Overpricing shames Thailand again

[NCC1701A]

Just a quick reminder, prostitution is illegal in Thailand. That means you are associating with a criminal element. I think sometimes people lose sight of that in Thailand. All these bars and Karaoke places operate with the "blessing" of the Mafia police.

one night in chiang mai i got in a tuk tuk and the driver showed us the menu style list of Karaoke places. I know doing this opens a can of worms but we were bored with the rest of CM nightlife so we said OK lets go.

I had my friend with me, retired LAPD. He is really big and breaks gang bangers heads in Rampart Division. He does that choke hold thing.

I am always on guard in Thailand, especially when you are in a bar. And I don't drink. Remaining sober really gives you a different perspective of what is going on around you.

Whenever I go into a place I think "how can I get out of here in a hurry, and who wants to stop me ?" so alarm bells are really going off in these Karaoke places.

the first thing you notice about these Karaoke places is they are completely enclosed. Then you will see very beautiful girls. Too beautiful. Meaning you are not going to be doing much of anything with them.

The next thing you notice is the Thai men standing around. Not the Metrosexual Thai kids you see everywhere, these guys are tough. and they are paying attention. very rare in Thailand. They are at all the exits.

Then you receive a very confusing and vague explanation of costs. I am sure they are counting on you getting very drunk with these girls and then handing you a huge bill.

that night we went to four of these places and only stayed for one or two minutes while we received the "explanation of costs".

It was interesting to see how they operate. No way I would stay in any of these Karaoke places. But it is "up to you".

Edited January 21, 2015 by NCC1701A

[super22k]

When I was in Egypt one enterprising market stall holder displayed a notice saying "All customers charged same price". He got all the business because of this and all the con-men stalls lost out. Why cant Thai people see the light and learn from this kind of thing?

[chooka]

From another angle take a look at the government's abusive taxation on, in particular, wine (possibly spirits also)- for imported or local production.

390% add on in duties, taxes and fees on the landed price of a bottle for imported wine; 60% taxes and fees on top of value for local production.

The rationale as given by a manager at one of the local wineries "the government sees wine consumption as something in large part by people of upper income (any foreigner and a few Thais) and therefore, like wolves on sheep, is able to rationalize this attack on the "elite" with the highest levels of taxation in wine drinking countries in the world. 390% Thailand, "only" 62% for China, for example.

So with thinking like that at the top there's a lot of room for rationalization at other levels of Thai society to stick it to 'em where you can.

who drinks the local wine? It's like pure sugar and disgusting. Everyone wants quality imported wine so they see an opportunity to cash in.

[trainman34014]

When I was in Egypt one enterprising market stall holder displayed a notice saying "All customers charged same price". He got all the business because of this and all the con-men stalls lost out. Why cant Thai people see the light and learn from this kind of thing?

Because if someone did that in Thailand he wouldn't live long for sure. And don't think i am kidding !

[papa al]

If you have to ask the price, that means you can't afford it, 555.

As Einstein noted, everything is relative.

Ever price apartments in Luanda, Angola or buy a cup of coffee in Hong Kong?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2014/07/10/the-most-expensive-cities-in-the-world/

I ask the price on many things which I can easily afford.

Einstein never noted that.

Consider absolute zero temperature (0 degrees Kelvin).

You must have a black belt in cliche's right?

Creo que si. 5 5 5

I haven't priced apartments in Angola...got me there.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

I ever had a nurse at a Thai client try to add to a medical blood workup bill so she could sell homemade jewelry to my Thai friend. The nurse told my friend that she could do it in a way that I wouldn't know. This is supposed to be a trusted public servant for Christ sake!

[uptheos]

"When the victims are foreigners, the stories of exploitation often make the headlines and go viral on social media, and they taint Thailand's lucrative tourism industry".

GOOD!!

The more people that take the trouble to make it go viral and inform the foreign press, the better it is

[hansgruber]

Thailand didn't remain uncolonised because they were stupid. Savvy leadership and smart bargaining to their own advantage has always been their strong suit.

Lots of surrendering. surrendered to the Japanese and the US.

Chinese have colonised slowly but surely as they hold all the wealth in Thailand.

Thai/Chinese all the way to the top.

[EnglishJohn]

The headline is misleading : the word 'shame' implies some form of regret.

Thai's do not feel shame : they only feel embarrassment about being caught - which often turns to anger against whoever caught them for causing them to lose 'face'.

[buhi]

Outside of the tourst zones, if you are an expat, in your own neghbourhood amongst "friends" you will never get ripped off. Ishop at the local market daily and know the price of all the items I buy and pay the same as everyone else. Same if sit outside and have a beer or eat at a local restaurant.

Agreed. But you still have to watch out - at least when you go to the next city

When not in the "hood", I am usually accompanied by my Thai wife and or son, so same rules apply.

Most Thai can easily tell an expat from a tourist and ex pats know the ropes or should!

