Mityon South Pattaya - What A Petty Thing They Did

[TylerBKK]

I bought my Honda CBR250R from the big Honda Mityon dealer on South Pattaya road last November during the flood.

When you buy your bike there they tell you there is a 300 Baht deposit for the red temporary number plate they put on your bike until your official permanent number plate comes in.

A bit over a month ago I was over there picking up my new permanent number plate, tax emblem, and green book. I also returned the red temporary plate to them at that time. I asked them about getting the deposit for the red plate back and they told me I needed to bring my original receipt with me to get the deposit back, which I didn't happen to have with me at the time. So they told me next time I come in just bring my receipt and I'll get my deposit back.

So I dropped in there yesterday (a month or so later) and gave them the receipt and they handed me back only 100 Baht. I then smiled and said isn't the deposit 300 Baht? And the girl's reply was yes, but that 200 Baht of that goes to rental of the plate.

I didn't argue. It wasn't worth it for 200 Baht. Not even on principle was it worth making a fuss about, but the issue is that the receipt specifically said in Thai that it was a 300 Baht deposit. Nothing about 100 Baht deposit and 200 Baht plate rental. According to the receipt it was simply a 300 Baht deposit and that's how much I should have gotten back. To even think they would charge 200 Baht rental for the plate is wrong when it is the dealers responsibility to provide you with a temporary plate to use so you can ride your new purchase of a motorcycle out the door.

The real point here is that doing things like this which are illusive pisses off a customer, makes them look dodgy, and earns them a bad reputation.

I also tend to wonder if it isn't the admin staff working there who are pocketing 200 Baht every time some nice foreigner doesn't make a stink about it, and when the dealer's actual policy is to return the full 300 Baht to the customer. But who knows.

It's a really small amount of money, but it is just such a deceptive practice that I will now think twice before ever buying another bike there. What a pity.

[BigBikeBKK]

There's a reason most of my friends who live in Chonburi and Rayong travel to Bangkok for service. Those fellas at Mityon have a less than stellar reputation...

[TylerBKK]

Thanks Tony. I don't know about their reputation for service. But as I noted here their admin staff are not to be admired.

But I can say the service guys at the small Honda dealer in Bangkok on Phaholyothin Road close to Soi Ari are always very nice to me when I go in there, even though I didn't buy my bike from them. They give service with a smile, fast, and easy.

I will probably never go back to Mityon for anything though again as a result.

[andrew55]

I've had red plates on a bike and on a pick-up. Never had to pay a deposit, let alone rental.

Agree with OP that 200 ain't worth the hassle. Amazing that these guys would lose a customer over that amount.

Pay and walk.

[taichiplanet]

I only go to Mityon South Pattaya just to browse and the occasional spare part. I did buy a 2nd hand bike from Mityon South Pattaya and didn't have a problem, expect once the deal was done it was on to the next customer. I prefer dealing with the smaller branches as they are friendly and once they get to know you they even do things for free.

[TylerBKK]

I tend to agree that after you buy a bike from Mityon that in general they could more or less care less about you anymore. The little thing that just happened with me is proof of that.

I also agree that smaller dealers can be much nicer to deal with. As I noted that one on Phaholyothin has been very nice to me. I even went in there once to have them adjust my throttle cable and when I asked them how much the mechanic said don't worry about and didn't charge me anything. And I didn't even buy my bike there.

I would be very surprised if you would ever get a favor like that done for you at Mityon. My guess is they will charge you for every little thing.

[wana]

I tend to agree that after you buy a bike from Mityon that in general they could more or less care less about you anymore. The little thing that just happened with me is proof of that.

I also agree that smaller dealers can be much nicer to deal with. As I noted that one on Phaholyothin has been very nice to me. I even went in there once to have them adjust my throttle cable and when I asked them how much the mechanic said don't worry about and didn't charge me anything. And I didn't even buy my bike there.

I would be very surprised if you would ever get a favor like that done for you at Mityon. My guess is they will charge you for every little thing.

my honda dealer is so friendly he told his mechanics to fixed the lights on my kawasaki once and i asked him how much and he said ,dont worry about it

very minor job but he coud stil have charged something for using his mechanics and tools .....especially on a kwacker when hes a honda man himself

[Gweiloman]

I bought a bike from a local Honda dealer who advised that it wasn't necessary to have the red plates - just a copy of the bike invoice was sufficient. Is this right?

[SumetCycle]

Staff do sometimes run scams like this without the owner knowing. Best to ask to speak to the owner to confirm.

[TylerBKK]

Thanks, you are right Sumet. That would be the thing to do. But in a way I feel it's not my job to police them. The owner should be the one to make sure his staff are honest. So if the staff are dishonest I will accept that as a representation of the dealership and respond to it as such by most likely not even dealing with them anymore.

[wantan]

> I didn't argue. It wasn't worth it for 200 Baht.

But instead of clarifying the thing you are making great waves here at TV. Is this really helpful for others? Why not just ask the boss?

