Tourism Scams

[lordsux]

And you wouldn't be 'ballpoint' would you 'klauss' ?

[Oberkommando]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime and people should be informed if they come here.

Luckily the internet and programs like 'Big Trouble' have highlighted the problems and people are now seeing Thailand for what it is, despite Thai officials (and some posters here it would seem) best efforts to the contrary.

The truth always comes out in the end folks.

[anothertorres]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

s'just the internet, dudes. even worse, it's Thailand internet. what you want, shakespear?

[KevinBloodyWilson]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime and people should be informed if they come here.

Luckily the internet and programs like 'Big Trouble' have highlighted the problems and people are now seeing Thailand for what it is, despite Thai officials (and some posters here it would seem) best efforts to the contrary.

The truth always comes out in the end folks.

[Travel2003]

Always sad to see people get cheated.

But some people approach the world with a big sign on them saying "you can cheat me", because they think other people should be as nice as they are.

Accepting stuff like "it's ok, no worry" replies, leaving behind their pass ports, or not checking the status/quality before renting or buying, etc, tell me that a vacation back home would be safer.

Once again it seems like the word scam is prefered to the word cheating.

Just like the word mafia is used here on TV when more than 1 person is involved in cheating people.

[rabcbroon]

Hired a car. Pointed out to them that the front bumper was damaged.

The guy said he would make a note of it on the hire form.

Stupidly I dodn't ensure he did and later when I'd left the country the repair for the damage was charged to my credit card.

This was Alamo rentals at Heathrow, London.

This post is regarding scams in Thailand

[rabcbroon]

not to rehash what has already been said a million times already here but... it really is a shame that these scams are so widely perpetrated. and it's not just on tourists. i know the price i'm gonna get at the nursery for 3 plants i WILL buy will be grossly over priced. so, installing an empty tank on a new rentee is just a little more sinister than an expat buying from the LOCAL nursery out in the sticks.

we're all in this together. and we love to take a bath!

what are you smoking

[reallyok]

All pretty harmless and over the years I have become pretty skeptical and pay closer attention to things......

I had some ninor body work done on my new fortuner then about 6 months later my battery died and it was found that it had been swapped with a older one.......

Pay Attention in Thailand . Most honest people just dont expect thing like this to happen so they can.

I still love this country and most of it's people.

A battery ?? I'll see your battery and raise you a...

As posted at the time on another forum

No amount of lazy incompetant disorganised 'service with a smile' will ever surprise me in this country again.. And if an item has any safety aspect whatsoever then I can only advise to check check and triple check, all yourself, and never trust any shit eating grins or mai pen rai comments. Do not take anything as too stupid for them to do or too unbelievable for them to skip.

As I have mentioned in some of my posts I recently had my jeep all refurbed up.. Decided to take it round krabi and lanta and use it a bit more.. Had a great time touring about and today was returning from Ao Nang in Krabi.

Well one of the tasks that the mechanics did during the rebuild was to replace the windscreen.. So I am driving out in krabi, starting a leasurely return journey home planning to take all day. So me and her indoors are cruising along, about 50 - 60 mph or so and the winscreen just implodes !!! Now I have been in cars when the windscreen catches a high velocity stone and shatters but stays in place, this was nothing like that this was an almighty bang then flying shards of mental razor sharp glass !! I caught one in the cheek which sliced in but lucked out considering the possibilities. Spinner again luckily was 100% not a scratch. I had some minor nicks at scalp level and sliced my ankle stopping the car under control so blood started to flow. The jeep only has these convex mirrors so I was having a hard time assessing how injured I was, spinner FREAKs out, crying and wailing, looking at me like I am hanging apart, standard 3rd world brass panic reaction !! Not helping thanks love.. I have blood streaming down my face, on my shirt, in my mouth, spitting lots of foamy blood, I take my hand away from my cheek and it seems like a lot of blood (its not bad in truth) welling up out of this hole but the combo of accident, blood, and most of all not being able to know how bad I was hurt did give me the shakes and dry heaves for a second of two as I pulled my shit together.. Knowing your cut and bleeding (face especially) but unable to know how bad it is or what your reaction and course of action should be was the real kicker !!

