More Tuk-tuk Trouble In Phuket

[sharecropper]

Can anyone on Phuket tell us what, if anything, the Governor says about this constant drip-feed of bad tuk tuk news.

And is it ever likely that the police will sort it out or the local government will set and enforce a fair fare tariff?

[khundon]

ALL Tuk Tuks in Thailand are a rip off and its particularly bad in Phuket when even a ride of 300 yards are not quoted less than 100 baht. And when its raining double everything. Contrast that with a licenced taxi meter where you can go many multiples of the distance for 50 baht. Its the same in Bangkok where fares are 2 or 3 times those of licenced taxi meters.

Outside of Bangkok there are few taxi meters so the operators exploit the opportunity for the scam.

Tuk Tuks are unregulated and should have meters installed which would eradicate the problem.

rem888

So taxis in Bangkok with meters don't rip off passengers then??? Try reading more topics on this forum and it will change your mind. Airport taxis scam seems a good place for you to start.

Even the meters can be fixed to record higher fares for the unsuspecting travelers.

[walterego]

Oh please dont call them mafia.. a group of blokes hanging out on a modified motor scooter conspiring for days on end on how to rip someone off $15/- hardly constitutes a mafia.. nor does the obvious lack of discretion and intelect used in their endeavours.

Smash em back! so deport me I have no qualms in smashing malnutritioned layabouts who cannot breath properly because of the nicotine plastered to their lungs. The reluctance and fear I see amoungst foreigners towards a minority of (who would otherwise be very essential members of a necessary labour force.) is embaressing. Tell these guys to F*%K em selves and let what happens happen. They over charged the guy. Good on YOU MR CANADIAN I hoep you kicked him as hard as you could.

Edited January 6, 2010 by walterego

[tropo]

Threads like these do have a major impact on tourism. Anyone googling "tuk-tuk Phuket" could end up on this thread.

LOL!

I just Googled "tuk-tuk_ Phuket" and low and behold, there was a photo of the Canadian tuk-tuk victim as the 4th item... and item #7 was about the Frenchman assaulted earlier in the week.

Item #11 was a reference to this thread and Item #12 was another reference to this incident from the Phuket Gazette.

That's some pretty good coverage of tuk-tuk trouble in Phuket.

If you Google "phuket safey", on page 2 you will reach an article covering an October 09 meeting "Phuket tuk-tuk crisis talks".

A quote from this report: "According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, tuk-tuk prices, the rudeness of drivers and jet-ski scams are frequently given as reasons why visitors do not come back to Phuket."

They're obviously all talk and no action.

Edited January 6, 2010 by tropo

[Brewsta]

Wow... I am totally shocked after reading this ...

It sounds like most of the tuk tuk "experts' on this forum have never been to Thailand!

To lie is to state something that one knows to be false with the intention that a person will take it for the truth

Let me help you "experts" and all those that will travel to Thailand

Rule # 1 Tuk Tuks will Cheat and Lie

Rule # 2 See Rule # 1

caveat: Maybe all (?!) southern tukkers are *uckers, but here in the North many of my friends and I have Thai neighbours or friends who drive for their living without being thugs or thieves.

Good night,

Brewsta

[ttthailand]

We see this same kind of thing happening day after day. If it's not the tuk-tuk drivers it's something else. Is there a way to let the local and national government know this is happening ? Do they know and don't care ?

It is understandable that some shady things happen in some backwood town but here ??? Do you just accept it and go else where ?

[changnaam]

The best thing the Thai government can do with Phuket is knock down the bridge and hand the land over to Singapore..... maybe then they would be shown how to make the most out of a stunning (was) island and tourist destination.

It is getting boring hearing time and time again of things happening there which most holiday destinations would be ashamed of and stamp out straight away. Phuket is an embarassment to the country (in my humble opinion)

[ericthai]

Not defending the actions of the driver by any means but didn't the guy agree to 150 then offer 100. Probably not a good idea in any foreign country over 50 baht.

I'd have to agree here. Anwar and the driver agreed to 150 baht for the ride, and then after services were rendered, Anwar wanted to offer less. And if it's true that he escalated the situation further by being rude and kicking the driver, then I'm not surprised at the eventual outcome.

