Double Standards

[eggers]

Following on from johncat 1's topic " Thai Price/ Foreigner Price", yesterday, went to BKK gold shop to buy a piece of jewellery.

Wanted to pay by credit card, apart from sting of 2.5 - 5% admin charge, wanted passport (only had copy) + offered Thai 5yr DL, no not enough; cash only! Thai guy did same & only needed to show DL. Later went to another shop, had all cards but wanted same admin charge & either passport or DL ok.

Today, went to IKEA asked to pay by credit card, accept full range of cards, No Admin charge & no ID required. As it should be!

There needs to be an acceptance at all levels of Thai society that foreigners are an essential component of Thai economy & society; not simply people to rip off, but guess it's been happening forever & unlikely to change, unless current PM & parliament address in current reform process.

[ExPratt]

I think that is par for the course here. I bought my missus something with CC and they wanted my Passport , which I had.On another occasion I went into get something, think is was a piece for my son and they would not accept my CC without Passport

Edited December 26, 2014 by ExPratt

[Gsxrnz]

Who would be the first ones to whinge if they had their credit cards stolen and the thief was able to buy megabucks worth of gold at the gold shop without showing satisfactory supporting ID to verify they were the valid owner of the credit card?

[h90]

Creditcard companies are charging the shops with something like 2-4%. So of course they need to recover these costs.

[ExPratt]

I must admit , I did have a minor attack of petulance when they knocked me back the second time. But there are plenty of moody credit cards doing the rounds in Asia. Gold is probably the best thing you can buy with a moody card and then sell for more or less the same price. Put it this way , Its a pain in the arse if you have to go home and return with your passport to complete the sale, but it makes sense

[arthurwait]

Don't Thais need to show their ID card when buying gold ?

[ExPratt]

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Don't Thais need to show their ID card when buying gold ?

When buying gold with a credit card ?, I have no idea. I would assume a Thai carries His/Her ID card with them at all times , so no hardship. We could go all "Daily Mail" and start shaking with rage, I was annoyed when they asked me for Passport, but in honesty I can see where they are coming from

[bkkgooner]

I have never been asked for a passport when using a credit card in Thailand, I presume you were dealing with some local gold shop that were scared of being ripped off, don't take it personally

and yes Thais have to show ID when purchasing gold I presume something to do with tracking the sale of stolen gold

[cmcom]

My au drivers lic was enough for visa gold purchases

[Chonburiram]

...and yes Thais have to show ID when purchasing gold I presume something to do with tracking the sale of stolen gold

That makes no sense at all... I/my (Thai)wife buy gold regularly, paying cash, nothing required.

I've seen folks, try to give gold in pawn, who were required to show ID.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Chonburiram

[ExPratt]

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...and yes Thais have to show ID when purchasing gold I presume something to do with tracking the sale of stolen gold

That makes no sense at all... I/my (Thai)wife buy gold regularly, paying cash, nothing required.
I've seen folks, try to give gold in pawn, who were required to show ID.

The Passport check is only to confirm that you are the person named on the Credit Card nothing else. They don't just look at it either they photo copy it.I would say the checking of passport could be an insurance directive,

Edited December 26, 2014 by ExPratt

[hhgz]

Apparently, the OP doesn't understand the difference between gold, and IKEA furniture. Cool.

[ATF]

Don't Thais need to show their ID card when buying gold ?

No one needs to show their ID when paying cash unless they are buying ingots which the shop will register in your name and give you a certificate of ownership.

[pgs]

I think that is par for the course here. I bought my missus something with CC and they wanted my Passport , which I had.On another occasion I went into get something, think is was a piece for my son and they would not accept my CC without Passport

Which shop is selling human body parts?

I won't ask which piece your son is missing. Considered he might be your daughter?

[eldragon]

I don't know, mate. If it was IKEA doing it, you might have a fair complaint. Although, even some of the larger companies have double standards. For example, 3BB asks for 6 months of money up front b/c they've been burned by so many foreigners taking off on their contract. But small shops are so far from changing, and really have zero motivation to do so. It may never happen in our lifetime. The best thing we as consumers can do is make a mental list of places like this and avoid em.

