Super Cheeky Restaurant Check Bin "surprises" And How You Dealt With Them

[Jingthing]

OK, I just had an "incident" in Jomtien today where a restaurant bill arrived with two totally shocking surprise extra charges.

So instead of making this a local Pattaya topic, I thought this kind of thing probably happens many places in Thailand ... so it might be fun to hear about people's experiences with similar SUPER CHEEKY restaurant bin charges.

Here I am talking about real unusual (and real unfair) extra surprise charges that get presented on your bill. I'd like people to share specific examples and how they reacted to them. (My story that inspires this follows later.)

The kind of thing I am NOT talking about are run of the mill, almost expected annoying charge issues that most people know about and have been around for years.

For examples:

Getting charged for the cold moist cleanup towel even though you didn't ask for it.

Order seafood by weight, not asking the price, and then getting a charge for it that looks extreme overpriced

Plus plus and/or service charges you weren't aware of on first visit

The kinds of things I AM talking about are similar to the two things that happened to me today. Neither has happened to me anywhere, in any country, all my life. Until today.

Went into an "ethnic" tourism oriented restaurant in Jomtien. Not Thai food. Not European food. 'Nuff said as I can't name the place for obvious name and shame reasons.

Ordered two dishes.

One of the dishes I said ... I like spicy. It is a dish that I know to be a spicy dish but it being a tourism oriented place I wanted to make sure they didn't tone it down. The waitress asked so you want extra spicy? I said OK. (That was a clue perhaps.)

Another dish is a famous dish I have had dozens of times in various countries. There is an ingredient that it always has had for me in the past, even in the country of its origin which I have been to. Without that ingredient the dish is almost nothing. The menu cost of the dish was about 140 baht. The dish arrived without the key ingredient. Looking at what was on the plate, I estimate their food cost to be 10 baht. I called the waitress and asked to see the menu again. I figured the key ingredient must be on the menu description and it was just a mistake. It was not. So I told the waitress. This dish is supposed to have _____ and without ____ this is just a bad dish but I can see it isn't listed on the menu. So I decided to accept the dish. Later the chef comes out with the missing ingredient, all smiley. The food cost of the portion of the item was an estimated 5 baht. He says you must know alot about "_____" kind of food to know it is supposed to have _____. I tell him I have never seen it served before without _____ and asked him why they don't serve it with ______. His lame answer was some people don't like ____. Can't reveal the ingredient but that's not a believable answer. It is a very inoffensive food. Anyway, he was nice and I thanked him for the offer of the _____. (Silly me!)

(I just wiki-ied the dish and indeed the standard always EXPECTED key ingredient is both pictured and listed so I am not tripping about this.)

Anyway, eat the food, the spicy dish is pretty good, the dish with the added _____ is now OK. The check bin arrives.

Extra charges:

80 "Extra Spicy"

30 "Open Food"

Yes! They had charged me 80 baht to spice up one dish (that actually wasn't all that spiced up). This I have NEVER seen. Never. Ever. Anywhere. I am ... aghast!

The 30 baht was of course for the _____ which I didn't ask for, didn't order, I only complained about their dish for the lack of it.

So of course (if anyone knows me from my posts) I complained and complained big. I called over the most senior lady and told her definitively (after she explained the silly charges) there is no way I am paying for EITHER of those charges. I also told her that charging extra for an extra spicy call is not done in restaurants and that if they were to insist on doing that, they need to tell the customer at the time of the order. The ingredient thing I just explained, I never ordered that.

Anyway, she dropped the charges but the conflict was more about the outrageousness of the charges especially the extra spicy one. Yes all I can do is never go back and I won't.

I was really determined not to pay for those charges but of course if she had gone so far as to have police arrive, then I would have paid. I guess they deserve some credit for taking the charges off but imagine how many times that place must be making such silly charges, and I reckon most people, especially one off tourists just pay them without comment.

So what are YOUR super cheeky restaurant check bin "surprises" and how you did you deal with them?

Edited October 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

It was probably some kind of right-wing conspiracy.

I do remember being charged extra for mayonaise to put on a sandwich in a medium priced restaurant owned by a Westerner. I thought that was kind of cheeky.

