Price Gauging Blacklist

[ozsamurai]

I can understand 'local' and 'tourist' prices having worked in the tourism industry for most of my life, but I am getting sick of having my days outing ruined by the fact of feeling like I have been ripped royally off because I'm Farang. So post your Blacklist here, warna brother.

Start the list:

Saphan Elephant Show & Zoo

Locals 80Baht

Farang 500Baht

double I could swallow, over 500%, thats rough, even the Japanese were complaining!!

[jumnien]

The worst offfender is Central Department Stores who give a 5% discount to tourists. This double pricing scheme is intolerable. Why shouldn't tourists pay just as much as Thais do?

[sweetchariot]

Get a driving license and you will pay the Thai price at 95% of these tourist places.

[Scott]

Since there are fewer of us to gouge, they just have to gouge deeper, I guess. I've long had a driver's license and a work permit and most of the time they just laugh and double charge.

[toptuan]

Add to that, the National and Historic Parks, particularly: Ayuthaya (Central Thailand), Doi Intanon (Chiang Mai), Khao Phra Vihan (Sisaket). Producing any Thai document (driver's license, work permit) at these places made no difference. Your face is still white.

[jumnien]

Since there are fewer of us to gouge, they just have to gouge deeper, I guess. I've long had a driver's license and a work permit and most of the time they just laugh and double charge.

Learn to speak a bit of Thai language and be cheerful. It will save you loads of money!

[ozsamurai]

Have the thai license, am always nice! this is beside the point. Businesses that intentionally rip Farang off should be listed in this post, they are BUSINESSES, they should act like them. How far do you think McDonalds would have got if they decided to charge for their burgers depending on race? A McFalafel Burger costing $25...

[jumnien]

Show me an example of a price set by race.

[ozsamurai]

Farang is a race, everyone but us. Duh!

[pumpuiman]

You're not being overcharged.....the Thai people are being given a discount.

[prakhonchai nick]

Get a driving license and you will pay the Thai price at 95% of these tourist places.

Yes but only with hassle and causing embarrassment to your Thai wife or girlfriend and family!

[bendix]

I wonder how many more of these whining double pricing posts TV can tolerate?

[kiakaha]

You're not being overcharged.....the Thai people are being given a discount.

Thats a positive way of looking at it.

The resident/citizen vs tourist pricing thing happens all over the world.

Just look at the green fees at NZL's most exclusive golf course :

$400 for tourist vs $225 for resident

http://www.capekidnappers.com/Green_Fees32.html

1 example of many.

[ozsamurai]

As many as it takes to effect some change, if the post had of been here in the first place, giving REAL information to the public, they could and would choose whether or not to support them. As it is, you rock up, take your chance and write it off to a bad day cause you don't want to make a scene in front of friend and family. If your sick of hearing about it then perhaps you should not click the link and get back to your perfectly balanced life. Instead of Bendix it should be Bender....

edited: I have already stated that I believe up to double is a fair cop, it happens all over the world and has been like that since the day dot, it can be filed under 'local priveledge', but I am talking about a heads up on blatant rip offs, 500% or more.

Edited July 14, 2008 by ozsamurai

[bendix]

Wow . did you just call me gay? Cos that is so cute and schoolyardish. How lovely.

Now then, back to the discussion. What frustrates me about this sort of thing is that you whingers ALWAYS fail to balance it with solid examples of where it happens overseas (see kiakaha's post above). Instead, you prefer to wallow in your own self-pity and sense of outrage that you are being charged a couple of quid more than those little brown people you choose to live alongside and who - funnily enough - are actually citizens of this country and effectively own those parks and attractions.

But, hey, it's preferable just to complain, isnt it?

[dave111223]

I can understand 'local' and 'tourist' prices having worked in the tourism industry for most of my life, but I am getting sick of having my days outing ruined by the fact of feeling like I have been ripped royally off because I'm Farang. So post your Blacklist here, warna brother.

Start the list:

Saphan Elephant Show & Zoo

Locals 80Baht

Farang 500Baht

double I could swallow, over 500%, thats rough, even the Japanese were complaining!!

Wouldn't the fact that the Japanese were complaining negate your argument that they are ripping off farangs? In fact they are charging all non-Thais this rate (not just farangs)? Thus there is no racism involved?

[GaiYaang]

You're not being overcharged.....the Thai people are being given a discount.

Thats a positive way of looking at it.

The resident/citizen vs tourist pricing thing happens all over the world.

Just look at the green fees at NZL's most exclusive golf course :

$400 for tourist vs $225 for resident

http://www.capekidnappers.com/Green_Fees32.html

1 example of many.

Good example kiakaha.

Is it okay to have a Thai friend to buy you the ticket.

[ozsamurai]

So you would like to turn this into a discussion on what is classed as a Farang, gee I haven't seen a million of those posts either!!

Dave In my OP, you will see I clearly said "I can understand 'local' and 'tourist' prices having worked in the tourism industry for most of my life". Yes Japanese are Farang along with every other nationality in the Thai books.

I find this offensive "than those little brown people you choose to live alongside", and who knew Bender was Gay? You should stick to trolling other posts, but hey why not here today. I was talking about his direct almost offensive nature, but hey if thats what you got out of it!!

Oz

[kiakaha]

You're not being overcharged.....the Thai people are being given a discount.

Thats a positive way of looking at it.

The resident/citizen vs tourist pricing thing happens all over the world.

Just look at the green fees at NZL's most exclusive golf course :

$400 for tourist vs $225 for resident

http://www.capekidnappers.com/Green_Fees32.html

1 example of many.

Good example kiakaha.

Is it okay to have a Thai friend to buy you the ticket.

