Rip off at store

[raro]

I was at the electronic shop today to get me a new button battery (those small ones for car keys etc).

The girl at the counter where they sell the batteries asked for 100 Baht to be paid at HER counter. I give her the money asking why not pay at the cashier and she was like...naa..the batteries you must pay here.

I ask for a receipt. No receipts for batteries.

I ask loud in Thai how they pay taxes if they do not issue receipts...take the 100 Baht note back and walk to the cashier, the battery girl following trying to prevent me from paying at the cashier.

The cashier again doesn't want to bill the battery in the first place but does it eventually and...drumroll...they are 25 Baht only!!

I ask for the manager. Manager mai yu. I ask loud for the manager...some guy comes forward and says he is the Manager. I explain him the situation and battery girl starts stuttering something with pud len....only joking, didn't mean it like that.

I clarify that indeed she wanted 100 Baht and put up the theory that once I'm out she would have billed the battery at 25 Baht and makes 50/50 with the cashier.

Battery girl blushes, the Manager said something like he would manage this.

I know, I will get now the comments hey, that's just 75 Baht...but this is 4x the price it would be! Plus the evident scam.

Check the prices down there carefully, she might not have been fired.

[gmac]

Even at 25 Baht I think they were still robbing you. If they are the ones that come in strips of 10, you can buy them for 60/80 Bah a strip t at the Lukdod shop or 100/120 in the Made in Thailand market.

[raro]

intersting....didn't know that Lukdod has them. No idea how much they would be, never bought that in my life. Hence, not suspicious at the 100 Baht quote although it seemed to be a tad over the top, hence my request for a receipt.

The lesson learned is ALWAYS ask for a receipt.

BTW...just received a PM from a board member who witnessed there a scam involving much higher figures...

[jim60]

intersting....didn't know that Lukdod has them. No idea how much they would be, never bought that in my life. Hence, not suspicious at the 100 Baht quote although it seemed to be a tad over the top, hence my request for a receipt.

The lesson learned is ALWAYS ask for a receipt.

BTW...just received a PM from a board member who witnessed there a scam involving much higher figures...

The B250 polo shirt the crocodile falls off scam by any chance?

Returning to the op's concerns, you can buy an A4 card with 25 assorted batteries in the UK for a quid.

She saw you coming! You don't like the price just say no. You don't know the price, do some research.

Thailands a game - unless you're a total loser you earn more in a couple of weeks (1?) than she does in a year, which privilige brings with it the burden of being cleverer than she is, or if you can't manage that just swallow your pride and suck it up

Can't be assed to finish this

Edited May 8, 2010 by jim60

[William Osborne]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Edited May 8, 2010 by William Osborne

[loong]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Why would you assume that the is a single Mother of 2?

If she gets fired, is it the fault of the person that she was trying to steal from? Maybe she will get fired because she is a thief and got caught.

So is it ok to steal as long as it is only 75 Baht? Is it ok to steal the equivalent of half a day's wages?

[William Osborne]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Why would you assume that the is a single Mother of 2?

If she gets fired, is it the fault of the person that she was trying to steal from? Maybe she will get fired because she is a thief and got caught.

So is it ok to steal as long as it is only 75 Baht? Is it ok to steal the equivalent of half a day's wages?

I would just have walked away and not started shouting in LOUD thai for the manager.... At the end of the day, we are talking about $2, whats the point ??

[jim60]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Why would you assume that the is a single Mother of 2?

If she gets fired, is it the fault of the person that she was trying to steal from? Maybe she will get fired because she is a thief and got caught.

So is it ok to steal as long as it is only 75 Baht? Is it ok to steal the equivalent of half a day's wages?

You earn B150 per day? How do you manage?

[loong]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Why would you assume that the is a single Mother of 2?

If she gets fired, is it the fault of the person that she was trying to steal from? Maybe she will get fired because she is a thief and got caught.

So is it ok to steal as long as it is only 75 Baht? Is it ok to steal the equivalent of half a day's wages?

I would just have walked away and not started shouting in LOUD thai for the manager.... At the end of the day, we are talking about $2, whats the point ??

The point is, that if this person is stealing from the customers and her employer, then she is a thief.

You seem to think that it is ok to steal as long as it is only $2 and you think it is ok to allow her to continue. Maybe she does this 10 times per day - is that still ok?

When a thief/scammer is allowed to get away with it for so long, I've no doubt that they will get greedier and consider other ways to fleece the customers. If an unsuspecting customer walks out of the shop carrying an item that effectively has not been paid for there is an opening for a nice little shoplifting scam.

