Customer Service

[Pablo H]

Ive just got back from spending a couple of weeks in Bangkok. Usually I stay in the Sukhumvit area but this time I decided to try out something near to Khao San Rd as I have been hearing good things about it recently.

I stayed at a couple of places behind the temple and have to say that the receptionists looked like bulldogs chewing wasps in both places. In four days there I never once received a smile from any of them. THey made me fel like they were the paying guest and I was something they unpleaseant that they had stepped in. I have no idea why but also at the restaurants, bars I visited the staff there seemed to be extremeley pissed off about something. At one guest house they have two katoeys serving food and drink, I caught them talking and laughing at girls on a table near me, while holding their hands to their mouths. They should be sacked.

I am sure am not the only person to notice the attitude some of these people have. Do they hate farang, depise them? I think some of the guesthouses/hotels and bars could do with teaching their staff some manners, if they continue to work with a growl on their faces or bitch about guests openly they should find work in another industry, maybe a shoe factory or something.

I later moved to a couple of hotels around Samsen and found the attitude there much better. Has anyone else noticed the attitude around Khao San Road?

[Shola]

Ive just got back from spending a couple of weeks in Bangkok. Usually I stay in the Sukhumvit area but this time I decided to try out something near to Khao San Rd as I have been hearing good things about it recently.

I stayed at a couple of places behind the temple and have to say that the receptionists looked like bulldogs chewing wasps in both places. In four days there I never once received a smile from any of them. THey made me fel like they were the paying guest and I was something they unpleaseant that they had stepped in. I have no idea why but also at the restaurants, bars I visited the staff there seemed to be extremeley pissed off about something. At one guest house they have two katoeys serving food and drink, I caught them talking and laughing at girls on a table near me, while holding their hands to their mouths. They should be sacked.

I am sure am not the only person to notice the attitude some of these people have. Do they hate farang, depise them? I think some of the guesthouses/hotels and bars could do with teaching their staff some manners, if they continue to work with a growl on their faces or bitch about guests openly they should find work in another industry, maybe a shoe factory or something.

I later moved to a couple of hotels around Samsen and found the attitude there much better. Has anyone else noticed the attitude around Khao San Road?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh no! Here we go!

[bkkmadness]

I've noticed this attitude in many of the more touristy places, but mainly in the traveller/backpacking places all over Thailand.

I was in Koh Phang nan over Christmas and a lot (not all) of the Thais there had terrible manners.

I think so many rude tourists have passed through these areas that we all get tarred with the same brush so any farang gets the same treatment.

I think the rudeness is not complained about as much by a bunch of young backpackers in khao san as much as it would in say, sukhumvit where better service is expected by an older crowd of tourist, so it generally is not noticed and not dealt with, or cared about.

Pretty much the same way as the farang that meet just the rude Thais within the tourist industry tar all Thais with the same brush.

I have always found the consistently best service to be in the more Thai frequented bars, resturants etc.

Only exception to this is the places frequented by Japanese/Korean tourists which also generally offer a better service than the farang places.

[Pablo H]

I saw one guy at the guesthouse just throw a crumpled 500 baht note onto the reception desk, shout his room number then walk away while I was trying to get my key. That behavour stinks but the receptionist should be trained to be able to deal with that and not take her frustrations out on other paying guest, if not you just get a circle of mutual dislike which in the end will lead to loss of income for the hotel/guesthouse/bar or restaurant.

[bkkmadness]

I'm afraid that's what you have, a circle of mutual dislike in many places.

But without people complaining about the receptionist, who knows if she's rude or not? As far as her boss knows everything is ok.

And this is where the problem lies, the young backpacker, over here for the first time, will often not notice how rude the Thai is being, not undertsand Thai to hear them making rude comments, and in the end even if feels the staff are rude, shrug their shoulders and just assume that's the way Thailand is.

In sukhumvit or many of the more seasoned tourist/expat areas, rude behaviour is going to be countered with a lot more complaints, a lot more sackings and in the end you will get better customer service.

This is why you get more rudeness in mainly backpacking areas, and too an extent any tourist area, it's because they can get away with it.

If half these khao san rd staff worked in a Thai restuarant/bar they would be out a job by the end of the week.

Edited February 16, 2005 by bkkmadness

[george]

Khaosan Road is not exactly Thailand, is it? You might be expecting this behaviour there.

Try Oriental Hotel and you will be surpised how much smiles and wai's you get. Or just go upcountry (or downcountry) to see a complete different set of smiles. Much better than Bangkok!

[Pablo H]

Khaosan Road is not exactly Thailand, is it? You might be expecting this behaviour there.