[tommytitfull]

the goverment does it all the time as like a national park 10 times more than a thai person.Also other private parks 2 or 3 times more than a thai. I also can say hospitals charge double I remember Yanhee hospital website price in thai say 10,000 then translate in English becomes 20,000. I stood my ground and got treatment at thai price.

Edited January 21, 2015 by tommytitfull

[tsigane]

The "authorities" are very often part of the problem and are proactive in supporting all these kind of scams and many more like the jet skis etc because they get a cut from the extortion money.

Only a few months ago didn't the Bkk Governor step into a dispute over the fees for hiring a boat to tour the floating markets by saying Bt 800 for Thais and Bt 2,000 for foreigners ?

This is supposed to make tourists feel welcome ?

Only BKK governor? It's the official policy of Thai government - national parks 5-10 x more for foreigners than Thais, museums, etc.

Private enterprises show equaly explicitly dislike towards foreigners. Most attractions (like zoos, floating markets, water parks, etc) and even temples will let foreigners in only for a (much) higher price.

But they are smiling all along.

[Searat7]

There is a poor sense of right and wrong here which must be at least partially attributed to poor parenting. Enforcement is the other big problem and even when people are arrested the consequences are not too serious in most cases

[tsigane]

Outside of the tourst zones, if you are an expat, in your own neghbourhood amongst "friends" you will never get ripped off. Ishop at the local market daily and know the price of all the items I buy and pay the same as everyone else. Same if sit outside and have a beer or eat at a local restaurant.

Agreed. But you still have to watch out - at least when you go to the next city

When not in the "hood", I am usually accompanied by my Thai wife and or son, so same rules apply.

Most Thai can easily tell an expat from a tourist and ex pats know the ropes or should!

There are taxi drivers, moto taxis, hotels, stores, etc. who will NOT perform service for the standard price, regardless of "knowing the ropes." They prefer to sit and wait for one big sucker than to make money the honest way. The only thing to do is avoid such businesses/people as much as possible and not be in situation where one needs them.

[buhi]

Outside of the tourst zones, if you are an expat, in your own neghbourhood amongst "friends" you will never get ripped off. Ishop at the local market daily and know the price of all the items I buy and pay the same as everyone else. Same if sit outside and have a beer or eat at a local restaurant.

Agreed. But you still have to watch out - at least when you go to the next city

When not in the "hood", I am usually accompanied by my Thai wife and or son, so same rules apply.

Most Thai can easily tell an expat from a tourist and ex pats know the ropes or should!

There are taxi drivers, moto taxis, hotels, stores, etc. who will NOT perform service for the standard price, regardless of "knowing the ropes." They prefer to sit and wait for one big sucker than to make money the honest way. The only thing to do is avoid such businesses/people as much as possible and not be in situation where one needs them.

In a strange way, that is to my advantage, as I do not wish to do business with such fraudsters. We tend to stay at the same hotels and eat at the same restaurants when on holiday, as the service and price is reasoonable, no exceptional.

[jonesthebaker]

i recently asked a few people i know back in the UK if they thought of Thailand as a dangerous destination. In general they considered thailand more dangerous than Brazil. They even said that if they ever came for a holiday they would not bring any expensive jewelery to wear. People are much wiser these days as a few minutes searching the net tells a potential tourist all they need to know.

[spidermike007]

On Koh Samui, the prices are going up daily. The local merchants cannot seem to charge enough. Portions are getting smaller at many restaurants, as the prices go higher. And mind you, there are no improvements being done to the "pirate joints" that are price gouging. Just a loud sucking sound like a giant Hoover vacuum cleaner. Take, take, take, but do not give back. That is the Samui motto.

[emilymat]

On a similar scanario, I asked a friend in the UK how many days holiday he had, the answer was 25 plus 10 days sick leave. He works for the civil service and explained how every year the department manager takes his full holiday allowance and uses up all his sick days so all the staff do the same. Its not just Thais who can't always see something is plainly wrong

I recently told a friend of mine that I did not agree with her light fingers when it came to things from her work and wish she would stop with

that sort of behavior. I said it is wrong that she does that, her reply, no one sees me do it or knows I have taken anything, why should she

stop.

Because it is just wrong, this she could not comprehend, but she said it would be wrong if she was to be caught.

Basically in her view and apparently of most people is its not a problem if no one knows or it is a case of us vs them. No concept

of you just shouldn't., except when it came to not littering in the grounds of a Wat, while it being fair game once outside.

i'm baffled

Yes, you're right. I was a union official for the civil service and NHS for 20 years. Even I was horrified when members used to imply that the extra 10 days was some sort of 'right'.

In fact, it was 10 days 'un-certificated' sick leave. After that a doctors note was required. Actually, it was possible to discipline someone if a pattern could be established. i.e. single days on a Monday etc.

