Rental shops that comply with the new standard are eligible for the department's "Merry Elephant" Thailand Tourism Standard emblem,..

Oh wow, the coveted Merry Elephant emblem...that's right up there with the Kermit the Frog emblem.

They will be counterfeiting them the next day.

The standard was drawn up "soon" after the appearance of YouTube videos showing some jet-ski rental shops in Thailand taking advantage of foreign customers.

These videos surfaced years ago probably going back 5 years with J.J threatening to shoot customers. Foreign diplomats have been raising these scams for years. So I guess if a thai says he will take care of it soon that means somewhere in 5+ years.

" So I guess if a thai says he will take care of it soon that means somewhere in 5+ years"

Have you heard, there's a new sheriff in town.? Some things are slowly changing for the better after years of inaction.

" Soon " means as soon as they can negotiate with the godfathers that running and protect the scams

I guess....

Merry Elephant in the Room Emblem....would that be an image of trustworthy local police acting as "negotiators" for a percentage of compensation deals for false damages. How can thugs like JJ be allowed to operate jet ski businesses here?

Thailand Tourism Scams Fixed By Merry Elephant Stickers.

http://khonkaen.ws/thailand-tourism-scams-fixed-by-merry-elephant-stickers

Thanks...I just printed a bunch out...gluing them on my jet skis for rent right now. Thanks again.

its a good start.. how about mandatory insurance paid by the jet ski owner

Didn't you get any further than point 1 of their "guidelines":

Second, all jet skis must be registered and licensed, with a valid insurance policy.

Very nice. Only question I have is: How big a slice of the ripoffs is the new agency going to take?

The standard was drawn up "soon" after the appearance of YouTube videos showing some jet-ski rental shops in Thailand taking advantage of foreign customers.

These videos surfaced years ago probably going back 5 years with J.J threatening to shoot customers. Foreign diplomats have been raising these scams for years. So I guess if a thai says he will take care of it soon that means somewhere in 5+ years.

" So I guess if a thai says he will take care of it soon that means somewhere in 5+ years"

Have you heard, there's a new sheriff in town.? Some things are slowly changing for the better after years of inaction.

He has heard it only the sheriff is not the one he likes.

And if they don't comply? No emblem for them! What about JAIL!

I notice the elephant has no tusks. Were they already cut off and sold to tourists?

This would be better:

In your wildest dreams money money always number one in Thailand give me more money

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

a promise, or an ACTION ?

Neither. Just pure Thai marketing.

How do you know?

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

a promise, or an ACTION ?

Neither. Just pure Thai marketing.

How do you know?

Precedent?

How the heck can anyone - in this case a senior director of the Tourism department - be an "acting second lieutenant" (presumably, one hopes, retired)? 2LT is the bottom of the officer pile; one can't get any lower, so no-one can be an "acting" 2LT. Even a warrant officer about to be commissioned would either have his commission or he wouldn't, but he still couldn't be "acting". Quite apart from anything else, holding a rank such as that is not something to brag about and use in one's CV - even in Thailand!

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

......and in Phuket, the jet-ski operators have now disobeyed the army directive to keep their jet-skis in the water and not on the beach.

They are begging the understanding of the army by claiming that the jet-ski beach boys will turn to crime if they don't get paid everyday.

Yup.....only in Thailand.

Wait a minute, isn't that what they were doing everyday?

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

a promise, or an ACTION ?

Neither. Just pure Thai marketing.

How do you know?

He doesn't, it's just the way he is, a chronically negative Thai basher.

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

a promise, or an ACTION ?

Neither. Just pure Thai marketing.

How do you know?

He doesn't, it's just the way he is, a chronically negative Thai basher.

I disagree.

How many years has the jet-ski rip-off been going on?

How many times has a solution been announced?

How many times has it worked?

Isn't it the law in Thailand that to drive one of these things you need some type of maritime licnese?

In which case all rental is illegal to normal tourists?

Are they going to implement this before of after the lottery tickets that are going to be sold for 80B?

Edited August 3, 201411 yr by kriswillems

Merry Elephant in the Room Emblem....would that be an image of trustworthy local police acting as "negotiators" for a percentage of compensation deals for false damages. How can thugs like JJ be allowed to operate jet ski businesses here?

Thailand Tourism Scams Fixed By Merry Elephant Stickers.

http://khonkaen.ws/thailand-tourism-scams-fixed-by-merry-elephant-stickers

great slap on a sticker and it's no longer a scam

Thailand has more laws & regulations than one can poke a stick at. Enforcement almost never happens.

Suggestion: forbid all jet skis.

Problem solved.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

if they were serious about this, they should arrest and prosecute the mafia operator ,and their police associate who did run this scam for years.

but i guess in the land of the scam, that just a publicity stunt...nothing more.

well before you all break out the champagne, news of this has yet to reach pattaya beach.

today at 12 15 i saw 3 indians come back in opposite the nautical inn near mike shopping. as it happens i had watched them depart and they never went far , didn't hit each other etc but i knew they were likely to be targeted so i sat and watched it all unfold. i was joined by 2 BM's from another forum just as they came back in and we watched the panto.

they left just before 2 city council officers (not the police) showed up. lets just say i have seen these 2 before and the outcome for the tourists would have been bleak.

this event brings my running total of photographed scams to 139.

number 138 was 2 days ago opposite burger king royal garden plaza.

I've wet my pants laughing at this.

A sticker.

I'm sure all the incoming tourists will know to look for it and what it means, as well as how to identify a fake one.

Nice concept, now grow a set and actually do something about the problem instead of the usual lip service

its a good start.. how about mandatory insurance paid by the jet ski owner

Second condition above.

If they conform they will get a :Merry Elephant emblem"? If they don't, a Grumpy Jumbo? Who thinks these things up?

Rental shops that comply with the new standard are eligible for the department's "Merry Elephant" Thailand Tourism Standard emblem,..

Oh wow, the coveted Merry Elephant emblem...that's right up there with the Kermit the Frog emblem.

They will be counterfeiting them the next day.

Maybe they could get the guy that prints the 1000 baht/ wallpaper notes to do it for them

'"The revenue generated from this type of tourism is an important source of income in both high and low seasons.' Particularly when operators can rely on a few thousand here, several thousand there, for misrepresentation and fraudulent claims.

Why do tourist go to this shit hole?