Jetbike Ripoff

[rocky123]

Please beware, if you are thinking of hiring a jetbike on Pattaya beech bring plenty of cash becuase the chances are you will return to the shore and have to pay a huge amount up to 100,000 bht for the damage you did not do. I feel so sorry for the tourists who are conned each day. I spend alot of my days on the Pattaya beech and witness heartbreaking scenes every day. The Bully boy Mafia gang up and demand money for a scratch or bump that was already there. If the police get involved guess whos side they take. Please advise your friends, it could spoil thier holiday.

[tijnebijn]

Things like this spoil everything indeed .

I wonder if you would go to another police station , and tell them about the scam .

Or the Ministry of tourism , that this makes a very bad image for the country .

Things happen , but if nobody is telling them , nothing will ever change does it ?

I for instance would not pay , but hey if you are a holidayer what can you think what to do ,

probably insured , so easy cash for those scumbags .

[meemiathai]

Please beware, if you are thinking of hiring a jetbike on Pattaya beech bring plenty of cash becuase the chances are you will return to the shore and have to pay a huge amount up to 100,000 bht for the damage you did not do. I feel so sorry for the tourists who are conned each day. I spend alot of my days on the Pattaya beech and witness heartbreaking scenes every day. The Bully boy Mafia gang up and demand money for a scratch or bump that was already there. If the police get involved guess whos side they take. Please advise your friends, it could spoil thier holiday.

Would you mind telling us about the story?

I have been there quite a few times and they were great.

[tropo]

Please beware, if you are thinking of hiring a jetbike on Pattaya beech bring plenty of cash becuase the chances are you will return to the shore and have to pay a huge amount up to 100,000 bht for the damage you did not do. I feel so sorry for the tourists who are conned each day. I spend alot of my days on the Pattaya beech and witness heartbreaking scenes every day. The Bully boy Mafia gang up and demand money for a scratch or bump that was already there. If the police get involved guess whos side they take. Please advise your friends, it could spoil thier holiday.

Jetskis are great fun, but it's not worth the risk really. To avoid this you'd have to both go over the jetski with a fine tooth comb before you went out on it and get the owner to sign a form indicating all the damage on it.

[rixalex]

Please beware, if you are thinking of hiring a jetbike on Pattaya beech bring plenty of cash becuase the chances are you will return to the shore and have to pay a huge amount up to 100,000 bht for the damage you did not do. I feel so sorry for the tourists who are conned each day. I spend alot of my days on the Pattaya beech and witness heartbreaking scenes every day. The Bully boy Mafia gang up and demand money for a scratch or bump that was already there. If the police get involved guess whos side they take. Please advise your friends, it could spoil thier holiday.

Jetskis are great fun, but it's not worth the risk really. To avoid this you'd have to both go over the jetski with a fine tooth comb before you went out on it and get the owner to sign a form indicating all the damage on it.

Alternatively, just take a pic from every angle.

[rocky123]

On another occasion a lad staying at my bar rang me in a real state. He took a jetbike out and after 5 min a bolt came lose and he lost the steering. On the beech the Mafia demanded 20,000 bht, he sought help from a passing police officer. The cop asked agresivly, " OK when you go, not OK come back, you do, you pay man" I had to advise him to negotiate a price with them or the charge would grow. He got away with 15,00, 10 of which went to the jetbike Mafia, NOT SURE where the other 5 grand went !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tammi]

This is very bad publicity both for the jet ski owners and the police and should be kept at the top of the forum topics until these guys wise up and City Hall too.

There's been too many horrible accidents due to jet skis. I think they should be banned for the noise pollution alone.

[mikethevigoman]

Please beware, if you are thinking of hiring a jetbike on Pattaya beech bring plenty of cash becuase the chances are you will return to the shore and have to pay a huge amount up to 100,000 bht for the damage you did not do. I feel so sorry for the tourists who are conned each day. I spend alot of my days on the Pattaya beech and witness heartbreaking scenes every day. The Bully boy Mafia gang up and demand money for a scratch or bump that was already there. If the police get involved guess whos side they take. Please advise your friends, it could spoil thier holiday.

This is not new, in 92 i rented one and was acting the goat and collided with a mate on another one, the engine flipped off mine and sank ! it was dangling by th fuel line, we were on an island and if we hadnt bartered and got down to 50000 baht id still be there as i was going nowhere til id paid,they made that clear,.

[tropo]

Jetskis are great fun, but it's not worth the risk really. To avoid this you'd have to both go over the jetski with a fine tooth comb before you went out on it and get the owner to sign a form indicating all the damage on it.

Alternatively, just take a pic from every angle.

