A stark reminder of Thai "hospitality"

[fredwiggy]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

If you guess about him not having a computer ie internet access to Google things, how would he be posting on Asean Now? 

Phone,didn't say no internet. Just easier on a computer

Edited September 10, 2023 by fredwiggy

[ChipButty]

18 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

No problem for me at BIGC (pre-covid!). Purchased an "L" size sports shirt and found it was rather tight (typical Thai sizing). Folded it, replaced in BIGC bag along with the receipt and returned to customer service desk at the store. The Thai lady was very courteous, told me to go and select an "XL" and bring back to counter. This I did and there was no extra cost or hassle.

BigC have had their moments, some years ago a farang wanted to buy a microwave and they wouldn't sell him one because he didn't have a work permit, that was a true story, 

[EVENKEEL]

6 hours ago, mike111 said:

I bought a pack of rubbish bags at 7-11 yesterday. Didn't open it & had the receipt.

Went back to the same shop today, approached the staff at the entrance to show I came in with the item & asked if I could exchange for something else. She said yes.

 

Good, collected a few snacks and headed back to the cashier. Out of nowhere she says "cannot". Surprised I asked why and she replied "more than 1 day".

 

WTF. I bought a pack of plastic bags less than 24h ago, never opened the pack & cannot exchange ? I didn't even ask for a refund.

Then I insisted and told her that the other staff said this would be possible. The gates of hell then opened wide ensuing with swearing in Thai, angry faces and what not. Eventually she said "I give you money back". I said I can just get other items instead but she insisted I just get the money & leave the shop, as a punishment for my wrongdoings.

 

I left determined not to place a foot in that shop again.

 

Moral of the story:

1. A reminder that foreigners are welcome in Thailand only while they're walking ATMs. If you're actually asking for something back, well...good luck.

2. 7-11 has ridiculous unwritten (at least in English) policies. Caveat emptor.

 

 

It would never enter my mind to return an item at 7-11. Garbage bags no less. 

[Myran]

4 minutes ago, BarraMarra said:

Err might only be a few baht for bin bags but if you have a Bin that only fits a certain size bag. What good are they if they don't fit inside the bin? You would exchange them for the correct size your plastic bin uses. Not about the price.

They're bags, you'll find a use for them. And if you don't, you suck it up and refrain from going to 7-Eleven to throw a hissy-fit.

[KannikaP]

8 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Phone,didn't say no internet. Just easier on a computer

It may be easier for you Mr Wiggy, but I can Google anything on my phone that I can do on my PC/tablet. Now back to Thai hospitality please.

[Nick Carter icp]

17 minutes ago, bignok said:

Take the condoms back used, say they were a bit small

Maybe thats what he done and the 7/11 gave him some bin bags as a replacement and he took those back as well ?

[fredwiggy]

10 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

It may be easier for you Mr Wiggy, but I can Google anything on my phone that I can do on my PC/tablet. Now back to Thai hospitality please.

As can everyone else that has a phone. It's never good to assume. Just said it's easier to google on a computer, especially if your vision isn't it used to be. As per the topic, I agreed with him that some here are prejudiced against foreigners and won't go the extra distance like they will with locals. I've seen this. Some think he's being petty.We weren't there, so I give the benefit of the doubt to him.

Edited September 10, 2023 by fredwiggy

[Keeps]

34 minutes ago, bignok said:

6 pages over 7/11 and a 100 baht purchase 55555

Including 17 posts from yourself 55555

[bignok]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Some time ago when I was living on Samui I had an issue with an air conditioner that I had just bought from Homepro. I went into Homepro asking for service and got no satisfaction at all. I asked for the manager which is something that I usually do, when I am not getting anywhere, and she had a terrible attitude and was very unhelpful.

 

I had got her name, went home, looked up the head office in Bangkok, sent them a quick email explaining the situation calling her out by name and within an hour I got a phone call from a vice president telling me that everything would be addressed, and he said that I should go back into the store the following morning. When I did I got a deep bow from the manager, I'm so sorry I misunderstood yesterday. What can I do to make you happy? It was the exact response I wanted the first time around but that I got after she had been scolded by the VP, and likely her job had been threatened if her attitude didn't improve. Sometimes we just have to escalate things to a more senior employer or manager in order to get things done here, sometimes the fools on the floor just don't know what service looks like.

 

My Thai wife was shocked when I first started doing this, as she tried to explain to me that they do not have customer service in Thailand. I explained to her that they sure do! Now she realizes that service does exist, can exist, and will exist if the right amount of will, force and action is brought to the table.

