How To Say Thank You

[pomchop]

One of my pet peeves is when posters come on the forum and ask for advice or assistance and one or more members takes the time to give the requested advice and then the OP never ever comes back to say a simple THANK YOU.

No it is not required that you say thanks...nor is it required that people take the time to help you.

But I think it is common courtesy that fortunately MOST people seemed to have learned in childhood. I was lucky to be raised by a grandmother that taught me long long ago that it is RUDE and STUPID not to say thanks to anyone, anytime, anywhere who helped or tried to help you in anyway. And fortunately that has paid numerous dividends to me in my life.

When i was a young broke college student I worked at a local hometown textile mill that hired many college kids for dirty summer jobs. At the end of the summer before going back to school my grandmother MADE me write a letter note to the big boss to thank him for hiring me. He wrote me back and said they had been giving local college kids summer jobs for years and i was the FIRST one ever to write him a thank you note...and he said that next summer instead of working out in the awful textile mill that he had a nice job for me in an A/C office....so YES a simple thank you can sometimes open doors.

If you have the time to post the question then It is really not so hard to take 30 seconds to read the answer and then post a simple TXS, or Thank You .

If you don't have the time or the manners to show a little common courtesy maybe next time you should do your own research.

Thank you for reading my "rant"..

[Richie23]

Well said, totally agree.

[villagefarang]

I have been taken to task on several occasions for suggesting the same. Needless to say, I am in total agreement that a little followup and a thank you are not too much to ask.

[cooked]

I have had threads hijacked and didn't want to say thank you to the time wasters.

[sceadugenga]

I've received a number of thankyou messages by PM in the past, including one recently from the OP of a thread that looks like it's in the hands of hijackers now.

This probably happens more often than people realise.

[David48]

I agree.

Indeed the trip-reports-visiting-chiang-rai is almost an entire thank you thread.

A wee question asked (travelling to Chiang Rai) and a great response by the fine folk here.

We get to say thank-you to all those who replied with a trip report.

[David48]

Also happened to my gf in this thread ... can-someone-translate-for-me-in-to-thai

The OP got a hammering by all and sundry.

Me thinks he will be full of thanks in the future.

I have a philosophy on this.

Some times we drink from the well ... some times we give back to the well.

Plus people here are not fools. They know, based on past experiences, who to invest their time with ... and those who might be let go through to the keeper ... hope you understand the Cricketing metaphor!

[Pormax]

I agree with the OP but maybe it has to do with too many living in Thailand for too long

and following the ways of the Thai people.

They hardly ever seem to say thank you (not just to me if I have done something to help, but each other)

and it does annoy me.

I however get strange looks and maybe sometimes a smile if say I say thank you when my plate of food is put in front of me at a restaurant or after being served at a shop and given my change.

[villagefarang]

I agree with the OP but maybe it has to do with too many living in Thailand for too long

and following the ways of the Thai people.

They hardly ever seem to say thank you (not just to me if I have done something to help, but each other)

and it does annoy me.

I however get strange looks and maybe sometimes a smile if say I say thank you when my plate of food is put in front of me at a restaurant or after being served at a shop and given my change.

I have been in Thailand longer than most and do not live in a world devoid of thanks or good manners. I suggest you may be hanging out with the wrong sort of people if manners are important to you but not present in your daily life. It could also be a language thing.

[Pormax]

I agree with the OP but maybe it has to do with too many living in Thailand for too long

and following the ways of the Thai people.

They hardly ever seem to say thank you (not just to me if I have done something to help, but each other)

and it does annoy me.

I however get strange looks and maybe sometimes a smile if say I say thank you when my plate of food is put in front of me at a restaurant or after being served at a shop and given my change.

I have been in Thailand longer than most and do not live in a world devoid of thanks or good manners. I suggest you may be hanging out with the wrong sort of people if manners are important to you but not present in your daily life. It could also be a language thing.

Sorry I do not agree. But you are entitled to your opinion.

Stand in 7/11 or stand and watch those in a market an see how many Thais say Kup or Ka or even a nod of the head as acknowledgement when given their goods or change. Yes I know they are the customer but I was bought up to say thank you at times like this. The feeling I get when I see this happen is that the Thai customer thinks they are higher up the ladder than those serving them.

Yes not all are the same, but I am talking of the majority.

No I don't mix with the wrong sort of people, I am like you 'VillageFarang' and live in a village in the North East.

It is a Thai thing but saying that I expect with how the youngsters are taught manners/respect now in my country it could be soon the same there.

Here in the village a lot of the children (mainly wife's neices and nephews) are given things by my wife or myself and we have had to teach them to say thank you or Thai equivalent or they don't get.

Maybe others do not notice the same as me as they were not bought up with the same manners as I.

[villagefarang]

Perhaps it would be good to remember, Thais were not brought up in your culture by your parents. I am not so sure about holding Thais accountable to some arbitrary, obscure rules of behavior devised in some faraway land, they know little of.

Standards of behavior are seldom distributed evenly across all levels of society. Expecting to find the best of behavior in a village market or 7/11 is a bit unrealistic in my opinion. Besides manners are more about how we act toward others than how they act toward us.

A minor thing but I live in the North, not the North East (Isaan). Some people make a distinction between the two.

[sceadugenga]

An interesting social dilemma, Thais do seem to wai only social equals and superiors.

Always looks a bit strange when I see farang returning a wai to check out girls at supermarket.

I suppose the Thais find it amusing.

Edited February 25, 2013 by sceadugenga

[Star Dust]

well said....

[smokie36]

I get criticised on some forums here for flippant or silly replies but I like to have a bit of fun.

Equally though if people ask a relevant question I will do my best to answer it.

All a simple balance for me.

[Thailand]

I can only agree and say:

[wileycoyote]

Good Posting Pomchop

Thank You

[changchaser]

Hi all, I have recently posted a question regarding Dentists in Chiang Rai in your forum. I have had some great advice and will use that advice wisely. I am planing to give a full report on my experiences, after my visit. I also plan to leave a post in your visitors thread regarding my stay.

I have been looking at this forum for a while and have picked up some valuable information. Not just on Dentistry but all manor of things regarding Chiang Rai!

Keep up the good work guys!

Thanks again for the good advice.

[chiang mai]

Can I just say thank you to everyone for saying thank you? Thanks.

[villagefarang]

Hi all, I have recently posted a question regarding Dentists in Chiang Rai in your forum. I have had some great advice and will use that advice wisely. I am planing to give a full report on my experiences, after my visit. I also plan to leave a post in your visitors thread regarding my stay. I have been looking at this forum for a while and have picked up some valuable information. Not just on Dentistry but all manor of things regarding Chiang Rai! Keep up the good work guys! Thanks again for the good advice.

We are looking forward to your report.

[Paangjang]

Maybe i missed something? How is this Chiang rai related and why is it in this Chiang rai sub forum? Oh and umm err, thanks?...

[villagefarang]

Its pretty simple really. A Chiang Rai forum member airing his opinion of those who ask for our help and then disappear without so much as a farewell or thank you. It happens often enough to dissuade those who would otherwise be willing and eager to help.

I might add that some requests are so poorly thought out and expressed as to be unanswerable without further elaboration. Asking them to provide enough information for us to give a thoughtful answer is often met with resentment and incredulity.

Many posters in sub-forums, like Chiang Rai, do not feel comfortable in the broader forums and prefer to post locally as you are more apt to know who you are talking to. While I am sure this problem is relevant across the internet, in this case it is local in focus.