I'm sort of happy that people like Anwar won't be returning to Thailand for their holidays.

what kind of idiot are you to suggest the tourist is wrong to query what is in a reality a complete rip off of a fare and then gets assaulted for doing so - you've been in LOS way to long if you agree with tuk tuk driver - they all lie blind and cheat and rob at every chance - so i doubt anything that they say bears any truth

Guess you did not read the article, they said the guy and his wife negotiated with the driver and then agreed to the price. If you agree to a price then you should do what you agreed to. I do think what the Tuk Tuk driver did was wrong, but the guy and his wife are wrong too for not paying what they agreed. Some tourists come here and think they can do anything they want.

If the guy agreed to pay 500 baht a night for a hotel and then only pays 300 baht because the room was not what he expected dont you think there would be a problem?

[cmdream]

It is the fault of the government !! Tuk-tuks and taxis should be regulated period. If tourism is to Phukets economy benefit it is up to the government to stop all this rip off and bad experiences of their bread and butter. The attitude from what I see is "fuk um" They still keep coming anyway. I guess when the stupid tourists stop coming is the answer. There are other places in S.E Asia that are a lot less trouble and better bang for the buck.

[Jazzmaster]

Defend them all you want, 90% of the Tuk Tuk drivers are low class rip off artists. From my first trip to Thailand 15 years ago, that was my first impression and it hasn't changed 30+ trips later. The scam is worse in Phuket by far because the options are so limited, but even the ones in Bangkok are nothing more than a scurge on Thailand and their tourist industry. Even considering the taxi mafia, I have had infinately less problems with Taxis and motorcycle taxis than tuk tuks. They could be a novelty and enhance the tourist experience, like the Cable Cars in SF, but given their practice of absolutely ripping tourists off and their condescending arrogance about it, my feeling is that Thailand would be doing itself a huge favor by dumping every Tuk Tuk and their respective drivers in the CP River.

[Chris Lawrence]

A contract is a contract, so be prepared to cop the hit on the head to remind you that you want to dishonor the contract. Don't be an idiot with these types of negotiations, get caught out be humble to avoid confrontation. Poor silly man and over a couple of $? You are only seen as a smart a.se by the local population with little compassion.

[shawndoc]

Two anecdotal stories from my wife, who used to own a business in Patong and now lives with me in the US.

#1. When we drive around and someone does something stupid (cuts us off, drives too slow, whatever) my wife always wants to know why I don't blow the horn, or yell at them or whatever. One of the times this happened I asked her why I should do this. She said that when she drives in Thailand this is how you do it, you need to let the other person know they did something wrong so they don't do it again. I asked her "Aren't you afraid of the other drivers" and she said no. I asked her if she really did this when she drove in Phuket, and she said yes. So then I asked her "Do you do this when the tuktuk drivers do something stupid?" and she replied "Oh no." and the proceeded to stop talking (which she never does!).

#2. Some times during the day they're run out of supplies and need to go pick up more. Most stuff could be purchased a few blocks away and she'd normally walk to go get it. However when it was raining bad she wouldn't want to go out and get wet. Luckily there was a place where TukTuk's tended to hang out nearby that she could get to walking under awnings to stay dry. According to her the TukTuk's would want 150-200 baht for a one way trip, just a few blocks away and would refuse to promise to wait while she bought her supplies. If her or any of her coworkers tried to negotiate they'd get sworn at by the driver, called all sorts of names, and have even had the drivers threaten violence for daring to try to negotiate.

She was quick to say that not all Tuktuk's drivers are bad, but enough of them were that she stopped using them unless she absolutely had to, and stopped trying to negotiate if it was raining.

[infernalman7]

The Thais will not do anything because they are used to it and don't see it as a problem and won't even bother.

The best thing you can do is to not do anything. They don't care. Complain some more. They still don't care. Make Phuket sounds like the worst place in the world to go to. They don't care. Many of the Thais do not want tourists here. Again, tourists should also consider that they can go to anywhere else. The Thais will not do anything until it hurts their reputation and in this case it doesn't.

