Problem with guy parking in front of my restaurant

[puukao]

It's amazing all the things that can go wrong when running a business. Anyhow, since this is not your country, I would first ask if you can buy this guy one beer. try to be as nice as possible, maybe give him some food, and politely tell him you are helping thais and his bus is hurting your ability to help thais. ok, say that doesn't work. I wonder if you can pay for some new construction on this road. maybe a new sidewalk, not sure. if needed, of course. then prolong the work for a long time.

calling the police when you are foreigner is not good. remember, you love this country and will do anything to make anyone happy. you are making him happy via parking spot. so find the happy medium and keep up with yoga and deep breathing exercises.

Yes, that's the way. Get on your hands and knees in front of him, plead that you as a non-Thai are not as fortunate as him who happened to be born one. Give him free food and drink as a result of this and ask him so nicely if he can stop his illegal, inconsiderate activities. Apologize for having to disrupt his afternoon by bringing him free food and drink, but as a Thai he deserves all the food and drink you can give him.

I didn't say "get on your hands and knees..." This guy needs a solution, and i'm trying to do it in a peaceful, cheap way. beer, food, cheap. ok, so he keeps calling the police and this guy and his friends destroy his restaurant. ruin his business. and the cops will likely not side with this business owner in the short or long run. if you want him, the thai guy, to lose face? it is important to understand their culture. things can go bad very quickly. you should not attack solutions, but instead offer better solutions.

[up-country_sinclair]

Couldn't you just park a scooter in the middle of the spot so that there wouldn't be enough space for a bus?

[SpokaneAl]

Thailand; where one can open any kind of business with no thoughts or concerns for parking. I always find it it interesting when visiting local restaurants. Rarely is parking offered and it is my problem to find a place to park somewhere on the street. The same seems to go when opening a business that has vehicles as a part of that business.

Not that is helps your issue at all.

[Tywais]

He has a perfect right to park there. You have no control of the road in front of your business.

You missed this part? "Legally he is allowed to park there from 10am-330pm during week days and all weekend is ok". They are parking outside of the legal hours.

Roads do not belong to the business. SIdewalks do not either though some think they do.

Guess someone needs to inform the countless business that put chairs, tables, posts, whatever on the street in front of their place to keep people from parking. And yes, that frustrates me too.

[lemoncake]

Hey Lemoncake,

You know the majestic old trees along the CM-Lamphun road?

They were all set to be cut down around 2006 as people were speeding/drunk and hitting them. There was an upcry from the locals. The day before they were set to be cut down they got monks to wrap them in orange robes....

The orange robes that are still wrapped around them today.

I did not know but does not surprise me at all.

From my experience , the most annoying neighbor has turned into invisible one , and mind you legally I could not achieve anything.

The old witch screamed at police, lawyers- noone could deal with her, but religious ritual did the magic

[Beetlejuice]

When the tour company owner parks his vehicles illegally, take photos, recording the time and the date. Do this for about 14 days, so as the police or the court are satisfied the illegal parking is continuous over a period of time and not just happening on a few occasions

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS, for obvious reasons.

Then make an appointment with someone in authority at the police station and try to negotiate a solution to your problem with them. Don`t just turn up and make a complaint, it doesn`t work in most cases. If you fail to receive a positive result from the police, than it`s having to go via the civil court I`m afraid.

But and it`s a big BUT: if you do not own the restaurant legally, meaning you are using a Thai name to front your business, then sorry to say, you are up the creek without a paddle. Then it becomes the responsibility of the upfront Thai person you are using, to deal with the problem, because you will have no legal clout to take any action against the said tour company owner, because officially you do not own your business under Thai law. So in other words; ensure that your house is in order before you begin getting tough with the tour company owner or anyone else involved.

If your business is perfectly legit, than do as I have suggested, it`s the only option you have.

