Absolute Holiday Club

[screamingeagle]

Tout on the motorbike " scuse me mate you speak English ? "

ME " Sorry old chap not a fuc^&ng word, Now F^%K OFF!!!!! "

Works every time for me

dress like an expat and they will leave you alone

I haven't been pestered for ages by these *ankers.......

[screamingeagle]

C'mon guys be fair.

I mean, a beautiful young lady dressed immaculately with perfect hair and teeth rides up beside you on the beach road and asks "do you speak English?". Well who wouldn't stop to help this damsel in distress as she is obviously lost or in need of your help. And she smiles so sweetly too. Of course if you are gay then she doesn't stand a chance but anyway ...

Well, I fall for it every time. It must be that invisible 'SUCKER' sign on my forehead.

Sadly it all falls apart when she whips out her scratchcards.

She whips out her........................................................????!!!!!!!

[crusty]

! Well his big smile changed to a sneer with a "F--- off you silly old B----d " while the girl was screaming F--- your mother, F---- your father..." High class act ESB7

Well, to be fair, ESB7 might just be some traveler with a budget and a raft of skank tattoos. Maybe he's finally putting that marketing degree to good use....

I am surprised by the aggressive attitudes of these guys....do they think assault charges in Thailand will not apply to their Absolute Aerie?

Off topic but...."asault charges on Samui". You'll be lucky. The BIB have no interest whatsoever. and would be very pissed off if anyone pursued this with them. You would get, excusing the pun, absolutely nowhere.

Just heard the Phuket have been arresting the Absolute boys, so they've all moved over here ! Why can't our cops do their job ? Big shakeup when I'm Mayor !

[screamingeagle]

! Well his big smile changed to a sneer with a "F--- off you silly old B----d " while the girl was screaming F--- your mother, F---- your father..." High class act ESB7

Well, to be fair, ESB7 might just be some traveler with a budget and a raft of skank tattoos. Maybe he's finally putting that marketing degree to good use....

I am surprised by the aggressive attitudes of these guys....do they think assault charges in Thailand will not apply to their Absolute Aerie?

Off topic but...."asault charges on Samui". You'll be lucky. The BIB have no interest whatsoever. and would be very pissed off if anyone pursued this with them. You would get, excusing the pun, absolutely nowhere.

Just heard the Phuket have been arresting the Absolute boys, so they've all moved over here ! Why can't our cops do their job ? Big shakeup when I'm Mayor !

Hopefully, they'll be fighting each other for the dwindling suckers on the island.....

[crusty]

These people are showing up more and more recently on Samui. One of the interesting things is if you stop and try to look on, and listen in, they will get very testy. Apparently, the gig it to corral the "marks" and not let anyone interfere from outside.

I assume that the people acting as agents for Absolute have valid work permits, yes?

I'd like to ask one if they can produce such a document, and if not, how can anyone believe their claims if they themselves are doing something illegal?

I feel sorry for people who even stop and waste part of their holiday with these bottom feeders. They are not trained to expect this sort of thing -- they are expecting the best and honesty from people here, not bait and switch.

This lot from Phuket have cornered all the ATM's on the Beach Road and ambush the tourist's there, They were very active outside the BKK Bank, South Chaweng today and are easliy recognised as they are all overweight Brits. !

[TrevorBaxter]

Really?? Are the Phuket police really cracking down on these fraudsters?

[ESB7]

! Well his big smile changed to a sneer with a "F--- off you silly old B----d " while the girl was screaming F--- your mother, F---- your father..." High class act ESB7

Well, to be fair, ESB7 might just be some traveler with a budget and a raft of skank tattoos. Maybe he's finally putting that marketing degree to good use....

I am surprised by the aggressive attitudes of these guys....do they think assault charges in Thailand will not apply to their Absolute Aerie?

Off topic but...."asault charges on Samui". You'll be lucky. The BIB have no interest whatsoever. and would be very pissed off if anyone pursued this with them. You would get, excusing the pun, absolutely nowhere.

Just heard the Phuket have been arresting the Absolute boys, so they've all moved over here ! Why can't our cops do their job ? Big shakeup when I'm Mayor !

Arresting???, so the cops in Phuket putt them on a plane to Samui rather than deporting them:lol: :lol:

[stiggy]

Had a visitor from UK come to see us and first night stayed in Chaweng.

Walking from tops to Solo bar we was stopped 4 times in less than 20 mins, then when we went for a subway sat outside and got approached twice.

The attitude when we said no was horrible, personally I would of ignored them but my first time vistors answered yes everytime when asked "do you speak English ?"

Has to be said its getting way to much !

A week later on returning to Samui from Tao they cut short 3 nights to just 1 and stayed elsewhere stating they cant be arsed with Muscle head touts selling holidays, or tailors every two steps.

