Is There Something Wrong With Me?

[Naam]

most of the complaints in Thaivisa demonstrate clearly why a certain group of Farangs is considered "birdshit" by quite a number of Thais

[Tafia]

Maybe you should get outside the supermarkets more. I'm talking about markets, stalls, shops (not Tesco where the price is fixed and marked).

How am i supposed to know the exact price (for example) a long pair of socks at a market stall. They might tell me 40baht, but how do i know the next person won't get them for 35?

Suppose i go to get my watch repaired, guy quotes 100baht, maybe the real price is 90baht.

You think the employees don't want to overcharge you? Yeah right, where do you think the extra 10 baht from above example will go? Straight in the employees pocket...

that would be indeed terrible!

They tell you the price... its upto you whether you purchase or not ..they are only doing what you are..trying to get the best deal....

When I worry about being occasionally charged an extra 10B it will be time to leave.

[dave111223]

My point is that no matter how small an amount, you will occasionally get overcharge for stuff in Thailand (whether it be a few baht as in my example or more).

There is no way that you can possibly know the cheapest price for everything that you will ever buy (unless you have a severe case of OCD and travel all day trying to find the base price for a nail clipper....), and thus you will end up paying more sometimes (everyone Thai or Foreign) and yet the OP reports to have only ever been overcharged by a Thai once...

Edited April 26, 2009 by dave111223

[Pierrot]

My point is that no matter how small an amount, you will occasionally get overcharge for stuff in Thailand (whether it be a few baht as in my example or more).

There is no way that you can possibly know the cheapest price for everything that you will ever buy (unless you have a severe case of OCD and travel all day trying to find the base price for a nail clipper....), and thus you will end up paying more sometimes (everyone Thai or Foreign) and yet the OP reports to have only ever been overcharged by a Thai once...

Our point is ...who gives a shit ?

"There is no way that you can possibly know ..." You're absolutely right ! No way we can know. No point to sweat the small things , that's the only thing we say.

[LooseCannon]

My point is that no matter how small an amount, you will occasionally get overcharge for stuff in Thailand (whether it be a few baht as in my example or more).

There is no way that you can possibly know the cheapest price for everything that you will ever buy (unless you have a severe case of OCD and travel all day trying to find the base price for a nail clipper....), and thus you will end up paying more sometimes (everyone Thai or Foreign) and yet the OP reports to have only ever been overcharged by a Thai once...

The point is when you go to the market there is no fixed price, just a minimum price that the vendor is willing to sell at. This price will often vary depending on circumstances that prevail at any given time in the marketplace. Using your haggling skills you then attempt to negotiate an acceptable price. If you are not happy & think that you can save 3 or 4 baht on your pair of socks move 20 metres down the ailse & using your 'benchmark' price repeat the process with the next vendor. My experience has shown me that most vendor's desire to make a sale is greater than there desire to fleece a farang (of course this does not necessarily apply in tourist areas).

I think that you are being just a little pedantic & missing the point of the OP's statement.

To the OP - all normal with you & your wife despite what others will have you believe.

One think that just cracks me up are the comments that suggest that anyone actually enjoying there time in Thailand must be "oblivious to reality".

Sorry mate you are having an absolute c*nt of time, you're just too stupid to realise it. :D

[sanook2me]

It's amazing that in a country where the price of almost everything is largely flexible you have always managed to pay the exact correct price, without being overcharged (except 1 time).

In reality it's more likely that you do get overcharged sometimes, you are just not aware of it.

I'm sure that I unknowingly overpay for a few things per week, it would probably be foolish to think otherwise.

I can't believe it. How long have you been living in Thailand? Two month ? Three ?

Most of the time the shop attendant is just an employee and doesn't care if you're a foreigner or from the planet Mars.

You probably never left the same tourist spots and you're talking of "a country where the price of almost everything is largely flexible" ...

If you really want to know a place, get out of the tourist spots

Maybe you should get outside the supermarkets more. I'm talking about markets, stalls, shops (not Tesco where the price is fixed and marked).

How am i supposed to know the exact price (for example) a long pair of socks at a market stall. They might tell me 40baht, but how do i know the next person won't get them for 35?

Suppose i go to get my watch repaired, guy quotes 100baht, maybe the real price is 90baht.

