Petrol Rip Off

[H2oDunc]

Got bored so came across to Tao to do my DSAT tech deep. While on the island the Triumph is not the best bike to be riding around on so a friend lent me one of his. He lent me a Yamaha Trailway bike, ideal for the conditions here on Tao. We decided to go for a spin around the island so I checked the fuel situation. Therewas a couple of litres slopping round so went to fill up. We went to the gas station at the top of Mae Head high street turn right and its the one on the left just before Greasy spoon. The guy filled it up and I handed him a 500 baht note. It was only when I got my change I got a shock. 70 baht change, I asked him hoe much and he said 430 baht, just over 12 litres. WHAT! in a TW tank that already had a couple of litres in, NO WAY.He Gets the boss and he just says that the guy put 12 litres in. OK I said take it all out and show me 12 litres plus the 2 that was in there. A lot of humming and harring but he eventually took out what was in there, just over 7 litres. He threw my money back and told me to go as if Id tried to rip him off. I presume he just thought I was another stupid tourist who doesnt know his arse from his elbow. So when you fill up. Check the dials are set to zero before they start to fill. Or like a lot of people are doing now and just filling up elsewhere. This is the first time since Ive been here I been so blatently ripped off. Id forgotten just how grasping the majority of the people here are Cant wait to get the hel_l back to Chumphon.

[mattias33]

Got bored so came across to Tao to do my DSAT tech deep. While on the island the Triumph is not the best bike to be riding around on so a friend lent me one of his. He lent me a Yamaha Trailway bike, ideal for the conditions here on Tao. We decided to go for a spin around the island so I checked the fuel situation. Therewas a couple of litres slopping round so went to fill up. We went to the gas station at the top of Mae Head high street turn right and its the one on the left just before Greasy spoon. The guy filled it up and I handed him a 500 baht note. It was only when I got my change I got a shock. 70 baht change, I asked him hoe much and he said 430 baht, just over 12 litres. WHAT! in a TW tank that already had a couple of litres in, NO WAY.He Gets the boss and he just says that the guy put 12 litres in. OK I said take it all out and show me 12 litres plus the 2 that was in there. A lot of humming and harring but he eventually took out what was in there, just over 7 litres. He threw my money back and told me to go as if Id tried to rip him off. I presume he just thought I was another stupid tourist who doesnt know his arse from his elbow. So when you fill up. Check the dials are set to zero before they start to fill. Or like a lot of people are doing now and just filling up elsewhere. This is the first time since Ive been here I been so blatently ripped off. Id forgotten just how grasping the majority of the people here are Cant wait to get the hel_l back to Chumphon.

Yeah, i totaly cant see how they are thinking. Offcourse its tempting to have a little extra money. But they do it to a level where it becomes impossible not to see it. Lets assume you had 2 litres already. That means he took 430 baht for 5 litres! 86 baht per litre! He is basicly trying to make a extra 300 baht on 5 litres of fuel!

I mean, his dayly salery is probably less than he try to scam from ONE costumer. If he has 20 costumers per day (falangs) he can scam them for 20 baht each and they either dont notice it or bother to comment on it. Thats still 400 baht per day. They just go off limits in this.

You did a good thing. We need to teach them that this is not acceptable even for a farang!! Hopefully he speek to some friends. These local hillbilly boys on the small islands will just scare the tourists away eventually. Lets say i go to chang mai and rent a scooter my first holiday week. Every time i fill it up i pay 130 baht (5 litres @ 26 baht). I then go to pagnan or tao and fill a scooter and they ask for 430 baht. Will i return as a tourist to those islands next year? Wouldnt think so.

Same as samui taxis. Its just a way for the islands to loose tourists and get a expensive reputation in the long run.

Good job H2oDunk!

[ClaudeFeller]

This kind of scamming is spread all over Thailand and a lot of other countries.

But I agree that the more stupid the scamming the more angry I would be too.

BTW most of them are not local hillbilly boys but from other provinces.

But dont we forget that 90 % of the Thai population is extremly friendly, fair and helpful.

[Samuian]

Plus "the learning, while doing effect"!

Do NOT forget that - I have many times experienced that tourists on some reason are very much unaware -

busy with the language, the climate, the heat, the all new environment - some are just so busy with it all - they forget how to spell their names!

If one guy observes this - like 2 or more bikes pull up at the station - they chat - one goes for the toilets, one for a Coke, an Ice-cream then a bill is handed over - the boy goes for some change - topic forgotten - and the boys take off - Service boy returns.... and has got a couple a hundreds worth of "tip"!

Just recently a customer comes into the office - all over the place - "I lost my purse or stolen!"..

I asked where he had it last... "I cant remember, guess in my pocket!".... well he was in at his safety deposit box... I opened the safety box again ... there was his purse...

So with Cameras, Spectacles, handbags, Money belts... name it!

Think about it... I knew a Lady in a Supermarket in Nathon - she was watching the people handing money to her to pay exactly, putting the money away first.... then the small change... then slowly asking "how are you?" "like Samui?" and how many times customers grabbed their goods and left without the proper change....and she was always grinning ...

What I want to say is... "we have helped a bit at least!"

[PaulAllen]

Samuian,

Where can we get safety deposit boxes? Are they offered anywhere on Samui? I haven't seen a single bank that has any.

