Got an accident on the porch of the bungalow. how do ihandle this?

[FritsSikkink]

i see that sarcasm will probaply never die in this forum,

actually, i don`t have really high hopes, that anything in my favour will happen tomorrow, been there, done that...

pussy? hmm, i´m not wining, but it`s not just a scratch, it´s quite big and bloody.

maybe some free dinner or breakfast tomorrow for me... maybe

ps: big irony: i am a travel writer, but i will not "use" this, because THAT would be pussy....

Why do you step on that plank if you know it isn't fixed yet?

[gerryBScot]

I would suggest you take a trip to the hospital to get your cut checked out especially if the skin is broken and you have a wound. If it is just superficial I suggest you get some blue alcohol and clean it and also apply some iodine to it. These things get infected easily in tropical weather so a precautionary course of antibiotics might be recommended. If you get a fever or develop other symptoms don't hang around, get medical help.

[evadgib]

this morning i was drinking my coffee and writing at the restaurant, when the manager approached me and asked for my bungalow-number. he took the first step, nice gesture.

he told me that he´s sorry and that there is nothing he could do about it. he told me that he can´t refund money and that his resort is a small family business. he said the situation would be different in a 5000 baht per night resort.

i agreed with him and said, it would be a nice gesture, if he invites me for a free breakfast or something.

he agreed. i got my big breakfast for free (it was good) and during the whole conversation, we both smiled and were friendly.

handshakes at the end. the staff serving the breakfast were also very friendly saying sorry too and to be honest, it´s all good for me now!

maybe it´s not about what you do, it´s more a question of how you do it.

Such places are required to have 3rd party insurance in order to be licensed by TAT.

[catweazle08]

My apologies for the uncalled-for remark about the name.

Accepted! ...thx

[catweazle08]

Why do you step on that plank if you know it isn't fixed yet?

u couldn´t spot anything! the porch looked completely normal and the plank was fixed (in a way). it just broke immediately when i stepped on it. they told me, that i can move in the bungalow.

the thai repairing the porch looked very surprised when he saw the broken plank...

@gerry: thx! yes, i keep an eye on it. i clean it everyday and no beach/sand for me at the moment. humidity and wounds don´t match.

[StreetCowboy]

this morning i was drinking my coffee and writing at the restaurant, when the manager approached me and asked for my bungalow-number. he took the first step, nice gesture.

he told me that he´s sorry and that there is nothing he could do about it. he told me that he can´t refund money and that his resort is a small family business. he said the situation would be different in a 5000 baht per night resort.

i agreed with him and said, it would be a nice gesture, if he invites me for a free breakfast or something.

he agreed. i got my big breakfast for free (it was good) and during the whole conversation, we both smiled and were friendly.

handshakes at the end. the staff serving the breakfast were also very friendly saying sorry too and to be honest, it´s all good for me now!

maybe it´s not about what you do, it´s more a question of how you do it.

Such places are required to have 3rd party insurance in order to be licensed by TAT.

Do they need licensed by TAT?

[GrantSmith]

OK I can see you need to shown what to do here.

First of all my advice is the only advice that works.

Get your arse along to reception and start raising your voice and crying blue murder. Say you do not think it is in anyway acceptable that you have now been injured and because of no fault of your own. Demand to see the manager and keep up the fuss until you get him. Say, you know its not his fault and ask him what he would do if he had been injured in your hotel. Tell him face to face, what it is you want. If you want to change rooms, tell him, if you want to have a free stay, look out the window and see the pigs fly (its Thailand, no Toronto).

From what my experience of the Thais is never shout at them directly, they take offence to it, but its ok to get them on side and then complain bitterly about a situation and ask them (they like that) what they would do.

Raising a voice in Thailand is a good way to get attention, done skilfully you can get pretty much whatever you want if it is justified, done badly and your sore leg will be attached to a sore bum.

I got a free room upgrade because the sun was too bright through the windows in the morning. I had to even turn on the waterworks. They had never see anything like it.

I do have it my capacity to be a Western Winger of the highest order. Sorry but it does work.

I sincerley hope I'm not waiting to check into a property when you come down and bung this act on at the front desk.

[meatboy]

i hope there's no blood on the bed sheets.

[aveabeeror2]

A smile and sorry is probably alll you will get, although they could charge you for damaging the porch !