It's most important to check the underside too which is often where they claim damage has been done. Unless it's dragged onto the beach, this is impossible.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Remeber that these are civil matters. Insist on going to court. The price will reduce considerably.

[philliphn]

I will never hire a jet ski!

[soundman]

This caper was tried on me two years ago. I was informed at the end of my ride that a huge gash on the underside of the boat had been put there by me. Of course it hadn't. They wanted 35,000B for repairs. Repairs which cost about 1,500B

I told the operator that I didn't put it there, however if he thought I did, go & repair the jetbike, get the bill, take it to his lawyer & present the facts as to how I had caused the damage to his jetbike in court.

After standing with a few of his mates staring at me for twenty minutes, they decided to give up & move on to another target.

The name of the game is intimidation, if you aren't intimidated, they don't win. Extremely unlikely the thugs will ever actually lay a finger on you, especially if you are non-confrontational but firm with your replies.

You just have to stand your ground in situations like this.

Soundman.

[britmaveric]

This caper was tried on me two years ago. I was informed at the end of my ride that a huge gash on the underside of the boat had been put there by me. Of course it hadn't. They wanted 35,000B for repairs. Repairs which cost about 1,500B

I told the operator that I didn't put it there, however if he thought I did, go & repair the jetbike, get the bill, take it to his lawyer & present the facts as to how I had caused the damage to his jetbike in court.

After standing with a few of his mates staring at me for twenty minutes, they decided to give up & move on to another target.

The name of the game is intimidation, if you aren't intimidated, they don't win. Extremely unlikely the thugs will ever actually lay a finger on you, especially if you are non-confrontational but firm with your replies.

You just have to stand your ground in situations like this.

Soundman.

I agree - same thing happened to me a few years back. 3 of my mates rented jet ski(s) - we all came in and they decided to say I damaged my jetski. I didnt of course, so all 3 of us stared at the lads for 30min and told them we weren't going to pay anything. They gave up and moved on to next mug. This was Koh Larn btw.

[Humphrey Bear]

Surely this is a job for our intrepid Tourist Police Volunteers?

I would prefer to ban jet-skis altogether, but if we must have them (if only to keep Tropo happy) then let it be done right - obey the Thai law by having a qualified operator on board and have a check sheet signed by both parties at the start and finish of each hire.

The TPVs should root out these sharp practitioners first, then allow legitimate operators to earn an honest few baht later.

[Mobi]

This rip offs are disgusting and scary.

It's obviously all controlled by the Mafia network that runs Pattaya, including our friends in uniform, so I doubt you'll see much action there.

I personally believe that jet skis should be banned from the whole of the Pattaya and Jomtien beach areas, as they are just accidents waiting to happen (there's been quite a few already) and in any civilised country they would never be allowed to operate without any proper rules and amongst bathers. The last occasion I ventured onto Pattaya beach, I thought I was watching some kind of horror "roller ball" type movie. I was a miracle that no one was hurt with the jet skis and power boats speeding around the beach area full of bathers. To say nothing of noise pollution.

As Hump says, if there must be jet skis - for God sake put them in a special area, away from everyone else.

As for the 'damage' scams - it will probably get much worse before anything is done - if at all.

[tropo]

Surely this is a job for our intrepid Tourist Police Volunteers?

I would prefer to ban jet-skis altogether, but if we must have them (if only to keep Tropo happy) then let it be done right - obey the Thai law by having a qualified operator on board and have a check sheet signed by both parties at the start and finish of each hire.

The TPVs should root out these sharp practitioners first, then allow legitimate operators to earn an honest few baht later.

Don't worry about me. If they can't keep these pathetic scams under control, I'd rather they ban them completely too.

When I first arrived in Pattaya last year I rented them out several times and was lucky not to encounter any scammers, but after reading many reports on this forum (and even talking to one lad in person who was scammed) about what can happen I won't rent one now.

Jetskiing is supposed to be an enjoyable pastime, ****ed if I'm going to put myself through the worry about being ripped off at the end of my ride.

[torrenova]

I had 2 French guys come into one of my places a couple of years ago and tell me how they had rented 2 jetskis and had a minor collision. They wanted something like 25k for one and 15k for the other.

I knew the guys a litte but not enough to wade in apart from offering advice.

I used the repair it argument and they were met with a loss of use argument for the other amounts (magically equalling the same). They reverted asking for tax records proving that such a high amount could be made from a jetski in such a short period of time. In the end a couple of grand changed hands. they swore these was no real damage at all.

I would not hire one but I would also reverse the argument. If your jetski hits my car or you hit my car will you pay me 50,000 or something or perhaps 700,000 (same % cost damage to new cost) ?Like hel_l, the max is some Somchia with his spray gun. Offer the same and you find your own Sonchai.

