7-11 takes 1000-Baht-bill for 100 Baht, shortchanges - your take?

[Jingthing]

As I've never had such a problem at 7-11 or FM I don't even bother to call out the 1000 when I pay with 1000.

At other places such as restaurants I usually do.

I consider what happened here as a very rare outlier.

[kinyara]

29 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

Sure hope that does not catch on.  Imaging going shopping and all these creatures yelling about the kind of bill they are paying with.  Then the sales people yelling confirmations and after a few minutes yelling the amount of change they are giving.  Not yelling, okay but at least loud talking because whispering would have no point.  Then all the people jockeying for position to take the confirming proof video, checking it then retaking for better exposures.

 

It's a perfectly sensible approach that I employ only when paying a 1,000 for something under 100, a situation where a 1 note exchange allows for the most significant loss, ie 900+ change.  There is no need to raise your voice above normal polite conversation levels, I'm just looking for eye to eye or verbal acknowledgement,  and my own approach is to say " Sorry I only have a 1,000 ", thereby not implying I think they're going to scam me.  

 

Personally I'd rather minimise the albeit remote prospect of an awkward situation afterwards by approaching it this way when paying. 

 

I would have thought a rogue employee in a 7-11 would get caught out quickly by their own staff , i.e. 2nd or 3rd time it happened, unless they were all in on it which seems highly unlikely.

[FritsSikkink]

16 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

He seemed to insinuate that I confused the 100 and the 1,000 TBH bills because of their slightly similar colors, but I am 1000% sure that I gave him 1,000, and I can distinguish between the two very well. 

 

The colors aren't similar at all.

[Peterphuket]

It will not be the first time this happens and also not the last but when I pay, I speak loud the value I give, it helps.

[XB12X]

15 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

There's another scam they do at Cafe Amazon.  You give them 100 and they type in 1000 received.  Then they put 900 in their pocket from the company's profits.  Nice.

I don't believe that.

[KhunBENQ]

2 minutes ago, XB12X said:

I don't believe that.

Yep, who believes that an Amazon business wouldn't do a cash audit at the end of the shift?

 

[Photoguy21]

16 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Hello, the bill at the 7-11 was 59 THB. I opened my wallet and saw that i only have some 1000-Baht-bills. i showed 1000 THB, asked in Thai, “dai mai khrap?” (can do?) and  the cashier murmured something jolly confirming. 

I received the change of 41 baht. After some fruitless waiting, I said “I still need 900, because I gave you 1,000”. The cashier said “no, you gave me 100”. A tense discussion ensued. At one point someone like perhaps a supervisor counted all the 100 THB bills and the 20 THB bills in the cash register without commenting on it. Stupidly I didn't check if there was any 1,000 THB bill.

My cashier said something about “Thailand Thailand” which I didn't understand. He seemed to insinuate that I confused the 100 and the 1,000 TBH bills because of their slightly similar colors, but I am 1000% sure that I gave him 1,000, and I can distinguish between the two very well. 

Now 4 or 5 staff watched us. Then he opened the cash register again and showed me that there was not a single 1,000 THB bill in it. I hadn't looked for that when they had opened it first for me, but of course my 1,000 THB could have been hidden anywhere, not the least under the stack of 100 THB bills that were there.

Finally I said, “okay up to you”, took my two small things, my 41 THB and left. On the spacious parking lot was my blinking bicycle (7 pm). At least one staff member observed me through the window. I was hoping they would come down, but they didn't and let me leave.

When cycling home I thought, I should have not taken anything - neither the 41 THB change nor the two small things - and should have said instead, “okay, please wait a little, I come back with police”, and see if they follow me to the parking lot. (I would have never contacted police anyway.)

How would you deal such a situation?