Try Oriental Hotel and you will be surpised how much smiles and wai's you get. Or just go upcountry (or downcountry) to see a complete different set of smiles. Much better than Bangkok!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, however, a lot of people go to Khaosan Rd and a lot of money is made there, if the staff who work there continue to act the way they do then surely tourism in Khaosan will decline. Well, I suppose that wouldn't be too bad would it?

[bkkmadness]

Khao san as much as Thailand as anywhere George, same as sukhumvit, just another touristy area, pubs, shops, resturants and hotels.

And this is my point with the Oriental Hotel, bad service will not be tolerated there by the kind of people that stay there, so it doesn't exist. It's a bit of an exception being an expensive place, try the low budget tourist hotels and it's a different matter with many of them.

I think up country and down country plenty of bad service, but again, tourist areas, and notably, the more budget tourism areas.

[Pablo H]

Another thing (still on topic) which bothered me was that I checked into a hotel/guesthouse on the road east of Khaosan and paid 700 thb. The place turned out to be nothing special but my girlfriend was on her way on a long trip from the North East and I wanted us to stay at a nice place that night. I picked up my girlfriend at Mo Chit then went back to the hotel. Before we could step into the lift I was called back to reception and told I would have to pay an extra 150 thb for "my guest". "My guest" has been my girlfriend for three years now and I felt insulted that these idiots (barely out of high school) can make assumptions that she is a bar girl who I had just picked up (luggage and all). After getting back to the room I felt bad, my girlfriend felt bad and was not confident to walk past the staff that night.

I am not paranoid but I am sure they were speaking about us when I went out later that night, its just not proffesional and downright rude. If anyone would like the name of the place I will gladly tell them.

[ProfessorFart]

If you had to put up with some of the bozos on KSrd day in day out, you'd be a bit uppity too!!

[Pablo H]

If you had to put up with some of the bozos on KSrd day in day out, you'd be a bit uppity too!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed, but what about the decent chaps like me? Should we all have to suffer the Khaosan scowl?

My point is, in any customer service related industry, staff should be trained on how do deal with "bozos" and not take their frustration out on decent folk. Is this possible in Khaosan? Im not sure.

[bkkmadness]

Another thing (still on topic) which bothered me was that I checked into a hotel/guesthouse on the road east of Khaosan and paid 700 thb. The place turned out to be nothing special but my girlfriend was on her way on a long trip from the North East and I wanted us to stay at a nice place that night. I picked up my girlfriend at Mo Chit then went back to the hotel. Before we could step into the lift I was called back to reception and told I would have to pay an extra 150 thb for "my guest". "My guest" has been my girlfriend for three years now and I felt insulted that these idiots (barely out of high school) can make assumptions that she is a bar girl who I had just picked up (luggage and all). After getting back to the room I felt bad, my girlfriend felt bad and was not confident to walk past the staff that night.

I am not paranoid but I am sure they were speaking about us when I went out later that night, its just not proffesional and downright rude. If anyone would like the name of the place I will gladly tell them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And there my friend is the answer to your question. They gave you shit and you took it, and so will the next guy and the next, with the result of consistent bad customer service and policies.

They would never have charged you extra for a guest if your guest was a farang girl.

You should have had the manager called out, spoken with him about it, and if necessary to show you meant business, taken his name and wrote it down in front of him and the hotel name and told him that you would be putting in a complaint with TAT, or his boss.

If he offered no reasonable expalnation for the extra charge you should have left the hotel, and gone to another place.

But you didn't, you paid the money, took the bad service, took the bad policies and are complaining now to the wrong people. That's why places like Khao san will always have bad service and I think you will personally receive the same bad service as well IF you put up with it.

A friend of mine had a similar sitaution last week, went to 3 guesthouses where they wouldn't allow his educated card carrying travel agent gf stay, because they feared she was a prostitute and there would be some trouble. Dispicable behaviour to be racist to their own people in such a way.

[pautai]

its an area of cheapskate dosser farangs and dreadlocked backpackers , why would they smile around that scummy area ?

[Boon Mee]

Another thing (still on topic) which bothered me was that I checked into a hotel/guesthouse on the road east of Khaosan and paid 700 thb. The place turned out to be nothing special but my girlfriend was on her way on a long trip from the North East and I wanted us to stay at a nice place that night. I picked up my girlfriend at Mo Chit then went back to the hotel. Before we could step into the lift I was called back to reception and told I would have to pay an extra 150 thb for "my guest". "My guest" has been my girlfriend for three years now and I felt insulted that these idiots (barely out of high school) can make assumptions that she is a bar girl who I had just picked up (luggage and all). After getting back to the room I felt bad, my girlfriend felt bad and was not confident to walk past the staff that night.

