Went into a restaurant where I thought the fixed price was 219 baht 

 

I then received a bill for Service charge of 10% plus VAT charge 7% 

257 baht 

I'm not happy , i Jane never had this before,never 

Service charge ,?

 

 

2 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I thought the fixed price was 219 baht 

 

I then received a bill for Service charge of 10% plus VAT charge 7% 

257 baht 

219b + 17% = 256.23b, which rounds off to 256b, not 257. To my mind this is more insidious because the 17% was declared upfront but the 1b at the end was not.

2 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Went into a restaurant where I thought the fixed price was 219 baht 

 

I then received a bill for Service charge of 10% plus VAT charge 7% 

257 baht 

I'm not happy , i Jane never had this before,never 

Service charge ,?

 

 

I guess you couldn't afford to go to a restaurant in OZ where every restaurant has it doooooo

2 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Service charge ,?

Yes, it is a charge levied when you have received a service &/or someone has served you in said restaurant. There is a small clue in the name. 

 

It is not always compulsory, it can be discretionary. You would be within your rights to create a hoo ha if you do not feel that the service warranted a 10% service charge. I wouldn't be in a hurry to return to said establishment though if you did kick off about the charge. Not unless you relish the ideas of 'extras' with your next meal if they remember you...

It's just a fancy name for cheating you: promote a cheap price (219) and actually charging much more (257).

In Italy, restaurants have an extra charge for using plate and spoon, in the US they charge taxes and tip, many places in Bangkok now charge you 5B for take-out, I have seen charges for eating inside and charges for eating outside, charges for using cash and charges for not using cash, ...

Fraudsters are creative

 

37 minutes ago, still kicking said:

I guess you couldn't afford to go to a restaurant in OZ where every restaurant has it doooooo

A service charge ??

Never seen it in Australia 

1 hour ago, Autocan said:

219b + 17% = 256.23b, which rounds off to 256b, not 257. To my mind this is more insidious because the 17% was declared upfront but the 1b at the end was not.

 

Unfortunately it's not +17%. VAT is levied on the base price PLUS the service charge. In simple terms that works out to be 1 x 1.10 x 1.07 = 1.177, or +17.7%.

A service charge is, frankly, a completely unnecessary fee that has crept into menus through what I can only call the ‘Americanisation’ of dining. Restaurants and other businesses slap it on for a service they are already obliged to provide.

 

Think about it: when I buy a beer and a meal for $10, I’m not paying a “seat charge” or an “entry fee.” There’s no separate fee for cooking the food, washing the dishes, listening to the music, cleaning the restaurant, paying the rent, or covering licensing costs.

 

All of those expenses are already built into the price of the meal.

 

So why, then, is a service charge considered acceptable? Because somewhere along the line, Americans went along with it, and now it’s spread like a virus across the industry. It’s a charge for doing something that should be included anyway - a clever little way to extract extra money under the guise of “service”.....

It's meant to be a tip.

 

None of it goes to the staff rarely, from my experience talking to them.

 

It's a rip of charge. 

3 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

t into a restaurant where I thought the fixed price was 219 baht 

 

I then received a bill for Service charge of 10% plus VAT charge 7% 

257 baht 

I'm not happy , i Jane never had this before,never 

 

Question answered seriously above...

 

Here's my other response.....  Considering you are someone of self claimed intellectual above average, your question lends to serious doubt of that fact - however, not to have ever seen a ++ (plus plus) service charge, anywhere else suggest this is your first time out of the house !!!... 

 

The trolling is just too uninventive - try harder.

 

 

Cost: 219 Baht

+ 10% Service Charge (+B 21.9) = 240.9 Baht 

+ 7% GST (B 16.863) = 257.763 Baht

- Rounded down to 257 Baht (never round up for a customer).

 

 

Here we go:

 

The rain was coming down in sheets, and so was my luck. I walked into a joint with a sign that promised a "fixed price" for 219 baht. A perfect deal, I thought. The kind of lie you want to believe.

Then came the bill. The waiter, a weasel with a slicked-back smile, laid it on the table like a confession. The number stared back at me: 257 baht. My eyes narrowed, seeing the two-headed monster staring me down—a ten percent shakedown for "service" and a seven percent tribute to the big house.

The fixed price wasn't fixed at all. It was a rigged game, a double-cross more sinister than anything I'd seen in a back alley. A guy could lose his soul in this town, but I'd just lost a whole 38 baht. The real crime, I tell you, wasn't on the streets. It was right here, on a cheap piece of paper, under the flickering neon light.

A Service charge is the response of a stallion to a request from a mare😏

yeah life sucks here

i guess

i'm gonna Somalia

 r mebby gaza

A service charge is a charge for service. If you can't afford it, stay home. Regardless, I do not care about 17 baht.

2 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

A service charge is a charge for service. If you can't afford it, stay home. Regardless, I do not care about 17 baht.

 

But would you care about 38 baht?

