Internet Shops - Why Are They So Cr*p?

[simon43]

I was forced to use an internet cafe today because my Linux PC in my house was not compatible with some Windows application.

At the first internet cafe, there were 2 customers. The only spare computer was being used by the very overweight owner to play computer games.

'Can I use the internet?' I ask (in English and Thai)

'I will just finish this game' said the owner.

I waited . . . and waited . . . . and left

At the next internet cafe, there were about 1000 schoolkiids playing computer games.

'Can I use the internet?' I ask (in English and Thai)

'Use this computer' said the owner

The keyboard was broken, the mouse didn't work, the internet was slower than a very slow internet . .. i left . .

At the next cafe there were nice clean computers and no customers.

'Can I use the internet?' I ask (in English and Thai)

'Yes, use any machine' said the owner.

I sat down at the first computer and inserted my ZIP drive. The computer screen went blank. I removed the ZIP drive. 'Something wrong with your computer' I said.

'No problems, use this computer instead' said the owner

I sat down at this computer. The windows pop-up window said that the software on the machined was unlicenced and there were no security updates. I opened the browser and the homepage came up for a well-known spyware program.

... I left ...

At the next internet shop there were 1,000 schoolids again and the owner just ignored me when I asked to use the internet.

Finally, in desperation. I went to the 'We are the most expensive internet cafe in the world' shop at Phuket Airport. I sat down and started to work.

My telephone rang. 'Can you come home now' says my wife.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Simon

Not a happy bunny right now

[astral]

On the few occasions when I have had to use an Internet Cafe in Thailand

I have not had any problems.

[Heng]

Ah yes, internet shops. Kind of like public phone booths. Have avoided both for about a decade.

[tourleadersi]

Some of the ones I used to go into in China had three to four hundred terminals, all being used by kids playing games like 'Call of Duty' and 'Counter Strike'. They all had their speakers on full blast and were shouting to each other across the room. Try typing out a romantic email to the girlfriend without slipping in the odd 'Die you terrorist mofo!' unconciously!

[thaiintokyo]

poor guy,

hope you have a better luck next time when you I have to use an Internet Café.

[tourleadersi]

One thing that actually amazes me is how did we ever cope before internet cafes? 10 Years ago when I was in the depths of the Middle East the nearest fax machine was a 2 hour drive away and then it was lucky if the place had power when you got there. Now I can check my emails on my phone.

I get really wound up in bad internet cafes (15 minutes to open an email) but I just can't imagine life without them now.

[Heng]

Not sure what the coverage is like yet, as I haven't bought one yet.... but Blackberry is now available in Thailand.

[gabe]

HOLY SH*T!

Situations like that happen alot here in Thailand, especially in Bangkok.

[The Skipper]

The only one I ever saw that was run professionally is across from Dynasty Hotel, Soi Nana4.

Nice place. Expensive though.

[Donz]

You handled yourself really good, I probaly would of snapped and thrown a monitor through the window

[toptuan]

Vietnam's got the "worst of Thailand" beat: Added to the constipated internet speed, is a room so smoke-filled you need a white cane or seeing-eye dog to find your terminal. When you leave, your body and clothes are smoked thoroughly, eyes watering, and you have your first athsma attack.

[Donz]

Vietnam's got the "worst of Thailand" beat: Added to the constipated internet speed, is a room so smoke-filled you need a white cane or seeing-eye dog to find your terminal. When you leave, your body and clothes are smoked thoroughly, eyes watering, and you have your first athsma attack.

I think I will have to go there now just for the experience

[Ulysses G.]

Most of the internet shops in Chiang Mai are quite good - air con, quiet and clean - and cheap although sometimes the internet is slow.

[dantilley]

In touristy places they're normally fine, you don't get the hordes of kids playing games with volume at full blast, and usually everything's kept in quite good nick also. The standard does deteriorate when you go elsewhere though.

[rishi]

Cannot expect much for those lousy 15 - 20 baht/hour you guys are willing to pay. Some poster in this thread complained about waiting 15 minutes on an email login --- he must be yet another of those thailand-for-a-dollar-a-day guys who only goes for the places with the ultimately cheapest charges

[Ulysses G.]

Cannot expect much for those lousy 15 - 20 baht/hour you guys are willing to pay. Some poster in this thread complained about waiting 15 minutes on an email login --- he must be yet another of those thailand-for-a-dollar-a-day guys who only goes for the places with the ultimately cheapest charges

It depends on the internet. I had to wait 15 minutes to connect today on my "high speed" ADSL on my home computer.

You can't blame the shops too much.

[simon43]

As I mentioned, the only decent place was the high-priced internet shop at the airport...

One thing that really annoys me, (well, several things actually):

- Computers riddled with spyware and viruses, (the norm in Thailand)

- Computers using pirated software, (the norm in Thailand)

- Computers with worn-out mice, (er.. the norm in Thailand)

- Computers with worn-out keyboards, (ditto, ditto)

I suppose the internet cafe business is so cut-throat that providing a decent service is really not worthwhile...