Anyway it takes me a second but then I twig whats happened.. The ****ing mechanic muppet has put a piece of plate glass in as a replacement windscreen !!! For the last 1000 miles I have been sitting open eyed and facing a goddamn timebomb. When I consider the possible injuries, sliced face, lost eyes, jugular and other arteries etc it just boggles the mind. I mean hes a mechanic, he has to have known !! He must have just gone down the glass shop and asked for the cheapest bit of plate glass they had.. I will lay money on thats how it worked out !!! I assume he knew the danger that meant to me, as a child would know that whole issue.

Of course as I realize this, is at a time that heart is pumping, adrenalin was flushing through the system, and I was injured.. The thought of choking the little bastard for the risk he put me under was high on my 'things to do list' and I was having a bit of a rage reaction.. Now I have had some time to calm down I doubt I will do anything other than give him a firm verbal roasting but he deserves a cuff round the head in my book, of course the way Thais work is all no confrontation, no anger etc.. No wonder nothing gets solved or done !! Things like this just are another symptom of why Phuket Air dropped off the radar and are blacklisted all over, it will be ok, mai pen rai.

Anyway, we are out of the tourist zone somewhere between Karabi and Phang Nga, a Thai fella on a bike stops and says that the local doctor / medicine man is up the road but I didnt much fancy having it messed with and maybe sewn up by the local witch doctor in ****knowsaburi.. Considered turning back for Krabi hospital but thought sod it.. By the time I did that and messed around finding it I would be wasting the whole day and Phuket was only a couple of hours away.. So I clamped a rag to my face and drove (in the rain) back from krabi with no windscreen.. Quite an trek in a slow jeep with stinging rain and a cut face.

Once we get back on the island I made a wasted journey to the hospital.. The cut had closed and being a glass cut was very clean slice, so by keeping real firm pressure on it for the first hour it sealed pretty tight already and from what I could see had closed up all nice and pretty clean. I had sorted in my mind to just get some paper stiches (setures ??) to keep it closed and it would be fine. When I get to the hospital I explain all this to the first medic / nurse and his instant reaction is to open the wound and look how deep it is / assess it.. I understand this, but it had closed nice and clean and I didnt want him breaking it open and increasing the scar etc.. Despite me clearly saying not to reopen the wound in he kept coming in to do exactly that, over and over hes just smiling and reaching in with 2 hands to grab both sides and I even had to grab his hand as he was just going to do it while smiling and agreeing. Then had the same story with the doc attempting to open it and who wanted to real stitch it.. I debated this with him and had a close look myself in a mirror (at last) and decided against letting him local me and muck about. Doctors the world over dont like being debated or having thier opinion challenged as I guess it challenges thier authority but then you get a Thai for whom thats also a social no no and where most Thais just will agree anything the doctor says because hes the 'official' and he kinda got the **** with me and left. I guess he was thinking awkward bloody farangs always think they know better so all in all I paid a grand to argue with a doctor for 10 mins but I had some paper setures slapped on there and it fells nice and tight / closed now.. Just take care not to re open it for a few days and I am pretty sure I made the right call.. Not the first time I have had my boat race split and I somehow doubt it will be the last.

Still mad at the mechanic, still not sure how much I should let myself lose it when I give my safety education speech !!! Thais are great people for sanuk.. Great people for sabai time.. But some things they are worse than useless at !!

Anyone know a good car window fitter ??

incompetance is not a scam .

is there any othe reason to visit los other than its party atmosphere?

In your limited mind ............probably not !

[reallyok]

Come on guys!

I am not the "I love Thailand and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it" type; yes there are Scams here, but many of them can be avoided by using a bit of common sense.

Surely anyone who hires a car with known damage, or with a tank not completely full, without getting the situation fully documented is asking for trouble any anywhere in the world.

These cases are not Scams, you made an elementary mistake and simply want to find someone else to blame.

Patrick

Blame sombody else !!! Definately not Patrick but just letting others know so that they can be more aware than i was on my first visit. Due to the enviroment in my own country i was too relaxed into thinking that people would be the same as here. As i said, i soon learned that Thailand is the worlds hotbed of corruption in every way. So please don't be so 'narrow minded'

[reallyok]

Fair enough Patrick, but your turn will come one day, then see how it feels.