[PoodMaiDai]

I presume you don't own a car otherwise you could put it in front of your restaurant. Suggest you rent one for one month.

buy one vehicle cheaply from bone yard and leave it there permanently

you won't feel pain if he damage it

Get a couple of them, have them painted to look unique and fun, and make them part of the restaurant in regards to something people will remember. I don't know what kind of restaurant you own, but a cow print Volkswagen Beetle for example, would be something to remember. Get creative, get some art students to do it up, and reclaim those spots with your own vehicles.

[Loptr]

Or buy a VW van and convert it into a bar and park it in front of your restaurant. Solves the parking problem and will add a bit of revenue to your operation. They seem to be quite accepted in many locales in Thailand.

Edited August 11, 2013 by Loptr

[zeichen]

"

They were all set to be cut down around 2006 as people were speeding/drunk and hitting them. There was an upcry from the locals. The day before they were set to be cut down they got monks to wrap them in orange robes....

The orange robes that are still wrapped around them today. "

I hope that you were being sarcastic. Because that is totally untrue.

[bristolgeoff]

best one I read was a few flat tyres on the bus will make him take noticed

[hml367]

It amazes me how many foreigners think and suggest Western "solutions" to situations in Thailand. You won't often find "schoolyard fight rules" apply to confrontations in Asia.

[Dante99]

OP has unreasonable expectations, compounds their problem repeatedly, wakes up in a self created shit storm blaming others and cries for help. Basically the same story line repeated on Thai Visa again and again.

[worgeordie]

Disputes like this can only escalate into where one of the other

ends in the morgue and the other in prison,there is no easy

solution to this problem,as the bus owner is doing nothing wrong

when he parks at the legally posted times,at other times yes he

is parking illegally, I cannot see the police taking any interest in

solving your problem ,unless they have an incentive, then maybe.

Good Luck regards Worgeordie

[Loaded]

"

They were all set to be cut down around 2006 as people were speeding/drunk and hitting them. There was an upcry from the locals. The day before they were set to be cut down they got monks to wrap them in orange robes....

The orange robes that are still wrapped around them today. "

I hope that you were being sarcastic. Because that is totally untrue.

Orange cloth around a tree usually indicates the tree has been ordained as an honorary monk. It protects the tree.

Other coloured pieces of cloth around a tree usually indicate respect to the resident spirits of the tree. It's an animist belief.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Loaded

[RaysFan]

Some of you are missing the point here... during the legal hours of parking on the road... sure, the spot is free game, I dont own the road. But on week days after 330 pm its illegal to park on the road. And my business happens to open at 5... so really as long as hes gone by 5 im happy. Ive explained this to him many times. He somehow sees this as my problem, not his. I like the idea of parking my own vehicle there but at this time I only have 1 car... maybe I will purchase a cheap scooter and just leave it there permanently. ... not sure if he would just park in front of it though. .. people like this man... its just amazing. No regard for anyone at all. And yes they are Buddhist. ..

Sent from my GT-I9500

[ShopBoy]

best one I read was a few flat tyres on the bus will make him take noticed

i believe flat tires or scratch mark on the bus will send bullets flying

the first suspect the bus owner will think of definitely be the guy who have confronted him about the parking space which is the OP

[Gonzo the Face]

Kennny N...... I believe that you are new to this, both business and Thailand. We ex pats, are not Thai, but we are in Thailand. One of the hardest things for expats , all of us, is to understand that they have a different set of rights and wrongs over here, than would be common sense in our minds. Following suit to this is the difficulty in our thinking that we need to inform them of what is right and wrong. This right or wrong is in our way of thinking, "right" or "wrong". The Thai you are talking too has lived a lifetime, to that point, doing things their way and the way all other Thais do and think. We , as expats, show a great deal of arrogance in [in their eyes and way of thinking] trying to point out right and wrong to them.

We come here , into this ball park, and choose to do business, the first thing that should come into our minds is that we are not smarter than them and must show them how to run a business. We do not set the rules of the game in this ballpark, but if we want to play their game of business, in their ballpark, we, [the outsiders are the dummies] if we think we can do it better and by our rules.

