Cheating Pharmacy

[Lannatyne]

Just had an annoying, sad and pathetic attempt at stealing a few extra baht out of me.

We called at a pharmacy in Rawai . Just needed a simple bottle of medicine, so my wife stayed in the car and I went in, bought it, and was charged 80 baht.

Couple of hours later, we decided we needed another spare bottle, so wife went this time, and bought another for .... 55 baht. Jeez, I was livid when she got back and told me. So, not for a measly 25 baht, but for the principle, I jumped on the motorbike and went back to the shop myself.

I went in the shop, and simply said, "Sorry, but you seem to have charged me the wrong price for the medicine I bought earlier".

She simply said, "Oh, do you want your money back?". I replied, "Yes please." And she promptly gave me back 25 baht.

Now, note that I never mentioned 25 baht - she immediately knew that was the sum she had overcharged me.

Well, there's plenty of other pharmacies in Rawai, so for 25 baht, she's lost any future business from me....and, I hope, form other TV readers in the area.

(25 baht in my child's piggy bank - better there, than in her thieving hands)

Edited September 24, 2010 by Mario2008
Naming and shaming not allowed, name removed

[LivinLOS]

Hardly news.. happens all the time..

Theres even a place we go in lots, should recognize us, go in without the missus, 2 packets of borocca (200 baht a pack every time in this shop) and she rings it up and asks for 450, erm how much ?? 225.. try to look at the screen she rang it up on and she quickly angles it away and types 450 on a calculator as tho that makes it official..

Who can be bothered to argue.. Have the 50 baht.. Lose a customer..

[Lannatyne]

Hardly news.. happens all the time..

Theres even a place we go in lots, should recognize us, go in without the missus, 2 packets of borocca (200 baht a pack every time in this shop) and she rings it up and asks for 450, erm how much ?? 225.. try to look at the screen she rang it up on and she quickly angles it away and types 450 on a calculator as tho that makes it official..

Who can be bothered to argue.. Have the 50 baht.. Lose a customer..

Yes, you're right, it happens far too often. Except that I CAN be bothered to argue. Much rather my child gets a piggy bank bonus of a few baht, than those thieving idiots laughing at me behind my back, or even directly to my face using their own lingo.

[steelepulse]

>>than those thieving idiots laughing at me behind my back

I doubt they're even laughing, just SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure).

[jkzero]

which pharmacy in rawai?! i've found the one near family guesthouse always very helpful n reasonable compared to others i've had to go to..

[Max4243]

>>than those thieving idiots laughing at me behind my back

I doubt they're even laughing, just SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure).

Spot on, it is always SOP when the customer is a farang. If they can get away with this cheating, it is an extra profit for them. Must avoid these cheating shops at all cost.

[MisterMan]

Hardly news.. happens all the time..

Theres even a place we go in lots, should recognize us, go in without the missus, 2 packets of borocca (200 baht a pack every time in this shop) and she rings it up and asks for 450, erm how much ?? 225.. try to look at the screen she rang it up on and she quickly angles it away and types 450 on a calculator as tho that makes it official..

Who can be bothered to argue.. Have the 50 baht.. Lose a customer..

Yes, you're right, it happens far too often. Except that I CAN be bothered to argue. Much rather my child gets a piggy bank bonus of a few baht, than those thieving idiots laughing at me behind my back, or even directly to my face using their own lingo.

So are you going to tell us which pharmacy? Many of the ones in the south are owned by the same family.

Are you really this sensitive that you personalize this and get so angry because they are laughing behind your back and speaking in "their own lingo"?

Are you really this argumentative And so what if they charge us more? Have your wife buy stuff. When it happens I don't get mad, i just don't patronize them any longer. I find ones that give me the same price. End of story. I hope this is not the only way your kid gets money. Perhaps you should stick 10 baht in the kids piggy bank everytime you dont get so worked up as this is what will really bring you misery.

And I hope you do not teach your kid to be as argumentative and as you.

It happens here. So what? shop elsewhere.

[Jingthing]

I find it helps the know the local market for meds you buy. Then at those places that don't mark their prices so they can pad the price, ask for the price, then say, I buy that for x baht at x place, so no thanks. You will get the price you say more times than not. Yes it may sound odd to "negotiate" at a pharmacy but if they don't mark their price, their price is usually flexible.