And i hope it comes sooner rather than later.

You wish a stranger bad luck just so you can be proven right on an internet forum?

That takes a mighty small man.

Perhaps that is so , but how small a man was he .............Gloating over anothers misfortune

[p_brownstone]

Come on guys!

I am not the "I love Thailand and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it" type; yes there are Scams here, but many of them can be avoided by using a bit of common sense.

Surely anyone who hires a car with known damage, or with a tank not completely full, without getting the situation fully documented is asking for trouble any anywhere in the world.

These cases are not Scams, you made an elementary mistake and simply want to find someone else to blame.

Patrick

Blame sombody else !!! Definately not Patrick but just letting others know so that they can be more aware than i was on my first visit. Due to the enviroment in my own country i was too relaxed into thinking that people would be the same as here. As i said, i soon learned that Thailand is the worlds hotbed of corruption in every way. So please don't be so 'narrow minded'

If you would rent a car in your own Country without getting obvious, pre-existing damage clearly documented then you will certainly run into the same situation there sometime. (Or were you the chap who rented the car with a less than full tank? Can't be bothered to read the whole thread again but the same applies).

It’s clearly your own fault – not a scam nor anything to do with corruption.

Patrick

[p_brownstone]

Fair enough Patrick, but your turn will come one day, then see how it feels.

And i hope it comes sooner rather than later.

You wish a stranger bad luck just so you can be proven right on an internet forum?

That takes a mighty small man.

Perhaps that is so , but how small a man was he .............Gloating over anothers misfortune

I think you should look up the word “Gloat” in a dictionary !

Patrick

[reallyok]

Come on guys!

I am not the "I love Thailand and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it" type; yes there are Scams here, but many of them can be avoided by using a bit of common sense.

Surely anyone who hires a car with known damage, or with a tank not completely full, without getting the situation fully documented is asking for trouble any anywhere in the world.

These cases are not Scams, you made an elementary mistake and simply want to find someone else to blame.

Patrick

Blame sombody else !!! Definately not Patrick but just letting others know so that they can be more aware than i was on my first visit. Due to the enviroment in my own country i was too relaxed into thinking that people would be the same as here. As i said, i soon learned that Thailand is the worlds hotbed of corruption in every way. So please don't be so 'narrow minded'

If you would rent a car in your own Country without getting obvious, pre-existing damage clearly documented then you will certainly run into the same situation there sometime. (Or were you the chap who rented the car with a less than full tank? Can't be bothered to read the whole thread again but the same applies).

It's clearly your own fault – not a scam nor anything to do with corruption.

Patrick

In this country Patrick ! we get the opportunity to walk around the car , point out any marks etc whilst the company rep carries a car outline chart, marking any damage already obvious, this is signed and checked when the car is returned. Any new marks ...........pay up...................Simple mate !

[Mossfinn]

Hired a car. Pointed out to them that the front bumper was damaged.

The guy said he would make a note of it on the hire form.

Stupidly I dodn't ensure he did and later when I'd left the country the repair for the damage was charged to my credit card.

This was Alamo rentals at Heathrow, London.

This post is regarding scams in Thailand

I have a feeling he knew that and was making a rather subtle point.

[Mossfinn]

Any new marks ...........pay up...................Simple mate !

When in a hole, it always best to stop digging

[sanook2me]

Another lame thread about losing 200 baht to a taxi driver or BiB....

Can someone post a story thats actually happened to them when they lost over shall we say a 1000baht!

What was the last major scam thread on here? Oh yeah the 50 baht Yakult scam...

[LooseCannon]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime and people should be informed if they come here.

Luckily the internet and programs like 'Big Trouble' have highlighted the problems and people are now seeing Thailand for what it is, despite Thai officials (and some posters here it would seem) best efforts to the contrary.

The truth always comes out in the end folks.

Can you detail the nature of the scams where you have been the 'victim'. You personally - not other 'victims' stories.

How many times have you been a 'victim'?

Do you get caught out by the same scam multiple times? Or are they different scams? - a sort of 'learn as go' scenario, with each time saying to yourself "I won't fall for that one again".

You state that "...people should be informed if they come here", I think most people would appreciate it if you provided some examples.