I am not paranoid but I am sure they were speaking about us when I went out later that night, its just not proffesional and downright rude. If anyone would like the name of the place I will gladly tell them.

And there my friend is the answer to your question. They gave you shit and you took it, and so will the next guy and the next, with the result of consistent bad customer service and policies.

They would never have charged you extra for a guest if your guest was a farang girl.

You should have had the manager called out, spoken with him about it, and if necessary to show you meant business, taken his name and wrote it down in front of him and the hotel name and told him that you would be putting in a complaint with TAT, or his boss.

If he offered no reasonable expalnation for the extra charge you should have left the hotel, and gone to another place.

But you didn't, you paid the money, took the bad service, took the bad policies and are complaining now to the wrong people. That's why places like Khao san will always have bad service and I think you will personally receive the same bad service as well IF you put up with it.

A friend of mine had a similar sitaution last week, went to 3 guesthouses where they wouldn't allow his educated card carrying travel agent gf stay, because they feared she was a prostitute and there would be some trouble. Dispicable behaviour to be racist to their own people in such a way.

It all depends on where you stay as George mentioned. If you don't have the 9KTB to stay one night at the Oriental - which is the going rate these days - there's loads of other places along the river that are more reasonable.

Me and the missus stayed a couple nights at the Royal River and it ran 1400 for a room on the river side of the building - big, clean room w/fridge. Friendly service. No problem getting the non-farang price. Frankly, I was a bit surprised.

Restaurant kinda sucked though...

[sriracha john]

Khaosan Road is not exactly Thailand, is it? You might be expecting this behaviour there.

Try Oriental Hotel and you will be surpised how much smiles and wai's you get. Or just go upcountry (or downcountry) to see a complete different set of smiles. Much better than Bangkok!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, however, a lot of people go to Khaosan Rd and a lot of money is made there, if the staff who work there continue to act the way they do then surely tourism in Khaosan will decline. Well, I suppose that wouldn't be too bad would it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

it just seems you can't get any decent help anymore at 3-dollar-US-a-night hotels anymore... sad.

[chingy_]

Thailand have a mix concept about customer service, customer service in any form or shape, government or private, they temp to think that we own them a favor to service us, if you notied that most place you go to we have to wait for them , they seem to act-up that they are doing good deed for us by servicing us, sometime they really act-up and think that they are too good for us. i have no idea where Thai take these idea from but it make me laught sometime.

[Ajarn]

Ive just got back from spending a couple of weeks in Bangkok. Usually I stay in the Sukhumvit area but this time I decided to try out something near to Khao San Rd as I have been hearing good things about it recently.

I stayed at a couple of places behind the temple and have to say that the receptionists looked like bulldogs chewing wasps in both places. In four days there I never once received a smile from any of them. THey made me fel like they were the paying guest and I was something they unpleaseant that they had stepped in. I have no idea why but also at the restaurants, bars I visited the staff there seemed to be extremeley pissed off about something. At one guest house they have two katoeys serving food and drink, I caught them talking and laughing at girls on a table near me, while holding their hands to their mouths. They should be sacked.

I am sure am not the only person to notice the attitude some of these people have. Do they hate farang, depise them? I think some of the guesthouses/hotels and bars could do with teaching their staff some manners, if they continue to work with a growl on their faces or bitch about guests openly they should find work in another industry, maybe a shoe factory or something.

I later moved to a couple of hotels around Samsen and found the attitude there much better. Has anyone else noticed the attitude around Khao San Road?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I assume you've been to many other places that get lots of clueless tourists, too? In my experience, the jaded-looking worker in such a situation is pretty common in these kinds of burn-out job situations. It's also an atittude seen in government offices around the world. Such is life, na'?

And, of course, attitudes are often a two-way street, with each other playing off the other's perceived 'lack of smile'. Often, in my experience, it just takes one smile from me to help turn things around...

[Ajarn]

Another thing (still on topic) which bothered me was that I checked into a hotel/guesthouse on the road east of Khaosan and paid 700 thb. The place turned out to be nothing special but my girlfriend was on her way on a long trip from the North East and I wanted us to stay at a nice place that night. I picked up my girlfriend at Mo Chit then went back to the hotel. Before we could step into the lift I was called back to reception and told I would have to pay an extra 150 thb for "my guest". "My guest" has been my girlfriend for three years now and I felt insulted that these idiots (barely out of high school) can make assumptions that she is a bar girl who I had just picked up (luggage and all). After getting back to the room I felt bad, my girlfriend felt bad and was not confident to walk past the staff that night.