Backgrounds: 

It is the 7-Eleven in Samut Songhkram, the one next to the Don Hoi Lot landmark, about 3 km away. I believe that 7-Eleven doesn't get many foreigners. I had shown upon entering the cashiers two photos of anti-mosquito things I had snapped at friends’, and one had helpfully accompanied me to the 2 different shelves where I could find the items. I think I overheard them saying “oh, he speaks Thai” (and they can't know that I understand much less than I speak). They were much more personal with me than, say, a 7-Eleven cashier in Jomtien. 

I believe that I was dressed politely enough (not in sports garb, not in beach garb), but of course seeing me with a bicycle is a minus normally (I think I didn't see more than 3 bicycles total in several days of cycling around the province and locals told me it was silly and dangerous to bicycle; on the same morning a dog had bitten me physically because I bicycled).

Again I know very well that I gave 1,000 in the 7-11, as I am aware that I spent my last 100 THB bills for fish and rice at the Don Hoi Lot market. 

Your take?

 

PS

If you have a comment on getting bitten by a dog that clearly belongs to a rural 1-family-home next to a regular paved road I am interested too.

You made a mistake thinking you gave a 1000 Baht note when it was a 100Baht note.

[Bangkok Barry]

All you have to do is point to the 1000 and say 1000 - in Thai if you like, but they'll understand if it isn't - when you hand it over. Same method as recommended in bars.

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

How would you deal such a situation?

If you ever hand a cashier 1,000 baht note hold it up as you hand it to them and say clearly "One thousand baht" 

wait for them to confirm before letting go of it.

[FritsSikkink]

16 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

There's another scam they do at Cafe Amazon.  You give them 100 and they type in 1000 received.  Then they put 900 in their pocket from the company's profits.  Nice.

BS

[realfunster]

I had an interesting attempted scam in Mumbai, India, the cashier (small convenience store inside an international hotel) put my note on the counter and then attempted a quick switch of my note for a lower denomination when he thought I wasn't looking. Unfortunately for him, I did see the switch, got my full change and I reported him at hotel reception which was all of 20m away !

 

 

13 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

If you ever hand a cashier 1,000 baht note hold it up as you hand it to them and say clearly "One thousand baht" 

wait for them to confirm before letting go of it.

 Yep, good advice.

[timendres]

In 13 years, I have never been short changed at a 7/11.

At least a half dozen times, I have had to hand back money because they gave me too much change.

[richard_smith237]

Pay with TrueMoney wallet - no need to mess around with notes and change.

 

BUT... IF (as in the Op) - there is a 'change dispute' these shops (7-11 and similar) have CCTV for this very issue. 

IF you are certain you have paid with a 1000 baht note, ask to see the CCTV footage. 

 

As others have mentioned, when paying with a 500 or 1000 baht note - Hold up the note and state in Thai, what the note is. 

[richard_smith237]

38 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

You made a mistake thinking you gave a 1000 Baht note when it was a 100Baht note.

 

But he was a 1000% sure...   so more than being certain, he's 10x more than certain. 

 

Everyone makes mistakes, in this case it was either him or the Cashier...  easily resolved by checking the CCTV, if the staff are complaint and happy to check the CCTV... if not, I'm not sure how to get the CCTV checked, perhaps by getting the Police involved, if they can be bothered to help.

[Photoguy21]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

But he was a 1000% sure...   so more than being certain, he's 10x more than certain. 

 

Everyone makes mistakes, in this case it was either him or the Cashier...  easily resolved by checking the CCTV, if the staff are complaint and happy to check the CCTV... if not, I'm not sure how to get the CCTV checked, perhaps by getting the Police involved, if they can be bothered to help.

Well if he is sure how can you go against that. Getting the police involved, really? It is at most 1000 Baht and it will cost more than that is the police get involved especially if it is clear it was a 100 baht. They did show inside the till there wasn't a 1000 Baht note there but presumably the change came from the till. If so where did the 1000 Baht note go? The person must be a very accomplished magician to do that whilst you are looking.