Simon

[meadish_sweetball]

To be fair, when you are on the road, you do not have much of a choice between Internet cafes. You will walk into the place that has internet services... with varying results.

Personally I think it is amazing that they manage to scrape by at all with as low fees as 15 baht per hour.

[Thaipwriter]

I was forced to use an internet cafe today because my Linux PC in my house was not compatible with some Windows application.

At the first internet cafe, there were 2 customers. The only spare computer was being used by the very overweight owner to play computer games.

'Can I use the internet?' I ask (in English and Thai)

'I will just finish this game' said the owner.

I waited . . . and waited . . . . and left

At the next internet cafe, there were about 1000 schoolkiids playing computer games.

'Can I use the internet?' I ask (in English and Thai)

'Use this computer' said the owner

The keyboard was broken, the mouse didn't work, the internet was slower than a very slow internet . .. i left . .

At the next cafe there were nice clean computers and no customers.

'Can I use the internet?' I ask (in English and Thai)

'Yes, use any machine' said the owner.

I sat down at the first computer and inserted my ZIP drive. The computer screen went blank. I removed the ZIP drive. 'Something wrong with your computer' I said.

'No problems, use this computer instead' said the owner

I sat down at this computer. The windows pop-up window said that the software on the machined was unlicenced and there were no security updates. I opened the browser and the homepage came up for a well-known spyware program.

... I left ...

At the next internet shop there were 1,000 schoolids again and the owner just ignored me when I asked to use the internet.

Finally, in desperation. I went to the 'We are the most expensive internet cafe in the world' shop at Phuket Airport. I sat down and started to work.

My telephone rang. 'Can you come home now' says my wife.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Simon

Not a happy bunny right now

Hey Simon!

I got the answer to your problem.....but dont tell anyone as its never been done before.........

open your own internet cafe

[simon43]

Open my own internet cafe???

You have to be joking! The farang kee nok who refuses to pay 30 baht an hour ... This sounds like a fast route to bankruptcy..

Simon

[Thaipwriter]

Open my own internet cafe???

You have to be joking! The farang kee nok who refuses to pay 30 baht an hour ... This sounds like a fast route to bankruptcy..

Simon

Of course I'm joking, mind you....it would be a good place to have two tier pricing:

20 baht for cheap farangs

30 baht for thai's

[simon43]

Something just occured to me:

After posting to TV every day/night and sending 1000s of emails from my PC -

Why is my 200 baht keyboard still functioning much better than those in these internet cafes??

I nver mis a sngle leter

Smn

[Donz]

Well I have seen a few tourists slam the keyboards and nearly break them because of the internet being slow, and then they get all fired up when people tell them to be quiet.

I feel like doing it too sometimes but I dont think bashing the keyboard will make it faster, I think the same goes for the mouses, people are impatient these days

[Jai Yen Yen]

The only one I ever saw that was run professionally is across from Dynasty Hotel, Soi Nana4.

Nice place. Expensive though.

Try the one a little further down soi 4 - near to Nana City Inn (opposite The Hillary Bar). Never had a problem there - I even installed Firefox and a few of my favourite extensions (and left shortcuts on the Desktop).

[Guest endure]

Cannot expect much for those lousy 15 - 20 baht/hour you guys are willing to pay. Some poster in this thread complained about waiting 15 minutes on an email login --- he must be yet another of those thailand-for-a-dollar-a-day guys who only goes for the places with the ultimately cheapest charges

Buddies, across from Kad Suan Kaew, offer excellent service for 20bt/hour.

[Youbloodybeauty]

Hey Simon!

I got the answer to your problem.....but dont tell anyone as its never been done before.........

open your own internet cafe

Wouldn't an easier solution be for Simon to partition his hard drive and have windows on it as well?

YBB

[simon43]

Wouldn't an easier solution be for Simon to partition his hard drive and have windows on it as well?

there you go, trying to be a knowall !!

Actually, I can't really do that. This Linux machine is unning some dedicated applications that allow users worldwide to listen into Thai and asian radio stations (PM for more info). The server is running 2 separate 'receivers' and audio streams, so it is really running flat-out.

I did have a Windows laptop, but it stopped working last week and is in the repair shop. (Does 20,000 baht seem a correct price for changing the hard-drive?? I don't think so!)

Simon

[Ulysses G.]

(Does 20,000 baht seem a correct price for changing the hard-drive?? I don't think so!)

Sounds more like the price of buying a brand new desk-top computer.

[plachon]

Simon, should gett your butt up to Isaan man. High-speed Internet cafes all over, great friendly service in most, and hot chicks with about 4 words of angrit trying to hook up to fat, rich, balding old geezers from farangland in many. You'd be in your element!

[simon43]

... fat, rich, balding old...[

I am happy to day that I fit only one of those categories.....

Simon