[SumetCycle]

I bought a bike from a local Honda dealer who advised that it wasn't necessary to have the red plates - just a copy of the bike invoice was sufficient. Is this right?

In Bangkok, red plates aren't issued. By law, you have 30 days to get the real plates on the bike. If the cops pull you over before you have the plates you only need to show the invoice and 3rd person insurance paperwork. However, I believe the red plate system is used in most other provinces.

[surayu]

I have a negative view of this place too, as they seems to be way too much attached to the money, but in a bad way, so much that being dishonest for them is just a way to conduct business, i don't care if it depends from the top or the bottom, i will just give them a wide skip, almost everywhere you go in Thailand, there is not exactly a shortage of places where you can purchase a bike, so, thank you and goodbye

[wantan]

I have a negative view of this place too, as they seems to be way too much attached to the money, but in a bad way, so much that being dishonest for them is just a way to conduct business, i don't care if it depends from the top or the bottom, i will just give them a wide skip, almost everywhere you go in Thailand, there is not exactly a shortage of places where you can purchase a bike, so, thank you and goodbye

Huge amount of information content in your post. They are "attached to the money". A Honda dealer in Pattaya. Is there more to say. Better take a Yamaha dealer in Khon Kaen

[Gweiloman]

I bought a bike from a local Honda dealer who advised that it wasn't necessary to have the red plates - just a copy of the bike invoice was sufficient. Is this right?

In Bangkok, red plates aren't issued. By law, you have 30 days to get the real plates on the bike. If the cops pull you over before you have the plates you only need to show the invoice and 3rd person insurance paperwork. However, I believe the red plate system is used in most other provinces.

Thanks for the info. Btw, sorry that I bought my bike from another dealer but I understand that your bikes are flying out the door faster than you can get them in and this dealer just up my road was able to let me walk out with one immediately. Personally, I would have preferred to purchase from an English speaking dealer but my gf did all the paperwork etc, all I did was hand over the dosh

[surayu]

Huge amount of information content in your post. They are "attached to the money". A Honda dealer in Pattaya. Is there more to say. Better take a Yamaha dealer in Khon Kaen

Believe me, even in Pattaya there are honest people and you can get good deals in almost everything you are looking for, just this place in my personal experience doesn't fall in this category, and from what i can see here, it just reinforce my opinion about them, enough said....

[TylerBKK]

Yes, I have dealt with many good and honest people in Pattaya too on many different things. So I would not use my experience in all fairness to say that all business people in Pattaya are dishonest money grabbers. But the place does attract a lot of let's say "opportunists" (as a way of putting it politely) both local and foreign.

To ask if this type of thing surprises me in Pattaya when it does happen, of course I would say not at all. But it does say something about doing business with this particular group of opportunistic people. What I deduce from this event is if they are willing to take the liberty of nicking me for something as small as 200 Baht then that means I would be foolish to give them the opportunity to do it again and possibly on something much bigger the next time.

Since a motorcycle is probably one of the most expensive retail items I will ever buy in Thailand, then I would say a very valuable lesson was learned here for only a small cost as opposed to say being overcharged 200 Baht on a bill in a restaurant where much smaller amounts of money are involved to begin with and you might not pay it so much attention.

[TylerBKK]

My whole point being I've been weaseled out of small amounts of money like this many times before and hardly gave it any thought. But when I buy a more sizable item like this I do expect some honesty and courtesy from the people I am dealing with or no point to deal with them at all.

[karlos]

That’s better than my story.

My dealer insisted red plates are not required on new bikes in Bangkok (funny how my mio125 was issued red plates last year) anyway..

I asked them if they had a red plate kicking around but they honestly didn't have any. 3 weeks later while waiting for my official plate to arrive i was stopped and asked to pay 500baht for what was in my opinion Kawasaki's mistake. On returning to my dealer i got very little sympathy (not that i was expecting any) and they insisted that the police officer was wrong...........

[SumetCycle]

I bought a bike from a local Honda dealer who advised that it wasn't necessary to have the red plates - just a copy of the bike invoice was sufficient. Is this right?

In Bangkok, red plates aren't issued. By law, you have 30 days to get the real plates on the bike. If the cops pull you over before you have the plates you only need to show the invoice and 3rd person insurance paperwork. However, I believe the red plate system is used in most other provinces.

Thanks for the info. Btw, sorry that I bought my bike from another dealer but I understand that your bikes are flying out the door faster than you can get them in and this dealer just up my road was able to let me walk out with one immediately. Personally, I would have preferred to purchase from an English speaking dealer but my gf did all the paperwork etc, all I did was hand over the dosh

No worries, I'm glad you were able to get your new bike. I wouldn't have waited either. Let me know if you ever need anything. Best of luck.

Brian

[nikster]

That’s better than my story.

My dealer insisted red plates are not required on new bikes in Bangkok (funny how my mio125 was issued red plates last year) anyway..

