Outrageous behavior! Cinema Chair broke & they ask me to pay for damage

[Larry001]

Welcome to Thailand

[ggt]

Thailand. I just don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.

Your experience is similar to many that foreigners experience in Thailand...do not take it personally...remember the source...people lacking good form or decorum...this time just laugh it off...and try and prepare yourself for the next one...

You have a target on your back...looks like baht...and will be shot at often...try not to cry...

[IAMSOBAD]

Had a similar thing with a hotel in Sriricha. Had gone to bed and sleep with gf when there was an almighty crash from the bathroom and then the spraying of water. The heavy ceramic sink had crashed to the floor. After the palaver of the staff coming and getting the water turned off and cleaning up the china, it was evident from the remaining bits of rusty metal still in the wall that the screws holding it up had rusted and perished through.

In the morning though the manager comes and tells me that I broke it as I was staying in the room. we had a long argument/discussion about this, where I pointed out the obvious reason for the fall and how they were lucky there wasn't a small child in the bathroom as it fell etc. She knows I'm right but tells me the owner says it has to be paid for or else it will come out of her wages.

I get to speak to the owner on the phone and we have the same discussions and arguments. He insists I must pay.

I had found his hotel from the Lonely Planet guide book, so in my best Liam Neeson in Taken style, I told him yes I would pay for the damage, but that I would then go onto the LP website and tell everyone how unsafe and bad his hotel was and how a small child might get hurt staying there, I would also visit every other website I could find reviewing his hotel and do the same. "ok, ok I can discount damage 50%", I told him no no, I was happy to pay 100% and let everybody know how unsafe it was there. He eventually pleaded me down to a nominal amount of 200 baht which was less then 10% of original asking amount (2500)

The managers face was a picture has she listened to him tell her the news on the phone

YOU HAVE RIGHTS...Go on LP and Tripadvisor and every site available and report this scumbag owner and cheapasss hotel.

Do It Now!

Edited June 15, 2014 by IAMSOBAD

[YipYipYa123]

ever tried slimfast ?

[kurnell]

Crikey, I live in Bangkapi and use the cinemas in the area. Which one was it and what was the cinema number? I am trying to avoid sitting on a broken chair that will definitely not be repaired properly.

[Suradit69]

Entertaining OP. Thanks very much.

Now use the humiliation as motivation to go on a diet.

Farang loss of face as motivation for loss of weight! Finally some good can come from the loss of face obsession!

[ironbark]

In a western cinema they would be begging you not to sue them

[belg]

maybe you should post your question in : ASK THE LAWYER

if you are liable or not

[nottocus]

OP…lose some weight..problem won't arise again. Solved.

[RBOP]

Sounds like you have 2 cases of discrimination against the cinema:

1. Discrimination because your over weight.

2. your a gay couple.

You should sue the cinema at least on #1.

[daveAustin]

Well done to your partner.

They didn't ask if you were ok as that would both be a potential loss of face and put the onus on them. Also remember that most, not all, Thais struggle with culpability, accountability, empathy, sympathy ... {insert adjective} etc etc

Some low level grunt will probably end up paying for it though.

Edited June 15, 2014 by daveAustin

[Lucifer]

I'm a little intrigued as to why the OP felt nesessary to inform the staff.

[Gsxrnz]

The heavy ceramic sink had crashed to the floor.

Off-topic (slightly): Be very careful with hotel ceramic sinks/basins. The wall fixings may be strong when the unit was initially installed, but those fixings are notorious for coming loose, with the result that you'll pull the unit right off the wall! (I know - I have done this).

[DIY builder tip #128):

The basins in my hotel businesses are fixed with 6 inch long bolts that go right through the supporting wall to the exterior of the building. You would have to pull the whole wall down before the basin falls off that wall...

Considering that the cinder block walls between the piles are usually erected with crappy mortar and sans rebar, I'd have thought your walls would be coming down on a regular basis.

I watched a condo being built and on the third floor the "bricklayer" must have lost the plot and didn't set the wall back about a foot from the face of the piles as on the other floors. A month later I saw them remove the wall from the inside.

