Bangsaray Charges for Mats and Tables On The Beach

[Rimmer]

Bangsaray Charges for Mats and Tables On The Beach

SATTAHIP – May 11, 2014 [PDN]; the journalists went to survey the restaurants in the area of Bang Sarey beach, Tambon Bang Sarey, Amphur Sattahip, Chonburi province, after they received complaints from beach vendors, local people and tourists that were dissatisfied that Bang Sarey Sub-district Municipality has provided concession for a private sector to provide beach mats and tables-for which they collected the money for.

The journalists reported that all over the beach there were price tags for mats and table as follows: table 20 THB, large mat 20 THB, small mat 10 THB. The journalists questioned some tourists that were eating food and relaxing at the beach and found out that a lot of tourists didn’t know that before you could sit and eat for free as long as you bought food and drink from the relevant restaurant. Once they found out they showed the journalists the tickets they had been given for purchasing the tables and mats.

One restaurant owner complained about the operation method that Bang Sarey Sub-district Municipality had collected a service charge for the mats and tables and had been doing this since May 1, 2014. It had also caused a lot of problems for the restaurant owners due to the concessionaire has brought the mats and tables and had set them up for every restaurant, which the restaurant owner would collect the fee for using them but after the fee would be collected again by the private sector which confused and angered the tourists.
Full story:http://www.pattayadailynews.com/pattaya-news/2014/05/12/bangsaray-charges-for-mats-and-tables-on-the-beach/

-- Pattaya Daily News 2014-05-12

[craigt3365]

Did the mafia set in here? If so, quite sad.

[bkkjames]

Some people would roll up and order a bottle of water and sit on the mats for the day.

Anyway, when my family and I would order seafood, the 10 baht fee for the mat was the least of my worries....

[kuiburi]

Did the mafia set in here? If so, quite sad.

Probably just greed of the restaurant owners , mafia is allover Thailand , called BIB.

[kuiburi]

Some people would roll up and order a bottle of water and sit on the mats for the day.

Anyway, when my family and I would order seafood, the 10 baht fee for the mat was the least of my worries....

Agree ,

tourists angry over a 10 or 20 baht fee is hardly the kinda customers we would like to have .

[craigt3365]

Some people would roll up and order a bottle of water and sit on the mats for the day.

Anyway, when my family and I would order seafood, the 10 baht fee for the mat was the least of my worries....

Agree ,

tourists angry over a 10 or 20 baht fee is hardly the kinda customers we would like to have .

Agreed...but if I buy a few dishes, have some drinks, etc. I shouldn't have to pay for a mat on the ground. And if you try to bring your own, they'll run you off.

[LennyW]

Some people would roll up and order a bottle of water and sit on the mats for the day.

Anyway, when my family and I would order seafood, the 10 baht fee for the mat was the least of my worries....

Agree ,

tourists angry over a 10 or 20 baht fee is hardly the kinda customers we would like to have .

Agreed...but if I buy a few dishes, have some drinks, etc. I shouldn't have to pay for a mat on the ground. And if you try to bring your own, they'll run you off.

I think the issue is being charged as normal from the small food vendors, then....the city hall staff turn up and charge them again!

[Pattaya28]

Next, restaurants will be adding cutlery and crocery charges.

It's never-ending to find ways to squeeze that extra 20 baht from a tourist.

Squeeze Squeeze Squeeze

[Thailaw]

Some people would roll up and order a bottle of water and sit on the mats for the day.

Anyway, when my family and I would order seafood, the 10 baht fee for the mat was the least of my worries....

Agree ,

tourists angry over a 10 or 20 baht fee is hardly the kinda customers we would like to have .

Agreed...but if I buy a few dishes, have some drinks, etc. I shouldn't have to pay for a mat on the ground. And if you try to bring your own, they'll run you off.

I think the issue is being charged as normal from the small food vendors, then....the city hall staff turn up and charge them again!