I am not paranoid but I am sure they were speaking about us when I went out later that night, its just not proffesional and downright rude. If anyone would like the name of the place I will gladly tell them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Many of these complaints I here are from folks registering as a single person, then trying to bring someone in and the hotel has a slightly higher fee for a 'double' room, as most hotels here have....

Some folks simply jump to a wrong conclusion, get pissed, show it..... and the problems with 'atittudes' begin....

Don't know your case, Pablo, but if you are jumping to the conclusion that they are calling your girl is a prostitute, and getting pissed about that, might be contributing to some of your other issues... Maybe

Edited February 17, 2005 by Ajarn

[medicinebox]

Thailand is nicknamed "The Land of Smiles". It doesn't take long to see why. A smile is an important part of greeting and meeting with Thai people.

It doesn't matter whether you are saying "Hello", "Goodbye", "I like you", "I'm sorry" or "I'm annoyed with you", a smile should accompany the words at all times.

Outwardly displaying anger is regarded as a sign of great weakness. If you do become annoyed, keep smiling, this will at least show the other person that you still have the strength to remain polite despite the problem you have. An important Thai word is jai yen which means cool head (the literal translation is actually "cool heart"). Thai people hate hot temper, angry shouting and confrontation. Try at all times to keep a cool head. You will gain more respect and probably resolve a problem far easier by staying calm and - you guessed it - smiling.

Thai hospitality is amazing. You may eventually become sceptical of this alien barrage of friendliness. Don't. Smiling and general politeness is highly regarded as the proper way for a Thai to present themselves under all circumstances

Remember - if someone smiles at you - smile back. If you don't, you may be seen as impolite or unfriendly. If you do, not only will you feel better within yourself, but you will be better liked and respected by others. On the other hand, don't read too much into a smile. If someone keeps smiling at you, do not think "My luck's in here" or "What's that goon smiling at?" The other person is merely being polite, whether their intentions are good, bad or indifferent.

Taken without permission from www.thaiduncan.co.uk Pattaya guide.

Simple really........

[Insight]

First time I went to Ko Samet I noticed the same thing. Couldn't understand it at first as I wasn't being awkward in any way myself.

When the bars started to fill up later in the evening, it didn't take long to clock why. Before the bar shut down there were 3 fights, either farang on farang, or farang on Thai. No wonder all the bar staff were guys rather than girls.

Even when sitting on the beach at 5am, we seen one of the farang guys who was involved in a fight before sporting a black eye looking for second rounds.

We were only there for the weekend, but the locals that work there obviously have to put up with this &lt;deleted&gt; day in, day out. How resilient are they expected to be?

Do things on the cheap, expect everything that comes with it.

[Boon Mee]

Khaosan Road is not exactly Thailand, is it? You might be expecting this behaviour there.

Try Oriental Hotel and you will be surpised how much smiles and wai's you get. Or just go upcountry (or downcountry) to see a complete different set of smiles. Much better than Bangkok!

True, however, a lot of people go to Khaosan Rd and a lot of money is made there, if the staff who work there continue to act the way they do then surely tourism in Khaosan will decline. Well, I suppose that wouldn't be too bad would it?

it just seems you can't get any decent help anymore at 3-dollar-US-a-night hotels anymore... sad.

Too true. Even Motel 6 in the states which got it's name charging 6 bucks a night is up to a minimum of $38.00

What's the world coming to...

[booma]

The girls that do the night shift (post 12) are friendlier!

Shitier shift, but less shit to deal with!

B

[Diggerbasher]

Sometimes it's probably very hard to smile when you are paid as little as some of the low ranking govenment officials are and you have to deal with loud,impatient foreigners all day.(immigration)

[pedro01]

Another thing (still on topic) which bothered me was that I checked into a hotel/guesthouse on the road east of Khaosan and paid 700 thb. The place turned out to be nothing special but my girlfriend was on her way on a long trip from the North East and I wanted us to stay at a nice place that night. I picked up my girlfriend at Mo Chit then went back to the hotel. Before we could step into the lift I was called back to reception and told I would have to pay an extra 150 thb for "my guest". "My guest" has been my girlfriend for three years now and I felt insulted that these idiots (barely out of high school) can make assumptions that she is a bar girl who I had just picked up (luggage and all). After getting back to the room I felt bad, my girlfriend felt bad and was not confident to walk past the staff that night.

I am not paranoid but I am sure they were speaking about us when I went out later that night, its just not proffesional and downright rude. If anyone would like the name of the place I will gladly tell them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And there my friend is the answer to your question. They gave you shit and you took it, and so will the next guy and the next, with the result of consistent bad customer service and policies.