Edited October 25, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[cooked]

Why confine the topic to food? Every time I go for screws at a certain shop I get screwed, and she knows I know it, she also knows I don't want to drive the extra 15 Km to get a few screws. It's only a few Baht, I can pay it, but it is about the impudence involved: they don't tell you in advance, they just plonk a bill on the table and avoid eye contact.

I find the way they do business here really weird, I remember getting a complaint years ago at 8 o'clock in the evening and I drove 20 Km to go look, kept the customer and got eventually some extras in the neighbourhood. Same thing in the UK last time I was there, I even got insulted for trying to get VAT back on a big purchase.

It's the impudence, that's what gets you down, meaning that they are counting on your being more polite than they are being, and your not saying anything. If you say that you definitely won't be back, they don't try to give you a credit on your next purchase or similar, they don't even watch you go.

[Jingthing]

It was probably some kind of right-wing conspiracy.

I do remember being charged extra for mayonaise to put on a sandwich in a medium priced restaurant owned by a Westerner. I thought that was kind of cheeky.

The restaurant in question at least used to be owned by a European. Not sure about now or even who goes there. Russians maybe who have a rep for free spending these days. Obviously with tourism oriented restaurants, everyone is seen as a one off and they care little about reputation. Too bad about the name and shame laws here. I think expats really would want to know about such places. Edited October 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[onionluke]

I was in this restaurant the name of which and type of food served you have to guess . The waiter , a swarthy dark fellow said , what will you have for starters , and I asked him if they had any badgees and he replied , badgees ...badgees ?? we don need no steenkeeng badgees . Daylight robbery .

[Jingthing]

I was in this restaurant the name of which and type of food served you have to guess . The waiter , a swarthy dark fellow said , what will you have for starters , and I asked him if they had any badgees and he replied , badgees ...badgees ?? we don need no steenkeeng badgees . Daylight robbery .

That is surprising.

[transam]

Did all that happen after you saved 5 bht to cross a dangerous road. ....

[Jingthing]

Did all that happen after you saved 5 bht to cross a dangerous road. ....

You have a long memory, dude.

As far as complaining when restaurants pull this kind of game, do people agree it is the right thing to push back? I generally like to avoid conflict in Thailand, but sometimes, it just feels like you've got to draw the line.

[transam]

Did all that happen after you saved 5 bht to cross a dangerous road. ....

You have a long memory, dude.

As far as complaining when restaurants pull this kind of game, do people agree it is the right thing to push back? I generally like to avoid conflict in Thailand, but sometimes, it just feels like you've got to draw the line.

Anything to do with cash at any venue must be on the menu when ordering. If it's wasn't there then tell them to , to, to, hmmmmm, to go show you it writing from the menu. ....

OR, take an Uzi with you, that seems to work.

[stoneyboy]

Why does your opening post read like a Cold War memo,I can not for the love of me understand what you are talking about with all the missing bits.

Is this some kind of guess a game.

[Jingthing]

Why does your opening post read like a Cold War memo,I can not for the love of me understand what you are talking about with all the missing bits.

Is this some kind of guess a game.

I don't want to give any hint as to the identity of the restaurant. Actually, I want to, but it wouldn't be Kosher. It's a general thing type of topic about really ridiculous extra charges. Maybe people who don't like spicy food can't relate to it, but I ask for food to be spicy quite a lot and have for years, and the idea that there would be "special order" charge for that is beyond the pale. I guess a funny test for that restaurant would be to order something on the menu labeled spicy and call for NOT SPICY, and then look for the 80 baht "special order" charge.

Yes I get my OP is overly wordy. But do you really not get the general concept?

So what are YOUR super cheeky restaurant check bin "surprises" and how you did you deal with them?

Edited October 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[uptheos]

I don't see anything in your post shaming the place, you're just stating what they charge extra for.........why the cloak and dagger stuff?

[transam]

Kosher.

[TwoDogz]

I asked for no salt on my chips once and got all flustered when they did not take the cost of the salt off the price.

[Benjie]

I'm still trying to work out the food they left out of the unmentionable dish, why aren't you allowed to say what the dish was or what it was missing?

[Jingthing]

I'm still trying to work out the food they left out of the unmentionable dish, why aren't you allowed to say what the dish was or what it was missing?

