Pattaya Dodo Bird Bad Business Behavior Awards

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

Jingthing,

I thought the purpose of all this was to lure our dear WEHO out from hiding or exile or whereever he is?

This is just up his street.

Too tired to think about potential awardees now, but will revert if I find good ones.

In unrelated news, I extended my stay today based on retirement, second time. Shall try to write up my findings (re e.g. 800K 3 months, etc.) in the visa section in a couple of days, since I do think some of you guys want some first hand feedback.

Actually Pattaya Immigration did a very fast, smooth and polite job, so no Dodo award for them!

Good luck and good nite!

Edit: Added praise.

Edited February 14, 2008 by MeaMaximaCulpa

[Jingthing]

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL!

I left, wondering how much more revenue the place might lose in the future because they ran out of the "appropriate size cup" for serving their product.

This reminds me of an ice cream shop in Walking Street. They only served (very) large portions of ice cream, nothing small.

The owner (farang) didn't figure that many people don't want large servings of ice cream and if faced with a choice would pass it up altogether.

This sounds like a classic DODO BIRD situation. A clueless owner with no understanding of his customers. Bravo!

[tatt2dude]

I have used Sutin's several times, and the owner (Sutin) has always been great. We always have a bit of a laugh and a banter over prices and discounts etc, and he always remembers me by name as well which is nice.

Not sure what this was all about, sounds like some twilight zone misunderstanding to me.

That's fine. It happened. I couldn't t believe it as it was happening, but it did. Perhaps he didn't like my face, but there is no excuse for it, and the Dodo Bird Award Nomination stands. I didn't ask for a discount as I was just checking for sizes to get back to my friend and the prices he quoted me sounded fine already. Perhaps you can tell the old buzzard he is up for an internationally recognized award!

BTW, there is no mystery. The old buzzard decided I would never buy from him and decided to behave in a very small, stupid, rude way, denying me the use of his old pencil. Even if there was one chance in a million I would buy from him (in reality the chances before this were very high but he obviously judged differently) what does it say about the bad character of an owner to treat a polite potential customer that way? Sadly, this kind of short sighted, mean behavior is all too common in Pattaya.

BTW, I didn't start the thread to only talk about my current nomination. I would love to hear others.

Was it a blue pencil?

Strange question I know, but the artists here use a draughstman pencil for sketching, I have a tattoo studio and whenever I pick up one of the artists pencils to write in the diary they get really pissed off at me, the leads are weak and they break real easy.

Just a thought given it's an art shop.

[tatt2dude]

I'm not going to name the business.

I ordered one of their thin and crispy eight inch Pizza's. I later emailed them to congratulate them for stretching a four inch pizza to eight inches, dumping a tin of tomato puree on it straight from the can and then melting a cheese slice on it by way of cremating the whole thing, I asked exactly what their Pizza's were famous for?

No reply, really bad customer care.

[Naam]

but I had to check back and measure my suitcase and check with my friend about the size and design he wanted.

You wouldn't have needed a pencil if you had done the above BEFORE going to snoop around. Anyway it's his pencil and not yours !!!!

cheers

onzestan

Cheers indeed!

Going into a retail shop, viewing the goods, asking some questions about sizes and prices is SNOOPING AROUND? Funny, I thought that was SHOPPING.

So you are defending the behavior of the owner? I guess you are the kind of person who refuses to give the time of day to a friendly stranger. Business owners take potential customers as they are. Where is the humanity?

i have an explanation for the behaviour of the shopowner, i.e. he reads thaivisa-forum and he has read many threads opened by Jingthing as well as Jingthing's input in other threads. based on that he came to the conclusion "if i refuse to give the pencil to this *&*%^ farang he might leave Thailand and head for Ecuador much sooner as planned."

[Jai Dee]

basically pattaya is full of blaggers, pretenders and people who couldn't lie straight in bed!

My nomination for the following award:

[Jingthing]

Was it a blue pencil?

No, it was on an office desk and appeared to a standard writing pencil, and there were also two old pens sitting there as well. I have no doubt he had sized me up in his mind as a non-buyer and also as a two week tourist, and didn't want to help me write down information that could help me get a better deal with the competition, because he actually yelled that at me: YOU WRITE DOWN PRICES! in a very hostile tone. Now we have all met shopkeepers who say buy now or get out, but ordering a custom painting is not always a one visit purchase, and for the owner of an art shop not to know that, well ... DODO BIRD.

