Lemon Tree Garage

[N47HAN]

Well ive heard many stories of this happening but it was a first for me today.

The Lemon Tree Garage on the way to Rawai from Chalong ( on the right if driving to Rawai ).

Called in this afternoon to fill up with gas.....

Nung Pan Baht Kap......

Guy fillls up the tank , waited for my receipt just happened to glance to my left and noticed the pump read 820 Baht ???

Puzzled I asked why and was told tank full , ( <deleted> was it , the gauge was showing 3/4 ) the attendant then tried to cancel the reading by taking out the nozzle to reset the pricing.

I then asked why , and was told sorry and he quickly went into his money pouch and returned my change !

Ok only 180 Baht but <deleted> !

Little F$%*

Guess itll be the last time ill ever fill up there again , and would advise that you check the pump reading if anyone happens to go their.

( Did get two free bottles of water though )

Edited January 21, 2008 by N47HAN

[Somtamnication]

The Esso across from Tesco does the same thing. There are two butch lesbians doing it. They look to see if you are watching, then they do not clear the last sale. I complained to the so called manager and nothing was done. They still are there and they continue to do it to other farangs.

Now, I get out of the pick up and watch them as they fill my car. They know I know and I always get that stupid Thai grin when they get caught lying or thieving.

[LivinLOS]

Same as the Patong filling station.. Caught em so many times its not funny.. Even had a near ruck in there when they started from 40 and I only handed over correct fee for a bike tank (mins the 40 from the total).. Wrong time to have your phone ring or be distracted as they start, its consistently done every time even if they have known your face for years and know your not a tourist.

[Ping]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but don't want to start a slating thread either... is it just me or do the number of scams and incidents of dishonesty seem to be increasing around Phuket? If so, is this reflecting an overall increase in dishonest Thais being attracted to Phuket and are their fellow (honest) Thais also being subject to this? I remember scams and schemes years ago, but we now have a hotel alleged to be riffling through guests' room safes with impunity, more than one servo topping-up the metre... it's as though it's becoming a mainstream pursuit.

[jitagon]

I called into the Lemon Tree day before yesterday, and sat waiting for around 3 to 4 minutes for someone to take my payment for the gasoline. I had to shout out to one of the group larking and joking around to come and get the money! They'd filled my car and completely forgotten the payment

I've been there a lot of times. I think they're just a bit thick

[LiveSteam]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but don't want to start a slating thread either... is it just me or do the number of scams and incidents of dishonesty seem to be increasing around Phuket? If so, is this reflecting an overall increase in dishonest Thais being attracted to Phuket and are their fellow (honest) Thais also being subject to this? I remember scams and schemes years ago, but we now have a hotel alleged to be riffling through guests' room safes with impunity, more than one servo topping-up the metre... it's as though it's becoming a mainstream pursuit.

I love Thailand but after living in Phuket for 30 years the last 10 here are like this: Phuket is to Thailand as Tijuana is to Mexico just another border town mentality

LiveSteam

[simon43]

Also be careful of the petrol station opposite the airport. I put 1,000 baht of petrol into my car at that station and the petrol gauge in the car moves to quarter-full. If I do the same thing at any other petrol station, then it moves to half-full...

Simon

[happylarry]

Phukets not unique, its the same at Samui, Pattaya. anywhere that they know many ferang will be with big pockets. Its not just bar girls that come down from Isaan for the rich pickings.

[LivinLOS]

Well just another perspective..

We as farangs often perceive that 'we' are being unfairly ripped off.. That Thais are out to target us.. While I am sure that partly true (big pockets), dont think that its just us. My GF is too sweet / soft.. She gets stung all the dam_n time.. Stall holders with thier finger on the scales.. The same scams we get, she gets (but with less money) her mates who are involved in small biz's are constantly ripped off.. Games were just played with her rental motorbikes.. just scam after scam after scam on a daily basis Thai on Thai. Its got the point where my GF just went to a farang biz to get some stuff done, knowing it is not the cheapest price, because she feels she will get what she asks and pays for, she openly says things like"I hate make deal with Thai people" !!..

We get scammed and think its 'unfair'.. We tend to get really wound up and fight it.. I have started to realize its just normal life to Thais. Sadly I think honesty and integrity are not traits that Thais excel at, being underhanded and thieving is merely 'good bizinis' in my GF's words.

