15 Baht For A Cold Towel...

[kenny999]

Complaining about a 15bht towel after a 2000 bht food bill OP must be hard up!! if it is a problem do not tip or go back it's that simple!!

But surely that's not the point is it?

The OP clearly isn't hard up, otherwise he probably wouldn't be spending 2,000 baht on a meal when he could get a half decent meal elsewhere for far less. The point of his post, as I read it. is why to restaurant owners feel the need to extract every last Baht, why don't they price everything into the unit cost of meals?

Thank you!

Good idea, so they price the cost of the towel in to the meal then charge you 15bht for a towel!! big money to be made here in Phuket lol

Accept the situation or starve!! ha ha

Edited August 24, 2011 by kenny999

[garrfeild]

amaizing, how can you let a 15baht charge for a wet towel, Which you asked for. Spoil your evening. I know some places offer them for free. But in the great scheme of things "15 Baht" who's wet? you or the towel! :jap:

[Ping]

leave a one baht tip

...not a single Baht

In most places tips are divided among staff.

But staff does not make the rules. They follow orders.

Why punish the staff, for stupid rules of the management?

Kind of kicking the dog........

If they've charged for a pa yen, then they are possibly also the type of joint that retains staff tips as business income...

[katabeachbum]

Even McCafe in Phuket is 25% more expensive than here in Pattaya. First time I always thought that McDonald's prices were standard in the same country.

Mc Donalds in Patong and Mc Donalds in the rest of Phuket have different prices. Just like manhattan 5th avenue is more than other areas

as goes for KFC, Subway, Burger King and all the major chains.

land prices and rent is extreme in Bangla area

[steelepulse]

>>Giving the name or exact location is 'name & shame' and will be removed under Thaivisa rules.

I'm not sure how facts ( not opinion) is naming and shaming. Stating that McDonalds in Patong charges more than McDonalds in Phuket Town is the exact same thing, fact and not an opinion.

[LivinginKata]

Mc Donalds in Patong and Mc Donalds in the rest of Phuket have different prices. Just like manhattan 5th avenue is more than other areas

Plus you never see any of the promotional prices/deals offered at McD in Phuket Town.

[katabeachbum]

Mc Donalds in Patong and Mc Donalds in the rest of Phuket have different prices. Just like manhattan 5th avenue is more than other areas

Plus you never see any of the promotional prices/deals offered at McD in Phuket Town.

as goes for Burger King. 89 baht cheeseburgers in Central not available in Patong

patong is disneyland, with disneyland prices

[BangTaoBoy]

Complaining about a 15bht towel after a 2000 bht food bill OP must be hard up!! if it is a problem do not tip or go back it's that simple!!

But surely that's not the point is it?

The OP clearly isn't hard up, otherwise he probably wouldn't be spending 2,000 baht on a meal when he could get a half decent meal elsewhere for far less. The point of his post, as I read it. is why to restaurant owners feel the need to extract every last Baht, why don't they price everything into the unit cost of meals?

Thank god for that. I got about 20 posts in to this thread without a single person disagreeing with the OP. I was just about to give up on the human race and kill myself, when a few posts rescued me.

A few people have pointed out that the would be happy to pay for the towels but only if they were worked in to the costs. What pray tell is the difference? I think they call that self kidology. Happy with something that you know about, as long as it's not right in front of your eyes.

If I ever got a 2000 baht bill and got charged 15 baht for something (that I asked for) and something that costs about 10/15 baht in the shops, and that made me angry and not want to go back to the restaurant ever again, even though the food was good, I honestly think I would kill myself.

[BangTaoBoy]

amaizing, how can you let a 15baht charge for a wet towel, Which you asked for. Spoil your evening. I know some places offer them for free. But in the great scheme of things "15 Baht" who's wet? you or the towel! :jap:

Touche'.

I wonder if every body is so highly principled on other ocassions, ones that don't have them being out of pocket as a factor? I very much doubt it some how. It's funny the relationship between peoples principles and their pockets.

[BangTaoBoy]

>>Giving the name or exact location is 'name & shame' and will be removed under Thaivisa rules.