This isn't big enough for any one to worry. It's something that happen everyday ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Unmetered taxi scams are everywhere in the world and a person who consider themselves ready to travel outside their country should know this to begin with.

For those who are not happy about things that happen in this country I think the best and the easiest solution is to leave this country..

P.S. This guy here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=3248878

For some reasons I find this post very offensive. I wonder what a Thai would say when they know that farangs see them as unintelligent semi human beings.

[infernalman7]

It is the fault of the government !! Tuk-tuks and taxis should be regulated period. If tourism is to Phukets economy benefit it is up to the government to stop all this rip off and bad experiences of their bread and butter. The attitude from what I see is "fuk um" They still keep coming anyway. I guess when the stupid tourists stop coming is the answer. There are other places in S.E Asia that are a lot less trouble and better bang for the buck.

You are correct. Stop coming here is the best way!

[moe666]

How many thousand tourist come to Phuket and never have a problem, never a run in with the infamous tuk-tuk mafia( Toney Saprano has moved) but the mob (thaivisa mob that is) comes out over a few incidents that make the headline.

Afriend spent 4 weeks in Phuket last year and not a complaint one, he was just greatful he had a break from the cold of Inner Mongolia.

[Me&MrsJones]

If Anwar agreed the price and then failed to pay up as promised, he has made a big mistake and quite clearly is not very street-smart. But that is where the case changes from a "civil wrong" to a "crime". Civil law is for the purpose of "righting a civil wrong" (not paying the agreed fare), but when the tuk-tuk Mother Flocker hit Anwar it became a crime.

Ugghh....i'll stop there i think! I mean, why bother anyway....there is no law here and even if there was, do you think tuk-tuk drivers would obey it? They are SCUM and all need to be brought to account.

If i was Anwar i would make certain this neanderthal is convicted of assault.....but it seems to me that if he's leaving on 7th Jan he wont be here to testify (do they actually go as far as having sworn testimonies in Thai courts of law?).

My prediction: - Tuk-tuk man walks free.....or, more likely drives free!

Why not have collective punishment? Get all these drivers to be responsible for each other! What i mean is "if one gets convicted, the rest of them get punished by having their licence taken away".....then the police can give everyone a lift in their cars and do some good for the island! They'd make a few bob too!

Oh...silly me....the police DO own the tuk-tuks......aaahhhh.....it's all adding up now!

Ok then, let's ALL GO DOWN THERE and pull tongues at the tuk-tuk drivers. Let's face it....the only reason they want to fight is to get physically close to men! Why don't they just "come out"?

[Jingthing]

The Thais will not do anything until it hurts their reputation and in this case it doesn't.

I agree they won't do anything. However, how do your reckon this doesn't hurt their reputation?

BTW, regarding the post you linked to, I agree that violent criminals like some of these tuk tuk drivers are human beings. That isn't saying much. I also agree it is wrong for non-Thais to call Thais monkeys. It is also wrong for Thais to call farangs monkeys or "it".

Edited January 6, 2010 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Let's face it....the only reason they want to fight is to get physically close to men! Why don't they just "come out"?

Insulting them by accusing them of being gay is pretty ignorant. It implies there is something wrong with being gay. We should only be so lucky if they were all gay. We aren't so lucky.

[Jingthing]

How many thousand tourist come to Phuket and never have a problem, never a run in with the infamous tuk-tuk mafia( Toney Saprano has moved) but the mob (thaivisa mob that is) comes out over a few incidents that make the headline.

Afriend spent 4 weeks in Phuket last year and not a complaint one, he was just greatful he had a break from the cold of Inner Mongolia.

They are a mafia. Ask the locals.

[tropo]

notorius Pattaya Tuk Tuk 10 baht

You can ride up to about 5km for 10 baht on a Pattaya baht bus. What will that cost you in Phuket?

[tropo]

A contract is a contract, so be prepared to cop the hit on the head to remind you that you want to dishonor the contract. Don't be an idiot with these types of negotiations, get caught out be humble to avoid confrontation. Poor silly man and over a couple of $? You are only seen as a smart a.se by the local population with little compassion.