[phuketsub]

Funny that this thread started just one day after a similar thing happened to me at the Caltex Station in Tung Tong, Kathu. 1000 baht usually fills my Caribean to the brim, but when I got a few kilometers down the road I realized the tank was only about half full. From now I am going to ask for a receipt wherever I fill up....

[Ping]

It's a funny thing that. The fuel scam has never happened to me, but I have always made a habit of checking the pump meter in (perhaps) anticipation. Occasionally I have had to get out of the car to do it. Perhaps that's why I have been lucky in that regard. (Unfortunately, of course, I have been trapped by the odd other scam or two.)

As to what LivinLos is saying in re the integrity of some Thais, he may be correct - it is just that my perception of it is that it has got worse in the past few years. In any event, I am not surprised that it is not just farang that are being targeted, since I've heard of examples of scamming (Thai v Thai) told to me by Thais, but I just haven't actually witnessed it first-hand. However, I certainly do not accept that any more than a minority of Thais are fundamentally dishonest - quite the contrary. It is simply a matter that those who do have a propensity for dishonesty are likely to follow the quids (ie, target farang), so we are likely to encounter a disproportionately high number of them as against the normal ratio of dishonest to honest Thais.

[LivinLOS]

2 things.. Often checking the pump at completion is not a guarantee they are not making a minor slice off you.. they often dont zero the pump before you fill up, so it starts from the last customers amount and then ends at what you ask for, once you have left they pocket the last customers amount (what they didnt put in your).. I am sure you can see this but just mentioning.

Secondly the much larger point about thai integrity.. I have no intention of turning this into an anti Thai rant, and I am sure there are a great number of honest Thais. However I do feel that in general Thais place honesty at a much lower premium than I am used to. Consider how much Thais will happily lie to cover 'face' and that not be socially wrong by their measure. That in turn teaches that 'truth' is less important than other factors. I tend to think that leads in turn to a lack of fundamental honesty which is the building block of integrity. Not just in the low class tourist scamming fast buck merchants (which again I agree Phuket probably has higher than its fair share) but look into business dealings at all levels, look into how competition will rip off your ideas, look at how competitors will grass up anything they can, look even at how legit business operates (the nissan thread is a prime example). Lie, over promise, and under deliver, seem the norm rather than the exception, to me thats fundamentally lacking in integrity and very much a Thai trait.

[LivinginKata]

I find that the Esso station in Patong is consistantly very bad for short changing. I suspect the hope is that the tourist does not know a 100 note from a 500 note.

Never had a problem at PTT in Kata.

I had always thought that the meter resets when the fuel gun is taken out of the holster ?? Is that not the case ?? So I've never checked the meter start when gun come out of the holster. Anyone care to comment.

[Ping]

Yep - before and after at the fuel pump. As to your second point, I agree re the face aspect. I don't necessarily equate this social 'norm' of (what we call) lying with a propensity to steal or scam people. However, there certainly is an issue with corruption within the society to the extent that it is ingrained in the economy; and you are certainly correct about the lack of quality of many business operations (eg five different people out to fix my washing machine and the first four said the parts that were needed were unavailable and tried to sell me a new machine. The fifth tradesman had no problem getting the part within three days. The mucking around by the first four meant no washing machine for nearly two months.) All the same, I have had so many pleasant surprises from Thai people as well, in trades and business people as well as average citizens. It's all a bit of a conundrum really. In the final analysis, I would have to agree with you, but perhaps not to the same extent in terms of its impact upon me personally. I must admit I am more peeved by the poor quality of service that often occurs. (Eg, I recently bought a surround system at Big C and it took me five minutes to select one, one minute to pay and twenty-five minutes for them to find the relevant manager to authorise the receipt.)

[HDRIDER]

HI

I have never checked before, maybe its time to do it now

[Patriot]

Beware when the attendants wave you forward when pulling up to the pump so that, supposedly, they create enough room behind you for another vehicle. How jolly thoughtful; b------s, its so you can't see the meter without leaning into the back seat or getting out of the car.

[Briggsy]

Happened to me in Samui. Fortunately I was on the ball and just gave the pump boy a look and he revised the price without me saying anything. It might have happened on other occasions and I've happily overpaid unawares. I think it's far more likely to happen in areas with a lot of tourists.