I think that being charged twice is the issue, and the only real issue. I don't like paying for the mat or the table on top of the food and drink, but it is a "cost of doing business" for the food vendors, and if they don't add it to the bill as a separate item, they will just "build it" into the food prices, just as restaurants do with their rent. And if they add it to the food and drink prices, those coming with their own food and drink will avoid the charge and eat and drink "for free" (at least as far as the vendor is concerned). I routinely bring a cooler with wine and chips for the kids (the wine is for me), and no one has ever said one word about my bringing food and drink, but I am charged for the chairs and tables and I do also buy a fair amount of food from the vendors. On one occasion, I saw a lady with a gas canister and pot with cooking oil frying lots of chicken and fish (that she brought) for a crowd of 10 or more and no one said a word -- they were all sitting in the rented chairs/table. It seems to be pretty open and flexible, so charging for tables and mats/chairs seems to be a reasonable way to accommodate different people's eating/drinking plans/behavior, and the only real is issue is not being charged twice for the same thing. That has never happened to me, but if it did, I would refuse the second attempt regardless from who it came. The other problem is that, unfortunately, the food along the beach in Bang Saray, while a wee bit cheaper than other options in the area (including the extra charges), is not very good (at least as regards the several vendors that we have tried), so except when the main endeavour is swimming and not eating, we seldom frequent the food vendors along the beach in Bang Saray.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Thailaw

[bkkjames]

Curious, if one sits on a chair under an umbrella in Pattaya does one not get charged whether you order something or not?

Anyway, do what others do at Bang Saray, put down their towels on the public beach - walk across the road to the nearest 711 or restaurant and bring back your own food if the 10 or 20 baht is gonna put you out.

Don't forget your Sunscreen however....

[balo]

If I bring my own chair will they still charge me for using the beach ?

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[johng]

If I bring my own chair will they still charge me for using the beach ?

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

They may well try, if not expect verbal and maybe even physical assault.

[bkkjames]

By law all beaches in thailand are public property.

Sent from my LG-P970

[craigt3365]

By law all beaches in thailand are public property.

Sent from my LG-P970

Public property that's managed by the local police force.

[Langsuan Man]

Actually by law, up to the high water mark is owned by the king and he graciously allows his subjects and visitors to use them

This is why hotels and other businesses are legally unable to prevent you from walking or using their beach front.

[KittenKong]

I don't like paying for the mat or the table on top of the food and drink, but it is a "cost of doing business" for the food vendors, and if they don't add it to the bill as a separate item, they will just "build it" into the food prices, just as restaurants do with their rent.

Indeed. The capital outlay of buying a straw mat or a wooden table made from recycled building waste, and their subsequent amortization, must be a real nightmare for them. It's nearly as bad as having to provide cutlery and plates with meals.

[Emilp]

Have mafia?

[Pattaya46]

Have mafia?

No, just business :-)

Concessions to rent part or public domain

are present in many countries allover the world.

[craigt3365]

Have mafia?

No, just business :-)

Concessions to rent part or public domain

are present in many countries allover the world.

True, but here, these tend to be run by the police, with "tea" money as payments. Kinda like all those restaurant shacks on the beach near the Ambassador....

[LennyW]

There was actually a segment about this on the channel 3 news at lunchtime yesterday, obviously someone had contacted them and they came and interviewed people on the mats and some of the irate food stall holders, it appears that the food stall holders are kicking up the biggest fuss as they are no longer allowed to collect the money, only the local govt!!

[LuckyLew]

next thing restaurants will be charging fees to sit at the table and use their chairs and utensils ...

nothing but greed and stupidity ... if they tried to charge me to sit on a mat I would just move on

[Tokay]

It is amazing how fast a place can go downhill here. That used to be a wonderful place to relax.

This comes from the local government, which is more or less the ________________ family. No surprises there. Pretty much everything you track back to them stinks.