Just1Voice Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 ROBBERS? GREEDY? Did anybody notice what 'color' their red shirts were???????????????? Yeah, some were wearing red, some yellow, some blue, some black, some white, some multicolored, and some weren't wearing any shirts at all. Try leaving your blatantly obvious prejudices out of thing and looking at the picture clearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntmeister Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport. A monopoly would be when one person or one company owns all the boats. That isn't the case here. Where I live there are laws against price gouging in emergencies. To me that has never made any sense. For example if I sold bottled water, and there was a tornado 200 miles away, why would I travel that far if I could just stay at home and sell it for the same price. However if I could charge any price I wanted to do, I might make the effort, and thus help meet a critical shortage. The high price of boat transport will induce other boat owners to go that neighborhood, and thus by the law of supply and demand. lower the prices. And for every family that is "forced" to pay the high boat price, it only means that the good samaritans are able to help another family that really can't afford that price. In most scenarios, your thinking is correct. But you have to consider extreme situations. Lets say your car breaks down while crossing Arizona (in the desert - 100+ miles from any town). Very quickly, you are on the verge of thirst exhaustion. You come to a shop - they notice you are dying of thirst. You want a bottle of water: $10,000. You pay, or you die. Its a free market. As for the boats, you have to consider the possibility of collusion. All the boat operators goughing at the same time, all charging the same extortionate pricing, none willing to budge (as would be expected in normal supply/demand market operations). I'm not saying its happening - the above quoted prices aren't out of control (20 baht for a ride down a Soi - not exactly extortionary - and 3000 baht for the car, I suspect, included finding very rare none flooded parking spots - 3,000 baht to move household: what's their number, I need to move....). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 1321059721[/url]' post='4840792']Very sad to hear about this when the country is in need of the good Thai spirit. Good Thai spirit? You must be kidding. These people would take advantage all day long if they could. Not really any fault of their own. This country values only the baht and how much you have of it. There are no safety nets, no social programs so one must beg, borrow or steal if one wants to survive. Unfortunately there is so this in this point. I recall years back when taxis had no meters, some taxi drivers would quote very high prices to farang and also to Thais. Because of one instance of this, one Thai lady in my office said: "It's not correct, but always remember that the taxi driver knows very well that many politicians, police, bureaucrats, etc., steal millions of Baht from government projects, so the taxi driver thinks 'why shouldn't I have a crack at an extra 50Baht' ". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzMick Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport. A monopoly would be when one person or one company owns all the boats. That isn't the case here. Where I live there are laws against price gouging in emergencies. To me that has never made any sense. For example if I sold bottled water, and there was a tornado 200 miles away, why would I travel that far if I could just stay at home and sell it for the same price. However if I could charge any price I wanted to do, I might make the effort, and thus help meet a critical shortage. The high price of boat transport will induce other boat owners to go that neighborhood, and thus by the law of supply and demand. lower the prices. And for every family that is "forced" to pay the high boat price, it only means that the good samaritans are able to help another family that really can't afford that price. In most scenarios, your thinking is correct. But you have to consider extreme situations. Lets say your car breaks down while crossing Arizona (in the desert - 100+ miles from any town). Very quickly, you are on the verge of thirst exhaustion. You come to a shop - they notice you are dying of thirst. You want a bottle of water: $10,000. You pay, or you die. Its a free market. Of course there is always a way round laws. If the water was free in a nice restaurant, with a tie stall out front, they charge you $10,000 for a tie, and the restaurant doesn't accept tie-less customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koosdeboer Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 police just watch and collect tea money, business as usual! police in action here; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammered Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Natural disasters have a habit of bringing out the best and worst in people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingfriends Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? torasap .i am sure you would not say its a free market. if you were to pay 50 bath for a botle of water. or you were over charger at your local bar, james hat yai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolgeoff Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 thais reaping of they own people in their hr of need.soon they will try to do the same too the tourist in high season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackr Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Can confirm this in Sai Mai area. When we took our boat there to help people get out we were told to go somewhere else by a group of these operators. Sounds like the Phuket tuk-tuk 'mafia' set-up. Though these boaters are providing a no-other-alternative service, it's all for the baht, there is no 'Thai spirit' with these bastards. Next we wil have the pattaya jet ski crowd coming in.... They've been in town for a while, supposedly helping out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Fortunately, I don't have a problem with being ripped off. Each day I have to wade through over a kilometer of waist-to-chest deep water to get to dry land on my way to work. The guards at our moo bahn won't give farangs a ride in the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theanimaster Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Wow... 140,000 baht and 7 years? I could have sworn those nasty giant retailers got just a slap on the wrist and a little warning... