konying Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I wonder what would have happened if she'd asked for a Free Water. Do not underestimate the quality of visitors to Thailand Not too long ago, i had 6 people come into a bar, ordering 1 water-15 baht and asking for 6 glasses with ice to share it, while also demanding for 3 tables to be moved together so they can relax and direct 2 fans towards them Forgive me if I find this story far fetched. Forgiven , sadly very true. Its not different to some nationalities going into a bar and sharing 1 beer between 5 people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooked Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 First time I arrived in Thailand, I went straight to the AIS place in the airport and bought an new sim card. That's what you do when you visit a country for more than a few days. Cost me an arm and a leg. Anyway, I have often switched away from free Wifi because it was too slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthedarkside Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Many posts cleaned out - 2 members trading flames. And the popcorn gallery throwing in comments. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worgeordie Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 You are really on form today,Joe,from past posts about listening to people talking about their finances,and been cheap Charlie's ,by drinking Archa beer. Now you are concerned about what some other people do,that really has nothing to do with you, unless you were the proprietor of the said establishment,you worry far too much about what other people say and do,then post umpteen times to defend yourself. Some people might say you are a nosey bugger. regards Worgeordie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiengmaijoe Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 You are really on form today,Joe,from past posts about listening to people talking about their finances,and been cheap Charlie's ,by drinking Archa beer. Now you are concerned about what some other people do,that really has nothing to do with you, unless you were the proprietor of the said establishment,you worry far too much about what other people say and do,then post umpteen times to defend yourself. Some people might say you are a nosey bugger. regards Worgeordie My number one fan, good to hear from you. Nobody else takes me seriously, so I'm glad to see that you still do. 'Nosey bugger' is practically a compliment compared to what most people say. Some of the weirdos here click 'like' on my posts but my guess is they're being ironic. I much prefer your honesty. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinnieTheKhwai Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Seems strange to order separate beers for a couple? Wouldn't it be more typical to order a big beer and two glasses.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiengmaijoe Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Seems strange to order separate beers for a couple? Wouldn't it be more typical to order a big beer and two glasses..As far as I remember it was one small beer and an 'I'm okay thanks'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I have a friend who has quite a small coffee shop in CM. After a few months she had to put a 20 minute limit on the use of the wi fi as people were ordering a cup of coffee and sitting their with laptops for hours. New customers would come into the shop ,see there were no tables left and move on. That is exactly what happened to the Wawee coffee shop in Mae Jo. They eventually went out of business. Young, independent contractors were using the place as a base for their businesses, sometimes even having meetings there. Everyone only ordered one coffee and occupied all the tables, and were even bringing in power strips to run their notebook computers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinneil Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Waiter was 100% correct. Many ignorant people these days abuse wi-fi in bars/resturants . 2 years ago when i was living in Mae hong son, a friend of mine had a resturant with free wi-fi, customers were coming in 1 day getting the password, then coming back day after day using her wi-fi but not buying anything. She was full 1 day had 8 people in a group not buying just using wi-fi, paying customers could not get a table because of these ignorant people, so they left. My friend was distraught losing customers, she asked me what can i do. Easy change password everyday, and only give it after people have ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinnieTheKhwai Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 ^ yeah though it's also annoying for regular customers to have to change the password every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunsakda Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) I'll bet they would have told them to take a hike at John's Place....the sign says "Look free, five minutes." Not, use wi-fi for free. And don't forget, it appears this was Saturday night, too....limited seats in bars. Many bars don't even let non-customers use the restroom.....they've been charging 5 thb at MCD night Bassar for years. The MacDonalds at Night Bazaar charges 5 baht to use the toilet? Shocked . Assumed this was against their corporate policies. Used the one near Robinson on Suk 19 a few months ago. Edited February 2, 2015 by arunsakda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 In the name of customer service, since they came in as a couple, one order is enough to give them WIFI... She