Thai Workers Are A Joke

[BenStark]

36 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

I am fairly sure that you know all the bar stool stuff.

I work here for a multinational as a manager and have way more experience in these matters than you.

Started to come here 40 years ago and speak Thai. What about you?

I'm surprised you didn't say you live here 200 years already.

 

Anyway, you claim to work for a multinational, what that has to do with the topic of this thread, which is construction labour qualification, or rather the lack of it?

[Peterphuket]

20 hours ago, pseudorabies said:

The wife and I recently had a new kitchen installed by contractors working for a large home improvement store that wasn't HomePro.  We had bought an induction cooktop and the workers refused to install it according to the manufacturer's recommendations.  Even after printing out the installation manual in Thai and showing it to them they insisted on installing it their way.  The manual called for placing the cooktop glass directly on the countertop.  They insisted that the glass wasn't strong enough and that the metal subframe that covered the electronics should carry the weight. I even showed the workers pictures of installed cooktops in showrooms and from the interwebs but they wouldn't budge.  I had to get their supervisor on site in order to have them (grudgingly) install it correctly.  Even the supervisor warned us about putting anything too heavy on the cooktop.  He evidently doesn't know that glass is often stronger than steel.  

 

What I learned from all this is that for Thai workers "the easy way is the correct way"

It's always the same, I had a kind of the same experience with mounting a sink on the kitchen countertop, there was a clear description of how to install, and I explicitly pointed this out to them, when I came back later they had made the hole to big.

When I pointed out the mistake they got angry and left my house without completing the interior...

[khunPer]

22 hours ago, Brewster67 said:

I have a list as long as my arm of other stuff, I would say 70% of work done by Thais is of very bad quality.

A good advise: Always be present, when workers are doing something, so you can tell them what you want; i.e., height of shower head and cover the tiles on the walkway when mixing cement. Also, don't use Thai family as workers, or workers recommended by family (the old advise, not to mix business with family and friends).

 

I never had problems with "my Thai workers", neither when building a house, nor when I', having smaller repair jobs done; however, I've always been there and listened to their suggestions – they might know very well, what to do – before I told, how I wish it to be done.

[bamboozled]

I'm reminded of some of the absolute crap that comes out of China. Completely unusable stuff, such as extension cords, tools, lights, tape, etc... They are very inexpensive to buy and so you give it a try knowing it won't last long. However, it hardly lasts the trip home and either doesn't work at all or breaks immediately, all the while staining your hands with whatever cheapo colorant was used to disguise the turd. I understand the race to the bottom with cutthroat price competition but to make a product so cheaply that it doesn't even work right off the assembly line is....amazing.

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, BenStark said:

I'm surprised you didn't say you live here 200 years already.

 

Anyway, you claim to work for a multinational, what that has to do with the topic of this thread, which is construction labour qualification, or rather the lack of it?

Learn to read: The title is "Thai workers are a joke", then he gives 1 example of a construction job.

Edited September 22, 2023 by FritsSikkink

[Reginald Prewster]

Take a spanner once in your hand and you are a skilled plumber, electrician or mechanic.

 

In Germany you need to go through a 3 years appreticeship untill you can call yourself a trained (not skilled) person.

So what do you expect?

You start yelling and the worker incl warranty is gone, before the work is half done.

 

I am a skilled customer (living since 2002 in LoS) so there is a simple solution:

 

The worker delivers cr@p:

"Great job mate, very good work, can you do me an extra favor and do this also for me?"

 

The result comes closer to your expectation but still cr@p:

"Nice one, I will sure hire you again. I have some work to do, will you please be so kind and connect this to this for me, I'll pay of course for the extra job" (remember labor is cheap here)

 

Now your new equipment is almost installed as it supposed to be, a last attempt:

"If you have one day more for me, could you also connect these bolts to the system? That would be so nice. You know there is a reason I hired you and not an amateur"

 

This way I get my things at least to 90% professionally, done,

even it's becoming sometimes very motivating to shuffle my flip flop on an unlubricated journey up his arse..."  ????????????

[BenStark]

1 minute ago, FritsSikkink said:

Learn to read: The title is "Thai workers are a joke", then he give 1 example of a construction job.

No you learn to read, there are 5 pages of posts with examples of construction workers that are a joke

[FritsSikkink]

3 minutes ago, BenStark said:

No you learn to read, there are 5 pages of posts with examples of construction workers that are a joke

The Title says "Thai workers are a joke" which means ALL Thai workers.

That other people join the bashing of construction workers, doesn't change the title.

Now go back to your bar stool, i have other things to do than teaching people who to interpret text all the time.

[SingAPorn]

Of course construction workers are a joke in Thailand. But the developpers pushing to sell their homes are no better.

 

Sometimes worse in fact when they are farangs. If you get cheated or a not happy with the work delivered, forget any legal outcome.

 

The best thing to do is to report the problems on social media, with an anonymous FB account on any free wifi network, out of Thailand to avoid any retaliation.

[BenStark]

5 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

The Title says "Thai workers are a joke" which means ALL Thai workers.

That other people join the bashing of construction workers, doesn't change the title.

