Phuket: Pegas Turistik threatens legal action against false reps

[webfact]

PHUKET: Pegas Turistik threatens legal action against false reps
Saran Mitrarat


Pegas Turistik representative Nikorn Yatinunt.

PHUKET: -- Bangkok-based tour operator Pegas Turistik has threatened to sue those responsible for issuing documents claiming to represent the company and prominently displaying the Tourist Police insignia.

Pegas Turistik head office representative, Nikorn Yatinunt, filed complaint at Kathu Police station on Friday (October 31) and requested that police help track down the individual(s) that have falsely represented the travel company.

The document in question, a black and white photocopy of a form in Thai and Russian, appears to be an attempt to deter customers from dealing with other companies in Phuket.

So far the perpetrator remains a mystery.

Mr Nikorn said the company took action immediately after learning from The Phuket News of the document. See original story here

Pegas Touristik has also posted warnings wherever possible that they will take legal action against any unauthorized person representing the company.

“This is a serious matter. Even if we cannot find those responsible, we warn others that the company will not tolerate this and will take legal action,” said Mr Nikorn.

“Every single document issued by Pegas Turistik has our logo at the top.” he added.

Mr Nikorn said he believed the warning had been effective as the document seemed to be no longer circulating.

Mr Nikorn suspects the document could possibly be the work of a former employee pretending to represent the company as an independent agent.

“Pegas Turistik usually signs contracts with foreign employees for between six and eight months. When those contracts end, many of them then become independent agencies. Some of them will not actually register themselves as an agency or try to cheat customers,” he said.

In defence of recent allegations by a group of local tour guides that foreign travel agents were illegally employing foreign guides (story here), Mr Nikon said that although Pegas Turistik was a Russian-owned company, it employs more than 200,000 Thais and benefits many more locals in the tourist industry.

“Our customers only spend two days with us with our two-week tour packages. After that, it’s up to them where they go, so local restaurants, bars, taxi drivers and spas all benefit,” he said.

“We have contracts with 700 hotels. Just multiply that by 100 employees per hotel and you will see how many Thais have jobs from our business,” he said.

On the issue of the Tourist Police insignia used on the documents, Tourist Police Region 5 Superintendent, Col Jirapop Puridech, said they would also seek to sue whoever has used the image without permission.

“It is a copyright violation. It may be difficult to track down the actual person responsible but we will keep our eyes peeled” Col Jirapop told The Phuket News.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/pegas-turistik-threatens-legal-action-against-false-reps-49553.php


-- Phuket News 2014-11-10

[Tatsujin]

Russian-owned? 49%?

[ClutchClark]

From article:

In defence of recent allegations by a group of local tour guides that foreign travel agents were illegally employing foreign guides (story here), Mr Nikon said that although Pegas Turistik was a Russian-owned company, it employs more than 200,000 Thais and benefits many more locals in the tourist industry.

---------

Response:

Employs 200,000 Thais? This makes it one of the largest employers in the country, eh?

[RustBucket]

From article:

In defence of recent allegations by a group of local tour guides that foreign travel agents were illegally employing foreign guides (story here), Mr Nikon said that although Pegas Turistik was a Russian-owned company, it employs more than 200,000 Thais and benefits many more locals in the tourist industry.

---------

Response:

Employs 200,000 Thais? This makes it one of the largest employers in the country, eh?

If you read the article properly you will see this is a crass and misleading statement.

“We have contracts with 700 hotels. Just multiply that by 100 employees per hotel and you will see how many Thais have jobs from our business,” he said.

So they don't employ 200,000 Thais at all, the 700 hotels they have contacts with employ 70,000 Thais.

The rest of this so called workforce will be almost certainly employed by other business owners.

I have contracts to supply confectioneries with schools that combined probably have well over 1000 teachers, does that mean i can go around boasting I employ over 1000 teachers?

I think he has a cheek to get angry about misrepresentation when he is doing it himself....... what a berk.

Edited November 10, 2014 by RustBucket

[SOTIRIOS]

...could be their competitors setting them up.....

[monkeycountry]

Fortunately I have never travelled with Pegas, but I have seen how they do "business" and I have spoken with one of their managers who was surprisingly honest and let me know how they operate. From what he told me, and from what I have seen, they are nothing but a bunch of criminals.

Besides admitting to various criminal activity committed by his staff but authorised by himself, he also told me that since Pegas bring the tourists here, Pegas see the tourists as their property while they are here, hence Pegas decides what the tourists can and cannot do.

BTW I am not competing with Pegas in any way.

Edited November 10, 2014 by monkeycountry

[Toknarok]

You would think with all those staff 'employed' by this company there would be at least one person who could answer the telephone to tell the Russian Consulate what the company was doing concerning all those Russian tourists stranded at the airport because the planes they chartered were not airworthy.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/775302-russian-tourists-stuck-in-bangkok-because-of-planes-poor-state/

[ClutchClark]

From article:

In defence of recent allegations by a group of local tour guides that foreign travel agents were illegally employing foreign guides (story here), Mr Nikon said that although Pegas Turistik was a Russian-owned company, it employs more than 200,000 Thais and benefits many more locals in the tourist industry.

---------

Response:

Employs 200,000 Thais? This makes it one of the largest employers in the country, eh?

If you read the article properly you will see this is a crass and misleading statement.

We have contracts with 700 hotels. Just multiply that by 100 employees per hotel and you will see how many Thais have jobs from our business, he said.

So they don't employ 200,000 Thais at all, the 700 hotels they have contacts with employ 70,000 Thais.

The rest of this so called workforce will be almost certainly employed by other business owners.

I have contracts to supply confectioneries with schools that combined probably have well over 1000 teachers, does that mean i can go around boasting I employ over 1000 teachers?

I think he has a cheek to get angry about misrepresentation when he is doing it himself....... what a berk.

Obviously.

[mrtoad]

What a dill he is.

[santa1000]

Russian-owned? 49%?

Russian-owned 100%

[hansgruber]

Locals are being squeezed by this company and others like it. Organised tours is killing Phuket.

No wonder the locals are imitating the company as they are desperate to reclaim that slice they once had.

Sent from my LG-D858

[stevenl]

I think you mean 'intimidating'.