Rip Off At The Gymkhana Golf Course

[KevinHunt]

At least you get a free glass of water with your meal, not like some place I could mention, isn't that right Mr. Hunt.

Cheers

Absolutely. In fact, I think that all sports clubs should provide free water. I know that golf is a stroll in the park but it's thirsty work running around a tennis court even at this time of year. 

The terrace of the Gymkhana has one of the finest views of any restaurant in Chiang Mai, however, rather than concern myself with the odd 20 baht here or there, my greatest concern of late is the return journey to the Night Bazaar which involves having to stop underneath this lampost whilst I wait for a gap to join the Chiang Mai - Lamphun Road. I know it's only been a week or so but I hope they fix it soon. I have to run the risk at least twice a day, and to be honest it gives me the willys.

Do you get the willys too?

How much longer, I wonder?

[Loaded]

I agree it's unacceptable to charge higher prices than advertised, but you shouldn't have paid the extra.

They were/are at fault but to pay and then come on a forum and moan is a little sad, isn't it?

I agree with some previous posters that this place has a lot of potential: position and history for starters. With a little capital, some imagination and a little vision it could become very successful IMO.

[Loaded]

Do you get the willys too?

There's a very funny response to this but it may lead to my suspension... again!

[john b good]

JxP--I for one appreciate the heads up...I occasionally play and dine at the Gymkhana and now I have just been warned of a rip-off scheme there...albeit a minor one this time around. The OP was conned out of a mere THB 20, but what about if that figure grew by an order of magnitude as with a larger meal or with more diners? I agree with you that we need to take up our gripes with the establishment's manager, but it I think the OP did us a service for spreading the word and should not be chastized for it. The whole idea of the CM Forum is to disseminate information and for posters to ask queries of their own on some aspect pertaining to the local area. I cast my vote of thanks that TV gives us this opportunity and to <cnxmike> for raising it to our attention.

Exactly!! It doesn't matter if it is 5, 10, 15 or 20 baht it is a clear case of dishonest pricing/charging.

It happens all to regularly and should not be accepted.

I visited Good View a couple of weeks back, service was absolute shyt and I got the wrong meal to boot.

Being Thai the GF said OK "mai pen rai" yet it was my meal.

Thai's in general will not take a stand and in particular will not take a stand if it is not their money (or their meal)

Edited December 14, 2008 by john b good

[Gravelrash]

To think I've been ignoring food related threads on this forum, didn't realize there was so much action. Makes the PAD vs Taksin debate in news pale in comparison.

I think if overcharged confront it then and there. My girlfriend goes through the bill and has spotted "mistakes" quite a few times. unlike the OPs wife, no mai pen rai when that happens.

[zen0]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure if the price was changed the menu would've been updated. I've seen even upscale restaurants with simple paper cutouts with pen and tape over their menus for price increases.

I don't know why the staff would over charge but I'm guessing the OPs wife decided mai pen rai because the bill was in the over 500+ range where 20 would seem like it's ok. I do agree when it comes to my meal or my money it tends to be mai pen rai but when it's her meal/money...well lets not talk about it

[Mapguy]

Bizarre thread! Strange how far discussions of 20 bhat can go!

[cnxmike]

@magpie

"Strange how far discussions of 20 bhat can go!"

Because this time we are talking about real money, and not about free water, which nobody drinks anyway.

To get back to the topic. The food was good, and the dish very generous. Enough to serve 2 people. I probably would not have minded to pay the charged amount, if I only had known it in advance.

I don't blame the staff. It's certainly not their fault. But there is something wrong with the management, which obviously are trying to to ruin this otherwise nice place.

[tigerbalm]

@JxP

what's your Problem?

Do you really think it's ok to give a customer a menu, which says a certain item costs 100.00 and after the customer finished his meal, charge him with 120.00 ?

Come on, get real!!!

No, I don't think that is okay, this is not my real point. My real point is that there are better, more considerate and more well mannered ways of dealing with the problem than coming onto to ThaiVisa with it, you chose the "mai bpen rai" route, stick to it.

Maybe I have over reacted a little, but only a little judging by some of the other posts in this thread. Gymkhana has a pedigree, unfortunately a recent combination of bad luck and bad judgement has made it difficult for many of the people who rely on the club to make their living. It is still a beautiful place, a landmark and a piece of Chiang Mai history. Okay, I have a soft spot for Gymkhana for many reasons but I also get incredibly frustrated when people quite clearly do not understand the impact that disparaging remarks on an internet forum can have.

Yes, it's only 20 baht; yes, it's wrong to overcharge; however, it is also very inconsiderate to make a complaint about an establishment without having made the complaint to the establishment and giving them a chance to deal with the issue. Muttering your discontent to drinking buddies is one thing, publishing on the internet is a totally different scenario.

Although imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery, I think I will take your written mimicry as a prompt to bow out of this discussion in the hope that my point may have hit home by now.