I find it very funny that some of the "Thais can do no wrong" crowd are bending over backwards to make excuses for the inexcusable bad behavior of this mean man Thai shop owner. Land of Smiles indeed.

Well, there is an excuse, that owner has lost the plot, and I am sorry for him about that and wish he could afford to retire, like the DODO BIRD.

Edited February 15, 2008 by Jingthing

[norrona]

basically pattaya is full of blaggers, pretenders and people who couldn't lie straight in bed!

My nomination for the following award:

my pleasure

[dogblower]

What about the tailor shops? Does any serious tailor honestly think that having some cretin stood outside going "Orright mate?" in a fake English accent and trying to shake my hand is likely to make me rush into his shop and order a suit? In the unlikely event that I ever actually need to have a suit made up, you may be sure that none of these places will ever get my custom.

[paul1970]

What about the tailor shops? Does any serious tailor honestly think that having some cretin stood outside going "Orright mate?" in a fake English accent and trying to shake my hand is likely to make me rush into his shop and order a suit? In the unlikely event that I ever actually need to have a suit made up, you may be sure that none of these places will ever get my custom.

Here, here I hate these, I very rarely loose my cool but when one of these tries to grab my hand and I have a few beers inside it really takes a lot for me to hold back from telling then to <deleted> off, which my girlfriend keeps telling me is seriously uncoll in Thailand and then she has to spend 30 minutes getting me to cool down. The funny thing is I probably buy 5 or 6 suits a year but there's just no way I would bay anywhere where I had been hassled like this.

[TheWalkingMan]

I'm not going to name the business.

I ordered one of their thin and crispy eight inch Pizza's. I later emailed them to congratulate them for stretching a four inch pizza to eight inches, dumping a tin of tomato puree on it straight from the can and then melting a cheese slice on it by way of cremating the whole thing, I asked exactly what their Pizza's were famous for?

No reply, really bad customer care.

:D :D

Thanks for the laugh. I needed it today

TheWalkingMan

[plasticpig]

what everyone here is forgetting is pattaya like many other tourist places around the world is full of tyre kickers, liberty takers and many socially inept freaks!

the bloke in the painting shop is probably burnt out of lookers and badly needs a break...

the girl with the ice cream is not allowed to think for herself and any discrepancies she will be docked...

myself I used to work in a real estate office on 2nd road, very busy and many enquiries unlike these days, but I had people come in and say 'can you just take us for a drive around for a bit of a look?' the americans always came in and said they are in real estate back home(if I had 10baht everytime I heard that one) and then I had the millionaires who came in, had no preferred budget, wanted their tirac to make the decision

basically pattaya is full of blaggers, pretenders and people who couldn't lie straight in bed!

cheers

Said the estate agent

[Chopper]

basically pattaya is full of blaggers, pretenders and people who couldn't lie straight in bed!

Said the estate agent...

...to the (fill in the blank' (s)

[plasticpig]

basically pattaya is full of blaggers, pretenders and people who couldn't lie straight in bed!

Said the estate agent...

...to the (fill in the blank' (s)

Said the estate agent to the Bar owner ?

[Humphrey Bear]

basically pattaya is full of blaggers, pretenders and people who couldn't lie straight in bed!

Said the estate agent...

...to the ThaiVisa poster

[Humphrey Bear]

And I've just gone through the Great Fire of London with 1,666 posts

[plasticpig]

I am so very disappointed at the lukewarm response of Dodo Bird Awards nominations. Surely, the best gems are being kept to your selfish selves. Share the wealth!

On that note, allow me to dig up a classic award nomination:

Simon's Fish and Chips

Pattaya Dodo Bird Bad Business Behavior Award Nominee

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=118448

I did go back in there the other week and the fish was good and the chips good.

cost not so good. but ok.

you should give it one more go before killing it off.

Simon why don't you invite him back for lunch.

[wilko]

When I had my ATM card "skimmed" at 3.30 on a Friday, I went to the nearest Siam Commercial Bank branch to report it which was closed........the staff re-opened the branch at 4.00, canceled my card, issued me with a new one and pin, and updated my bank book for good measure... and I got some sweets and a bottle of pop.........just a minute....that's not DODO enough is it???

[plasticpig]

How did you know the card had been skimmed???

and where was it skimmed????

What did the bank say about where it was skimmed?????

What did the police say????

Edited February 16, 2008 by plasticpig

[Mossfinn]

How did you know the card had been skimmed???

and where was it skimmed????

