Registration In Thailand? How Tough Are They

[nattergal]

i signed up for a 7 month contract in a fitness centre. the contract said 1 year, but i made them sign a paper that made it possible for me to stop the contract after 7 month if i showed them my plane ticket. that was in october, and i went back home to my country. however i returned, to my job on december learning that they still send me bills. as i refuse to pay it has comed so far that i have received a letter from a bangkok lawyer. i cant read it but im 100% what it is about!

my question is! have anyone had an experience like this, and could u imagine that they cooperate with the government\imigration dep.?

im leavin thailand again in march but would be very unhappy to be stopped in the airport or even worse. to be refused next time i return.

i have told them(the company) the situation but it seems like they just want me to pay, which i find absolutely unfair. ontop of it. i have lost the paper where they signed that it was possible to get out of the contract after 7 month.

i could ofcourse just pay them what they want. but this is just a principle case.

thanks alot

nattergal

[The Dan Sai Kid]

i signed up for a 7 month contract in a fitness centre. the contract said 1 year, but i made them sign a paper that made it possible for me to stop the contract after 7 month if i showed them my plane ticket. that was in october, and i went back home to my country. however i returned, to my job on december learning that they still send me bills. as i refuse to pay it has comed so far that i have received a letter from a bangkok lawyer. i cant read it but im 100% what it is about!

my question is! have anyone had an experience like this, and could u imagine that they cooperate with the government\imigration dep.?

im leavin thailand again in march but would be very unhappy to be stopped in the airport or even worse. to be refused next time i return.

i have told them(the company) the situation but it seems like they just want me to pay, which i find absolutely unfair. ontop of it. i have lost the paper where they signed that it was possible to get out of the contract after 7 month.

i could ofcourse just pay them what they want. but this is just a principle case.

thanks alot

nattergal

If you have no proof then what can you do? There's a one year contract that you've signed and your word.

But, I could imagine that all immigration officers will probably be memorising your details so that the fitness centre can get their 5000 baht...

Edited January 11, 2006 by Grant

[rishi]

...

... could u imagine that they cooperate with the government\imigration dep.?

NO, that's totally beyond my imagination ... (unless the owners of the fitness center have friends/family within the forces, of course).

Except for some eventual personal relationships, any private company will have a really hard time convincing any public department, that this department should help that private company out in any problem it might have with its patrons.

[Dragonman]

...

... could u imagine that they cooperate with the government\imigration dep.?

NO, that's totally beyond my imagination ... (unless the owners of the fitness center have friends/family within the forces, of course).

Except for some eventual personal relationships, any private company will have a really hard time convincing any public department, that this department should help that private company out in any problem it might have with its patrons.

Whilst I am sure that personal information could be obtained informally, you could not be officially stopped by Immigration as this is a Civil offence which could go through the Courts to obtain the money. If you are still in the Country when the court appearence letter comes and you don't turn up, there may be implications. If you have no letter it doesn't sound as if you'd win in court.

[nattergal]

thank u very much for your replies. this case just fill me up with anger , because i have already told them that i wanted to stop after the 7 month. i learned from a friend that this company (California WOW) has a really tough and unfair way of making business. If this was happened in my homecountry i would never pay. but now that im here and i am unfamiliar with the laws and the consequences, it really makes me feel nervous!

have anyone an idea how much it would cost me now that their case has been sent to the lawyer!

apart from that. they wouldnt send some big guys out to collect the money. would they?

jesper

[Dragonman]

thank u very much for your replies. this case just fill me up with anger , because i have already told them that i wanted to stop after the 7 month. i learned from a friend that this company (California WOW) has a really tough and unfair way of making business. If this was happened in my homecountry i would never pay. but now that im here and i am unfamiliar with the laws and the consequences, it really makes me feel nervous!

have anyone an idea how much it would cost me now that their case has been sent to the lawyer!

apart from that. they wouldnt send some big guys out to collect the money. would they?

jesper

If you settle immediately unlikely to have to pay anything extra. Only if they refer to Collection Agency, and they probably say in the letter which you should get translated what penalties you will incur. With regard to your final sentence, I have not seen it happen in such a case, but I'm sure it does.

[bkkmadness]

California has a bad rep for business, quite right. They have some mad pricing policy as well, that not only differs from Thai to farang but also depends on whether you live here or not etc. and seems very open to negotiation which seems very unprofessional to me. You shouldn't have to haggle for your gym prices should you?