I do sincerely hope that you had a chance to live here in CM for a year or two before deciding to start a business venture. It is a diffeent world vs back home, in wherever land. I hope you do find the necessary adjustment and find your answer. If not I guess it will not matter if the bus is there or not.... Learn how to play then move on to coaching......Good Luck.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Gonzo the Face

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Have some signs made to promote your business with concrete bases. They will be non permanent but not easy to pick up either.

Seems like business do that all the time here. Maybe you have to pay some fees to the BIB but could be a win in terms of advertising and visibility.

[hellodolly]

When the tour company owner parks his vehicles illegally, take photos, recording the time and the date. Do this for about 14 days, so as the police or the court are satisfied the illegal parking is continuous over a period of time and not just happening on a few occasions

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS, for obvious reasons.

Then make an appointment with someone in authority at the police station and try to negotiate a solution to your problem with them. Don`t just turn up and make a complaint, it doesn`t work in most cases. If you fail to receive a positive result from the police, than it`s having to go via the civil court I`m afraid.

But and it`s a big BUT: if you do not own the restaurant legally, meaning you are using a Thai name to front your business, then sorry to say, you are up the creek without a paddle. Then it becomes the responsibility of the upfront Thai person you are using, to deal with the problem, because you will have no legal clout to take any action against the said tour company owner, because officially you do not own your business under Thai law. So in other words; ensure that your house is in order before you begin getting tough with the tour company owner or anyone else involved.

If your business is perfectly legit, than do as I have suggested, it`s the only option you have.

How do you prove the pictures were taken over a period of weeks?

Not hard to just stand there take a picture change the date and time on it and take another one on and on until you feel you have enough. Just be sure to check the dates to be sure he was there on them. Not sure if they would buy that but maybe worth a try. Even then if you are not the owner just the operator you may be wasting your time. I like the low pressure in the tires on a stinky bus idea myself.

I am not going to suggest you park a motor bike there or s car. I am going to ask why haven't you?

[cmsally]

Start off at the easy end of the scale and buy some of those orange plastic cones. Place them outside your restaurant, along the road. He will have to do something physical to park there, see if he's willing to do that. After the result of that test then ready to calculate next move.

Things like this can be a bit of a psychology game. Start the game with the orange cones.

[zeichen]

The issue that I have with people saying we are not Thai so we don't have rights and this is not our country, is that problems like this happen between Thais also. It has nothing to do with culture it has nothing to do with lack of respect for foreigners. It is only about one selfish person not recognizing their choices. Happens everywhere in the world to all people. I get a little tired of the race card being dropped by whitey.

We don't have to be any more respectful or any more submissive than the next. We do need to be respectful and compromise but not because we are guests but because hopefully we want to be a part of the community. And before people start banging the drum saying we will never be accepted, that is utter rubbish. Yes we will be recognized by our differences certainly it is hard to change that but doesn't mean your neighbors and those in your community won't protect or look after you the same as they would any other Thai neighbor.

OP don't park a scooter, it will get moved, run over or thrown in the river.

Don't do anything that will confront this guy. It is also good that you talked to him, the worst mistake you could have is let your wife or some female staff do it for you.

I do think that if you befriended him first, you wouldn't have an issue. I am not going to inconvenience myself for a stranger, but would for a friend or someone I know.

Perhaps make a sign for your restaurant and ask him to put in on the outside of his bus while he is parked there. Plead to his sense of business stating that you are losing business because people cannot see your place and find a place for him to park that is near by.

[hellodolly]

The issue that I have with people saying we are not Thai so we don't have rights and this is not our country, is that problems like this happen between Thais also. It has nothing to do with culture it has nothing to do with lack of respect for foreigners. It is only about one selfish person not recognizing their choices. Happens everywhere in the world to all people. I get a little tired of the race card being dropped by whitey.