You think the employees don't want to overcharge you? Yeah right, where do you think the extra 10 baht from above example will go? Straight in the employees pocket...

I am the only stupid farang who does not haggle at markets etc. I have a rough idea of how much things should cost and what I am willing to pay if i'm not happy about the price I just smile and say thank you and walk off.

Getting ripped off for a pair of 40baht socks that only sell at 35b grow up

[dave111223]

I am the only stupid farang who does not haggle at markets etc. I have a rough idea of how much things should cost and what I am willing to pay if i'm not happy about the price I just smile and say thank you and walk off.

Getting ripped off for a pair of 40baht socks that only sell at 35b grow up

There are some times when it's not really possible to have an idea of the price, or go to another store to find a lower price.

For example I had occasion to require some football styled bean bags for sitting on. Took me ages to find a shop which produced them, and the prices they charged me could well have been higher than the "standard price" that they normally quoted people. But there were no other shops i could find selling this specific item.

And before anyone else takes the sock example literally, DON'T. It's just a hypothetical example. Change "socks" to something that you would buy, and 40Baht to however much that thing may cost. The cost is meaningless within the context of this argument.

I know what you are saying Pierrot; who cares if you overpaid, and ignorance is bliss. Which I also agree, but there's no harm in being wise to the fact that one probably has overpaid at some point.

I agree that getting worked up about over paying is silly, but it also seems silly pretending "it's never happens to me"; because whether you know it or not...it has.

[Shotime]

I think one of the problems with the 'I got ripped off," stuff is that this is a country with a lot of haggling over price. So, even if you get a fair deal, someone will tell you that you were ripped off because they got something for 10 baht cheaper.

It also depends on where you live. In the tourist areas it's fairly normal to charge more (and they do it to Thais as well), but in the more suburban and rural areas that's not the case. In more rural areas everyone knows, or everyone thinks everyone knows, how far it is and how much it should cost.

That's too funny. Just today, I was showing my buddy and the two caddies, some nice, hardly-used golf balls that I had bought for 20 baht apiece. To me, that was a great price. Especially compared to the lousy, used ones they sell on the course for about the same price. Don't you know one of the caddies said 10 baht. We couldn't stop laughing.

[sanook2me]

I am the only stupid farang who does not haggle at markets etc. I have a rough idea of how much things should cost and what I am willing to pay if i'm not happy about the price I just smile and say thank you and walk off.

Getting ripped off for a pair of 40baht socks that only sell at 35b grow up

There are some times when it's not really possible to have an idea of the price, or go to another store to find a lower price.

For example I had occasion to require some football styled bean bags for sitting on. Took me ages to find a shop which produced them, and the prices they charged me could well have been higher than the "standard price" that they normally quoted people. But there were no other shops i could find selling this specific item.

And before anyone else takes the sock example literally, DON'T. It's just a hypothetical example. Change "socks" to something that you would buy, and 40Baht to however much that thing may cost. The cost is meaningless within the context of this argument.

I know what you are saying Pierrot; who cares if you overpaid, and ignorance is bliss. Which I also agree, but there's no harm in being wise to the fact that one probably has overpaid at some point.

I agree that getting worked up about over paying is silly, but it also seems silly pretending "it's never happens to me"; because whether you know it or not...it has.

You must have an idea about the bean bags i would say about 3,000bt or less ..... am I close?

[dave111223]

You must have an idea about the bean bags i would say about 3,000bt or less ..... am I close?

In this example they actually cost 1,500 each. (and no i don't count an estimate of double the price as "close")

And who knows; the standard price may have actually been 1,000 baht (i may have overpaid). So you could well have ended up paying 2 or 3times the actual price if you'd have gone seeking this specific item with the idea of 3,000baht.

Again this just 1 example of purchases where "benchmarking" data is not readily available, and in these situations, in Thailand the price you end up paying is often not the standard price.

[BigSnake]

No, you are fine, it's pretty much the norm in the land of smile(LOS) to get service with a smile and a very pleasant Thank you, it just a few bad apples that you see once in awhile that made all the rest seem bad. You just last year I stop near the 7/11 for my old daily BKK Post, pull two 20 baht note from my front pocket to pay for the paper, in done so I drop a 50 baht note with was also in front pocket, to my and surprise two young ladies, students from the University saw the 50 baht fall from my pocket and call to me and return the 50 baht, I offer to give it to them which they refuse, a few days later I saw one of the two with two other students just finishing there lunch, which I gladly paid for, baht 110 for the three of them.

