Dream World Rip Off

[kiakaha]

I don't really have a problem with "farang" pricing, especially at private business like Dream World. Such pricing is common around the world at both public and private venues of all sorts. However, the prices and such should be clearly stated and in order to promote business, should be reasonable. (An unreasonable example would be the Thai national park's 10x price for non-Thais.)

Then one can make an informed decision on whether to patronize or not.

I have never seen double pricing in England, Germany, Holland, France or Spain. Where have you seen it?

It does not happen in Europe that I am aware of.

And it does not happen in OZ either

I disagree, and here is an example of resident vs non-resident pricing :

http://www.futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/fees/

[kiakaha]

The degree of fraud depends on the level of charges involved. For all you spineless people who try and defend this action I will open a sumptuous restaurant offering a five course banquet at 1000 Baht for Thais and 5000 Baht for farangs. For this princely sum farangs will be served a cup of tomato soup and a bacon sandwich. The Thais will get a full on meal of five courses of their choice. You will all obviously go home very happy and well nourished and will not resort to complaining either here or anywhere else.

ot

thats a pathetic analogy.

why ? because pricing in thailand is resident/citizen vs non-resident/tourist...not thai vs caucasian. show me a pricing sign with word "farang" on it? I haven't read one in 14 years anywhere in the country. i have read "tourist" plenty of times though.

sure, many caucasian residents will get mistaken as tourists, I do , its an obvious presumption for ticket sellers to make....however if you explain yourself in well spoken thai(something a resident would be expected to have a grasp of), thats often enough.Failing that, present ID.Done.

all the caucasians i know in thailand who are legally resident(citizen, PR, Non-imm work etc...) , have ID , speak/read good thai etc...never have problems.

[phetaroi]

To my knowledge the only places where this goes on are tourist attractions where discounts may be offered to local residents, by local I mean in the local vicinity. That is merely a sweetener to recompense them for the inconvenience of the traffic to and from the attractions and the local tax burden associated with providing services to the visitors.

Overall, an excellent and thoughtful post. We mostly agree. Although with the portion above, at least here in the States, if I am staying in a hotel, I am probably paying a pretty hefty room tax.

[MeetJohnDoe]

I don't really have a problem with "farang" pricing, especially at private business like Dream World. Such pricing is common around the world at both public and private venues of all sorts.

Where have you seen it? It does not happen in Europe that I am aware of.

This is a reply to all the posts about it being uncommon or not fair. I am most familiar with my country, the USA, where price discrimination on different basis is common. I almost don't know where to start: university fees vary by nationality and if one is a state resident or not; public transit fares vary by age; state and city parks, zoos, etc. vary by residency status; street parking fees vary depending on disability status; restaurant meals can sometimes vary by age (senior discounts); hotel and other travel costs can vary by age or membership in certain organizations (AAA, AARP, government employee discounts and the like). The private religious elementary school I attended had tuition discounts for church members.

I posted once on Pier 39, a popular attraction in SFO, running advertisements offering discount coupons for restaurants and store discounts for Bay Area residents only (local ID had to be produced at point of use).

These are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. There is nothing unusual about Dream World's pricing...it's a private business...they can charge what they want...and people are free to spend their money there or not.

Edited April 16, 2009 by MeetJohnDoe

[spacefruit]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

So dependent on ones salery should detremine what one pays for purchasing items etc.......interesting theory.....Most Thais in BKK earn the same if not more than falangs, so shouldnt they pay just as much.....what about Thaksin in the U.K....he is mega rich...surely then, whilst he was there he should have paid 30 times more than the average family man on a South London council estate...BS...yor ideals are unfair....dont pay anymore than the locals for anything, whether it be foord/rent or entrance to some s*tty park

Are we living in thhe same Bangkok? I dont think so.

[bangon04]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

I was trying to convey that I am already used to the double pricing in Thailand, and it bothers me less. But more important to me was - I was stopped from buying the same ticket as last time and "compelled" to buy this stupid sticker which was sold as "Unlimited" rides. I really couldn't care less about riding on the rides, but parents who want to ride with their kids should beware - the sticker is NOT "unlimited" rides.

- and speaking Thai did not help me either.

