Land Of Smiles.....maybe Not!

[MacChine]

Not allowing yourself to be nickel and dimed is hardly bellicose. If the smiles are fake, then let them be wiped.

Well you smile at the policeman and thank him for keeping you right on the traffic laws as you give him the 100 baht, you smile at the receptionist and add a 100 baht apologising for any inconvenience and thanking her for the excellent service, you walk away, and everybody is all smiles...........or you can behave as a bellicose farang and wipe the smile off every face around you....

[Terry Newman]

Thailand is full of short term scams, they don't give a dam_n about return custom.

I am totally fed up with the place sometimes, I actually look FWD to go to work.

Edited February 10, 2013 by Terry Newman

[somtampet]

K i understand now,this doesnt happen anywhere else in the world only Thailand.I better leave soon as this is we hate falang racism,of the worst kind

[MacChine]

Well I guess I might have a different outlook if I didn't have to work, and had two maids , one who works for peanuts and the other works free and doubles as a child- maker and personal secretary, too ! YEAH !!.

I woke up this morning, went to the gym. Went to the cafe with my wife and daughter. Headed down with them both to the Ampur to shift her yellow book place of residence - cost nothing. Went shopping with my daughter while my wife went off to Chatuchuk for a bit of retail therapy.

Then met up this arvo with my burmese maid to hand over paperwork to extend her work permit (which the local labour office guided me through on Friday morning - again for nothing).

Came home. Played with my daughter with her new remote control helicopter which the shop at MBK had repaired for nothing when we bought it and had found it faulty.

Happy day all around.

I often wonder if I live in a different Thailand to the rest of you blokes.

Thai wife to do all the talking for you presumably? and a maid to do all things you and wife don't want to do. Would be a prity good life anywhere. How would you fare here completely on your own. Burmese maid would that be because you can pay her peanuts compared to a Thai maid?

[taninthai]

us foriegn people have to remember that we are not in our own countrys,I was on holiday with my lady and our two boys in Hua Hin reciently we had a nice meal in beach cafe, Boys being boys they accidently knocked over a glass and broke it. when the bill came there was a 30 baht charge for the broken glass. i wasnt happy but just paid as i wont be back in the cafe again.

Your lucky you were not in our restaurant we charge 50 bht per broken glass .happens alk the time children braking glasses do you seriously expect the restaurant to cover the cost all the time because the parents can't control their children at the dinner table.

Do you honestly expect a restaurant

[somtampet]

Went to the local mall this morning stopped in at the book store to grab a copy of the bp, counter lady asks me for 40 baht i ask her for a discount laughingly she replies mai dai, but proceeds to give me back 10 baht. my wife slaps me and says it is sunday the paper costs 40 baht today with the extra sections....i says I know just kidding. Try to give the 10 baht back laughing (puht len) the counter lady smiles mai phen lai....wife, I and lady are all having a good laugh at my attempted humour but she won't accept the 10 baht.

Go to Swensens figure will try the same thing (i always ask for a discount - sort of my thing) lot dai mai krap.....lady laughs, mai dai, my wife is shrinking with embarrassment. I says, puht len, lady at Swensens laughs calls over her 'boss" and we get a two for one special (has an old coupon in her pocket) gives it us. So instead of spending 280 baht we only paid 165 baht.

We then go to the hair salon for my wife to get her long hair cut short (getting into hot season) she gets the usual shampoo, conditioner, hair styled and dry. While this is going on I am chatting to the lady at the front counter, how much to cut my hair etc....finally she says the wife is ready and it is 200 baht.....panhg mak mak I says....lot dai mai krap......mai dai kha.....puht len....the usual conversation. My wife's hair looks amazing, tell the hairstylist she did a great job, next time I need a cut I will come here and get mine done...thank you very much.....lady pops out her business card and writes on the back - one free cut - next visit Kuhn ******.

Could it happen back in my old country absolutely.....but (and not every day does this happen. but it does happen more often than not) I have learned from the past 4 years living here having a chat, a bit of a smile yourself, learning the local language and treating people nicely may find there are more (genuine) smiles than frowns.

But I live in fairytale land as many poster tell me.......nope. I live in Northeast Thailand, can converse in the local language and treat people kindly....oooopps I guess that is a "fairytale" land! My bad.

good post mate,now stop being nice to those nasty thais !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,it will only result in broken glass hehehehe

[MacChine]

They don't have to give a dam_n, not when the country has all the p*ssy !! This commodity may well be the ruin of a nation. Like Easter Islanders cutting all their trees down to roll giant sculptures about, I think the nation is really digging itself into a cesspit by using the women to attract sexpats. It's a downward spiral with no room for half the population- Thai or foreign. ( That would be women to those who forget )

I would stop marrying off the Thai women to sexist westerners, and start attracting foreign women, give them investment incentives or something, then I can see a true land of smiles.