[qualtrough]

Guesthouse, following form, once again unctuously warns that those with a favorable impression of Thailand may just be 'oblivious' to what is really going on around them. Never fails. Moderator: Can Guesthouse's warning be pinned in order to save bandwidth?

[tb86]

Guesthouse, following form, once again unctuously warns that those with a favorable impression of Thailand may just be 'oblivious' to what is really going on around them. Never fails. Moderator: Can Guesthouse's warning be pinned in order to save bandwidth?

[loong]

Thaimate,

there's nothing wrong with you - maybe you are just lucky.

My life is not perfect, but I'm quite satisfied with it. It's a mixture of good and bad, mostly good. Sometimes I find things frustrating here and you know, a forum like this can be a good place to have a rant and get it off your chest.

This morning, I walked to my little garden plot, the birds are singing, the air smells really fresh after the rain. Everybody I met greeted me with a smile - nobody asked me for anything. Only "Bpai Sai" even though they all know where i was going. The little 4 year old girl round the corner shouted "Good Morning Loong Kit" with a big beaming smile that lights up the early morning. Same as she does every morning and the only English that she knows. Ducks and chickens scattered in front of me as I walked, the mother hens frantically calling to their young. As I neared the garden the local dogs bounded out to greet me, tails swishing back and forth furiously. They walked alongside jumping and vying for my attention.

The rain had been good for the garden, but it was too wet to do any serious work and so I walked back, more cheery greetings on the way.

That is my normal life and usually I would not think to post like this. It doesn't occur to me that anybody would be interested. As somebody has already posted - bad news sells.

Maybe it is time for a new topic where people can post happy stories and let everyone know when they've had a good day.

Anyway, keep on enjoying life na!

[unforgiven]

thaimate, you are probably no different from the vast majority of expats living in Thailand. It's unfortunately the norm for a lot of people to focus on the occasional bad thing they encounter and post accordingly. Even when someone starts a positive thread here it's quickly taken over by the negative mob.

ya this place is no worse than anything in the west and probably better than most ,it's just when frustrations set in ranting is a natural response.

[unforgiven]

Hello Thaimate - I have to say my experience is about the same as yours. Overall I'd say I'm treated better here than in my home country in terms of customer service, politeness etc. We are not Thai, never will be, no matter how long we stay will never be fully "accepted" no matter how well we speak Thai, but frankly I don't care - my lifestyle here is superior to one I could get at home and in many other countries so, by choice, I stay. If it gets too much for me then I'll excercise my right to leave, in the meantime I am making the most of it.

and so do i.

ya this quote is really spot on!

[sanook2me]

You must have an idea about the bean bags i would say about 3,000bt or less ..... am I close?

In this example they actually cost 1,500 each. (and no i don't count an estimate of double the price as "close")

And who knows; the standard price may have actually been 1,000 baht (i may have overpaid). So you could well have ended up paying 2 or 3times the actual price if you'd have gone seeking this specific item with the idea of 3,000baht.

Again this just 1 example of purchases where "benchmarking" data is not readily available, and in these situations, in Thailand the price you end up paying is often not the standard price.

But I wouldn't have paid 3,000bt because you only paid 1,500bt so that was the given(standard) price (now you will tell me you haggled to 1,500 )

If I had been purchasing the bean bags I would have had a good day because they were half the price I was expecting 2 for 1 is always good

I think you probably make these small situations/problems up in your own head opposed to them being the reality of over charging farangs.

(you have stated you still think the price could actually be 1,000bt so you are still thinking you have been overcharged farang price)

BUT

There is plenty of evidence from other posters about being overcharged but it appears mostly with work(labour) or none tangible items

[GuestHouse]

Guesthouse, following form, once again unctuously warns that those with a favorable impression of Thailand may just be 'oblivious' to what is really going on around them. Never fails. Moderator: Can Guesthouse's warning be pinned in order to save bandwidth?

I'm all for that, but please let us have the whole quote - There is something predictable here, your own predilection to misrepresent what others have said.

