Overseas Call From Buddy's Internet Shop

[searcher22]

I just tried to make a call to a government office in Canada from the phone booth inside Buddy's Internet shop, across from Kad Suan Kaew/Central Mall. After two unsuccessful attempts, the connection was finally established. But after a few seconds, the line started to break up and I could no longer hear the voice recording. I hanged up and called again, and the same thing happened again after twenty seconds. I called another government office at a totally different number and again, the connection started breaking up after a few seconds. I then informed the agent at Buddy's and told him about the problem, but he didn't seem to care and he just insisted that I pay for the four calls I made (1 minute each), even though I wasn't able to speak to anyone. They charged me 20 baht - not a lot - but I felt cheated and I let him know. The phone I used had "IP" displayed on the screen so I guess it was an Internet call.

I used to like going to Buddy's. They used to open the door for customers and greet them. Now, the staff has changed and the friendliness seems to have disappeared.

[hmficc]

Boo! Hoo!

[coolerking]

It really is a tough life, chalk it up to experience and try the phone box next time.

[elektrified]

Give me a break!

Next time buy a Zay Hi card for 300 Baht and call from home.

[mcgriffith]

You can also try a CAT card.

Go to Tops across the street, basement in Central. Customer service counter.

Buy a 300 B card.

I pay 1 B (3 US cents a minute) to call US on my mobile...no airtime minutes used.

Crystal clear, no fuzz/static or drop-offs.

I gave up Skype and all the other VoIP's from here after discovering this.

If you no have mobile, no prob....borrow a friend's. As mentioned above, the access number doesn't count towards airtime minutes used.

Hope this helps.

[Maejo Man]

If you are looking for sympathy you will find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis

[piercefilmlid]

If you are looking for sympathy you will find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis

Perhaps the OP was looking for a slightly more useful response. IMHO.

Have used Buddy in the past and found them ok. Sad if they have changed - they were also helpful to someone I know and were recommended to me.

Regards

Edited February 16, 2010 by piercefilmlid

[earlofwindermere]

Buddy internet is one of the best in town. I know the owner personally and he is a very good quality guy. I actually talked to him about his VOIP phone in his shop. If the call is connected, he has to pay for it.

My VOIP phone has been having poor quality lately as well. Do what others suggest and get a phone card.

[Asmerom]

If you are looking for sympathy you will find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis

Why so bitterly contemptuous? Its a bit sad that the word sympathy (which you are clearly in need of) should be so closely associated in your mind with such opprobrious words. Most unpleasant. Its not much of a cause for complaint to lose 20 baht but there's no call for such offensive abuse.You should stay in bed a bit longer.Get more sleep. You'd feel less cantankerous.

I have never understood why Buddy's is always so highly recommended but it is, apparently. I've always found them offhand, unfriendly and reluctant to help. The screen sizes are not much to write home about either. Its well located and convenient. I think that's the main reason for its popularity. Not the staff,for sure.

[Earl]

I was just in Buddy's twice this week and found the staff quite helpful and friendly. The owner himself is a great guy--always willing to assist. The staff IMHO there is top notch. And these people deal with some of the most difficult customers, yet are still quite friendly. That is the reason that Buddy is so highly recommended.

[Asmerom]

"the most difficult customers"

I'm just tying to imagine what a "difficult customer" is in an internet cafe which enables the "top notch staff" to excercise their limitless supply of patience, restraint and compassion. Drunk and disorderly, unwashed, can't spell "gonorrhea", deaf, american...........or what?

[earlofwindermere]

Chat is the owner of Buddy Internet. He told me that a lot of customers come in, use the phone and then argue with him about having to pay. He's heard every conceiveable argument from a bad connection to "I only talked for 40 seconds, why should I pay for 1 min?" After hearing this repeatedly every day, I would likely do the same as him and charge customers by the minute for every connected call.

In my opinion, the computers in his shop are usually well maintained and the internet connection is usually good. In addition to his shop, Chat is very involved in the community and has an excellent reputation... volunteers on Boards of Foundations, raises funds for charities and even collects used clothing for poor families in Chiang Mai. Like any place, some staff are not as friendly as others. But, Buddy Internet has had a fairly consistent high level of service for the past 6 years that I've been going there.

[PeaceBlondie]

Actually I could say the worst customers were Shittish, but I try to say nice things.

[PeaceBlondie]

I have always found the staff at Buddy to be great.

[elektrified]

Buddy's gets a thumbs up from me as well. I think those guys who work there are quite patient considering what they have to put up with. I have heard foreigners nitpick and complain about almost everything in there from not wanting to pay for faxes or voice calls to the Internet speed being too slow. They only work there...they are not the Internet company nor are they working for the telephone company.

As for the OP's complaint that they don't open the door and greet customers...who gives a dam_n!

[Maejo Man]

If you are looking for sympathy you will find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis

Why so bitterly contemptuous?

No contempt, just no sympathy for someone that uses an internet cafe for a call to a government department, when the cafe is using a VOIP application. The quality of call is dependent on their connection.

The OP actually did connect, and I cannot see why he is complaining because the call dropped. Buddy is an excellent concern, and have every right to charge for an actual connection, even though it dropped out.