[Tracer Round]

Has anyone addressed the matter of how you become an Absolute tout? Is there like some Tout University? or seminar on How to Be an Absolute Tout in 5 Easy Lessons?

How do I become a time-share (or whatever PC language you use) flogger and what is my cut for getting a fish on the hook?

[bojo]

The timeshare (touts as they are so named on this thread) boys and girls in town for my experience are relatively polite, especially compared with their European cousins who ply the streets of Tenerife (as an example) often drugged up to the eyeballs. Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job.

Yes, they could be accused of being a nuisance, like other sales tactics used worldwide (telephone sales or cold calling as examples), however they suffer alot of abuse from often rude and in extreme cases, violent tourists walking the streets. It's not a job that I could do and I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years. Personally, I really wouldn't fancy driving up and down the street all day in the relentless sunshine beating down on me and suffering abuse from allsorts, especially when salaries are sometimes barely enough to survive on. Some people do the job because it's the only thing available to them here, as jobs are hard to find and I know that all of them have work permits (and subsequently pay monthly income tax) and the immigration are always out to catch those that might try to slip through the net.

It's not an easy job, the industry is changing for the better, the 3000 dollar/Euro holiday packs that are sold that I think the OP mentioned are a good deal for frequent travellers who like a bit of luxury and deposits can be refunded by the Absolute company.

Personally, timeshare as it's called is not a bit of me, I like freedom to travel, but some people just love the concept.

For the record Thais have been buying into Timeshare for two decades with Thai companies attempting to model themselves on the western style.

I'm not connected in any way to the Absolute company, I'm just an observer, and in my years as an observer, I've seen smiles on faces of punters stopped on the streets far outweigh negative reactions, I think alot of bored tourists quite enjoy the attention and what would a holiday be without something to complain about!

regards Bojo

[longtom]

Wow, now we're supposed to feel sorry for the poor guys that pester hundreds of tourists just to catch one couple that might like time sharing (and doesn't regret the closure soon after). Nice spin.

[crusty]

Wow, now we're supposed to feel sorry for the poor guys that pester hundreds of tourists just to catch one couple that might like time sharing (and doesn't regret the closure soon after). Nice spin.

Yea what crap ! and "Thais have been buying timeshare for decades" , where did he get that from ? Ask any Thai and they ALL prefer to purchase a new home than buy a secondhand one. Wonder how long he's lived here ?

[screamingeagle]

A time share pest used to live next to me. No work permit. He was a bore and unpleasant even when he wasn't bothering tourists. He told me about the heirachy in Absolute.

There are the street pests ( he was one of those) who get a commission on anyone turning up with their winning scratch cards at the brainwashing centre. Greeters would then get them to listen to a sales patter. Another commission for my neighbour. Then the heavy duty "persuaders" would take charge and get the bewilderd and bothered tourist to hand over money. Another commision. Very well organised. Each year they'd have a company get together in Phuket (Guess that won't be happening again!). The boss of Absolute here on Samui bought a big house last year on the profits so they used to make a lot of money! Personaly, I find the whole enterprise morally unsound.

[Gatorade]

The timeshare (touts as they are so named on this thread) boys and girls in town for my experience are relatively polite, especially compared with their European cousins who ply the streets of Tenerife (as an example) often drugged up to the eyeballs. Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job.

Yes, they could be accused of being a nuisance, like other sales tactics used worldwide (telephone sales or cold calling as examples), however they suffer alot of abuse from often rude and in extreme cases, violent tourists walking the streets. It's not a job that I could do and I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years. Personally, I really wouldn't fancy driving up and down the street all day in the relentless sunshine beating down on me and suffering abuse from allsorts, especially when salaries are sometimes barely enough to survive on. Some people do the job because it's the only thing available to them here, as jobs are hard to find and I know that all of them have work permits (and subsequently pay monthly income tax) and the immigration are always out to catch those that might try to slip through the net.

It's not an easy job, the industry is changing for the better, the 3000 dollar/Euro holiday packs that are sold that I think the OP mentioned are a good deal for frequent travellers who like a bit of luxury and deposits can be refunded by the Absolute company.

Personally, timeshare as it's called is not a bit of me, I like freedom to travel, but some people just love the concept.

For the record Thais have been buying into Timeshare for two decades with Thai companies attempting to model themselves on the western style.

I'm not connected in any way to the Absolute company, I'm just an observer, and in my years as an observer, I've seen smiles on faces of punters stopped on the streets far outweigh negative reactions, I think alot of bored tourists quite enjoy the attention and what would a holiday be without something to complain about!

regards Bojo

Bojo, you are very brave person for daring to bring a measure of balance to these posts!! :jap: :jap:

[carmine]

The timeshare (touts as they are so named on this thread) boys and girls in town for my experience are relatively polite, especially compared with their European cousins who ply the streets of Tenerife (as an example) often drugged up to the eyeballs. Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job.

