Pattaya Dodo Bird Bad Business Behavior Awards

[Tony Clifton]

This has happened a few times in Carrefour of late. Say I go in about 7pm and after startig at the trolley end, its perhaps even an hour later I get to the bread if we are being lazy and slow. No baguettes, no new bread at all. You ask why and all you get is "mott" or finished. You point out that they will be trading perhaps for another 3 or 4 hours if I arrive earlier but they are too dumb or lazy or both. Whatever way, the management stinks as they should do an SQL against their sales database and and ask why no baguettes sold after 7pm but none left to throw away. perhaps the penny would drop but for the Thais, it is way over their heads.

I'm under the impression that the management are Farangs!

He is, or speaks French. I was passing the wine section one day and he was getting some advice from an older gent in a singlet, while the manager and the Thais with him all laughed at the right places I could see from the body language there was a message being delivered there. I wish I understood French to have been able to listen in.

Talk to the head baker at Carrefour, speaks French and English. Nice guy.

It's a hit and miss here for bread. I usually do big C-Tesco-Carrefour run for baguette. When I spot baguette at Big C, I darn well know 80% of the time that the bread is hard like wood but insist on walking up to the counter every time and whack it a few times see if they get the message, they never did, never will. Maybe before leave I ll whack the Big C baker on the head with his bread.

[patsfangr]

BRING A PASSPORT ... OR JUST USE THE ATM

The discussion about ATM withdrawals triggered another "business process" that I think qualifies for this thread. The basic limit on ATM withdrawals, as noted by 'sweetchariot', is 20 bills per day (usually, of course, that would be 20000 BT. I, too, had my limit increased by my bank to 100,000 BT. I had withdrawn more than 20,000, using additional transactions to do so (card must be re-inserted for each 20 bills), many times.

One day, I went into a branch, other than my home branch, to make a withdrawal, and do some other business. When I presented the withdrawal slip, the teller asked me for my passport. I told her that I didn't carry my passport with me, and didn't understand why I needed it for a withdrawal, when I had my bank book with me. I offered to show her my driver's license, which has my passport number on it. She told me that I had to have my passbook for a withdrawal of more than 20,000 BT from any branch other than my home branch. I explained that I had a 100,000 BT/day limit at ATMs, where, of course, only a card and password is needed. She said that I would have to go outside and use the ATM for this withdrawal, since I didn't have my passport.

The only logical reason for such a rule that I can think of is that the bank doesn't trust its' tellers to be competent enough to identify a false driver's license as ID. What is the likelihood that a person could have a bank book, AND a counterfeit driver's license to present to a bank teller? And, couldn't an additional identification question be asked, based upon information on file with the bank?

Setting aside that single, semi-logical, excuse; what sense does it make to allow a person to withdraw more money from an ATM than from a bank teller, assuming that the customer has a bank book, and a photo driver's license, with passport number on it?

[Chang_paarp]

I would like to nominate my bread supplier.

When I found a bakery that would deliver to my neck of the woods I was a happy vegemite. We negotiated price, and regular deliveries, to allow me to build the trade I asked for deliveries on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This would give a compromise between always having today's bread and the cost of their delivering, as they offered a sell or return.

They delivered the first day, some loaves and a whole lot of buns. The loaves sold and some buns, Wednesday comes along and no delivery, they deliver Thursday after a phone call. This happens again, then they put the price up, they manage to deliver 2 times the next week, and another price rise. I ask about the the price rise and was told it is a long way to come and some of their other shops were complaining about losing customers. So now I am paying more than the retail price in other shops to get delivery. The accounting system is as god as the deliveries are regular, so we have had a couple of discussions about that too.

They are still reluctant to delver here, I currently have a pile of bread delivered last Wednesday that has gone some very interesting colours in the interim. The silly thing is that they deliver to a couple of places in this area, as well as to Villa and a number of bars and restaurants in Pattaya.

