American expat escapes Thai jail time for scathing hotel review

[Roo Island]

Old news, but TripAdvisor did the right thing. Take a look at the huge banner on the hotel's review page. Ouch.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g580110-d594766-Reviews-Sea_View_Resort_Spa_Koh_Chang-Ko_Chang_Trat_Province.html

 

Message from Tripadvisor:This hotel or individuals associated with this hotel filed criminal charges against a Tripadvisor user in relation to the traveler writing and posting online reviews. The reviewer spent time in jail as a result. Tripadvisor serves its users best when travelers are free to share their opinions and experiences on our platform – both positive and negative. The hotel may have been exercising its legal rights under local law, however, it is our role to inform you so you may take this into consideration when researching your travel plans.

[Scouse123]

4 minutes ago, RobU said:

This story is nearly one year old and has already been discussed in this forum. The Thaiger is dredging up old news and publishing it as new. The man in question also had an arrest warrant in place in his home county USA for firing a weapon at a bar he had been ejected from for unruly behaviour

 

Not according to @Bangkok Barry he says its a new story with a different hotel?

 

Sat on the fence me!🤣

[bluemoon58]

I was very fortunate many years ago to get some good advice from a Brit who worked in the hotel industry here. She warned me never to leave bad reviews on travel sites or social media here as the consequences could be grim. It was good advice as I wasn't aware of the "saving face" culture here at the time because I hadn't been here very long. However, she did explain what she knew to be the best way forward to get it off your chest. She told me to email the General Manager of the hotel chain directly with both good and bad observations and I might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome. I did this and had a response the same day with profuse apologies for the experience I was complaining about and also thanking me for the good observations I commented on. To top it all off, he offered me and "her indoors" a 5 day, 4 night freebie at one of the chains hotels of my choice! I've been here 12 years now and had three freebies over that time by following her sage advice. As a footnote, I know this doesn't give you the gratification of making your complaints known to the wider public but it doesn't half help! 

[spidermike007]

Only extreme insecurity, a total lack of vision, and zero confidence, drives small minded people to use cowardly defamation laws. 

 

Such pathetic behavior. Amazing that the courts allow this infantile law and behavior to be acknowledged. It says alot about the legal system and the judges. 

[Bangkok Barry]

4 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Not according to @Bangkok Barry he says its a new story with a different hotel?

 

Sat on the fence me!🤣

 

Having read other comments I'm now not sure so I've deleted my two posts. I'm also on the fence. But I'm 60/40 it's new, as the previous guy was held in a cell as far as I remember. Would he really be dumb enough to continue a vendetta a year or more later? Mind you, he comes from the Land Of Trump so...

[malibukid]

9 hours ago, smedly said:

they can't admit to anything and take it on the chin, this is outrageous 

 

if I ran a business I would welcome negative feedback so that I knew were to improve 

Thais are like children with fragile egos, this is why the country will never grow up, as anyone knows who has sent food back at a restaurant here

[zhounan]

TripAdvisor should quit Thailand.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Did this really take that long to finalise or is it a rehash of an old story. As others said bad unfair review but overreaction by hotel that had been likely costly. Hotel is now called Sylvan and ironically appears to be a sponsor of Tripadvisor and gets listings at the top. Love this hotel though. 

[RobU]

21 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Not according to @Bangkok Barry he says its a new story with a different hotel?

 

Sat on the fence me!🤣

@BangkokBarry  seems to have deleted his post

[Gandtee]

10 hours ago, smedly said:

they can't admit to anything and take it on the chin, this is outrageous 

 

if I ran a business I would welcome negative feedback so that I knew were to improve 

Ah. But you are not a Thai, where face is everything.

[ChipButty]

This is history not news, 

 

There was a member on here the other week being sued by a guest for leaving a bad review, I wonder what happened there, 

[stoner]

10 hours ago, steven100 said:

you must lie ..

 

Like telling yourself that the piss called thai beer tastes good. 🙂

[Bangkok Barry]

I always read TA reviews before booking a hotel. If there are 20 good reviews and one bad one, I take it that the bad reviewer had an isolated poor experience or an agenda or was just unlucky. Why a hotel would want someone jailed for an single poor review is beyond belief. Are they really stupid enough to think they'll lose business because of one poor review out of dozens? Of course not. It's only their bruised Thai ego that is damaged. Children. Everything in Thailand is perfect, no-one ever makes a mistake, everyone knows everything about everything. It's the way they are raised from birth. Pathetic culture.