That's bs. Tricking a tourist who doesn't know the area into paying 150 for a 1 minute ride is theft. I wouldn't have paid it either and I'm sure the majority of punters would have argued.

[Jingthing]

notorius Pattaya Tuk Tuk 10 baht

You can ride up to about 5km for 10 baht on a Pattaya baht bus. What will that cost you in Phuket?

We are talking about a shared songthaew service here. For a charter of the same bus like a taxi or tuk tuk, I don't think they would budge for under 100 for even a short ride.

Edited January 6, 2010 by Jingthing

[tropo]

Guess you did not read the article, they said the guy and his wife negotiated with the driver and then agreed to the price. If you agree to a price then you should do what you agreed to. I do think what the Tuk Tuk driver did was wrong, but the guy and his wife are wrong too for not paying what they agreed. Some tourists come here and think they can do anything they want.

If the guy agreed to pay 500 baht a night for a hotel and then only pays 300 baht because the room was not what he expected dont you think there would be a problem?

Another person trying to defend the actions of the tuk-tuk driver.

The agreed price means absolutely nothing when the passenger realises he's being ripped off.

[Glynnski]

People

I have been living in Thailand for around 18 months now near Nakhon Sawan and am married to a Thai lady. You will, I am sure, notice that this is my first post although I have been a member of TV for some time. I read various news clippings every day on this site and I have to say, I am constantly amazed by the attitude of the majority of posters here. When one goes to another country to live, surely one should be expected to abide by the laws and customs of that country. In Thailand, when one negotiates a price for anything, one should honour that agreement and pay up. Being ripped off is all in the eye of the beholder, no? Maybe one should ask oneself, "how much would it have cost in my own country"? Also maybe people would do well to remember why they come to Thailand in the first place.......I would expect high on the list would be that the cost of living is far less than ones country of origin. 150Bt is about 3 pounds in the UK and you can't even get 10 cigarettes for that in fact you'd be lucky to be able to buy a pint for 3 quid! Perspective.....a good word, maybe this should be cosidered before posting. In my humble opinion, if one can't take the heat one should remove oneself from the kitchen and stop running down the people who, in my limited experience, are the most friendly, helpful and genuine that I have come across. This is a predominantly poor country, people need to make a living where the opportunity arises. I work in the oil industry and as a result have travelled the world extensively and believe me, there are FAR worse places and people out there. I do not condone violence but I too have seen how abusive certain elements of the farang population can be. There's no need for it, if you treat the people with the same respect you expect them to treat you with, there is no better place in the world to visit/live. Only my opinion of course but I like to think of myself as reasonable and objective. Chill and enjoy!!!

[tropo]

notorius Pattaya Tuk Tuk 10 baht

You can ride up to about 5km for 10 baht on a Pattaya baht bus. What will that cost you in Phuket?

We are talking about a shared songthaew service here. For a charter of the same bus like a taxi or tuk tuk, I don't think they would budge for under 100.

For a 1 minute ride I reckon you could do better than 100 baht in Pattaya. eg 2 blocks (which seems about the distance the tuk-tuk in Phuket went)

[Me&MrsJones]

How many thousand tourist come to Phuket and never have a problem, never a run in with the infamous tuk-tuk mafia( Toney Saprano has moved) but the mob (thaivisa mob that is) comes out over a few incidents that make the headline.

Afriend spent 4 weeks in Phuket last year and not a complaint one, he was just greatful he had a break from the cold of Inner Mongolia.

Funny thing is, when running my spell check, the word "tuk-tuk" is queried.....and i just select "ignore all". How appropriate!