[PhilHarries]

The degree of fraud depends on the level of charges involved. For all you spineless people who try and defend this action I will open a sumptuous restaurant offering a five course banquet at 1000 Baht for Thais and 5000 Baht for farangs. For this princely sum farangs will be served a cup of tomato soup and a bacon sandwich. The Thais will get a full on meal of five courses of their choice. You will all obviously go home very happy and well nourished and will not resort to complaining either here or anywhere else.

ot

thats a pathetic analogy.

why ? because pricing in thailand is resident/citizen vs non-resident/tourist...not thai vs caucasian. show me a pricing sign with word "farang" on it? I haven't read one in 14 years anywhere in the country. i have read "tourist" plenty of times though.

sure, many caucasian residents will get mistaken as tourists, I do , its an obvious presumption for ticket sellers to make....however if you explain yourself in well spoken thai(something a resident would be expected to have a grasp of), thats often enough.Failing that, present ID.Done.

all the caucasians i know in thailand who are legally resident(citizen, PR, Non-imm work etc...) , have ID , speak/read good thai etc...never have problems.

In YOUR opinion. Obviously you are one of the forum members who think that anyone that disagrees with you is an idiot/pathetic/niaive, choose your term.

Okay, delete "farang" and insert "tourist" and now you are happy. Soak the tourist as they are a bottomless pit of money but the poor old resident farangs haven't got two brass ha'pennies to rub together. Of course that's why all you resident farangs are in Thailand isn't it? So you can be potless and blend in with the background.

btw I know places that charge the extra money to farangs irrespective of their status e.g. Alcazar in Pattaya [not a place I'd go to but it does appeal to some].

I'm not saying long term farangs can't get the local deal but it sometimes requires a bit of a battle.

But anyway behind your little irrelevant smokescreen you didn't address my point which is, if you pay the agreed price, inflated or not, and you do NOT get the good it is fraud.

[kiakaha]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

I was trying to convey that I am already used to the double pricing in Thailand, and it bothers me less. But more important to me was - I was stopped from buying the same ticket as last time and "compelled" to buy this stupid sticker which was sold as "Unlimited" rides. I really couldn't care less about riding on the rides, but parents who want to ride with their kids should beware - the sticker is NOT "unlimited" rides.

- and speaking Thai did not help me either..

maybe you speak poor thai (ie : you cant read thai script, therefore struggle to pronounce correctly like 99.99% of the people who tell me they can speak thai)

maybe you are not a thai resident ? check those little stamps in your passport. tourist permits, 1 yearly permit of stay extensions or permanant residency ?

i've been to dreamworld half a dozen times , no problems. 150 BT everytime.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Whatever is a Khunai M'Lord ?

[onni4me]

maybe you speak poor thai (ie : you cant read thai script, therefore struggle to pronounce correctly like 99.99% of the people who tell me they can speak thai)

maybe you are not a thai resident ? check those little stamps in your passport. tourist permits, 1 yearly permit of stay extensions or permanant residency ?

i've been to dreamworld half a dozen times , no problems. 150 BT everytime.

You have similar racist attitudes which are sometimes seen in any group of people. It seems that speaking Thai is something that opens the gates of heaven. Don't actually believe that and it should not matter. There is a question of service/product being sold and that's the only matter that we should look into.

I think the poster above talking about various discounts is merely talking about advertising, not the normal price. Universities around the World have reasons why they charge someone coming from another country more like unpaid taxes that we nationals pay etc.

For you the hierarchy seems to be a great way to make yourself feel better compared to others. So, like you asked: have you the paperwork done? What exactly is your status that you can put down others? Maybe just another tourist? What does that matter actually? And playing with words farang/tourist doesn't make it go much further. Farang is the expression used daily by Thais, isn't it? Or maybe they call as by some other name that I haven't noticed. It doesn't make any difference what reads in a sign. To most Thais we are just walking ATMs and that is something to address so tourists, farangs and monkeys still choose to come over. My thoughts when reading your high-so-life response to questions that have their place.

I have only run into double-pricing in Russia and felt like 2nd class person and decided never to visit that country again.

What comes to earning salary...er...maybe it is difficult to understand that Thailand have visitors from various incomes, not just from the top which authorities would like so much. It is the image that they tarnish with these practices which may come with a price tag at some point (read: people choose to go elsewhere).

