Phuket Jet-ski scammers shut down

[Mr Somtam]

I think either Costas has lost his mind or his avatar has been taken over by little green men.

No, he is just an optimist, which is a nice contrast here on TVF to the usual negativity

Being Realistic is the term, not negativity... Edited February 11, 2015 by Mr Somtam

[jacko45k]

Excellent stuff - just goes to show what can be done if the will to do it is there.

Licence revoked for 1 month, and a fine of 10,000 baht, 1/20th of the money this crook demanded from the tourist.

I think it is pathetic stuff, a simple show of puny response. Even the 1 month 'suspension' will be ignored.

They need to be punished, not slapped on the wrist with a feather duster.

[hEaDy]

After 27 years of living here, I've found Jet Ski operators to be some of the worse people in Thailand, expecially those in Phuket.

Nothing will ever be done about their scams, so it's best just to advise everyone not to rent them...

[tonytigerbkk]

I have seen and heard of too many scams to even raise an eyebrow to the amount that was robbed off these tourists.

What does shock me is the actual rental price.

Rental for 4 jet skis for Baht 9,600 = Baht 2,400 per jet ski.

Is this the hourly rate, a daily rate or were they being ripped off from the start.

[steelepulse]

Probably a special half hour rate for Chinese as at Kata I see they are sometimes asking 1800 for 30 minutes. Big profits being made daily on a small investment whereas a car costs much more and only rents for 1K/day. No wonder why these guys are protected as there is a big pie for all to share.

[tonytigerbkk]

Probably a special half hour rate for Chinese as at Kata I see they are sometimes asking 1800 for 30 minutes. Big profits being made daily on a small investment whereas a car costs much more and only rents for 1K/day. No wonder why these guys are protected as there is a big pie for all to share.

Jesus Christ on a stick,

The only time that I have rented a jet ski was for a visiting customer about 14 years ago and it was about Baht 300 per 30 minutes (in Pattaya).

I could live on what the Kata boys make in 30 minutes.

[RobertHima]

These jet ski scammers have very good economical sense. Start with 200.000, bargain down to 90.000. After they have been found guilty, returning only 45.000, plus getting a 10.000 fine, still 35.000 in the positive.

Anyway, it's great to have mandatory insurance on the jetskis, but why doesn't it cover the 3x3000 baht "fee" for the downtime of the jetski while fixing? If I was a law abiding jet ski renter, I would have an insurance for my jetskis, and still fake some damage and demand 9000 from everyone renting from me, legally. Sorry, not giving ideas

[monspencer]

Apart from the one month shutdown (from which as has been said he probably won't lose any income if he lets his scum chums rent out his jet skis for him), have I read the figures correctly?

He charged them 200,000 Baht to begin with, less the amount of 45,000 baht refunded, less the estimated repair costs of 15,000 Baht leaves the scammer in profit to the amount of 140,000 baht!!! Then I guess there would be certain back handers to certain people, but even so, a very good day's work for the jet ski rip off merchant.

[jcisco]

That the future will look just like the past. Isn't that meaning obvious?

it is my bad, sorry; precision with words is vocational requirement that i don't always suppress when being a TV bum.. carry on.

[thhMan]

So the Jet Ski association assisted in the con?

If 3 x 3000 THB is the maximum that can be (extorted), that that should have been all that should have been paid...

The Jet Ski assoc member should have also told the jet Ski operator that its "tough luck" and should have not let his insurance expire....

If I was Zhang... I would push for all of it back... every last stolen cent of it!

Then report the Jet Ski assoc. for dereliction of duty!

[Carrerakiss]

Ordering them to be shut down and actually shutting them down are 2 totally different things altogether.

And ordering them to shut down for one month only, another completely different thing. The compensation money they extorted and kept, (not all was returned) covers most their costs, so actually they have lost nothing at all.

And in one months time will they have insurance? Not a chance.

Just what message does this send to ALL the jet ski scammers in Phuket? Keep right on scamming. That's the message it sends.

[hawker9000]

Less here than meets the eye. The scamming goes merrily along... Ahhhhhh, lovely Phuket!

Still. Collided? After only 5 minutes?? It's a different discussion for a different day, and no idea from the article just exactly what the "collision" consisted of or what led up to it, but if a tourist rents property and then is careless with it, causing damage that is really & truly his fault (i.e., due to the carelessness or recklessness), shouldn't there be SOME consequence for that? Should ALL tourists pay the price in the form of higher rental fees (to in turn pay for the increased risk, whether insured or not) for the actions of a careless few? I'm the last guy to defend the scammers, and the scammers in this case are no exception, but, well, just thinking out loud I guess...

Edited February 11, 2015 by hawker9000

[NorthShore]

"Passst when you have finnished licking Uncle Too's behind, let him know they are putting the deck chairs back on the beach. "

So Chooka, have you always been an expert on behind licking, or is a recently acquired talent?

