. 

[itsari]

19 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I have been a business owner for decades, and really, really go out of my way to take care of my customers. I get alot of reviews. Always positive. They are almost always right, in a sense that I will bend over backwards to make sure they are satisfied. It works. I have alot of repeat business. Some just don't know how that works and the forums are a good way to warn others. 

Yes, it can work but also can be unfair.

[zzaa09]

38 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Huh? Please, please, start making sense. We are talking hotels, restaurants, etc. Plenty of room for improvement. And if we are denied the ability to comment and post online, then the worst of the worst can get away with anything they like. 

 

Public forums are our right. And I won't let anyone take that away from us. Defamation laws are for extreme cowards. 

Rights?????

[Geordieabroad]

At least Thailand is catching up to the west in one respect where free speech is banned

[Sametboy2019]

Many bad reviews of hotels are because of customers failure to do their own due diligence.

Things like "The hotel isn't on the beach". Booking partial seaview rooms and complaining of not having a full seaview. Saying there is no safe, gym or pool when they are not listed in facilities.

My favorite is when tourists go to the islands and then complain that their room wasn't good value because they got a much better room in Pattaya for less.

Most people are ok but 10/20% of people are idiots. 

Food reviews are also subjective.  Too salty or too sweet. 

My general rule is if reviews are 75% positive I will give the place a go if i like the look of it.

[zzaa09]

33 minutes ago, Geordieabroad said:

At least Thailand is catching up to the west in one respect where free speech is banned

...and dumbed down. 

[Gknrd]

I travel quite a bit, try leaving a negative comment for an airbnb .  I have left a couple and they bury them where no one see's them.  Also trying to talk to airbnb service.  A joke to the nth degree.  

About the same as Thailand.

[Dogmatix]

Can they find out your real name and other details, if you review under an assumed name and country in Tripadvisor?  That's where I have put my honest negative reviews on Thai hotels for years and never had any comeback.

 

It sucks to feel intimidated into silence rather warning other travellers about things they need to know and maybe even inspiring the hotel management to fix problems.

Edited July 6, 2023 by Dogmatix

[bluemoon58]

Of course you can give bad reviews. I always contact the General Manager if I'm unhappy. So far I've received three freebies due to polite constructive criticism. And, I shall carry on doing it that way. I love freebies! ????

[ujayujay]

Only give one Stare without Comment....Problem solved!

[Hummin]

12 hours ago, Sandboxer said:

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."

 

 

 

 

I have given a few hotels bad reviews and no problem so far, but will copy yours, that was brilliant

[CecilM]

3 hours ago, chalawaan said:

You can use aliases on You Tube etc and they encourage it. YT is owned by Alphabet, the Google parent company. 

The thing is, the vast data they collect. 

It's often not clear how much data these companies agree to share with Thailand for the right to operate here. 

I use a VPN rigged so if it goes offline, I can't even use the internet. 

That at least hides my device IP. Also, do take a look at your Google account and make sure you have alternative ways to log back in, that they're all up to date. 

I had some Chinese jackass somehow log in to my Google account from Central Thailand. Luckily I have login alerts switched on. 

After that, I used 2FA or biometric logins as well.

Getting locked out of your Google account without up to date email addresses and phone numbers can really ruin your week. 

Thanks for the suggestions. 

[novacova]

4 hours ago, itsari said:

Wast of the world's food resource by wanting to throw eggs at a business.

Most bad reviews are coming from US citizens as they are more accustomed to the internet .

Presumptuous statement. If one took the time to read reviews of many different businesses in TH then one will certainly see most of the negative reviews are from Thai people, unless of course one is only reading reviews of touristy places 

[Harsh Jones]

13 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. 

On the contrary. It is mostly thin skinned white women who have a hissy fit about a minor thing than it is real helpful criticism. 

[Harsh Jones]

13 hours ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

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. 

That's right. But that is asking too much. White women want their right to complain and be over the top about minor things. 

 

[Bassosa]

10 hours ago, hellohello123 said:

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

 

Truth is you can. I have a small hotel and we occasionally get bad reviews, usually when guests with Chinese heritage smoke in our non-smoking rooms and get pulled up on that. We then get 1* revenge reviews and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

[stoner]

29 minutes ago, Harsh Jones said:

On the contrary. It is mostly thin skinned white women who have a hissy fit about a minor thing than it is real helpful criticism. 

do you need a hug ? 

[Henkjan2]

13 hours ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

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. 

If i recall correctly: the guest had taken beverages from outside and then went drinking with his friends on the hotel public premises. Causing a huge confrontation with the hotel-owner. Afterwards very bad reviews were left on several (booking) sites. Hence the law suit.

 

I don't aprove of the defamation law, but burning down a small hotel like this was not fair.

[OJAS]

18 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. 

Well you and your acolytes on here certainly appear to hold Thai people in sneeringly patronising contempt with a "Me Mr High & Mighty Ultra-Perfect Westerner" attitude, don't you? Maybe you all need to give serious consideration to relocating from Thailand if you really do despise the locals so much - perhaps after penning scathing reviews of various Thai establishments as your respective swansongs?

[Bim Smith]

18 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.

Well this comment should win the ASEAN Now award of the month.

[ChipButty]

8 hours ago, Sametboy2019 said:

Many bad reviews of hotels are because of customers failure to do their own due diligence.

Things like "The hotel isn't on the beach". Booking partial seaview rooms and complaining of not having a full seaview. Saying there is no safe, gym or pool when they are not listed in facilities.

My favorite is when tourists go to the islands and then complain that their room wasn't good value because they got a much better room in Pattaya for less.

Most people are ok but 10/20% of people are idiots. 

Food reviews are also subjective.  Too salty or too sweet. 

My general rule is if reviews are 75% positive I will give the place a go if i like the look of it.

Very true customers or guest dont read the full details of a listing 

[ChipButty]

5 hours ago, Bassosa said:

Truth is you can. I have a small hotel and we occasionally get bad reviews, usually when guests with Chinese heritage smoke in our non-smoking rooms and get pulled up on that. We then get 1* revenge reviews and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

I always make sure I reply back to any revenge reviews as for smoking in the rooms I tell them when they arrive and point them to a smoking area, 

If you are talking about Airbnb guest you can appeal to have that review removed, 

I also remind guest about the law sometimes "Smoke Free Building" it's worked so far 

Edited July 6, 2023 by ChipButty