Home Pro(fessional Liars)

[basjke]

First lie.

As I am building a new house I visit the DIY-stores on a frequent base.So about 6 weeks ago I was in home pro rayong and saw that they had some nice toilets in promotion at 2890 Baht.So I thought that I could better buy them at the pattaya branch and they had the same promotion only the price was 4200 Baht.I told them about the price difference with their other branches and at the end they agreed to give me the same price so I purchased 4 pieces.When we came at the check out counter I asked for the warranty certificate and they told me there was NO WARRANTY on the toilets however I had asked a manager previously and he had told me that they carried 1 year warranty,later he denied he had even spoken with me.So I voted with my feet and let them keep the toilets.

Second lie and this bothers me the most.

3 weeks ago I went in there again to order kitchen cabinets which they had in promotion.They told me that they had part of the order in stock but had to order some part which would take 3 weeks with which I agreed.However as the cabinets are in an impregnated natural wood colour I asked them if they could order everything together as I know it can give colour differences if you mix new parts with parts that have been on the shelf for some time,with which they agreed.

So I paid them in full and delivery date would be tomorrow.This evening I got a call from them to confirm the delivery time and address.Then 1 hour later I got another call and they told me that 1 cabinet was broken and it would take 45 days to order it again from the factory .Then I knew that they instead of placing the order with the factory had just ordered cabinets from different branches which had been on the shelf.You probably understand what a mix of colours that would have given.

So I went to the shop and cancelled my order.They told me that they didn't take cabinets from other branches,however I understand some thai so I could hear from their own conversations from which branches they had ordered and which branch had delivered the faulty cabinet.And then after a long discussion at around 9 pm the factory agreed to produce a new cabinet by tomorrow. No they just located one more cabinet in a show kitchen in yet another branch.

At the end after some well placed threats I got back all my money but I will have to order another kitchen somewhere.

So place your orders with a well renowned store and get f_cked up big time for sure.

End of rant.

[neverdie]

Yes I think its one of their sales techniques.....TELL THE CUSTOMER WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR, then proceed on as your normally would have.

You will notice that sort of stuff alot here in lieland....wooops I mean Thailand.

[sorensen]

Check out Global House in Chonburi.

http://www.globalhouse.co.th/

Edited August 11, 2009 by sorensen

[syd barrett]

It does not surprise me at all.

This is Thailand. Extra caution is required when buying goods.

Recent Example: I went to the exclusive Nokia shop and had to ask for a receipt after purchase, then had to get the manager to write by hand that my goods were guaranteed (six?) months.

I am pretty sure anywhere else in the world it would be twelve.

[basjke]

Actually it is not only the fact that they lied about the goods,and kept lying in my face while discussing,because I gor back my money.But I agreed to wait 3 weeks on the delivery but after those 3 weeks I have to start all over again.Sure you can not sue them for the delay in building your house they caused you.

[jerrylee]

"NO WARRANTY on the toilets"

I cant understand which part of the toilet comes under warranty

"kitchen cabinets which they had in promotion"

You got all your money back, the 3 weeks and 45 days were to put you off from choosing

those cabinets cos the colours do not match? factories are not custom workshops

but as usually farangs can have the benefit of being the righteous one here being lied to everytime.

[thrilled]

you definetely have to be on your game.if ya snooze ya loose.heep your eyes opened

[basjke]

"NO WARRANTY on the toilets"

I cant understand which part of the toilet comes under warranty

"kitchen cabinets which they had in promotion"

You got all your money back, the 3 weeks and 45 days were to put you off from choosing

those cabinets cos the colours do not match? factories are not custom workshops

but as usually farangs can have the benefit of being the righteous one here being lied to everytime.

Every toilet in every store I asked in thailand came with a warranty of at least 1 year.I think it are "Mogen" toilets which even carry a 5 year warranty on the porcelain and 1 year on the mechanism.If you ever used a toilet you will know that the mechanism can start leaking and the porcelain can crack due to a manufacturing fault don't you.

Kitchen cabinets which they had on promotion were their own brand named "Estetik" which they gave a 10% discount if your order was over 50.000 baht.

Would you fit kitchen cabinets with different colours in your house even if they were for free?

Do you work for home pro(fessional liars)?

Edit to add:And you think I got my money back just on request.No way.They made me some generous offers first,like a discount of 300 baht on a 89.000 baht order if I waited another 45 days or paying back the difference if I choose a 60 cm high cabinet instead of the 80 cm that all the other cabinets are.I considered them funny at one point.After all it took me 2 hours to get my order righteous cancelled.