Any one know a good bakery in the Pattaya area that delivers to Pong? Could you PM me with details?

[norrona]

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

cheers

Said the estate agent

ex estate agent thank you very much

[torrenova]

Talk to the head baker at Carrefour, speaks French and English. Nice guy.

It's a hit and miss here for bread. I usually do big C-Tesco-Carrefour run for baguette. When I spot baguette at Big C, I darn well know 80% of the time that the bread is hard like wood but insist on walking up to the counter every time and whack it a few times see if they get the message, they never did, never will. Maybe before leave I ll whack the Big C baker on the head with his bread.

I know that at BigC as well. Always like it is already 2 days old. Why on earth I should have to go to Carrefour earlier just so they will have bread ready for me is beyond me. If they are open until 10pm then I pretty much want them to be baking until say 9pm or thereabouts.

If they've sent over some french manager from europe to manage it and he doesn't know already then he's never going to learn.

[tattoodrob]

BRING A PASSPORT ... OR JUST USE THE ATM

The discussion about ATM withdrawals triggered another "business process" that I think qualifies for this thread. The basic limit on ATM withdrawals, as noted by 'sweetchariot', is 20 bills per day (usually, of course, that would be 20000 BT. I, too, had my limit increased by my bank to 100,000 BT. I had withdrawn more than 20,000, using additional transactions to do so (card must be re-inserted for each 20 bills), many times.

One day, I went into a branch, other than my home branch, to make a withdrawal, and do some other business. When I presented the withdrawal slip, the teller asked me for my passport. I told her that I didn't carry my passport with me, and didn't understand why I needed it for a withdrawal, when I had my bank book with me. I offered to show her my driver's license, which has my passport number on it. She told me that I had to have my passbook for a withdrawal of more than 20,000 BT from any branch other than my home branch. I explained that I had a 100,000 BT/day limit at ATMs, where, of course, only a card and password is needed. She said that I would have to go outside and use the ATM for this withdrawal, since I didn't have my passport.

The only logical reason for such a rule that I can think of is that the bank doesn't trust its' tellers to be competent enough to identify a false driver's license as ID. What is the likelihood that a person could have a bank book, AND a counterfeit driver's license to present to a bank teller? And, couldn't an additional identification question be asked, based upon information on file with the bank?

Setting aside that single, semi-logical, excuse; what sense does it make to allow a person to withdraw more money from an ATM than from a bank teller, assuming that the customer has a bank book, and a photo driver's license, with passport number on it?

i dont think i agree with you on this one old chap..........atm card you need personal security number inputted which only you know so even if your card is stolen then cant be used ......but if they stole your bank book and made up copy drivers licence you want that it is easy to take full daily amount out thru other banks!!!.......ok you ask that other banks ask a security question but this would really cause problems..more work for the bank for no return and also security issues within the bank itself.im pretty sure in uk i couldnt go into other bank and withdraw money thru them from a completely different bank even with id....they would say the same....use atm or go to bank that your account is at.i think this is not only fair but is very sensible on there part.

sorry cant see the problem

[norrona]

BRING A PASSPORT ... OR JUST USE THE ATM

The discussion about ATM withdrawals triggered another "business process" that I think qualifies for this thread. The basic limit on ATM withdrawals, as noted by 'sweetchariot', is 20 bills per day (usually, of course, that would be 20000 BT. I, too, had my limit increased by my bank to 100,000 BT. I had withdrawn more than 20,000, using additional transactions to do so (card must be re-inserted for each 20 bills), many times.

One day, I went into a branch, other than my home branch, to make a withdrawal, and do some other business. When I presented the withdrawal slip, the teller asked me for my passport. I told her that I didn't carry my passport with me, and didn't understand why I needed it for a withdrawal, when I had my bank book with me. I offered to show her my driver's license, which has my passport number on it. She told me that I had to have my passbook for a withdrawal of more than 20,000 BT from any branch other than my home branch. I explained that I had a 100,000 BT/day limit at ATMs, where, of course, only a card and password is needed. She said that I would have to go outside and use the ATM for this withdrawal, since I didn't have my passport.