Edited September 24, 2010 by Jingthing

[vont]

The posted prices are generally retail prices.

Prices are negotiable as some already suggested.

But ascertain that you want genuine brand.

Otherwise, you might end up with something different.

Thai pharmacists are generally more reliable than most Thai politicians.

[Thules]

My missus used to complain to me that I had been overcharged yet again ! So, now, she does all the shopping, and that suits me just fine.

Actually, she has an impressive mental price list on seemingly everything and loves shopping anyway, so a win win.

[Lannatyne]

>>than those thieving idiots laughing at me behind my back

I doubt they're even laughing, just SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure).

Spot on, it is always SOP when the customer is a farang. If they can get away with this cheating, it is an extra profit for them. Must avoid these cheating shops at all cost.

My post was edited to remove the name of the shop, as we're not allowed to name and shame.

Maybe a post will be okay if i just give the location : beside Rawai Hardware shop. If not then you won't read this.

MisterMan - not even going to dignify your posting with a response.

[ScubaBuddha]

Hardly news.. happens all the time..

Theres even a place we go in lots, should recognize us, go in without the missus, 2 packets of borocca (200 baht a pack every time in this shop) and she rings it up and asks for 450, erm how much ?? 225.. try to look at the screen she rang it up on and she quickly angles it away and types 450 on a calculator as tho that makes it official..

Who can be bothered to argue.. Have the 50 baht.. Lose a customer..

This wasn't a case of dual pricing...this employee was stealing from the company, or from you depending on how you look at it, by ringing up the correct price, overcharging you and keeping the difference. Watch carefully and you will see this often in any country.

[Lannatyne]

This wasn't a case of dual pricing...this employee was stealing from the company, or from you depending on how you look at it, by ringing up the correct price, overcharging you and keeping the difference. Watch carefully and you will see this often in any country.

Sorry ScubaBuddha, but i think this was dual-pricing, aka cheating. The woman I spoke to on both purchase and refund was, I'm pretty sure, the owner.

-The point is : she tried to rip me off because of who I am

-The point is : she didn't even need to be told how much I was asking for back

-The point is : she knew she'd been rumbled, and with that 'it's a fair cop' smile, she gave me 25 baht back

-The point is : we all know that they'll never learn, and it's all a sad indictment on the culture here now.

[LivinLOS]

This wasn't a case of dual pricing...this employee was stealing from the company, or from you depending on how you look at it, by ringing up the correct price, overcharging you and keeping the difference. Watch carefully and you will see this often in any country.

Do you really think this happens at anywhere like the same frequency 'in any country' ??

No sorry, Thailand this is pretty much SOP, honesty, integrity, etc etc are simply lacking in the way I understand those terms.

[Theo007]

Sorry, MisterMan, however I do not understand your post. As a long term survivor in Thailand I always complain in case like this. Actually had one shopkeeper tell me that he was sorry he did not recognise me as a regular customer when he tried to overcharge me twenty baht. I told him no problem, I would shop elsewhere from now on.

[steelepulse]

That pharmacy is pretty new. I love the name of the place as I mentioned it in another thread about signage cockups, so for those of you who want to sleuth the name, it's in that thread.

[petercallen]

Most pharmacy's will over charge if you are not Thai, i always let the wife buy,

Supercheap does not in my experience, they have a large pharmacy and its the same price for everyone.

It you need to purchase medication on a regular basis go there and stock up you will save a lot of money.

Also if its not to hot its a fascinating place to have a look around, they stock everything if you can find it.

[KarenBravo]

Not just pharmacies.

Yesterday, I pulled into a new motorbike repair place that has recently opened close to where I live.

My rear, right indicator needed a bulb change.

I specified that it should be 12 volts.

After much searching around, he finds a bulb, installs and checks it. Then, hurriedly tries to screw the orange plastic cover on.

I had noticed that the flashing light was dim and asked to see the bulb that he had just put in.

Sure enough it was a 24 volt bulb.

I pointed this out to him, so, he had to buy the correct bulb from another shop very close by.

This he installed and everything was good. Asked him how much and he said 20 Bt.

I gave him a 100 Bt note, but, only got 60 Bt change. When I queried this he said he had changed his mind and it was now 40 Bt.