[sanook2me]

While I understand the reasoning behind it--Westerners are rich and Thai are poor--it doesn't make it right and creates NOTHING but animosity as Farang realize that they truly ARE nothing but a "walking ATM" to much of the Thai people. I don't BS; I tell it like it is. I lived in the land of the facade *fake smiles* for 19 months and travelled to 17 provinces and I know how it feels. My gf/informal fiancee is Khunai as her father was a senator and it was embarrassing being treated like I was just because people "THOUGHT" that I had money; this is a feeling that I will never, ever be able to forget and has forever left a terrible feeling in me toward the Asian system in general, because that is what I have seen with my own eyes in four (4) other countries.

You are not alone in your anger and resentment at how we *farang* are treated, and that is one reason that I left, because I DO NOT DESERVE to be treated as anything but a good human being and not ripped-off openly in front of the woman I love who is MUCH richer than I am.

LINDSEY

NB: Injustice, no matter in what form it lives, is forever unacceptable to me and knowing what I know about our collective futures I simply will not tolerate it, and didn't for the last three (3) months that I was in the "Kingdom." That means that if it was egregious enough of an insult I let the person know it and made sure that everyone else around me knew how I felt so that maybe, just MAYBE, these people who take us for fools will think twice before LOSING FACE from someone who will not accept mis-treatment.

Thai ID Lord

it was embarrassing being treated like I was just because people "THOUGHT" that I had money; this is a feeling that I will never, ever be able to forget

Classic

I think baby has dropped his dummy

It is an RPG name that I have used for 14 years, but laughing at a problem while NOT addressing it shows wherein your ability to discuss lays. Deal with the reality that the Thai people have allowed themselves to be enslaved in a most racist system, and that racism and resentment breeds the tripe that "farang" have to live with, until THEY DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN THAILAND AND PUT UP WITH THE BS ANY LONGER. The pitiful truth is that these people need US much more than "we" will ever need them, and they know it. My gf had to force herself to face the reality, and as painful as it was, it was the reality of Thai society, nevertheless.

If you are going to argue with someone over something as SERIOUS as this, don't do it by "making-fun" of someone's nickname; do it by addressing the INHERENT REALITIES. The sooner that you face the facts AS THEY ARE, the sooner you will come to terms with the fact that if you are a farang in Thailand, YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A "WALKING ATM MACHINE" TO A VERY LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THEM.

A fact is fact, no matter how painful it is to admit, and YOU CAN QUOTE ME UNTIL THE DAY THAT I DIE ON THAT.

LINDSEY

NB: Bottom line...when a woman of EXTREME privilege is forced to admit the painful and humiliating flaws of her people in how they view others, that is when you know that your view is no longer that of an opinion, but is in and of itself, A FACT OF LIFE--so I will never go back to the land of the facade *FAKE SMILES* but I will wait for her and her family to get the hel_l out of that warzone before things get much, much worse in the near future. What do you have to say about THAT?

why do I bother?

what is an RPG? (rocket propelled grenade?)

Lordy lordy i'm confused - are you speaking on behalf of Thai SOCIETY or farangs? either way you are making CRASS generalisations without any substance.

Normally a SERIOUS discussion is debated on a subject that needs at least one fact to talk about and around the subject. You HAVE not given ONE fact.

Opinions are your thoughts not the REALITIES !

Get a grip my friend.... you ARE holding ON with your finger NAILS and slowly losing IT...

I WILL REPEAT THIS FOR YOU LORDY - WHERE ARE YOUR FACTS NOT OPINIONS?

[phetaroi]

You have similar racist attitudes which are sometimes seen in any group of people. It seems that speaking Thai is something that opens the gates of heaven. Don't actually believe that and it should not matter. There is a question of service/product being sold and that's the only matter that we should look into.

First, Thai is not a race, therefore, we're not talking racism.

I think the poster above talking about various discounts is merely talking about advertising, not the normal price. Universities around the World have reasons why they charge someone coming from another country more like unpaid taxes that we nationals pay etc.

...Maybe just another tourist? What does that matter actually?

Okay, so you say its okay to charge out-of-staters higher tuition than in-staters at a college because they haven't paid taxes in that state. So, why isn't the pricing system at Thai national parks and Wat Phra Keow okay where farang pay more than Thais because they are essentially out-of-staters?

To most Thais we are just walking ATMs and that is something to address so tourists, farangs and monkeys still choose to come over.