We don't have to be any more respectful or any more submissive than the next. We do need to be respectful and compromise but not because we are guests but because hopefully we want to be a part of the community. And before people start banging the drum saying we will never be accepted, that is utter rubbish. Yes we will be recognized by our differences certainly it is hard to change that but doesn't mean your neighbors and those in your community won't protect or look after you the same as they would any other Thai neighbor.

OP don't park a scooter, it will get moved, run over or thrown in the river.

Don't do anything that will confront this guy. It is also good that you talked to him, the worst mistake you could have is let your wife or some female staff do it for you.

I do think that if you befriended him first, you wouldn't have an issue. I am not going to inconvenience myself for a stranger, but would for a friend or someone I know.

Perhaps make a sign for your restaurant and ask him to put in on the outside of his bus while he is parked there. Plead to his sense of business stating that you are losing business because people cannot see your place and find a place for him to park that is near by.

Well all good advice in certain situations. But if you read the PO you will notice the fellow has a 20 year history in the neighborhood and none like him.

Also if he is a farong he really is howling at the moon. Read the PO it is all in there. He needs to get the Thai name on the ownership to handle it legally.

[Dante99]

Some of you are missing the point here... during the legal hours of parking on the road... sure, the spot is free game, I dont own the road. But on week days after 330 pm its illegal to park on the road. And my business happens to open at 5... so really as long as hes gone by 5 im happy. Ive explained this to him many times. He somehow sees this as my problem, not his. I like the idea of parking my own vehicle there but at this time I only have 1 car... maybe I will purchase a cheap scooter and just leave it there permanently. ... not sure if he would just park in front of it though. .. people like this man... its just amazing. No regard for anyone at all. And yes they are Buddhist. ..

Sent from my GT-I9500

You are missing the point, it is your problem.

[Coaster11]

When the tour company owner parks his vehicles illegally, take photos, recording the time and the date. Do this for about 14 days, so as the police or the court are satisfied the illegal parking is continuous over a period of time and not just happening on a few occasions

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS, for obvious reasons.

Then make an appointment with someone in authority at the police station and try to negotiate a solution to your problem with them. Don`t just turn up and make a complaint, it doesn`t work in most cases. If you fail to receive a positive result from the police, than it`s having to go via the civil court I`m afraid.

But and it`s a big BUT: if you do not own the restaurant legally, meaning you are using a Thai name to front your business, then sorry to say, you are up the creek without a paddle. Then it becomes the responsibility of the upfront Thai person you are using, to deal with the problem, because you will have no legal clout to take any action against the said tour company owner, because officially you do not own your business under Thai law. So in other words; ensure that your house is in order before you begin getting tough with the tour company owner or anyone else involved.

If your business is perfectly legit, than do as I have suggested, it`s the only option you have.

How do you prove the pictures were taken over a period of weeks?

Not hard to just stand there take a picture change the date and time on it and take another one on and on until you feel you have enough. Just be sure to check the dates to be sure he was there on them. Not sure if they would buy that but maybe worth a try. Even then if you are not the owner just the operator you may be wasting your time. I like the low pressure in the tires on a stinky bus idea myself.

I am not going to suggest you park a motor bike there or s car. I am going to ask why haven't you?

Because he will be the one parking illegally during his opening hours and a sitting duck for the Thai and the Police.

Plus if he moves it to abide by the law the Thai will just use it when it`s empty again.

I just wonder why this bus is always parked and not being used for commercial purposes?

I`d be inclined to try and find work for the guy with it...win win??

Otherwise it`s a battle that can`t be won.

[Gonzo the Face]

Some of you are missing the point here... during the legal hours of parking on the road... sure, the spot is free game, I dont own the road. But on week days after 330 pm its illegal to park on the road. And my business happens to open at 5... so really as long as hes gone by 5 im happy. Ive explained this to him many times. He somehow sees this as my problem, not his. I like the idea of parking my own vehicle there but at this time I only have 1 car... maybe I will purchase a cheap scooter and just leave it there permanently. ... not sure if he would just park in front of it though. .. people like this man... its just amazing. No regard for anyone at all. And yes they are Buddhist. ..