Edited August 11, 2009 by basjke

[Soutpeel]

Not just Home Pro, just about every DIY/home improvement shop is the same in the Pattaya and Rayong, for example went to one place in Rayong for the new bathroom I am building and basically there was nearly THB 100,000 to be spent.

Spent at least 1.5 hours picking the wall tiles and floor tiles, I wanted...then toilet etc etc...so in total spent nearly 3 hours in the place, ...time to check-bin....

Wall tiles you want...no have....floor tiles you want..no have...ok how long to order?..cannot...

You would have thought considering the time spent in there, someone would have checked stock on what I wanted..but no, waited right to the end.

In the end told them to forget the lot, as wanted to buy everything in one place....

So poor customer service cost them nearly THB 100,000....which was spent down the road at their competitors, again didnt have everything I wanted off the shelf, but they did order from BKK promised 1 week, and guess what exactly 1 week later, wifey gets a phone..tiles are here, are you going to pick them up, or we can deliever for free ?

So guess where I shop these days..??

[Bukseeda]

"NO WARRANTY on the toilets"

I cant understand which part of the toilet comes under warranty

"kitchen cabinets which they had in promotion"

You got all your money back, the 3 weeks and 45 days were to put you off from choosing

those cabinets cos the colours do not match? factories are not custom workshops

but as usually farangs can have the benefit of being the righteous one here being lied to everytime.

I don't see your point. The lying is still not justified.

[hansnl]

Yes I think its one of their sales techniques.....TELL THE CUSTOMER WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR, then proceed on as your normally would have.

You will notice that sort of stuff alot here in lieland....wooops I mean Thailand.

It is called, in organisation circles, the MacDonald Syndrom.

Tell the customer what he wants to hear, while f*cking him up.

Tell the lie several times, as long as it takes to start believing it yourself.

Made in the US

[JR Texas]

Yes I think its one of their sales techniques.....TELL THE CUSTOMER WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR, then proceed on as your normally would have.

You will notice that sort of stuff alot here in lieland....wooops I mean Thailand.

It is called, in organisation circles, the MacDonald Syndrom.

Tell the customer what he wants to hear, while f*cking him up.

Tell the lie several times, as long as it takes to start believing it yourself.

Made in the US

It is part of Thai culture now..........lying is endemic.........and so is cheating. And please don't respond with politically correct crap about how "farangs just don't understand Thai culture" or some other nonsense. What is happening in Thailand now with regard to lying and cheating is WRONG. It is negatively impacting the country and giving Thailand a bad image. It starts right after you land at the Swap and never ends until you are on the plane getting out of Thailand. As I stated on another thread, this is a sign of a society that is unraveling at the seams. Civilization is breaking down.........when there is no moral/legal base to a society, it breaks down or becomes extremely authoritarian. That is the lesson of history.

[timekeeper]

"NO WARRANTY on the toilets"

I cant understand which part of the toilet comes under warranty

"kitchen cabinets which they had in promotion"

You got all your money back, the 3 weeks and 45 days were to put you off from choosing

those cabinets cos the colours do not match? factories are not custom workshops

but as usually farangs can have the benefit of being the righteous one here being lied to everytime.

Every toilet in every store I asked in thailand came with a warranty of at least 1 year.I think it are "Mogen" toilets which even carry a 5 year warranty on the porcelain and 1 year on the mechanism.If you ever used a toilet you will know that the mechanism can start leaking and the porcelain can crack due to a manufacturing fault don't you.

Kitchen cabinets which they had on promotion were their own brand named "Estetik" which they gave a 10% discount if your order was over 50.000 baht.

Would you fit kitchen cabinets with different colours in your house even if they were for free?

Do you work for home pro(fessional liars)?

Edit to add:And you think I got my money back just on request.No way.They made me some generous offers first,like a discount of 300 baht on a 89.000 baht order if I waited another 45 days or paying back the difference if I choose a 60 cm high cabinet instead of the 80 cm that all the other cabinets are.I considered them funny at one point.After all it took me 2 hours to get my order righteous cancelled.

i agree with the toilet issue Basjke, only this week i had to replace the mechanism on my 5 month old Cotto toilet

it was leaking all the time and prematurely filling my septic tank, which would have led to further cost in having it emptied

it is one of x4 i bought, installed by the same guy and the others are all ok

it was replaced under warranty

[monty]

Not just Home Pro, just about every DIY/home improvement shop is the same in the Pattaya and Rayong, for example went to one place in Rayong for the new bathroom I am building and basically there was nearly THB 100,000 to be spent.

