Repeatedly Ripped Off In Karon Beach - A Warning.

[Dustoff]

Clapton Bar, in the cluster of bars across from the Mermaid Hotel/Scandanavian Restaurant in Karon, is and has been pulling a major criminal scam on customers by an owner who should be in jail, not running a business.

I am a resident of Chiang Mai and over the past nine days, I met with a friend visiting from Hawaii and dear friends, an expat couple who have been living in Karon for some ten years and are actually friends with the owner of this establishment, and we were all absolutely stunned at the scam being perpetrated against patrons of this bar.

Drinks for the customer are charged as ordered but if you buy for ladies working in the bar, not only are their drinks almost double the usual price (understood) but every drink is surreptitiously marked as two on the customer's tab. After being hit a couple of nights in a row, the three of us guys kept close count on what we ordered to figure out what was going on and verified the scam.

This was also just today verbally verified by two of the girls who work in the bar and are also friends of my expat friends.

It's the perfect setup, isn't it? The customer gets swarmed by beautiful women hustling drinks/whatever and when after drinking a bit, is presented with an astronomical bill that he cannot verify. Calling the Tourist Police would end up with the word of a drinking farang against a Thai business owner which would obviously go nowhere.

We are trying to figure out some way to get a sting operation going to at least shut this criminal activity down and if any of you have any suggestions, please feel free to PM me (please, no religious stuff or references as to my intelligence or lack thereof). In the meantime, either avoid this craphole or take a look at your tab every single time you order something or suffer the consequences.

What really bums me out is that I and my wife have known and trusted this owner for over seven years and assumed that we could trust her. Our dear friends down there have just yesterday broken all ties with her and are outraged and hurt that money takes priority over friendship, even to the point of totally screwing with them and their other close friends!

Go figure, eh?

Edited September 22, 2008 by Dustoff

[Patong Bob]

For a similar scam try Katoeyss' r' us in Patong. 150 baht for a girl's drink plus an automatic 50 baht tip. They must be running out of time.

[LivinginKata]

No such thing as being friends with a bar owner (I assume Thai lady owner). I have 3 farang neighbours, all the guys are very friendly. One guy's wife owns a bar, and the 2 friends found themselves being ripped off with extra drinks on the bill. Ok they were very drunk, but is that any excuse, and it caused a lot of stress between the friends. Do what I do, pay as you drink, never run up a tab.

[huggybear]

try Katoeyss' r' us in Patong

That's all of Soi Bangla, no?

Word of advice, pay per round. This is an old scam as well as the adding a drink or two on your bill at the end of the evening. Bit of a pain at times, but as long as you pay each time, no one can pull these tricks.

[DeeMaiDee]

Have you talked to the bar owner about this to confirm the practise is house policy? is there a greedy cashier in the scam?

[Dustoff]

Have you talked to the bar owner about this to confirm the practise is house policy? is there a greedy cashier in the scam?

Yes, I and my friends confronted the owner the next day and the brave working girls one and all (they knew we were coming since I didn't pay the bill) even voluntarily attended and stated what drinks were actually bought (they may not be working there much longer) but the owner (Daeng) raged on in denial and said that if I "no pay, I take the money from the girl's pay", on and on.

Not 'house policy', "we no rip off!" Yeah, right.

Apparently this has been going on in this bar for some time. My best buddy down there had heard about this for a few years but chose to ignore rumours and assumed that, even if true, she would never do it to him or his friends. So much for assumptions, eh? Everybody is fair game in the world of 'take what you can get, whatever it takes'...

A greedy bartender lady stands nothing to gain since all the money/tabs go to the cashier who is the owner's sister. The bartender, as she admitted privately, is just following orders.

Please understand that these are not the ravings of some alcoholic. I never get drunk, drink only socially, make friends easily and even the lady I was sitting with that evening came out into the street when we departed and actually cried over the way I had been ripped off.

Integrity rules - and it is not always found where we expect it - nor missing where we don't expect it...

[Dustoff]

No such thing as being friends with a bar owner (I assume Thai lady owner). I have 3 farang neighbours, all the guys are very friendly. One guy's wife owns a bar, and the 2 friends found themselves being ripped off with extra drinks on the bill. Ok they were very drunk, but is that any excuse, and it caused a lot of stress between the friends. Do what I do, pay as you drink, never run up a tab.

Right on. Excellent advice and I hereby vow to heed it from this day forward.

Thanks, LivinginKata.

Geez, at my age you would think that I would have learned this by now, eh?

