Blatantly ripped off 1000 baht

[monkey4u]

Simple rule is make sure you have plenty of small notes or spend big

[richardlg]

Something I've learnt for what it's worth. When short of small denom note and drawing money from an ATM I never take the "Fast Cash" amounts but draw amounts like 9,900 or 5,900 etc..

Gives you a 500, 4 x 100 plus the 1,000's

[sherih]

One of my first experiences in Thailand, in Chiang Mai actually: I was paying for a meal at a restaurant and I left a 1000 baht note thinking it was a 20 baht note (the lighting was a bit dim and I wasn't paying much attention). It wasn't a big name place, obviously just a little family owned shop. Shortly after I left and was walking down the street, the waiter came running after me and gave me the 1000 baht note back. Most of my experiences have been like that, mostly honest people wanting to do the right thing.

And I don't see what's wrong with giving a little bit more to a vendor when you want. You will usually be 'rewarded' with very good service and sometimes extra or nicer items when you buy there.

[uptheos]

"One of my first experiences in Thailand, in Chiang Mai actually: I was paying for a meal at a restaurant and I left a 1000 baht note thinking it was a 20 baht note"

Are you saying you left this 1,000 Baht note as a tip, thinking it was 20 Baht?

There are major differences in both size, colour and the three zero's is a bit of a giveaway.

Edited June 20, 2013 by uptheos

[boosta]

I really appreciate all the useful and practical advice. I will certainly be using all the great suggestions in the future. I agree that it was somewhat of a 'cheap lesson'.

1000 baht is a relatively small amount to me but the upset was that it decreased my love of Thai people by about a tiny amount.

For the record I have made an effort to learn a little bit of Thai like to direct a taxi, say common greetings, introduce myself, count to 199 and a few other things.

-

Kudos to the OP for accepting all the slagging in good form and taking the valuable advice on board.

That's doing TV.com the right way, takes a thick skin but if you can hack it you can learn a lot. . .

[allalong]

"One of my first experiences in Thailand, in Chiang Mai actually: I was paying for a meal at a restaurant and I left a 1000 baht note thinking it was a 20 baht note"

Are you saying you left this 1,000 Baht note as a tip, thinking it was 20 Baht?

There are major differences in both size, colour and the three zero's is a bit of a giveaway.

of course that never happened, just a poster trying to heap praise on Thai vendors

[Slip]

This is such bull. I've seen many Thais chase down people with money hanging out of their pocket- not to nick it but to warn them. It's happened to me a number of times over the years. The OP met a crook, she has (repeatedly) been given some good advice to be safer in the future and she has taken it on board. I've been chased for forgetting change, my purchases all sorts of things. We are all just human and we all make mistakes.

I find the anti-Thai sentiments being expressed here over the top and hateful for the most part, but that's par for the course here these days. When will some people realise that wherever you go there are good and bad types? There are (no doubt) some TV members who would have behaved as poorly as the thieving vendor.

This thread has been useful to the OP, please don't let it turn into an excuse to slag off Thais.

EDIT: Changed TB to TV- that was too close to that wooden portal site- my whole post may have been axed and it took too long to type

Edited June 20, 2013 by Slip

[boosta]

I find the anti-Thai sentiments being expressed here over the top and hateful for the most part, but that's par for the course here these days.

-

Did TV.com used to be better? Can't say it's any more negative now than say five years ago?

Edited June 20, 2013 by boosta

[Salapoo]

Tipping at a food market lol. No wonder Thais think we're all idiots.

Thais never thought we're all idiots, they sometimes try to spot idiots among us (not speaking for OP )

Silly Thai arm tattoos do make it easier for them, in fairness.

[BradinAsia]

What market was this? I've paid for small amounts with 1000 notes at both JJ and Pratunam and have never had any issue getting back correct change. I usually always before handing it over hold it up and ask them if they have change. Doing that also sends her a message as if to say ok see I have a 1000 here.

That said anyone can try it on you at any time. I once got short changed 600 in a 7/11 but it was my fault for not checking my change. You live and you learn. Think of this as a learning experience and next time try to be more vigilant.

Maybe my understanding is wrong, but...

When we say "market" here in Thailand, normally doesn't this refer to a public market

that specializes in fresh fruits and vegetables?

Would we normally take it to mean also supermarket, weekend market, flea market, etc?

