Brit tourist injured, pays B200k after Phuket jet-ski smash

[ALFREDO]

A search on Aliepress (.com) yields a new 1300cc jet ski can be purchased from China and shipped to Thailand for US $5,848.14 or about 179,000 baht.

Do you also drive a Chinese car or Chinese Motorbike ? lol, These Chinese things differ a lot of that what we are used to!

[harber8]

These jet skis are so easy to control. Unless he was drunk the machine must have definitely malfunctioned.

They probably new it was broken and lent it out to farang knowing it would prob crash.

Easy money. No farang will argue.

[Johnnie99]

"Only do it if you know what you’re doing."

Well. This guy really is an Einstein.

[Hippos]

The renter has admitted he did not know what he was doing. His admission. HIS fault!

Sounds like he was lucky to escape with only these injuries.

[Equalizer]

A search on Aliepress (.com) yields a new 1300cc jet ski can be purchased from China and shipped to Thailand for US $5,848.14 or about 179,000 baht.

Import tax !!! Double it

[bbbbooboo]

ummmm.. a thought occurred to me( no, I'm not thai).....if people stopped renting these jetskis wouldn't the problem stop completely?...too simplistic perhaps

[falangadang]

"I cannot remember things very well but I do remember a police person being very officious."

Yeah,... that'd be pretty hard to forget!

Welcome to Phuket,... hub of stern and staunch faced policemen seeking settlement for one or more of their associates!

[Oreganobag]

Sounds like he didn't know what he was doing (When you want to turn, you have to give it power. You can't let off the gas, otherwise you just go in a straight line. I learned this the hard way when I was a kid. Wanted to splash my sister standing on the dock, just ended up hitting the dock and flying off of it because I let off the accelerator.). And he admits this, as well.

[Thaiready]

They should have a functioning lanyard that is attached to your wrist, with the other end inserted into keyway that acts as a kill switch for the engine, should you fall off. You only have to pull your arm away from the throttle in it pulls the lanyard cable and the "key" comes out and it should stop.

The below link is case where the jet ski doesn't stop, even after the rider falls off.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/462314-phuket-tourist-forced-to-pay-180000-baht-in-jet-ski-repairs/

This is the final paragraph - I fell off and the jet-ski kept going. Normally the key comes out and it stops. Now they are trying to tell me that I caused that. I keep telling them that if I had been on [the craft] I would be dead right now look at the state of it! she said.

I would not be surprised if the owners tamper with the safety switch to maximse the scam, and couldn't care what, or who, the jet ski crashes into.

They do come equiped with a landyard attached to kill switch just like a boat.....but more than likely removed here....

[sam sen]

Sorry but no sympathy from me for anyone who hires those annoying machines.

agree. i dont get the attraction, riding backwards and forwards parallel to a beach... ok, there is speed but surely the thrill soon wears off, and its not like you're going anywhere... its like riding a motorcycle up and down a straight road. yawn.

plus it's really annoyingly noisy

plus you're probably going to get scammed as soon as you return to shore.

why would anyone rent one of these things? because there's a fool born every minute.

[spermwhale]

Why is insurance not included in the rental? Full coverage, how much more could it cost?

That would ruin the scam. I'm sure the operators have insurance anyway.

[TheWizardofRnR]

seems like these stories surface every month or so yet tourists still rent them.

How many people rent motorbikes an have no idea how to ride one ???

I rented one in 1987 and had no problem controlling it ,of course I wasn't also slightly tipsy

when I tried it !

Could our tourist also been out of control ,not so much the jet-ski>>?

I mean just like any Vehicle ,the faster you go the, harder your vehicle is to control !

Kind of like LIFE in the fast lane!

[bander]

David Rimmer, you and everybody who rent jet skies in Thailand is stupid fools who don't listen to warnings from locals and just want to show everybody that you guys are more clever and don't get ripped off.

No sympathy from me and other posters on TV since we all know it's a scam :-)

[shaurene]

I rented a jet ski in Pattaya, before I took it I got my camera out and took a video of it all the way around, the guy say what you do I said I take video for damage it have, he looked at me and smiled. Took it back after 1 hour and he never looked at it.

[glbv]

That fact that so many people are defending someone who by his own admision says he doesn't know what he was doing. He then basically said he was distracted trying to avoid people and hit a boat... Then you guys come to his side cause of course it's always the thais fault, there's no chance that this moron was drunk/stupid and had an accident.

Whatever he paid for rental you can be sure it was a on the go no contract being signed kind of thing and anyone with an ounce of common sense would know they need to tread lightly.

You hear about it a lot because oh shocker, there's a lot of idiot tourists just like this guy, but no the thais should just suck it up, because who cares about them.

Edited February 26, 2014 by LivinginKata
profanity removed

[Ulic]

Not sure what kind of training he was looking for before he left the beach. But teaching common sense can't be done in the

30 minute rental period.