[tropo]

People

I have been living in Thailand for around 18 months now near Nakhon Sawan and am married to a Thai lady. You will, I am sure, notice that this is my first post although I have been a member of TV for some time. I read various news clippings every day on this site and I have to say, I am constantly amazed by the attitude of the majority of posters here. When one goes to another country to live, surely one should be expected to abide by the laws and customs of that country. In Thailand, when one negotiates a price for anything, one should honour that agreement and pay up. Being ripped off is all in the eye of the beholder, no? Maybe one should ask oneself, "how much would it have cost in my own country"? Also maybe people would do well to remember why they come to Thailand in the first place.......I would expect high on the list would be that the cost of living is far less than ones country of origin. 150Bt is about 3 pounds in the UK and you can't even get 10 cigarettes for that in fact you'd be lucky to be able to buy a pint for 3 quid! Perspective.....a good word, maybe this should be cosidered before posting. In my humble opinion, if one can't take the heat one should remove oneself from the kitchen and stop running down the people who, in my limited experience, are the most friendly, helpful and genuine that I have come across. This is a predominantly poor country, people need to make a living where the opportunity arises. I work in the oil industry and as a result have travelled the world extensively and believe me, there are FAR worse places and people out there. I do not condone violence but I too have seen how abusive certain elements of the farang population can be. There's no need for it, if you treat the people with the same respect you expect them to treat you with, there is no better place in the world to visit/live. Only my opinion of course but I like to think of myself as reasonable and objective. Chill and enjoy!!!

You haven't been in Thailand long enough because you're still spending in GBP. Perhaps you have too much money and everything is cheap, but.....

you say: "Being ripped off is all in the eye of the beholder, no?"

You got that part right because "no" is the correct answer. Paying 150 baht for a 1 minute tuk-tuk ride in Phuket is a rip-off in everyone's eyes (with the exception of you and a few others on here). Even the tuk-tuk driver would admit that if pushed.

[Glynnski]

People

I have been living in Thailand for around 18 months now near Nakhon Sawan and am married to a Thai lady. You will, I am sure, notice that this is my first post although I have been a member of TV for some time. I read various news clippings every day on this site and I have to say, I am constantly amazed by the attitude of the majority of posters here. When one goes to another country to live, surely one should be expected to abide by the laws and customs of that country. In Thailand, when one negotiates a price for anything, one should honour that agreement and pay up. Being ripped off is all in the eye of the beholder, no? Maybe one should ask oneself, "how much would it have cost in my own country"? Also maybe people would do well to remember why they come to Thailand in the first place.......I would expect high on the list would be that the cost of living is far less than ones country of origin. 150Bt is about 3 pounds in the UK and you can't even get 10 cigarettes for that in fact you'd be lucky to be able to buy a pint for 3 quid! Perspective.....a good word, maybe this should be cosidered before posting. In my humble opinion, if one can't take the heat one should remove oneself from the kitchen and stop running down the people who, in my limited experience, are the most friendly, helpful and genuine that I have come across. This is a predominantly poor country, people need to make a living where the opportunity arises. I work in the oil industry and as a result have travelled the world extensively and believe me, there are FAR worse places and people out there. I do not condone violence but I too have seen how abusive certain elements of the farang population can be. There's no need for it, if you treat the people with the same respect you expect them to treat you with, there is no better place in the world to visit/live. Only my opinion of course but I like to think of myself as reasonable and objective. Chill and enjoy!!!

You haven't been in Thailand long enough because you're still spending in GBP. Perhaps you have too much money and everything is cheap, but.....

you say: "Being ripped off is all in the eye of the beholder, no?"

You got that part right because "no" is the correct answer. Paying 150 baht for a 1 minute tuk-tuk ride in Phuket is a rip-off in everyone's eyes (with the exception of you and a few others on here). Even the tuk-tuk driver would admit that if pushed.

I find myself, as stated earlier, in many different countries, I work month on month off usually and so I convert different currencies back to GBP so I can compare if that's ok with you. If you think you are being ripped off DON'T BUY. Not rocket science IMHO

[Me&MrsJones]