JxP

If you are complaining that he shuld not be here with this trivial matter concerning being wrongly charged extra payment for a meal that cleartly stated one price and being charged another when presented a bill then why i there a WARNING THREAD at thge top of the CM forum aimed at Busnesses to be wary of?

Clearly he had every right to post here on TV but it may have been better to have chosen the warning thread to post his observation on this particular resturant..

[imaneggspurt]

Bizarre thread! Strange how far discussions of 20 bhat can go!

Yes isnt it,. people move to thailand because its cheap and then turn into utter scrooges in my opinion,. this is not the uk.usa, thais do things their way,western principles should be left at the airport along with logic/common sense/and in a lot of cases wallets,.

[dingdongrb]

20 baht...bahhhhhh And to think to myself how much time was wasted reading this rubbish......

If 20 baht means that much to you perhaps you should pick up the litter on the roads and recycle it as you have wasted enough time on this forum to make 10x that much!

As one poster has said, if this was your biggest problem for that day, then perhaps you need a hobby. Try sucking on this for awhile as it will allow all your other problems be forgotten.

[StevieH]

i'll ask the OP again, did you leave a tip? any time i've had an issue with a restaurant bill, be it here in thailand or in any other country, it gets reflected in the tip or lack thereof. this thread sounds really drama queenish.

[tigerbeer]

@magpie

"Strange how far discussions of 20 bhat can go!"

Because this time we are talking about real money, and not about free water, which nobody drinks anyway.

To get back to the topic. The food was good, and the dish very generous. Enough to serve 2 people. I probably would not have minded to pay the charged amount, if I only had known it in advance.

I don't blame the staff. It's certainly not their fault. But there is something wrong with the management, which obviously are trying to to ruin this otherwise nice place.

you are not helping out much with this as well. come on buddy. probably an innocent mistake. who want's to rip you off 20baht right at your face? food was good, portions were generous, probably free water too, i'd say a nice place to dine at.

then again, i think this thread is probably going to generate more revenue for Gymkana

[tigerbalm]

Always pay what's on the menu unless you enjoy taking it up the bottom of course... you would query in your own countries

BUTT

getting back to the extra 17% (+ or -) being charged over the top of the menue price the missus say's it is only farrangs that get this they would not have the cheek to do this if it were a Thai as Thais would not put up with it, Thais always check their bills

[Ajarn]

Always pay what's on the menu unless you enjoy taking it up the bottom of course... you would query in your own countries

BUTT

getting back to the extra 17% (+ or -) being charged over the top of the menue price the missus say's it is only farrangs that get this they would not have the cheek to do this if it were a Thai as Thais would not put up with it, Thais always check their bills

Is your wife Thai? Maybe she is, but she can't say all thais check their bills. Thais can be just as stupid regarding bills as anyone else, in my experience

[KevinHunt]

@magpie

"Strange how far discussions of 20 bhat can go!"

Because this time we are talking about real money, and not about free water, which nobody drinks anyway.

To get back to the topic. The food was good, and the dish very generous. Enough to serve 2 people. I probably would not have minded to pay the charged amount, if I only had known it in advance.

I don't blame the staff. It's certainly not their fault. But there is something wrong with the management, which obviously are trying to to ruin this otherwise nice place.

     I live a hop, skip and a jump from the Gymkhana so pull up a sandbag and let me tell you about it.

    Although it is fully open to the public, the Gymkhana is a members club , which is run by an elected committee, and as a member in good standing I can assure you that the current committee are not trying to ruin this otherwise nice place.

     Interestingly, they have had committees in the past that quite literally were trying to ruin it. They deliberately over-spent and ran the place down with the intent of bankrupting the place in order to get their hands on a prime piece of real-estate. The present committee took over following the devastating floods a couple of years ago. The club was is an awful mess with about 6inches of silt covering the entire place (even the tennis courts!!) . The golf course was a quagmire and took almost a year to recover. The subsequent loss of almost a years income almost bankrupted them but thanks to donations by members and a huge effort from the committee the club finally recovered. They are in a much better financial situation now and so slowly they have improved the place.

     Most recently, they have re-decorated the dining area and I hear that a new Japanese member is teaching the staff to cook some popular Japanese dishes. Other than that, the balcony has been re-decorated, one of the Squash courts has been re-laid and most importantly, the tennis courts were re-surfaced. In short the present committee have done a lot to improve the grand old  lady of Chiang Mai that is the Gymkhana Club (Asia's oldest sports club - 110 years old).

    For the next 9 days there is an ACC international cricket tournament taking  place (Womens under 18, I think) so now would be a good time to go down there and see the place if you haven't already done so. Failing that, go along for the Carol-singing on the 19th (I think).

    BTW , the fact that the club is run by committee does mean that mistakes, like the one mentioned, happen, but I hear that a  Manager may be appointed in the near future.