Edited December 15, 2023 by Photoguy21

[spidermike007]

If you are absolutely certain you gave them 1,000 baht note you do not leave the store, you stay in the store for hours if you need to, you call the police, you call your friends, you make a scene, you raise your voice, you do anything you need to do to embarrass them, and shame them into submission. Believe me, you'll get your change. In Thailand sometimes it's necessary to make a lot of noise and to create a huge degree of loss of face and embarrassment, in order to get people to do the right thing ,believe me I've done it many times, it works.

[oxo1947]

7-11 can get really busy.......our local now has 5 check out, unless there are a lot of people---then they have 2...............

[spidermike007]

4 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Well if he is sure how can you go against that. Getting the police involved, really? It is at most 1000 Baht and it will cost more than that is the police get involved especially if it is clear it was a 100 baht. They did show inside the till there wasn't a 1000 Baht note there but presumably the change came from the till. If so where did the 1000 Baht note go? The person must be a very accomplished magician to do that whilst you are looking.

He might have taken his eye off the note for a moment. It is natural for people to become distracted. He could have then pocketed it, slid it under the counter, etc. That does not take magic skills. Sleight of hand is an easy trick.

[Photoguy21]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

He might have taken his eye off the note for a moment. It is natural for people to become distracted. He could have then pocketed it, slid it under the counter, etc. That does not take magic skills. Sleight of hand is an easy trick.

It is possible but not very likely.

[Thailand]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

The colors aren't similar at all.

There was a certain amount of confusion when commemorative notes were issued a couple of years ago? 

[Moonlover]

Get yourself a Truemoney Wallet. Problem solved.

[snowgard]

17 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Hello, the bill at the 7-11 was 59 THB. I opened my wallet and saw that i only have some 1000-Baht-bills. i showed 1000 THB, asked in Thai, “dai mai khrap?” (can do?) and  the cashier murmured something jolly confirming. 

I received the change of 41 baht. After some fruitless waiting, I said “I still need 900, because I gave you 1,000”. The cashier said “no, you gave me 100”. A tense discussion ensued. At one point someone like perhaps a supervisor counted all the 100 THB bills and the 20 THB bills in the cash register without commenting on it. Stupidly I didn't check if there was any 1,000 THB bill.

My cashier said something about “Thailand Thailand” which I didn't understand. He seemed to insinuate that I confused the 100 and the 1,000 TBH bills because of their slightly similar colors, but I am 1000% sure that I gave him 1,000, and I can distinguish between the two very well. 

Now 4 or 5 staff watched us. Then he opened the cash register again and showed me that there was not a single 1,000 THB bill in it. I hadn't looked for that when they had opened it first for me, but of course my 1,000 THB could have been hidden anywhere, not the least under the stack of 100 THB bills that were there.

Finally I said, “okay up to you”, took my two small things, my 41 THB and left. On the spacious parking lot was my blinking bicycle (7 pm). At least one staff member observed me through the window. I was hoping they would come down, but they didn't and let me leave.

When cycling home I thought, I should have not taken anything - neither the 41 THB change nor the two small things - and should have said instead, “okay, please wait a little, I come back with police”, and see if they follow me to the parking lot. (I would have never contacted police anyway.)

How would you deal such a situation?

Backgrounds: 

It is the 7-Eleven in Samut Songhkram, the one next to the Don Hoi Lot landmark, about 3 km away. I believe that 7-Eleven doesn't get many foreigners. I had shown upon entering the cashiers two photos of anti-mosquito things I had snapped at friends’, and one had helpfully accompanied me to the 2 different shelves where I could find the items. I think I overheard them saying “oh, he speaks Thai” (and they can't know that I understand much less than I speak). They were much more personal with me than, say, a 7-Eleven cashier in Jomtien. 

I believe that I was dressed politely enough (not in sports garb, not in beach garb), but of course seeing me with a bicycle is a minus normally (I think I didn't see more than 3 bicycles total in several days of cycling around the province and locals told me it was silly and dangerous to bicycle; on the same morning a dog had bitten me physically because I bicycled).