If  SC are added on the bill, then legally, it's supposed to be stated on menu, 'not included in price' or 'will be added'., or ' ++ " listed somewhere.  If not, you're not obligated to pay.  Or so I've read.

 

That said, I wouldn't dispute, just not return to the venue.  Not a money thing, just a principle thing.  Also not knowing if only added to farang bills.

 

Usually a Vat & SC added, in menu or not, at non ma/pa shops (more likely farang scam) , but added at  better venues, comfy & AC'd, and usually stated somewhere on menu.  If added, certainly don't give a tip, unless service was excellent, and handed directly to server.

 

Also why we don't tip at hotels, as usually added, and no special service provided.  If not shared with staff, (hotel or restaurant), them maybe they should seek employment elsewhere.

 

From Ms Google ...

 

3 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

But would you care about 38 baht?

No

14 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

A service charge is a charge for service. If you can't afford it, stay home. Regardless, I do not care about 17 baht.

 

Do you pay a 10% service charge for receiving your petrol when filling up with fuel ?

Do you pay a 10% service charge for the groceries you buy at Big C, Tops, Villa Market etc ?

Do you pay a 10% service charge for your 'hospital bill' when getting a vaccination ?

Do you pay a 10% service charge when you get your car serviced ?

 

... I could go on, but you get my point... 

 

In each of these instances there is 'someone else' doing some work, and that is 'written' into cost of business... So why in the 'food and beverage industry' is a 'service charge' now something 'extra' ???

 

 

 

AFAIK, Service charges are not ever compulsory, even if stated on the menu. Certainly not in the U.K. Similarly in Thailand. Ideally best to refuse to pay it before you order. They have the choice to refuse to serve you.

USA we can ignore, as they are all just money mad over there 🙂 

Service charge for being given your food?

 

I'd give them my phone number and tell them to call me at my table when the food's ready and I'll collect it myself. Lol

1 hour ago, Baht Simpson said:

Service charge for being given your food?

 

I'd give them my phone number and tell them to call me at my table when the food's ready and I'll collect it myself. Lol

By asking him to call you on his phone would incur two charges and not either one or zero!!

1 Phone Charge

2 Service charge

On 9/24/2025 at 11:39 PM, georgegeorgia said:

Went into a restaurant where I thought the fixed price was 219 baht 

 

I then received a bill for Service charge of 10% plus VAT charge 7% 

257 baht 

I'm not happy , i Jane never had this before,never 

Service charge ,?

 

 

The service charge would have been for the h##d job that you got from the waitress under the table.That's not free you know.

This is why I never use Agoda.com to find a hotel. They quote you a lowball price in the beginning of your search that appears to beat all the competition, then when you go to reserve the room, you discover that they will now add on the 10% service charge and the 7% Vat. Therefore, I always use Booking.com because there are no tricks on that site. In my mind, this sort of gimmick to get customers is obscene and unacceptable.

On 9/24/2025 at 8:39 PM, georgegeorgia said:

Went into a restaurant where I thought the fixed price was 219 baht 

 

I then received a bill for Service charge of 10% plus VAT charge 7% 

257 baht 

I'm not happy , i Jane never had this before,never 

Service charge ,?

 

 

I got caught up with that in Bangkok a few years ago, I gave the assistant the exact money, she pointed out the small print, I just told her I never noticed it and walked out.

On 9/25/2025 at 1:19 AM, cjinchiangrai said:

A service charge is a charge for service. If you can't afford it, stay home. Regardless, I do not care about 17 baht.

I always care if some weasel tries to cheat me, even if it's only 17 baht.

On 9/25/2025 at 4:46 PM, JakeC said:

AFAIK, Service charges are not ever compulsory, even if stated on the menu. Certainly not in the U.K. Similarly in Thailand. Ideally best to refuse to pay it before you order. They have the choice to refuse to serve you.

USA we can ignore, as they are all just money mad over there 🙂 

I have used restaurants all over America and never tipped, but always remembering not to use that restaurant a second time for obvious reasons. No one tells me whether I should tip or not.

10 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

I have used restaurants all over America and never tipped, but always remembering not to use that restaurant a second time for obvious reasons. No one tells me whether I should tip or not.

I wonder if all your problems with computers and phones may be some form of Karma. 🙃

53 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

I always care if some weasel tries to cheat me, even if it's only 17 baht.

I might not go back but I am not having a fit over insignificant money.

56 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

No one tells me whether I should tip or not.

 

 

9 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

I always care if some weasel tries to cheat me, even if it's only 17 baht.

I might not go back but I am not having a fit over insignificant money.

 

I don't think anyone is having a fit over 17 baht...  and whenever these comments pop up, be it a 20 baht or a 200 baht over-charge, tipping etc... someone might always highlight that the money is insignificant and not worth the the hassle... which is true - but that also misses a point...

 

The comments are often made, not because someone is having a fit, but because they have time, are sat chilling at home and figured they'd contribute to this forum on a topic they have an opinion... 

 

No one (outside of the USA at least) likes tipping culture, especially when its so common its become automatic and expected.