500 Baht For An Electric Plug Said The Drunken Bib

[Lammbock]

First of all, scenery of this major accident: ........

Yesterday somewhere in Thailand.

I was leaving the scenario of the Beer Bar heading straight to the parking lot. (No! i wasn't drunk)

How could i? Today is a working day for me so i went off early last night.

Anyhow..

I drove my car out of the parking area knowing there are some noodle shops, Restaurants etc. around me so "Cha Chaaa"

Suddenly i hear a loud noise and in the first place i didn't know what it was and i was a bit startled don't knowing what it was.

Than i guy came out of the restaurant on the left together with a bunch of people (all Thai) stopping my car and saying "I am Police! You not go!" So far so understandable for me. He was in civil but wearing an portable radio equipment and showed me his Police Pass (<--is that how you call it???)

Than he checked all around my car the accident scene. Showing me the broken electric plug i had run over with my car.

Than he explained me (but not in a nice way) that now the noodle shop do not have electric power and the lady could not sell her noodle. I say to my self "this crappy noodle nobody wants to eat anyway"

He added i must replace the electric plug on my costs but because of at this time (11pm) there are no options to get one.

He said in Thai to some of the other "drunk heads" How much you want? He looking at me (yes i am a Farang so pleeeeeeas do OVER charge me for the money" and said 500 Baht i should give him.

I say 500 Baht for this part? This is not fair. This cost not even half at 7/11.

...and of course the drunken BIB said "You go than to 7/11 and buy new one.

I went of to do so but this 7/11 did not sell them.

I came back to the accident scene and all this Thai surrounding me drunk and angry and keep on telling i have to pay 500 Baht.

The lady who owns the Noodle Hovel was screaming at me "I can't sell my noodle because i have no light"

At this time i said to her and to all other present people to come down, there is no need to scream at me and be angry but i notice most of them where drunk incl. the Police Officer.

I gave the over to the Officer to drive with me to the next 7/11 and i buy him a new plug but he refused and said that he would not go with me because of "We have party here, i will not go with you"

I think to my self. "This guy is obviously still in his job. How can he drink alcohol in his his working time??"

A POLICE OFFICER! Saturday night! 11pm! Drunk wile doing his job, kind of! &lt;deleted&gt;!

This is not right, not even for Thailand.

So i gave those suckers the 500 Baht not expecting an invoice or what ever and to tired to argue any more and also filed a bit frightened by all this people.

Amazing Thailand

Kap Khun Kap

:jap:

[geriatrickid]

Did you even drive over the electric socket?

Oh look, you know you were ripped off. I know you were ripped off. Everyone reading this knows you were ripped off.

I suppose some jerk will pop up and blame you for this, but I think almost everyone is going to feel for you because there but the grace of providence go us etc. You were smart to pay the guy and get the heck out of there. Arguing would have got you shot or beaten up.

For those that want to argue, here is an important Thai equation that needs to be memorized;

Angry cop + gun+ whiskey+ crowd + farang = Dead farang shot in the back.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Baht 500 sounds reasonable enough to me, considering loss of business until the gal can get a new power strip, and that a half decent one costs baht 250 or more anyway.

Mac

[chiang mai]

You were perhaps ripped off but only a little bit, considering that you did bring to a halt the vendors ability to earn a living, until the plug was replaced. Perhaps would have been better all round to have just paid the 500, or perhaps to have countered with an offer of 400 and then moved on with life.

[longstebe]

What was the socket doing in the middle of the road?

I would probably be one of those idiots who would refuse to pay and end up with a beating.

It makes me think what would have happened if you drove off. The pig should have paid for it out of all the tea money he has received in the past.

[tigerfish]

Baht 500 sounds reasonable enough to me, considering loss of business until the gal can get a new power strip, and that a half decent one costs baht 250 or more anyway.

Mac

hang on a minute !

what is the power cable even doing laying in a road where someone can drive over it. most thai vendors i know that sell food at the end of sois or next to the nearest 7/11 hook up to the mains of the nearest power cable. which is usually a good 6 ft above the ground and then hang the wires across from the outlet to their stalls.

serves the stupid cow right !

pity she didnt pick the bloody thing up and get an electric shock, seeing as it was pissing with rain most of the night.

Edited October 3, 2010 by tigerfish

[Lammbock]

Of course i was ripped off and yes i did offered 200 Baht in the first place, but hey.. what can i do??

They insist to get the 500 Baht.

