The Cheapest Charlie

[StreetCowboy]

What I really hate is the vibe in places with the 10 percent service charge in more tourist situations where a lot people still tip well ABOVE that (often tourists without a clue) and then the staff gets snitty to people, yes like me, who will not tip above that. Some people say you don't know if the staff really gets that service charge. Not my business. Sorry.

Usually these places are gaudy expat watering holes with British or Irish names attached to them. Nothing but overpriced clip joints serving pub grub for men with more pounds (monetary and girth wise) than sense. It's easy to avoid these clown cafes. Just refuse patronage.

I've never really noticed poor service in the O'Villains and Ned's Arms sort of pubs you refer, particularly when I am precise with my tipping.

In fact, I was in such a place for my dinner this evening, and had cause to grumble about the tardiness of my steak and kidney pie. The supervisor had already decided that I should enjoy a gratuitous pint while I waited, and indeed, when the bill came, two out of three pints were missing. I queried this, and the serving-wallah confirmed that I was to be charged for only one out of three pints, due to the tardiness of the meal.

The price per pint was still enough to make a grown man cry, though, but I put a stiff upper lip on it and moved on to a pub more popular with the locals, where the beer price was in fact more or less the same, though perhaps for a more premium brand. Also, in the local bar, the price was a single price for a pint, whereas in the ex-pat bar the price was split between beer, service and tax. but the bottom line was more or less the same.

SC

[Panhandler007]

OK……..Cheap Charlie is it…….Some time ago, a couple of years I think I was single, in Pattaya, sat at a bar and got talking to this bloke, (I won’t mention his nationality) Nice bloke, told a good tail, anyway after an hour I had to go somewhere, “which way you heading” he said…I told him, “could you give me a ride” he said……”sure, why not” so, off we go.

After about 5 minutes of small talk he screams out STOP!……I near shit myself and lock up, <deleted> have I hit? He un-does his belt, smiles at me, (like the cat that got the cream) jumps out the pickup and disappears, comes back 10 seconds later, so smug , holding onto an empty ‘Leo’ beer can…….Waves it in my face like he was holding a KG of Mayan gold and say’s in a low voice ………”50 satang man……..50 satang”……..Great I said, put you seat belt on. 2 minutes later………Yep….”Stop” I stop, he gives me that smile, he gets out………I drive off and leave him.

So all you tight <deleted> out there………………………….. Good for you just do it on your own time, Please!

I LOVE Thailand! Itès the absolute sh@t!!!!

[p_brownstone]

If somebody texts your mobile asking you to call them is that mean or just being thrifty?

Yes this did happen to somebody I know ....and no I was not the sender !

I know many Thais who will call a Mobile No. and hang up after 1 ring - giving the receiver no time to answer but expecting him to call back.

Happens to me too.

Patrick

[p_brownstone]

My wife is extremely frugal.

Recently, hoping to impress her, I mentioned I had jogged home behind a bus to save the 3 Baht fare - she was upset and told me "next time jog behind a Taxi and save 80 Baht".

Patrick

[patroller]

There is nothing worse then a relentless baht saving cheap Charlie. Everyone likes a bargain and to save a few baht here and there when possible whilst the cheap Charlie it's his life's mission to crawl the sois looking for ways to make his day the cheapest day possible. That's not living that's simply existing in a place where they shouldn't be if they can't afford to.

Having a fully functioning brain is wonderful thing. Having a brain that unforgivably computes signals all day long to save as much money as possible regardless of the inferior quality of the product or poor service must be extremely exhausting indeed.

[Jingthing]

There is nothing worse then a relentless baht saving cheap Charlie. Everyone likes a bargain and to save a few baht here and there when possible whilst the cheap Charlie it's his life's mission to crawl the sois looking for ways to make his day the cheapest day possible. That's not living that's simply existing in a place where they shouldn't be if they can't afford to.

Having a fully functioning brain is wonderful thing. Having a brain that unforgivably computes signals all day long to save as much money as possible regardless of the inferior quality of the product or poor service must be extremely exhausting indeed.

Yeah, but it is a kind of a job, so you can't call them lazy.

[2unique]

My wife is extremely frugal.

Recently, hoping to impress her, I mentioned I had jogged home behind a bus to save the 3 Baht fare - she was upset and told me "next time jog behind a Taxi and save 80 Baht".

Patrick

ahahaha brilliant

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[SlyAnimal]

First off I'll say that the mate who paid 1/3rd was right, admittedly if you'd said to him his share was 50% you'd have been right too. So quite a grey area, as 2 rooms which would be 50/50, but a single bungalow, so living space is shared thus 3rds. Either way, by not saying anything to him you lose the right to complain, as I'm sure he wouldn't have minded paying 50/50.