will tell 10 people or more...poor customer service will eventually close this bar... Right now I will be writing to Lonely Planet about this bar.... CB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiengmaijoe Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 In the name of customer service, since they came in as a couple, one order is enough to give them WIFI... She will tell 10 people or more...poor customer service will eventually close this bar... Right now I will be writing to Lonely Planet about this bar.... CB Different views as always. I'm not sure that telling people that you have to order a drink to be able to get free wifi in a bar would deter 10 out of 10. Personally, I would be too embarrassed to tell anyone. I might accept your argument that she was one of a couple , but what if only one out of four ordered a drink, are they all part of the group and entitled to use it? Maybe people forget, but the waiter wasn't refusing to give her wifi, he was just saying that it wasn't free if she didn't order a drink. How much it would have been I don't know, because they didn't take up the offer of paying for it, but chose to leave instead. I don't think that refusing to provide a free service to a non-paying customer ever put anyone out of business, do you have any examples? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunsakda Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) This probably has more to do with an entitled and arrogant demeanor of these aliens in the view of the waiter there. I would have handled it differently. Bottom line they lost a customer forever. The guy may well have ordered 3 beers whilst Shiela surfed her mobile. Most restaurants now offer free WiFi because if they don’t they will lose custom. Cafes always have issues with students and others setting up camp for hours. A professional manager in the food service industry handles these things best using proper judgement on a case by case basis. Providing a friendly and inviting atmosphere, while at the same time balancing the needs of the business and other customers. They had to crack down on the kids at the Thapae Macdonalds a few years ago. Grabbing multiple tables and revising for hours buying little. Here we are however and that type of management is rare. Bar is packed, we don’t need you. (What about tomorrow when it is not packed?) Customers at an Italian Trattoria in BKK charging Roma prices++ are billed for breaking a 20 bht water glass. Small “Baksheesh” demanded to urinate in a insect-infested and foul smelling bog, as if it was ever cleaned anyway. Hand washing facility nothing more than dribbling tap and a dirty rag. A big chain like Black Canyon has the nerve to demand some extortionate charge to plug in your mobile, as if it will make or break the business. Oh well, TIT. Edited February 2, 2015 by arunsakda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Waiter was 100% correct. Many ignorant people these days abuse wi-fi in bars/resturants . 2 years ago when i was living in Mae hong son, a friend of mine had a resturant with free wi-fi, customers were coming in 1 day getting the password, then coming back day after day using her wi-fi but not buying anything. She was full 1 day had 8 people in a group not buying just using wi-fi, paying customers could not get a table because of these ignorant people, so they left. My friend was distraught losing customers, she asked me what can i do. Easy change password everyday, and only give it after people have ordered. And you said "tell them to buy something or leave"...right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chingmai331 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Many spineless managers, and owners, of these shops. And to the WiFi users, 'get a life'. Saw many at Super Bowl this morning at pub, one eye on game, other in mini-screen in their hand looking for world news, or porno. Sad really, to see so many, grown adults, so dependent on the device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chiengmaijoe Posted February 2, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 2, 2015 In my view the staff were reasonably polite in their dealing with the customer. He politely told her she had to pay for wifi if she didn't order something, free if she did. It came across to me as just being an offer, do you want free wifi by ordering a drink or would you prefer to just pay for the wifi? The girl had an air of entitlement and my view is that her only reason for being there was to use the free internet. She didn't even ask how much it was but maybe it wasn't the price, it was the principle? It certainly seems that it is becoming an issue and different places will find different ways of dealing with it. I thought the staff handled it well and don't think the bar missed out on much. As regards to ladies that don't drink, it seems to me that that is why bars in Thailand sell so much 'naamsom' (orange juice). The guy that likes a drink takes his wife to a bar, orders a beer for him and an orange juice for the wife. Whether she drinks much of it is not important, it's just a courtesy to order something for both of you when you go into a bar or restaurant. If my wife doesn't want a drink, that's what she orders. Normal, polite behaviour the world over. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo the Face Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Many posts cleaned out - 2 members trading flames. And the popcorn gallery throwing in comments. I thought it was peanut gallery...... did the corrupt pollys steal the name and change it ???