Very Strange Story!

[olsen]

My friends are visiting me in my home and they surfed the internet and stumbled over a website with nice looking villas in Khao Lak.

Name is (Hope I am allowed to name them?? Else moderator, plesae delete this name!) Saiyoi Hills Residence in Khao Lak.

Very nice villas on their website, so my friends wanted to know the price, but their English is too bad so I sent an email to Saiyoi to ask for the price.

My email read like this:

"Good Day, I want to know the price for your Villa Malee.

I need it today before 12.30 pm as I have a meeting with friends who want to buy this villa if the price is right, thanks!!

I also need to know the depth of the pool, thanks."

Then I got a reply shortly after that read like this:

"Hi, please don't take it personal, your email sounds a bit like phishing and other scam emails that we receive frequently.

You can call us to get further information - or please send your full name, place of residence, phone contact no. etc. so that we can verify your identity.

I addition, please kindly let us know why your friends can't contact us directly and what your position will be in the whole deal.

Best regards,

Front Office Management"

<deleted>??? All this hassle just to know the price of a villa???

They don't have the prices on their websites and they ask visitors to contact them regarding price.

Now I also Google the name of .........and there are not one single match! Isn't that strange??

Does anyone else know about this company?

Why won't they tell us what the prices on their villas are?

Why does the Front Office Manager not figure in Google?

I find this a strange story!

Edited August 16, 2010 by Rimmer
Individual names removed

[LennyW]

I am sorry to say Olsen but .......

"Good Day, I want to know the price for your Villa Malee.

I need it today before 12.30 pm as I have a meeting with friends who want to buy this villa if the price is right, thanks!!"

This is very similar to wording on many phishing e mails, only thing different is that they ( the scam e mail senders) usually ask "what is your last price" !!

I am sure if you reply to them with answers to the questions they have asked and a brief explination that your friends English is not too good, they will understand you are a real person and respond accordingly.

[stgrhe]

No offense, but I agree with the company, an e-mail worded like that of yours doesn't sound serious and probably many companies wouldn't bothered relying, something this one did.

Edited August 16, 2010 by stgrhe

[balo]

Maybe you should try to phone them ? If they answer they are probably a serious company...

[richardt1808]

Hi,

I agree that your original mail sounds a bit phishy

And... why does a Thai persons name, which has been romanised, have to come up in a Google search for it to be legitimate ? They probably wouldn't sign up to any mail service or networking site using their full name, would they ?

[PattayaParent]

I don't appear on a Google search.

I regard that to be a good thing and shows that I'm NOT a dodgy person.

[Offroadlanna]

On another site it is mentioned that prices for the villas in this place start at 3.5 million Baht.

[olsen]

Maybe you should try to phone them ? If they answer they are probably a serious company...

Already emailed them 5 times and also sent them an SMS message...but no reply at all.....

[olsen]

How can I benefit from knowing the price on this villa??

It was a simple question, but yeah, maybe the wording was not too good....but a simple question that just required a simple answer!

Why use time on requiring name, phone number, address and such things rather than just email me like:

"Dear Sir, thanks for your interest in our Villa Malee. For you info I can tell you the price is 3.5 million THB

We look forward to hear from you again soon"

If I got this reply I would''ve forwarded this price to my friends and they'd probably buy the villa.

[olsen]

On another site it is mentioned that prices for the villas in this place start at 3.5 million Baht.

Do you have a link to this site? I've tried to find it....since the sellers do not want to tell me....holy cow....I thought they would be delighted, instead of sending me strange emails and talk about phising and scam!

But well....maybe they're not desperate for a sale like most other real estate developers who would've forwarded me a price list within a few minutes!

[Rimmer]

Can you not call them on the phone fax number at the bottom of the site?

[contemplating]

I would think it is a scam, but I seem to be the only one here with that opinion. What the scam is, I have no idea, but if they want you to waste your time, then something is phony, Maybe word your e-mail differently and try again if you really need to know the price, if not important, just forget it and save yourself trouble.

[H2oDunc]

You are lucky to get a reply with the email you sent to them. I wouldn't have replied in the same circumstance. As said try calling them

Before 12-30 of course

[steelepulse]

Isn't or wasn't OP in the RE game or used to pitch his product/service pretty hard here on TV? I seem to recall a user with the same name that was pitching a particular area.