And for the yanks in the audience :

The Florida resident discount

http://www.universalorlando.com/hd_florida.php

Darn those Floridians are...hmmm...whats the word for state based discrimination..statist ??

haha.

Edited July 14, 2008 by kiakaha

[sweetchariot]

Good example kiakaha.

Is it okay to have a Thai friend to buy you the ticket.

You generally won't get away with that in these tourist attractions. There are some bars in Pattaya that charge 'tourist prices', and if there is one farang with a group of Thais, all the drinks will be farang prices.

When I go out with my g/f and her friends, I send them into these bars first to buy the beers, and arrive a few minutes later. They hate it when I catch them out like this, but the bin has already been paid and there's nothing they can do about it.

[jumnien]

The question remains are all of the whingers willing to engage in a mass blockade of Central Department Store for their double pricing policy in giving a discount to tourists that is not available to the Thais? Do the whingers refuse the discounts? Do farang refuse to accept a salary that is greater than a Thai would get?

[dave111223]

So you would like to turn this into a discussion on what is classed as a Farang, gee I haven't seen a million of those posts either!!

Dave In my OP, you will see I clearly said "I can understand 'local' and 'tourist' prices having worked in the tourism industry for most of my life". Yes Japanese are Farang along with every other nationality in the Thai books.

Japanese are not Farang (maybe you should ask a Thai person if you don't believe me).

In my opinion the "price gauging blacklist" should only including places that overcharge based on race. Not places that give a discount specifically to Thai nationals only.

I have been to museums back home where you get a discount if you live in the local area. Or universities where you get a discount if you live in that state.

The only places that i take exception to is places that just wave any asian looking people through with a discount, and then any non-asian looking people have to pay a higher price.

[ozsamurai]

Here's how it works in most countries. Local newspapers etc. print coupons for local people, cheaper dinners, free admission days, or it is well known that if you take your local drivers license along to the venue, then you will recieve price advantage, and so it should be, you've probably seen the thing 20 times already.

Lower wage; Would Thai refuse more money, pointless arguement! You have clearly stated in the Siam Ocean World debate, there is a distinction between those who are here as tourists and those that live here, the establishments I intended for this post to list, were those that don't give a toss either way, this is bad business, in any country, again, double I could handle, TiT, but when it becomes a blatant rip off, then its nothing to do with Thai's Vs Farang. Its about a choice, and the more that are aware that they are going to be ripped off here or there the better. If you were travelling or even worse living in a country, wouldn't you like to know this, isn't this what a forum is for, sharing, information???

[tangoll]

Several years ago, I sprained my wrist in Tokyo and went to the Keio Univ hospital. While treatment was different, the Japanese paying their bills at the cashier's counter were paying fees like 500 yen, 450 yen, 700 yen, etc (I'm sure of this because I speak Japanese and understand what was being said to the patient for payment). When it came to my turn, my bill was 16,000 yen because I did not have a Japanese ID card.

In Hong Kong, patients using the public hospital authority hospitals/clinics with HK ID card pay only HK$100 per visit regardless of procedure or medicines used or provided; patients without a HK ID card have a menu of fees which are like HK$600 for consultation, $250 per x-ray, etc.

And many countries at airport immigration would have separate lines for residents/citizens vs visitors/non-residents. What you don't pay for in money, you usually pay for in time spent in queues. In some EU countries like France, Switzerland, Germany (the ones I've passed thru) are there single lines for all travelers.

So what's the big deal about Thai parks, palaces, etc charging different prices for Thais vs. non-Thais or some other similar discrimination criteria?

[twschw]

My question is did you pay it or did you leave?

[wintermute]

So what's the big deal about Thai parks, palaces, etc charging different prices for Thais vs. non-Thais or some other similar discrimination criteria?

It's the usual crying from skint farangs about how it's "open season" on all farangs now and Thailand is no longer welcoming them etc.. etc..

[ozsamurai]

I can answer your questions on Japan, the health system is paid by the employer or privately with no exeptions, which entitles the Japanese tax payer (Gaijin or not) to pay out only 10-30% of the bill, they pay for it in other ways. 3 yrs of health insurance for me at the Japanese rate was over $15,000US. As to the rest perhaps someone else can shed light. You were lucky to get away with that bill IMHO

[kiakaha]

Good example kiakaha.

Is it okay to have a Thai friend to buy you the ticket.

You generally won't get away with that in these tourist attractions. There are some bars in Pattaya that charge 'tourist prices', and if there is one farang with a group of Thais, all the drinks will be farang prices.

When I go out with my g/f and her friends, I send them into these bars first to buy the beers, and arrive a few minutes later. They hate it when I catch them out like this, but the bin has already been paid and there's nothing they can do about it.

Maybe there is a market for prosthetic thai masks like in Mission Impossible

Failing that there is the bandage headwrap for the 3rd degree burns you just suffered.

[ozsamurai]

So what's the big deal about Thai parks, palaces, etc charging different prices for Thais vs. non-Thais or some other similar discrimination criteria?

It's the usual crying from skint farangs about how it's "open season" on all farangs now and Thailand is no longer welcoming them etc.. etc..

A fool and thier money are quickly parted!!

[chakatee]

Malindi, near Mombassa Kenya about 10 years ago: visited an old fort from some war.

Price for Kenyans 1 shilling (about 3THB I believe), for non-Kenyans 100 shilling (about 300THB I believe).

This way it is cheap both for locals as for foreigners (so all can enjoy) and still they get enough revenue to maintain the thing to good standards.

Pretty fine system if you ask me. Especially fine-tuned as it is here in Thailand: show your driver's license and you get in at the same rate as the locals in most (95%?) places.

Edited July 14, 2008 by chakatee