But go ahead, pin what I've said, it is as you have chosen to ignore critical of both camps.... and very critical of those who would deny the validity of comparison.

It's a fair question, but in asking it you need to be open to all possible answers. One of which is that you may be oblivious to the reality around you.

An affliction as common in those who see nothing but the positive as it is in those who see nothing but negativity.

Only a fool would believe life is anything but a balance between the two.

[thaimate]

Thaimate,

there's nothing wrong with you - maybe you are just lucky.

My life is not perfect, but I'm quite satisfied with it. It's a mixture of good and bad, mostly good. Sometimes I find things frustrating here and you know, a forum like this can be a good place to have a rant and get it off your chest.

This morning, I walked to my little garden plot, the birds are singing, the air smells really fresh after the rain. Everybody I met greeted me with a smile - nobody asked me for anything. Only "Bpai Sai" even though they all know where i was going. The little 4 year old girl round the corner shouted "Good Morning Loong Kit" with a big beaming smile that lights up the early morning. Same as she does every morning and the only English that she knows. Ducks and chickens scattered in front of me as I walked, the mother hens frantically calling to their young. As I neared the garden the local dogs bounded out to greet me, tails swishing back and forth furiously. They walked alongside jumping and vying for my attention.

The rain had been good for the garden, but it was too wet to do any serious work and so I walked back, more cheery greetings on the way.

That is my normal life and usually I would not think to post like this. It doesn't occur to me that anybody would be interested. As somebody has already posted - bad news sells.

Maybe it is time for a new topic where people can post happy stories and let everyone know when they've had a good day.

Anyway, keep on enjoying life na!

good for you mate,my neighbours are the same ,the kids smile when they see me and the adults always call out good day and smile.

in the original post i said i had never been overcharged ,but i didnt mean the odd 5 baht that i am sure even local Thais are overcharged by ,i was just refering to being ripped off.

anyway good for you on your life ,long may you enjoy it.

[yabaaaa]

Thaimate,

there's nothing wrong with you - maybe you are just lucky.

My life is not perfect, but I'm quite satisfied with it. It's a mixture of good and bad, mostly good. Sometimes I find things frustrating here and you know, a forum like this can be a good place to have a rant and get it off your chest.

This morning, I walked to my little garden plot, the birds are singing, the air smells really fresh after the rain. Everybody I met greeted me with a smile - nobody asked me for anything. Only "Bpai Sai" even though they all know where i was going. The little 4 year old girl round the corner shouted "Good Morning Loong Kit" with a big beaming smile that lights up the early morning. Same as she does every morning and the only English that she knows. Ducks and chickens scattered in front of me as I walked, the mother hens frantically calling to their young. As I neared the garden the local dogs bounded out to greet me, tails swishing back and forth furiously. They walked alongside jumping and vying for my attention.

The rain had been good for the garden, but it was too wet to do any serious work and so I walked back, more cheery greetings on the way.

That is my normal life and usually I would not think to post like this. It doesn't occur to me that anybody would be interested. As somebody has already posted - bad news sells.

Maybe it is time for a new topic where people can post happy stories and let everyone know when they've had a good day.

Anyway, keep on enjoying life na!

I gave up posting the good stuff, was told I was lieing, met my wife on the internet "obviously and ex whore" and she sends me money when necessary"how can I take money from a woman", rent my condos out for an "impossible" amount and I cant possibly be making money on real estate here, besides "I'll never be able to sell them later" LIAR LIAR LIAR hang my head in shame etc etc yawn yawn "<deleted>"

Glad to see I'm not the only one enjoying life here, Oh but hang on its the rose tinted glasses or the short period Ive been here!!

Edited April 27, 2009 by yabaaaa

[TEFLMike]

I gave up posting the good stuff, was told I was lieing, met my wife on the internet "obviously and ex whore" and she sends me money when necessary"how can I take money from a woman", rent my condos out for an "impossible" amount and I cant possibly be making money on real estate here, besides "I'll never be able to sell them later" LIAR LIAR LIAR hang my head in shame etc etc yawn yawn "<deleted>"

Glad to see I'm not the only one enjoying life here, Oh but hang on its the rose tinted glasses or the short period Ive been here!!

I like it !