[Thonburi-tales]

46 minutes ago, RobU said:

This story is nearly one year old and has already been discussed in this forum. The Thaiger is dredging up old news and publishing it as new. The man in question also had an arrest warrant in place in his home county USA for firing a weapon at a bar he had been ejected from for unruly behaviour

I would have thought every American male has a rap sheet for gun offences and unruly behaviour. Goes without saying in Texas doesnt it.

 

6000b for a night in a provincial hotel???  jesus

I pay that per month for a two storey home just over the river from Chinatown.

Thailand is a 3rd rate tourist destination that charges 5 star prices. I havent been down to Pattaya or Phuket in over 20years.

Overated dumps full of old farang and dirty cops.

 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

10 hours ago, smedly said:

they can't admit to anything and take it on the chin, this is outrageous 

 

if I ran a business I would welcome negative feedback so that I knew were to improve 

Totally agree with you, but I am assuming you are not Thai?🙄

Criticism should be welcomed, good or bad?

[Nick Carter icp]

1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

He sounds like a five-star dick if he attempted to bring his own booze and not pay any corkage in the restaurant.

 

 

   Not only that , the hotel ended up waiving the corkage fee and allowed him to have his 7/11 drink in their hotel bar  , and he still waged war against the hotel 

[Jack West Jr]

More proof that Thailand is ostensibly a democracy where free speech and the candid stating of opinions is trampled upon . 

The only upside of this maladroit article is that it shows up government censorship and repression. Welcome to the land of medieval thinking .

[zzzzz]

Travel suggestions ; never file negative comments till ur OUT of the country

Plus , this is an old story ( i think last year)

[stoner]

8 minutes ago, Thonburi-tales said:

or Phuket in over 20years.

Overated dumps full of old farang and dirty cops.

20 years is a little bit. totally wrong about phuket. overrated dump full of russians and european middle easterners.

[sirineou]

Another great headline by the Thaiger. 

[Smokey and the Bandit]

Surely the only way to know if the hotel is doing a good or bad job job,  is to encourage reviews, good or bad, then if bad ask how they can improve?

No hotel gets it right 100% of the time?

[stix40]

What a joke 

Possible 2 year jail term for a bad hotel review ?

Wtf

Getting more like china ! 

 

 

[bristolgeoff]

I could be wrong but they was something in pattaya about a restaurant or hotel a few yrs ago.Bad comment and many problems later.I don,t think he will do it again in trip advisor

[alex8912]

55 minutes ago, RobU said:

@BangkokBarry  seems to have deleted his post

@Bangkok Barry also must have TDS from his post above as well. Why does this forum allow such off topic comments?? 

[RobU]

25 minutes ago, Thonburi-tales said:

I would have thought every American male has a rap sheet for gun offences and unruly behaviour. Goes without saying in Texas doesnt it.

 

6000b for a night in a provincial hotel???  jesus

I pay that per month for a two storey home just over the river from Chinatown.

Thailand is a 3rd rate tourist destination that charges 5 star prices. I havent been down to Pattaya or Phuket in over 20years.

Overated dumps full of old farang and dirty cops.

 

Some people might say that you can't tar all Americans with the same brush. Yes you can tar all Americans with the same brush. They elect a government that supports murderous rampages against children in schools and does nothing to stop it, lots of sympathetic words but no action.

[koolkarl]

This episode is ridiculous.  All the more reason to not visit Thailand because of Thai attitudes towards foreigners and toxic air pollution almost everywhere, most of the year and I mean toxic.

[JimHuaHin]

Although, as some have pointed out, this is a "old" story, it is worth highlighting again.

 

Many people in Thailand seem to have very very fragile egos - just look at the number of domestic killings over trivial issues.

[NoshowJones]

11 hours ago, smedly said:

they can't admit to anything and take it on the chin, this is outrageous 

 

if I ran a business I would welcome negative feedback so that I knew were to improve 

Thai's don't have a low IQ rating of only 80+ for nothing.

[BE88]

11 hours ago, steven100 said:

you can't tell the truth here ...  If your hotel is dirty,  or the service isn't good ... you can't say anything. ...

if you go to a restaurant and the meal was well below what should have been provided, or the table waiter is rude or the service is non-existent ....  you can't say anything. 

 

you must lie .... 😂

 

It's like a medieval society where there were only servants and masters. Any reference to Thailand is purely coincidental.😁

 

[baipaibkk]

Bad Service. Bad Review.

Is a normal process all of the World.

 

Reviews is very important for Tourists.

 

Houston we have a Problem.......