They removed alternate bricks at the top with a sledge hammer and then as I was casually sitting by my pool having a smoke, I saw the wall fall out in one piece - In the hole that was left were about a dozen Cambodian labourers who had basically formed a scrum and pushed it out. Made a helluva bang - luckily none of the Cambodians followed it down.

[catweazle]

"Thailand. I just don’t know whether I should laugh or cry."

Laugh... and start a diet for Pete's sake!

[mickjn]

They should have made you pay for 2 seats.The one you broke and the one you are going to break next time

[samran]

I bet you would have Kung <deleted> chopped him from the skills learned in a previous special forces life if he didn't back down!

[David48]

I bet you would have Kung <deleted> chopped him from the skills learned in a previous special forces life if he didn't back down!

Maybe ... though given his acknowledged size ... maybe he would have just sat on the manager.

[zombie nights]

OP: Thank you for the interesting posting. Agree the movie house were trying it on etc That said has it ever occured to you that you are more than twice the weight of an average Thai/Asian and that fact may have at least contributed to the chair breaking.

You really should consider going on a diet or taking other weight reduction methods; and because of your excessive weight you should be far more careful in activites such as sitting on a chair.

Also for example there is a good case for airlines charging extra for passengers of your size flying.

[Neurath]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Easy. Just walk out onto the busy street and disappear.

take a cab back home

Yes... or your could tell them you'll just duck on down to Big C to pick up a brand new Cimema seat and be right back to install for them before the next showing of Edge of Tomorrow. Leave your popcorn and soda as bond.

The replacement cost of a cinema seat is somewhat relevant to the discussion as this gaggle of cinema employees must have had some notion of what our hefty and articulate friend was going to be asked to pay.

[attrayant]

There was an attempt to rip someone off. The staff at the cinema where looking to make money.

This was exactly my thought when I saw the thread title. They would have pocked the money and done nothing to fix the seat, then blamed the next guy who sat down hoping for another windfall. It's the jetski scam moved indoors.

[expatsupreme]

that should be made into a movie, two fruitcakes arguing about the chair, who knows maybe they sat on each seat together

[Loptr]

Thailand. I just don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.

Personally I would be embarrassed to relate such a story on TV. You're a fat, gay man complaining about being treated unfairly because you broke a cinema seat and run to TV for validation. Sorry, you won't be getting it from me.

[Neurath]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I'm a little intrigued as to why the OP felt nesessary to inform the staff.

Yes, would be far more understandable had he been a Catholic rather than Muslim.

[simon43]

I'd have thought your walls would be coming down on a regular basis.

Yes they are 'basic' construction, but so far no-one has managed to pull the basins off the wall.... But then /I don't allow guests weighing 120Kg to stay at my hotels

[Clutch]

Sounds like the cinema management and the OP both have a hide.

[Boxclever]

Thailand. I just don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.

Personally I would be embarrassed to relate such a story on TV. You're a fat, gay man complaining about being treated unfairly because you broke a cinema seat and run to TV for validation. Sorry, you won't be getting it from me.

It's better than that, he's a fat, gay Muslim man!

[Emster23]

Nothing like getting a celeb photo to get staff to fall, Falstaff. With this sort of logic shown, next expect any heftier farangs to be sued as cause of bus crashes when brakes fail: "Not make to stop that much weight. You pay."

[FritsSikkink]

As a practising Muslim and openly gay man I have had a lifetime of jokes at my expense. My skin is as thick as a Rhinos.

No problem for me there but i thought it was forbidden for a muslim to be gay.

[Clutch]

Thailand. I just don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.

Personally I would be embarrassed to relate such a story on TV. You're a fat, gay man complaining about being treated unfairly because you broke a cinema seat and run to TV for validation. Sorry, you won't be getting it from me.

Personally what's disturbing is he went to watch a Tom Cruise movie.

[marko kok prong]

Knowing Thai construction standards i would say the op had a lucky escape,not continuing on through the floor into some sort sort of hellish subterranean catacomb built for drainage underneath.