[daveAustin]

Creditcard companies are charging the shops with something like 2-4%. So of course they need to recover these costs.

But passing on that charge to the customer is illegal (as a CC charge) AFAIK, even here, and they shouldn't be ding it.

[Rooo]

Creditcard companies are charging the shops with something like 2-4%. So of course they need to recover these costs.

But passing on that charge to the customer is illegal (as a CC charge) AFAIK, even here, and they shouldn't be ding it.

Most of them do one way or another. Homepro don't give you points or promo if paying by Amex. Not illegal, was years past, even in Australia it's allowed now.

Some even charge 3 % for using a debit card.

[KhunBENQ]

I don't suspect any double standards here unless you have proof that a Thai can buy with a comparable card.

That credit cards are unpopular with some businesses is not new.

The difference between gold and Ikea:

Gold prices are fixed nationwide on a daily basis with a relatively low margin.

Why should a dealer want to pay CC commission from that.

IKEA prices are as they are. The margin is big enough to shoulder the CC commisson.

The more credit card signs I see, the more I hesitate to shop there.

AMEX and Diners are the worst as far as I know.

Surely overpriced and one should insist on a cash discount in such shops.

Edited December 28, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[ATF]

If you pay by CC the shop also has to pay VAT. Cash is king.

[theyoungone]

I was with my wife trying to buy a 2baht necklace 2 days ago in hua seng gold shop in bkk. They were charging 2.5% to pay with a UK credit card and they would only accept the card with my passport. I only had a photocopy of my passport on me and they would not accept it.

According to my wife this is the best shop to buy gold from. (It was absolutely packed and all of the other gold shops in the area were completely empty). We plan to return in a few days with my passport... Its a shame as it looks like the gold price has increased a bit now. Does anybody know an alternative place to buy gold that doesn't charge the credit card fee?

Cheers and happy holidays.

[samsensam]

its not an admin fee its a charge (fee) levied by the credit card company

large shops include such costs in their pricing strategy and recoup the costs that way, small businesses dont.

in the uk in pre-internet days when buying holidays at small travel agents if you wanted to pay by credit card you had to pay this fee

i understand different credit card companies charge different frees

its not a rip off.

[IMA_FARANG]

I understand what your saying but you need to realize also that a sale of a gold ring or ornament may be an item that the shop owner has a lot of money invested in.

You may think the shop owner must have money to keep al those gold items in his or her shop, but often most of their capital is in the inventory they have, they cannot afford the loss of that item due to fraud or being cheated.

There is basically no such thing in the market in Thailand as "insurance" of fraud or thievery for a small merchant whose main operating capital is in his or her inventory.

And, even if they could get some kind of "insurance" on their inventory, it would be far to expensive for them to afford

If they sell such an item o a foreigner, who then skips country, either without paying or pays with a bad credit card the chance of getting payment out of that foreigner are almost none for the shop owner.

At least with a Thai, the Thai I.D, card is something a Thai could be traced by if it came to That.

But you, with your foreign passport and your foreign credit card are an extra risk the merchant has to consider.

And not to mention the extra cost and hassle to the merchant from the fee he must pay for accepting your credit card.

For the average gold shop, the merchant has invested a lot for the inventory he or she has on display in their shop, and the time to realize a return of that investment is long .....they don't sell a large number of items.

So, yes, they want to see your passport, and they may charge you an extra fee, because you are NOT the same as a Thai.

You, as a foreigner, are extra risk, and an extra expenditure to the merchant.

But I bet you never thought of it that way, did you?

Edited December 28, 2014 by IMA_FARANG

[Thongkorn]

Don't Thais need to show their ID card when buying gold ?

No , nor did i when i bought gold last week. if you are paying cash. Credit cards are suppose to be guaranteed. Maybe some other form of ID if using credit cards, yes.