Be nice about it, smile alot, play the poor wounded soldier and see how it unfolds, whatever you do, DONT behave in a threatening or loud manner, dont lose your temper, BE NICE and they will probably reciprocate.

Let us all know what happens ?

This aint the US, dont even think of trying to make any money out of it.

Yes. please keep us all informed. Photos of all your injuries and of the offending plank would also be of great interest, copies of medical bills .

[Tchooptip]

I would suggest you take a trip to the hospital to get your cut checked out especially if the skin is broken and you have a wound. If it is just superficial I suggest you get some blue alcohol and clean it and also apply some iodine to it. These things get infected easily in tropical weather so a precautionary course of antibiotics might be recommended. If you get a fever or develop other symptoms don't hang around, get medical help.

You are absolutely right

At least OP should buy NOW an antibiotic cream in the nearest pharmacy, and put t all over his wound, it has to be taken seriously, once the infection start...very difficult to get rid of it, not many tourist realised it!

[mgjackson69]

ok, here´s the interesting follow-up:

 

last evening i was lying in my bungalow and i could hear a conversation outside. my neighbor talked to a guy about his accident breaking through the planks of his porch!!!

of course i went outside and talked to the guy.

he stayed at my bungalow and had exactly the same accident about 24h before me!!!

the big difference was, he was running fast while breaking in the hole.

his wound at the knee is about three times the size of mine and he got 4 stitches at the hospital. paid 6000 baht bill and takes now a lot of medicine. it looked really really bad!

when he complained about the accident to the staff, he got loud and upset (not a good idea) which lead basically to nothing.

later, he told me, the staff at the resort where laughing about him and his accident (this was his interpretation of "something" that happened).

he paid already about 10 days in advance, so is kinda stuck here.

 

 

this morning i was drinking my coffee and writing at the restaurant, when the manager approached me and asked for my bungalow-number. he took the first step, nice gesture.

he told me that he´s sorry and that there is nothing he could do about it. he told me that he can´t refund money and that his resort is a small family business. he said the situation would be different in a 5000 baht per night resort.

i agreed with him and said, it would be a nice gesture, if he invites me for a free breakfast or something.

he agreed. i got my big breakfast for free (it was good) and during the whole conversation, we both smiled and were friendly.

handshakes at the end. the staff serving the breakfast were also very friendly saying sorry too and to be honest, it´s all good for me now!

maybe it´s not about what you do, it´s more a question of how you do it.

 

i feel really sorry for the other guy, he got it really bad.

 

of course it´s kinda flabbergasting to me, that the same accident happens again after 24h. they didn´t really take precautions after the first one...

 

400 baht for 5 nights? i thought the 90s are over...

 

ps: "catweazle" is the name of a funny tv-show i used to watch as a child. just brings back some good memories. although it can´t and doesn´t want to compete with the coolness of the nickname "streetcowboy". 

 

You handled that just right. You let the manager approach you rather then chasing him down and start demanding compensation. You made a reasonable suggestion of something he could do to square things up.

The manager saved face by being able to 'take care' of you without causing a financial hardship to the business. You saved face (truly, probably gained) by making a reasonable request and by behaving in a calm manner.

Now the manager is your friend and you are on good terms with the staff. Your remaining stay will be pleasant and friendly.

And you did not experience the stress and rise in blood pressure associated with the confrontational, in-your-face approach that so many Westerners seem to think is required.

Well done

I see two lessons here:

1. Someone does not have to pay (read: ridiculous amounts of cash) whenever something bad happens. Sometime it is a case of 'shit happens'.

2. Westerners can pooh-pooh the concept of 'saving face', but it is a reality in this part of the world, and needs to be taken into consideration. If we are honest with ourselves, the concept of 'saving face' exists in all cultures, to varying degrees.

Sent from my Xoom using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hanno]

Get your arse along to reception and start raising your voice and crying blue murder.

I have been working in hotels for 30 years and can assure you that your approach would not get very far. Admittedly, if one of my guests had an accident, I would see him/her immediately and find an amicable solution. But coming to the reception screaming would not get you much.

[JLCrab]

Post #26 describes in that writer's opinion "The only advice that works." Au contraire as per Las Vegas Sun (15MAY2008) when Howard Hughes arrived at the desert Inn in Las Vegas in 1966:

His aides whisked him to the Desert Inn penthouse. As the story goes, Moe Dalitz, the DI’s general manager, asked Hughes to vacate the penthouse because it was needed for the expected influx of New Year’s Eve guests. Instead, Hughes bought the hotel.