Now go back to your bar stool, i have other things to do than teaching people who to interpret text all the time.

Ok thanks for confirming that you deflected on the topic at hand, while you were well aware what it was about, only to show off your imaginary superiority, as in every other thread.

 

See I took the time to educate you

[Ralf001]

23 hours ago, Brewster67 said:

.

 

Here in Thailand I don't think any such thing exists, I don't think there is any certification or regulation covering trades skills. Colleges and universities are everywhere here, but none for trades it seems.

 

 

 

 

[Sticky Rice Balls]

23 hours ago, Brewster67 said:

This is Homepro.... Wouldn't you think the biggest company in Thailand that covers this industry would have done that work already?.. Meaning they vet the workers they send to install their goods.

seems the logical thing to do is take pics of said work and go speak to top guy at home pro..if he jerks you around call corporate,..take it to the top....

[JimTripper]

58 minutes ago, khunPer said:

A good advise: Always be present, when workers are doing something, so you can tell them what you want; i.e., height of shower head and cover the tiles on the walkway when mixing cement. Also, don't use Thai family as workers, or workers recommended by family (the old advise, not to mix business with family and friends).

 

I never had problems with "my Thai workers", neither when building a house, nor when I', having smaller repair jobs done; however, I've always been there and listened to their suggestions – they might know very well, what to do – before I told, how I wish it to be done.

It has nothing to do with not knowing what you want. It’s done incorrectly.

[Gottfrid]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The ones you claim to have had aren't the problem. Those the OP and others have written about are. My own experience is that most workers are untrained and have no professional qualifications at all. They learn on the job, if they learn at all, from others who also don't know what they're doing. Good workers are few and far between. Especially if you don't live in a city.

 

It is a fact that Thais have little or no pride in anything, be it the job they do or how they live, dumping their rubbish everywhere. To me, that is a very sad way to exist.

 

I'm lucky with some, as the aircon man and wife team used to work for a hotel in Bangkok before returning to the countryside, and an electrician we use, a family member, also used to work for a hotel in Bangkok. But even he makes use of insulating tape instead of making a secure connection.
 

Yeah, just strange that I not had the problem in 24 years after building 3 houses. However, I guess it has to do with how you are wired yourself. If you think everything that is done in the west are better, and then people here do it another way. Yeah, then it´s easy to say they are wrong and do a faulty work. I think we all have to understand where we live. Here they do things in a different way. Mostly they get the same result, though. Things are working, and if you are there when they do things, you can always add what you want them to do and how. Of course, that will assume you speak Thai, but that is like a duty to learn the language if you settle down in a foreign country.

[sherwood]

1 hour ago, Peterphuket said:

It's always the same, I had a kind of the same experience with mounting a sink on the kitchen countertop, there was a clear description of how to install, and I explicitly pointed this out to them, when I came back later they had made the hole to big.

When I pointed out the mistake they got angry and left my house without completing the interior...

My welder had the same kind of meltdown. Not hopeless BUT, anyway after a period he came back.

This fella lives over the road and a good bloke.

Anyhow after replacing the 40 metre extension lead with a 15 metre job, things only got better.

Still didn't have any eye protection, naturally.

 

My block layer started building a small wall for my carport, on the opposite side of the slab. 

Never mind.

 

[Sweet Swede]

I lived here for 28 years and when I read this, I find that it contradicts all my experience using Thai work force. Since i mowed here we built house and extension, garage, fence, brick wall around our property(3 Rai) and much other work of different kind. We have with very few exceptions been extremely pleased with how professional and satisfactory the work have been performed and how service minded the workers have been. I see that some recommend that you should hang over the workers like a hawk and this I find very disgusting based on my own experience as a professional worker.. We instruct the workers prior to the job and do some occasional check ups. If there have been adjustments needed, it has never been a problem. What we have avoided is to use family, if they are not qualified for the work and also listened to recommendations from people that have used the workers we want to hire. Thai workers are normally really good in my opinion based on 28 year of knowledge. 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 9/21/2023 at 3:53 PM, Brewster67 said:

The guy who fitted the new toilet has left out the wax ring because when he fitted it the water refused to drain out of the toilet for some reason. So he left it off and said call him if it leaks.

 

The guy fitting the shower tried to fit it so low that it would only be capable of showering an either very short person

So you had a toilet fitted and it doesn't leak.  Riveting.

 

Did you tell the installer the height that you needed the shower head fitting or you just let him guess and then moan about it when it didn't suit you because he put it just where every usual Thai household needed it?

 

I don't think that it's the Thai workers who are the only joke.

[FritsSikkink]

38 minutes ago, BenStark said:

Ok thanks for confirming that you deflected on the topic at hand, while you were well aware what it was about, only to show off your imaginary superiority, as in every other thread.

 

See I took the time to educate you

What are you thinking that you have educated? Don't see anything in your comment.

I confirming that i deflect? Where did you read that?

 

Are you imagine things or did you do a martial art and got hit too much on the head?

[anterian]

In my experience electricians are good, plumbers are good, builders are good, add jobbers, handymen, and friend of a friend types are bad.

[Bangkok Barry]

50 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Of course, that will assume you speak Thai, but that is like a duty to learn the language if you settle down in a foreign country.