Edited August 17, 2010 by steelepulse

[richard_smith237]

This company are naturally being a little defensive, with all the scams and time wasters I don't blame them.

What is your relationship to your friends and why can't they e-mail this company themselves?

The initial opening e-mail appears rather unprofessional and somewhat opportunistic.

Given the same set of circumstances I'd defy any company not to assume that this is simply pishing and to their merit they honored you with an explanation.

Time to reel your neck in see things from both sides.

[maccaroni man]

i dont know maybe i am missing something here, the op wants a price, he emails the known contact adress and gets a reply but no price, just a request for validation of his identity and an inference that his email is a scam. If you own a company and your staff responds to inquiries in this manner, would you be happy? imho gettting things like price in writting is always better than verbally. If the company is going to take the time to reply why not say, prices start at x amount plus plus? is that more difficult than what they did?

[olsen]

i dont know maybe i am missing something here, the op wants a price, he emails the known contact adress and gets a reply but no price, just a request for validation of his identity and an inference that his email is a scam. If you own a company and your staff responds to inquiries in this manner, would you be happy? imho gettting things like price in writting is always better than verbally. If the company is going to take the time to reply why not say, prices start at x amount plus plus? is that more difficult than what they did?

Thanks, at least a few of you understand that I'm baffled about this company's response to my inquiry!

I too receive a lot of spam and scam emails every day, but if I advetise my car for sale, and someone say:"please tell me the price and if it's reasonable I will buy your car"...how can I afford to reject this email as a scam?? I tell him the price and wait for further response....that is anyway much easier than sending a long email explaining that I receive a lot of scam emails and please tell me your name, please tell me your phone number, please, please....BS! And then I actually email my phone number and my name and my job and tell them WHY my friends cannot email themselves even it is NOT their business why I act on the behalf of my friends! But still not price! This is just ridicilous! Holy cow.....I guess they don't have many sales there when they act like this!

[Pib]

I cruised around their web site http://www.landportal.com/saiyoi/index.html (I googled "Saiyoi Hills Residence in Khao Lak") for a few minutes and couldn't find a phone/fax number...maybe it's there....I just couldn't fine it....I could only find an email address with the statement to contact them for prices. The OP's email request did sound like a phishing type email.

Maybe just email them and ask for a phone number to contact. If they don't respond to that then they are probably very selective in who and how they want to communicate for valid or invalid reasons. Personally, when they don't even give a phone number on their web site I wouldn't mess with them.

[trogers]

My friends are visiting me in my home and they surfed the internet and stumbled over a website with nice looking villas in Khao Lak.

Name is (Hope I am allowed to name them?? Else moderator' date=' plesae delete this name!) Saiyoi Hills Residence in Khao Lak.

Very nice villas on their website, so my friends wanted to know the price, but their English is too bad so I sent an email to Saiyoi to ask for the price.

[/quote']

Seems there are still risk taking farangs around looking to buy expensive brochures...

[olsen]

Phew....my friends already decided NOT to puchase this Villa Malee....

Something fishy here!

Both I and my friends have now surfed all over the Internet to find info about this company.

Wow....only at a German language website we found the price 8.5 million THB for a 105 sq.m. villa with pool. That is somewhat expensive....espcially when you cannot find the project owner info!!

I've tried emailing 4 different email addresses and 2 of them bounced back......I tried to SMS to the mobil phone number I was emailed by the Front Desk Manager Monica Svandergast ..... I wonder if this is her real name....she is not known on Google.....

Then I have been told that the project owner is someone named Franky Gunn....but also I am told this is not his real name....

I find this company very suspisious.... why do they try to hide themselves behind tons of different email addresses and no phone numers exposed on the website??

But OK, I and my friends forget about this villa anyway.... not worh the hasssle....there are plenty of developers who will welcome my friends and their money!

[thedivezone]

I am sorry to say Olsen but .......

"Good Day, I want to know the price for your Villa Malee.

I need it today before 12.30 pm as I have a meeting with friends who want to buy this villa if the price is right, thanks!!"

This is very similar to wording on many phishing e mails, only thing different is that they ( the scam e mail senders) usually ask "what is your last price" !!

I am sure if you reply to them with answers to the questions they have asked and a brief explination that your friends English is not too good, they will understand you are a real person and respond accordingly.

What does sending an e-mail got to do with phishing ? The OP was asking for a price, not personal information, nevermind the wording of his e-mail.