I'm not sure how facts ( not opinion) is naming and shaming. Stating that McDonalds in Patong charges more than McDonalds in Phuket Town is the exact same thing, fact and not an opinion.

Good point. Surely saying xxxx restaurant charges 15 baht for wet towels, is just stating a fact. I for one don't find it bad, so if I said it's name how could it possibly be naming and shaming?

If you go through the restaurant thread there's loads of comments about places being terrible and food being poor, so what's the difference?

[bunta71]

Any business savvy restaurant should know enough to work their overhead costs into the menu prices. To list things like that on the bill as an extra cost is a cold (towel) slap in the face to the customer.

If it wasn't listed on the bill as an extra cost, the customer would be none the wiser, and go home satisfied. It's little things like that which make the difference between a one-timer and a return customer.

But alas, TIT.

right on!!! Kinda makes all this discussion about the cost of these towels completely irrelevant.Maybe they should charge extra for what they pay to have the dishes washed,etc. Chalk it up to lack of business acumen here.

[harrry]

Any business savvy restaurant should know enough to work their overhead costs into the menu prices. To list things like that on the bill as an extra cost is a cold (towel) slap in the face to the customer.

If it wasn't listed on the bill as an extra cost, the customer would be none the wiser, and go home satisfied. It's little things like that which make the difference between a one-timer and a return customer.

But alas, TIT.

right on!!! Kinda makes all this discussion about the cost of these towels completely irrelevant.Maybe they should charge extra for what they pay to have the dishes washed,etc. Chalk it up to lack of business acumen here.

I feel the same as the OP except not for the towel but for the water.

[BangTaoBoy]

the customer would be none the wiser, and go home satisfied. It's little things like that which make the difference between a one-timer and a return customer.

But alas, TIT.

This is the bit I don't understand the most. It's not the paying for it that annoys people but it being out and open on the bill instead of being worked in. This isn't Paris or Milan, it's Phuket. People moan when they hide stuff and then they moan when they put stuff on the bill where everyone can see it.

As for not tipping or ever going back. Get a life people for goodness sake.

P.S TIT is used so much on forums, yet seems to be understood so little.

[ableguy]

Dunno- was the towel the packaged kind like they sell in seven eleven? If so, you gotta figure that they cost the restaurant something.

Having said that, the five baht they earned on top of a two thousand baht tab could have gone a long way to providing outstanding service and an extremely pleased customer / generous tip. I know lots of beer bars that subscribe to this - give the customer one of these cool towels (after they have ordered a drink of course) to make them happy and want to stay / buy more drinks. Smart business IMO. The cute BG who does the honors usually ends up getting a drink!

I've seen like this before in other Thai restaurants, where the towels are on the table when you sit down- not chilled. Ms Bino is wise to this scam, and always insists that the server takes them away unopened and checks the bill afterward.

Have to agree this is really poor business sense but typical for LOS. Vote with your feet by not going back.

[BangTaoBoy]

Have to agree this is really poor business sense but typical for LOS. Vote with your feet by not going back.

Like you said, typical for LOS. If you vote with your feet and don't go back all over 15 baht, then you are cutting off your nose to spite your face. If the food is good, and you have no other problems with the place, is it really worth not being able to use it again over 'poor business sense'? At the end of the day here, no one was wronged, and nobody was ripped off. He asked for something, he got it, and he was charged 15 bahr for it. Crime of the century?

[garrfeild]

Have to agree this is really poor business sense but typical for LOS. Vote with your feet by not going back.

Like you said, typical for LOS. If you vote with your feet and don't go back all over 15 baht, then you are cutting off your nose to spite your face. If the food is good, and you have no other problems with the place, is it really worth not being able to use it again over 'poor business sense'? At the end of the day here, no one was wronged, and nobody was ripped off. He asked for something, he got it, and he was charged 15 bahr for it. Crime of the century?

BTB, Totally agree with you, pathetic what some people choose to moan about. sticky sh*ts each of them. Some of them really need to get a life.

[garrfeild]

The Joke is on the OP. why didn't you go to the gents loo, you could have freshened up and it wouldn't have cost you the princely sum of 15Baht Try switching it on sometimes, your brain that is!!!