The only logical reason for such a rule that I can think of is that the bank doesn't trust its' tellers to be competent enough to identify a false driver's license as ID. What is the likelihood that a person could have a bank book, AND a counterfeit driver's license to present to a bank teller? And, couldn't an additional identification question be asked, based upon information on file with the bank?

Setting aside that single, semi-logical, excuse; what sense does it make to allow a person to withdraw more money from an ATM than from a bank teller, assuming that the customer has a bank book, and a photo driver's license, with passport number on it?

i dont think i agree with you on this one old chap..........atm card you need personal security number inputted which only you know so even if your card is stolen then cant be used ......but if they stole your bank book and made up copy drivers licence you want that it is easy to take full daily amount out thru other banks!!!.......ok you ask that other banks ask a security question but this would really cause problems..more work for the bank for no return and also security issues within the bank itself.im pretty sure in uk i couldnt go into other bank and withdraw money thru them from a completely different bank even with id....they would say the same....use atm or go to bank that your account is at.i think this is not only fair but is very sensible on there part.

sorry cant see the problem

Just moaning for the sake of moaning

[wilko]

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.

Card would not have been useless - My default limit was 20k which not only wasn't enough for the week-end but left a considerable amount left in the account......this could be spent at shops or taken out the next day.

I could adjust the amount but I would have to use my (old) passport number etc to change it at an ATM...anyway why bother with all that when I walked away with everything set right by the bank?

[patsfangr]

i dont think i agree with you on this one old chap..........atm card you need personal security number inputted which only you know so even if your card is stolen then cant be used ......but if they stole your bank book and made up copy drivers licence you want that it is easy to take full daily amount out thru other banks!!!.......ok you ask that other banks ask a security question but this would really cause problems..more work for the bank for no return and also security issues within the bank itself.im pretty sure in uk i couldnt go into other bank and withdraw money thru them from a completely different bank even with id....they would say the same....use atm or go to bank that your account is at.i think this is not only fair but is very sensible on there part.

sorry cant see the problem

You did understand that I went into another branch of my bank (SCB), and not a different bank, right? I ask because I'm surprised at your statement that you could not do this in the UK. It is certainly a common practice in the USA.

And, wrt to your assumption that asking a "security question" would cause more work for the bank, I don't see much more time or effort required there. I can't recall what information is required to open an account, but I'm sure there's something more than is revealed in a bank book, or on a driver's license.

I also can't make a definite statement about the ease with which a person could get a false driver's license, with photo, in Thailand. I do know, however, that it woud be a bit ... umm ... suspicious for a Thai man to present a license with a farang name on it, no?

And, if a person could get a phony driver's license, would a phony passport be much, if any more difficult. They only look at the first page, with the photo on it.

I still feel that it's a well-intended security precaution that lacks a logical foundation to stand on.

[tattoodrob]

i dont think i agree with you on this one old chap..........atm card you need personal security number inputted which only you know so even if your card is stolen then cant be used ......but if they stole your bank book and made up copy drivers licence you want that it is easy to take full daily amount out thru other banks!!!.......ok you ask that other banks ask a security question but this would really cause problems..more work for the bank for no return and also security issues within the bank itself.im pretty sure in uk i couldnt go into other bank and withdraw money thru them from a completely different bank even with id....they would say the same....use atm or go to bank that your account is at.i think this is not only fair but is very sensible on there part.

sorry cant see the problem

You did understand that I went into another branch of my bank (SCB), and not a different bank, right? I ask because I'm surprised at your statement that you could not do this in the UK. It is certainly a common practice in the USA.

And, wrt to your assumption that asking a "security question" would cause more work for the bank, I don't see much more time or effort required there. I can't recall what information is required to open an account, but I'm sure there's something more than is revealed in a bank book, or on a driver's license.

