Eight Malaysian tourists charged Bt114,080 by karaoke bar in Chiang Mai

[Equalizer]

my friend was in kinaree in pattaya for a few hours buying drinks etc. his bill came to 30000 baht we are all sure they padded the bill

If he rang the bell in there on a busy day that is cheap. Also ringing the bell, unless you agree before hand gives all the girls a LD at about 140 each.

[Loles]

This case a big Som Nam Na for all the participants.

[FireMedic]

Oh wow....someone got scammed at a Chiang Mai karaoke bar. I guess since they don't have jet skis up north they have to fill the void somehow.

Edited January 19, 2015 by FireMedic

[Baerboxer]

Put it down to thainess or whatever you like but these wazzuks going out on the town with such larges amounts of money on tap, they need their bumps feeling,

Thai greed knows no bounds.

Tourists out on the piss in any place need their wits about them. These scams exist in all the tourist places. The main difference is, in most places, the police aren't actively involved.

[ExPratt]

Karaoke Bars are very popular in Malaysia especially with Malaysian Chinese and generally not rip off joints. Beer is a little more expensive but nothing outrageous. So these blokes must have had the shock off their life when the bill came in. At least they got something back , which is unusual

[kotsak]

I looked at my LINE app but couldn't find a sticker for this..

[jimstar1]

Absolutely ridiculous. These scams are well documented, but seems nothing ever gets done about it

I agree Happens all the time in C M and they do nothing to stop it why only 60000 of the bill should be all of it back

[kingalfred]

Lets offer the Thais free flights to Western destinations,let them see the civilized world,then charge them double or more the entrance fee to museums,attractions,etc,i wonder how they would respond?mmmm,discrimination against the tourists in Thailand comes to light,dont think they would like it in the West.

i wish

[recycler]

Are bars in Chiang Mai renting out jet-skis?

[MisterTee]

This case a big Som Nam Na for all the participants.

Really... the karaoke scams in Chiang Mai have been so well publicised that anyone who falls victim comes under the rubric of "clueless".

[wedders]

my friend was in kinaree in pattaya for a few hours buying drinks etc. his bill came to 30000 baht we are all sure they padded the bill

Never had the slightest problem of that kind at Kinnaree, alone or with friends. That said, the place can be packed so ringing the bell can rack up the bin. Does seem high even so, thati is a helluva lot of Tequilas.

[Lextsy1]

my friend was in kinaree in pattaya for a few hours buying drinks etc. his bill came to 30000 baht we are all sure they padded the bill

That is a big fat lie. Drinks are so cheap (80b a beer) , and LD are only 120 b, rooms are only 350b so there is no way this could happen. The owner is an american italian and he would never let this occur. I think your mate is telling you lies.

I have been there 100 times and even all day drinking sessions never go above 3000b

[Dannyboy666]

my friend was in kinaree in pattaya for a few hours buying drinks etc. his bill came to 30000 baht we are all sure they padded the bill

. Ya, Think...

[emilymat]

Put it down to thainess or whatever you like but these wazzuks going out on the town with such larges amounts of money on tap, they need their bumps feeling,

Thai greed knows no bounds.

Correct, but what's the alternative?.

I've lived here 7 years now but before that I came on golfing holidays for 15 or so years. During my holidays I had no problems leaving my money (T/Cs) in the safe in the hotel and taking out, say 5000 baht max - plus ID.

Now, I get the impression from posters and stories on here that it's not safe to leave anything of value in the hotel room safe!.

I guess things have changed, but carrying large amounts of cash around seems crazy - unless you intend to leave it on the backseat of a taxi.

[o2eZy]

why doesn't Thaivisa publish what the actual cost broken down with the items they were charged for

My Wife saw it last night while reading the Thai news

I think she said that a water was 300+ but could not read the print on other items charges

[laislica]

my friend was in kinaree in pattaya for a few hours buying drinks etc. his bill came to 30000 baht we are all sure they padded the bill

That is a big fat lie. Drinks are so cheap (80b a beer) , and LD are only 120 b, rooms are only 350b so there is no way this could happen. The owner is an american italian and he would never let this occur. I think your mate is telling you lies.

I have been there 100 times and even all day drinking sessions never go above 3000b

Question: Do you run a tab or pay for what you order each time?

When I first arrived in Bangkok, I knew nothing about the scams etc and I used to go into a Karaoke bar near the guest house.

I ordered food, beer, a drink for a girl and insisted on paying on the spot.

Never had a problem.

[monkeycountry]

Seems the malaysians managed to discover 2 of the 12 routes of Thainess in one go, which could perhaps explain the rather high price? First the bar experience, and secondly the police experience, or are they both part of the same route?