Yes, they could be accused of being a nuisance, like other sales tactics used worldwide (telephone sales or cold calling as examples), however they suffer alot of abuse from often rude and in extreme cases, violent tourists walking the streets. It's not a job that I could do and I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years. Personally, I really wouldn't fancy driving up and down the street all day in the relentless sunshine beating down on me and suffering abuse from allsorts, especially when salaries are sometimes barely enough to survive on. Some people do the job because it's the only thing available to them here, as jobs are hard to find and I know that all of them have work permits (and subsequently pay monthly income tax) and the immigration are always out to catch those that might try to slip through the net.

It's not an easy job, the industry is changing for the better, the 3000 dollar/Euro holiday packs that are sold that I think the OP mentioned are a good deal for frequent travellers who like a bit of luxury and deposits can be refunded by the Absolute company.

Personally, timeshare as it's called is not a bit of me, I like freedom to travel, but some people just love the concept.

For the record Thais have been buying into Timeshare for two decades with Thai companies attempting to model themselves on the western style.

I'm not connected in any way to the Absolute company, I'm just an observer, and in my years as an observer, I've seen smiles on faces of punters stopped on the streets far outweigh negative reactions, I think alot of bored tourists quite enjoy the attention and what would a holiday be without something to complain about!

regards Bojo

Bojo, you are very brave person for daring to bring a measure of balance to these posts!! :jap: :jap:

Don't be such a pussy, Bojo. Say what you really think

[smokie36]

The timeshare (touts as they are so named on this thread) boys and girls in town for my experience are relatively polite, especially compared with their European cousins who ply the streets of Tenerife (as an example) often drugged up to the eyeballs. Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job.

Yes, they could be accused of being a nuisance, like other sales tactics used worldwide (telephone sales or cold calling as examples), however they suffer alot of abuse from often rude and in extreme cases, violent tourists walking the streets. It's not a job that I could do and I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years. Personally, I really wouldn't fancy driving up and down the street all day in the relentless sunshine beating down on me and suffering abuse from allsorts, especially when salaries are sometimes barely enough to survive on. Some people do the job because it's the only thing available to them here, as jobs are hard to find and I know that all of them have work permits (and subsequently pay monthly income tax) and the immigration are always out to catch those that might try to slip through the net.

It's not an easy job, the industry is changing for the better, the 3000 dollar/Euro holiday packs that are sold that I think the OP mentioned are a good deal for frequent travellers who like a bit of luxury and deposits can be refunded by the Absolute company.

Personally, timeshare as it's called is not a bit of me, I like freedom to travel, but some people just love the concept.

For the record Thais have been buying into Timeshare for two decades with Thai companies attempting to model themselves on the western style.

I'm not connected in any way to the Absolute company, I'm just an observer, and in my years as an observer, I've seen smiles on faces of punters stopped on the streets far outweigh negative reactions, I think alot of bored tourists quite enjoy the attention and what would a holiday be without something to complain about!

regards Bojo

Bojo, you are very brave person for daring to bring a measure of balance to these posts!! :jap: :jap:

Don't be such a pussy, Bojo. Say what you really think

Do you own a timeshare on Samui bojo?

[Birdman]

The timeshare (touts as they are so named on this thread) boys and girls in town for my experience are relatively polite, especially compared with their European cousins who ply the streets of Tenerife (as an example) often drugged up to the eyeballs. Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job.

Yes, they could be accused of being a nuisance, like other sales tactics used worldwide (telephone sales or cold calling as examples), however they suffer alot of abuse from often rude and in extreme cases, violent tourists walking the streets. It's not a job that I could do and I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years. Personally, I really wouldn't fancy driving up and down the street all day in the relentless sunshine beating down on me and suffering abuse from allsorts, especially when salaries are sometimes barely enough to survive on. Some people do the job because it's the only thing available to them here, as jobs are hard to find and I know that all of them have work permits (and subsequently pay monthly income tax) and the immigration are always out to catch those that might try to slip through the net.

It's not an easy job, the industry is changing for the better, the 3000 dollar/Euro holiday packs that are sold that I think the OP mentioned are a good deal for frequent travellers who like a bit of luxury and deposits can be refunded by the Absolute company.

Personally, timeshare as it's called is not a bit of me, I like freedom to travel, but some people just love the concept.

For the record Thais have been buying into Timeshare for two decades with Thai companies attempting to model themselves on the western style.

I'm not connected in any way to the Absolute company, I'm just an observer, and in my years as an observer, I've seen smiles on faces of punters stopped on the streets far outweigh negative reactions, I think alot of bored tourists quite enjoy the attention and what would a holiday be without something to complain about!

regards Bojo

best post in awhile

[Gatorade]

The timeshare (touts as they are so named on this thread) boys and girls in town for my experience are relatively polite, especially compared with their European cousins who ply the streets of Tenerife (as an example) often drugged up to the eyeballs. Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job.