[LivinginKata]

The Joke is on the OP. why didn't you go to the gents loo, you could have freshened up and it wouldn't have cost you the princely sum of 15Baht Try switching it on sometimes, your brain that is!!!

I think that the OP had not expected to be charged for the towel, hence his surprise when he received the bill. I've been in many places that supply these 'wet towels' and I've never been directly charged as an addition on the bill.

[BangTaoBoy]

BTB, Totally agree with you, pathetic what some people choose to moan about. sticky sh*ts each of them. Some of them really need to get a life.

It's no wonder people have nervous break downs about Tuk tuks and the like, if thing like this can get them all riled up.

[BangTaoBoy]

The Joke is on the OP. why didn't you go to the gents loo, you could have freshened up and it wouldn't have cost you the princely sum of 15Baht Try switching it on sometimes, your brain that is!!!

I think that the OP had not expected to be charged for the towel, hence his surprise when he received the bill. I've been in many places that supply these 'wet towels' and I've never been directly charged as an addition on the bill.

The OP is an old hand in Phuket. Should he really be surprised by something as trivial as this? Like I said people are always TIT this and TIT that, but then they get amazed by the simplest of things.

Don't forget, you're talking about places that supplied them. The OP asked for one. There is a difference.

Would it have made sense for the restaurant to give it free considering the bill was 2000 baht? Yes. Is it worthy of noting and moaning about and boycotting the place? Most certainly not.

[pagallim]

I'm pretty sure that the establishment in question also got a mention in another ongoing thread. I may be wrong, but the point that I think the OP is making is that this particular place markets itself a level above the other seafood restaurants in the area, and in truth the typical ambience, service levels, and food quality is very good. The point is that virtually all places like this have, through their premium pricing, already build in the overheads of premium service (i.e. provision of cold towels, well maintained restrooms etc), and hence it rankles when they behave like a tourist rip off place where the intent is to extract the last possible baht from the typical 2 week holiday customer.

[BangTaoBoy]

I'm pretty sure that the establishment in question also got a mention in another ongoing thread. I may be wrong, but the point that I think the OP is making is that this particular place markets itself a level above the other seafood restaurants in the area, and in truth the typical ambience, service levels, and food quality is very good. The point is that virtually all places like this have, through their premium pricing, already build in the overheads of premium service (i.e. provision of cold towels, well maintained restrooms etc), and hence it rankles when they behave like a tourist rip off place where the intent is to extract the last possible baht from the typical 2 week holiday customer.

Much more eloquently said than others, but still don't agree. Not so much with the fact that it was a daft thing for a restaurant that charges those prices to do, but with the fact that people should let it bother them so much and boycot the place in disgust. Like I said very ameturish practice but not a fleece or rip off in any way.

[pagallim]

Much more eloquently said than others, but still don't agree. Not so much with the fact that it was a daft thing for a restaurant that charges those prices to do, but with the fact that people should let it bother them so much and boycot the place in disgust. Like I said very ameturish practice but not a fleece or rip off in any way.

From the occasions that I've read the OP's previous postings, he's a fairly long term Phuket resident, as well as being involved in the food/catering supply business. As such, he's probably more 'tuned in' to the local restaurant trade and practices than most of us. Doesn't mean that he or his opinion is right of course, only that he felt strongly enough to comment on this particular practice. Whether any of us would do the same I guess depends on not just being charged for what could be assumed as a normal requirement (wiping hands after eating shell food for example), but whether we felt the quality and service of the meal merited the charge.

[Ulysses G.]

In most places tips are divided among staff.

But staff does not make the rules. They follow orders.

Why punish the staff, for stupid rules of the management?

My thoughts as well. Why screw the help for the sins of the management?

[Idler]

Really the original post was asking if people thought it is reasonable to charge 15 baht for a cold towel in a restaurant where a meal for two without wine comes to 2,000 baht. For me the answer is clearly no, it is not reasonable, but then, as BTB says, one has to factor in the TIT effect. In such a pricey restaurant one would expect a cold towel to be offered for free anyway even if not asked for but one cannot assume or expect anything on these fair shores.