Needless to say, I won't be taking any of my four motorbikes to him for servicing.

It was worth paying 20 Bt to know that the man was a cheat and liar.

[Hardback]

It was worth paying 20 Bt to know that the man was a cheat and liar.

I like that, that's a good way to look at it.

[kenny999]

It was worth paying 20 Bt to know that the man was a cheat and liar.

I like that, that's a good way to look at it.

In Patong they charge 80ht for Buflex 600(10 tablets) but in Kathu I can get them for 30 bht

[chiang mai]

This wasn't a case of dual pricing...this employee was stealing from the company, or from you depending on how you look at it, by ringing up the correct price, overcharging you and keeping the difference. Watch carefully and you will see this often in any country.

Sorry ScubaBuddha, but i think this was dual-pricing, aka cheating. The woman I spoke to on both purchase and refund was, I'm pretty sure, the owner.

-The point is : she tried to rip me off because of who I am

-The point is : she didn't even need to be told how much I was asking for back

-The point is : she knew she'd been rumbled, and with that 'it's a fair cop' smile, she gave me 25 baht back

-The point is : we all know that they'll never learn, and it's all a sad indictment on the culture here now.

Sorry but I can't agree - she tried to "rip you off" because you were a customer, no more no less, there are no price controls here and everyone goes for the highest price they think they can achieve, it's a very open market and exactly the same type of operation you'd see in any other country were it not for consumer bodies, laws and government controls - personally I think it all works rather well although it does take some getting used to.

[KarenBravo]

Sorry but I can't agree - she tried to "rip you off" because you were a customer, no more no less, there are no price controls here and everyone goes for the highest price they think they can achieve, it's a very open market and exactly the same type of operation you'd see in any other country were it not for consumer bodies, laws and government controls - personally I think it all works rather well although it does take some getting used to.

If your idea were true, she wouldn't have given the money back, now would she?

[chiang mai]

Sorry but I can't agree - she tried to "rip you off" because you were a customer, no more no less, there are no price controls here and everyone goes for the highest price they think they can achieve, it's a very open market and exactly the same type of operation you'd see in any other country were it not for consumer bodies, laws and government controls - personally I think it all works rather well although it does take some getting used to.

If your idea were true, she wouldn't have given the money back, now would she?

The term "buyer beware" springs to mind, the fact that in this instance the customer returned to complain is probably unusual, the fact that the business owner then decided to provide a refund is even more so. Personally I think the OP was quite lucky, I would have expected a different outcome. I buy a specific product from pharmacies all the time, the regular cost (whatever that means) is 140 baht. Based on where I try to buy the product I can expect to be asked to pay anywhere from 140 baht to a whopping 250 baht. When someone quotes a price higher than 140 baht I simply say "peng" and offer to pay what I know to be the regular cost and this is usually accepted. But I suspect that most of us have done similar at one time or another, bought a product or service where the price has been inflated and afterwards we find out what the price should be, it's all a part of the market forces at work.

[MisterMan]

Sorry, MisterMan, however I do not understand your post. As a long term survivor in Thailand I always complain in case like this. Actually had one shopkeeper tell me that he was sorry he did not recognise me as a regular customer when he tried to overcharge me twenty baht. I told him no problem, I would shop elsewhere from now on.

Yes complain but would you go so far as to think they are laughing in your face or behind your back and talking you you in their own lingo? I am not saying someone should not say something.

As I know you I would imagine that you would remain quite calm. My point was that the OP was getting all worked up and personalizing it and now it is about "us" and "them"

Look at this: "-The point is : we all know that they'll never learn, and it's all a sad indictment on the culture here now."

Sorry I do get frustrated with things in life in general and maybe even more here in Thailand. But please don't put me in your "we"

I agree, it is sad that these things happen but not sure what the OP means by NOW.

I do understand that it does create a "bad feeling" when this happens and no one forgets.

But I too see it as a 50 baht lesson of who I should and should not patronize. And I do think businesses that charge the same price do realize that they will get the expat business and a lot of it too. (there is a thread about companies that DON't double charge somewhere in the pHuket forum.)

My point is not to get so worked up over it that one becomes a bitter expat living here, no shortage of those.