People

I have been living in Thailand for around 18 months now near Nakhon Sawan and am married to a Thai lady. You will, I am sure, notice that this is my first post although I have been a member of TV for some time. I read various news clippings every day on this site and I have to say, I am constantly amazed by the attitude of the majority of posters here. When one goes to another country to live, surely one should be expected to abide by the laws and customs of that country. In Thailand, when one negotiates a price for anything, one should honour that agreement and pay up. Being ripped off is all in the eye of the beholder, no? Maybe one should ask oneself, "how much would it have cost in my own country"? Also maybe people would do well to remember why they come to Thailand in the first place.......I would expect high on the list would be that the cost of living is far less than ones country of origin. 150Bt is about 3 pounds in the UK and you can't even get 10 cigarettes for that in fact you'd be lucky to be able to buy a pint for 3 quid! Perspective.....a good word, maybe this should be cosidered before posting. In my humble opinion, if one can't take the heat one should remove oneself from the kitchen and stop running down the people who, in my limited experience, are the most friendly, helpful and genuine that I have come across. This is a predominantly poor country, people need to make a living where the opportunity arises. I work in the oil industry and as a result have travelled the world extensively and believe me, there are FAR worse places and people out there. I do not condone violence but I too have seen how abusive certain elements of the farang population can be. There's no need for it, if you treat the people with the same respect you expect them to treat you with, there is no better place in the world to visit/live. Only my opinion of course but I like to think of myself as reasonable and objective. Chill and enjoy!!!

You make a few very good points here for a relatively inexperienced expat of Thailand, but 270 people have posted on this topic already and the majority of the posts are negative for a reason - because they are correct to be negative. You do concede that you have only been here 18 months, so i guess you are yet to be fully tested in this country in terms of duration and durability, having to go through the trenches everyday and grabbing your ankles.

Everyone who moved to Thailand loved it when they first arrived, just like you, and they had only a few murmurs of discontent after a year or 2 (at best). After you've been here nearly a decade you become tired of the negativity - not from Thai Visa members' posts - from many angles of life here. Why? Because there are many negative thing here (there are postive things too) and the longer you live here the more you lift the "veil of novelty" from your eyes and get to look beneath the veneer. Learning the language properly will assist with this, but even if you don't learn it you will get a flavour of the real way of life here - including all the ups and downs. When you live a country you get into it, lock, stock and barrel, right? Some members on here have 10s of thousands of posts to their name and have a right to comment and be negative if they so choose. It's called experience. I've been here 8 years. Some of the poster here have been here 2 or 3 times longer than me, which means 10 or wenty times longer than you. The negative comments are justified and something you should be latching on to, because if you do, you'll see the pitfalls when they come your way - and you'll be able to aviod them.

Anyway, you tell me what's so positive about the ever increasing number of attacks on foreigners perpetrated by tuk-tuk drivers. Violence is not the solution, regardless of who was trying to cheat who. You know, some of these victims are or freinds. Victims may one day be your friends in the future.

You quite naively say "how much would it have cost in my own country"? Sorry to tell you, but even if it cost me 1000 baht in my country it does not mean that i should allow myself to be cheated in any other country. What you are effectively saying is that we should all decide to just consider ourselves lucky that we are not paying Western prices here in Thailand? I bet you a penny-to-a-pound that many expats here are not happy about having to pay inflated prices every time they put their hand in their pocket wherever they go...because they are foreign. And you think we should be considering ourselves fortunate and just pay up? Am i reading that correctly?

Many expats here are not earning Western level incomes, they are not here on holiday to splash the cash - the majority are working as teachers. Some teachers earn just enough to get by, so why should they think about "how much would it cost in my own country"? We don't live in "my own country". By your logic ,Thai's in UK should barter and haggle for the love of Buddha to get the price of a taxi ride knocked down - because they would be thinking about "how much would it have cost in my own country". What nonsense!

Finally, you advice certain posters to use "Perspective.....a good word, maybe this should be cosidered before posting", you say. Pot-Kettle-Black! You need to start taking your own advice.

I know it's your first post and you are very well entitled to your opinion, but what a stinker! Best of luck with your next post!

Oh and best of luck hanging on to your money mate, coz to me it sounds like you are going to need the luck of the Irish.