[strapper1]

They need to make an example of these scammers, throw the book at them so that these scammers think twice before ripping off unsuspecting victims again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[monkeycountry]

"However, when Governor Nisit heard about the debacle, he ordered the Marine Office to revoke the jetski operator's licence"

Yes that will both teach them and shut them down

[monkeycountry]

Shut down shouts the headline - but only for one month - sigh sigh

Being shut down and having your license revoked are two very different things, especially in Thailand, where noone, incl. law enforcement, cares about licenses.

These guys are back in business the same day, not too worried that their police "business partners" are going to check their mising license.

Edited February 11, 2015 by monkeycountry

[shawndoc]

I'm surprised at how many people can actually pull out that much money from an ATM. My bank limits ATM withdrawals to around B10,000 a day. If I was to go to the bank counter, I have no idea which bank in Thailand partners with my bank overseas, but even if I could figure that out, I'm sure I'd have to jump through all sorts of hoops before my bank would let me pull that much money out at a foreign bank.

[Powerhousesteve]

So they are not "shut down" then, just suspended for a little while??? Thieves is what they are, and many officials mixed up in it, no doubt, this is so damaging to the Thai tourist industry.

[Lupatria]

Shut down shouts the headline - but only for one month - sigh sigh

Headline with courtesy of the TAT?

[monkeycountry]

sounds good

but will the shutdown be enforced?

Of course it will, by the very same police officers who help the tourists negotiate down the extortion fees

[monkeycountry]

You can adjust imagine the jet ski mob on the beach jumping up and high fiving each other when they saw the jet skis crash. YES!!!

And perhaps a small party on the day the insurance expires :-)

[hawker9000]

They need to make an example of these scammers, throw the book at them so that these scammers think twice before ripping off unsuspecting victims again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'Never gonna' happen. Certainly not in Phuket. If scammers from around the world were ever going to hold an annual convention somewhere, I've no doubt Phuket would be on the short list. Phuket has also practically written the book on how to playact tough official action against them. I guess just about everyplace is famous for something.

Edited February 11, 2015 by hawker9000

[petermach]

What a laxism ! One month supended , what a joke , they will ask their mafia friends to operate their jet ski for one month and will come back to scam tourists and act again with impunity. JETSKI must be banned on island , they are dangerous , polluting , and operated almost by scammers.

[Thaispired]

What a bad way to end a holiday. On his last day. It wasn't even him it was members of his family. It's a pity they didn't extend his stay to remain with his friend. With all the non stop bs goings on in Phuket these days, why would anyone still visit that place at all? There are other places in Thailand.

[Alan653]

Excellent stuff - just goes to show what can be done if the will to do it is there.

Yes, excellent stuff......unheard before under the previous governments.

But with this government, things have changed and the law is taken seriously.

Even for 1 month, Living in Kata, shows the good intentions of the government......next time the scammers will be put in jail.

Costas, dont let the greek bashers get to you

let them wallow in their own negitiveness....

i may not agree with everything the junta is doing...but its a hell of a lot better than the previous bunch of morons.

[williet98248]

Phuket turns every rational person into a pessimist. All except you and Alan Morrison.

What's it like to feel constantly let down?

Frankly, optimism is over-rated. There is no inherent virtue in it. You are either proved right, or you feel disappointed.

Pessimists are either proved right, or, are pleasantly surprised.

Pessimists also plan for the worst. Optimists are constantly wrong-footed.

There was a good article on the BBC which showed that naturally pessimistic people actually live longer than optimists (it must be the constant disappointments).

Before I moved here from the US I trusted just about everyone until they proved me wrong. After a relatively short time in Thailand I learned to DIStrust almost everyone until they proved me wrong! How sad.

[torpedo1970]

What a joke.

TIT

He is still in profit.

100K swindled

only paid back 45K

fined 10K

most likely another 5K to the delightful broker that made sure that I did not get arrested for fraud..... (thanks mate)

Stil 40K in profit......

you can hear them laughing all the way to the bank........

TIT

And to top it off, they are still saying they cleaned up in the mafia in Phuket?

and the beach and the jet-ski scammers....

does not sound like it...

Edited February 11, 2015 by torpedo1970

[realenglish1]

Here is a good idea for the Governor to Implement. Force all Jet Ski operators to post a sign that states that any damage to a jet ski then the renter is resposible for a deductable

for the jet ski and state the deductible. Failure to post it will result in a license suspension for 2 weeks or a month or some thing like that.

IT must be visible to a renter where the transaction occurs. and Enforce the rule

Then there will not be any further major problems

[12DrinkMore]

What a joke.

TIT

He is still in profit.

100K swindled

only paid back 45K

fined 10K

most likely another 5K to the delightful broker that made sure that I did not get arrested for fraud..... (thanks mate)

Stil 40K in profit......

you can hear them laughing all the way to the bank........

TIT

And to top it off, they are still saying they cleaned up in the mafia in Phuket?

and the beach and the jet-ski scammers....

does not sound like it...

You have forgotten to add in the 9,600 Baht rental on top.

So roughly 50,000 Baht for a few minutes scamming.

Wonder how many days/month he can pull that one?

[Larry001]

Good job. Finally getting one up on these scammers