Yes, they could be accused of being a nuisance, like other sales tactics used worldwide (telephone sales or cold calling as examples), however they suffer alot of abuse from often rude and in extreme cases, violent tourists walking the streets. It's not a job that I could do and I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years. Personally, I really wouldn't fancy driving up and down the street all day in the relentless sunshine beating down on me and suffering abuse from allsorts, especially when salaries are sometimes barely enough to survive on. Some people do the job because it's the only thing available to them here, as jobs are hard to find and I know that all of them have work permits (and subsequently pay monthly income tax) and the immigration are always out to catch those that might try to slip through the net.

It's not an easy job, the industry is changing for the better, the 3000 dollar/Euro holiday packs that are sold that I think the OP mentioned are a good deal for frequent travellers who like a bit of luxury and deposits can be refunded by the Absolute company.

Personally, timeshare as it's called is not a bit of me, I like freedom to travel, but some people just love the concept.

For the record Thais have been buying into Timeshare for two decades with Thai companies attempting to model themselves on the western style.

I'm not connected in any way to the Absolute company, I'm just an observer, and in my years as an observer, I've seen smiles on faces of punters stopped on the streets far outweigh negative reactions, I think alot of bored tourists quite enjoy the attention and what would a holiday be without something to complain about!

regards Bojo

best post in awhile

Yep, nice to see a non-vitriolic post for a change!

[Tracer Round]

Bojo:

Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job....

I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years.

So most live here and "hardcore" touts stay for up to 10 years, but hundreds come and go over the years?

So how does this work? They live here but come and go?

What is it that you do to come into contact with hundreds of these touts? Or are you saying that you have seen thousands and only a few hundred come and go?

If they have work permits, under what classification are they under?

Still wondering how you become an Absolute tout....

Edited September 2, 2010 by Tracer Round

[smokie36]

Just a quick update as I saw these guys operating in Chaweng yesterday scratchcards at hand 5000 Baht anyone?? Unfortunately they chose not to bother me.....

Also passed the Marriott stand and was flashed a smile by one of their unobtrusive employees.

Its tough to work out which is the reputable company. I mean really difficult......!

[Tropicalevo]

The timeshare (touts as they are so named on this thread) boys and girls in town for my experience are relatively polite, especially compared with their European cousins who ply the streets of Tenerife (as an example) often drugged up to the eyeballs. Most of them live quiet lives and enjoy the calming lifestyle of Koh Samui and many of the hardcore have been here for up to 10 years doing the same job.

Yes, they could be accused of being a nuisance, like other sales tactics used worldwide (telephone sales or cold calling as examples), however they suffer alot of abuse from often rude and in extreme cases, violent tourists walking the streets. It's not a job that I could do and I have seen hundreds of them come and go over the years. Personally, I really wouldn't fancy driving up and down the street all day in the relentless sunshine beating down on me and suffering abuse from allsorts, especially when salaries are sometimes barely enough to survive on. Some people do the job because it's the only thing available to them here, as jobs are hard to find and I know that all of them have work permits (and subsequently pay monthly income tax) and the immigration are always out to catch those that might try to slip through the net.

It's not an easy job, the industry is changing for the better, the 3000 dollar/Euro holiday packs that are sold that I think the OP mentioned are a good deal for frequent travellers who like a bit of luxury and deposits can be refunded by the Absolute company.

Personally, timeshare as it's called is not a bit of me, I like freedom to travel, but some people just love the concept.

For the record Thais have been buying into Timeshare for two decades with Thai companies attempting to model themselves on the western style.

I'm not connected in any way to the Absolute company, I'm just an observer, and in my years as an observer, I've seen smiles on faces of punters stopped on the streets far outweigh negative reactions, I think alot of bored tourists quite enjoy the attention and what would a holiday be without something to complain about!

regards Bojo

A pretty fair post and fairly accurate. As always, there are good people and bad people in every organisation.

I have had a few of these guys as neighbours. One really nice, one a right pain in the bottom and a couple more who were OK but did not last long.

As explained to me - there are mainly 2 levels of salesman here. The long-term on a salary + commission, and the '100's that come and go' who are commission based only.

At the higher end of the range - usually polite, I have chatted to a few of them when they want to make me an offer, and we leave on friendly terms.

Unfortunately at the lower end - not so polite. When they ask me "Could you stop for a moment - I want to talk to you (clutching their scratch cards proudly)"

My reply is often "Sorry - not interested thanks".

Quite a few have followed up with "How do you <deleted> know - I haven't <deleted> told you yet." I am pleased to say that in my experience, this is not so common these days.