[mattias33]

Plus "the learning, while doing effect"!

Do NOT forget that - I have many times experienced that tourists on some reason are very much unaware -

busy with the language, the climate, the heat, the all new environment - some are just so busy with it all - they forget how to spell their names!

If one guy observes this - like 2 or more bikes pull up at the station - they chat - one goes for the toilets, one for a Coke, an Ice-cream then a bill is handed over - the boy goes for some change - topic forgotten - and the boys take off - Service boy returns.... and has got a couple a hundreds worth of "tip"!

Just recently a customer comes into the office - all over the place - "I lost my purse or stolen!"..

I asked where he had it last... "I cant remember, guess in my pocket!".... well he was in at his safety deposit box... I opened the safety box again ... there was his purse...

So with Cameras, Spectacles, handbags, Money belts... name it!

Think about it... I knew a Lady in a Supermarket in Nathon - she was watching the people handing money to her to pay exactly, putting the money away first.... then the small change... then slowly asking "how are you?" "like Samui?" and how many times customers grabbed their goods and left without the proper change....and she was always grinning ...

What I want to say is... "we have helped a bit at least!"

Yeah samuian, i agree. "We" have not only helped a bit. We have created the whole thing by thinking western. "I sit here the whole night and eat and drink good food and good drinks, the check is 2000 baht (40 euros witch a beer or two practially cost in for instans Sweden), let give tip". Thing is when a tourist hand over a 500-1000 baht tip (witch is only 10-20 euros) the thai waitres thinks "i am way to cheap, lets increase the price". I dont know. Id still say op did a good thing in the long run, but off course samuian have a good point when he say "we" all created this. When in Thailand, think thai!! I let my wife pay the bill. She is Thai and now what proper tip is. I think euro. If i give a tip i think is worth the name i end up paying more than the check is. And thats not good. Its contributing to scare tourists away in the long run. But of course in Samui "we" (also western buisnessmen that i meet) think short. Thing is, for thais and westerners with a "buisnessfuture" like a resort, restaurant, bar et, we need to start thinking about NOT scamming tourists or they will find other destinations, also in Thailand, than expensive Samui, koh tao, and koh pagnan. Thats my point of view anyway and i raise my hat to op for showing the locals (witch i certanly DONT think come from choumpun working in a gas-station in koh tao, sorry claudfeller) how things are supposed to be done.

[sbk]

Actually koh tao only ever had about 500 original inhabitants and many of those moved or married off island. So chances are that the guy pumping gas was not local but the owner might have been.

[mattias33]

Actually koh tao only ever had about 500 original inhabitants and many of those moved or married off island. So chances are that the guy pumping gas was not local but the owner might have been.

Well. To be honest, id say chanses for a thai to move to koh tao and pump gas in a gas-station are...........0? Where boht speculating but i just dont buy your view, sorry.

[rob28]

Actually koh tao only ever had about 500 original inhabitants and many of those moved or married off island. So chances are that the guy pumping gas was not local but the owner might have been.

Well. To be honest, id say chanses for a thai to move to koh tao and pump gas in a gas-station are...........0? Where boht speculating but i just dont buy your view, sorry.

i guess you never been to koh tao mattias otherwise you wouldn't make such a remark. anyway the petrol guy probably is burmese.

[LaoPo]

Samuian,

Where can we get safety deposit boxes? Are they offered anywhere on Samui? I haven't seen a single bank that has any.

Did you try at Tesco; I'm not sure but think they have them. Otherwise there must a shop in Nathon that sell them.

Buy a HEAVY one ! Or do you need many small ones ?

Edit:

Here's a link which could help you (look at the bottom for more -refined- search results):

http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?Type=&..._en&CatId=0

and here:

http://siamsteelplc.trustpass.alibaba.com/...stant_Safe.html

LaoPo

Edited November 5, 2007 by LaoPo

[mattias33]

i guess you never been to koh tao mattias otherwise you wouldn't make such a remark. anyway the petrol guy probably is burmese.

Speculation continues. We need a few more assumptions before we go done and ask the guy. Suppose Mexico is out of the question? And Koh Tao from the looks of it....... . Anyway, out of importans. The guy was scamming tourists without limits and hopefully learned a lesson.

[game4shame]

had a similar situation in lamai. not as big a rip off attempt though.

I would normally use the main petrol station on the ring road but on this occasion I stopped at one of the little roadside pumps.

iirc I asked for 60B (can't remember exact amount tbh). I wasn't paying attention to the guy filling but after pulling away I noticed the fuel was nowhere near where it should be for the amount I asked for.

I just put it down as a lesson learned and now always use the main petrol station.

[sbk]

Actually koh tao only ever had about 500 original inhabitants and many of those moved or married off island. So chances are that the guy pumping gas was not local but the owner might have been.

Well. To be honest, id say chanses for a thai to move to koh tao and pump gas in a gas-station are...........0? Where boht speculating but i just dont buy your view, sorry.

i guess you never been to koh tao mattias otherwise you wouldn't make such a remark. anyway the petrol guy probably is burmese.

all the girls working at the gas pump in Ban Tai are Burmese as well. The use of Burmese labor is extremely common on the islands as they work very cheaply.

So, perhaps instead of thinking of it as being ripped off, you can think of it as contributing to an oppressed person