[Patriot]

Beware of the New Friends Bar aswell on the main drag; it's got to be the worst in Phuket. The owner is a thieving git

[britmaveric]

So what was the bin for 1 drink and a lady drink?

[jitagon]

Clapton Bar, in the cluster of bars across from the Mermaid Hotel/Scandanavian Restaurant in Karon, is and has been pulling a major criminal scam on customers by an owner who should be in jail, not running a business.

I am a resident of Chiang Mai and over the past nine days, I met with a friend visiting from Hawaii and dear friends, an expat couple who have been living in Karon for some ten years and are actually friends with the owner of this establishment, and we were all absolutely stunned at the scam being perpetrated against patrons of this bar.

Drinks for the customer are charged as ordered but if you buy for ladies working in the bar, not only are their drinks almost double the usual price (understood) but every drink is surreptitiously marked as two on the customer's tab. After being hit a couple of nights in a row, the three of us guys kept close count on what we ordered to figure out what was going on and verified the scam.

This was also just today verbally verified by two of the girls who work in the bar and are also friends of my expat friends.

It's the perfect setup, isn't it? The customer gets swarmed by beautiful women hustling drinks/whatever and when after drinking a bit, is presented with an astronomical bill that he cannot verify. Calling the Tourist Police would end up with the word of a drinking farang against a Thai business owner which would obviously go nowhere.

We are trying to figure out some way to get a sting operation going to at least shut this criminal activity down and if any of you have any suggestions, please feel free to PM me (please, no religious stuff or references as to my intelligence or lack thereof). In the meantime, either avoid this craphole or take a look at your tab every single time you order something or suffer the consequences.

What really bums me out is that I and my wife have known and trusted this owner for over seven years and assumed that we could trust her. Our dear friends down there have just yesterday broken all ties with her and are outraged and hurt that money takes priority over friendship, even to the point of totally screwing with them and their other close friends!

Go figure, eh?

Ah no! Boobloodyhoo. You go into some bar in Thailand, not only that, but Phuket, and you, no wait for it, buy drinks for 'beautiful ladies who swarm all over you' - you know that even though these 'beautiful ladies' don't actually drink, you're going to have to stump up twice the price because, they're 'beautiful ladies' yet you still hand over your money .... and then bellyache about the fact that the bar owner/staff has considered you such a mindnumbing chump that he/she/they have tried it on and doubled your bill? 'Ave a word

[Dustoff]

So what was the bin for 1 drink and a lady drink?

My drink of choice, Jim Beam Coke, was 120B. The lady with me preferred Corona Beer which is normally 80B but if you buy for any girl working there, it is 150B which was okay with me since they get the comish but figuring that the bar marks two (or more) on the bin for every one, that adds up to 300B+ per bottle. I bought a total of ten beers for her and some of the ladies and was hit with a bill for 23 beers plus my own drinks which came up to well over 4000B.

Ridiculous. I didn't pay it.

[keestha]

Fortunately this type of thing is pretty rare. The maybe 3 times in 16 years I left a bar feeling cheated, I just chalked it up to experience. Many times I witnessed things like a fully loaded guy settling the bill, then falling asleep whilst trying to finish his last drink, and then after waking up asking for the bill, only to be told: you paid already.

[onnut]

So what was the bin for 1 drink and a lady drink?

My drink of choice, Jim Beam Coke, was 120B. The lady with me preferred Corona Beer which is normally 80B but if you buy for any girl working there, it is 150B which was okay with me since they get the comish but figuring that the bar marks two (or more) on the bin for every one, that adds up to 300B+ per bottle. I bought a total of ten beers for her and some of the ladies and was hit with a bill for 23 beers plus my own drinks which came up to well over 4000B.

Ridiculous. I didn't pay it.

80 baht for a corona, thats not bad. corona costs 92 baht wholesale, you sure its corona?

[Dustoff]

Ah no! Boobloodyhoo. You go into some bar in Thailand, not only that, but Phuket, and you, no wait for it, buy drinks for 'beautiful ladies who swarm all over you' - you know that even though these 'beautiful ladies' don't actually drink, you're going to have to stump up twice the price because, they're 'beautiful ladies' yet you still hand over your money .... and then bellyache about the fact that the bar owner/staff has considered you such a mindnumbing chump that he/she/they have tried it on and doubled your bill? 'Ave a word

I usually don't respond to obvious flamers but give it a rest willya?