I might point out to a large segment of the "tourists" coming in to Thailand, the Thai women are just cheap sexual objects. Now let's see which is worse -- Thais seeing farang as walking ATMs or sex tourists seeing Thai women as cheap sex objects? And in fact, in most world tourist destinations, don't the locals see the tourists to some extent as walking ATMs? Where is the same hotel room more expensive -- near Disney or along I-95 in South Carolina? Where is gasoline more expensive -- in the towns closest to Yosemite NP or the same sized town located in the mountains but not near a national park? Why is restaurant food so expensive around Niagara Falls, Canada? It happens most places...although I admit, in Thailand it is sometimes more obvious.

I have only run into double-pricing in Russia and felt like 2nd class person and decided never to visit that country again.

And there I think is the answer.

maybe it is difficult to understand that Thailand have visitors from various incomes, not just from the top which authorities would like so much. It is the image that they tarnish with these practices which may come with a price tag at some point (read: people choose to go elsewhere).

Except that's really not what happens. Despite the double pricing, Thailand's popularity as a tourism destination continues to grow. What puts a dent in that popularity are things like the airport closure or recent riots or coups...not double pricing.

[PatinBKk]

So dependent on ones salery should detremine what one pays for purchasing items etc.

In fact, isn't that the way of life? The poor shop on the street. Another few classes up shop at MBK. Another couple of groups higher shop at Central or Robinsons. Still another income group shops at Gaysorn.

But the higher up groups still have the option of shopping on the street..

so tell me what my kids should pay

The posted price.

The bottom line in pricing on almost anything world-wide is the price the traffic will bear.

I have a prescription drug I have to take fairly often, although not daily. Here in the States I pay 53 cents per pill. The same medication in Thailand, by the same manufacturer costs approximately 53 cents...for 5 pills.

Why? Am I being treated unfairly in the US?

No, it's what the price will bear.

For you the price of admission to that park is too high (the reason, to me, is irrelevant). So, don't buy a ticket. Go somewhere else. There are plenty of free things to do in Thailand...as compared to few free things to do in the US.

Absolute rubbish answer...tell me what my kids should pay and back it up with reasoning or else I suggest you go away and sit in a corner becuase you have no argyment on dual pricing

[PatinBKk]

Winsdor castle is about 15 pounds to enter....so it is only fair that a Thai tourist should pay somewhere between 150 - 300 pounds....that is by your reasoning...

[PatinBKk]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

I was trying to convey that I am already used to the double pricing in Thailand, and it bothers me less. But more important to me was - I was stopped from buying the same ticket as last time and "compelled" to buy this stupid sticker which was sold as "Unlimited" rides. I really couldn't care less about riding on the rides, but parents who want to ride with their kids should beware - the sticker is NOT "unlimited" rides.

- and speaking Thai did not help me either..

maybe you speak poor thai (ie : you cant read thai script, therefore struggle to pronounce correctly like 99.99% of the people who tell me they can speak thai)

maybe you are not a thai resident ? check those little stamps in your passport. tourist permits, 1 yearly permit of stay extensions or permanant residency ?

i've been to dreamworld half a dozen times , no problems. 150 BT everytime.

Blah blah blah...we all know you speak Thai...wow what an achievemnet...well so do I as well as Spanish, Greek and Latin....you are missing the point......it is wrong and I never go to such places....maybe you can answer how much my kids should pay...born in Thailand with both Thai and U.K. passports, U.K. father and Thai mother..please what should they pay and back it up with reasoning.

[phaethon]

Dreamworld...? Is that the place where they have these outside the toilets..?

[http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/20/thai-themeparks-sini.html]

Don't think I want to go to a place like that

[pedro01]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

So dependent on ones salery should detremine what one pays for purchasing items etc.......interesting theory.....Most Thais in BKK earn the same if not more than falangs, so shouldnt they pay just as much.....what about Thaksin in the U.K....he is mega rich...surely then, whilst he was there he should have paid 30 times more than the average family man on a South London council estate...BS...yor ideals are unfair....dont pay anymore than the locals for anything, whether it be foord/rent or entrance to some s*tty park

I presume by your spelling of the word 'salary' and by the fact that most Thais earn more than you that you must be an English teacher, right ?

You have absolutely no clue what 'most Thais' in Bangkok earn. There's a lot more security guards/7-11 workers/building workers than managers in Thailand. Most office workers get less than 40K - how do you figure most expats are on less ?

The only Thai I know that came close to earning my salary was the CFO of a multinational here.