 

Well it happened. Fact. All I can go on. And you don't know me, so doubt all you want. Why would I fabricate a story like that? Think about it. I did not reach out to a VP. I simply sent an articulate note to the email contact on the website. And unlike your supposition that they do not get read, it was responded too quickly. Might have helped that I added that I was averaging 100,000 to 200,000 baht a year in Home Pro expenditures with my hilltop villa, at the time. A VP took it upon himself, called me that day, speaking perfect English, and asked me if I would be kind enough to visit the store again tomorrow. 

 

I suppose with any service anywhere, it comes down to the approach one uses, negotiating skill and fortitude. I do not let these things go. 

 

You can lay down and die, like a submissive sheep in this life, or you can defend your dignity and put up a fight. 

 

I usually choose the latter. Don't consider myself to be a dog or a doormat, and prefer not to let others that I do business with treat me like either. 

 

My Thai wife has been astonished a dozen times when things like this have come up, and she has seen me wage battle. She just shakes her head and says great job. I had no idea!

Your wife sounds a bit slow.

[bignok]

5 minutes ago, Keeps said:

Including 17 posts from yourself 55555

19 now. Good laugh.

[bignok]

16 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Maybe thats what he done and the 7/11 gave him some bin bags as a replacement and he took those back as well ?

555

[FruitPudding]

2 hours ago, Myran said:

Tell me you're a kii nok farang without saying you're a kii nok farang. Trying to exchange some bags worth a few measily baht... Jesus effin' Christ.

I don't think that's the OPs point. It's the way they treated him.

 

[steven100]

7 pages on why garbage bag exchanges don't work  .....   

 

AN members have so much to do each day.  ????

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by steven100

[Keeps]

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

7 pages on why garbage bag exchanges don't work  .....   

 

AN members have so much to do each day.  

Including 18 posts from yourself. Oh, the irony.....

[Ralf001]

57 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

especially if your vision isn't it used to be. 

Specsavers mate.

 

Might help you posting them facts to back up your claims.

[freeman01]

returning a few dollars worth of stuff to a shop in Thailand ? really ?

this has nothing to do with "Thai hospitality", this behavior is akin to a beggar not a foreigner with several time the income of the average Thai, no wonder you are treated like one.

 

go back to europe if you like those freaking laws so much ... and watch as you slowly drown into them.

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by freeman01

[FruitPudding]

I know someone who took a non-stick frying pan (when they were first invented) back to the store to return it --  with a fried egg still stuck to it! Haha 

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by FruitPudding

[FruitPudding]

10 minutes ago, freeman01 said:

returning a few dollars worth of stuff to a shop in Thailand ? really ?

this has nothing to do with "Thai hospitality", this behavior is akin to a beggar not a foreigner with several time the income of the average Thai, no wonder you are treated like one.

 

go back to europe if you like those freaking laws so much ... and watch as you slowly drown into them.

 

The farang hate on the site really is a phenomenon.

[billd766]

4 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Yes very strange but 100% correct.

Not really.

 

How about the word bow?

 

Is it?

1   something used with an arrow.

2   a man bending from the waist.

3   part of a tree. No that is spelt bough.

 

 

How about sew? is it something to do with

 

1   repairing a garment.

2   planting fruit and vegetables. No, that is spelt sow.

 

Sow pronounced differently but spelled the same is a female pig.

 

How about

cough

rough

tough

trough

 

Or toe and toe.

 

Or to, too and two.

 

Or waist and waste.

 

If you are fluent in English and taught old style English of 50 or 60 years ago you would understand that English is context based.

 

So the sentence " he shot an arrow" can only mean one word, Bow.

 

If UK English is not your first language it is a very hard language.

 

That is without

US English

Canadian English

Australian English

New Zealand English

Indian English

Pakistani English

All the other variations of English

 

Not to mention Singlish from Singapore or Tinglish from Thailand.

All that plus Welsh, Scottish Highland and Lowland, Northern Southern Irish, English.

Edited September 10, 2023 by billd766
added extra text

[transam]

12 minutes ago, freeman01 said:

returning a few dollars worth of stuff to a shop in Thailand ? really ?

this has nothing to do with "Thai hospitality", this behavior is akin to a beggar not a foreigner with several time the income of the average Thai, no wonder you are treated like one.

 

go back to europe if you like those freaking laws so much ... and watch as you slowly drown into them.

 

Oh, dear.........................????

[FruitPudding]

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

As can everyone else that has a phone. It's never good to assume. Just said it's easier to google on a computer, especially if your vision isn't it used to be. As per the topic, I agreed with him that some here are prejudiced against foreigners and won't go the extra distance like they will with locals. I've seen this. Some think he's being petty.We weren't there, so I give the benefit of the doubt to him.

