Does Anyone Else Find The Service Crap In Thailand Or Is It Just Me.

[canuckamuck]

Not much rattles my cage in this department apart from the "mai mee' attitude....Do you have this in...?..colour...?..size..?..any at all..? etc and without lifting a finger....."mai mee"

And what the F do you want them to do or say, they haven't got what you want so F off and let her get back to her nails!

And the owner of the shop doesn't care either BTW, doncha know you should be grateful to have the privilege of being allowed to step into the place.

Really, this happens all over the world, just take your custom elsewhere and stop whingeing. . .

555555 haaaa

the F word comes out

"what happened to calmly explain......"

I have to agree with most of the replies, service, for the most part, had gotten better,

Go in the Home Depot in the states and try to get some one to help you.

as far as restaurants are concerned, I like the Tip system we use in the US,

it is a great motivator for good service,

There is a restaurant we always go to in KK, the food is always great but the service was not always the best,

every time we go there,we treat the workers with respect and good humor, and we always give the girl a good tip, you should see how the service has improved now, they literally fall over each other to help as.

The tip system in the US is out of control, there are looking for 15 to 20% even if you hated the meal and they are hostile if they don't get it.

You want to bring that here?

[canuckamuck]

Where are you eating ? I find the 4-5 star places to have 4-5 star service ..... I find the sidewalk crapholes to have what you would expect cheap food and marginal service. Were you expecting to be treated like you were at the 4 Seasons when buying your 300 Bht dinner ? Were you expecting to be treated like you were at a 5 star place at Macdonalds ?

The reality is that if the service is bad it's probabbly because you are at a place where you should expect it to be marginal in the first place.

Why would you expect people making 300 bht per day to give good service ? Just because that's the wage ? Because they should just be poor and act like they are making a decent wage ?

It's just another unrealistic expectation that poor people in Thailand must not know they are poor and getting ripped off for labor and should just do their jobs like they are getting a fair wage , like it or not even in Thailand if you want quality products or quality service you aint gona find it at the 400 bht per night hotel or the resturaunt insde it very much of the time.

Don't go to the cheap place and then complain about the cheapness of the place , you got what you asked for.

If your complaint was at the 4 Seasons it might make sence , but they have service you would expect for a 3000 bht Sunday Brunch if you really want great service go to a place like that and stop thinking you even deserve to be treated like you are buying a mercedes when your looking at a used motorbike.

In the real world like it or not , you will and deserve to be treated better at the Mercedes dealership than the sidewalk cafe , it's not just because you are spending more and somehow rich people deserve better treatment , it's because since people spend more at those places the bisness can afford to hire better help , train them better , tolerate less mistakes , ect. That's the Real Deal ...... get used to it

I find this very reasonable; if you want good service eat every meal at a 4 or 5 star hotel. Other wise you deserve to be treated like the low life you obviously are. Good post.

[steven100]

For me it is different places, different attitudes.

The hours these people can work for not a lot of money when they see others spending far more than they can earn in a week must be hard to bear.

In recent months I've seen fewer tips being left and many of those that have been left are quite small. Whether this is down to bad service or not I'd not like to say. Yet if I get a smile and good ( not perfect ) service I leave a tip. I tend to use those places more often and have no real complaints.

I was in Pattaya Soi Diane near Lk Metro a bar to the side of it and hotel called family bar in April, 4 guys in their early 60's I'd say use the bar regular and watch the football and sit for around 3 hours or so having a few beers each.

These guy's dress quiet smart and come across as quite okay for money when you talk to them.

I nearly spat my JD and coke out when I saw them check bin and leave a tip on tray.

A nice shiny 5 baht coin between the 4 of them. IMO why did they bother leaving the tip at all as I saw it as an insult to the staff who had served them with a smile and efficiently.

The look on the girls face as she went back to the bar with the 5 baht and held it up to show the cashier and mumble away as she put it in the tip tin.

What she said I know not but I bet it was not nice.

No wonder some staff dont give a sh*t when that happens.

Tipping is not compulsory but to leave 5 baht between 4 is a joke IMO.

and how the hell does he expect the girls to split it up evenly ...

[mca]

Service has never been good here, even at 5 stars places...

Yeah but your idea of five star is most probably Gai Yang Haa Dow mate.

[jackr]

The service seems the same as it ever was (unpredictable), but can't help notice the quality of food dropping off.

The simple fact is to give a tip of 20/30 baht which is what 40p/60p! That's 5 minutes work for one of us or less for some! They earn on average 6000baht per month, and you treat them with the upmost disrespect, if they can't understand English and you get annoyed, learn some bleeding Thai!

