Do farang get charged extra?

[BuddhaChile]

I watched my Thai wife get badly ripped off at one of those local fairs. Given the opportunity Thais will take anyone to the cleaners.

"Some Thais will take anyone to the cleaners" ...... as will some Brits, some Americans, some French, some Germans, .... you get my drift.

[feest monty]

I watched my Thai wife get badly ripped off at one of those local fairs. Given the opportunity Thais will take anyone to the cleaners.

"Some Thais will take anyone to the cleaners" ...... as will some Brits, some Americans, some French, some Germans, .... you get my drift.

in my youth i was selling things door to door for a short period in farangland. in rich neighbourhoods you had to double the price or they wouldnt buy.

Edited November 25, 2013 by feest monty

[Maggusoil]

Definitely not a myth, although in our local market, I get the same prices for everything, out in the boon docks of Isaan.

Also in all the shops, for example petrol and 711's don't have two prices, however if its land or cars definitely yes.

There are two prices.. . on many things

[JoeThePoster]

Attitude and behavior oftenly dermines the price.

Sing and dance like a performing monkey and you might get fed for free.

Da_mn, I got this sudden craving for peanuts now. Where are my dancing shoes?

[brit1984]

in an economically efficient world, all businesses would be able to check every customer's bank balance and do a brain scan to check how much each of them is willing to pay for the goods/ services

in the absence of such efficiency, the next best solution is to try categorize customers into groups with differing AVERAGE propensity/ ability to pay, e.g. children generally have less to spend than adults, and Thais (with average income of ~9,000 USD/year) generally have less to spend than Americans (with average income of ~51,000 USD/year)

each of us (as consumers) should make purchasing decisions based solely on the price we need to pay (vs the utility we expect to gain) for a good/ service - the price paid by anyone else is completely irrelevant - although I am jealous of some of the discounts my (not so poor) granny gets just for having wrinkles!

[NanLaew]

I watched my Thai wife get badly ripped off at one of those local fairs. Given the opportunity Thais will take anyone to the cleaners.

If you could watch, then you were close by her and she was ripped off because of her obvious association with you. Otherwise...

When it comes to local anything, I let her get on with it without the farang shadow. If I want to do something with the locals, I do it myself without the Thai shadow. It takes a mug to get mugged.

[rct99q]

Geez.....stopped reading TV Forum for a few days and guess what???? Another dual pricing post.....glad I logged on. Speaking of which you do know that if you supply 3B or TOT with the Thai coupon your monthly wifi is 50% less. Now paying 299.50฿ per month. But don't tell anyone!

[tyler2208]

some do some dont, i have grown up here since i was a kid, when i first got here, YES. now I would say no, but i am fluent in thai (written and spoken) so not so easy for people to try and overcharge. Unfortunatly ripping off gulable farangs is still a national passtime in some places but he the longterm expats probably dont get ripped off much as they know by now what costs what and will just go somewhere else if they feel they are being shafted. The trouble is when a farang asks somebody for the price of something in english or bad thai then they are really opening the doors of opportunity or temptation for that said seller to inflate the price! not saying its right but thats genrerally the way it is. I believe that as long as you come across like you know what your doing and your not a niave tourist then you will be less likely to discover this kind of treatment. There is one particualr hotel here in chiang mai on the super highway that has a huge sign hanging outside stating that the price of a room is only 300 baht, hower this is written in thai numerals not western numerals and have heard of many farangs being charged 500 baht a night. This is wrong in my opinion and is basically theft, however I find that farangs who have been here 20 something years that often speak, read or write no thai, defies logic...

[Jasun]

On the flip side, anything where you are eligible for a VAT refund can work out cheaper than what a local can buy the item. Interesting that my wife has to pay considerably more for her higher education outside of Thailand. I guess it cuts both ways.