Edited January 19, 2015 by monkeycountry

[asdecas]

I love stories like these, they mean that the old Thailand of thirty or forty years ago is still with us. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing.

[RickyJB]

coming from Malaysia they must know only too well about rip off prices, flock me, i just came back from there and myself and my gf paid 700 baht for 2 bottles of beer didnt hang about there for long thank god..

[12DrinkMore]

What are the so called "tourist police" doing about it ? ....zip and their supposed to be helping tourists.

A often heard misconception.

The tourist police are here to police the tourists........

[DiamondKing]

my friend was in kinaree in pattaya for a few hours buying drinks etc. his bill came to 30000 baht we are all sure they padded the bill

If he rang the bell in there on a busy day that is cheap. Also ringing the bell, unless you agree before hand gives all the girls a LD at about 140 each.

I have seen these types showing off splashing the cash buying all the girls drinks etc and then bitch about the bill when they get it if you bitch about the bill you aint the big shot you thought you was

[A1Str8]

Lol. The owner went from zero to karma quite quickly and all it took was a complaint.

[stopthegreed]

So they still had to pay 54,000 baht, I dont know what they were drinking but it had to be champagne

[fakser]

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Absolutely ridiculous. These scams are well documented, but seems nothing ever gets done about it

S0 this guy was allowed to keep 50K from the bill in his illegal bar?

Or can we assume that 50K went straight into the pockets of the police and the bar owner got the more realistic 4080 baht?

The police are really not interested in Thailands tourist industry are they?

50k for 8 persons sounds reasonable

[TheRascal]

It is the big ripoffs in the OP that don't happen in Western countries. I've never heard of it in the US, Canada, or anywhere in Europe.

Similar scams used to happen quite often in Soho in London - and maybe still do. Guys (generally tourists) would be invited into sex shows by touts and then charged anything from £50 (2500baht) up to a couple of hundred pounds and given very little option to pay by the security thugs. Difference is if people reported it (a lot don't out of embarrassment) then the police actually do something. Admittedly the amount of these scams pales into insignificance in comparison to what these guys got stung for.

50k for 8 persons sounds reasonable

Are you high? 50k sounds reasonable, here's an example of how hard it would be for them to hit that figure

- They drink beers at 150 a pop (very expensive) - 41 beers each

- They drink whisky by the bottle at 2000 (again much more than it would actually be) - 3 bottles each.

Edited January 19, 2015 by TheRascal

[RickyJB]

we went to Latvia few years ago, and a bar in Riga was also very good at ripping off customers, 1 of my mates were charged 92 quid for a glass of wine for him and a lady... when refused to pay, big mafia types appeared from behind a curtain

[RickyJB]

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

Absolutely ridiculous. These scams are well documented, but seems nothing ever gets done about it

S0 this guy was allowed to keep 50K from the bill in his illegal bar?

Or can we assume that 50K went straight into the pockets of the police and the bar owner got the more realistic 4080 baht?

The police are really not interested in Thailands tourist industry are they?

50k for 8 persons sounds reasonable

i normally have a bill of around 6 or 7 thousand for a couple of hours drinking in soi cowboy, so 8 people drinking a few hours will easily cost that much

[fakser]

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

It is the big ripoffs in the OP that don't happen in Western countries. I've never heard of it in the US, Canada, or anywhere in Europe.

Similar scams used to happen quite often in Soho in London - and maybe still do. Guys (generally tourists) would be invited into sex shows by touts and then charged anything from £50 (2500baht) up to a couple of hundred pounds and given very little option to pay by the security thugs. Difference is if people reported it (a lot don't out of embarrassment) then the police actually do something. Admittedly the amount of these scams pales into insignificance in comparison to what these guys got stung for.

50k for 8 persons sounds reasonable

Are you high? 50k sounds reasonable, here's an example of how hard it would be for them to hit that figure
- They drink beers at 150 a pop (very expensive) - 41 beers each
- They drink whisky by the bottle at 2000 (again much more than it would actually be) - 3 bottles each.

No I am Not. haven't you ever been in Kareokee club? I was once. You pay for the drinks. You pay for the accompanying lady, you pay to the mamasan and you pay for extra services. It is not like a regular pub. 6k per person is much but not a rip off

[James T]

Easy answer...to stop the karaoke bars doing this? Just don't use them!

Unknowing, naive tourists coming from Malaysia/China/Korea? Most of them holiday through Travel agents and tour companies who know EXACTLY what goes on in those places, so they should be warned before they arrive! They also stay in hotels, where receptionists and concierge will happily tell them not to go there!

[how241]

Absolutely ridiculous. These scams are well documented, but seems nothing ever gets done about it

+1...Old story, similar to the jet-ski scam, and it goes on everyday.