Thailand is full of short term scams, they don't give a dam_n about return custom.

I am totally fed up with the place sometimes, I actually look FWD to go to work.

[MrWorldwide]

Thailand is full of short term scams, they don't give a dam_n about return custom.

I am totally fed up with the place sometimes, I actually look FWD to go to work.

Why don't you just leave ? Move to Utopia, the *real* land of smiles. No scammers there.

[473geo]

Not allowing yourself to be nickel and dimed is hardly bellicose. If the smiles are fake, then let them be wiped.

Well you smile at the policeman and thank him for keeping you right on the traffic laws as you give him the 100 baht, you smile at the receptionist and add a 100 baht apologising for any inconvenience and thanking her for the excellent service, you walk away, and everybody is all smiles...........or you can behave as a bellicose farang and wipe the smile off every face around you....

I see genuine smiles returning mine all the time......maybe that is why I don't have too much experience of the 'nickel and dime' action others find so offensive.....perhaps it is karma......after all we are in Thailand! Besides over time I learnt to use a very well proven and low stress methodology, my wife handles the payment transactions ....I smile while my wife pays ......easy

[kevvy]

Thailand is full of short term scams, they don't give a dam_n about return custom.

I am totally fed up with the place sometimes, I actually look FWD to go to work.

Why don't you just leave ? Move to Utopia, the *real* land of smiles. No scammers there.

oh another one who say "why dont you just leave "

[rene123]

ANOTHER good post, rct99q. Keep it up and they won't let you back on the forum.

[Semper]

Besides over time I learnt to use a very well proven and low stress methodology, my wife handles the payment transactions ....I smile while my wife pays

I do the same, however, I can't agree with the smile part.

[kennedy]

Besides over time I learnt to use a very well proven and low stress methodology, my wife handles the payment transactions ....I smile while my wife pays

I do the same, however, I can't agree with the smile part.

Thats what I did at immigration, while biting my tongue

[MrWorldwide]

Thailand is full of short term scams, they don't give a dam_n about return custom.

I am totally fed up with the place sometimes, I actually look FWD to go to work.

Why don't you just leave ? Move to Utopia, the *real* land of smiles. No scammers there.

oh another one who say "why dont you just leave "

When I got totally fed up with Sydney, I left. I knew the city wasn't going to change to suit me - at least not in the areas that led to me being 'fed up'. It just wasn't the city I adored ten years earlier, and I wasn't the only one who felt that way. When the party's over, it's over - whining about it wont change anything.

[ScotsExpat]

Well you smile at the policeman and thank him for keeping you right on the traffic laws as you give him the 100 baht, you smile at the receptionist and add a 100 baht apologising for any inconvenience and thanking her for the excellent service, you walk away, and everybody is all smiles...........or you can behave as a bellicose farang and wipe the smile off every face around you....

Don't know about bellicose, but your response appears to have been written by a bellend farang...

Why should anyone knowingly put up with being ripped off?

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"

By doing nothing, you are perpetuating the bullshit and doing neither you or the Thais any kind of favour...

[geriatrickid]

us foriegn people have to remember that we are not in our own countrys,I was on holiday with my lady and our two boys in Hua Hin reciently we had a nice meal in beach cafe, Boys being boys they accidently knocked over a glass and broke it. when the bill came there was a 30 baht charge for the broken glass. i wasnt happy but just paid as i wont be back in the cafe again.

Well, don't you think you should take responsibility for the damage you cause? If I break something, I will pay for it. Why do you expect the merchant to subsidize your breakage? Unless, you think the merchant should add an extra 5 baht to every meal to pay for the customers that break things. Is that fair? Why should I pay for your breakage? Good lesson there. Teach your boys that when they do damage, they should not take responsibility. Nice.

Edited February 11, 2013 by geriatrickid

[billd766]

Hasn't been the land of SMILES for years.

You must live in a totally different Thailand to the one I live in.

I am partly deaf and tone so speaking Thai is hard for me but most Thais I speak to try to understand what I say and are very helpful. Most of the time I am around without my wife and if I get to a point where both the Thai and I get stuck I will call my wife.

I ALWAYS smile and joke when I talk with Thais and 95% of the time there is no problem.

Several have followed me and returned money if I have overpaid and several have asked me for more when I have underpaid which was my fault completely but we have always parted with a smile.