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biplanebluey Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 (edited) ROBBERS? GREEDY? Did anybody notice what 'color' their red shirts were???????????????? Yeah, some were wearing red, some yellow, some blue, some black, some white, some multicolored, and some weren't wearing any shirts at all. Try leaving your blatantly obvious prejudices out of thing and looking at the picture clearly. Excellent reply-------good on ya--------Dougal Edited November 12, 2011 by metisdead There is no need for oversized font, font resized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKvampire Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 And it;s Thai mafia run, In Pathum Thani , someone at the Hospital was running a free boat service for patients to and from , the boat taxi scum group who charge their 200-300 bht a trip confronted him and because he refused to stop they smashed the boat and beat him up. Do you need any more evidence , yes people are helping each other, as we do in Ayutthaya, but the "Taxi trade" of all forms of transport in Thailand maintains its gutter level even in a crisis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntmeister Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 And it;s Thai mafia run, In Pathum Thani , someone at the Hospital was running a free boat service for patients to and from , the boat taxi scum group who charge their 200-300 bht a trip confronted him and because he refused to stop they smashed the boat and beat him up. Do you need any more evidence , yes people are helping each other, as we do in Ayutthaya, but the "Taxi trade" of all forms of transport in Thailand maintains its gutter level even in a crisis. I saw a Thai news report (with the help of wife with translation) - apparently, the boat taxis have been making iron spikes, and laying them along key roads, in the hopes of popping the tires of the transport vehicles that are offering free rides. Careful where you step, its a free market! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpariz Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport. A monopoly would be when one person or one company owns all the boats. That isn't the case here. Where I live there are laws against price gouging in emergencies. To me that has never made any sense. For example if I sold bottled water, and there was a tornado 200 miles away, why would I travel that far if I could just stay at home and sell it for the same price. However if I could charge any price I wanted to do, I might make the effort, and thus help meet a critical shortage. The high price of boat transport will induce other boat owners to go that neighborhood, and thus by the law of supply and demand. lower the prices. And for every family that is "forced" to pay the high boat price, it only means that the good samaritans are able to help another family that really can't afford that price. If you would charge more for water when there was a natural emergency, then I wonder just what kind of person you are. This is the worst kind of justification for taking unfair advantage. Maybe the Thais do it out of need for Baht, but there is no excuse for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaivin2011 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 This country is beyong salvation. Good Spirits! Get real.......most big corporations were donating cash and goods because they were promised 150% tax rebates. (please refer to all ealier govt announcemenst and appeals for help.) and then many thais, yes were volunteering their services and donating goods. (according to their distorted versions of buddhism) by doing such acts of tamboon, they get their sins cleansed off....so you get people who cheat millions donating a few thousand baht of goods or small scale sinners offerring smaller amts of foods, in hope to eradicate all their sins and gain merit. Most of the volunteers at the centres were enjoying free meals and goodies. Channel Three raised a lot of money from public donations that went into paying their celebrity actors to make appearances, their transportation costs and hotel accomodations and also for the cost of production of their channel 3 relief bags that had their logos on it. Once produccer at a particular segment at Channel three was boasting how the donatione was totally subsidising his segment! As for overcharging, there was and still there is not any bottled water at places like 7-11, tops, big c etc but outside of Bic C, etc , the bottlers of NamThip are supplying smaller vendors stocks who are then overcharging the consumers. Make a complain and they challenge you to call the police! Was watching on TV , how some of these poeple have no sense of self respect, when their communities are flooded and they know because of the officals in charge, they will still wai when these officials come to see them or even give them a pathetic relief bag. These people will sell their mothers for a Bt 100! Now for the most interesting part to all you foreign TV posters and readers. Got a few distrubing news that a few foreigners were turned away form some of the evacuation centres and in certain cases when relief packages were given out, foreigners were not allowed. (I am not talking about the migrant workers from Burma, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia....who off course the thais deprived them of anything reliefs and foods) but actual farands and a few malaysian chinese. Beer Chang and Singha started small centres selling bottkled water at normal prices and proof of thai identity was needed before you can buy the water. <deleted>! Why aren't the embassies doing anything about this discrimination! Foreigners should avoid buying beer chang and singha beer and also establishments that stock them. Yet we have a lot of foreign aid coming in! I simply give up. The locals deserve what they get. This country s beyong salvation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport. A monopoly would be when one person or one company owns all the boats. That isn't the case here. Where I live there are laws against price gouging in emergencies. To me that has never made any sense. For example if I sold bottled water, and there was a tornado 200 miles away, why would I travel that far if I could just stay at home and sell it for the same price. However if I could charge any price I wanted to do, I might make the effort, and thus help meet a critical shortage. The high price of boat transport will induce other boat owners to go that neighborhood, and thus by the law of supply and demand. lower the prices. And for every family that is "forced" to pay the high boat price, it only means that the good samaritans are able to help another family that really can't afford that price. Or when the boat owners form a cartel to reduce competition, as evidenced by Pogal "........ we were told to go somewhere else by a group of these operators." If you wish to sell your water at over-inflated prices and claim that you are helping, please don't use me as a reference while explaining your actions to the police should they decide to enforce the laws currently in place. Think the guy is American, they seem to think its normal to do stuff like this. I would find it real unfair to do business like this. Its not like people have a choice. Especially if cartels are formed like what is happening here. That is not a free market its profiteering on other peoples misery. I can understand that money has to be made. But let it be a reasonable amount. 3000 bt for a car sounds reasonable to me. But not for a short boat trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyLew Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I think you will see capitalists like this all over the world People taking advantage of those in need People over charging others ... rather than offer a helping hand but it is nice to see Thai's riping off and over charging other Thai's instead of just over charging farangs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTerrace Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport. A monopoly would be when one person or one company owns all the boats. That isn't the case here. Where I live there are laws against price gouging in emergencies. To me that has never made any sense. For example if I sold bottled water, and there was a tornado 200 miles away, why would I travel that far if I could just stay at home and sell it for the same price. However if I could charge any price I wanted to do, I might make the effort, and thus help meet a critical shortage. The high price of boat transport will induce other boat owners to go that neighborhood, and thus by the law of supply and demand. lower the prices. And for every family that is "forced" to pay the high boat price, it only means that the good samaritans are able to help another family that really can't afford that price. But if the boat operators already there spike your boat, abuse your customers or shoot you ( all of which have been reported) then its hardly a free market. Unelss by free ,you mean really really free to do whatever you like including intimidation, standover tactics and murder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogal Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 This country is beyong salvation. Good Spirits! Get real.......most big corporations were donating cash and goods because they were promised 150% tax rebates. (please refer to all ealier govt announcemenst and appeals for help.) and then many thais, yes were volunteering their services and donating goods. (according to their distorted versions of buddhism) by doing such acts of tamboon, they get their sins cleansed off....so you get people who cheat millions donating a few thousand baht of goods or small scale sinners offerring smaller amts of foods, in hope to eradicate all their sins and gain merit. Most of the volunteers at the centres were enjoying free meals and goodies. Channel Three raised a lot of money from public donations that went into paying their celebrity actors to make appearances, their transportation costs and hotel accomodations and also for the cost of production of their channel 3 relief bags that had their logos on it. Once produccer at a particular segment at Channel three was boasting how the donatione was totally subsidising his segment! As for overcharging, there was and still there is not any bottled water at places like 7-11, tops, big c etc but outside of Bic C, etc , the bottlers of NamThip are supplying smaller vendors stocks who are then overcharging the consumers. Make a complain and they challenge you to call the police! Was watching on TV , how some of these poeple have no sense of self respect, when their communities are flooded and they know because of the officals in charge, they will still wai when these officials come to see them or even give them a pathetic relief bag. These people will sell their mothers for a Bt 100! Now for the most interesting part to all you foreign TV posters and readers. Got a few distrubing news that a few foreigners were turned away form some of the evacuation centres and in certain cases when relief packages were given out, foreigners were not allowed. (I am not talking about the migrant workers from Burma, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia....who off course the thais deprived them of anything reliefs and foods) but actual farands and a few malaysian chinese. Beer Chang and Singha started small centres selling bottkled water at normal prices and proof of thai identity was needed before you can buy the water. <deleted>! Why aren't the embassies doing anything about this discrimination! Foreigners should avoid buying beer chang and singha beer and also establishments that stock them. Yet we have a lot of foreign aid coming in! I simply give up. The locals deserve what they get. This country s beyong salvation! Just for the record, there are Burmese at the relief center getting taken care of including a lot of medical attention for their sick child BUT I do agree in general workers from neighboring countries are treated poorly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry555 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Very sad to hear about this when the country is in need of the good Thai spirit. So now they know how it feels to be a farang , paying overpriced prices all the time . Thai rak Thai , my ass , when it's about money a Thai only loves himself . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETC Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? Preying on the weak and needy is not true free market behavior, instead it is nothing more then an outlaws minds set . Condoning that type of behavior goes beyond decent behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocN Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Fortunately, I don't have a problem with being ripped off. Each day I have to wade through over a kilometer of waist-to-chest deep water to get to dry land on my way to work. The guards at our moo bahn won't give farangs a ride in the boat. You are joking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaiman Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 This just goes to show what the real Thai character is all about. It's funny when you hear people saying that the thai people are so nice and full of smiles. Its all an illusion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Fortunately, I don't have a problem with being ripped off. Each day I have to wade through over a kilometer of waist-to-chest deep water to get to dry land on my way to work. The guards at our moo bahn won't give farangs a ride in the boat. That is pretty extreme. Here i just call the boat and they come to pick me up. They pick up anyone. I would seriously consider moving and of course complaining to the mayor of the moo bahn about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 (edited) *Deleted quote edited out* Its also a lot of work recovering a car and you need to have all the stuff for it. Also 3000 bt is not much compared to the damages caused if you dont. So in this case i don't think its an unfair deal. It all depends of course on how far and how much work has to be done. Edited November 12, 2011 by Scott deleted quote edited out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETC Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I classify your example, and extreme example of extortion. "Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it? Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport. A monopoly would be when one person or one company owns all the boats. That isn't the case here. Where I live there are laws against price gouging in emergencies. To me that has never made any sense. For example if I sold bottled water, and there was a tornado 200 miles away, why would I travel that far if I could just stay at home and sell it for the same price. However if I could charge any price I wanted to do, I might make the effort, and thus help meet a critical shortage. The high price of boat transport will induce other boat owners to go that neighborhood, and thus by the law of supply and demand. lower the prices. And for every family that is "forced" to pay the high boat price, it only means that the good samaritans are able to help another family that really can't afford that price. In most scenarios, your thinking is correct. But you have to consider extreme situations. Lets say your car breaks down while crossing Arizona (in the desert - 100+ miles from any town). Very quickly, you are on the verge of thirst exhaustion. You come to a shop - they notice you are dying of thirst. You want a bottle of water: $10,000. You pay, or you die. Its a free market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntmeister Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 ROBBERS? GREEDY? Did anybody notice what 'color' their red shirts were???????????????? amazing somebody always has to bring this into these threads. i wonder or you people as interested in your own countries polotics as the Thai ones. its only to be expected that they will do this, its thailand everybody out for themselves, but they dont have a lot so i guess thats the way they are brought up. 3000 baht to recover a car, thats about 2 weeks salary when you have already lost every thing, so for me it is a lot. While I do understad the going wage for basic jobs is 6,000 baht/month (hence your 3,000 baht being two weeks wage), how many of those minimum wage workers have cars? I've been in many, many countries - Thailand has the fewest jallopies (old, junk cars) of any place I have ever been. Most cars are near new, with 600,000 baht+ price tags. Anyone that can afford such a luxury, can afford to pay 3,000 baht to have it salvaged from a flood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETC Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 ROBBERS? GREEDY? Did anybody notice what 'color' their red shirts were???????????????? amazing somebody always has to bring this into these threads. i wonder or you people as interested in your own countries polotics as the Thai ones. its only to be expected that they will do this, its thailand everybody out for themselves, but they dont have a lot so i guess thats the way they are brought up. 3000 baht to recover a car, thats about 2 weeks salary when you have already lost every thing, so for me it is a lot. While I do understad the going wage for basic jobs is 6,000 baht/month (hence your 3,000 baht being two weeks wage), how many of those minimum wage workers have cars? I've been in many, many countries - Thailand has the fewest jallopies (old, junk cars) of any place I have ever been. Most cars are near new, with 600,000 baht+ price tags. Anyone that can afford such a luxury, can afford to pay 3,000 baht to have it salvaged from a flood. I agree that 3000 baht is a fair price for car recovery, but I question the ideology that your ability to pay justifies over charging people just because you can.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarleyMarl Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 ROBBERS? GREEDY? Did anybody notice what 'color' their red shirts were???????????????? amazing somebody always has to bring this into these threads. i wonder or you people as interested in your own countries polotics as the Thai ones. its only to be expected that they will do this, its thailand everybody out for themselves, but they dont have a lot so i guess thats the way they are brought up. 3000 baht to recover a car, thats about 2 weeks salary when you have already lost every thing, so for me it is a lot. Your salary per month is 6,000 THB? :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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