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awk Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Many posts cleaned out - 2 members trading flames. And the popcorn gallery throwing in comments. I thought it was peanut gallery...... did the corrupt pollys steal the name and change it ???? Being the author of one of the aforementioned "cleaned out" posts, I can assure you that it was indeed peanuts I was throwing from back here. I have in the past tried to throw popcorn, but found that it is difficult to hit what I am aiming at with popcorn. Something about their mass perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quidnunc Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Seriously, a bar turned down a request for a free password to a couple who was paying for a drink. My wife doesn't drink, but always orders a water when we go to a bar. The password cost nothing , but the customer will remember this for forever. This is the problem with customer service in Thailand. You can bet with an attitude like this, the bar won't stay in business long. Getting a new customer is difficult, losing that customer is easy. I'm still shocked, they turned down a request to a couple that were paying customers that essentially would cost them nothing? What the heck? No, it doesn't cost the bar nothing. Not if it's a busy bar as this one is. They get a couple of near free-loaders occuping space that could be used by more serious customers. If the place were empty or nearly so, that's a different question. As for betting on the bar going out of business...did you miss that part where the OP said it was very busy? A successful establishment is better off without some customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicog Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Seriously, a bar turned down a request for a free password to a couple who was paying for a drink. My wife doesn't drink, but always orders a water when we go to a bar. The password cost nothing , but the customer will remember this for forever. This is the problem with customer service in Thailand. You can bet with an attitude like this, the bar won't stay in business long. Getting a new customer is difficult, losing that customer is easy. I'm still shocked, they turned down a request to a couple that were paying customers that essentially would cost them nothing? What the heck? No, it doesn't cost the bar nothing. Not if it's a busy bar as this one is. They get a couple of near free-loaders occuping space that could be used by more serious customers. If the place were empty or nearly so, that's a different question. As for betting on the bar going out of business...did you miss that part where the OP said it was very busy? A successful establishment is better off without some customers. The point is they had a spending customer - a couple. And chose to refuse the couple free wifi. Pedantic and dumb if you ask me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quidnunc Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 This probably has more to do with an entitled and arrogant demeanor of these aliens in the view of the waiter there. I would have handled it differently. Bottom line they lost a customer forever. The guy may well have ordered 3 beers whilst Shiela surfed her mobile. Most restaurants now offer free WiFi because if they don’t they will lose custom. Cafes always have issues with students and others setting up camp for hours. A professional manager in the food service industry handles these things best using proper judgement on a case by case basis. Providing a friendly and inviting atmosphere, while at the same time balancing the needs of the business and other customers. They had to crack down on the kids at the Thapae Macdonalds a few years ago. Grabbing multiple tables and revising for hours buying little. Here we are however and that type of management is rare. Bar is packed, we don’t need you. (What about tomorrow when it is not packed?) Customers at an Italian Trattoria in BKK charging Roma prices++ are billed for breaking a 20 bht water glass. Small “Baksheesh” demanded to urinate in a insect-infested and foul smelling bog, as if it was ever cleaned anyway. Hand washing facility nothing more than dribbling tap and a dirty rag. A big chain like Black Canyon has the nerve to demand some extortionate charge to plug in your mobile, as if it will make or break the business. Oh well, TIT. The service may cost little or even next to nothing, but the occupation of seats that could otherwise be used to generate income can be very costly indeed. It can also mean that regular customers can't find a seat. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/nyregion/the-food-may-be-fast-but-these-customers-wont-be-rushed.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglechef Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I have a friend who has quite a small coffee shop in CM. After a few months she had to put a 20 minute limit on the use of the wi fi as people were ordering a cup of coffee and sitting their with laptops for hours. New customers would come into the shop ,see there were no tables left and move on. That is exactly what happened to the Wawee coffee shop in Mae Jo. They eventually went out of business. Young, independent contractors were using the place as a base for their businesses, sometimes even having meetings there. Everyone only ordered one coffee and occupied all the tables, and were even bringing in power strips to run their notebook computers. I'm not saying this didn't happen or wasn't the cause for it's closure but every time I went for coffee there, which was quite a few