At the end of the day we are in their country if you don't like it then go home!

The typical thought process of someone who's been here 5 minutes. When one tips excessively on something like a coke, one is seen as a sap; ie, having no sense. You are then viewed as stupid as opposed to generous. If you left nothing, it would be better for you in their eyes.

Edited June 26, 2012 by jackr

[Ulysses G.]

For me it is different places, different attitudes.

The hours these people can work for not a lot of money when they see others spending far more than they can earn in a week must be hard to bear.

In recent months I've seen fewer tips being left and many of those that have been left are quite small. Whether this is down to bad service or not I'd not like to say. Yet if I get a smile and good ( not perfect ) service I leave a tip. I tend to use those places more often and have no real complaints.

I was in Pattaya Soi Diane near Lk Metro a bar to the side of it and hotel called family bar in April, 4 guys in their early 60's I'd say use the bar regular and watch the football and sit for around 3 hours or so having a few beers each.

These guy's dress quiet smart and come across as quite okay for money when you talk to them.

I nearly spat my JD and coke out when I saw them check bin and leave a tip on tray.

A nice shiny 5 baht coin between the 4 of them. IMO why did they bother leaving the tip at all as I saw it as an insult to the staff who had served them with a smile and efficiently.

The look on the girls face as she went back to the bar with the 5 baht and held it up to show the cashier and mumble away as she put it in the tip tin.

What she said I know not but I bet it was not nice.

No wonder some staff dont give a sh*t when that happens.

Tipping is not compulsory but to leave 5 baht between 4 is a joke IMO.

and how the hell does he expect the girls to split it up evenly ...

Don't tell him that or he will leave 4 baht next time.

[chrisinth]

1. Expecting a 150b a day Thai worker to understand your directions in English of the level of firmness to which you want your egg cooked is unrealistic unless you are fluent in Thai and even then it will be hit and miss.

2. Tourist areas don't care very much about service because tourists pass through. It is not like they rely on repeat business.

3. Increased food and labor costs means lower quality from many businesses, thus your observation about your cold drink. You will get the best service and quality in the quietest places imho. Food stalls in very high rent areas just want to do a ton of business and usually have crappy service and product, though not always.

Never mind, when the minimum wage is raised to 300B, we will see a marked improvement..................

[mca]

I find staff in hotels, restaurants, shops etc, less subservient than they were 20 years ago, but better trained - The reliance on a grovelling employee replaced by training in what service actually is.

If find both these to be improvements - Better service and the absence of grovelling staff.

Of course I accept that some people really do like grovelling staff and mistake this for service.

Can't compare to anything but the last years, but yes, grovelling isn't service and gets kind of old and uncomfortable after a while. I really don't need the doorman to salute me every time either. When I've stayed at 4-5 star hotels the service has been top notch, friendly and competent with no grovelling. I much prefer this to the subservient but incompetent 'service' of lesser places.

Last year my folks visited so I treated them to a top end meal in a Bangkok 5 star joint. The waiter was so nauseatingly obsequious and blatantly false we felt as if he was taking the piss behind the smiles and flourishes. I asked the outlet manager for another waiter. He was ruining our meal.

[farang000999]

.

Edited June 26, 2012 by farang000999

[tinfoilhat]

It depends.

In places that have I visited, some have been bending over backwards to ensure that I receive a good service ... <snip>

Eden doesn't count.

[thequietman]

Always been the same I think in my 10 years experience. Some very good, some almost as bad as western standards.

My guess is in the course of this thread you will be told;

1) Don't like it, go home

2) Thais are rubbish at everything

3) Change where you eat from the tourist places where the sex tourists hang out.

4) Learn to speak Thai

and a few other chestnuts.

You shouldnt have married a BG ?

which brings me neatly to a point of service in Thailand.....if service is so bad in Thailand how come there are so many males visiting Thailand on a regular basis to partake in the delights of Thailand...they must be getting good service as a lot of the gentlemen concerned are repeat customers

I didn't hear the OP complaining about helmet polishing not up to standard.

This is my exact point...most males come here to receive a specific service, now if you are happy with the service received in that regard, then stop complaining that the hotel your in cant cook your eggs properly....

which begs the question , when you want to cook breakfast for your BG and ask her how she wants her eggs............. she should reply.......... unfertilised.

[SJN]

If i found crap service, no tip at all. And yes, sometimes it happends to me that sometimes waitress do bloody serve to 'farang' better than to Thais.

[GreenSnapper]

The service seems the same as it ever was (unpredictable), but can't help notice the quality of food dropping off.