During my time here I have found that these little annoyances are like straws on the camel's back. When I first arrived here they didn't bother me at all but over time the straws have built up and these situations bug me more and more. I am aware that individually they are mere nothings but the weight of years of minor injustices becomes too heavy to bear and my frustration bubbles to the top. I empathize with the OP. The straws have become too heavy and this camel's back has been broken. I am preparing to leave Phuket and return to my homeland for a while with a new camel sans straws. No doubt many new straws in my homeland will eventually break this new camel's back and when it does I shall return to Thailand, but definitely not Phuket.

[kenny999]

Really the original post was asking if people thought it is reasonable to charge 15 baht for a cold towel in a restaurant where a meal for two without wine comes to 2,000 baht. For me the answer is clearly no, it is not reasonable, but then, as BTB says, one has to factor in the TIT effect. In such a pricey restaurant one would expect a cold towel to be offered for free anyway even if not asked for but one cannot assume or expect anything on these fair shores.

During my time here I have found that these little annoyances are like straws on the camel's back. When I first arrived here they didn't bother me at all but over time the straws have built up and these situations bug me more and more. I am aware that individually they are mere nothings but the weight of years of minor injustices becomes too heavy to bear and my frustration bubbles to the top. I empathize with the OP. The straws have become too heavy and this camel's back has been broken. I am preparing to leave Phuket and return to my homeland for a while with a new camel sans straws. No doubt many new straws in my homeland will eventually break this new camel's back and when it does I shall return to Thailand, but definitely not Phuket.

I am sure the Thai people will not miss you!!

And moving to some where else in Thailand will of course solve your complaining. lol

Edited August 25, 2011 by kenny999

[BangTaoBoy]

Really the original post was asking if people thought it is reasonable to charge 15 baht for a cold towel in a restaurant where a meal for two without wine comes to 2,000 baht. For me the answer is clearly no, it is not reasonable, but then, as BTB says, one has to factor in the TIT effect. In such a pricey restaurant one would expect a cold towel to be offered for free anyway even if not asked for but one cannot assume or expect anything on these fair shores.

During my time here I have found that these little annoyances are like straws on the camel's back. When I first arrived here they didn't bother me at all but over time the straws have built up and these situations bug me more and more. I am aware that individually they are mere nothings but the weight of years of minor injustices becomes too heavy to bear and my frustration bubbles to the top. I empathize with the OP. The straws have become too heavy and this camel's back has been broken. I am preparing to leave Phuket and return to my homeland for a while with a new camel sans straws. No doubt many new straws in my homeland will eventually break this new camel's back and when it does I shall return to Thailand, but definitely not Phuket.

I am sure the Thai people will not miss you!!

And moving to some where else in Thailand will of course solve your complaining. lol

That's a bit harsh kenny. It wasn't the usual deranged rant about Phuket, just someone that's had enough here and is moving on.

I myself am the exact opposite. Those things annoyed me when I first came, because they were unexpected. After a while, you learn to accept the way things are, and are no longer surprised or upset by them. This is why I was surprised that someone with the OP's experience of Phuket didn't just take it in his stride, rather than being miffed and boycotting the place.

[evanson]

Mother in law was visiting recently, she scooped up all the towels and put them in her handbag, my good lady made her put them back and told the waiter to take them away, and yes she checked the bill.

I agree that a well run establishment should cost all these items into the menu price and we would be none the wiser, leave happy and probably return. Don't even get me started on these "service" charges.

Mother in law eh? Didn't you very recently post that your wife had registered 'the house you had bought to live in with your wife and her children', a 30 year lease on it with another farang whilst you were absent? Her stating at the Land Registration Office that she had declared herself a widow? And complaining that the officials were not interested? You back together then? Or did you re-marry in haste?

[BangTaoBoy]

^ The plot thickens.

[ScubaBuddha]

Even McCafe in Phuket is 25% more expensive than here in Pattaya. First time I always thought that McDonald's prices were standard in the same country.

They have always varied in different areas on America.

In 2001 I had a Big Mac "value" meal in Waikiki, Hawaii for $8.25, almost 400B at the time. (In California it was about $6). A few days later I was in Bangkok and the same meal was 85B, about $1.85. But the Hawaii meal did come with pineapple. No moist towel though.

Edited August 25, 2011 by ScubaBuddha