Regarding ppl who said the wife negotiated so that's equivalent of her share...... That'd make her a cheap Charlie if she tried to justify that.

Likewise some ppl have referenced ppl who dont pay petrol money etc, EXPECTING anyone to pay for petrol or similar when you OFFER to do something for them (without mentioning petrol money beforehand) is a bit bloody cheap on your behalf. E.g. If someone offered me a lift from Bkk to say udon, a considerable distance, without asking for petrol money beforehand, then expected 1000฿ or similar Then they'd be a bit of an arse. Since when you offer to do something, there's always an expectation that it's being offered for free, or as a favour. What someone does to repay the favour is upto them and it's not necessarily going to be repaid in money or perhaps also not in the short term

As for restaurants, everyone has their own system, a lot of the Thai girls ive met have been leaches (eg meet them plus their 5 friends in a bar, they invite me to eat afterwards then expect me to pay for all of them... Which is extremely rude in Nz and just as bad in Thai culture aswell), which results in me giving them a lecture on manners. But on the whole most other systems are reasonable, so long as they are explained first, or if ppl are flexible (I'm usually very flexible with most systems, so long as its fair in some way shape or form)

But anywho, im great at being a cheap Charlie, or at "knowing how to spend money well" as my gf says lol. It was funny this week, as I went to Phuket for the week where taxis/food etc are all excessively priced compared to roiet, and they try to rip you off aswell. Had quite a few bitch behind my back in Thai, not knowing I could understand, they got a good laugh though when I said I wasnt kie nieow(stingey) but was actually kie nook (poor farang who pretends to be rich). After which they took pity on me and gave me the thai price lol.

But as some examples...

My cousin came to phuket with their friend, stayed in the most expensive resort in kamala, whereas I was paying 600฿ and still asked if they had any fan only rooms instead which were cheaper. While going out for drinks, they would order 190฿ cocktails each glass, while my gf and I would share a big bottle of Sangsom for 600฿ and just buy soda (even then yikes at the cost!! Noemally 290฿ for a big bottle in a bar!!) lol likewise only took songtaews most places because taxis are expensive and motorcycles @ 400฿ a day was too much lol (as all the cheaper ones were sold out)

But however, even though I'm such a cheap arse, my gf and I always paid our way, almost always picking up the full dinner/drinks tab, since we considered ourselves the hosts since they came to visit our country (and we were shocked that the travel agents had charged my cousin + friend 8000+ per day between them for their hotel, so wanted to save them some money lol)

[thaibeachlovers]

You mate went 3rd's on the total bill, whats the issue ?

Must admit, I'm struggling to see what's so wrong about it also.

I was once invited out by a friend, he had his GF with him. I bought a round, he bought a round and when it came to her round....... They tried to claim that as a couple they only had to pay once, which of course left me paying double.

If the OP is expecting his friend to chip in when the GF doesn't, I don't think the OP's friend is the one that is being cheap.

I once went to a dinner with several other people on the understanding that we'd all split the bill. However, some wanted desert, but I didn't order any as I was trying to save money, and thought that the desserts would be paid for seperately by the few that did have them. I was really PO when they insisted that even those that didn't partake should pay for THEIRS as well. Unfortunately, in those days I was too insecure to tell them to take a flying ****!

Then there was the visiting female friend that accepted my offer of dinner, but asked to go to a more expensive restaurant than I was prepared to pay for. I thought that as she asked for the more expensive place she was going to pay her share, so was surprised when she expected me to pay for her as well. Needless to say, she isn't on the invite list anymore.

Then there was the ex work "friend" over on holiday with her family that I offered a place to stay in to save on hotel costs. I even offered them some of my food to cook, so they didn't have to go out to buy a meal. It was an understatement to say that I was a bit surprised when they cooked MY food, for themselves and ate it in front of me, but didn't offer me any to eat!

She's an "ex friend" now.

The worst though, IMO, are the hitch hikers that are wanting lifts on long distance journeys and then go to sleep. <deleted>. I don't expect them to pay, but they should at least entertain you with conversation in exchange for the considerable expense in petrol.

Just as bad are the people that break down, and allow you to fix their car, then jump in and drive off. Just think what they'd have to pay if they called out a mechanic!

( The last couple aren't from LOS, but are examples of really "cheap" people ).

Edited January 8, 2012 by thaibeachlovers

[Old Croc]

Some of these stories remind me of a mate, Ray, back home in Perth.

A group of us would do lunch every Friday at a different restaurant and would partake in a number of wines over a long afternoon.

When we were able to bring our own wines, we would each try to buy a reasonably good tipple, about $20 a bottle. Ray would turn up with a $4.95 special from the cheap shelves. He did, however, have expensive tastes and would drink from everyone elses bottles first. When his was the only one left the others wouldn't be very keen on his offering so he would generally have most of it himself.