The simple fact is to give a tip of 20/30 baht which is what 40p/60p! That's 5 minutes work for one of us or less for some! They earn on average 6000baht per month, and you treat them with the upmost disrespect, if they can't understand English and you get annoyed, learn some bleeding Thai!

At the end of the day we are in their country if you don't like it then go home!

The typical thought process of someone who's been here 5 minutes. When one tips excessively on something like a coke, one is seen as a sap; ie, having no sense. You are then viewed as stupid as opposed to generous. If you left nothing, it would be better for you in their eyes.

Correct. My GFs always scold me when I give more than 20B "don't spoil them".

Bad service, no tips. Service fee on the bill - no tips. That's how Thais do it.

[SJN]

Bad service, no tips. Service fee on the bill - no tips. That's how Thais do it.

AGREED!

[Sharp]

I'm just wondering if anyone else finds the hospitality industry & service here has gone down hill very fast in the past couple of years.

I go to many restaurants and eatery's every week and I can tell you that I have really noticed that the waiter or cook or cashier or bar staff are becoming more ignorant, lazy, unfriendly & rude day by day ....

I am not sure what it is but it's like when you go into a subway for a sandwich and you get a drink from the fridge ... you notice the drink is not cold ..in fact it's just below room temperature because the owner doesn't want to lower the setting as that costs money.

You simply advise the cashier that the drink isn't very cold ... so she looks at me like it's my fault. !

Same thing with ordering breakfast at the restaurant, I ask the waiter can the cook please make the eggs medium to hard ..not soft, not runny. The waiter finally understands after explaining it slowly and pointing to a picture ... however, the feeling I get is that the quick chat between the waiter and the cook was somehow sarcastic and the response is like you asked them to hand over there gold necklaces...

Same same when you go shopping at any reputable supermarket, they treat farang like an alien .. What ever happen to customer service in Thailand .. It doesn't exist !!

Thailand is really becoming a sad and sorry country from what I can see and this is a simple example of how thai's in the hospitality industry treat westerners ...

I consider myself to be fairly fair in being judgemental about anything as I always see two sides to any story but this is just so blatant and inexcusable.

I would be interested if others have had similar experiences....

After being here For years now I personally think its the whole attitude towards foreigners / tourists has change for the worse hence everything else follows ...

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[Soutpeel]

I'm just wondering if anyone else finds the hospitality industry & service here has gone down hill very fast in the past couple of years.

I go to many restaurants and eatery's every week and I can tell you that I have really noticed that the waiter or cook or cashier or bar staff are becoming more ignorant, lazy, unfriendly & rude day by day ....

I am not sure what it is but it's like when you go into a subway for a sandwich and you get a drink from the fridge ... you notice the drink is not cold ..in fact it's just below room temperature because the owner doesn't want to lower the setting as that costs money.

You simply advise the cashier that the drink isn't very cold ... so she looks at me like it's my fault. !

Same thing with ordering breakfast at the restaurant, I ask the waiter can the cook please make the eggs medium to hard ..not soft, not runny. The waiter finally understands after explaining it slowly and pointing to a picture ... however, the feeling I get is that the quick chat between the waiter and the cook was somehow sarcastic and the response is like you asked them to hand over there gold necklaces...

Same same when you go shopping at any reputable supermarket, they treat farang like an alien .. What ever happen to customer service in Thailand .. It doesn't exist !!

Thailand is really becoming a sad and sorry country from what I can see and this is a simple example of how thai's in the hospitality industry treat westerners ...

I consider myself to be fairly fair in being judgemental about anything as I always see two sides to any story but this is just so blatant and inexcusable.

I would be interested if others have had similar experiences....

After being here For years now I personally think its the whole attitude towards foreigners / tourists has change for the worse hence everything else follows ...

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

I am not a Thai apologist by any stretch of the imagination, but in my 10 years of observations in Thailand, atitudes of foreigners towards Thai's leaves a lot to be desired as well.......have observed many farangs acting like old colonials towards their "natives"...so could we say it works both ways

[edwinclapham]

I'm just wondering if anyone else finds the hospitality industry & service here has gone down hill very fast in the past couple of years.

I go to many restaurants and eatery's every week and I can tell you that I have really noticed that the waiter or cook or cashier or bar staff are becoming more ignorant, lazy, unfriendly & rude day by day ....

I am not sure what it is but it's like when you go into a subway for a sandwich and you get a drink from the fridge ... you notice the drink is not cold ..in fact it's just below room temperature because the owner doesn't want to lower the setting as that costs money.

You simply advise the cashier that the drink isn't very cold ... so she looks at me like it's my fault. !