 

[jackr]

Was staying at the Horizon Village and the bill for a room service meal was almost double the menu (service charge notwithstanding), because apparently they hadn't updated the menus yet... we were told this when the grub arrived. Yeah right; charge the old price or take it all back, with a smile of course. After much toing and froing they went with it. Bit unclassy for a classy place and whether it's 20 baht or 500 baht over the top (as with us), balls to mai pen rai on this one. Don't take it up the bottom and god be with you

[Kan Win]

JxP--I for one appreciate the heads up...

Both of you have the same Avatar

Been a member here for yrs.

On ThaiVisaDotCom as well and post so little.

Kan Win

P.S. "JxP" I, and from all of us on Froum 47 appreciated your comments, well done

Edited December 15, 2008 by Kan Win

[catmac]

JxP--I for one appreciate the heads up...

Both of you have the same Avatar

Been a member here for yrs.

On ThaiVisaDotCom as well and post so little.

Kan Win

P.S. "JxP" I, and from all of us on Froum 47 appreciated your comments, well done

Do enlighten us, Kan Win, as I, for one, have no idea what you're trying to say here!

[ChiangMai2]

Tonight I was with my Thai wife at the restaurant at the Gymkhana Golf Course, which is near the Kawalla barracks.

I had "Fried Beef With Oyster Sauce", which was according to the menu 120Bt. But when the bill came, it was 140 Bt. When I asked why and showed them the menu, they said "sorry but the price of beef has gone up recently, that's why we have to charge more".

If I had been there by myself, I certainly wouldn't have paid it, but my wife said, "Mai Pen Arai". So just for my peace of mind, I paid it.

Is this another case of "TIT" (This is Thailand) or another attempt to rip off farangs, who don't know any better?

I am devastated to hear this news, my heart goes out to you.. You must feel like fleeing Thailand and going back home. Very sad news! It makes you wonder eh? Please get a life!

[IraqRon]

and I started reading this post thinking he was going to talk about the course itself being a rip-off, lol.

Yes, I played it once and well, it is a tad overpriced for what it is, IMHO.

As far as the 20 baht extra, just live and learn from it. Glad you didn't let it upset you and lose face over it...

I've found that most of the times that I reacted as if I was getting ripped off in Thailand, after further review so to speak, the problem was my misunderstanding and not a rip off (most of the time, not allways)

[Ulysses G.]

Glad you didn't let it upset you and lose face over it...

I've found that most of the times that I reacted as if I was getting ripped off in Thailand, after further review so to speak, the problem was my misunderstanding and not a rip off (most of the time, not allways)

I've found exactly the same thing over the last 20 years. Think about it if you are new here.

[adjan jb]

IMO 120 or 140 THB for some buffalo in oyster sauce is a rip-off. Lots of places charge only 50/60 THB for this dish.

Edited December 16, 2008 by adjan jb

[Bill97]

Glad you didn't let it upset you and lose face over it...

I've found that most of the times that I reacted as if I was getting ripped off in Thailand, after further review so to speak, the problem was my misunderstanding and not a rip off (most of the time, not allways)

I've found exactly the same thing over the last 20 years. Think about it if you are new here.

Yes, thank you both.

[tigerbeer]

IMO 120 or 140 THB for some buffalo in oyster sauce is a rip-off. Lots of places charge only 50/60 THB for this dish.

i think it depends where the buffalo comes from. different kinds of buffalo too. Kiwi, Australian, English, French, Thai, Vietnamese (as noticed in the movie Tropic Thunder). Also oyster sauce got different kinds, Lee Kum Kee or the cheapo thai ones.

[adjan jb]

IMO 120 or 140 THB for some buffalo in oyster sauce is a rip-off. Lots of places charge only 50/60 THB for this dish.

i think it depends where the buffalo comes from. different kinds of buffalo too. Kiwi, Australian, English, French, Thai, Vietnamese (as noticed in the movie Tropic Thunder). Also oyster sauce got different kinds, Lee Kum Kee or the cheapo thai ones.

I guess that it also depends on how the buffalo get here, by plane or by road. But 120 THB for a few chunks, shit... I'm sure he flew first class.

(BTW, the only French water buffalos I've ever seen were in a zoo)

Reason for edit: Add a smile.

Edited December 16, 2008 by adjan jb

[helloall]

I think that the real mistake is that the waiting staff did not inform the customer of the higher price when they ordered it. It is only common sense and would have avoided any problem.

i am sorry but i just dont agree with anyone who says its bad form to complain here

people who accept rip offs or smugly say its only 20Baht have completely the wrong attitude

i would like to know if the menu now reflects the new price even though the price of beef has dropped or it was just a ripoff scam

[adjan jb]

I think that the real mistake is that the waiting staff did not inform the customer of the higher price when they ordered it. It is only common sense and would have avoided any problem.

I agree. They should have informed the OP.

"Sorry Sir but today's buffalo comes from Australia, or is it Austria?, courtesy of Thai Airways"

Edited December 16, 2008 by adjan jb