[khunpa]

ok, here´s the interesting follow-up:

last evening i was lying in my bungalow and i could hear a conversation outside. my neighbor talked to a guy about his accident breaking through the planks of his porch!!!

of course i went outside and talked to the guy.

he stayed at my bungalow and had exactly the same accident about 24h before me!!!

the big difference was, he was running fast while breaking in the hole.

his wound at the knee is about three times the size of mine and he got 4 stitches at the hospital. paid 6000 baht bill and takes now a lot of medicine. it looked really really bad!

when he complained about the accident to the staff, he got loud and upset (not a good idea) which lead basically to nothing.

later, he told me, the staff at the resort where laughing about him and his accident (this was his interpretation of "something" that happened).

he paid already about 10 days in advance, so is kinda stuck here.

this morning i was drinking my coffee and writing at the restaurant, when the manager approached me and asked for my bungalow-number. he took the first step, nice gesture.

he told me that he´s sorry and that there is nothing he could do about it. he told me that he can´t refund money and that his resort is a small family business. he said the situation would be different in a 5000 baht per night resort.

i agreed with him and said, it would be a nice gesture, if he invites me for a free breakfast or something.

he agreed. i got my big breakfast for free (it was good) and during the whole conversation, we both smiled and were friendly.

handshakes at the end. the staff serving the breakfast were also very friendly saying sorry too and to be honest, it´s all good for me now!

maybe it´s not about what you do, it´s more a question of how you do it.

i feel really sorry for the other guy, he got it really bad.

of course it´s kinda flabbergasting to me, that the same accident happens again after 24h. they didn´t really take precautions after the first one...

400 baht for 5 nights? i thought the 90s are over...

ps: "catweazle" is the name of a funny tv-show i used to watch as a child. just brings back some good memories. although it can´t and doesn´t want to compete with the coolness of the nickname "streetcowboy".

Good for you, that the situation has been resolved. Screaming and shouting does for sure not help - especially at a small and cheap resort like yours.

Lesson learnt: If you want better flooring, then you will have to pay more :-)

Have a great holiday...

[aveabeeror2]

Reminds me of a profilic poster in Pattaya who cut his finger on a baht bus and had to report it on TV. Some people are very very boreing.

[pomchop]

i see that sarcasm will probaply never die in this forum,

actually, i don`t have really high hopes, that anything in my favour will happen tomorrow, been there, done that...

pussy? hmm, i´m not wining, but it`s not just a scratch, it´s quite big and bloody.

maybe some free dinner or breakfast tomorrow for me... maybe

ps: big irony: i am a travel writer, but i will not "use" this, because THAT would be pussy....

For a "travel writer" you certainly do make a lot of spelling and punctuation mistakes.

[mgjackson69]

Reminds me of a profilic poster in Pattaya who cut his finger on a baht bus and had to report it on TV. Some people are very very boreing.

But it hurt really bad...

[chrisinth]

ok, here´s the interesting follow-up:

last evening i was lying in my bungalow and i could hear a conversation outside. my neighbor talked to a guy about his accident breaking through the planks of his porch!!!

of course i went outside and talked to the guy.

he stayed at my bungalow and had exactly the same accident about 24h before me!!!

the big difference was, he was running fast while breaking in the hole.

his wound at the knee is about three times the size of mine and he got 4 stitches at the hospital. paid 6000 baht bill and takes now a lot of medicine. it looked really really bad!

when he complained about the accident to the staff, he got loud and upset (not a good idea) which lead basically to nothing.

later, he told me, the staff at the resort where laughing about him and his accident (this was his interpretation of "something" that happened).

he paid already about 10 days in advance, so is kinda stuck here.

this morning i was drinking my coffee and writing at the restaurant, when the manager approached me and asked for my bungalow-number. he took the first step, nice gesture.

he told me that he´s sorry and that there is nothing he could do about it. he told me that he can´t refund money and that his resort is a small family business. he said the situation would be different in a 5000 baht per night resort.

i agreed with him and said, it would be a nice gesture, if he invites me for a free breakfast or something.

he agreed. i got my big breakfast for free (it was good) and during the whole conversation, we both smiled and were friendly.

handshakes at the end. the staff serving the breakfast were also very friendly saying sorry too and to be honest, it´s all good for me now!

maybe it´s not about what you do, it´s more a question of how you do it.

i feel really sorry for the other guy, he got it really bad.

of course it´s kinda flabbergasting to me, that the same accident happens again after 24h. they didn´t really take precautions after the first one...