[Kf6vci]

Guys, I made a VISA run yesterday. Took a casino bus to Aranyaprethet. As the only farang, touts target me.

I ignore them but cannot stop them following me. They try to have me mistake some "authorized travel agency"

for the border. <deleted>? They want to do it all, the stamping on both sides without me being there to cross the border?

at the Cambodian side, a guy collects 1,000 Baht and a photo (which is not used for the VISA).

Next, I am not getting the entry stamp. The "Immigration Information" booth won't do it. They want to collect money for doing both stamps at once.

Hey, so I would be entering Cambodia illegally on a voiced VISA and with a departure stamp? Perfect for the ultimate shake down!

All for 300 Baht. I won't pay and they offer 200.

Thai Immigration: 0 Baht, no bribe demands. Go figure. I was glad to be back in LOS!

I want to put things into perspective. You think Thailand is bad? Look at other countries!

[Pattel]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime and people should be informed if they come here.

Luckily the internet and programs like 'Big Trouble' have highlighted the problems and people are now seeing Thailand for what it is, despite Thai officials (and some posters here it would seem) best efforts to the contrary.

The truth always comes out in the end folks.

Can you detail the nature of the scams where you have been the 'victim'. You personally - not other 'victims' stories.

How many times have you been a 'victim'?

Do you get caught out by the same scam multiple times? Or are they different scams? - a sort of 'learn as go' scenario, with each time saying to yourself "I won't fall for that one again".

You state that "...people should be informed if they come here", I think most people would appreciate it if you provided some examples.

I hired a car here last year. On delivery went round the car, not a mark on it.

1 month later gave the car back and was told I had to pay for the scratches (2,000 Baht).

When I said what scratches he got on his knees and pointed to underneath the front bumper.

Sure enough there were scratch marks there, how he saw them standing up beats me.

I am a careful driver when driving somebody else's car and I know I didn't scratch it.

All it means is that I wont use that company again (or recommend them), up to that point I was quite happy with the service provided (airport pick ups etc).

And now when I pick up a hire car I check the underneath as well as the body work. So the scam wont work twice.

[thaihome]

I have rented cars in Thailand probably 25 times, from both majors and independents over the past 10 years. Not once have they ever tried this scam on me. Not saying it doesn't happen, it just never has to me.

My point is that is not an atuomatic thing when renting a car in Thailand.

TH

[LooseCannon]

I hired a car here last year. On delivery went round the car, not a mark on it.

1 month later gave the car back and was told I had to pay for the scratches (2,000 Baht).

When I said what scratches he got on his knees and pointed to underneath the front bumper.

Sure enough there were scratch marks there, how he saw them standing up beats me.

I am a careful driver when driving somebody else's car and I know I didn't scratch it.

All it means is that I wont use that company again (or recommend them), up to that point I was quite happy with the service provided (airport pick ups etc).

And now when I pick up a hire car I check the underneath as well as the body work. So the scam wont work twice.

Your unfortunate loss is a lesson for the rest of us.

I have hired cars on a few occasions with no problems but your experience will be filed away to be remembered (hopefully) at the appropriate time.

The lessons learned from these sorts of incidents help us to recognize & prevent us from becoming a victims in the future.

For the serial victim, Thailand will appear to be "awash with scams". The smart folk learn quickly, they adapt to their environment & are undoubtedly a lot happier as a result.

[JUDAS]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime and people should be informed if they come here.

Luckily the internet and programs like 'Big Trouble' have highlighted the problems and people are now seeing Thailand for what it is, despite Thai officials (and some posters here it would seem) best efforts to the contrary.

The truth always comes out in the end folks.

Can you detail the nature of the scams where you have been the 'victim'. You personally - not other 'victims' stories.

How many times have you been a 'victim'?

Do you get caught out by the same scam multiple times? Or are they different scams? - a sort of 'learn as go' scenario, with each time saying to yourself "I won't fall for that one again".

You state that "...people should be informed if they come here", I think most people would appreciate it if you provided some examples.

I hired a car here last year. On delivery went round the car, not a mark on it.

1 month later gave the car back and was told I had to pay for the scratches (2,000 Baht).

When I said what scratches he got on his knees and pointed to underneath the front bumper.