Edited April 28, 2009 by TEFLMike

[remil]

do you speak thai. I ve found that by speaking thai you get more respect from the thais in general. THey like that you are making an effort to intergrate rather than staying in the farang population

[IanForbes]

about a week ago i wrote a piece ,asking if there was something wrong with my wife ,because unlike all the other "horror" stories we read on here my wife is normal and behaves like any wife should.

now i seem to be reading posts where people are constantly getting ripped off ,bad service , and Thais being rude to them .well apart from a farang woman in buisness who stiched me up and 3 years ago the guy who emptied our cesspit overcharging ,people always seem to be polite ,i never get shortchanged and staff in stores are if anything overpolite and attentive.

so now i ask the question why am i picked out to be well treated ,is there something wrong with me?

Great post, thaimate. I have the same results. I always get help from Thais and have pleasant experiences with the nationals. But, it's probably the old story like news... nobody wants to hear the good stuff. They always want to hear about the bad so they have something to complain about.

[bungy007]

It's a fair question, but in asking it you need to be open to all possible answers. One of which is that you may be oblivious to the reality around you.

An affliction as common in those who see nothing but the positive as it is in those who see nothing but negativity.

Only a fool would believe life is anything but a balance between the two.

Would have to agree here. Also you may want to look into your daily activities. How deep do they take you into relations with the locals or are you talking about common transactions encountered in daily life like buying milk from 7/11 or shopping in Central World? Do you hang around tourist traps or have you tried to take a turn around the grand palace?

[hammered]

It is nice to hear the positive stuff. It is perfectly normal OP, but their are a lot of ex-pats out here who seem to want to complain about everything. Keeping a positive attitude helps. And I add my voice to who cares about the so called real price of something. If I am happy to pay what I pay for something, then I cant be ripped off. Being ripped off is a state of mind and can rapidly become paranoia as someone else mentioned earlier. There also seems to be some pecking order among a certain type of "old hand" over what you pay for things and they seem to like to laugh at those who pay more. Kind of weird really. Having a life helps to avoid these strange meaningless obsessions.

Anyway nice to hear OP

[sassienie]

I'm in the "middle of the road club"

I have most definately been ripped off, ignored, bad mouthed and generally badly treated by Thais on occasion.

But, in general I agree with the OP, 99.9% of the time there are absolutely no issues, nice is as nice does

I had these experiences in my own country.

In general there is always the good and the bad, no matter which country one lives in.

In Thailand there are those that will try and rip us off and be impolite. Some will like us, some will not.

This pertains to people the world over and Thailand is not unique in this aspect.

If those living here are expecting the continuous Sugar and spice and all things nice treatment during their stay are living in a dreamland that doesn’t exist.

As a rule, the chances of being mistreated are lowered if we are fair and square and polite with others, although of course this doesn’t make us immune altogether.

Such is life wherever we live.

[simonphuket]

Would have to agree here. Also you may want to look into your daily activities. How deep do they take you into relations with the locals or are you talking about common transactions encountered in daily life like buying milk from 7/11 or shopping in Central World? Do you hang around tourist traps or have you tried to take a turn around the grand palace?

Central World, 7/11's all fine. My rose tinted glasses shattered completely unfortunately when we had our house build. Small lies I can live with, but what we encountered then cannot be described. Lie after lie... Had our stairs taken out twice, same for electricity system. And not only me, basically everybody in our project experienced the same (will not into details, but am being very honest here). This is where I lost practically all of my respect for Thailand and its inhabitants.

Am trying new rose tinted glasses again, as I do intend to live here long term, have my lovely wife here, but must say, it is not always easy. And all the complaining on TV, come on, if we can't complain here, where can we? Do not take it too serious, we all sometimes have a bad day.

[Ulysses G.]

Hello Thaimate - I have to say my experience is about the same as yours. Overall I'd say I'm treated better here than in my home country in terms of customer service, politeness etc. We are not Thai, never will be, no matter how long we stay will never be fully "accepted" no matter how well we speak Thai, but frankly I don't care - my lifestyle here is superior to one I could get at home and in many other countries so, by choice, I stay. If it gets too much for me then I'll excercise my right to leave, in the meantime I am making the most of it.

Me too and I'm big and fat and always wear shorts - even to immigration - and dress like a slob, but I am polite.