[NanLaew]

Regarding zoning jetski and speed boat operations, wasn't this already done years ago? I recall seeing fishing floats and flags at one time in the vicinity of Dongtan beach but maybe when the floats and ropes perished, nobody replaced them and the 'law' was forgotten?

The touts on the beach renting out jetskis are not the owners of the equipment and pay a daily fee to the actual owners in a similar way that the baht bus driver rents from the baht bus owner. If the tout/driver is lazy, has a bad day or the jetski/baht bus is damaged, he has to fork out to the owner so best to stick it to the unsuspecting renter first.

[torrenova]

That is very true, they are not owned by the guys on the beach. If there are accidents caused by the operators, then the owners know nothing. unless the rents are that high, I cannot see the real owners not getting a share out of some scam.

[Tammi]

Please beware, if you are thinking of hiring a jetbike on Pattaya beech bring plenty of cash becuase the chances are you will return to the shore and have to pay a huge amount up to 100,000 bht for the damage you did not do. I feel so sorry for the tourists who are conned each day. I spend alot of my days on the Pattaya beech and witness heartbreaking scenes every day. The Bully boy Mafia gang up and demand money for a scratch or bump that was already there. If the police get involved guess whos side they take. Please advise your friends, it could spoil thier holiday.

Jetskis are great fun, but it's not worth the risk really. To avoid this you'd have to both go over the jetski with a fine tooth comb before you went out on it and get the owner to sign a form indicating all the damage on it.

I have never been on one because I just don't see the point zooming along all by myself and doing "wheelies". Anyway I have heard that they are bad for the testicles.

[britmaveric]

No my testicles are quite fine, but yes hitting waves hard does create a certain stimulation to the nether regions.

Stay away from collisions or even bumping jetski(s), nor go anywhere near rocks. Stay out in the open sea and you should have no problem. If they can claim damage they certainly will try - even if a minor tap.

[wcr]

This problem is very wide spread. Be aware!

[tropo]

I have never been on one because I just don't see the point zooming along all by myself and doing "wheelies". Anyway I have heard that they are bad for the testicles.

I always have my girl on the back.

[andyadam]

That is very true, they are not owned by the guys on the beach. If there are accidents caused by the operators, then the owners know nothing. unless the rents are that high, I cannot see the real owners not getting a share out of some scam.

You will find it's half true, there I know qhite a few owner operators but on Jomtien beach, they are all pretty fair on the whole and I have never seen them scamming anyone, I have seen the idiots colliding with each other and then trying to tell the guys they didn't do the damage!! It does go both ways and a new Yamaha ski is 500,000 plus here.

I don't dispute the fact it goes on but their not all at it.

[tropo]

I don't dispute the fact it goes on but their not all at it.

Of course they're not all at it, but is it worth the risk to spoil a good day over such a dispute?

Do you have any recommendations on how to find the good guys?

[Humphrey Bear]

Get City Hall to licence them - licences to be displayed - same as a farang beer-bar.

[Tammi]

Get City Hall to licence them - licences to be displayed - same as a farang beer-bar.

I would be surprised if jetbikes are not already licenced by City Hall - it is too good a source of revenue. And the money is needed to clean up the beach where these jet bike operators hang out - last time I looked at Dongtan the area was a tip.

[thaidinnotts]

I got chatting to one of the jetski guys, and they are in fact farang owned. I also did witness the damage shakedown four or five times over the two weeks, a couple of which turned really ugly.

[Tammi]

I got chatting to one of the jetski guys, and they are in fact farang owned. I also did witness the damage shakedown four or five times over the two weeks, a couple of which turned really ugly.

Our intrepid news hounds from our local newspapers should be out there investigating and reporting!!

[sweetchariot]

Please beware, if you are thinking of hiring a jetbike on Pattaya beech bring plenty of cash becuase the chances are you will return to the shore and have to pay a huge amount up to 100,000 bht for the damage you did not do. I feel so sorry for the tourists who are conned each day. I spend alot of my days on the Pattaya beech and witness heartbreaking scenes every day. The Bully boy Mafia gang up and demand money for a scratch or bump that was already there. If the police get involved guess whos side they take. Please advise your friends, it could spoil thier holiday.

This is not new, in 92 i rented one and was acting the goat and collided with a mate on another one, the engine flipped off mine and sank ! it was dangling by th fuel line, we were on an island and if we hadnt bartered and got down to 50000 baht id still be there as i was going nowhere til id paid,they made that clear,.

Yeah but you actually crashed and totalled on of them! We are talking about people being scammed for damage they did not do