What did the bank say about where it was skimmed?????

What did the police say????

Crikey, it's Gene Hunt, ' I have never fitted up anybody who didn't deserve to be'.

Moss

[plasticpig]

How did you know the card had been skimmed???

and where was it skimmed????

What did the bank say about where it was skimmed?????

What did the police say????

Crikey, it's Gene Hunt, ' I have never fitted up anybody who didn't deserve to be'.

Moss

Yes a bit OTT, and off topic, but could be useful information for people

on Thaivisa, as how to spot this and how to deal with the situation

If it happens to you in pattaya.

And Moss fin whilst your here, against the wall and turn your pockets out

Edited February 16, 2008 by plasticpig

[wilko]

How did you know the card had been skimmed???

and where was it skimmed????

What did the bank say about where it was skimmed?????

What did the police say????

What a lot of questions...what do you hope to gain?

OK for those who don't know....and really you should....the skimmer in this case was a device placed over the slot for the card....it is painted the same colour as the ATM and resembles the half cylinder shape of many ATM slots.

I have to say it is VERY easy to spot....but like a fool I didn't really have my mind on the job and put my card in, did my pin and withdrew some cash.

When I put my cased in, I thought the machine was a bit "sticky" with my card and then it didn’t come back out very far....at this point my brain re-engaged and I realised what was going on.

At first I gave the thing a good look over and decided that it was possible to remove the device, but it was proving a bit reluctant to come off, so as people were starting to look at me I went inside with my Thai colleagues and explained what was going on on their forecourt ATM machine. I left someone in my car and told them to keep an eye pit....which they didn't, because when we got back to the ATM the device has been removed - presumably by its "owner".

At this point I left the gas station and headed to the bank....

These skimmers are best used late on a Friday or week-end....and at the end of the month...this means that the banks are closed...reporting may not occur for a few days and the week-end can be spent using the card......

so I left the reporting to the police in the hands of the rather bemused manager and headed for the bank....where I arrived too late, but was able to explain my predicament to the international desk staff....it was after about 20 minutes of trying to withdraw all my cash from that account that they kindly offered to re-open....so at 4.30 on a Friday I continued with money, card, pin, and book all renewed and intact.

Which ATM?....well it really doesn't matter as this can be attached to any ATM in a matter of seconds....but it was at a Jet station in Chonburi near the road tax/driving licence offices.

Getting the police involved? Well as anyone with a modicum of experience in Thailand would know that would have been a pretty pointless exercise at best. From a p[personal point of view, my priority was to safeguard my account and spending 3 hours in a rondo conversation with the police would have put the mockers on any chance of doing that.

However it is possible that the “manager” might have reported it????/

Edited February 17, 2008 by wilko

[plasticpig]

Thank you for that.

[plasticpig]

Still a bit off topic .

Just a thought if it was only an ATM card for a Thai bank.

And say it was Friday night late, you could have gone straight to the nearest ATM machine and drawn out the maximum amount of money per day permitted.

The card is then useless for another 24 hours. Just repeat the process until you can get to your bank in Thailand on Monday.

Does that sound right or do some cards not have a limit on them per day.

[sweetchariot]

Still a bit off topic .

Just a thought if it was only an ATM card for a Thai bank.

And say it was Friday night late, you could have gone straight to the nearest ATM machine and drawn out the maximum amount of money per day permitted.

The card is then useless for another 24 hours. Just repeat the process until you can get to your bank in Thailand on Monday.

Does that sound right or do some cards not have a limit on them per day.

The limits are generally made by the machine rather than your account. Most machines in Thailand won't dispense more than 20 notes of any denomination in one transaction (some are 25). That's why if they have run out of 1,000 baht notes you will normally get a message saying maximum withdrawal is 10,000 or 12,500 (20 or 25 x 500 baht notes). I even had one give me a maximum of 2,000 once (20 x 100 baht notes). Daily withdrawal limits vary, but are generally higher than at home. Mine is 100k per day, but I have heard people with limits of 500k.

[tattoodrob]

I am so very disappointed at the lukewarm response of Dodo Bird Awards nominations. Surely, the best gems are being kept to your selfish selves. Share the wealth!