Just curious...

[BradinAsia]

This is such bull. I've seen many Thais chase down people with money hanging out of their pocket- not to nick it but to warn them. It's happened to me a number of times over the years. The OP met a crook, she has (repeatedly) been given some good advice to be safer in the future and she has taken it on board. I've been chased for forgetting change, my purchases all sorts of things. We are all just human and we all make mistakes.

I find the anti-Thai sentiments being expressed here over the top and hateful for the most part, but that's par for the course here these days. When will some people realise that wherever you go there are good and bad types? There are (no doubt) some TV members who would have behaved as poorly as the thieving vendor.

This thread has been useful to the OP, please don't let it turn into an excuse to slag off Thais.

EDIT: Changed TB to TV- that was too close to that wooden portal site- my whole post may have been axed and it took too long to type

@Slip

How refreshing to encounter a voice of reason in a sea of bull hockey.

Is it not a truism that every nationality has lots of good folk, lots of real

scumbags and the rest is everything in between those two extremes.

It is called being human. And people are all human.

[boosta]

Maybe my understanding is wrong, but...

When we say "market" here in Thailand, normally doesn't this refer to a public market

that specializes in fresh fruits and vegetables?

Would we normally take it to mean also supermarket, weekend market, flea market, etc?

Just curious...

-

For me, yes to the first, no to the second.

Actually if someone just says "a market" I don't take it to mean food necessarily, could be clothing market, trash-and-treasure, whatever, but where individual stall-holders sell stuff if not outdoors then very rough undercover, certainly no air con. A place where if you tried to bargain the price down they wouldn't look at you like you had two heads.

But "do my marketing" means buying groceries wherever.

Edited June 20, 2013 by boosta

[BangkokHank]

Without trivialising, cheap lessons in life are worth their weight in gold in the long run.

Yeah, but with the recent plunge in the price of gold, just how much is that lesson worth these days?

[BangkokHank]

I recently had a similarly blatant attempt at ripping me off - one of the more blatant attempts in my 18 years here: I went into a barbershop in which the sign clearly said (albeit in Thai) "Haircuts - 80 baht." I had my hair cut and then said (in Thai), "So, how much?" The barber answered, "100 baht". I just kind of laughed and said that the sign said 80 baht, so that's what I gave him. He then looked at me like I was trying to cheat him and said, "Where's the rest of the money?" I again pointed to the sign, to which he replied: "That's the price for Thais. For farangs it's 100 baht." Of course I didn't pay the extra 20 baht (the amount that I and most other farangs there usually tip), and I certainly won't be going to that shop again.

[boosta]

Yeah, but with the recent plunge in the price of gold, just how much is that lesson worth these days?

-

Long-term better than holding dollars, about the same as sitting on barrels of oil.

http://www.macrotrends.net/1335/dollar-gold-and-oil-chart-last-ten-years

[meatboy]

the biggest scams in the food markets are cheating you on the weights,where ever the wf.goes they try and will cheat you,most of them are nothing but thieves,just look where their scales are and see if the the weight fig.are faceing you,if not tell them you want to see the weight.one who had been scamming the wf.was on the prawn stall,wf.found out when she got home and weighed her kilo only to discover it was 130grms.under weight so i went with her next time with a small set of scales,kept out of sight till she had bought then before she paid i weighed them yes they were short so she gave them back with a right mouthfull[learnt how to swear in the uk]the other stall holders know not to fk.with my mrs.

[jackr]

In fifteen years of shopping at these sorts of places many times per week I've never never had anything like this happen to me.

So rare, I'm really questioning did this even happen. . .

I hope you don't wait for someone to attack you (or worse) before you accept or believe that it can happen....

This lady was ripped off, why even doubt her story?

BOOSTA, doubts her story because he is a thai apologist. The usual "IT NEVER HAPPENED TO ME". Why do you defend "boosta" ?

I am not specially a Thai apologist but sorry this never happened to me either!

Dear me. You haven't me murdered, yet, but it happens here, right. Why it is so hard to believe, do you live in a cocoon?

Like the dude further up who gets chased down the road for overpaying and thus thinks it's bull, keep your eyes open chaps as you won't see it coming, it's just statistics. One has to keep their wits about them everyday over here; that's not Thai bashing, that is the way of things. But meekly defending them is as cringeworthy as the no-holds-barred bashing or the 'there are good and bad everywhere line' crowd ().