Ray likes to drink like he's in a race, and will throw his first few glasses down, and be reaching for the bottle to refill himself, before the rest have had more than a sip or two. Bottles would empty mysteriously in the blink of an eye. We made a joke of it at first, but we soon worked out we had to keep the wine at the far end of the table from Ray with one person tasked to pour it out equally.

I had a milestone birthday once, and feeling a little magnanimous, bought two bottles of very fine red. Over $100 a bottle. There was enough wine to enable everyone to get a generous glassfull with perhaps one glass left over. Nothing was said, but I, and everyone there, apart from Ray, thought it fair and reasonable for me to have that last glass. A couple of minutes later while the rest of us were still savouring what was a special wine, one of the guys had to wrest the bottle from Ray's hand just before he managed to refill his empty glass with what was left!

He liked his wines so much it became dangerous for him. Once, after leaving us, he went on drinking and ended up comatose in the middle of a main street. He woke up in hospital where the cops had delivered him.

We always split restaurant meal costs equally. There was (initially) a bit of good natured grumbling about Ray always selecting the most expensive dish on the menu (crayfish, Surf and Turf, etc), but generally we let him get away with it. Then he started getting an entree, so the rest followed suit. His next trick was to start ordering dessert, the most expensive one, and follow up with an Irish coffee. We would order the same just so he had to pay for his complete meal himself. We would end up like butterballs at the end of the day!

Ray is the cheapest guy I've ever met (there are many other examples of this) and people may ask why would we keep inviting him to the lunches. He's a mate, he amuses the hell out of us, particularly when he's caught out and sits there giggling over his enormous gut without offering any sort of excuse for his behaviour. Lunches wouldn't be the same without him.

[Darrel]

We always split restaurant meal costs equally.

Why? Separate checks is much more sensible.

[Old Croc]

We always split restaurant meal costs equally.

Why? Separate checks is much more sensible.

Restaurants in Perth generally refuse to issue separate checks. Some are quite vehement about it.

[Darrel]

Restaurants in Perth generally refuse to issue separate checks. Some are quite vehement about it.

Ah. An interesting interpretation of the phrase "customer service" that was previously unknown to me.

Restaurants that I choose to eat in do what I want, not what they want. Or they probably don't get paid at all.

[Darrel]

That's not living that's simply existing in a place where they shouldn't be if they can't afford to.

Again you assume, quite erroneously, that people save money because they have to and not because they want to.

[robblok]

That's not living that's simply existing in a place where they shouldn't be if they can't afford to.

Again you assume, quite erroneously, that people save money because they have to and not because they want to.

I agree.. i can be quite cheap on one thing and spend lots of money on something else.

[sotsira]

That's not living that's simply existing in a place where they shouldn't be if they can't afford to.

Again you assume, quite erroneously, that people save money because they have to and not because they want to.

Yes, one can be stingy with their money,

and,

one can be careful with their money.

There is a difference.

[Lammbock]

Iam so cheap i even hump Farang girls from Kao-San Rd

Edited January 9, 2012 by Lammbock

[sparebox2]

My Farang friend like to alight 2 BTS stop before his destination (his condo). To save 5 baht.

[ludditeman]

Restaurants in Perth generally refuse to issue separate checks. Some are quite vehement about it.

Ah. An interesting interpretation of the phrase "customer service" that was previously unknown to me.

Restaurants that I choose to eat in do what I want, not what they want. Or they probably don't get paid at all.

Would they prefer a group of ten people to all sit at separate tables and shout across the room at each other?

I think that would be doable!

[smokie36]

I was in a taxi the other day that wasn't going to give me change for a 70 baht trip from 100.

Cheeky sod, he just assumed he could take the 30 baht as a tip. I usually don't worry about the odd few coins if they don't seem to have them, this time I made sure he gave me every single baht I was due.

"Fair enough. Call it fifty, and I'll give you the other twenty next time... "

SC

The real problem is of course with the Thais all being rich and assuming it of everyone else as well.

[Ulysses G.]

Iam so cheap i even hump Farang girls from Kao-San Rd

"The Cheapest Charlie". We have a winner!

Edited January 9, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[Jingthing]

Iam so cheap i even hump Farang girls from Kao-San Rd

"The Cheapest Charlie". We have a winner!

Wait! Hold the presses! I hang out at the Jomtien immigration retirement extension desk trolling for Welshmen with Zimmer frames. Why Welsh? Don't ask. Why Zimmer frames? As if you have to ask. Americans who don't know what Zimmer frames are? Speak English, why don't you?

Pattaya: heaven on earth for gerontophiles.

(This award is so close I can taste it!)