[Glynnski]

People

I have been living in Thailand for around 18 months now near Nakhon Sawan and am married to a Thai lady. You will, I am sure, notice that this is my first post although I have been a member of TV for some time. I read various news clippings every day on this site and I have to say, I am constantly amazed by the attitude of the majority of posters here. When one goes to another country to live, surely one should be expected to abide by the laws and customs of that country. In Thailand, when one negotiates a price for anything, one should honour that agreement and pay up. Being ripped off is all in the eye of the beholder, no? Maybe one should ask oneself, "how much would it have cost in my own country"? Also maybe people would do well to remember why they come to Thailand in the first place.......I would expect high on the list would be that the cost of living is far less than ones country of origin. 150Bt is about 3 pounds in the UK and you can't even get 10 cigarettes for that in fact you'd be lucky to be able to buy a pint for 3 quid! Perspective.....a good word, maybe this should be cosidered before posting. In my humble opinion, if one can't take the heat one should remove oneself from the kitchen and stop running down the people who, in my limited experience, are the most friendly, helpful and genuine that I have come across. This is a predominantly poor country, people need to make a living where the opportunity arises. I work in the oil industry and as a result have travelled the world extensively and believe me, there are FAR worse places and people out there. I do not condone violence but I too have seen how abusive certain elements of the farang population can be. There's no need for it, if you treat the people with the same respect you expect them to treat you with, there is no better place in the world to visit/live. Only my opinion of course but I like to think of myself as reasonable and objective. Chill and enjoy!!!

You make a few very good points here for a relatively inexperienced expat of Thailand, but 270 people have posted on this topic already and the majority of the posts are negative for a reason - because they are correct to be negative. You do concede that you have only been here 18 months, so i guess you are yet to be fully tested in this country in terms of duration and durability, having to go through the trenches everyday and grabbing your ankles.

Everyone who moved to Thailand loved it when they first arrived, just like you, and they had only a few murmurs of discontent after a year or 2 (at best). After you've been here nearly a decade you become tired of the negativity - not from Thai Visa members' posts - from many angles of life here. Why? Because there are many negative thing here (there are postive things too) and the longer you live here the more you lift the "veil of novelty" from your eyes and get to look beneath the veneer. Learning the language properly will assist with this, but even if you don't learn it you will get a flavour of the real way of life here - including all the ups and downs. When you live a country you get into it, lock, stock and barrel, right? Some members on here have 10s of thousands of posts to their name and have a right to comment and be negative if they so choose. It's called experience. I've been here 8 years. Some of the poster here have been here 2 or 3 times longer than me, which means 10 or wenty times longer than you. The negative comments are justified and something you should be latching on to, because if you do, you'll see the pitfalls when they come your way - and you'll be able to aviod them.

Anyway, you tell me what's so positive about the ever increasing number of attacks on foreigners perpetrated by tuk-tuk drivers. Violence is not the solution, regardless of who was trying to cheat who. You know, some of these victims are or freinds. Victims may one day be your friends in the future.

You quite naively say "how much would it have cost in my own country"? Sorry to tell you, but even if it cost me 1000 baht in my country it does not mean that i should allow myself to be cheated in any other country. What you are effectively saying is that we should all decide to just consider ourselves lucky that we are not paying Western prices here in Thailand? I bet you a penny-to-a-pound that many expats here are not happy about having to pay inflated prices every time they put their hand in their pocket wherever they go...because they are foreign. And you think we should be considering ourselves fortunate and just pay up? Am i reading that correctly?

Many expats here are not earning Western level incomes, they are not here on holiday to splash the cash - the majority are working as teachers. Some teachers earn just enough to get by, so why should they think about "how much would it cost in my own country"? We don't live in "my own country". By your logic ,Thai's in UK should barter and haggle for the love of Buddha to get the price of a taxi ride knocked down - because they would be thinking about "how much would it have cost in my own country". What nonsense!

Finally, you advice certain posters to use "Perspective.....a good word, maybe this should be cosidered before posting", you say. Pot-Kettle-Black! You need to start taking your own advice.

I know it's your first post and you are very well entitled to your opinion, but what a stinker! Best of luck with your next post!

Oh and best of luck hanging on to your money mate, coz to me it sounds like you are going to need the luck of the Irish.

Points noted but if it's so bad <deleted> do you want to live here for? If you don't like it, GO HOME, does that not make sense? Again......not rocket science.