Same thing with ordering breakfast at the restaurant, I ask the waiter can the cook please make the eggs medium to hard ..not soft, not runny. The waiter finally understands after explaining it slowly and pointing to a picture ... however, the feeling I get is that the quick chat between the waiter and the cook was somehow sarcastic and the response is like you asked them to hand over there gold necklaces...

Same same when you go shopping at any reputable supermarket, they treat farang like an alien .. What ever happen to customer service in Thailand .. It doesn't exist !!

Thailand is really becoming a sad and sorry country from what I can see and this is a simple example of how thai's in the hospitality industry treat westerners ...

I consider myself to be fairly fair in being judgemental about anything as I always see two sides to any story but this is just so blatant and inexcusable.

I would be interested if others have had similar experiences....

After being here For years now I personally think its the whole attitude towards foreigners / tourists has change for the worse hence everything else follows ...

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

I am not a Thai apologist by any stretch of the imagination, but in my 10 years of observations in Thailand, atitudes of foreigners towards Thai's leaves a lot to be desired as well.......have observed many farangs acting like old colonials towards their "natives"...so could we say it works both ways

Normally the ex colonial types without a brass farthing to their name also

Edited. (sp) bra v brass

Edited June 26, 2012 by edwinclapham

[Semper]

We were in a hotel in Dhaka, and my wife was getting dressed. Suddenly the door opened and a staff member walked right in. My wife dove under the covers of the bed, I was already in bed. The man showed no sign that he had done anything wrong, rather he said to me. "I am going off shift now so you need to give me my tip."

That's bad service.

Maybe the guy was not a staff member and your wife was having an affair but the guy didn`t expect you to be there?

Last time my wife and I stayed in a hotel, I walked in the room and found my wife lying naked on the floor. Very strange I thought, so I checked all the warddrobes to see if she had any hidden lovers in there, but found nothing.

All very strange.

Boy, am I glad you'd kept some brandy in that minibar.

Never mind the minibar. Was she 'service minded' (to keep it on topic). ?

Edited June 26, 2012 by Semper

[tinfoilhat]

I'm just wondering if anyone else finds the hospitality industry & service here has gone down hill very fast in the past couple of years.

I go to many restaurants and eatery's every week and I can tell you that I have really noticed that the waiter or cook or cashier or bar staff are becoming more ignorant, lazy, unfriendly & rude day by day ....

I am not sure what it is but it's like when you go into a subway for a sandwich and you get a drink from the fridge ... you notice the drink is not cold ..in fact it's just below room temperature because the owner doesn't want to lower the setting as that costs money.

You simply advise the cashier that the drink isn't very cold ... so she looks at me like it's my fault. !

Same thing with ordering breakfast at the restaurant, I ask the waiter can the cook please make the eggs medium to hard ..not soft, not runny. The waiter finally understands after explaining it slowly and pointing to a picture ... however, the feeling I get is that the quick chat between the waiter and the cook was somehow sarcastic and the response is like you asked them to hand over there gold necklaces...

Same same when you go shopping at any reputable supermarket, they treat farang like an alien .. What ever happen to customer service in Thailand .. It doesn't exist !!

Thailand is really becoming a sad and sorry country from what I can see and this is a simple example of how thai's in the hospitality industry treat westerners ...

I consider myself to be fairly fair in being judgemental about anything as I always see two sides to any story but this is just so blatant and inexcusable.

I would be interested if others have had similar experiences....

After being here For years now I personally think its the whole attitude towards foreigners / tourists has change for the worse hence everything else follows ...

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

I am not a Thai apologist by any stretch of the imagination, but in my 10 years of observations in Thailand, atitudes of foreigners towards Thai's leaves a lot to be desired as well.......have observed many farangs acting like old colonials towards their "natives"...so could we say it works both ways

Normally the ex colonial types without a bras farthing to their name also

on first read a thought you were taking a poke at Anelaine

ex colonial types without bras farting

Edited June 26, 2012 by tinfoilhat

[Payboy]

We were in a hotel in Dhaka, and my wife was getting dressed. Suddenly the door opened and a staff member walked right in. My wife dove under the covers of the bed, I was already in bed. The man showed no sign that he had done anything wrong, rather he said to me. "I am going off shift now so you need to give me my tip."

That's bad service.

Maybe the guy was not a staff member and your wife was having an affair but the guy didn`t expect you to be there?

Last time my wife and I stayed in a hotel, I walked in the room and found my wife lying naked on the floor. Very strange I thought, so I checked all the warddrobes to see if she had any hidden lovers in there, but found nothing.

All very strange.