Bye the way. She continue to sell her noodles over the night. There are enough lights around witch make the shop well visibly.

They just tried to find a way to get some money from the "Farang" And they where successful.

The 500 Baht is actually not my problem...the problem is a drunken PO in public.

[thaimite]

Angry cop + gun+ whiskey+ crowd + farang = Dead farang shot in the back.

= suicide:rolleyes:

Edited October 3, 2010 by thaimite

[longstebe]

Are you sure he wasn't a security guard from a dodgy hotel. You can always get a dodgy police badge/pass. Little bastard probably seen the Farang comin down the road and thought aye aye moneybags ere.

[chiang mai]

Baht 500 sounds reasonable enough to me, considering loss of business until the gal can get a new power strip, and that a half decent one costs baht 250 or more anyway.

Mac

hang on a minute !

what is the power cable even doing laying in a road where someone can drive over it. most thai vendors i know that sell food at the end of sois or next to the nearest 7/11 hook up to the mains of the nearest power cable. which is usually a good 6 ft above the ground and then hang the wires across from the outlet to their stalls.

serves the stupid cow right !

pity she didnt pick the bloody thing up and get an electric shock, seeing as it was pissing with rain most of the night.

But wait, now you're challenging the safety aspects of the cable being in the road in the first place and not the fact that the OP had to pay for the damage he caused. Whilst it would be nice if there were some safety laws that prohibited cables being strung in such a way, regrettably there doesn't appear to be any. It might also be nice if common sense came into play in the decision to lay the cable on the ground, but, well, common sense is a subjective thing! So, facts remains, the cable was there, legal under the law and the OP destroyed it, very few mitigating circumstances if any I'm afraid, off with his head!

[chuang]

Sometimes I find it hard to comprehend why there are people who would risk life and limb for a mere 500 baht in an anything--may-happen explovise situation...

[Chunky1]

Please stop drinking and driving OP. Next time it might be a young child you didn't see.

[dave111223]

Just keep driving next time.

[rgs2001uk]

Sometimes I find it hard to comprehend why there are people who would risk life and limb for a mere 500 baht in an anything--may-happen explovise situation...

Do you honestly think most Thais would have fallen for this nice little money earning opportunity?

[easyride]

Sometimes I find it hard to comprehend why there are people who would risk life and limb for a mere 500 baht in an anything--may-happen explovise situation...

But it would be sooooooooo nice to read a story about a farang winning for once.

I'd have paid and apologised to the BIB (real cop or not) for interrupting his party and scarperred.

[mattcodes]

Are you for real.

500baht = ~10 quid. You drove over the plug and could not find a replacement, I think thats fair, say they cost 180baht. Thats 320baht for the trouble, i think its entirely feasible that she lost 10 punters at 30 baht a pop - even a crappy noddle stand can do that, even in time you were pissing about trying to search for a 7/11.

"You go than to 7/11 and buy new one.

I went of to do so but this 7/11 did not sell them.

Officer sounds entirely reasonable. He let you even exercise the option of replacing which you COULDNT do, had they been stubborn on ripping you off you would not of been allowed this option. Of course he didnt want to leave the party to drive about with you to the next 7/11, even the thai's realise that its not worth their time over a few hundred baht compensation.

Look at it this way, so you use your car for your job, and someone slashed your tired (by mistake), they got out and they said I'll give you what it costs at Tesco, nothing more, dont care its going to cost you a deal or ...

"This guy is obviously still in his job. How can he drink alcohol in his his working time??"

A POLICE OFFICER! Saturday night! 11pm! Drunk wile doing his job, kind of! &lt;deleted&gt;!

Speculating now.. But even if he was on duty he is not bound to go with you to the 2nd 7/11 over a few hundred baht.

Edited October 3, 2010 by mattcodes

[longstebe]

Ere we go, Thai v Farang.

[PoorSucker]

Get a lawyer and sue the policeman, the noodle stall and the Thai government for 300 baht.

[Forethat]

Hmm. 500 sounds fair to me.

Listen, for what it's worth, whenever you end up in situations like this, especially if there are locals involved, think of it as an opportunity, especially when there was a BIB in the group.

Next time, make sure you appear to be concerned not only about the stuff you might have broken, but also with the poor womans revenue due to your actions. Give her the 500 baht and next day you come back with a second unit for her to keep as a spare should it happen again. I also suggest you eat your noodles at named place the following 4 weeks, and make sure you bring a couple of friends also. And dont forget to smile and ask her about the business. If you're lucky, you'll make a friend amongst the locals AND she will probably make sure to tell everybody INCLUDING the BIB. Unfortunately, behaving the way you did last night is likely to create enemies.