[NancyL]

I know that Buddy's is highly regarded, but I've found the attitude of the staff varies considerably with the worst being the people who work the "midnight" shift, which is the time when North Americans are most likely to try to make calls/send faxes back to their home country. The daytime people at Buddy's are pretty good, but that doesn't help when you need to make calls during business hours in North America.

[clinique]

have to agree , when making overseas calls get aphone card and call from home, some even work with mobiles.

would also have to pay that i think its pretty general knowledge that you have to pay for connected calls,,, its not the owners problem if you cant hear or get to who you want,,

[Bill97]

When I require top quality service I always go to The Chedi, The Oriental Devi or The Four Seasons and use their business centers. Shangri-La may be okay but I have never found it. When I want very acceptable service at a very reasonable price, I have been going to Buddy for years. It is however so true that one of the great frustrations of Chiang Mai life is the difficulties with phone and fax, something simply must be done to fix it or people will be leaving in droves, tourism will go to hel_l and the March pollution will become a non-issue.

Does anyone remember when the only place you could call long distance or send a fax was the GPO and anyone who had a telephone of any sort was living in luxury? A lot of change in 20 years, particularly in the attitudes of people who for some reason think they should receive five star services for Dollar Store prices.

[clinique]

yes Bill97 i think the same way..

another thing is with Mobile phones available at 950 baht for handsets and the service providers, AIS, True etc providing promotions,, It is relatively cheap here to make calls from such a mobile...

my service with AIS charges me between 3 to 10 baht a minute for overseas (depending on country i am calling) - very reasonable after the exorbitant costs ive seen in UK, US and Australia...

obviously more expensive than a calling card,,, but still cheap..

[chuang]

Chat is the owner of Buddy Internet. He told me that a lot of customers come in, use the phone and then argue with him about having to pay. He's heard every conceiveable argument from a bad connection to "I only talked for 40 seconds, why should I pay for 1 min?" After hearing this repeatedly every day, I would likely do the same as him and charge customers by the minute for every connected call.

You have had made a connection so you have to pay...simple as that....if 20 baht doesn't mean a lot to you, you should not grouse over it...donn't visit the internet cafe the next time....

[wynzlo]

another thing is with Mobile phones available at 950 baht for handsets and the service providers, AIS, True etc providing promotions,, It is relatively cheap here to make calls from such a mobile...

my service with AIS charges me between 3 to 10 baht a minute for overseas (depending on country i am calling) - very reasonable after the exorbitant costs ive seen in UK, US and Australia...

obviously more expensive than a calling card,,, but still cheap..

Agreed, mobiles make a lot of sense even for international calls. I pay 1b/min to the US & Canada with a True InterSIM card. And I don't have to be the annoying loud guy in the internet cafe.

[el jefe]

Once the call is connected, Buddy has to pay for it. No reason not to pass the charge on to the customer, even if the call was dropped. It's not Buddy's fault. The complaint should be to the ISP. See how that goes.

I've used Buddy regularly over the past 5 years -- everything from internet usage to printing/faxing to motorcycle renting. Everyone there is always friendly, helpful, and efficient, and I've been there at every hour of the day from 8:00am tilpast midnight. They're so friendly they've even offered "resident" discounts to regular customers without even asking.

As for Asmoron's question as to what a "difficult customer" is, I'd say it's dealing with people who don't want to pay 20 baht for 4 calls that went through.

[Earl]

Difficult customers? The patience of our Thai hosts is legendary. I've seen customers pound on counters (once there was a sign in Topps--in English only--requesting customers not to pound on the counter). I've seen customers throw money at the cashier. I've smelled countless customers who don't bathe. Everyone is not like the kind friendly warm Thai Visa people.

[searcher22]

Thanks to all those who provided constructive feedback. Just a few final thoughts....

* Ironically, I decided to got to Buddy"s to make an important call because I didn't want to use my cellphone and risk a dropped call. Only when I was in their phone box did I discover that they had switched to an Internet IP phone.

* Buddy shouldn't be offering an IP phone service in a country where Internet connections are still problematic. They are just asking for problems.

* I am appalled by those who say that if their phone doesn't work, it's not their problem. I paid for a "service", I didn't pay to "get a connection." My Thai girlfriend said that she would have walked out without paying. The clerk at Buddy's should at least have shown some empathy towards me and offer me an hour of free Internet as compensation, as a goodwill gesture, and all would have been forgotten.

* I think NancyL is right when she states that the night staff at Buddy's is less customer-oriented. I'm sure there are a few at Buddy's who are doing a great job.

*Anyways, I called using my cellphone yesterday, using the AIS 009 service. The call was not dropped, the connection was crystal clear, I made two calls to government offices and both calls were answered in under 2 minutes, and everything was sorted out in a few minutes. Maybe I was just lucky!

[hmficc]

If you are looking for sympathy you will find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis

Why so bitterly contemptuous? Its a bit sad that the word sympathy (which you are clearly in need of) should be so closely associated in your mind with such opprobrious words. Most unpleasant. Its not much of a cause for complaint to lose 20 baht but there's no call for such offensive abuse.You should stay in bed a bit longer.Get more sleep. You'd feel less cantankerous.

I have never understood why Buddy's is always so highly recommended but it is, apparently. I've always found them offhand, unfriendly and reluctant to help. The screen sizes are not much to write home about either. Its well located and convenient. I think that's the main reason for its popularity. Not the staff,for sure.

A bit pompus are we?