Boy, am I glad you'd kept some brandy in that minibar.

Never mind the minibar. Was she 'service minded' (to keep it on topic). ?

It was freezing in there. Let's just say I didn't leave a tip.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Payboy

[Leon711]

It's because alot of these tourists nowadays are rude in the first place especially the Russians and the Thais have had enough of their rudeness. and they they don't get paid enough for the amount of hours that they do.

[Soutpeel]

It's because alot of these tourists nowadays are rude in the first place especially the Russians and the Thais have had enough of their rudeness. and they they don't get paid enough for the amount of hours that they do.

Dont just single out the Russian, Indians, arabs's etc.....some of the most rude people I have observed were westerners

Brits, Yanks, German, Scandanvians..etc...

[Leon711]

So u can't blame the Thais for being like they are

It's because alot of these tourists nowadays are rude in the first place especially the Russians and the Thais have had enough of their rudeness. and they they don't get paid enough for the amount of hours that they do.

Dont just single out the Russian, Indians, arabs's etc.....some of the most rude people I have observed were westerners

Brits, Yanks, German, Scandanvians..etc...

your right. Exactly. Edited June 26, 2012 by Leon711

[GreenSnapper]

Vietnam has way more Russian tourists. And Vietnamese are still way more friendly than Thais.

And I don't find Russians particularly rude.

[Time Traveller]

Yeah it's crap. But some places have good service.

[MB1]

For me it is different places, different attitudes.

The hours these people can work for not a lot of money when they see others spending far more than they can earn in a week must be hard to bear.

In recent months I've seen fewer tips being left and many of those that have been left are quite small. Whether this is down to bad service or not I'd not like to say. Yet if I get a smile and good ( not perfect ) service I leave a tip. I tend to use those places more often and have no real complaints.

I was in Pattaya Soi Diane near Lk Metro a bar to the side of it and hotel called family bar in April, 4 guys in their early 60's I'd say use the bar regular and watch the football and sit for around 3 hours or so having a few beers each.

These guy's dress quiet smart and come across as quite okay for money when you talk to them.

I nearly spat my JD and coke out when I saw them check bin and leave a tip on tray.

A nice shiny 5 baht coin between the 4 of them. IMO why did they bother leaving the tip at all as I saw it as an insult to the staff who had served them with a smile and efficiently.

The look on the girls face as she went back to the bar with the 5 baht and held it up to show the cashier and mumble away as she put it in the tip tin.

What she said I know not but I bet it was not nice.

No wonder some staff dont give a sh*t when that happens.

Tipping is not compulsory but to leave 5 baht between 4 is a joke IMO.

and how the hell does he expect the girls to split it up evenly ...

A nice shiny 5 baht coin between the 4 of them was the tip that the 4 customers left between them. yeah a whole 1.5 baht tip each.

[Ulysses G.]

Vietnam has way more Russian tourists. And Vietnamese are still way more friendly than Thais.

I have lived in both places. Thais are just as friendly as the Vietnamese and a lot more laid back.

[baboon]

If I was being paid 25 Baht per hour, I wouldn`t give a crap either.

[canuckamuck]

For me it is different places, different attitudes.

The hours these people can work for not a lot of money when they see others spending far more than they can earn in a week must be hard to bear.

In recent months I've seen fewer tips being left and many of those that have been left are quite small. Whether this is down to bad service or not I'd not like to say. Yet if I get a smile and good ( not perfect ) service I leave a tip. I tend to use those places more often and have no real complaints.

I was in Pattaya Soi Diane near Lk Metro a bar to the side of it and hotel called family bar in April, 4 guys in their early 60's I'd say use the bar regular and watch the football and sit for around 3 hours or so having a few beers each.

These guy's dress quiet smart and come across as quite okay for money when you talk to them.

I nearly spat my JD and coke out when I saw them check bin and leave a tip on tray.

A nice shiny 5 baht coin between the 4 of them. IMO why did they bother leaving the tip at all as I saw it as an insult to the staff who had served them with a smile and efficiently.

The look on the girls face as she went back to the bar with the 5 baht and held it up to show the cashier and mumble away as she put it in the tip tin.

What she said I know not but I bet it was not nice.

No wonder some staff dont give a sh*t when that happens.

Tipping is not compulsory but to leave 5 baht between 4 is a joke IMO.

and how the hell does he expect the girls to split it up evenly ...

A nice shiny 5 baht coin between the 4 of them was the tip that the 4 customers left between them. yeah a whole 1.5 baht tip each.

1.25 baht

[Semper]

OP.

Did you have a Butler in your home country, or did mom or the nanny take care of all the service for you?