I asked them if they had a red plate kicking around but they honestly didn't have any. 3 weeks later while waiting for my official plate to arrive i was stopped and asked to pay 500baht for what was in my opinion Kawasaki's mistake. On returning to my dealer i got very little sympathy (not that i was expecting any) and they insisted that the police officer was wrong...........

Dealer was right though... cops in BKK... sigh.

[SumetCycle]

That’s better than my story.

My dealer insisted red plates are not required on new bikes in Bangkok (funny how my mio125 was issued red plates last year) anyway..

I asked them if they had a red plate kicking around but they honestly didn't have any. 3 weeks later while waiting for my official plate to arrive i was stopped and asked to pay 500baht for what was in my opinion Kawasaki's mistake. On returning to my dealer i got very little sympathy (not that i was expecting any) and they insisted that the police officer was wrong...........

I believe the cops who requested the 500 knew the law. Perhaps when they saw an unplated big bike with a falang on it, they thought they could get some easy tea money.

[karlos]

That’s better than my story.

My dealer insisted red plates are not required on new bikes in Bangkok (funny how my mio125 was issued red plates last year) anyway..

I asked them if they had a red plate kicking around but they honestly didn't have any. 3 weeks later while waiting for my official plate to arrive i was stopped and asked to pay 500baht for what was in my opinion Kawasaki's mistake. On returning to my dealer i got very little sympathy (not that i was expecting any) and they insisted that the police officer was wrong...........

I believe the cops who requested the 500 knew the law. Perhaps when they saw an unplated big bike with a falang on it, they thought they could get some easy tea money.

The copper regretted his mistake and gave up after a battle of words between me, my girlfriend and him. Still, i was issued a ticket and didn't know if it was a genuine ticket or not? So i got a police officer who lives nextdoor to me to sort the issue out for 100baht the following day. Funny thing is, even he said that a new big bike requires red plates in Bangkok, i guess his mind has been warped by all the crooked cops around him

Edited March 21, 2012 by karlos

[Beardog]

Do yourself a BIG FAVOR Never let them work on your bike. They socked me away for a 6200 baht carb for a kawasaki boss . It didn't need it . It was a smog valve clogged. While I was waiting 4 ever I watched one of the Mechanics working on a Honda Phantom engine. The idiot put the piston in without rings on it. Since the only person(the Katoey Speaks english) I tried to give them the heads up engine needs rings!

The shop lackeys laughed & assembled the top end & snugged it up without the rings. Hello. Epic failure! Needless to say I am done with thoise hosers.

[pipo1000]

> I didn't argue. It wasn't worth it for 200 Baht.

But instead of clarifying the thing you are making great waves here at TV. Is this really helpful for others? Why not just ask the boss?

Not sure if you ever been to Pattaya or have heard of Mityon but this company has the monopoly in Pattaya.

A few years ago they told me they owned 42 shops in Pattaya at that time,so I doubt that the boss is hanging around somewhere to answer questions of customers.

[pipo1000]

Do yourself a BIG FAVOR Never let them work on your bike. They socked me away for a 6200 baht carb for a kawasaki boss . It didn't need it . It was a smog valve clogged. While I was waiting 4 ever I watched one of the Mechanics working on a Honda Phantom engine. The idiot put the piston in without rings on it. Since the only person(the Katoey Speaks english) I tried to give them the heads up engine needs rings!

The shop lackeys laughed & assembled the top end & snugged it up without the rings. Hello. Epic failure! Needless to say I am done with thoise hosers.

You mean that arrogant Katoey.

I had an argument with them with a Yamaha nuovo which would not fire up if it was parked for more than 48 hours.I drove the bike there and explained the issue to the Katoey.First the checked the airpressure in the tires,then the oil after which they fired it up.I tried to explain to him/her/it that the problem only occures if it is not used for more than 48 hours.Again they started it and said,see there is no problem at all.

End of story for me.

[JimmyTheMook]

Bought many new bikes from them.

Most recent purchase was said to come with a basket, but basket was delayed because of the flooding near the factory.

Once the basket came they would not honor the fact I was told it was included in the original sale even though it was written on the receipt.

Unfortunately they have the monopoly on bike shops in Pattaya.

I was unaware of the red plate 300 baht rental fee as must have sucked into this scam as well a few times.

[TylerBKK]

I'm not surprised Jimmy. Actually I forgot to mention that when I first returned the red plate to them they mentioned nothing about the deposit. I had to go back in and ask about it myself. That's when I learned I needed to bring my receipt to get it back. Otherwise I'm sure there would have been no mention of it to me by the staff. Buyer beware right?

[wantan]

Crazy story. They "have the monopoly" and katoeys who are mounting pistons without rings? They have no boss, manager or owner who you can ask about. You should definetly call the police. Or just buy a Yamaha next time

Edited March 21, 2012 by wantan

[TylerBKK]

In fact... Had I known they were going to help themselves to 2/3 of the deposit when they told me to come back with the receipt, then I wouldn't have even bothered going back there to be insulted.