400 baht for 5 nights? i thought the 90s are over...

ps: "catweazle" is the name of a funny tv-show i used to watch as a child. just brings back some good memories. although it can´t and doesn´t want to compete with the coolness of the nickname "streetcowboy". alt=cowboy.gif>

Good for you, that the situation has been resolved. Screaming and shouting does for sure not help - especially at a small and cheap resort like yours.

Lesson learnt: If you want better flooring, then you will have to pay more :-)

Have a great holiday...

Yep, sometimes its worth tipping 20 baht to the bellboy.

Just make sure he walks in front of you into the room....................

[catweazle08]

so here´s the next chapter:

my neighbor with the 5 stitches-wound went to the police yesterday to complain about the accident, not the tourist police if i got him right.

at the police, a thai helped him to translate his story.

the policeman didn´t listen at all and went outside the office to smoke a cigarette, leaving the two guys alone...

my wound is healing very good.

ps: english is not my mother-tongue and yes, i make mistakes because i´m not perfect.

[Beechboy]

The sheer trauma of it all must be worth at least 100, 000.

[wooloomooloo]

I'm glad the situation is now amicably resolved, catweazle.

Of more concern is that your career as a travel writer has hit such depths as staying in rickety 400 baht per night digs.

[catweazle08]

there´s most times no money in writing and selling books...unless you are joanne k rowling or dan brown or ... ...

most of the books being published (fiction and non-fiction) don´t sell much.

i don´t recommend it to anyone if you "want to get rich" and it´s luckily not my only source of income. it´s more a source of oportunities and experiences.

[namdocmai]

Some years ago i went to Pattaya with a group of Thai friends. One of them had a friend at the SCB-bank and we could get discount on the rooms in their training-resort at the beach. Rooms were something like 1000 a night for us.

I jumped in the pool, swim a while and used the stairs to get out of the pool. When i was halfway the stairs it broke and cut my foot deeply. Blood gushing out so i walked to a beachbed and sit there. All my friends in panic, they called the poolguard and he only stared at the blood dripping on the floor. After a while he left and never came back. Then i walked to the reception to show my wound and i got some bandage and solly sil.

Later they closed the whole pool so nobody could swim there anymore. The other stairs in the pool was also half broken so they just wait untill accidents happen and then close the pool, bad luck for the other guests.

In white sand beach-resort in Pattaya i cut my finger deeply while swimming. The tiles on the bottom of the pool were broken and very sharp. When i was at the reception to get iodide another farang came in with a big wound on his foot, also from the broken pooltiles......Solly sir, solly.......idiots

[VocalNeal]

I stepped through the outside deck of a cabin at the River Kwai resort. All I had was a sore shin, where it jammed in the gap before my knee got there. When it happened I went to the desk and asked for the first aid kit which they had. I didn't need the kit and knew nothing would happen about my injury I just did that for effect but when I got back from breakfast the deck had been repaired!

[catweazle08]

so i guess a more expensive accomodation is not a guarantee to not get hurt...

anyway, i´m tired of the wodden cheap bungalows. next one will be a concrete one, for sure better protection against mosquitos.

wound looks fine and heals and the manager and staff are all the time very friendly to me

[namdocmai]

so i guess a more expensive accomodation is not a guarantee to not get hurt...

anyway, i´m tired of the wodden cheap bungalows. next one will be a concrete one, for sure better protection against mosquitos.

wound looks fine and heals and the manager and staff are all the time very friendly to me

I paid 8000 a night for a beach-resort in Karon beach Phuket (right on the beach there is only 1) and there were nails sticking out of the wooden deck around the pools. Who uses nails in a resort like that? Screws don't come out and stainless screws even don't rot in salty air but hey TIT.

The nightguards liked to sleep behind their desks at nite and anybody could just walk in/out that place.

For serious prices like mentioned i would expect a higher level of safety but TIT. I wonder what will happen if somebody steps in a nail with bare feet. They even had a farang manager in that place so even that is no guarantee for a safe place.