[stevenl]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but don't want to start a slating thread either... is it just me or do the number of scams and incidents of dishonesty seem to be increasing around Phuket? If so, is this reflecting an overall increase in dishonest Thais being attracted to Phuket and are their fellow (honest) Thais also being subject to this? I remember scams and schemes years ago, but we now have a hotel alleged to be riffling through guests' room safes with impunity, more than one servo topping-up the metre... it's as though it's becoming a mainstream pursuit.

No, I think things have been like this for years and years. It is just that with better communication now we all know about incidents we would never have heard of a few years back.

[buddhafly]

i don't think the dishonesty or scamming has anything to do with the thai race.

it's economics- poor people trying to get ahead, combined with lack of law enforcement.

this doesn't happen as much in the USA because someone would report it to the police, who seem to love to do their job, and the scammer would be in handcuffs and a jail cell in minutes.

here they are poor, and know they can get away with the crime. if caught, a smile is their legal defense.

[LivinLOS]

Sorry.. Spent long periods in arab N africa.. As well as other poor countries.. Seems to me that outright lies and scams are much more the norm here.

[borracho]

I've been here four years now, drive a lot, and have yet you encounter these nefarious scams. Sure I've noticed how the cost fuel has nearly doubled .

Seems like a person would have to stupid or asleep to get burned at the filling stations these days with the fancy digital technology.

Biggest problem is when the sun's shinning on the LCD display making it hard to see.

If you're afraid of being ripped off then get your narrow butt out of the drivers seat and out of the car to watch what's going on. (what I always do just to stretch my legs)

Sometimes people are so clueless.

[LivinLOS]

Its more like while theres queues.. They say move car forward and have the hose in and pumping before you have a chance to get out and see the counter.. Then again filling up much of the time in that Patong garage where A) theres a constant stream of traffic and B ) they try this on all the time.. Might just make me more aware of it.

[Patriot]

Two other blatant theft scams that are considered fair game are 1/ at the Car Valeting; pilfering of effects from in the car, and 2/ Draining of the fuel tank when the car or bike is taken in for an overnight service or repair.

Both have happened to me in Phuket and Udon Thani, the latter at the Nissan dealer.

[ClaytonSeymour]

Two other blatant theft scams that are considered fair game are 1/ at the Car Valeting; pilfering of effects from in the car, and 2/ Draining of the fuel tank when the car or bike is taken in for an overnight service or repair.

Both have happened to me in Phuket and Udon Thani, the latter at the Nissan dealer.

I suspect the perpetrators don't even regard it as theft - merely a perk of the job as far as they are concerned.

[huggybear]

Guess itll be the last time ill ever fill up there again , and would advise that you check the pump reading if anyone happens to go their.

( Did get two free bottles of water though )

common stunt, yes, always watch the pump reading, happens all over the place.

[MisterMan]

I think it happened to me in Kata. Thanks to this forum I look now at the meter when they start pumping.

however the other day I was distracted and I was lookign i my tank, suprised to see it looked like half a tank. However he pumped to the amount I usually pay when I have an empty tank.

The customer in front of me was likely to have been someone who did not fill up. (a bike not a car and not a new bike either).

[dotcom]

Funny that this thread started just one day after a similar thing happened to me at the Caltex Station in Tung Tong, Kathu. 1000 baht usually fills my Caribean to the brim, but when I got a few kilometers down the road I realized the tank was only about half full. From now I am going to ask for a receipt wherever I fill up....

If you have a locking gas cap don't give them the key. Switch off motor, get out, check to see the nozzle is properly stowed & meter reads zero. Hand em the key & watch while they fill up.

Take back gas cap key.

[Bagwan]

Makes sense to me to have a locking filler cap. As above, I get off my butt and unlock the little door covering the filler when refuelling. An added benefit is that your fuel is not siphoned by anybody.

[stuandchris]

Why do people make a big deal out of trivial things? Pull in ask what you want and wind your window down to check the pump is zeroed, you don't have to get off your arse to do it.

Get your thousand or two baht of fuel and give them 10 or 20 baht tip, next time you go you are a vip.

Rocket science or what.

[dotcom]

I don't tip people for doing their jobs.

Simple or what?

Get a locking gas cap.