I was with one lady, not swarmed and in a bar owned by the supposed friend of a good friend, both of whom I have known and spent a lot of time with over the 7+ years I have lived here. The beers I bought were for my companion, the owner herself, her two sisters and a round for a few of the others that we have known for quite some time. Not that I give a crap what you think but I went back to my room alone.

Do me a favor and spew your nonsense on someone else's thread.

[LivinginKata]

80 baht for a corona, thats not bad. corona costs 92 baht wholesale, you sure its corona?

That's what I thought, can't buy Corona wholesale for 80 Baht.... ??

[skipvice]

Same old scam played in bars in the 60's, Both saigon and in Bangkok. The word gets out and people stay away from them.

[Dustoff]

80 baht for a corona, thats not bad. corona costs 92 baht wholesale, you sure its corona?

My bad and you are likely right. We did look in the menu and verified that the price was 80B but I can't at the moment think of the name but it was not a common Thai beer like Leo or Chang. Tall and slender clear glass bottle with a whitish label (since they put them all in a boot, I didn't get a good look), light in color, my companion peeled off the ringneck label and stuck it to my glass and it seems it was mostly black. A very popular brand but I am braindead at the moment.

No matta - 80B on the menu, 150B when purchased for girls on commission. I don't want this to go too far afield - the point I am making is not the price so much as the bar marking 2+ times what was actually ordered. I don't mind paying the price they charge but a scam is a scam. Please avoid Clapton Bar in Karon.

[fiddlehead]

I agree that these kind of stories will keep the expats away.

Thanks for contributing it Dustoff.

However, they will most likely still rip off the tourists.

When i go into a girlie bar, if they watch my beer and start asking me if i want another one before it is finished, or the girls immedietly start asking for me to buy them drinks, well, i have one and leave.

I have a few favorite bars that are way different than that and have even had the owners buy me a beer already.

I think if you want the expat bar business in Phuket, you cannot use these practices of doubling the price or the no. of beers and get away with it for long.

Live and learn. I'll stay away from the Clapton bar for sure.

[K2K]

80 baht for a corona, thats not bad. corona costs 92 baht wholesale, you sure its corona?

My bad and you are likely right. We did look in the menu and verified that the price was 80B but I can't at the moment think of the name but it was not a common Thai beer like Leo or Chang. Tall and slender clear glass bottle with a whitish label (since they put them all in a boot, I didn't get a good look), light in color, my companion peeled off the ringneck label and stuck it to my glass and it seems it was mostly black. A very popular brand but I am braindead at the moment.

San Miguel Light you probably mean - no way would any bar sell Corona for 80 Bt - most usually 150B +++

Not an unusual story - pay as you go, or at least every 1000 Bt tab total. Low (dead) season - desparate measures - sadly.

[geriatrickid]

Unfortunate story. We''ve run up massive bar bills and I like to keep an eye on things by paying in installments. I tell the folks it's bad luck for me to have a bar bill running and so they humour ting tong boy. Avoids anyone thinking you don't trust them and the face issue, if you know what I mean. My friend always checks the bill when it's a biggie and we haven't been burnt yet, although I have been reprimanded for drinking too much

I am really disappointed about the aspect of knowing the person. I'd have expected such a story in Patong, since some of the typical customers should be surcharged for their behaviour blah blah blah, but Karon? My favourite beach zone, total bummer. If someone has an issue with your post, tough nutz to them. You did me a favour by reminding me, so thank you.

[britmaveric]

420bht for round for you/lady? Fk me that is taking the piss, good on you for not paying the bin at that price.

[2008bangkok]

something fishy going on here....

You have known the owner for 7 years yet when you ask him about it he kicks up a right stink, some friend.

Your are in a bar with beautiful women buying them 10 beers and you wife doesnt mind

It had already happended 2 days previous yet you decide to go back for a 3rd day even though you know you have been scammed

If this was your mate of 7 years wouldnt it have been better if you had a private word the 1st time it happened so it didnt escalate not wait for a 3rd day. it seems it should be you that cant be trusted..

[LivinLOS]

Shock horror.. I can see the headline now.. "Thai bar inflates bill" I am sure it will make the front page.

Not to say it aint annoying.. But you buy 20 odd beers and dont look at the bin ?? and you have been here how many years ?? Maybe I am just jaded by Phuket, but I watch things like this way too close.

[LivinLOS]

Shock horror.. I can see the headline now.. "Thai bar inflates bill" I am sure it will make the front page.

Not to say it aint annoying.. But you buy 20 odd beers and dont look at the bin ?? and you have been here how many years ?? Maybe I am just jaded by Phuket, but I watch things like this way too close.

