atyclb Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 The OP is an expert in retailing? The OP is an expert in construction? I agree. The OP should keep walking away... all the way to the airport, through check-in, down the ramp, onto the plane and OFF*. Off to anywhere but far, far away from here. * one-way ticket. Yes, the OP should walk away to the airport and never come back. That would make one less "thinking" expat in thailand and help make the other "harvard" and "oxford" expats believe they are relative intellectuals. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucifer666 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I have been ignored many times when buying from a street trader. I just walk away and go to the next one, Mai Pen Rai. Once they learn that you're here for a while and not a tourist, they will often trip over themselves to serve you first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yermanee Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 However hard one may try, one cannot walk away from his/her own stupidity. Yermanee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eloelo Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 one of the first things you learn living here is that most thais are not capable of multi tasking, they will start something then start something else and totally forget what they were doing in the first place. All you have done is describe this to a tee. With building sites there is a set method to doing things, I am yet to see it in Thailand as they start doing one thing then get lost and start doing something else, this is why the buildings/bridges etc collapse so often, they are never done correctly in the first place(crappy materials are also part of it). If you expect quick service anywhere you are deluding yourself as that just does not happen here very often, if you cannot accept this then Thailand definitely going to cause you problems. Like you I employ the walk away method every so often, I have a lot of patience but not for stupidity, when staff prefer to talk to someone on the phone or simply ignore you its their loss of a sale, strangely they have enough staff to just about take care of each individual customer but when you need assistance they disapear in case they might have to answer questions or heaven forbid, actually do something. You do realise that you just cast aspersion on 67 or so million people. In one foul swoop, you have decided that the majority of Thai people cannot multi-task. Do you realise how stupid you sound? Do you realise that there are millions of people here running successful businesses; many on an international scale. Do you realise how many people are working in high profile positions that require serious multi-tasking. Doctors, nurses, CEOs, scientists, engineers - the list is endless. How many Thai people have you individually tested for multi-tasking skills. Where is your research data? Can I see the requirements on which you picked your study group? This bigoted "lesser species" attitude is racist and deeply offensive. Go back home to your superior race, Adolf! Thailand will be a better place for your departure. Ouch! ok maybe a percentage cant multitask...and a percentage can..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eloelo Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 The definition of Irony! a post about walking away from idiots ! only to be answered by well err Idiots! complaining that the poster is in fact himself an idiot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinisaan Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) Thailand isn't for you. This is how most of asia works, not just Thailand. Perhaps go to Jamaica for a few months, then come back to Thailand. No thanks...I am not a fat, ugly middle aged western lady looking for the black mamba But a lot of men here are fat, ugly, middle to overage western men who're looking for the tiny but mean Isaan mambas. You sure got THAT one right sirchai. The "dog-mouthed snake" of Isaan is a killer. "Sometimes, 'fuggedabowdit' just means fuggedabowdit. . . . " You may choose one on the photo. Page me and I'll send you their contact details. Edited April 3, 2014 by lostinisaan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watso63 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I saw what (war criminal) Tony Blair and Gordon Brown did to my beloved country. I couldn't bear it, so to save my sanity I turned my back on the mess that is now the UK. Thanks a lot you wasters, without you I never would have found this wonderful place to live. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post thequietman Posted April 3, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted April 3, 2014 Went to the orange bank to lodge my 400,000 baht for marriage visa. My friend opened an account there. Pays 15000 baht a year just to leave it there. Not bad. Walked into the bank. Gave my friends name, she looked it up, said I want what he got. No probs she says. What do you need from me I asked. Passport- check, money- check, WP- check, house book or rental agreement- Check. That's everything you need, I asked. Yes, she replied. Great, I said, start the paperwork. Went and sat down and the lady got busy setting up my account. Now - here's the walk away moment. Wife walks in and sits beside me. Lady calls me up and asks who is this? My wife I answered. Oh, I need marriage certificate and wife's ID. I ask, can a single man (just like my friend) open this account? Yes was the reply. Then why do you need my marriage certificate? I need, sorry. But my wife has nothing to do with this account I exclaimed. I need..................... If my wife hadn't walked in, you would have opened this account for me, yes? Yes sir but now I know you are married, I need the other documents. Told her I was going to walk if she couldn't see the need for me not to have a marriage certificate and my wife's ID. Need.............. so I walked away. The manager called my wife a few days later through the personal details I had given to open the account and explained the extra documents were not required. No thanks was the reply. The frustration I felt in the bank because of the girls insistence meant I had to walk before I said something I would regret later. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggt Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 How does one walk away from the main arterial route on the island? You purchase a plane ticket to BKK...from there you go to a more sane country...Vietnam...Taiwan...Japan...Korea... You get your head on straight...look at Thailand from outside the madness...and make decisions for the future... Your sense of wellbeing...and metal health...is more important than cheap food, beer, and women... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orosee Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Sometimes, waking away from idiocy is as simple as not reading every topic on ThaiVisa... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenterry Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 The one response that used to make me mad, but now I just laugh is 'mai mee'. One smart way to run any kind of business with negligible customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinmaew Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 and that's a good way to sum up on the prospect of living there. Just imagine investing your life savings in one of those construction projects, imagine a Thai taking custody of your $$$$$'s while you wait.... for things to happen and they never will. I will always treat Thailand as a temporary place where I can have some fun and good food but will have to go soon sort of like holding your breath, how long can you do it before you have to breathe and you can only really breathe at home where all is safe and above board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelBangkok Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I walked away from the US after Bush was elected. Never looked back. And me from Canada for very similar reasons...and also never looked back (25 years and counting !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon11 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 You live in Thaland get over it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atyclb Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 You live in Thaland get over it Precisely, just do what a high % of expats do, pair up with a "bon vivant" Isaan gf or wife and you've got it mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatdrunkandstupid Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) No I don't claim to be an expert in construction, or in retail. But I do recognise when someone does not even have a remote grasp of the logic required to work through a simple set of tasks in an ordered manner. They can run around in circles all they want...but I choose to walk away. My time is very precious...and so is my sanity. And as far as commenting on the construction on near Central. It was well reported that this project was deadlined to finish in January this year. The hardest part of that project is digging the tunnel/underpass...they are already 3 months late and still haven't even commence that part of the works. Now that the monsoon has hit, it will be a miracle if it is completed by January NEXT year. Edited April 3, 2014 by fatdrunkandstupid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitawatWatawit Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Haven't had any walk away moments of note for years. Now THAT'S a worry. I need to talk to someone sane ... and soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertthebruce Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 To be fair to the dessert girl, she may have been over-worked, understaffed, and thus extremely flustered...even to the point where calculating change is a mental blank. I can empathise. To be fair to the developer, a construction site is not like a shop with many customers who have to be served in an orderly and speedy manner. There would be many scenarios where one job gets started and then left for another, there would be many teams doing different tasks giving the appearance of many unfinished jobs, etc. Methinks you doth protest too much. But you might be right. Just keep walking away. It's not just Thailand, so don't make out that it is.....last month I walked in to a bed shop. The sales guy was on his mobile, speaking in Hindi. I am familiar with Hindi so could tell he was talking to a mate about a girl. He looked at us and looked away, carrying on his conversation. I waited patiently for 5 minutes. He kept on glancing at me, but refused to put down the phone. I am fairly sure he is the kind of salesman who is on a measly retainer but a good commission. Next time he looked at me, I waved my Platinum card at him, smiled, and walked out. He was an idiot as I was fully intent on buying a big bed. Waived my Platinum Card ???? says it all folks eh.... Do you suffer from an inferiority complex, banks do issue them to various customers if they have funds in their banks, quite common actually and what he did makes perfect sense to me and a lot of others too I would imagine....... Naff comes to mind.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravip Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Platinum cards and developed countries... What the hell are they suffering here in the dumps of Asia? Simple arithmetic, isn't it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertthebruce Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 To be fair to the dessert girl, she may have been over-worked, understaffed, and thus extremely flustered...even to the point where calculating change is a mental blank. I can empathise. To be fair to the developer, a construction site is not like a shop with many customers who have to be served in an orderly and speedy manner. There would be many scenarios where one job gets started and then left for another, there would be many teams doing different tasks giving the appearance of many unfinished jobs, etc. Methinks you doth protest too much. But you might be right. Just keep walking away. It's not just Thailand, so don't make out that it is.....last month I walked in to a bed shop. The sales guy was on his mobile, speaking in Hindi. I am familiar with Hindi so could tell he was talking to a mate about a girl. He looked at us and looked away, carrying on his conversation. I waited patiently for 5 minutes. He kept on glancing at me, but refused to put down the phone. I am fairly sure he is the kind of salesman who is on a measly retainer but a good commission. Next time he looked at me, I waved my Platinum card at him, smiled, and walked out. He was an idiot as I was fully intent on buying a big bed. Waived my Platinum Card ???? says it all folks eh.... LOL. Fair call. "Wad of cash" would have sounded more ostentatious to my ears. Platinum is not a big deal where I live (NZ) because the banks practically throw them at you...it means nothing. I am not rich lol, I just make sure I live within my means and always pay my credit card bill. I should have just written "credit card". I hate bad service, or ignorance, as for myself, i would of just walked out of the shop, no point in displaying this kind of attitude, as it comes