[Phil Conners]

You started by saying

but i made them sign a paper that made it possible for me to stop the contract after 7 month if i showed them my plane ticket

So just show them the ticket and get it over with, huh?

[nattergal]

[yes but unfortunately i dont have that paper anymore. only my fligth ticket. and thats for no use without the paper.

besides. this is not californias case anymore. its between me and the lawyer.

if it comes to the court room. i will loose. since i dont have that paper anymore.

[boppia]

I feel sorry for you. I wish you the best. I wish business people would do the right thing once in a while. If you weren't here you obviously weren't going to the gym. They must keep track of your attendance. If the company pursues you trying to get you to pay even though you didn't use their equipment they really are a low class establishment. I would just leave the country. Well, if the worst happens we'll at least know what that place really is. If they like to play legal games then someone should give them a taste of their own medicine. I bet there is someone who has been injured there and could take them to court. It could be that the owners of the company are lawyers.

[qualtrough]

I wouldn't sweat it too much, especially if your are leaving again in March. Cases can take years to drag through the courts. If you are leaving in March I don't think you have anything to worry about. Besides, what assets do you have that could be seized? If you have any, move them. Very unlikely that you would be prevented from leaving, etc.

If I were you I would not tell them that you will not pay. Just keep putting them off, "I am waiting for some money from overseas and then I can pay you", "The money hasn't arrived yet" etc. Then jump on the plane in March. Whatever you do, don't pay them. They screwed you, don't compound the damage by giving them more money. I have heard bad things about that fitness outfit too.

One more thing. If you ever need to modify a contract again the contract itself should be modified. I am not a lawyer, but I did take a contracts course once and learned that you can cross out and change the terms of a contract provided that both parties acknowledge the changes. That way you don't run the risk of losing a peripheral document and both parties will have copies (or should have copies) of the amended document. If you had done that the Fitness company would not have had a leg to stand on because they could only have produced the amended contract which would be favorable to you. I am sure there are lawyers reading this, so if this info is wrong I am willing to stand corrected.

[Dragonman]

I wouldn't sweat it too much, especially if your are leaving again in March. Cases can take years to drag through the courts. If you are leaving in March I don't think you have anything to worry about. Besides, what assets do you have that could be seized? If you have any, move them. Very unlikely that you would be prevented from leaving, etc.

If I were you I would not tell them that you will not pay. Just keep putting them off, "I am waiting for some money from overseas and then I can pay you", "The money hasn't arrived yet" etc. Then jump on the plane in March. Whatever you do, don't pay them. They screwed you, don't compound the damage by giving them more money. I have heard bad things about that fitness outfit too.

One more thing. If you ever need to modify a contract again the contract itself should be modified. I am not a lawyer, but I did take a contracts course once and learned that you can cross out and change the terms of a contract provided that both parties acknowledge the changes. That way you don't run the risk of losing a peripheral document and both parties will have copies (or should have copies) of the amended document. If you had done that the Fitness company would not have had a leg to stand on because they could only have produced the amended contract which would be favorable to you. I am sure there are lawyers reading this, so if this info is wrong I am willing to stand corrected.

Whilst basic amendments can be made on the contract, it would really be adviseable to attach an amendment of contract or "rider" which should be referred to in the original contract. Both parties should agree to such. Probably in this case the company didn't even keep a copy of the letter they gave, and I would have hoped that if that letter was produced any company would honour such without bringing contract law into play

[frenchFARANGbkk]

thank u very much for your replies. this case just fill me up with anger , because i have already told them that i wanted to stop after the 7 month. i learned from a friend that this company (California WOW) has a really tough and unfair way of making business. If this was happened in my homecountry i would never pay. but now that im here and i am unfamiliar with the laws and the consequences, it really makes me feel nervous!

have anyone an idea how much it would cost me now that their case has been sent to the lawyer!

apart from that. they wouldnt send some big guys out to collect the money. would they?

jesper

I think you have just been crazy to trust a stupid sale person who told you that you can stop your contract after 7 months! This is actually not possible, you will have to pay 1 full year anyway.

But this was easy to guess!

[TAWP]

Since it's a civil matter what could the company do anyway?

I mean, if they take him to court to sue for the coffie-change of money, then what? If he doesn't have anything of value here in his name it wouldn't matter.