If you are here because you came on holiday, loved the 'culture' (bars) and are now working as an English teacher here, I don't have much sympathy for you. If you have been sent here by an MNC or have a business here - you are earning more that most Thais.

It's a developing country - we are talking about $15 for a day in an amusement park. Get over it.

Edited April 16, 2009 by pedro01

[pedro01]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

What about my kids...they are half Thai and born here but have both Thai and UK passports...do they pay the Thai or falang price...maybe somewhere between as they are half half...or maybe three quaters as they are half half , I am falang and wife is thai....answer me....how much should my kids pay and give me the reason for your conclusion

My son is half Thai - he gets the Thai discount too. I am happy to pay full price.

When I have Japanese friends over, I tell them to shut up whilst I get a Thai friend to get them a Thai priced ticket. They too benefit from the discount.

Looking at it - more than 75% of the people I have been there with have got this discount - I have been one of the few to pay full price. It really is a bargain.

[pedro01]

Some seem to get their kicks out of this kind of non-sense.

Maybe you'd like to label people to A, B, C and so on members of society. This one speaks Thai so let it be A, this one...but as OP asked: How are you going to label his children? Maybe just B.

I am a fond lover of equality in all aspects. You can dwell in your bubble making qualifications but not all are wealthy or have a top-paying job. They still manage to keep up their families and give other kind of donations to society.

If business is not profitable by same price tag to everyone, I don't think it's going to be a success. How about someone who looks Thai and speaks Thai but is actually from UK. Happen to know someone like that, too.

Then please explain how Dream World is profitable & succesful ?

Your (and those who favor this disgusting practise) view is really not well-based, morally, ethically nor practically. I avoid these kind of places at all cost (<pun intended).

Honestly - I bet a day out with you is like sitting on a cactus with piles. Loosen up a bit. It's $15 - why the angst ?

[pedro01]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

I don't have a problem paying more because I'm from another country, and I'm not Asian. I don't look at it like you suggest, however. I look at it like if someone wasn't from my country, they would be subject to the same discrimination as I am here. That's the way it is. However, it becomes annoying when they're rude about it, and visibly get a kick out of taking a couple extra baht out of your pocket. Like rubbing your nose in it. It would almost be comical if it wasn't so prevalent.

Why only ten years?

Ten years ? I've been here 12 & I got over this 2 years ago

To be honest, I have never seen Thais get a kick out of this, then again, I have never lost my temper or acted like an idiot when faced with it.

[pedro01]

Most Thais in BKK earn the same if not more than falangs, so shouldnt they pay just as much.

I wonder which Thais you're hanging out with? My closest Thai friends living in Bangkok have Bachelors or Masters degrees. One, for example, works at the middle management level for the HR division of an international company with which all of us are familiar. The other is management level in the Thai government. Neither earns anything close to my retirement pension from being a school principal in the States.

bang on.

What you are dealing with here are people's pre-conceptions about what middle class Thais earn as opposed to what they really earn.

In my company

Office Manager - 35K/month

Programmer - 35K-45K/month

Team Lead - 50-55K/month

Product Manager - 60K-100K/month

Help Desk 35K/month

These are all graduates - some of them educated overseas.

[pedro01]

While I understand the reasoning behind it--Westerners are rich and Thai are poor--it doesn't make it right and creates NOTHING but animosity as Farang realize that they truly ARE nothing but a "walking ATM" to much of the Thai people. I don't BS; I tell it like it is. I lived in the land of the facade *fake smiles* for 19 months and travelled to 17 provinces and I know how it feels. My gf/informal fiancee is Khunai as her father was a senator and it was embarrassing being treated like I was just because people "THOUGHT" that I had money; this is a feeling that I will never, ever be able to forget and has forever left a terrible feeling in me toward the Asian system in general, because that is what I have seen with my own eyes in four (4) other countries.

You are not alone in your anger and resentment at how we *farang* are treated, and that is one reason that I left, because I DO NOT DESERVE to be treated as anything but a good human being and not ripped-off openly in front of the woman I love who is MUCH richer than I am.

LINDSEY

NB: Injustice, no matter in what form it lives, is forever unacceptable to me and knowing what I know about our collective futures I simply will not tolerate it, and didn't for the last three (3) months that I was in the "Kingdom." That means that if it was egregious enough of an insult I let the person know it and made sure that everyone else around me knew how I felt so that maybe, just MAYBE, these people who take us for fools will think twice before LOSING FACE from someone who will not accept mis-treatment.