Would you go to Big C and walk out with a 100 Baht item without paying? Would you think that is alright because 100 Baht is nothing to a huge company like Big C? I don't think that you'd find that much good as a defence.

[stevef]

a thief is a thief is a thief today a battery tommorow your laptop your wallet or your condo good on you .

[JimShortz]

I'm astonished how many people think that a shop worker trying to steal from customers is fine and it's best to say nothing... If it was your business would you want to employ thieves? The amount is hardly trivial given the low cost of the item. Is it thieves supporting thieves here or what?

Good on you OP, I probably wouldn't have made such a fuss out of my own embarrassment, but I'm glad you did.

[jackdawson]

I ask loud

I ask loud for the manager

can u let me know when ur gonna go out ? i don't want to be anywhere near u .

ps u shoulda' just walked away . pissing off thais and making them lose face is how loud farang get hurt or worse here (for a whole 75 baht no less)

but that's ok 'cause u can be loud

Edited May 9, 2010 by jackdawson

[neilf]

you cant name and shame on here------------you should know by now i do

[neilf]

I'm astonished how many people think that a shop worker trying to steal from customers is fine and it's best to say nothing... If it was your business would you want to employ thieves? The amount is hardly trivial given the low cost of the item. Is it thieves supporting thieves here or what?

Good on you OP, I probably wouldn't have made such a fuss out of my own embarrassment, but I'm glad you did.

if they didnt employ thieves there would be no staff anywhere

[streetlife]

It is only the idiots that put up with being scammed, spineless gutless Wiesel's that just grin like a moronic Cheshire Cat and walk away, they are a disgrace and an embarrassment and should hang their head in shame whilst in public.

[rfukata]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Why would you assume that the is a single Mother of 2?

If she gets fired, is it the fault of the person that she was trying to steal from? Maybe she will get fired because she is a thief and got caught.

So is it ok to steal as long as it is only 75 Baht? Is it ok to steal the equivalent of half a day's wages?

this is about the principle of integrity. I would have choked this women, irregardless if she had 2 children and a salary of 5000 baht.

what good is this for her? is she going to teach her kids to rip and steal?

[Gary A]

A thief is a thief whether it is ten baht or a thousand baht. DON'T put up with it. Too many ignorant farangs ignore this problem making it very easy for clerks to steal.

[Ulysses G.]

Just let her keep stealing from people? No way!

[raro]

I'm astonished how many people think that a shop worker trying to steal from customers is fine and it's best to say nothing... If it was your business would you want to employ thieves? The amount is hardly trivial given the low cost of the item. Is it thieves supporting thieves here or what?

Good on you OP, I probably wouldn't have made such a fuss out of my own embarrassment, but I'm glad you did.

if they didnt employ thieves there would be no staff anywhere

if I assume correctly that "they" are the Thais in general, are you saying that all Thai staff are thieves? Just want to clarify this.

[raro]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Why would you assume that the is a single Mother of 2?

If she gets fired, is it the fault of the person that she was trying to steal from? Maybe she will get fired because she is a thief and got caught.

So is it ok to steal as long as it is only 75 Baht? Is it ok to steal the equivalent of half a day's wages?

This and the other post about integrity in general is my point. It is apparently an ongoing scam between battery girl and the cashier, judging by how they reacted when I found out about getting fleeced.

And no, I do not put up a smile and walk away if someone is trying to rip me off. I do not see the point doing this.

I would just have walked away and not started shouting in LOUD thai for the manager.... At the end of the day, we are talking about $2, whats the point ??

The point is, that if this person is stealing from the customers and her employer, then she is a thief.

You seem to think that it is ok to steal as long as it is only $2 and you think it is ok to allow her to continue. Maybe she does this 10 times per day - is that still ok?

When a thief/scammer is allowed to get away with it for so long, I've no doubt that they will get greedier and consider other ways to fleece the customers. If an unsuspecting customer walks out of the shop carrying an item that effectively has not been paid for there is an opening for a nice little shoplifting scam.

Would you go to Big C and walk out with a 100 Baht item without paying? Would you think that is alright because 100 Baht is nothing to a huge company like Big C? I don't think that you'd find that much good as a defence.

[kurnell]

I would imagine most honest Thais would be happy that a thief got caught. Never mind all this nonsense about this girl having to resort to prostitution to feed her family. I know many honest Thais that work hard, get promotion through a company and make a good living. It's the lady, deadbeat thieves that give Thais a bad name. Hopefully this one won't try it on again. Lesson learnt and all that.