Spent at least 1.5 hours picking the wall tiles and floor tiles, I wanted...then toilet etc etc...so in total spent nearly 3 hours in the place, ...time to check-bin....

Wall tiles you want...no have....floor tiles you want..no have...ok how long to order?..cannot...

You would have thought considering the time spent in there, someone would have checked stock on what I wanted..but no, waited right to the end.

In the end told them to forget the lot, as wanted to buy everything in one place....

So poor customer service cost them nearly THB 100,000....which was spent down the road at their competitors, again didnt have everything I wanted off the shelf, but they did order from BKK promised 1 week, and guess what exactly 1 week later, wifey gets a phone..tiles are here, are you going to pick them up, or we can deliever for free ?

So guess where I shop these days..??

One of the biggest gripes I have with these stores.

They have a massive amount of wares on display, some of it looks pretty nice etc.

They do have some kind of system in place where they place signs with "special order", or "temporary out of stock" on the respective items.

However the system doesn't work at all, since 50% of whatever you order is "out of stock" with a 3 week or more order time, or even worse it simply can't be ordered anymore as the factory stopped manufacturing that item. Beats me why they keep on display then!

On top of that, ordering something in those stores seems to involve 3 or more staff, with all the resulting communication breakdowns...

[bully]

It does not surprise me at all.

This is Thailand. Extra caution is required when buying goods.

Recent Example: I went to the exclusive Nokia shop and had to ask for a receipt after purchase, then had to get the manager to write by hand that my goods were guaranteed (six?) months.

I am pretty sure anywhere else in the world it would be twelve.

It sounds like they have sold you a Chinese replica, hand written guaranty, or no instruction manual use to happen many times in Lailand. Sometimes the items are returned from a other customer,

[Heng]

Yeah, they know me well there and know better than to pull a fast one. Pretty easy to deal with, just bring in a megaphone and explain the situation in your normal voice with the volume all the way up. No need to get your face all pulsating the way most tourists seem to do.

[bully]

First lie.

As I am building a new house I visit the DIY-stores on a frequent base.So about 6 weeks ago I was in home pro rayong and saw that they had some nice toilets in promotion at 2890 Baht.So I thought that I could better buy them at the pattaya branch and they had the same promotion only the price was 4200 Baht.I told them about the price difference with their other branches and at the end they agreed to give me the same price so I purchased 4 pieces.When we came at the check out counter I asked for the warranty certificate and they told me there was NO WARRANTY on the toilets however I had asked a manager previously and he had told me that they carried 1 year warranty,later he denied he had even spoken with me.So I voted with my feet and let them keep the toilets.

Second lie and this bothers me the most.

3 weeks ago I went in there again to order kitchen cabinets which they had in promotion.They told me that they had part of the order in stock but had to order some part which would take 3 weeks with which I agreed.However as the cabinets are in an impregnated natural wood colour I asked them if they could order everything together as I know it can give colour differences if you mix new parts with parts that have been on the shelf for some time,with which they agreed.

So I paid them in full and delivery date would be tomorrow.This evening I got a call from them to confirm the delivery time and address.Then 1 hour later I got another call and they told me that 1 cabinet was broken and it would take 45 days to order it again from the factory .Then I knew that they instead of placing the order with the factory had just ordered cabinets from different branches which had been on the shelf.You probably understand what a mix of colours that would have given.

So I went to the shop and cancelled my order.They told me that they didn't take cabinets from other branches,however I understand some thai so I could hear from their own conversations from which branches they had ordered and which branch had delivered the faulty cabinet.And then after a long discussion at around 9 pm the factory agreed to produce a new cabinet by tomorrow. No they just located one more cabinet in a show kitchen in yet another branch.

At the end after some well placed threats I got back all my money but I will have to order another kitchen somewhere.

So place your orders with a well renowned store and get f_cked up big time for sure.

End of rant.

[neverdie]

Yes I think its one of their sales techniques.....TELL THE CUSTOMER WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR, then proceed on as your normally would have.

You will notice that sort of stuff alot here in lieland....wooops I mean Thailand.

It is called, in organisation circles, the MacDonald Syndrom.

Tell the customer what he wants to hear, while f*cking him up.

Tell the lie several times, as long as it takes to start believing it yourself.