over bad.. Thats my take.... on it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wym Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Yesterday at a Big C I took a single bottle of shampoo to the Pharmacist / Boots cashier as you must pay separate for Boots merchandise. I did not have anything else. Giving her the bottle she asked me "one"? holding up a single finger. I ask her "how many do you see?" she still looks a bit unclear. then I ask her if she graduated pharmacy university. Yes I did. I say "logic says there is 1 bottle" (I can read/write Thai and pronounce near native) Moments like this repeat themselves almost on a daily basis. Basically unimaginable stuff that defies all logic and reason. More than walk away moments. Pinch yourself inflict pain to try to awaken from a dream cause stuff life this can only happen in dreams. I have tried to politely explain and educate but there exists a lot of resistance and inflexibility. You could by design not create a society more destined to stagnate if you tried. I am not bashing, just stating facts. They've got a buy-one-get-one-free special going at the moment. Imagine the "farang are stupid" giggles after you left. Had a walkaway moment yesterday. Went to Standard Chartered to invest in 1 of their tax deductible retirement funds. They wanted a copy of my passport (ok), copy of my work permit (duh? but ok), and, wait for it, six months of personal bank statements (not OK). When I pointed out to them that I was not here for a loan but was actually going to five them cash to invest on my behalf, the answer was: "so solly, policy". I walked. Anti-money-laundering "know your customer" rules, get used to it and thank Uncle Sam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wym Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 To be fair to the dessert girl, she may have been over-worked, understaffed, and thus extremely flustered...even to the point where calculating change is a mental blank. I can empathise. To be fair to the developer, a construction site is not like a shop with many customers who have to be served in an orderly and speedy manner. There would be many scenarios where one job gets started and then left for another, there would be many teams doing different tasks giving the appearance of many unfinished jobs, etc. Methinks you doth protest too much. But you might be right. Just keep walking away. It's not just Thailand, so don't make out that it is.....last month I walked in to a bed shop. The sales guy was on his mobile, speaking in Hindi. I am familiar with Hindi so could tell he was talking to a mate about a girl. He looked at us and looked away, carrying on his conversation. I waited patiently for 5 minutes. He kept on glancing at me, but refused to put down the phone. I am fairly sure he is the kind of salesman who is on a measly retainer but a good commission. Next time he looked at me, I waved my Platinum card at him, smiled, and walked out. He was an idiot as I was fully intent on buying a big bed. Waived my Platinum Card ???? says it all folks eh.... Do you suffer from an inferiority complex, banks do issue them to various customers if they have funds in their banks, quite common actually and what he did makes perfect sense to me and a lot of others too I would imagine....... The fact that someone thinks a Platinum card has any "high status" value is what is being commented on, completely idiotic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banzai99 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banzai99 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Oh, I can get into more debt than you.........because I have a Platinum card.....LOL You can only get into Gold Card Debt.......... Silver card debt isn't even worth getting into............ As I waved my Amex diamond encrusted card, I bypassed all those silver, gold and platinum peasants, I get served first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banzai99 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 No I don't claim to be an expert in construction, or in retail. Thank Christ for that ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtoad Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Oh, I can get into more debt than you.........because I have a Platinum card.....LOL You can only get into Gold Card Debt.......... Silver card debt isn't even worth getting into............ As I waved my Amex diamond encrusted card, I bypassed all those silver, gold and platinum peasants, I get served first. Diamond, sorry you need Black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcisco Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Thailand isn't for you. This is how most of asia works, not just Thailand. Perhaps go to Jamaica for a few months, then come back to Thailand. Ahaha, I so know what you are talking about. Though I have to say that Antigua for me is the low point of everything..ahh sigh. even the bank did work or properly, and the police just beat offenders rather than arrest them. serial offenders included, grrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 (edited) Sounds like the classic 'trying to do too many jobs at once' thing..... and finishing none of them. Had it at hotel reception when desperately tired and wanting to get into the room....(mainly bathroom!) and the supervisor is interfering and making check-in a screw up. What you got is the serving falang but Thai come, and must serve first. Perhaps you should tell those pushing in to back off......good luck with that. Edited April 3, 2014 by jacko45k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xenophon Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Have a read of Trompenaars' dilemmas of culture: sequential vs synchronic attitudes to time. Doesn't explain all but does reveal why those behaviors are thought to be OK in many non western cultures (and perhaps some mediterranean ones) . Also moves perception beyond what is good or bad, right or wrong time behaviors. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 The OP is an expert in retailing? The OP is an expert in construction? I agree. The OP should keep walking away... all the way to the airport, through check-in, down the ramp, onto the plane and OFF*. Off to anywhere but far, far away from here. * one-way ticket. Yes, the OP should walk away to the airport and never come back. That would make one less "thinking" expat in thailand and help make the other "harvard" and "oxford" expats believe they are relative intellectuals. Dontcha just LOVE playing 'spot the Mensa member' on internet forums? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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