If I mentioned the nationality of the food offered or the name of the dish (a famous dish of that country) I would be giving away the specific place. Sorry if people don't understand the legal ramifications about that in Thailand, but I do, so I won't go there. Edited October 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[TwoDogz]

I'm still trying to work out the food they left out of the unmentionable dish, why aren't you allowed to say what the dish was or what it was missing?

Its the melodrama...quite well done too.

[stoneyboy]

Deleted due to incorrect guess.

Edited October 25, 2012 by stoneyboy

[Jingthing]

Look, it's cool if you want to focus on the mystery restaurant but that is going to get tired because I will not be revealing. I was looking for stories about similar surprises around Thailand. If you don't have them, then maybe this mystery restaurant really IS exceptionally cheeky.

(King David Kosher has been closed for years now! I never ate there but I did walk in once to look at the menu. This is a true story. I asked the Thai waiter, so what's good here? His answer, I kid you not ... NOTHING! Actually that's particularly funny because a stereotypical canned response from waiters when you ask what's good is ... EVERYTHING)

Edited October 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[cbrer]

We are marks here, that is all.

[rgs2001uk]

Learn to speak Thai.

Mai jai, riak tam ruaat ma, wont pay call the police, usually has them backtracking.

[transam]

We are marks here, that is all.

No it's baht.

[stoneyboy]

Ok one time I went into this restaurant in ------- and ordered ------- ,the menu said it was 40 baht,I asked for extra ------ because I like mine --------- than normal,after finishing the waitress proceeded to charge me 60 baht,couldn't believe I was charged for extra -------.

Won't be going back to ------- again,avoid like the plague.

[Jingthing]

Learn to speak Thai.

Mai jai, riak tam ruaat ma, wont pay call the police, usually has them backtracking.

In Pattaya, if the police come, I would be paying. Imagine trying to explain to a Thai cop about the missing ingredient of a non-Thai dish! Really not worth it at that point. Edited October 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Ok one time I went into this restaurant in ------- and ordered ------- ,the menu said it was 40 baht,I asked for extra ------ because I like mine --------- than normal,after finishing the waitress proceeded to charge me 60 baht,couldn't believe I was charged for extra -------.

Won't be going back to ------- again,avoid like the plague.

You ordered piset? That would be an extra charge always. Larger portion.

[Jingthing]

We are marks here, that is all.

Yeah of course. I'm just saying. Push back sometimes. It might work.

[tinfoilhat]

the OP is so ridiculously vague, it makes almost no sense.

Is it illegal now to name a menu item or ingredient?

I went into ---- and ----- and the ----- was ----- !!!.

can you believe that?

Edited October 25, 2012 by tinfoilhat

[Jingthing]

Here is my suggestion. If you don't understand the gist of my OP which is intended to inspire a discussion about all kinds outrageous charges at restaurants, then this ain't the thread for you. Maybe you don't think an extra charge (almost 50 percent of the cost of the dish in this case) for asking a dish to be cooked spicy is outrageous. That is your opinion. I do think it is outrageous because I have been doing so for years and never charged before for it. That is all.

Edited October 25, 2012 by Jingthing

[cbrer]

I rode down to Pattaya and wanted to get changed in one of the road side showers. Written in Thai: Ab-nahm. 10b, written in English: Shower: 50b.

I told them in Thai I wanted a shower stall.

50b.

We then went on for a good few minutes with her getting very, very mad.

In Thai:

I don't want a 'Showurrrr', I want Ab-Naahm. Read, Ab-Nahm 10b.

Shower! 50b!

No, no, not a shower, I don't was a shower, I want Ab-Nahm (pointing to the Thai writing).

I seldom go to Pattaya, but when I do, I'm always left thinking, Thank XXXX I don't live in this place!

Edited October 25, 2012 by metisdead

[cbrer]

Sorry, I should change that to:

"I told them in Thai I wanted a _________________

50b.

We then went on for a good few minutes with her getting very, very mad.

In Thai:

I don't want a '__________', I want __________. Read, __________ 10b.

__________! 50b!

No, no, not a __________, I don't was a __________, I want __________ (pointing to the Thai writing)."

Go easy folks, no putting 'ladyman sponge bath' and the such in those spaces.