Made in the US

It is part of Thai culture now..........lying is endemic.........and so is cheating. And please don't respond with politically correct crap about how "farangs just don't understand Thai culture" or some other nonsense. What is happening in Thailand now with regard to lying and cheating is WRONG. It is negatively impacting the country and giving Thailand a bad image. It starts right after you land at the Swap and never ends until you are on the plane getting out of Thailand. As I stated on another thread, this is a sign of a society that is unraveling at the seams. Civilization is breaking down.........when there is no moral/legal base to a society, it breaks down or becomes extremely authoritarian. That is the lesson of history.

Its one of the ways I entertain myself here in lieland, I deliberately set out to seek the truth of matters in an attempt to make as many of the Bshitters lose face as I can .......I even tune these guys up at homepro & let them know that I didnt close the deal because they are full of <deleted>.

As I grew up it was instilled in me to be truthful about things, its actually how you get a good name in business and people know they can rely on you, even though you may not be helping them sometimes by being truthful, ie "Sir that product will be 6-8 weeks before it arrives instore" as oppose to "Yes sir, it will be here next week, I will call you" .

Not understand Thai culture.....ohhh please

[frenchFARANGbkk]

Nothing new here.

Just don't buy and pay for things that you don't see.

Maybe you feel better but nothing will change in this country because foreigners keep complaining...

As you probably know you must adapt to them, because they are not going to adapt to you !

Edited August 12, 2009 by frenchFARANGbkk

[NanLaew]

^ At last... the voice of reason, tempered with low blood pressure!

[TongueThaied]

^ At last... the voice of reason, tempered with low blood pressure!

Home Blow is annoying, with 90% of what they display not in stock; then they want you to prepay to order. I have found that only the shops run by Chinese seem to have any understanding of customer service.

[LivinLOS]

Thais seem pathologically unable to put truth in front of a sale.. A promise made today means nothing tomorrow. Be that in contracts, sales, deals, anything. Its sell now support never.

I remember when shopping for a big gaz BBQ, the good kind seemed hard to get back then, and Home Pro happened to have one on display, big gaz jobber for 20k.. Looked it over, quality import bits, 5 year warranty proudly displayed in a huge sticker on the lid. I speak to staff, look it over and order it to be delivered.

Next day my BBQ arrives.. Great.. So out for a new gaz bottle, put together the section and grills, go to connect the gaz bottle and theres no hose / clip.. Hmm.. OK.. Thats cheap.. I get the gaz bottle shop owner up to the house to put on a hose but under the BBQ is a brass screw clip, which is not something that exists locally, its clear there is actually bits missing.

So back to HP, ask them about it, instantly I could tell they were hiding something, the first couple of sales staff did the walk off then run away routine, the next manager I collared just started instantly (loudly and rudely) with "Mai Mee Warranty.. Import".. I keep smiling and calmly point out the big sign right on it, next to her, saying 5 year warranty and explaining I just want the hose that it has to come with.. The manager was practically yelling mai mee wallanty, just repeating it over and over.

To try and progress the problem to a solution I explain I am prepared to even buy the hose and the thing that goes on the gaz bottle, but that the BBQ has a specific brass screw connection, thats not sized to any Thai replaceable bits, this isnt warranty they have sold it missing parts.. The replies I was getting was simply no no no, you must buy the hose, you can get them in the gaz shop (you cant already established that) and other lies.. They were absolutely adamant that this part was not supposed to come with the BBQ and that the BBQ was mai mee wallanty because it was 'import' as tho that explained everything.. The manager was just getting red in the face total freakout, just yelling mai mee wallanty, while I remained icy smiling calm.. I gave it time, but theres only so much you can be yelled at, when I finally broke it must have been a real break, I may have roared a bit, and demanded my money back, and they could come and collect the dam_n useless thing from my villa.

The manager stopped shouting.. People evaporated, the customer service people sheepishly started to process the receipts to arrange collection, and then, only a min or so later.. The same manager who had been yelling stomped up, slammed the missing hose on the counter, and stomped away. They had the dam_n thing the whole time, knew where it was, knew what it was I was talking about for the whole time they pantomimed they didnt know what was going on.. Why they played this game I cant be sure.. I suspect it was because the gaz bottle attachment part of the hose was different (being an import and all) but this was a readily fixable thing, snip, push on a Thai one, jubilee clip and fixed..