[tyler2208]

some do some dont, i have grown up here since i was a kid, when i first got here, YES. now I would say no, but i am fluent in thai (written and spoken) so not so easy for people to try and overcharge. Unfortunatly ripping off gulable farangs is still a national passtime in some places but he the longterm expats probably dont get ripped off much as they know by now what costs what and will just go somewhere else if they feel they are being shafted. The trouble is when a farang asks somebody for the price of something in english or bad thai then they are really opening the doors of opportunity or temptation for that said seller to inflate the price! not saying its right but thats genrerally the way it is. I believe that as long as you come across like you know what your doing and your not a niave tourist then you will be less likely to discover this kind of treatment. There is one particualr hotel here in chiang mai on the super highway that has a huge sign hanging outside stating that the price of a room is only 300 baht, hower this is written in thai numerals not western numerals and have heard of many farangs being charged 500 baht a night. This is wrong in my opinion and is basically theft, however I find that farangs who have been here 20 something years that often speak, read or write no thai, defies logic...so my advise is to arm yourselves with at least a basic understanding of thai numerals and language if you can. While overcharging foreigners is a revolting thing to do, it will still go on in some places no matter how much people complain about it, so do something constructive and try and equip yourself with the tools to at least minimize the chances

[alistairb079]

yes, and it's official

The entrance fee displays at government-run national parks and monuments usually have prices for

adult (thai)

adult (citizen of ASEAN member states)

adult (farang)

child

senior citizen

The cheapest is senior citizen and the most expensive is adult (farang)

I'm regularly charged the senior citizen rate (it was a hard paper round) despite being a farang

If you stay in Thailand, get used to being charged extra for being a farang. The European concepts of equity simply don't apply, it's different here. For example in Europe we usually pay a higher rate of income tax as you earn more, here income tax rates largely depends on what you do to earn money, eg earnings from performing medical services is the lowest rate and income from investments is the highest rate. Also there are men's wages and women's wages for doing similar jobs, and the minimum wage only applies within the Bangkok metropolitan area, not the whole of the country. Who's to say what's right/better/fairer - it's just different.

[David48]

One solution that I use is quite simple.

If it's something I desire from a food vendor, I wait till a Thai customer buys something first, then I know the price of what I'm going to purchase. Doesn't always work ... but you get the lay of the land fairly quickly.

... and if he's not selling to the Thais ... he's/she's most likely overcharging.

[Naam]

Attitude and behavior oftenly dermines the price.

based on the advice of some resident Thai eggsburts you get your meat on a stick for 9 Baht if you address him in Thai language "honourable Khun noodle meatstick chap...".

and you get an additional discount of 50 Satang if you "wai" the vendor before walking a"wai" chewing on your stick.

[steve C]

Always get Thai price with my licence ,in fact at sri racha zoo they let my daughter her husband and my granddaughter in for Thai price as well,never get charged anything but the same as Thais for food ,and here in Pattaya even the touts and the taylors never bother me and the wife ,i just think that after a certain amount of time living in Thailand you just "look" local and not a tourist , that and the fact that i'me 6ft 7 ins ,built like a brick shithouse and have scars all over my face

MMMMmmmm Think I would more scared of the person who put the scars on your face. I do believe the saying goes on something about The Fight In The Dog and by no means meant as sarcasm

[Naam]

sorry, double posting.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Naam

[Bpuumike]

Basically, in tourist areas, the tourist farang will get charged more. The farang that can speak Thai or/and Isarn will get the local price. The ones in between, which is most, depends on their demeanor and behaviour.

Rents are much higher in these areas so higher prices for all.

I rarely see 'double pricing' and I can usually negotiate a better price than my Thai wife.

Of course a Thai driving licence will get you a lower entrance charge at many public attractions, fair enough. Sort of proves you live here and not a tourist.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Bpuumike

[WitawatWatawit]

One solution that I use is quite simple.

If it's something I desire from a food vendor, I wait till a Thai customer buys something first, then I know the price of what I'm going to purchase. Doesn't always work ... but you get the lay of the land fairly quickly.

... and if he's not selling to the Thais ... he's/she's most likely overcharging.

... but you get the lay of the land fairly quickly.

Is there a farang price for her as well?

[mickjn]

All the prices you have quoted I am quite happy to pay,so what if we have to pay a bit more I couldn't care less

[A1Str8]

Farang get charged extra?? Thais would never do that!

[charliebru]

Seaworld at Paragon Mall was 1,000 for Farang; 200 for Thais. That is the worst I've seen.

[Travel2003]

I might be wrong here, but have I seen this topic before?

Like an ABBA song.

