14 hours ago, Joe Boy Walton said:

Seriously? There is so much wrong with that statement I don't know where to start. Not least is has eff all to do with the story.

Why not start somewhere? Smoking is generally reserved for the lower class. Smokers are awful people; they toss their cigarette butts everywhere except in proper disposable bins.

He should have opened up a Gofundme , people like this make it harder

for long time expats, if he could not pay for phone repair ,how is he payimg

for his accommodation , how much could the repair been , you would think

the shop has his number, maybe the police could track him.

regards worgeordie

15 hours ago, Point Arguello said:

Note I've noticed alot of 20,s & 30,s white male foreigners smoking cigarettes these days. That by construction is a bad sign.

Maybe it's the Bogart-Hunter Thompson wanna be tough guys doing the liquor and cigs schtick.

With the price of cigs in the U.S. maybe they travel to find places where they can afford it.

How much is a pack of cigarettes in the USA?

Price of a 20-cigarette pack vary significantly in the USA across the states and even across the localities in a given state due to the excise tax and sales tax differences. The average cigarette price (for a mainstream brand) range from $7.95 in North Carolina to $14.55 in New York with a national average of $10.25. Sales volume weighted average cigarette price in the USA is $9.75 – slightly lower than the unweighted average due to the higher sales volume in the states with lower cigarette prices.

In the top‑ten ranking in terms of highest cigarette prices, New York ($14.55), Maryland ($14.17), and Washington, D.C. ($13.94) dominate, followed by Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, and Minnesota, whose prices all exceed $12 per pack. These jurisdictions typically route tax revenues into healthcare, anti‑smoking programs, and general funds. But such aggressive pricing has unintended side‑effects: prior studies link these spikes to significant smuggling – New York alone saw an estimated 54% of consumed cigarettes being illicit between 2022 and 2024.

https://tobaccoinsider.com/usa-cigarette-prices-by-state/

That business about interstate tobacco smuggling in NY has been going since before I was born, which was in Truman days. I recall my grandfather one time brought home maybe ten unstamped cartons and asking him why he bought so many -- $2 per carton, smuggled up from the Dixie states.

Another one who will give a horrfic image against all westerners as people will always generalize no matter where or who.

16 hours ago, Brettoj said:

Hers a tip, take the money before handing him the phone!

Yes that is one solution but I for one would hate to see that type of transaction become the norm....just imagine having to pay for a meal before you eat it. I hope they catch this moron idiot a hat and deport him for life. Thai people are generally very trusting but sadly jerks like this are slowly destroying that trust.

12 hours ago, Mr Awesome said:

Why not start somewhere? Smoking is generally reserved for the lower class. Smokers are awful people; they toss their cigarette butts everywhere except in proper disposable bins.

Again, what has this to do with the story? And your "smokers" statement applies to all smokers? Lower class and awful? Watch yourself getting off that horse dude, you might suffer re-entry burns.

5 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

It is a valid observation. The vast majority of young people no longer smoke tobacco. Those who do, typically come from a lower socio economic demographic: Less educated, less intelligent, and poorer than non smokers. Multiple studies from a cross section of countries have demonstrated this. This demographic characteristic coincidentally lines up with the foreigners most likely to be involved in anti-social activity. It's self evident, isn't?

3 hours ago, Joe Boy Walton said:

Again, what has this to do with the story? And your "smokers" statement applies to all smokers? Lower class and awful? Watch yourself getting off that horse dude, you might suffer re-entry burns.

What it's has to do with the story is its part of a profile: Even Stevie Wonder can id these lowlife (mostly white foreign males), with their sh*t shirts, sh*t shorts, and sh*t shoes. As well as a high percentage of cigarette smokers. So you see this sh*t lode of foreigner demographic are making everything for the good foreigners more difficult. There is a thread on Thai attitude changes for the worst in the Pattaya section . And it could be related to this said subset of foreigners, whether they commit a crime or not. Here are some correlations : cigarette smokers and foreigner crime in Pattaya. 1

45 minutes ago, Point Arguello said:

What it's has to do with the story is its part of a profile: Even Stevie Wonder can id these lowlife (mostly white foreign males), with their sh*t shirts, sh*t shorts, and sh*t shoes. As well as a high percentage of cigarette smokers. So you see this sh*t lode of foreigner demographic are making everything for the good foreigners more difficult. There is a thread on Thai attitude changes for the worst in the Pattaya section . And it could be related to this said subset of foreigners, whether they commit a crime or not. Here are some correlations : cigarette smokers and foreigner crime in Pattaya. 1

Plenty of Thais smoke mate. Correlation is not causation.

12 hours ago, Joe Boy Walton said:

Again, what has this to do with the story? And your "smokers" statement applies to all smokers? Lower class and awful? Watch yourself getting off that horse dude, you might suffer re-entry burns.

I say smokers are low-class people.

On 8/26/2026 at 12:43 AM, wensiensheng said:

Yeah, but most people want to examine and test the phone to make sure that it’s been repaired properly. I know I do.

So I don’t think that’s a practical suggestion.

The brother of a former girlfriend had a shop in Tukcom where he repaired cell phones, laptops and other devices. He always changed the PIN or sign-in code. When he turned on the device to hand it back for customers to check, he told them he had had to change the code to be able to repair the device.

He told them that once he had been paid, he would set up the device so they could type in any code they wanted.

He never had anyone try to do a runner, but several had shown up without the money to pay for the repair. When they realized they wouldn't be getting back a working device without paying, they scurried off and returned with the money.

10 hours ago, Mr Awesome said:

I say smokers are low-class people.

A number of the UK Royal family smoke. And Obama smoked although had made several attempts to quit, maybe he’s been successful by now.

I’m not a smoker, never have been, nor do my family smoke. But I don’t automatically think of smokers as low class. That’s a correlation that doesn’t hold water.

10 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

A number of the UK Royal family smoke. And Obama smoked although had made several attempts to quit, maybe he’s been successful by now.

I rest my case.

10 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

A number of the UK Royal family smoke. And Obama smoked although had made several attempts to quit, maybe he’s been successful by now.

I’m not a smoker, never have been, nor do my family smoke. But I don’t automatically think of smokers as low class. That’s a correlation that doesn’t hold water.

Monica smoked in the White house as well.

Good Girl.

13 hours ago, Mr Awesome said:

I rest my case.

I thought it would be hard to come back with a more asinine comment than your original post, but congratulations, you passed the test with flying colors.

Clearly smoking and socio economic class are not correlated.

Off topic posts removed.

Off topic post removed @Point Arguello this is the third time I have removed this off topic post. You had a public notice above, yet you again ignore moderation. If you post again, then expect a time out.