On that note, allow me to dig up a classic award nomination:

Simon's Fish and Chips

Pattaya Dodo Bird Bad Business Behavior Award Nominee

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=118448

jingthing.....i think i would have too many stories of bad service or bad business or just plain stupidnerssand maybe others have too that they dont know where to start!!!! hence poor response to your post.

im gettin used to it(as happens on a daily basis)and just avoid these places in the future.....i just think that most of the people in charge of these places(generalising as various establishments included) dont train the staff in customer service and also the staff arent the brightest buttons in the box so what we would call common sense in most situations doesnt happen here ...as you have found out.also as most staff you deal with have limited english language understanding then its not worth getting into discussion/argument about anything.also we have this losing face crap which is a load of <deleted>.....its just an excuse not to say sorry when there in the wrong or dont know something.......but lets not get into that as that is a cultural thing here and should be sorted out at school teaching stage but those establishments are still run by what could be described as the old fashion types(im not talkin about international schools but the normal school education).

i will give one example instead of ranting but as i said things like this happen so often that im too lazy to write more

long story...shortened.........i went to buy a car at local secondhand dealer after visiting a few times....firstly i was not allowed to test drive the car for the reason i might crash it....i said im not going to buy a car i dont know if i like to drive.she (saleslady) said if i give full amount cash for car then i could test it......as if.i still decided i think i would like to buy the car so went back to discuss payment.....i parked my car outside on main road and happened to have a for sale sign on the window(i had already discussed if they wanted my car as part exchange but as usual they offered stupid money)and as i was discussing deposit to give till could get full amount in cash out the bank a guy started lookin at my car as saw the for sale sign.obviously i started to tell the guy it was my car etc and the sales lady said "you cannot do that here",at first i think shes joking and carry on telling the guy about the car then she goes into one and shouting "this my shop you cannot do this here....he have to buy my car".....she didnt have this model of car for sale anyway.as shes ranting(apparently was talkin real bad in thai too) i tell her that my car is on the street and nothing to do with her but i tell the guy to take my number and can talk later as shes a loony.i couldnt believe it but didnt lose my rag as couldnt believe the fuss she was making especially as i was about to give her deposit for a car costing 1.3 million bt....anyway she dissappeared into a back office and left me and the mrs standing there not knowing what she was doing.....a security guard had come over by this time(i use this term lightly as he was about 70 yrs old and six stone),i thought he had come over to see what the comotion was but my mrs told me after that the lady had shouted to him to throw us off premises .anyways i stand there for a minute or two looking at her in the back office but she was completely ignoring us...i think her boss was also in the office too......i really thought she had gone to get some paperwork for taking deposit but obviously not so we walked to car and drove off.unbelievable......she lost her commision....boss lost a sale with probable healthy profit ,all over a guy takin an interest in my car and askin a couple of questions......i think if the guy was thai then he would have given her a mouthfull back as she was talkin bad in thai for no real reason but the guy was from singapore so we both didnt understand what the <deleted> she was saying/shouting.i still smile everytime i drive past and see that car still for sale 6 months later......she did stop ringing us though after this incident....before she was ringing everyday after my initial visit and talkin sweet trying to get me to buy the car.....i do miss those calls

i could understand her anger if i had parked the car there on a daily basis even though it was on main road or if she was the boss of this company but as a saleslady she lost her commision over nothing.my mrs(thai) couldnt understand what she made a big fuss over either especially in the middle of a sale which she had chased for over a week.in retrospect im glad it did happen as bought a car from somewhere else which im happy with.thankyou lady.

[tattoodrob]

I am so very disappointed at the lukewarm response of Dodo Bird Awards nominations. Surely, the best gems are being kept to your selfish selves. Share the wealth!

On that note, allow me to dig up a classic award nomination:

Simon's Fish and Chips

Pattaya Dodo Bird Bad Business Behavior Award Nominee

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=118448

jingthing.....i think i would have too many stories of bad service or bad business or just plain stupidnerssand maybe others have too that they dont know where to start!!!! hence poor response to your post.

im gettin used to it(as happens on a daily basis)and just avoid these places in the future.....i just think that most of the people in charge of these places(generalising as various establishments included) dont train the staff in customer service and also the staff arent the brightest buttons in the box so what we would call common sense in most situations doesnt happen here ...as you have found out.also as most staff you deal with have limited english language understanding then its not worth getting into discussion/argument about anything.also we have this losing face crap which is a load of <deleted>.....its just an excuse not to say sorry when there in the wrong or dont know something.......but lets not get into that as that is a cultural thing here and should be sorted out at school teaching stage but those establishments are still run by what could be described as the old fashion types(im not talkin about international schools but the normal school education).

