How should i have handled this: bad service/scam

[Gandtee]

Here's a funny one. My dad is 82 years old and he lives in Bangkok with his 50 something Thai lady friend. They have a Mercedes but like to take the mini busses whenever they can. My dad is a take no crap kind of guy. He uses his age advantage to regularly curse out a careless or rude drivers. First, he gets up real close to them, in their personal space, and curses them out in english. He leaves out nothing as he is a former marine. Then comes the kicker. He also curses them out in perfect Thai in front of everyone. He's very thorough and never breaks eye contact with them. I've seen him do this and it's brilliant to see. Seems to work too. He's never been challenged in the last 5 years he's lived here. Go dad! Hehehe.

And he has reached 82. The Gods must be on his side?

[joshstiles]

next time you could slit someone's throat or just shut the F up and take it like a man.....or better yet, leave the country

[DLock]

When I hear people say "I didn't lose my temper because i know I would be losing face"....I smile to myself and think How convenient for the person trying to rob me.....they won't even have the wrath of a potential victim to deal with.....it's like saying "If you are going to rob me that's OK, I won't even get angry". I posted one time before..............After changing my Estate agent for the 5th time due to the other 4 putting customers in my room when it was supposed to be empty I eventually had enough when the last one pulled the same stunt. ....I thought..."I'm going to use this "loosing face" to my own advantage so I waited till the office was very busy and there were lots of people around and tore into the agent at the top of my voice about having a customer in my room when it was supposed to be empty , I had all the details, name, how long he was there, when he was leaving how much he had paid etc., (I opened the room at 4 AM the previous morning and got all the details from him while he was still half awake) the agent kept running to the door trying to close it as I had deliberately left it open for people outside to hear as well. I got the money for that customer from the agent and a small lump sum I asked for towards previous lets as I had no proof at hand.for them. Why would I be losing face...I don't believe in that wimpish talk....if somebody is robbing me I am entitled to be angry. The agent sure lost face because it was proven that they were thieving a condo owner....that would be the same in Farang Land....although I don't think a Farang thief would be too worried about losing face....more worried about losing business and losing their freedom for a spell of time.

I often think if Thai people got angry more often then they might not have to work such long hours for rich business owners who pay them a pittance. Where has "not losing face" got them....it just plays into the hands of the bosses and the rich.

Nice one. I probably would have done similar, maybe worse.

I do find all the "don't shout or get angry because you'll lose face in a Thai's eyes" very beta male, and playing into Thai thieves and scammers hands.

[jacko45k]

How long have you been here yet have not learned that Thais are not financially responsible for their own mistakes, never mind the mistakes of their staff.

Responsibility generally is shunned!

[gregk0543]

'Forgive them for they do not know what they do' mentally repeat this about ten times and you may feel better.

These are not good things to happen to anyone but it is an indication of how some thais feel good about ripping off a wealthy tourist.

You just have to feel sad for them. The majority of people all over the world are not going to rip you off.

I always tip my taxi drivers and pay that little extra. They always appreciate it. I have worked jobs like that and i dont forget what it is like for someone to give you a tip. Giving a little happiness here and there makes the world a better place.

Sometimes it is maybe a result of sonething you did in the past youve paid off that kammic debt now. Maybe.

[Grindting]

Why does this almost always happens to someone with a female friend who is not a hooker?!

I have a theory that when someone goes to great lengths to point out the lady concerned is not a BG etc. they have already admitted to world that the young lady concerned is a hooker, its a defensive mechanism me thinks, certainly when the statements concerned have absolutely no relevance to the topic being discussed

bit like the posts on TV that start...."My wife/GF is a well educated non-EX BG, Hi-So Thai/Chinese Nuclear physicist and would like to know where to get a Thai drivers license BKK ? "

I actually thought it was fairly relevant because if it was a bar girl, she would just assume me being a rich faring, I would simply pay up.

if it was a decent girl, the probably would have handled it differently

I was also staying in a $150 per night hotel which I didn't deem relevant, but it was one of the better hotels in the area

You are staying in $150 hotel but whining about paying extra $2???

That is not the point. It could be a $1500 per night hotel, what's the difference? You obviously have no self respect - the taxi driver was trying to <deleted> him in the ear.

Taxi drivers in Jakarta will ALWAYS get a generous tip from me, as their fares are cheap and they usually work hard. There are always the odd few who will try a fast one - shooting themselves in the foot trying to increase the meter for a dollar by going the long way round. These nitwits get nothing

In the case of the OP; Taxi driver made the mistake, his problem.

If He tried to push that on me and He refused to take me due to the uplift, I get out and use another. Some people spouting that one needs to respect the culture as that's the way things work here.. Wrong. Would you respect an uneducated imbecile trying to pull a fast one on you in your own country? they need to learn to grow up and take responsibility for their actions in life. I'm not going to bail them out, maybe you need to be the one to stand up and teach them, as no one else has or will, which is why they are behaving like that.

Usually they are just trying it on to see if you'll give way, they do it to each other more than they do it to foreigners. Once you've lived in asia long enough you'll learn that. I've lived in Indonesia for many years and learned that there is no debating, You have to treat them like children if that is how they are going to behave. I've walked out of plenty of restaurants without paying if they've refused to take back poor food or taken it back and tried to charge me for it, walked out of countless taxi's who have tried it on, list goes on.

Back in the uk my Indonesian partner and I took a trip up north last year. We took a cab from the station (Liverpool) to the hotel. Taxi driver was so talkative and enthusiastic about his city and giving us all kinds of great pointers (was my first time in Liverpool). He subsequently took us the wrong way, in fact the opposite direction. He slapped himself on the head and got in a panic, before I could say anything he slapped the metre off and apologised. And didn't flip it bAck on again until we flew past the train station. He was an absolute diamond gentleman, the Fare was about £15/£16 but I told him keep the change out of a £20. That is a man worth respecting and a culture of taking responsibility of ones actions.

Of course you get good and bad everywhere, and I have similar stories of incidents like that from Indonesia and other parts of asia as well. So I'm not going to pander to a witless piece of trash thai cabby trying to pull a fast one, $2 $20 or $200, It's the principal. If you are living in asia working and paying taxes you become less and less tolerant to any such misbehaviours

Edited May 22, 2014 by Grindting

[HeijoshinCool]

I sat at a table in the Dubliner Irish pub on Sukhumvit Road near Emporium. I was drinking a pint of Guinness. I'd only taken a few sips from it when Somchai comes over with a ladder, sets it next to my table, and climbs it. I'm not there, apparently.

He reaches over my table and tries to unscrew a halogen lightbulb. It breaks. Glass falls in my beer.

Problem one: when I asked him to get a new beer, he actually said nothing went in the beer. Then he walked away.

I went to the bartender, told him what happened, and he gave me a fresh one with a smile, and without saying a word.

When I asked for the bill, there were two beers on it. The bartender wouldn't take one off, nor would the manager after hearing my story.

I waited until everyone was busy, left the exact money on the table for the one beer, and walked out. Never have returned.

You didn't knock it over 'by accident'?? I think I would have fiend a slip and the bar would be full of beer for them to clean up.

No. I'm not vindictive.