They would never have charged you extra for a guest if your guest was a farang girl.

You should have had the manager called out, spoken with him about it, and if necessary to show you meant business, taken his name and wrote it down in front of him and the hotel name and told him that you would be putting in a complaint with TAT, or his boss.

If he offered no reasonable expalnation for the extra charge you should have left the hotel, and gone to another place.

But you didn't, you paid the money, took the bad service, took the bad policies and are complaining now to the wrong people. That's why places like Khao san will always have bad service and I think you will personally receive the same bad service as well IF you put up with it.

A friend of mine had a similar sitaution last week, went to 3 guesthouses where they wouldn't allow his educated card carrying travel agent gf stay, because they feared she was a prostitute and there would be some trouble. Dispicable behaviour to be racist to their own people in such a way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Get used to it - I checked into a hotel once with my wife & the receptionist asked her something to which my wife went ballistic. Apparently - she'd asked my wife if she'd be staying all night !!

On another occasion, my wife was asked to show her id when we were walking back into our hotel (Baan Thai in Patong) - I got pissed at the security guard as he wouldn't budge despite the fact that my wife & I have matching wedding rings.

To be honest, I can see their point. It's good that BGs have to leave their card at reception - it protects the hotel guest to some degree.

The extra 150 Baht for bringing a guest in is probably for cleaning the sheets !

As Thailand is the sex tourism capital of the world, sometimes your Thai wife/girlfriend is going to be mistaken for a bar girl - especially in tourist hotels.

The best way to avoid this is...

1 - Have her pay on her credit card

2 - Walk in with your kids

Sadly - both options are fairly expensive (number 1 being the most expensive...)

Overall though - these exceptions aside, I have found service to be good almost everywhere I've been - even places on Koh Phangan - smiling first helps.

[Thaiboxer]

I agree that tons and tons of rude, disgusting farang tourists have caused a lot of these service staff to become jaded and rude in return. Less touristy places generally are ok. Most of the service I've received at restaurants has been fine whether alone or with my wife. I do remember at one place on Koh Samet (wish I could remember the name) the lady tried to get me in for some crazy price even though my wife was right there with me. She could tell this lady had bad intentions and politely told her no thanks then explained to me later what she was after...our money. We ended up going to another, more expensive resort where the staff were very friendly, provided good service and did not attempt to overcharge us. The quality of the facilities was accurately reflected in their prices; unlike the first place which was a dump in comparison and full of drunk farangs.

[Richard Hall]

As Thailand is the sex tourism capital of the world,

Says who?

Well, George surely got a point before that Khao San Road is NOT Thailand or better put it Khao San Road does not represent Thailand. Well, admittedly it is part of Bangkok without, however, being of any particular importance to the capital or even the country. The same surely goes for other places such as certain nightspot areas and infamous tourist gathering points.

Does it make sense to judge an entire hotel as a brothel or watering hole (courtesy of B. Trink) if let’s say 3% of the guests are whores and/or pissheads? Do they actually have the weight and power to pull the remaining 97% down?

The Kingdom of Thailand is a great place to look for a sincere and costfree (yes, actually you ain’t gotta buy it!) smile and therefore the county is quite often referred to as LOS, the land of the smiles. Searching for it at rip-off spots, however, is pretty much like looking for laughter at the cemetery or gourmet food at McDonalds. Respect the county and her people and discover the amazing and unseen part but don’t forget to open your eyes because the smile is actually always present. Just don’t be a nut not seeing the forest for the trees.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Richard Hall

[DaMan]

I think you are focusing too much on the negative Pablo. If you let one or two bad experiences with hotel reception tarnish your whole view, it is a dim view. Is Khaosan road annoying at times? Yes. Are there jaded, thai staff, who are absolutely sick of farangs? Yes. Are there sincere, friendly people, thai and farang? Yes. Are their lots of fun clubs with plenty of regular thai chicks? Yes. Khaosan road is what it is. Good and bad. Personally I'd take Khaosan over the lower sukhumvit/nana crowd anyday..........

[leftcross]

I've stayed at a few places behind the temple and haven't had any problems.

If you want a recommendation try the Suksapath hotel (opposite one of the Sawatdee places). It's 400 baht for a double air con room and they don't hassle you over 'guests'.

Fair enough, the woman who takes your money never does a cartwheel when you check in, but so what. It's a cheap room in a cheap hotel and, like someone said, her wages are probably very low.

I've eaten regularly in the places around there and some are very friendly, some just business-like. I've never had someone be rude to me but then I don't consider someone not being friendly as being rude.