If you think that's strange from an ex-union man I have to tell you I fought like crazy for members rights but could not condone the pressures this alleged 'right' placed on other members of staff.

[nithisa78]

While they should be commended for a swift response, such exploitation could have been avoided altogether had the authorities ensured the law was being properly and continuously enforced in the first place. We have witnessed "war" declared time and again on some aspect of wrongdoing, only to watch the campaign fizzle out soon after.

The karaoke trap in Chiang Mai and the predatory airport taxi driver won't be the last we hear about this deep-rooted problem.

When the victims are foreigners, the stories of exploitation often make the headlines and go viral on social media, and they taint Thailand's lucrative tourism industry.

This above statement could be made for the entire planet Earth. Is there a point?

Maybe if the authors used words other than war and the like, we could better educate the unconscious in the right direction.

[oneday]

Mr. Prayut, did you read this article? Where do you stand on this issue?

[geoffP]

Tsigane: "There are taxi drivers, moto taxis, hotels, stores, etc. who will NOT perform service for the standard price, regardless of "knowing the ropes." They prefer to sit and wait for one big sucker than to make money the honest way. The only thing to do is avoid such businesses/people as much as possible and not be in situation where one needs them."

Yesterday, I came out of Sa Keow Hospital and, searching for transport to get home to Aranyaprathet, asked at the Tuk-tuk rank. "700 baht." Forget it, a taxi to Bangkok is not much more than that. So I walked on, about 25 metres, to a bus stop.

A mini bus offerred me a fare of 25 baht, which I gladly accepted. In the bus I mentioned the Tuk-tuk price and the other passengers were quite horrified, so we spent the whole journey laughing and joking about it - OK so I was the butt of some of the jokes but the journey passed very quickly and enjoyably. I was happy to pay the driver much more than his asking 25 Baht - after ribbing him that he had 'promised' only 20.

And the moral? Walk away from the shysters! They lost through their greed, whilst my driver gained from his honesty and humour. Thank you Mr. Anonymous Driver Sir.

[Jonmarleesco]

'While they should be commended for a swift response, such exploitation could have been avoided ...' Not could! Should!

'Like many other deep-rooted problems in Thailand, overcharging stems from weak law enforcement and a reluctance to act unless the problem is in the public spotlight. As soon as the problem fades from general view, measures against it slacken.' Precisely! Of course, enough bad publicity on the social networks, and even the Thai authorities will have little choice but to apply, and maintain, the law. But it should never have been allowed to reach this point.

[Jonmarleesco]

i recently asked a few people i know back in the UK if they thought of Thailand as a dangerous destination. In general they considered thailand more dangerous than Brazil. They even said that if they ever came for a holiday they would not bring any expensive jewelery to wear. People are much wiser these days as a few minutes searching the net tells a potential tourist all they need to know.

But, bless their little cotton socks, many Thais offering overpriced goods and services labour under the peculiar illusion that they are cleverer than the buyers they try to fleece.

[metisdead]

A troll post and an inflammatory reply have been removed.

[spidermike007]

Outside of the tourst zones, if you are an expat, in your own neghbourhood amongst "friends" you will never get ripped off. Ishop at the local market daily and know the price of all the items I buy and pay the same as everyone else. Same if sit outside and have a beer or eat at a local restaurant.

True that. A friend of mine went to a KFC the other day in Samui. The same chicken sandwich he paid 79 baht for, everywhere else in Thailand was priced at 129 baht. More than in the US. He asked why. The answer was "tourists". Can you believe that? A more obnoxious answer was not possible. A repulsive reply, and a repugnant reality. The tourist zones are rife with this kind of arrogance, and mentality. Samui in particular has the least amount of vision of anywhere on Thailand. Just the giant sucking sound of a Hoover.

[lildragon]

How can we expect the little guy scammers to be stopped when the ones at the top are still flourishing? It could be a dem, shinwatra or even military government like now, when the fat cats are getting their huge ill gotten gains they will not really care about the small fry, only appear to for a few moments every now and then to look good.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

You ever been to a "No Hands" Restaurant? Their scam beats all scams hands down.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Aranyaphratet? You ever go to the 7 eleven near the night market?

[chooka]

Took our son to the dentist yesterday for basic check up and clean. Went with a friend and her son. Both had the same work done and the friends bill was 500bht ours was 1200. When my wife challenged the difference they told her thais pay less than foreign tourists. She argued that she was thai and so is our son, born and bred in chiangmai. We eventually paid 500bht Apparent the dentists was talking with our son and asked where he went to school and he replied Essendon North Primary in Melbourne Australia and I guess he heard the cash register singing ching ching.

[H1w4yR1da]

The "authorities" are very often part of the problem and are proactive in supporting all these kind of scams and many more like the jet skis etc because they get a cut from the extortion money.

Not only that, the very establishments scamming foreigners are usually owned by 'men in uniform'. Hence their a bit to continue their operations without fear of arrest.