[slipperx]

People come here on holiday and should expect some protection from scammers. The Beitish Embassy never do a thing except offer up pathetic excuses. If you hire a car you expect it to be insured don't you. Why not a jet ski, it is not so different.

Insurance was promised for these horrible machines but just another gob off by a corrupt and horrible scamming set of operators in Phuket and Pattaya for that matter. The police are involved heavily in this as everyone knows.

The Embassy says make sure it is insured - how exactly and why don't they start doing their bloody job and get off their asses.

[little mary sunshine]

Happy He wasn't injured too bad....As a journalist you think he would have read about the jet ski scams....

Pretty tired of these "jet ski" subjects......almost as boaring as "lost all my money to Thai GF/WIFE"....

Edited February 26, 2014 by little mary sunshine

[Oink]

I thought this was just the sort of eventuality that people take out holiday insurance for. It only costs about £40/week Third Party liability and your own medical bill.

Just phone the insurance company and let them sort it out with the jet ski renters. Same as you do when some idiot rear ends your car.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Oink

[wombat]

please excuse my mirth...

"a journalist from Hertford, England"

“ not aware of any other problems faced by British tourists regarding jet-skis"

[laobali]

ummmm.. a thought occurred to me( no, I'm not thai).....if people stopped renting these jetskis wouldn't the problem stop completely?...too simplistic perhaps

Great thinking. If people stopped driving there would be no road accidents either.

[denby45]

Avoid anything that floats in Thailand.

Especially the turds

[slipperylobster]

"You shouldn’t do sports unless you are very adept, and I’m not."

Of course if you play football, noone comes with a shotgun and asks you to pay 200k if you puncture the football.

Jet Ski's are, in fact, much more expensive that footballs.

[sirchai]

Only do it if you know what you’re doing.

A great insight. Seems that many don't get it, come to Thailand, rent a big bike with no insurance, don't even wear a helmet and then crash.

Would you rent a Jetski somewhere in Europe, without any knowledge about it how to operate it?

Then the falling in love after one nigh with a bar girl. Then the "only do it if you know what you're doing" seems to disappear, as other body parts than the brain take over.

That can take many years to realize that you'd done something wrong. Only do it if you know what you’re doing.-

[slipperylobster]

Well, there you go... The man was honest enough to admit his inability to control the jet ski.... and yes, even luckier he did not hit a swimmer. Expensive, and very hard lesson learned. Jet Ski's and women....two things in Thailand that can get out of control, from lack of training.

[Bpuumike]

seems like these stories surface every month or so yet tourists still rent them.

How many people rent motorbikes an have no idea how to ride one ???

Even in Spain you need a licence before being able to rent a jet-ski.

[aguy30]

A search on Aliepress (.com) yields a new 1300cc jet ski can be purchased from China and shipped to Thailand for US $5,848.14 or about 179,000 baht.

Import tax !!! Double it

Actually it would appear that you are very mistaken.

dutycalculator (.com) estimates the total import duty and duty taxes to be a little under 25,000 baht for a grand total of about 212,000 baht for a Chinese made jet ski imported to Thailand.

Total customs value (CIF): THB187947.33 This is the amount that customs values your import at - Duty: THB0.00 - Interior Tax: THB994.43 - Surcharge: THB0.00 - Excise: THB9944.30 - VAT: THB13852.40 Total import duty & taxes due: THB24791.13 This is the amount that needs to be paid to customs Total landed cost: THB212738.46 This is the total cost of importing, including product, shipping, insurance and import duty & taxes at exchange rate of 1 THB = 0.03 USD

[cardinalblue]

Who wants to bet these jet ski owners have some type of insurance? Many hands involved in sharing the payout...

It just amazes me that the consulates can't get involved in setting policies along with city gov and business commerce....

Yes I know the owners don't want this as renters are cash cows...

[sydneyjed]

"Extending a warning"...Being a journalist he could write a bloody weekly column on this scam and not touch the sides !Get that toothless joker from Scam City as well and still it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference!

[PunkRockerGuy]

Well over $6200 for "damage" to jet ski? Or does that cover speedboat also? Too bad the farang will always lose in these situations. Rule #1 -- rent nothing in these resort areas.

http://www.bahtsold.com/ads/jet-ski-for-sale

They are not cheap, Second hand or new, 190.000 - 590.000.- +

I'm not sure I would call those prices expensive. My 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX is well above 700K and just scratch or deform one of the side lockable panniers and it costs 69,000 baht ... and I would expect any watercraft of a fast rate of speed and decent controls, and an even bigger displacement than my 250kg bike should they experience substantial damage, certainly costs more than $200 (6,xxx baht) ... and include non-use opportunity cost while being repaired.

Edited February 26, 2014 by PunkRockerGuy