Taking Responsibility

[Kananga]

Ok, so we all hear the stories in Thailand about how people don't take responsibility for their actions, how no one accepts responsibility for things etc. Well I have a story that surprised me and goes against this over-riding mindset.

My mother in law was walking down the escalator at On Nut BTS carrying a suitcase in one hand and another bag in the other. She lost her balance, slipped and went down the escalator headfirst landing on her head.

My wife rushes her to the hospital where she has an MRI/CAT scan, spends the night for observation and is then sent home with concussion the next day. Sore, disorientated but ok.

A lady from BTS came to visit in the hospital that evening and apologised for the accident. She said she would speak to her superiors regarding the accident.

A couple of weeks later she just called to say that BTS has an obligation to its customers and will pay for all the medical bills associated with the accident.

Now there wasn't any faulty machinery, it wasn't wet and my MIL was carrying heavy bags and not holding the handrail. BTS could have easily sidestepped any obligations here and we didnt even ask them to pay or threaten them with legal action in anyway.

Its not a particularly interesting story, but it surprised me that this customer focussed approach was taken and I just wanted to give credit where it's due.

[CharlieH]

Good to hear and certainly an exception not the general rule and attitude one has come to expect.

Good for BTS, hope others follow this excellent example set by the BTS.

ps: glad your mil is ok.

[WilliaminBKK]

I still remember the Irish guy on the BTS with the balloons, good to see a nice story for a change-Good for them & glad your MIL was taken care of.

[wayned]

Once in a while you hear something positive! It seems to be human nature to only recollect the negative.

More than once I have been shopping at the local Wednesday market and when I pulled money from my pocket some fell on the ground unknown to me. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to it. It reminded me of being in the Dubai where if they picked it up they feared that they would loose their hand. Although I don't know how many times it happened that I wasn't told!

[h90]

BTS is foreign managed I think

[slapout]

Seems to have been a rash of escalator related accidents lately. I have noticed a few times that some escalators will seem to be jerking, instead of running smoothly. Its sometimes difficult to walk down an escalator with your hands full.

Glad you MIL is okay and that BTS would take the time to follow up and take care of medical bills.

[soi41]

BTS is foreign managed I think

I get so tired, why post about something, you clearly know nothing about?? BTS is 100% Thai owned and managed! But I understand a story like the OP's doesn't fit your anti-Thai sentiment! Make me wanna puke.

[GentlemanJim]

Now there wasn't any faulty machinery, it wasn't wet and my MIL was carrying heavy bags and not holding the handrail.

It was the MiL....did you push her?

Glad she's ok. Watch her closely over the next few weeks, a fall like that at that age can have serious effects on health. Make sure she doesn't dwell on it and think of it all the time and she needs to take things real easy. Make sure a letter of real appreciation goes to the very top of the chain at BTS, copied to all those that helped in between. Good news for once.

[Exsexyman]

BTS is foreign managed I think

I get so tired, why post about something, you clearly know nothing about?? BTS is 100% Thai owned and managed! But I understand a story like the OP's doesn't fit your anti-Thai sentiment! Make me wanna puke.

+1. This is fast becoming an epidemic on here, check out the Thailand News forum. Every day no matter what the topic, the same old faces can be seen slagging off Thailand and the Thais, no matter how irrelevant to the subject being discussed. They seem to have a pathological need to do this. One can only speculate as to why they are so bitter and twisted about all things Thai. My guess is that some lovely convinced them that they were a very sexy man before separating them from their savings!

[Kananga]

Now there wasn't any faulty machinery, it wasn't wet and my MIL was carrying heavy bags and not holding the handrail.

It was the MiL....did you push her?

Glad she's ok. Watch her closely over the next few weeks, a fall like that at that age can have serious effects on health. Make sure she doesn't dwell on it and think of it all the time and she needs to take things real easy. Make sure a letter of real appreciation goes to the very top of the chain at BTS, copied to all those that helped in between. Good news for once.

She's only 49!

But a good idea regarding the letter. Will take care of that.

[smokie36]

Glad to hear about a real happy ending!

[jacktrip]

BTS is foreign managed I think

I get so tired, why post about something, you clearly know nothing about?? BTS is 100% Thai owned and managed! But I understand a story like the OP's doesn't fit your anti-Thai sentiment! Make me wanna puke.

+1. This is fast becoming an epidemic on here, check out the Thailand News forum. Every day no matter what the topic, the same old faces can be seen slagging off Thailand and the Thais, no matter how irrelevant to the subject being discussed. They seem to have a pathological need to do this. One can only speculate as to why they are so bitter and twisted about all things Thai. My guess is that some lovely convinced them that they were a very sexy man before separating them from their savings!

sounds like a good reason to be bitter to me. if you cant go off personal experience, what can we go on?

[Mitker]

A very professional and correct reaction to the incident by the BTS indeed.

However, I think this behavior is not what posts pointing to the lack of responsibility refer to generally. Here is why:

What we have here is a proper answer from a corporate body to an personal incident they aren't responsible for (the fall was mostly due to the load carried by your MiL and her lost of balance, no equipment was faulty).

Objectively, BTS could hardly be blamed for what happened and has probably an insurance covering these cases.

On the other side, the staff who took care of the case is an employee of the company and is not "personally" involved in terms of responsibility or consequences. She's following the company policy (once again, a very correct one).

When posters denounce the lack of responsibility in the local culture, they refer to individuals who act in a manner obviously likely to harm others and who, when risk has turned into an incident/accident, run away from the consequences they should personally face.

The typical hit-and-run in traffic accidents is a clear example (Ferrari case). But most of us have already witnessed driving behaviors that could be called criminal by the probability of these to lead to serious crashes (mostly from heavier vehicles).

A friend of mine has been threatened of retaliation by her violent ex if she would denounce him hitting a biker and leaving him (probably) dying on the road at night. This bastard is still on the roads with his pickup today, proud of himself. The victim's family will never know what happened that night.

The guy who leaves the girl after learning she's pregnant (from him) and retires a couple of weeks in a temple to reset the counter and start another life somewhere else without caring about her, is another example.

But the same can be witnessed in most case involving convicted officials who keep their job (here the lack of responsibility is shared by their hierarchy reluctant to clean their acts).

I consider Thais to be very prone to help you in case they find you in need. More than in the Western world, actually.

But I have heard too many cases of the kind above where avoiding facing the consequences of their own acts was the rule.

It is something different.

This is just my experience and can not be generalized to ALL. I know counter-examples but in fewer numbers.