The recipient of the e-mail answered by asking name, contact no and address of the OP, now that's phishing !

If the seller is not interested in disclosing prices or any other information, take your money elsewhere !

[olsen]

I am sorry to say Olsen but .......

"Good Day, I want to know the price for your Villa Malee.

I need it today before 12.30 pm as I have a meeting with friends who want to buy this villa if the price is right, thanks!!"

This is very similar to wording on many phishing e mails, only thing different is that they ( the scam e mail senders) usually ask "what is your last price" !!

I am sure if you reply to them with answers to the questions they have asked and a brief explination that your friends English is not too good, they will understand you are a real person and respond accordingly.

What does sending an e-mail got to do with phishing ? The OP was asking for a price, not personal information, nevermind the wording of his e-mail.

The recipient of the e-mail answered by asking name, contact no and address of the OP, now that's phishing !

If the seller is not interested in disclosing prices or any other information, take your money elsewhere !

Just my words!! I am not the only one wasting my time trying to locate the owner of these properties and trying to find out the prices.....many other websites with a forum where people ask the same questions dating several years back....seems the owner of this project don't care .... maybe they even prefer it that way?? Seems strange to me indeed!

[hhgz]

If not phishy, the OP's email does not seem serious. "Quick, I have a meeting @ 12:30! And, how deep is your pool?"

The second phrase is the killer - any response from them would provide the perfect out for the funster, "Oh, only 8 feet? That would never do."

Edited August 19, 2010 by hhgz

[ESB7]

If not phishy, the OP's email does not seem serious. "Quick, I have a meeting @ 12:30! And, how deep is your pool?"

The second phrase is the killer - any response from them would provide the perfect out for the funster, "Oh, only 8 feet? That would never do."

If you are that interested , why not just call them, quicker, easier and gets the result you want......You are lucky the company took time to reply to you....The past year I sold 2 properties,...to Thais each ocassion!!!......The ridiculous requests from foreigners was amazing.....The adds stated all details of property in depth with pictures of all rooms and garden..........I literally had hundreds of emails from idiots asking 'send pics and details'....no Dear Sir or could you please, and why, it was all there in the ad anyway....if someone is interested enough they will call anyway, is that why you wont?

Edited August 21, 2010 by ESB7

[CDNinKS]

Have visited this project......nice small houses, but in the middle of nowhere on small plots of very steep land. Also if memory serves, the land is 30 year lease only.

[olsen]

If not phishy, the OP's email does not seem serious. "Quick, I have a meeting @ 12:30! And, how deep is your pool?"

The second phrase is the killer - any response from them would provide the perfect out for the funster, "Oh, only 8 feet? That would never do."

If you are that interested , why not just call them, quicker, easier and gets the result you want......You are lucky the company took time to reply to you....The past year I sold 2 properties,...to Thais each ocassion!!!......The ridiculous requests from foreigners was amazing.....The adds stated all details of property in depth with pictures of all rooms and garden..........I literally had hundreds of emails from idiots asking 'send pics and details'....no Dear Sir or could you please, and why, it was all there in the ad anyway....if someone is interested enough they will call anyway, is that why you wont?

I already replied this guy 5 times and told him WHY i cannot CALL him....the fact is I am a hard of hearing and I cannot hear the bloody phone, I only use it sending SMS messages......but still he do NOT tell me the price is 8.5 million THB. Not a single word from this guy who use fake names when selling his properties....

But I agree with you...MANY foreigners email with ridicilous qestions even they're already answered at the website. But here there was NO PRICE...and they even asked people to CONTACT them for price info....also there was no info about the depth of the pool so I added this to my email....who wanna buy a 5 x 7 meter pool if it is only 75 cm deep??

[olsen]

Have visited this project......nice small houses, but in the middle of nowhere on small plots of very steep land. Also if memory serves, the land is 30 year lease only.

OMG.....so you tell me the price is 8.5 million THB for a 30 years lease?? Thanks for the news, I didn't find any info about leasing.....

[Rudi1]

Kris, maybe they not replied your email, because they know you are the manager of Deaf Dragon Enterprise Co. Ltd. who runs and manages Thai Sunshine Developments. It's possible they thought, because you're their competitor in the real estate business, your request was not genuine?

Edited October 24, 2010 by Rudi1