[charlesgenv5]

Different cities, different prices. Those ones who say farengs get overcharged are the one who ever think they can live in a country without speaking the local language.

If you intend to stay in Thailand for a long time, you have to learn to speak thai, at least the basics. If you don't want, just go back at home. It is not difficult to learn the basics, it is really easy to learn the numbers. If you cannot, like they say, "koun pen kwai" or "koun may me semong".

As in any big cities, any one can be over charged, like in Paris or like in New York. There are bad and good people. Most thai don't overcharged, some do, and the same ones do overcharged thai people coming from other areas. I spent 4 months with my Isaan girlfriend in Chiang Mai, there were cases when she was clearly overcharged, and even if I was not showing with here.

Everythings the OPs quoted can be the real prices, depending the store, the areas etc ... Also think about the prices tend to increase with the years like in any other countries.

In rural areas you can still get a noodle soup for 15 baths, you can even eat a full dish for 10 baths. That's the case in some rural parts of Chiang Mai. If you stay in the center, the price for a soup will be 30/35/40 baths.

[marquis22]

Who are you calling a Farang ??

totster

Us Caucasians...Get over it if you don't like being called a farang. It is only offensive if they say 'mun' before they utter it as you walk by ...!

[rct99q]

I might be wrong here, but have I seen this topic before?

Like an ABBA song.

Nope, Donna Summer "Love to Love ya Baby" - original version, 17 minutes...never gets old

[tragickingdom]

Sure dual pricing exist, mainly in ratholes as Pattaya, Phuket and other tourist places you should avoid, if only because there are so many other places that are really nice. Than you have the government sponsored places that rob foreigners, even when they do pay, blind, like National Parcs where foreigners can pay up to ten times the Thai price. The beauty is that the Thai authorities local or National are not even ashamed on it. Not seldom the prices for Thai and foreigners are mentioned next to each other.

Even tourist spots do not mind to show their dual price policy. I am not sure if it is still the case but I assume nothing changed. Go to the Pattaya Aquarium and you see the shocking prices foreigners have to pay in comparison with Thai people.

[Jackson86]

I think so. There was once I bought a particular product for 80 baht but the farang beside me was charged 200 baht for the same thing. Guess I look like a thai ? haha.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Jackson86

[RtotheC]

At national parks yes. My girlfriend and I were looking for an apartment and she insisted on going alone because if they saw me she knew they would charge more for rent at places if they knew i was a farang because aparently we're all rich. A government hospital insisted i go to a preium clinic. Taxi's frequently refuse to take me when i insist on the meter. And last but not least near my friend's apartment on samsen soi 2 we ordered a grilled squid and were charged 250 baht until we pointed out that the sign said 150 baht argued with her over it for some time until she realized that we weren't tourists and knew better. Yes - It happens in Thailand, and this isn't even the whole list of problems i've faced. Despite all that i still like it enough to stay here though, these are only minor inconveniences.

[zyphodb]

'I'm pretty sure the answer is yes but I dislike dual pricing. Some examples based on street food I like:
Noodle soup 40 baht
Rice chicken veg 50 baht
Meat on a stick thing 10 baht
Ice coffee 20 baht
Banana pancake 40 baht
Pineapple quarter 10 baht'

That all sounds about what the Thai's pay except the rice, chicken,veg & the Banana pancake both are 10Bht over the odds but you might have gone to an expensive place...

Apart from that there is definite dual pricing at National parks, Tourist attractions, water parks etc.

& you can get opportunists overcharging you anywhere, or though they usually back down if you offer them the 'right' price & start walking away if they continue trying to overcharge...

[David48]

One solution that I use is quite simple.

If it's something I desire from a food vendor, I wait till a Thai customer buys something first, then I know the price of what I'm going to purchase. Doesn't always work ... but you get the lay of the land fairly quickly.

... and if he's not selling to the Thais ... he's/she's most likely overcharging.

... but you get the lay of the land fairly quickly.

Is there a farang price for her as well?

Gads ... my secret is discovered ...

As you can tell, I'm not a village farer ... no riding the communal village (motor)bike.

[navara]

Not all Thai charge more

Local usually not tourist area often do

Do not buy when you think it is expensive. Always asked the price before!!!!

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