Edited January 9, 2012 by Jingthing

[IsaanUSA]

I went with a friend to Vietnam. It was unbelievable how cheap stuff is in Vietnam. If you've been there, you would understand. Well my friend (who is quite successful in the USA) turned into the Cheapest Charlie I had ever seen. The one that I'll never forget was when he bargained the price down for a bottle of water from an old lady on the side of the road. The store sells it for 15k, the lady was asking 20k, and my buddy was hard bargaining her down to 15k. Several people stopped and watched in amazement. I told him, "Hey it's 20 cents, the lady needs it more than you do." His reply was, "That's a ripoff, I can get it cheaper at a store. I just want the standard store price."

He got it for 15k.

Also we tried some local brews that cost more than the guesthouse.

[Sattpalat]

Must be me. can only Affort shaving once or tvice a week :-)

[stailmanki]

I have a mate who goes to one of those places that advertise a large all day breakfast before going out to the beach for the day.

What he does is eats about half & then askes them to put the remainder in a takeaway container,,,,, a breakfast that you really can eat all day.

[Lammbock]

Iam so cheap i even hump Farang girls from Kao-San Rd

"The Cheapest Charlie". We have a winner!

Thanks

[theblether]

Iam so cheap i even hump Farang girls from Kao-San Rd

"The Cheapest Charlie". We have a winner!

Wait! Hold the presses! I hang out at the Jomtien immigration retirement extension desk trolling for Welshmen with Zimmer frames. Why Welsh? Don't ask. Why Zimmer frames? As if you have to ask. Americans who don't know what Zimmer frames are? Speak English, why don't you?

Pattaya: heaven on earth for gerontophiles.

(This award is so close I can taste it!)

Gerontophiles? Thats a new word on me.......I think you should get an award for best new word of the day, on the other hand I now have a mental image I just cant shake

[sparebox2]

I went with a friend to Vietnam. It was unbelievable how cheap stuff is in Vietnam. If you've been there, you would understand. Well my friend (who is quite successful in the USA) turned into the Cheapest Charlie I had ever seen. The one that I'll never forget was when he bargained the price down for a bottle of water from an old lady on the side of the road. The store sells it for 15k, the lady was asking 20k, and my buddy was hard bargaining her down to 15k. Several people stopped and watched in amazement. I told him, "Hey it's 20 cents, the lady needs it more than you do." His reply was, "That's a ripoff, I can get it cheaper at a store. I just want the standard store price."

He got it for 15k.

Also we tried some local brews that cost more than the guesthouse.

He is not a cheap Charlie.

He just cannot stand double pricing.

[jimbeam1]

If the Thai cannot afford it, then it should be up to the partner to pay. Not a third party.

Jimbeam need to put himself in his friends shoes. His friend is paying while a 3rd person is evidently not. Apparently the GF paid nothing yet is complaining that somebody else that did pay did not pay 'enough', I know what I'd have to say to that and it rhymes with cough.

If people want to make deals where the partner is excluded from paying, they should negotiate everything first. If they don't and the other person wants to split the bill equally (and fairly) they only have themselves to blame. If a deal is struck then fine, it is the EXPECTATION that is just plain wrong and made so much worse by having the nerve to complain. Especially by somebody that didn't contribute, what a fuc_king cheek.

Not only that, but he mentioned that the girlfriend complained about it as well; isn't that nice; she gets a free ride and complains saying that some guy who is a friend of her bf's, should be her benefactor.

Nice girls this guy keeps up with! Not surprising why Thai girls have the reputation they do

Well I have managed to make it to page 3 without coming back in. First Kilgore Trout mouth, I am deeply offended by your post. You know absolutely nothing about either my G/F or myself. You are no better than others that have made, derogatory remarks, such as, it would have been ok if she was shared.

As for Moonie and those that don't or will not understand. I will try once again to make it clear.:

1/ We stopped at a Hotel My G/F went to enquire about rooms. She came back out Bt 2,800 each (person). we decided no to look somewhere else

2/ We stopped at another place, as it transpired there were there were two Chalets or this Bungalow which could be used to two SEPERATE letting units or slide a couple of bolts which opened a connecting door. As we were together we decided not to lock the connecting door?

3/ So we accepted the Bungalow on the negoated price. Two or one units for the negoiated price.

4/ If we had taken the two single Chalets would you still expect the bill to have been split 3 ways?

5/ One thing for sure this problem will never rise again.

6/ As I stated before there is no way he would book into an Hotel that charged as per guest in a room as we/I wouldn't.

7/ Or look at another way. Three people turn up at an Hotel together one couple one single person. They take two seperate rooms. They check out together, would you expect the couple to pay two thirds of the total bill?

jb1

[Moonrakers]

4/ If we had taken the two single Chalets would you still expect the bill to have been split 3 ways?

No

But did you take two single chalets?