Having said that I just got royally ripped off by an Australian.....but never mind that is another story ..........

Was it perhaps because I am female? and yes perhaps he is laughing behind my back but never mind I will never buy any of his products again......... lesson learned.

and it was far more then a 25baht lesson.

The best advice I ever got when dealing with for example store clerks was to just smile and KEEP insisting calmly.. that is the key word. Smile..

and not let my face get into strange contortions as seems to be the norm with westerners when we are angry..hahahah

And like SB said yes I have seen many many times when I buy something, like at food mart, 1 item, and I do not get a receipt and I am sure my sale did not get rung up......

[LivinLOS]

This wasn't a case of dual pricing...this employee was stealing from the company, or from you depending on how you look at it, by ringing up the correct price, overcharging you and keeping the difference. Watch carefully and you will see this often in any country.

Sorry ScubaBuddha, but i think this was dual-pricing, aka cheating. The woman I spoke to on both purchase and refund was, I'm pretty sure, the owner.

-The point is : she tried to rip me off because of who I am

-The point is : she didn't even need to be told how much I was asking for back

-The point is : she knew she'd been rumbled, and with that 'it's a fair cop' smile, she gave me 25 baht back

-The point is : we all know that they'll never learn, and it's all a sad indictment on the culture here now.

Sorry but I can't agree - she tried to "rip you off" because you were a customer, no more no less, there are no price controls here and everyone goes for the highest price they think they can achieve, it's a very open market and exactly the same type of operation you'd see in any other country were it not for consumer bodies, laws and government controls - personally I think it all works rather well although it does take some getting used to.

Thats one thing, when you go into a market and its open season and hagglable..

Entirely another when you go into a modern pharmacy, inside a tesco lotus, which is supposed to be operating a barcode scanning till checkout.

No she just lied, added 50 baht to the price, and freaked out when I tried to look at the tills screen to expose the lie.

Like KB says.. 50 baht to find shes a thief and liar.. Bargain..

Also I do find the Chinese community, far less likely to operate these kind of practices, far more likely to understand repeat customers etc etc.

[stevenl]

Well said MisterMan.

Plus there are more explanations for the 25 Baht price difference than dual pricing. Maybe the sales person tries to overcharge everybody and the OP's wife had a different sales person, maybe the salesperson made a mistake in the first place and realised it too late to return the 25 baht, or thought it not worth it, etc.

[Old Croc]

I always send the lady in to do the shopping unless it really cant be helped. Main reason, I hate shopping, but I know she won't be ripped off like me.

My attitude is the same as KarenBravo, they lose my custom for all time if they rip me off once.

Pharmacies are interesting in the way they do business. I've exhausted my prescription

anti-inflammatories (indicid) from Oz, so my lady ordered some from a place in Patong. Had to get them in, not held in stock.

They received them in bulk (1000 capsules) and wanted to know how many I wanted. Quoted 3 baht each if they had to count them out, so I bought the lot for 750 baht!

Edited September 25, 2010 by Old Croc

[H2oDunc]

I'm sorry but somebody that takes the time, effort and trouble to return to a shop and demand a refund for the 25 baht they have been overcharged can't tell me it's not about the money but it's about the principal. Just for once I would love to read one of these type of postings where the poster tells it like it is. I wouldn't waste my time for the sake of a piddling amount I would simply not shop there again.

[MisterMan]

Doesn't seem like most of these "pharmacies" just buy ALL their stock from Super cheap anyways. I mean if you wanted an imported drug it would not be there. Boots has fixed prices and can order drugs.

[chiang mai]

Thats one thing, when you go into a market and its open season and hagglable..

Entirely another when you go into a modern pharmacy, inside a tesco lotus, which is supposed to be operating a barcode scanning till checkout.

No she just lied, added 50 baht to the price, and freaked out when I tried to look at the tills screen to expose the lie.

Like KB says.. 50 baht to find shes a thief and liar.. Bargain..

Also I do find the Chinese community, far less likely to operate these kind of practices, far more likely to understand repeat customers etc etc.

Ah yes, that feeling of comfort and security we all get once we walk into a modern mall or superstore environment, I'll be safe in here, the rules here must surely be different to the market or street, there's no way that I could possibly get ripped off in a place like this. Why?