Thai ID Lord

it was embarrassing being treated like I was just because people "THOUGHT" that I had money; this is a feeling that I will never, ever be able to forget

Classic

I think baby has dropped his dummy

It is an RPG name that I have used for 14 years, but laughing at a problem while NOT addressing it shows wherein your ability to discuss lays. Deal with the reality that the Thai people have allowed themselves to be enslaved in a most racist system, and that racism and resentment breeds the tripe that "farang" have to live with, until THEY DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN THAILAND AND PUT UP WITH THE BS ANY LONGER. The pitiful truth is that these people need US much more than "we" will ever need them, and they know it. My gf had to force herself to face the reality, and as painful as it was, it was the reality of Thai society, nevertheless.

If you are going to argue with someone over something as SERIOUS as this, don't do it by "making-fun" of someone's nickname; do it by addressing the INHERENT REALITIES. The sooner that you face the facts AS THEY ARE, the sooner you will come to terms with the fact that if you are a farang in Thailand, YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A "WALKING ATM MACHINE" TO A VERY LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THEM.

A fact is fact, no matter how painful it is to admit, and YOU CAN QUOTE ME UNTIL THE DAY THAT I DIE ON THAT.

LINDSEY

NB: Bottom line...when a woman of EXTREME privilege is forced to admit the painful and humiliating flaws of her people in how they view others, that is when you know that your view is no longer that of an opinion, but is in and of itself, A FACT OF LIFE--so I will never go back to the land of the facade *FAKE SMILES* but I will wait for her and her family to get the hel_l out of that warzone before things get much, much worse in the near future. What do you have to say about THAT?

So you are saying that Dream Worlds pricing policy reflects a deeper problem in Thai society that reflects an ingrained disparity in the justice that people receive based on their ethnicity ?

fuc_k me - I thought they were just trying to gouge tourists.....

Edited April 16, 2009 by pedro01

[pedro01]

For those of you that say that this goes on worldwide please state examples to back up your claim.

On the Isle Of Wight - bus fares are a fraction of the price for residents than they are for tourists.

[ronz28]

"In the U.S., out-of-state students often pay more tuition and fees than in-state students."

That is because U.S. taxpayers pay income, property and sales taxes that among other things pay most of the costs of University and College education costs in the U.S. Since foreign students come here for an education and then should return home, they usually don't pay their fair share of the costs of their education. Many are even able to avoid the higher foreign student rate by getting a discount to the in-state rate by taking a part time job with the University such as a lab assistant in a sophomore class. About half of the electrical engineering students at University of Texas are from India. If the taxpayer only knew their students are rejected from admission and part time jobs at the University because of the Indian student clique they would probably revolt.

As a tourist, I don't mind paying extra at Thai national parks etc. for what Thais have preserved or paid for through taxes etc. but Dream World? Probably not subsidized by the Thai government.

Dream World sells happiness but happiness is probably better achieved through lowered expectations.

[sanook2me]

Oh dear, the old two tier pricing...

Its not really an issue is it - only the people in the know ie long stay farangs realise whats going on and lets be honest you probaly do have a few more baht in the bank than the average Thai visiting these places.

FACT £479 average UK salary in 2008 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=285

This is an assumption I can't find any facts but I'm guessing looking at previous posts this is a monthly salary for alot of university grads so the majority probably earn less.

Therefore its not a real issue in the over all scheme of things is it!

Where is Lordy? he has a few questions to answer! COME ON Lord lets SEE some more of your FUNNY TYPED posts...

[wolf5370]

I generally sick my mother-in-law on them, usually works (or a deal somewhere in the middle reached). I once went to a show where the Thai price was 10B, numbers written in Thai of course, and the foreigner price (and it did say foreigner not non-resident) was 300B - I ended up paying 100B, which I was happy with. Paid the Thai price at CM zoo (and BKK zoo) and the National Park in Kanchanaburi, ancient city and many other places - this was always on a tourist visa, when they did not hear me speaking any Thai etc. Simply because I had a lot of Thais with me (only farang) and the others spoke up for me or bought the ticket.