Why did they do this ?? Perhaps some previous buyer had complained the end was wrong so they thought it easier to just remove the entire bit.. Why could this not have been simply said ?? I guess once they started the lie they just tried to keep it going.. But how many other people bought these ? I cant have bought the only BBQ they sold.. This has to have happened over and over ??

[Cnxman]

simply put......want cheap expect cheap.........just what i have always learnt about Thailand

still love the place even with all the "Fun & Games"

[Methuselah]

Sir Walter Scott summarised it very well.

"O what a tangled webb we weave,

When first we practice to deceive."

Simple but appropriate.

[timi2546]

... sales techniques.....TELL THE CUSTOMER WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR, ...

---or ask WHAT THEY REALLY HAVE.

..and how much...repeat this till u r sure

[Spalpeen]

One of the best reasons to learn Thai, even a little, is that when you go shopping or deal with government employees you can stand there with a vacant expression on your face while listening in to what they are saying about you. This can be most entertaining - a bit like playing poker with the other guy sitting in front of a mirror!

[basjke]

From the replies to the OP it is clearly visible that I'm not the only one who has issues with home pro(fessional liars).The question is then also if we just have to take this crap.I assume they are an international chain of stores so they should be able to keep up a standard.Or are they same petty liars in the western world as well?

Is there an existing law or organisation in thailand that protects the customer from the lies this company produces.

After all I have to start all over again finding and ordering a suitable kitchen which probably creates a delay of at least 1 month in finishing my house.I feel that I should be compensated for this as it is not my fault.

[learningcurve]

On a similar note, my wife and I needed to buy a fan for use in our daughter's bedroom. The fan would only be used when she was asleep. We did not need an all dancing and singing remote controled timer make the coffee and toast diamond studded fan, just the standard upright fan with 3 speed buttons and an off button. Off we go to Big C where the store has a large collection of fans in many styles and colours. I find the fan I want, bog standard, the colour spec matches my daughters bedroom and it is priced accordingly. Now the fun starts. I turn to the sales assistant who has been hovering around us whilst we make our choice and say "I would like this fan please". Sales assistant "No no" he walks away from us along the line of fans, pointing at a different fan (also a different colour) and says "You buy this fan". "No no" says I, walking back along the line of fans and pointing at my original choice, "I want this one." Sales assistant, "no no, you must buy this fan", pointing at his selected fan. At this point another salesman approaches me. "Hello Sir, is there a problem, can I help?" Who are you?" I enquire. "I am the sales supervisor Sir, can I help?". "Yes you can", I explain, "I would like to purchase this fan." Said I, pointing at my desired choice. "No no", said the sales supervisor as he walked off along the row of fans, stopping at the fan that the sales assistant had pointed out. "you want this fan." The sales assistant was now staring at me with a big sh*t eating grin on his face. I looked at my wife and said "Before I lose it with these morons, lets go and buy a fan in Tesco's or one of the many other hundreds of shops in Pattaya that make a living from fan sales. As we walk away however, I come over all funny with the 'customer is always right' syndrome. I looked at my wife, "I want to speak to the manager". My wife looked at me with the 'here we go again' expression. We addressed the customer service staff. "I want to speak with the on-duty manager please." Customer service staff, "What do you need to speak with the manager about?" Me, "That's my business". She picks up the phone, speaks into it, replaces the phone, looks at me, "He is busy, can not come for 1 hour." I smile back at her, "Thats OK, I will wait". I start drumming my fingers on the counter. She picks up the phone and makes another call. 2 minutes later the Manager is there. We have a chat about what happened. He nods his head alot. We walk together to the fan section. The sales supervisor see me approaching with the manager and suddenly remembers he has urgent business picking his nose in another part of the store. The original sales assistant is not so quick on his toes and is apprehended by the manager and given a verbal kicking. At this point the sales assistant has lost his sh*t eating grin. The manager then asks me what fan I would like to purchase and I duely point out the fan "This one please, this is the fan that I want." The manager verbally assaults the sales assistant, who then, with his ears on fire, rushes off to get me my fan. (You know what's comming don't you). A few minutes later the smarmy sales assistant returns, and with a big grin on his face, states "No have."!!

[Jimmyd]

On a similar note, my wife and I needed to buy a fan for use in our daughter's bedroom. ...snip...and with a big grin on his face, states "No have."!!

Classic story. Thanks for sharing.

[soundman]

Posts have been removed for making broad generalisations about Thai people.

If the "Thai Bashing" continues, I will have to close this topic.