The lady is stupid, but highly doubt she is lying. These market vendors are not poor, like the somtum sellers, they do pretty good and EVERYTHING, without exception, is well marked up. They do not need tipping. When you do so--aside from belittling the 'good' ones (yes, they do exist)--you are not seen as being generous or kind, you are seen as being stupid and senseless and are thus ripe for picking.

[Salapoo]

There are good and bad everywhere.

Thailand is NO different to anywhere else.

Except that the people are generally nicer and happier than Westerners.

[Slip]

Dear me. You haven't me murdered, yet, but it happens here, right. Why it is so hard to believe, do you live in a cocoon?

Like the dude further up who gets chased down the road for overpaying and thus thinks it's bull, keep your eyes open chaps as you won't see it coming, it's just statistics. One has to keep their wits about them everyday over here; that's not Thai bashing, that is the way of things. But meekly defending them is as cringeworthy as the no-holds-barred bashing or the 'there are good and bad everywhere line' crowd ().

The lady is stupid, but highly doubt she is lying. These market vendors are not poor, like the somtum sellers, they do pretty good and EVERYTHING, without exception, is well marked up. They do not need tipping. When you do so--aside from belittling the 'good' ones (yes, they do exist)--you are not seen as being generous or kind, you are seen as being stupid and senseless and are thus ripe for picking.

I don't see why it is cringeworthy at all to say that there are good and bad people everywhere. It's a simple matter of fact easily supported by empirical evidence. 'One' would be well advised to keep 'one's' wits about 'one' wherever 'one' may be in the world. As you say - it's just statistics and because there are good and bad people everywhere bad things can happen anywhere. To suggest that only applies to Thailand is narrow-minded tosh.

I wasn't aware I was a 'crowd', oh goody maybe if I try hard enough one day I'll make it all the way to 'brigade', the pinnacle of 'Thai Visa'-ness.

[Bluemoon66]

Not one person has questioned the OP's maths - read it again.

My view is that it is a 10 page wind up.

[Bluemoon66]

Not one person has questioned the OP's maths - read it again.

My view is that it is a 10 page wind up.

Just to add that the OP has started another thread about paying the BIB a 3000bht fine for not having a m/c license - enough said.

Edited June 21, 2013 by Bluemoon66

[Cheapcharly]

show your money but don't give it... or place money on table and keep hand on it until she or he put the change near ur hand.

don't let people grab your money, and put in their pocket .

as long you don't see the change it s not her money.

with small bank note there is no problem.

with big bank note you should be careful. or have witness with you who can confirm how much they took from you.

or you can ask, change for 1000? , you change or no change? ,( and wave money) ... u change? , ok, show me it first...

[mca]

Not that it's your fault or anything, but I think you should change your ATM habits. What I do is is always 3,900, 5,900, 9,900, whatever. In that way you've always got small bills.

I hear you. I've done my time while the minimart owner, kao phad seller or whatever strolls up and down the soi asking the other stall holders if the can change a 1000 note.

Edited June 30, 2013 by mca

[Scottythai]

Learning to speak Basic Thai helps too. If you ask for change in thai and reinfoce what note you gave the vendor will usualy help alot more

[meatboy]

Learning to speak Basic Thai helps too. If you ask for change in thai and reinfoce what note you gave the vendor will usualy help alot more

never mind if you speak thai or not,never mind if your farang or thai if they can rob you they will.tesco express by us have tried it more than 3times,the latest this week.they got to get up early to catch my mrs.[thai]

[Scottythai]

Learning to speak Basic Thai helps too. If you ask for change in thai and reinfoce what note you gave the vendor will usualy help alot more

never mind if you speak thai or not,never mind if your farang or thai if they can rob you they will.tesco express by us have tried it more than 3times,the latest this week.they got to get up early to catch my mrs.[thai]

Never found that in 6 years. Only time I have been ripped off was when I was smashed drunk in a Taxi going home. Made him that the Toll was gave him 1000 to pay the toll and got back change for 100 baht. Asked him if he took the money he laughed and said no and he didn't think about the change untill we had left. No big deal either the toll booth got a tip or the Taxi did. Put speaking Thai and being polite but to the point seems to work for me anyway.