Not always the case of course, I have had to pay full farang price many times - Nong Nooch park (which I hate - so haven't been for years now), museum in Ayuttaya, swimming pools, oh many places. I either walk away (usually when its an obvious rip off) - or just pay up - if mum-in-law isn't around

I don't mind the two-price thing, what I don't like is when its hidden or worse, not posted at all so they set the price based on how rich they think you are. I dislike being deceived (or an attempt thereof) - stamp it on the advertsiing and I'll make the decision.

National parks do advertise with the farang price Kanchanaburi National Park, so what's the problem?

On the UK - there were talks a few years back about bringing in a special price for Londoners for London attractions, but it never happened. I lived near Brands Hatch racing circuit where they have many events throughout the year (including world super bikes etc) - I was entitled to 2 free annual passes each year as a local (and a free event calendar) as a thank you for putting up with the occasional traffic problem - 2 or 3 times a year for the big events.

Edited April 16, 2009 by wolf5370

[cat5]

Went to DreamWorld today with a group of Thai friends and their kids.

I offered to buy the tickets - same as before - 150 baht with the tear off tickets - one free ride on each attraction.

The lady managing the queue at the box office - No Sir, Falang must buy ticket in the office - leads me into the Information office. There I am informed that I can only buy a sticker for unlimited rides all day, naturally for 3 times the Thai price (450 baht instead of 150). I wanted to go back out and buy the Thai ticket as per plan A. But the box office refused to serve me.

So I have to let my friends buy the tickets for us, and I am marched back to the office to buy the overpriced but "unlimited" sticker.

Well you guessed it - "Unlimited" rides is a blatant lie. Almost all of the rides demanded an extra ticket on top of the sticker. Plus I found out from my regular taxi driver that he gets a commission by quoting the number on the silly Sticker.

I have experienced Thai double pricing before, and it does not bother me, but simply lying to Falang is a step further.

So I will not go there again, and they have lost my business for the next 10 years. I will tell everyone I know that they cheated me, and I wish them all an early redundancy.

I am just as sure that they do not care about my disgust, because I am just a Falang ATM, and there will always be more along in a minute, but it makes me feel a bit better to have a quick rant.

Out of curiosity, how much extra did you (and your Thai friends) have to pay per ride? Personally, if I had been told that I had an unlimited ticket and it was no such thing, I would have gone back to the office and shoved it up their unlimited orifice.

[cat5]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

Thailand salaries:

http://bangkoklibrary.com/content/154-adec...guide-2008-2009

[cat5]

For those of you that say that this goes on worldwide please state examples to back up your claim.

On the Isle Of Wight - bus fares are a fraction of the price for residents than they are for tourists.

Are you referring to pensioners getting free or subsidized travel? I haven't been there for over 30 years so I'm a bit out of touch with the place!

[PatinBKk]

I suggest you lock yourself in your room & seethe for the next 10 years.

Average Isaan migrant worker in Bangkok earns between 3000-8000 baht a month. Foreign expats can't get a work permit for less than 50,000 a month most earn in excess of 100,000.

Instead of looking at it as you getting ripped off, why not look at it as people poorer than yourself getting a discount ?

So dependent on ones salery should detremine what one pays for purchasing items etc.......interesting theory.....Most Thais in BKK earn the same if not more than falangs, so shouldnt they pay just as much.....what about Thaksin in the U.K....he is mega rich...surely then, whilst he was there he should have paid 30 times more than the average family man on a South London council estate...BS...yor ideals are unfair....dont pay anymore than the locals for anything, whether it be foord/rent or entrance to some s*tty park

I presume by your spelling of the word 'salary' and by the fact that most Thais earn more than you that you must be an English teacher, right ?

whoops...spelling police....no never a teacher

You have absolutely no clue what 'most Thais' in Bangkok earn. There's a lot more security guards/7-11 workers/building workers than managers in Thailand. Most office workers get less than 40K - how do you figure most expats are on less ?

I do actually, working for a large company I know exactly what staff earn, from the cleaner up to dept manager

The only Thai I know that came close to earning my salary was the CFO of a multinational here.

If you are here because you came on holiday, loved the 'culture' (bars) and are now working as an English teacher here, I don't have much sympathy for you. If you have been sent here by an MNC or have a business here - you are earning more that most Thais.

Thats your perception of most people I presume...you have no idea about why I am here or decided to make this my adopted country...I do not frequent Nana or the likes and never have.

It's a developing country - we are talking about $15 for a day in an amusement park. Get over it.

$15 or $50...its principle