They'd likely have had more respect if it was a local, rather than treating him with such contempt..... mainly because they'd fear the local's reaction.

 

Farang are generally not considered a threat to Thais in any way.

 

[FruitPudding]

This viper pit thread reminds me of this quote.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by FruitPudding

[josephbloggs]

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

The newscasters have said they aren't taking into account deaths after leaving the scene................https://tdri.or.th/en/2020/11/road-accidents-biggest-health-crisis/

There's absolutely nothing in that article that says they don't count deaths after leaving the sceme. It's nonsense.

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, FruitPudding said:

I don't think that's the OPs point. It's the way they treated him.

 

How about the way he treated them? You just assume they randomly treated him badly and that he was a saint and didn't raise his voice or make a scene? Why would you assume that?

[fredwiggy]

12 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

There's absolutely nothing in that article that says they don't count deaths after leaving the sceme. It's nonsense.

When you reply, you have to post the whole thing, or others might take it out of context. I said, the newscasters have said they aren't counting the deaths after leaving the scene. Then I posted that link for the other man who replied to my topic, for his benefit. That was two different things I posted that aren't related to each other besides both being about Thailand traffic deaths.

[josephbloggs]

35 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

When you reply, you have to post the whole thing, or others might take it out of context. I said, the newscasters have said they aren't counting the deaths after leaving the scene. Then I posted that link for the other man who replied to my topic, for his benefit. That was two different things I posted that aren't related to each other besides both being about Thailand traffic deaths.

I didn't include that bit because it sounded like nonsense. Which newscasters? You watch Thai news, speak fluent Thai and they preface the news by saying that? More nonsense.

Unfortunately I do have to endure Thai TV news sometimes, I do speak Thai, I have never heard them say that,

Surely it can't be hard to find a link to support that claim if even newscasters are saying it randomly? Must be lots of evidence to support it.

[fredwiggy]

18 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

I didn't include that bit because it sounded like nonsense. Which newscasters? You watch Thai news, speak fluent Thai and they preface the news by saying that? More nonsense.

Unfortunately I do have to endure Thai TV news sometimes, I do speak Thai, I have never heard them say that,

Surely it can't be hard to find a link to support that claim if even newscasters are saying it randomly? Must be lots of evidence to support it.

No, my girlfriend is Thai, and translates. I've heard it a few times, not sure where, but it wasn't  Thai reporters on Mono 29 or 27. Some news you can get here they speak English. If I remember, it was channel 2, Thai TBS or another in the lower channels. I don't make things up, and why would I? That's not something you would make up for any reason. It makes sense that local channels would only speak of deaths at the scene, and not do a follow up. Stats should include follow up for a certain amount of days, so it wasn't from a link, but I've heard it a few times. It also may have been on American channels, as I do get news from home o Yahoo.

[sungod]

8 hours ago, ezzra said:

7/11 return policy:

 

 

Returns & Exchanges Guidance

Your item must be in its original unused condition to be returned, unless there is a manufacturer defect. You must return the item within 30 days of your purchase. Discounted sale items and gift cards are final and cannot be returned or exchanged.

 

To determine if you are eligible for a return, follow the steps below:

 

 

1. Email [email protected] with your Order Number and specify which product you would like to return. We will get back to you as soon as possible with return instructions.

2. Once the return has been received by our warehouse, a refund will be issued.

If you're looking to exchange an item, follow the steps above and place a brand new order!

*Some items may not be eligible for returns or exchanges. Items stated as final sale are unable to be returned or exchanged.

 

Did you seriously search for that, a handful of bags that cost next to nothing?

brilliant! ????

[ericthai]

9 hours ago, mike111 said:

For the kind souls who've decided it was an impulsive buying for something I didn't need: I planned to use the bags (as a protection some items) but eventually managed without them. Nothing impulsive.

 

Anywhere in the world I've been to, and I've been around, a shop would gladly exchange an item if it's unopened and a receipt is provided. I didn't ask for a refund, just to exchange for something else. Why is this considered "bothering" the shop staff is beyond comprehension.

 

 

This isn't any place in the world, this is Thailand and it seems you made someone in 7-11 loose face.

Most likely the 1st girl didn't understand you and just said "yes", like what is done so many times in Thailand,

 

 

[JimTripper]

16 minutes ago, ericthai said:

This isn't any place in the world, this is Thailand and it seems you made someone in 7-11 loose face.

Most likely the 1st girl didn't understand you and just said "yes", like what is done so many times in Thailand,

 

 

More like they made themselves loose face. You don’t even need to say anything, that’s how fragile they are.