Sure enough there were scratch marks there, how he saw them standing up beats me.

I am a careful driver when driving somebody else's car and I know I didn't scratch it.

All it means is that I wont use that company again (or recommend them), up to that point I was quite happy with the service provided (airport pick ups etc).

And now when I pick up a hire car I check the underneath as well as the body work. So the scam wont work twice.

Just to show that the opposite can happen. Around 2 years ago the wife and I rented a car in Chumphon for a trip to Buriram. Going around Bkk a dog literally threw itself at the car damaging the front bumper, looked like it had been rubbed with sandpaper!! After 10 days or so in Buriram occasionally thinking about how much the damage would cost we got back to Chumphon, where I pointed it out to the owner. After looking he said" No problem, bumper was already scratched on the other side, you pay nothing"

[teddy_bare]

Conversely,

I have on many occasions refused the help of others because I thought they were working an angle.

How my cynicism showed when I realised they were just offering a kindly hand. I guess the problem is often people want money for that help.

If you look for scams you will constantly see other's actions as a build up to a scam.

When you go to do something you have never done before (seems many have never rented cars) then google it.

I video alot because it stops the scams/corruption and provides evidence at a later stage if required.

We think of ourselves as educated individuals yet we succumb to scam carried out by individuals often considered inferior to us.

the old adage of a 'fool and their money' rings true for many on here.

[dsprtliving]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime and people should be informed if they come here.

Luckily the internet and programs like 'Big Trouble' have highlighted the problems and people are now seeing Thailand for what it is, despite Thai officials (and some posters here it would seem) best efforts to the contrary.

The truth always comes out in the end folks.

couldn't have said it better myself....i always wonder about the "scams, double pricing, dirty cops happens everywhere in the World" comments as well! Seems it should be obvious...as we are on a Thailand forum discussing Thai related experiences and events. Naturally you'd think a comment about something that happened in some obscure village in the U.K. or small town USA would obviously be irrelevant???

[LooseCannon]

Why do people feel the need to constantly state the obvious "scams happen everywhere in the World", or bold or highlight foreign places they have been scammed in some lame effort to protect Thailand or its reputation?

Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime and people should be informed if they come here.

Luckily the internet and programs like 'Big Trouble' have highlighted the problems and people are now seeing Thailand for what it is, despite Thai officials (and some posters here it would seem) best efforts to the contrary.

The truth always comes out in the end folks.

couldn't have said it better myself....i always wonder about the "scams, double pricing, dirty cops happens everywhere in the World" comments as well! Seems it should be obvious...as we are on a Thailand forum discussing Thai related experiences and events. Naturally you'd think a comment about something that happened in some obscure village in the U.K. or small town USA would obviously be irrelevant???

"Thailand is awash with scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime... ." - all he has done is state the bleedin' obvious.

What sort of moron would arrive in a country with a rating barely above third world status & not expect "scams, trickery, deceit, lies and crime". Basic commonsense.

'.....people should be informed if they come here" - why? because their home countries are such paradigms of honesty that deceit & crime do not exist & as such the foreign visitor to Thailand will be completely blindsided by the rampant criminal activity. A poor South East Asian country awash in a sea of scams? Surely not.

It's all very well for somebody to say "Thailand is awash with scams....", but without documenting these scams that have been perpetrated on them personally it renders the comment both useless & vacuous.

At least when somebody recounts a scam that occurred in some place other than Thailand, we can actually think about it & maybe be forwarned about similar scams that may happen in Thailand.

[sinbin]

Will not honour guarantees. If they do it just so happens that the part that was replaced wasn't covered, xxx Baht, thank you.

[LooseCannon]

Will not honour guarantees. If they do it just so happens that the part that was replaced wasn't covered, xxx Baht, thank you.

The lack of detail makes this useless.

[olsen]

If nothing else , great entertainment for a while , have any more good ones ? 555

You can find loads of scams here: Scams

[spysee]

I took my mates to Patpong last week who were here on holidays, we wanted to see one of the famous shows. Anyways we told a beer costs 100 baht, we go up and 15 beers later, the beers were 300 baht. Got scammed big time. Never go there again

[Mossfinn]

Pay the bin after each round, then you can go there again