Thanks for your holier than thou comment. My Thai wife speaks very good Thai, and English. I'm not a linguist. My talent lays in other areas. I'm also not a brain surgeon, nor an engineer. Nor a builder. What are you no good at? If anything.

[Bangkok Barry]

56 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

If you think everything that is done in the west are better, and then people here do it another way. Yeah, then it´s easy to say they are wrong and do a faulty work

The end result is what counts, and much of what I've seen done here is shoddy and unprofessional. Maybe it's because in Thailand, as far as I know, there is no body to monitor standards as there is in the west. An early post mentioned a one month guarantee, which speaks volumes. A colleague from Korea summed it up perfectly, saying that standards here are so low.

[Gottfrid]

48 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The end result is what counts, and much of what I've seen done here is shoddy and unprofessional. Maybe it's because in Thailand, as far as I know, there is no body to monitor standards as there is in the west. An early post mentioned a one month guarantee, which speaks volumes. A colleague from Korea summed it up perfectly, saying that standards here are so low.

There is a good solution for the ones who only came here to complain. Leave Thailand, for the ones who appreciate living here, and have no problem with the work standards that exists.

[Gottfrid]

58 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Thanks for your holier than thou comment. My Thai wife speaks very good Thai, and English. I'm not a linguist. My talent lays in other areas. I'm also not a brain surgeon, nor an engineer. Nor a builder. What are you no good at? If anything.

Apparently, I am very good at taking insults from you and other members on this forum, without even lifting an eyebrow. But, if you wish to know, I started my life running a construction company in Sweden, and can still accept the standards they have here. After that a went into restaurant and night club business and ran 3 restaurant and 2 disco/night clubs. Sold it off and moved to Thailand, where I have been doing great success with export and affiliate work as well as professional SEO. By the way, I also speak Thai. Actually read and write as well.

[Bangkok Barry]

7 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

There is a good solution for the ones who only came here to complain. Leave Thailand

I haven't heard that for a week or more. I wonder what my wife would think of my either abandoning her or making her leave her family and many friends.

[Bangkok Barry]

6 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Apparently, I am very good at taking insults from you and other members on this forum, without even lifting an eyebrow. But, if you wish to know, I started my life running a construction company in Sweden, and can still accept the standards they have here. After that a went into restaurant and night club business and ran 3 restaurant and 2 disco/night clubs. Sold it off and moved to Thailand, where I have been doing great success with export and affiliate work as well as professional SEO. By the way, I also speak Thai. Actually read and write as well.

You are certainly one of the most insulted posters on here. there might be a reason for that, from so many contributors. You clearly haven't considered why that might be.

And thanks for the summary of your career. Nice one. I arguably trump you although by taking a very different path, but life is not a competition so I'll leave it at that.

[Gottfrid]

3 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I haven't heard that for a week or more. I wonder what my wife would think of my either abandoning her or making her leave her family and many friends.

Ok, no problem. Live complaining and see fault with everything. It´s your life.

[Gottfrid]

Just now, Bangkok Barry said:

You are certainly one of the most insulted posters on here. there might be a reason for that, from so many contributors. You clearly haven't considered why that might be.

And thanks for the summary of your career. Nice one. I arguably trump you although by taking a very different path, but life is not a competition so I'll leave it at that.

Yeah, but the problem is, that I voice an opinion that members here do not agree with. That however, does not give the right to insult and call me different things, as that is against the rules of the forum.

I guessed you would leave it. ???? 

[moogradod]

26 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

There is a good solution for the ones who only came here to complain. Leave Thailand, for the ones who appreciate living here, and have no problem with the work standards that exists.

Always the same argument which pops up from time to time: If you dont like it, leave. But this does not change a bit of the topic we want to discuss together, neither adds it to the discussion meaningfully.

 

If you dont want to get shot step aside. Of course ! But this does not make the shooting a bit more desirable. And this is the point here - nothing else.

 

It is a fact that many craftsmen here do not know words like "straight", *equal length" etc. And they think this is perfectly OK. That is the mystery that makes it worthwile to contemplate about. Or would you not like it, too, that you just had to give a precise order and you could leave and come back and the task is accomplished perfectly ?

Edited September 22, 2023 by moogradod

[Caldera]

On 9/21/2023 at 3:53 PM, Brewster67 said:

I have never seen such aweful quality of workmanship as I have seen here in Thailand.

That just means that you haven't seen Cambodian workmanship yet.

[Gottfrid]

4 hours ago, moogradod said:

Always the same argument which pops up from time to time: If you dont like it, leave. But this does not change a bit of the topic we want to discuss together, neither adds it to the discussion meaningfully.

 

If you dont want to get shot step aside. Of course ! But this does not make the shooting a bit more desirable. And this is the point here - nothing else.

 

It is a fact that many craftsmen here do not know words like "straight", *equal length" etc. And they think this is perfectly OK. That is the mystery that makes it worthwile to contemplate about. Or would you not like it, too, that you just had to give a precise order and you could leave and come back and the task is accomplished perfectly ?

Very clever! When did I talk against such fantastic philosophy?