How To Enforce Theft Of Laundry Items?

[Trevor25222]

A small, private, in-house, Pattaya laundry has lost some of my items and are trying to fob me off with another customers' clothes, claiming my item-count is correct. I had previously listed all my items, together with their colours, in Thai, as I can write the language.

What can I do with this careless laundry woman? Go to, or threaten to go to, the tourist police? They don't seem to mark clothes here and rely on memory! She can't even remember the customer whose clothes she is trying to fob me off with. Thanks for any advice.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Trevor25222

[plopmeister]

If the clothes offered to me were from an agogo establishment and were in a "Pre wash" state I know what I would do..

[LongTimeLurker]

Do you think that the Tourist Police have interrogation techniques that will be able to help her remember who she gave your clothes to? or who's clothes you've got?

If so, go fo it.

[chiang mai]

Go find a new laundry and stop being silly.

[inthepink]

If the clothes offered to me were from an agogo establishment and were in a "Pre wash" state I know what I would do..

If I ever see a Westerner running around Pattaya wearing nothing but a pair of soiled knickers on his head, I'll know it's you..

[plopmeister]

If the clothes offered to me were from an agogo establishment and were in a "Pre wash" state I know what I would do..

If I ever see a Westerner running around Pattaya wearing nothing but a pair of soiled knickers on his head, I'll know it's you..

When did you see me??

[scorecard]

Go find a new laundry and stop being silly.

If you can write Thai, why not write your name inside your clothes with a permanent pen, and make sure you tell the laundry lady, this one or the replacement lady, and make a point of showing the laundry lady that your name is written inside each article, might help a bit.

[qdinthailand]

Really Trevor - Theft! of laundry items?

Mistakes happen. So she's careless. She didn't steal your clothes.

You take your business to someone more reliable.

Or maybe you ask her of the other party turned in your clothes, looking for his own, and

[Scully]

Find a young lady that can hand wash your clothes.

[MJCM]

Simple solution to your problem. Buy you own washing machine. Problem solved.

[jbrain]

Find a young lady that can hand wash your clothes.

That one works at Tesco and is booked by Omnilangur already

[JSixpack]

This time, you're screwed. Sorry!

Laundries will try to just take your clothes and not give you a receipt of any kind. When you bring them in you've got to insist they count out all the items while you wait and watch and give you an itemized receipt w/ total amount owed. That, and marking your clothes (point out that they're marked), should keep problems to a minimum.

[gerry53]

Just be thankful it was not your bank relocating your assets!!!

Find a laundry that is more professional or do your own. Sometimes cheaper is not better here. Write off your small lose and move on - it's a cheap lesson here in Thailand compared to houses, cars, condos, business's etc!!

[Satcommlee]

You don't use a laundry between North Pattaya Road and Soi Potisarn by any chance?

I've got some unindentified shirts in my wardrobe right now which must have accidentally come from the laundry I use.

[surangw]

Put in a few pants you don't car for with fish hooks sewed in the groin area, someone will pay a high price for the theft.

[whybother]

How To Enforce Theft Of Laundry Items?

Are you trying to say that she's not taking enough of them?

[gk10002000]

I literally go out of my way to go to the very nice lady on Soi Yume. She is on the left as walking north. A middle aged woman, not the first laundry but the second maybe 100 yards past Carre 4. Sorry, I just can't call it Big C, that is too arbitrary!

[Basil B]

There really is nothing you can do.

Most laundries are normally reliable, they normally mark them with colored wool, if you look at the receipt you may find a piece of colored wool sellotaped to it.

[jimmybkk]

The same thing happened to me a couple of years ago so I took my entire wardrobe to the local vet and got every item "chipped". I now get a phone call every time a dog shows up at the vet's wearing one of my t-shirts. Give it a try....

[candid]

Nevertheless, it is a little disconcerrting when you are offered someone else's laundry when yours has been misplaced. I am a rather large male and was offered a Korean woman's laundry once as mine was "lost". This establishment was doing laundry for a hotel nearby. The laundry owner just couldn't understand why I was angry, I had put in 20 items and here she was offereing me 20 items. After denying responsibility for about a week, my stuff turned up. The little Korean woman had lugged my drawers round Thailand after she recognised the mistake when she picker up her laundry. No prizes for guessing how she found out.

[jcw]

Find a young lady that can hand wash your clothes.

In your soapy bath

[HHBM]

A good thing that your trust only resulted in the loss of a few items of clothing...

[Trevor25222]

Of course even an itemised listing on a letterhead doesn't stop Thais from trying to fob you off with someone else's clothing. Some of the better places safety-pin small tags to clothing, which is better than an indelible mark which may show, or cause confusion, to a subsequent laundry service. Like so much else in Thailand this industry is completely unregulated and is seen as easy income for little investment and no obligation to compensate customers. Even a pre-deposit web search was not much use for my particular area as the one recommended shop had recently ceased operating.

Failure to return goods deposited in good faith for cleaning is criminal theft, at least in civilised countries. If I had stolen an item of clothing from a Thai, I would have been liable to arrest, fine or prison, deportation and black-listing. There are other tropical countries with more-responsible attitudes towards the consumer.

Edited December 7, 2012 by Rimmer
Libel

[JSixpack]

in Thailand this industry is completely unregulated

Oooh, let's get the government to regulate it! Don't you just love nanny states?

and is seen as easy income for little investment

Laundry work is definitely real work, not much heavy lifting but labor intensive and extremely boring work at that. It does require significant investment in good machines etc. Plus you've got deal w/ the idiot farang customers.

and no obligation to compensate customers.

So you need to sign a waiver each time as you do before surgery in a Thai hospital? Or how about adding "missing laundry" rider to your insurance? See AIA. Have you notified Thai Consumer Protection? Filed a police report?

Caveat emptor. But a good laundry offers compensation. Mine lost a pair my socks once. I suggested an 80 baht discount on my bill and it was cheerfully accepted. They were well-used socks. Nice people there. They do their best but aren't perfect.

Failure to return goods deposited in good faith for cleaning is criminal theft, at least in civilised countries. . . . There are other tropical countries with more-responsible attitudes towards the consumer.

No. When are you leaving?

Edited December 8, 2012 by JSixpack

[Spoonman]

I would storm the joint with an automatic weapon and demand my clothes back.

[plopmeister]

That, and marking your clothes (point out that they're marked), should keep problems to a minimum.

The skid marks on mine are quite obvious and don't need pointing out.....scraping off maybe...

[LongTimeLurker]

It's happened to me twice before, the laundry gave me free service for a month.

[Trevor25222]

When are you leaving?

21-12-2012. Was only here for the dentistry. Colombia and Madagascar next. I'll leave Pattaya to the thieves, and the sarcastic lemmings who tolerate them.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Trevor25222

[JSixpack]

When are you leaving?

21-12-2012. Was only here for the dentistry. Colombia and Madagascar next. I'll leave Pattaya to the thieves, and the sarcastic lemmings who tolerate them.

I suspect Colombia and Madagascar require some adaptation as well, Don Quixote.

[Ohio]

I would storm the joint with an automatic weapon and demand my clothes back.

Maybe even the whole SWAT Entry Team .

Seriously , if you can write Thai why the heck wouldn't you mark your clothing ????

Been using the same lady every time we are here never had a problem NEVER counted or had anything go missing.

Good Luck I consult at $250.00 per hour