Sent from my GT-I9500

You are missing the point, it is your problem.

That sounds very sharp and harsh, but I say that I have to agree.

There are probably other difficulties that will arise. I am sure the guy just didn't decide to park the bus there when the OP opened the restaurant. Due Diligence comes to mind here.

But the problem exists, at least in the mind of the OP'er, as I'm sure others will the longer you stay in business. How you deal with them before and after will determine how long the business lasts.

Is it really a insurmountable problem at all..... As someone posted earlier, how many restaurants are here in this city with no parking at all to speak of..... If you have a good business, i.e. good service, good food, and are a comfortable host to be around, people will come....... the bus there or the bus not there. If they want to come to your place of business, they will park somewhere and they will come... Simple as that ...... Anyone jumps in the game, they play the cards they are dealt. How you play the game determines if you win or loose........ Live with the bus and treat the customers you have in a good way and they will come back and bring others with them...... Bitch and moan about perceived problems , small and large, and you will not have time to develop your customers. Forget the bus and try and gain a customer base. The bus there will not stop you doing this.

The glass can be half full or half emptyl.

[lemoncake]

Some of you are missing the point here... during the legal hours of parking on the road... sure, the spot is free game, I dont own the road. But on week days after 330 pm its illegal to park on the road. And my business happens to open at 5... so really as long as hes gone by 5 im happy. Ive explained this to him many times. He somehow sees this as my problem, not his. I like the idea of parking my own vehicle there but at this time I only have 1 car... maybe I will purchase a cheap scooter and just leave it there permanently. ... not sure if he would just park in front of it though. .. people like this man... its just amazing. No regard for anyone at all. And yes they are Buddhist. ..

Sent from my GT-I9500

See post 27, buy a large Buddha House, dress it up really nice and make sure its looked after daily by your staff(water and cordial for Buddha)

Police will never ask you to move it, neighbors will come and pray daily and the bus guy will not be able to park there.

Make sure though, you get monks to come and bless it and place Buddha facing in the correct direction.

You will be amazed at the amount of respect you will have from the neighbors

PS. Another option is buy one of those blow motors, hard to explain the ones which blow up a doll which stays outside swinging.

If unsure what i mean, let me know, will make a picture

Edited August 12, 2013 by lemoncake

[tijnebijn]

Start off at the easy end of the scale and buy some of those orange plastic cones. Place them outside your restaurant, along the road. He will have to do something physical to park there, see if he's willing to do that. After the result of that test then ready to calculate next move.

Things like this can be a bit of a psychology game. Start the game with the orange cones.

Yes , that is what I was thinking , parking a motorcycle is good too , I do that at my wife's business , depending your location , cones will do fine , brilliant in fact.

If the dude removes them , or hits them , contact a police officer immediately , if he complains you can say there is money to be made and other friendly offers didn't comply , you will stand stronger if he removes them infront your business , do not be afraid .Evebtually you could rent a red police box , one or two police officers will come by and sign a paper every day , you will feel safer and I guess the dude will not bother you anymore , he could rent a parking spot somewhere but he doesn't wants to spend money , so he takes it or leaves it , think these are the best two options you have , and think it will work . But do not confront him , just be willing to spend some ...safety .

[cmsally]

Maybe he's Chinese Thai in which case get yourself a big feng shui mirror and hang it directly opposite to his shop (you said you were opposite?) in your window or whatever is opposite. He will get the message that any bad vibes sent by him will be doing a u turn and heading back in his direction.

I don't think you will get away with a spirit house in the street!

[mesquite]

Even though the bus is parked illegally, in the eyes of the Thais the problem is solely the OP's since he is a farang.

[KRS1]

I know where theres a Nissan NV for 79k baht.

you can put a sign on it like a billboard.

Guess who will call the police to have it moved every day, during restricted parking times?

Then why not do the same and remove the bus?

They dont move anything here , they just wheel lock them.