times, I only saw one or two other table there at the most, often empty as is usual out in these parts. Maybe I was there at a different time of the day then the meetings but I still don't see how that made it close unless there were dozen businesses using it for a office and the management let them ruin their own business. I was sad to see it go as Wawee is my favorite local coffee chain, that location has a history of coffee shops not lasting long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiengmaijoe Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 The point is they had a spending customer - a couple. And chose to refuse the couple free wifi. Pedantic and dumb if you ask me. If it's one customer drinking and three others using the wifi, sitting on a big table during the busy spell is it still dumb? Most business owners are smart enough to judge their own business so maybe he got it right, maybe he didn't, but sometimes you have to give some credit to a business owner for knowing his own business and making the right judgements. There were paying customers on that table within minutes. The article that Quicunc linked to makes the same point. Time of day, size of the establishment, overheads, quality of customer (who wants drug addicts or bums using the place?) plenty of other factors make it a case of each place making it's own decision. No right or wrong, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangmai Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Let the owner make the rules, and post them in front. Rule number one would be that you must be able to read the rules. Denny's in Maryland used to charge blacks a cover charge, until they did it to a group of undercover Secret Service agents and the shiite really hit the fan. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-05-25/news/1994145195_1_denny-restaurant-chain-secret-service-black-secret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglechef Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) That's a little unrealistic, are you going to post for instance that if 75% of the restaurant is full one is only allowed to use the wifi for 15 min. and every other circumstance that might be revelent and expect it to be followed. It must be up to the discresion of the management as weekends, high season etc all factor into the decision. But my BIG question is why is it so much work to get the password. Can't they print it on the menu or a card? If they hand write it on a tiny piece of paper it's usually illegible or too small to read. You ask and they often give you it verbally w/o telling you caps etc and then you go to sign in and find they have 3 wifi accounts and you have to ask which one or just try them each till you get lucky. And what's with the password being a phone number? Easy to misplace a digit and hard to type into a smart phone. And ...... Edited February 2, 2015 by junglechef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JomtienEats Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 But my BIG question is why is it so much work to get the password. Can't they print it on the menu or a card? I guess it's because they don't want non-customers using it. One bar I was in wouldn't even give the password to the bar's own staff - they didn't want them slacking off on FB or whatever, they demanded that i give the device to the boss behind the counter to key it in. Fat chance. But my biggest bugbear is when I order a drink somewhere, and then find out the wi-fi doesn't work. If you ever find yourself in that situation . . . sometimes asking them to reset the router works. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglechef Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Yes, I automatically ask them to reset every time I swipe my membership card when entering the gym. But this "secret password" nonsense occurs at nice expensive places and even at restaurants in remote places which has nothing to do with non-customers using it. Having to make the customer suffer because you can't manage your staff is not good customer service. Customer relations, topic that has been discussed in this thread a lot, I think is not really a valid point as the way the food service business is conducted here is not customer comes first or is always right, more probably occasionally not 100% at fault . What about checking into a decent hotel and finding the wifi is not working after asking if they have it before registering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangmai Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 that happened to me at the Pioneer Gambling Hall/hotel in Laughlin in November '13. I beached, and they gave me a 50 USD food voucher. Wouldn't happen in a million years here, but I don't think it would go down for a week, either. As far as customer service here....they really do know how to shoot themselves in the foot. A lot of things that they would just pay you to go away in America, they will really drag out and waste a lot of your time and a lot of "just a moment" and/or the police get involved. Like getting a refund, when the coin wash takes your money....or your beer is a year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrilled Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 It's A place of business.If the place is busy your taking up A seat that A paying customer could use.I would have just said the place is for paying customers only.So if I was the bartender she wouldn't be sitting there.Just my take.it's All about the baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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