[Ulysses G.]

Never mind all this nonsense about this girl having to resort to prostitution to feed her family.

There is nothing wrong with earning an honest living.

[Bedrockguesthouse]

i think you were pretty smart. u cud hav handed over the money no receipt and when u walk out the door someone then says you stole the batteries.

[raro]

i think you were pretty smart. u cud hav handed over the money no receipt and when u walk out the door someone then says you stole the batteries.

Didn't think of that possibility...even though I wouldn't go so far assuming this as a further part of the scam, it cannot be completely ruled out either.

As a habit I actually ask always for a receipt if the expense can be construed as a business expense, whatever petty the amount is. Saves taxes at the end of the year...

[glegolo]

name='loong' post='3579368' date='2010-05-09 04:16:08']

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or somthing ??

Why would you assume that the is a single Mother of 2?

If she gets fired, is it the fault of the person that she was trying to steal from? Maybe she will get fired because she is a thief and got caught.

So is it ok to steal as long as it is only 75 Baht? Is it ok to steal the equivalent of half a day's wages?

I would just have walked away and not started shouting in LOUD thai for the manager.... At the end of the day, we are talking about $2, whats the point ??

Jim60+William Osborne... This is amongst the worsed I have ever heard from so called civilized people. Never in my life I will stand and just look at a scam going on, and especially not when it hits just me. It is just coward people that just stand still doing nothing, hiding behind some kind of argument that it is just sooo little money we are talking about.

Have it ever in your life occured to you, that if let go of small things, bigger one will soon enough hit us as well. No I think that Raro did a great thing, a big bravo to you....

Glegolo

Edited May 9, 2010 by glegolo

[neilf]

intersting....didn't know that Lukdod has them. No idea how much they would be, never bought that in my life. Hence, not suspicious at the 100 Baht quote although it seemed to be a tad over the top, hence my request for a receipt.

The lesson learned is ALWAYS ask for a receipt.

BTW...just received a PM from a board member who witnessed there a scam involving much higher figures...

The B250 polo shirt the crocodile falls off scam by any chance?

Returning to the op's concerns, you can buy an A4 card with 25 assorted batteries in the UK for a quid.

She saw you coming! You don't like the price just say no. You don't know the price, do some research.

Thailands a game - unless you're a total loser you earn more in a couple of weeks (1?) than she does in a year, which privilige brings with it the burden of being cleverer than she is, or if you can't manage that just swallow your pride and suck it up

Can't be assed to finish this

please tell me how i earn 30000 baht a week please tell me please oh please--------do you a deal

[endlessimage]

well done ... you've probably managed to get a single mother of 2 on 4-5000 baht a month fired.....oh and you can speak thai !! clap clap ..

i wish i only had to deal with the problems of a lot of board members have here... i mean, what are we talking about 75 baht or something ??

Does the word 'PRINCIPLE' mean anything to you? And, because the OP can speak Thai that is worthy of comment? Or are you jealous?

As another poster stated - a thief is a thief is a thief. Nothing to do with how many kids, how much she earns or what sob story they have.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

We are talking about Pattaya here.... a fair number of the foreigners residing there are less than honest...why else to the defence of a brazen thief?

[onnut]

I had this happen to me, where in this case I WAS the manager. I listened to the customer checked it out mself and then fired the thieving bitch. Yeah she had two kids as well. Serves her right.

First of all she stole from a customer who will now not go back to the shop. So the shop looses. It's bullshite if people let her get away with it coz it's only two dollars! Mad. They steal they get fired.

[basjke]

I ask loud

I ask loud for the manager

can u let me know when ur gonna go out ? i don't want to be anywhere near u .

ps u shoulda' just walked away . pissing off thais and making them lose face is how loud farang get hurt or worse here (for a whole 75 baht no less)

but that's ok 'cause u can be loud

So you suggest that the OP not only should put up with the thieving but as well should act as a coward because he hurt the feelings of those little Thais who in fact are big thieves.

And yes they are BIG thieves cause in this case it was only a small amount but they are known to do the same when it concerns thousands of Baht.I have reported this shop's practices previously on this forum but got the same responses as the OP now.

So I should say good on the OP for bringing just another fact of thieving to light and for all those appologists please go on.One day you will realise that getting ripped off isn't the practice you should support.

Edited May 9, 2010 by basjke