Again I know very well that I gave 1,000 in the 7-11, as I am aware that I spent my last 100 THB bills for fish and rice at the Don Hoi Lot market. 

Your take?

 

PS

If you have a comment on getting bitten by a dog that clearly belongs to a rural 1-family-home next to a regular paved road I am interested too.

Why you not called the police and let check the CCTV!!! Easy to see what you give and almost ALL 7-11 have CCTV over the cashiers?

[FritsSikkink]

26 minutes ago, Thailand said:

There was a certain amount of confusion when commemorative notes were issued a couple of years ago? 

I need reading glasses but can see the difference any time of day and while drunk.

[richard_smith237]

Just now, FritsSikkink said:

I need reading glasses but can see the difference any time of day and while drunk.

 

I was in a Taxi which had 'strange lighting'...    Due to the lighting there was no difference in colour between the 1000 baht and regular 100 baht notes - this left me wondering if this lighting was deliberate. 

 

 

[Moonlover]

17 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

There's another scam they do at Cafe Amazon.  You give them 100 and they type in 1000 received.  Then they put 900 in their pocket from the company's profits.  Nice.

I don't believe that. I've worked tills, there's no way anyone can pull that one off. Shop managers are not that dumb!

[Confuscious]

2 hours ago, Confuscious said:

2 fatal errors:

1. Every 7/11 has security cams filming the cashiers.
   If you think that you have been scammed, ask to see the security camera recordings.
   If that is refused, call the police.
 

Maybe a stupid remark, but why didn't you settle the payment with scan-me on your phone?

Easy and no scamming possible.

[richard_smith237]

39 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Well if he is sure how can you go against that. Getting the police involved, really? It is at most 1000 Baht and it will cost more than that is the police get involved especially if it is clear it was a 100 baht. They did show inside the till there wasn't a 1000 Baht note there but presumably the change came from the till. If so where did the 1000 Baht note go? The person must be a very accomplished magician to do that whilst you are looking.

 

It may surprise you, but the police in Thailand sometimes do their job without upfront when asked.

If the Op is certain he's been scammed - he can ask the CCTV to be checked and if they refuse, he can request assistance from the police. 

I've been here long enough to know they will help in similar situations.

 

So, the Op is correct, or he made a mistake - there is really only one way of telling. 

 

I've been in situations when I'm 1000% certain of something, only to be proven wrong - we are human and can make mistakes. 

There are also scammers around, so, if we beleive we have been scammed we need to deal with the issue. 

Suggesting 'at most its 1000 baht' and implying its a lost cause and should give up, implies weakness on your part - if someone thinks they have been scammed, deal with it. 

 

Where did the 1000 Baht note go ??... surely you are not that naive ?.... if the 7-11 staff member was scamming the Op it would have been easy for him to pocket the note.

 

 

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

Maybe a stupid remark, but why didn't you settle the payment with scan-me on your phone?

Easy and no scamming possible.

 

That is the form of payment I usually use most of the time these days (TrueMoney / PromptPay in Thailand)... 

 

But, as per other threads on the subject of e-Payment, there are a lot of people who are against it and only want to use cash. 

They'll come up with all manner of excuses not to sue e-payments.. 

 

 

 

[Thailand]

22 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

I need reading glasses but can see the difference any time of day and while drunk.

Good for you.

 

Apparently a lot of people could not particularly if the lighting was not good.

[Sheryl]

My take on it:

 

1. Either you are wrong about the 1,000 or they deliberately ripped you off. Can't have been accidental because if it were, the 1,000 would not have been concealed in the drawer and the matter easily reoslved

 

2. Police would nto be remotely interested and threat of police would likely have accomplished nothing becasue they'd (the 7-11 folk) would know this.

 

3. You urgently need to go to hospital for rabies shots unless the owners of the dog can show definitive proof it was vaccinated at a reputable vet (unlikely in a rural area).

 

Forget about the money (though maybe don't shop there again) and worry instead about rabies, which is endemic in Thailand.