I also can't make a definite statement about the ease with which a person could get a false driver's license, with photo, in Thailand. I do know, however, that it woud be a bit ... umm ... suspicious for a Thai man to present a license with a farang name on it, no?

And, if a person could get a phony driver's license, would a phony passport be much, if any more difficult. They only look at the first page, with the photo on it.

I still feel that it's a well-intended security precaution that lacks a logical foundation to stand on.

ooooops i thought you meant another bank...when i read it back and you said branch made more sense to me.......sorry ......it was late and i was tired.....my excuse

yes in uk i could go to another branch with id and get money out...would be a limit though without prior notice.in thailand dont forget there still trying to catch up with the western world!!!.....i think the thais have to go to issuing branch for a lot of things.....ie large withdrawals or account info....but dont quote me on that.as to a drivers licence you could get a copy over internet that looks fairly real ..and the thais arent expert on foreign licences for sure...and yes a thai couldnt go i with a farang book/id but theres plenty of dodgy farangs here ......so ive heard

i think thailand is over cautious in everything to do with money ....have you seen how many times they count the money before they give it to you and thats just in the 7-11 .

[talahtnut]

OK, here is the first nomination.

Denied the use of a Ratty Old Pencil!

I stopped by SUTIN ART today, a copy art shop across from the Royal Garden Mall on 2nd Road.

It just so happens a friend I will be visiting in the US has asked me to bring him some copy art so I am definitely seriously in the market. I would also like a painting or two for my condo, but the canvas for my friend is something I want to buy soon.

I browsed the shop and asked the old man owner about sizes and prices for the two common sizes he was displaying. I also asked him how big the rolled up canvas roll would be of the larger canvas and what its size was, because I want to buy something that will fit in my suitcase.

So far, so good. I found his prices decent and the quality looked OK but I had to check back and measure my suitcase and check with my friend about the size and design he wanted.

I then asked the old man owner to lend me a pencil or pen for a few moments so I could write down the dimensions of the sizes. I was at his desk and I could see one ratty pencil and two ratty pens just sitting there. I intended to write the notes on some scrap paper of my own.

He said NO NO NO NO!

I thought there must be some misunderstanding. I have never in my entire life been denied the use of an old pencil for a few seconds from a business owner who I have expressed strong interest in buying from.

I tried to explain. I am looking for a friend. He says, your friend come in. I say, the friend is in America, he cannot come in and I need to write down the dimensions. He then says just remember in your head.

I ask him again, because I cannot believe this is really happening. The rattty old pencil is sitting right there. How can a business owner be so niggardly as to deny a potential customer this tiny favor. It boggles my mind.

No! No! No! You right down prices. (I think he thought I was shopping other stores and comparing prices, when actually his price sounded fine to me, he was wrong.)

I still can't believe this small man wouldn't let me borrow his pencil. I ask one more time.

No! No! No!

Well, enough is enough.

SUTIN ART

Pattaya Dodo Bird Bad Business Behavior Award Nominee

[tropo]

I thought "Timeout" icecream shop on the ground floor of Tukcom was worthy of mention.

Advertised 95 baht for a waffle cone.

Asked how much for one scoop in a waffle cone - 95 baht. The minimum purchase is 3 scoops for 95 baht.

Same in the cups, you can't buy one scoop.

Idiots!

There's a lot of people like myself who enjoy a small icecream and don't go for large serves - it's not health food.

Their marketing practice doesn't force me to purchase a 95 baht cone as they may think, it forces me to walk away.

[sweetchariot]

Update on Sutins fine art - the owner (Sutin) was taken into hospital about 2 weeks ago with a serious heart condition, where he remains today. Popped in there the other day and his wife was in tears explaining that all the family's money was going on his hospital bills (50,000 for the first day in ICU), and at 67 yrs old she fears he may not get out of hospital.

Maybe he was having a funny turn on the day Jingthing encountered him, maybe we should cut him some slack.