And on top of everything, now you complain about the whole thing on TV, huh!? Stop acting as if trying to get justice, you will only end up leaving LOS in vain. Most of us know you're right, we've all been there.

Being right is not the same as getting justice.

[Chunky1]

funny how nobody even cares that this dude is drinking and driving but then again it seems like a ton of farang drink and drive here so...

[easyride]

funny how nobody even cares that this dude is drinking and driving but then again it seems like a ton of farang drink and drive here so...

I don't approve of drivers drinking full stop but it isn't illegal to have a drink then drive. All a matter of how much.

Edited October 3, 2010 by easyride

[Xircal]

The hawker doesn't sell noodles, she places a broken plug in the road and then accuses passing farangs of causing the damage. Nice little earner at 500 Baht a time. The PO was probably in on the scam.

[saraburioz]

Of course i was ripped off and yes i did offered 200 Baht in the first place, but hey.. what can i do??

They insist to get the 500 Baht.

Bye the way. She continue to sell her noodles over the night. There are enough lights around witch make the shop well visibly.

They just tried to find a way to get some money from the "Farang" And they where successful.

The 500 Baht is actually not my problem...the problem is a drunken PO in public.

If you don't like it go back where you came from.

500 is fair enough - people like you give the rest of us forigners a bad name.

[mattcodes]

Of course i was ripped off and yes i did offered 200 Baht in the first place, but hey.. what can i do??

They insist to get the 500 Baht.

Bye the way. She continue to sell her noodles over the night. There are enough lights around witch make the shop well visibly.

They just tried to find a way to get some money from the "Farang" And they where successful.

The 500 Baht is actually not my problem...the problem is a drunken PO in public.

So you accept that your actions were detrimental to her business, even if not totally destroying a night's business. Would you have upped the compensation to 205 baht had you actually forced her not to sell noddles?

500 is fair enough - people like you give the rest of us foreigners a bad name.

Here here..

[longstebe]

I didn't see in the OP where it said he had a drink of alcohol.

I have been many a time to a bar and not drunk alcohol.

[Forethat]

Here here..

Where where..?

[onnut]

why the hel_l would the noddle shop owner put a plug out in a place where a car could drive over it? she was probably just another dimwit and of course could not except fault. plus the copper (drunk like noraml over here) obviously wanted to show off in front of his mate. all of them there were scumbags if you ask me! the normal Thai mob rules.

to the OP, should of just give them the 500 and then left without and arguement. although I understand why you would argue it, but no point with halfwits like that.

Edited October 3, 2010 by onnut

[Xircal]

why the hel_l would the noddle shop owner put a plug out in a place where a car could drive over it? she was probably just another dimwit and of course could not except fault. plus the copper (drunk like noraml over here) obviously wanted to show off in front of his mate. all of them there were scumbags if you ask me! the normal Thai mob rules.

to the OP, should of just give them the 500 and then left without and arguement. although I understand why you would argue it, but no point with halfwits like that.

She doesn't put a plug in the road where it can be driven over. She or her mates scatter some plastic, or something similar on the road and then the copper jumps out from behind the bush so to speak and nabs you. While you're distracted by these events, somebody deposits a broken plug in the road and then accuses you of causing the damage in order to rip you off. Like I said before, it's a scam.

[robblok]

I don't know the real situation, if the plug was really on the road.. or the parking space a real parking space. It kinda depends but if the plug was in the right place then i don't think 500 baht was a bad price. I don't like the way they got it from him but 500 bt does not sound wrong. Just think of the inconvenience it causes that is often worse then loosing something.

If raincoat is torn by someone and now i get wet while driving home (cant replace it right away) do you think i would be happy with just the money to replace it. I rather had it did not happen at all so a little compensation is ok. It really does not sound crazy.

But how they got it by aggression is not good and im not sure the plug was supposed to be there.

[Lammbock]

@Chunky1

Please read my post again. I was not drunk. Don't you get it?

It was not a sarcastic line. There are a few people who need to work Sundays too.

@mattcodes

I overed the Officer and the lady some option. There where totally blocking all my ideas.

Why?

Well, this question you can answer your self. "$$$$$$"

On this main road as i know are 3 7/11's. We would not had to drive very far and they are locals. They know that too.

@saraburioz

Please turn off your computer.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Lammbock