[huggybear]

something fishy going on here....

You have known the owner for 7 years yet when you ask him about it he kicks up a right stink, some friend.

Your are in a bar with beautiful women buying them 10 beers and you wife doesnt mind

It had already happended 2 days previous yet you decide to go back for a 3rd day even though you know you have been scammed

If this was your mate of 7 years wouldnt it have been better if you had a private word the 1st time it happened so it didnt escalate not wait for a 3rd day. it seems it should be you that cant be trusted..

What's fishy is this post.

"You have known the owner for 7 years yet when you ask him about it he kicks up a right stink, some friend."

I understood the owner is female

"Your are in a bar with beautiful women buying them 10 beers and you wife doesnt mind"

It's Thailand, they are on holiday, and yes, some Thai wives don't mind the attention their hubbies get as it shows they have a "good catch".

"it seems it should be you that cant be trusted.."

HUH? That's right the OP was RIPPING OFF the bar by adding drinks to his bill.

[Dustoff]

something fishy going on here....

You have known the owner for 7 years yet when you ask him about it he kicks up a right stink, some friend.

Your are in a bar with beautiful women buying them 10 beers and you wife doesnt mind

It had already happended 2 days previous yet you decide to go back for a 3rd day even though you know you have been scammed

If this was your mate of 7 years wouldnt it have been better if you had a private word the 1st time it happened so it didnt escalate not wait for a 3rd day. it seems it should be you that cant be trusted..

Shock horror.. I can see the headline now.. "Thai bar inflates bill" I am sure it will make the front page.

Not to say it aint annoying.. But you buy 20 odd beers and dont look at the bin ?? and you have been here how many years ?? Maybe I am just jaded by Phuket, but I watch things like this way too close.

Seems to be a reading comprehension problem - your's.

Never did I mention the word wife. My 'companion' was a very nice girl who worked in the bar and it was my choice to converse with her and buy her a few beers. She, in fact, was kind and brave enough to stand with me when I confronted the owner and tell the truth about what really happened. In that, she has my respect and she may well lose her job at Claptons for her honesty.

A suspected rip off happened two days previous but since I couldn't be absolutely sure, two friends and I returned to verify there was indeed an intentional scam going on. There was. Before we verified the scam, my suspicions were, however correct, mere conjecture.

I did not "buy 20 odd beers" but 10, five of which were consumed by my chosen companion, and I was billed for 23. Try read.

Thank you both (not) for taking this thread into the realm of the ridiculous.

To K2K - You are correct, all of the ten beers I purchased were San Miguel Lites. Thank you.

Alaska? I flew out of Talkeetna way back when K2 Aviation was formed by a young newlywed couple named Kevin and Kathy or something like that - too long ago for me to remember names. What an incredible place to fly!

Edited September 23, 2008 by Dustoff

[jts-khorat]

which came up to well over 4000B.

Ridiculous. I didn't pay it.

If you did not pay the bill it was an extremely risky undertaking to actually go back the next day. Right or wrong, my quick assumption is that police was just too lazy to come that day and that saved you from paying this same inflated bill double or triple at the police station (or worse).

If ripped off, pay the bill or be willing to carry it on to the police right there (which I would not recommend as the outcome can go any way), but never ever go back to the same place.

Rip-offs happen, and for that reasons there are heaps of places in Patong I -- and all of my friends -- will never set foot in again because one of us got ripped off and it was not just the mis-calculation of a possible inebriated cashier. A fact of life here, simply move on, lots of other places around.

[zoltannyc]

What is the big deal?

This is the oldest trick on the books from Budapest to New York, young pretty ladies sitting at the bar and waiting for some really naive farang (or native) to buy them a drink which will cost lots of money.

If you never heard of this scam you must have been hiding under a rock in the last few decades.

Sorry this is not specific to Phuket at all...(I hope you dont play jinga or cards or snooker with the pretty ladies as you may loose even more $$$)

[huggybear]

Sorry this is not specific to Phuket at all...(I hope you dont play jinga or cards or snooker with the pretty ladies as you may loose even more $$$)

I typically win at jenga, and am 50% usually on the four across game.

What's funny is when I lose I have to buy drinks, when I win...............I have to buy drinks. Amazing Thailand!

[stevenl]

When I order a drink in any bar on Phuket, I always get the bill stuufed in one of those red bill tabs in front of me.

Do I understand correctly that they were making the tab bahind the bar somewhere and you did not get these bills?