i will give one example instead of ranting but as i said things like this happen so often that im too lazy to write more

long story...shortened.........i went to buy a car at local secondhand dealer after visiting a few times....firstly i was not allowed to test drive the car for the reason i might crash it....i said im not going to buy a car i dont know if i like to drive.she (saleslady) said if i give full amount cash for car then i could test it......as if.i still decided i think i would like to buy the car so went back to discuss payment.....i parked my car outside on main road and happened to have a for sale sign on the window(i had already discussed if they wanted my car as part exchange but as usual they offered stupid money)and as i was discussing deposit to give till could get full amount in cash out the bank a guy started lookin at my car as saw the for sale sign.obviously i started to tell the guy it was my car etc and the sales lady said "you cannot do that here",at first i think shes joking and carry on telling the guy about the car then she goes into one and shouting "this my shop you cannot do this here....he have to buy my car".....she didnt have this model of car for sale anyway.as shes ranting(apparently was talkin real bad in thai too) i tell her that my car is on the street and nothing to do with her but i tell the guy to take my number and can talk later as shes a loony.i couldnt believe it but didnt lose my rag as couldnt believe the fuss she was making especially as i was about to give her deposit for a car costing 1.3 million bt....anyway she dissappeared into a back office and left me and the mrs standing there not knowing what she was doing.....a security guard had come over by this time(i use this term lightly as he was about 70 yrs old and six stone),i thought he had come over to see what the comotion was but my mrs told me after that the lady had shouted to him to throw us off premises .anyways i stand there for a minute or two looking at her in the back office but she was completely ignoring us...i think her boss was also in the office too......i really thought she had gone to get some paperwork for taking deposit but obviously not so we walked to car and drove off.unbelievable......she lost her commision....boss lost a sale with probable healthy profit ,all over a guy takin an interest in my car and askin a couple of questions......i think if the guy was thai then he would have given her a mouthfull back as she was talkin bad in thai for no real reason but the guy was from singapore so we both didnt understand what the <deleted> she was saying/shouting.i still smile everytime i drive past and see that car still for sale 6 months later......she did stop ringing us though after this incident....before she was ringing everyday after my initial visit and talkin sweet trying to get me to buy the car.....i do miss those calls

i could understand her anger if i had parked the car there on a daily basis even though it was on main road or if she was the boss of this company but as a saleslady she lost her commision over nothing.my mrs(thai) couldnt understand what she made a big fuss over either especially in the middle of a sale which she had chased for over a week.in retrospect im glad it did happen as bought a car from somewhere else which im happy with.thankyou lady.

sorry everyone for my long reply....a lot of reading

[cobra]

I have an explanation for the behavior of the shopowner, i.e. he reads thaivisa-forum and he has read many threads opened by Jingthing as well as Jingthing's input in other threads. based on that he came to the conclusion "if i refuse to give the pencil to this *&*%^ farang he might leave Thailand and head for Ecuador much sooner as planned."

Best post of the day,

Why is it Jing that most of your interactions with the locals end up with a negative impact,

Whether you inquiring if they're calling you cheap, obsessing about your taxi mafia, on and on,

It's been said before, take a shower, shave, get out of your house dress and go out, get a life a stop eating up bandwidth with all your nonsense, especially using your profile quote byline as a vehicle for your stand on western politics or taxi reform,

Just go to the beach already and chill, enjoy life,

It's just a matter of time before some interaction with the local environment goes terribly wrong for you,

[SirPaul]

When you have a problem, you do get "do not understand English" statement.

My 75 year-old mum at the airport was entitled to assistance. She wanted help from the moment she entered the airport, but it was not being offered. I think she went to the info desk, but was told help would be given after checking-in. I was about to lift her cases for scanning, when she told me not too. She told the Thai man by the scanning machine that she should have help. He ignored her. She then repeated her request for assisance. He then come out with the not understand English. My mum then said to me loudly "He understands, he is just being lazy". With that he switched the machine off, did not say a word and walked off. There was now a queue forming behind my mum. I was wondering what would happen next, what we would do, etc.

He came back with a wheelchair and a man to help my mum. This was her first trip to Thailand! She later phoned me when she got in telling me how wonderful the helper was and he was with her for the whole time until she boarded the plane, nearly 3 hours.

So this shows how certain lines are used to provide the worst service possible, but with persistance changes can be made.

[Jingthing]

Posting error.

Edited February 17, 2008 by Jingthing