Expensive Phuket jet ski fun for Chinese tourists
Naraporn Tuarob

PHUKET: Three Chinese tourists go home this weekend after learning how expensive it can be to hire a jet ski in Patong.

On Tuesday (March 12) Chinese twins Wu You and Wu Lu, driving separate jet skis, crashed into each other, damaging both machines. They bargained the owner down from B90,000 to B45,000 for repairs.

The same day, another, who asked not to be named, crashed into the side of a yacht anchored in Patong Bay, damaging it so badly that only the engine could be salvaged. Amazingly, he was not hurt.

The jet ski owner initially demanded B300,000 to replace his machine, which the rider bargained down to B105,000. However, there was still the matter of the damage to the yacht.

There was also the matter of the tourist’s passport, which he had handed to the jet ski owner when he rented the machine, and which seemed to have disappeared.

The Haad-Yai-based Chinese Consul, Qin Jian, who became involved in the hunt for the passport, told The Phuket News today that he had delivered letters to the Damrongtham Foundation and to Phuket Governor Maitree Intusut, demanding that the passport, wherever it was, should be returned.

Police told The Phuket News that they did not have the passport, pointing out that they did not have the powers to take the passport of anyone who has not committed a crime.

Today, however, all was resolved. At a meeting in Kathu Police Station this afternoon, the Turkish owner of the yacht said he would have repairs done under his own insurance.

The passport, meanwhile was found – in the police station – and handed back to the tourist.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/expensive-phuket-jet-ski-fun-for-chinese-tourists-37849.php


-- Phuket News 2013-03-14

Police told The Phuket News that they did not have the passport, pointing out that they did not have the powers to take the passport of anyone who has not committed a crime.

The passport, meanwhile was found – in the police station – and handed back to the tourist.

Maybe the elephant in the room was sitting on it ... thus the detectives could not detect it ...

.

Is further proof needed that the Phuket police force is in cahoots with the mafia?

The scam continues, with a new crop of tourists to fleece.

thats a very nice thing from that yacht owner to do

Dem Chinese are unsurpassed when it comes to bargaining - 300,000 down to 105,000 and not a bean for the yacht. Not so good at avoiding accidents in water though. If they are not crashing jet skis in Phuket, they are drowning off Koh Lan

And ... why does that much heralded jet ski insurance scheme not pay for the damage ??? Yeh ... right, it does not work.

Dem Chinese are unsurpassed when it comes to bargaining - 300,000 down to 105,000 and not a bean for the yacht. Not so good at avoiding accidents in water though. If they are not crashing jet skis in Phuket, they are drowning off Koh Lan

Wait till they start renting motorbikes in order to avoid the high priced tuk-tuks - then the real "bargaining" will start.

Problem is, there are a lot more road users than yachties here.

Excellent! This is what I've been waiting for - Chinese consuls and/or embassies getting involved. The Thais may be able to shrug off the farang ambassadors and consuls, but let's see what happens when the Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, etc tourists start complaining about being ripped-off.

Excellent! This is what I've been waiting for - Chinese consuls and/or embassies getting involved. The Thais may be able to shrug off the farang ambassadors and consuls, but let's see what happens when the Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, etc tourists start complaining about being ripped-off.

Very valid point.

The answer is they will just target farangs and Indians. I think they probably do that anyway. The trouble is it is difficult not to have a conflict when your Chinese tourists really do total the jet-skis and there is of course no insurance despite all the promises.

How is it a scam? They smashed into each other. The topic says its expensive. But the idiots did crash into each other. How you could actually do this baffles me. There would only be a dozen jetskis in the water at anyone time and Patong is a large beach

How is it a scam? They smashed into each other. The topic says its expensive. But the idiots did crash into each other. How you could actually do this baffles me. There would only be a dozen jetskis in the water at anyone time and Patong is a large beach

There WAS a much touted insurance scheme that would cover these sorts of events.

It was supposed to have been a success.

But actually, it was just more BS from the administration who don't care/don't know what is reality and what isn't.

How is it a scam? They smashed into each other. The topic says its expensive. But the idiots did crash into each other. How you could actually do this baffles me. There would only be a dozen jetskis in the water at anyone time and Patong is a large beach

The report never used the word scam.

[name=LivinginKata" post="6204560" timestamp="1363258835]And ... why does that much heralded jet ski insurance scheme not pay for the damage ??? Yeh ... right, it does not work.

Doesn't exist more like!!! Lol

The Turkish fellow is taking a big punt. If I was his insurance company I would be looking for Wun Hung low to pay.

Why wont the insurance of the Chinese guys pay for it? You see... Cause the Thai insurance would argue with the chinese insurer.

Police told The Phuket News that they did not have the passport,

pointing out that they did not have the powers to take the passport of

anyone who has not committed a crime.

Holding a passport as security for a private debt is a crime, it it sthe property of the issuing Government and woudl likley be a case of larceny (yes in Thailand, not just my home country) if its refused to be handed over to the foreign embassy (via the local police would be the normal route). Technically they are committing a crime even askign for it in the first palce as are all places who ask for your passport as security.

How is it a scam? They smashed into each other. The topic says its expensive. But the idiots did crash into each other. How you could actually do this baffles me. There would only be a dozen jetskis in the water at anyone time and Patong is a large beach

The report never used the word scam.

TV experts calls it a scam

How is it a scam? They smashed into each other. The topic says its expensive. But the idiots did crash into each other. How you could actually do this baffles me. There would only be a dozen jetskis in the water at anyone time and Patong is a large beach

The report never used the word scam.

TV experts calls it a scam

What would you call it? Jet skis were supposed to be banned on Phuket years ago. But the government came up with an insurance scheme to cover accidents on jet skis because of the constant complaints filed with embassies. Yet still the operators are demanding high compensation from the tourists for any accident.

nice bargains, 300.000 baht is the new price and these are already used dozen times to ask 50.000 baht for a little bit of paint that disappeared

for when, the obligation to have full coverage in case of a scratch to a total loss...

they should not have operated but hey, this is BIB land, bribes buys everything when the police is your friend...

well, not your friend, but any thai person

Everyone should be old that the passport is the property of their government and is not collateral for renting anything. Any organisation or person that demands someone to hand over their passport should be looked at with great suspicion!

However, Jet Skis are another thing entirely. It's required by Thai law that individuals to ride them have a marine licence. The pressure should be put on the operators to required. It's probably why those operators, other than being cheap don't / can't get proper insurance allowing the renter pay the excess and other nominal damages.

Welcome to our world China..

Police told The Phuket News that they did not have the passport,

pointing out that they did not have the powers to take the passport of

anyone who has not committed a crime.

Holding a passport as security for a private debt is a crime, it it sthe property of the issuing Government and woudl likley be a case of larceny (yes in Thailand, not just my home country) if its refused to be handed over to the foreign embassy (via the local police would be the normal route). Technically they are committing a crime even askign for it in the first palce as are all places who ask for your passport as security.

Actually its not a crime if the person whom it was issued to chooses to leave it as a deposit. Yes it is the property of the issuing government. And the person who hands it over is committing a crime. It says so in the front of your passport. It must remain in your possession at all times

Doesnt make sense there^^^....the person receiving the passport isnt committing a crime. Example. I had a friend who rents cars. He has since stopped as its too much hassle. One geezer banged up his car so my friend rang the Australian embassy and said the guy left his passport here as a deposit. So if the Australian man appliies for a new passport and he is claiming he lost it then he is lying. And he can come and get it when he fixes up the car he was driving whilst drunk. Man appears a week later with a sour look on his face and money in hand