A good friend of mine 'Bob' came to Thailand at Christmas to retire. I met up with Bob and some other friends in Pattaya & Hua Hin after new year. When we were in Hua Hin around mid January Bob met a bar girl 'Lek'. They got on great, so much so that when we headed off to Pattaya Bob brought Lek along with him. After a few days in Pattaya I decided to go back to Isaan. Bob said he was going to return Lek back to her bar and do a some traveling around Asia, Laos, Vietnam etc.

Fast forward to last night. I get a call from Bob telling me he has bought a bar in Hua Hin for £15,000. He goes to tell me that the bar is in Leks name and that he has had a contract made by a lawyer to say she cant sell the bar without his consent. I was half asleep when he told me this so it has only sank in this morning. To me this sounds like madness and im worried about the situation Bobs got into (buying a bar in a girls name who has known for 6-7 weeks!)

So can anyone give me a bit of advice on this. What can Bob do to protect his investment? Does he have any legal rights? I want to give Bob a call and give some advice but I don't have a clue about a farangs rights when it comes to bar ownership.

Im very concerned about a good friend so appreciate any help on this, thanks.

It's too late already.Warn him not to put anymore money into the business and not to give any money to Lek.( even if its for 'dying' relatives, funerals etc)..If it's just in her name she owns 100% of that bar.He has no rights!! What a tool! If I were you i would consider giving him some advice and then staying away from this whole situation...

What a wonderful idea. Move to a country on the other side of the world.Pick up a hooker and a few days later give her 15,000 pounds to open a bar. The amount of people who lack common sense is really startling.Perhaps they should teach it in school as a separate subject...( No offence intended! but this sort of story makes me a little angry, not at the opportunism of the girl but at the lack of sense from the man!)....

I would wait till Bob, rings you again and tells you that Lek has sold the bar and gone away.

At the moment he is enjoying life and you can't do anything to help him.

He's already bought the bar.

Bad news come a little later.

Keep us informed about the outcome.

A little bit more info on the situation. At the moment Bob has only put a deposit down on the bar. Im not sure what contracts have been signed but hes due to take over the bar end of March.

Bob's Bar. Has a certain ring to it.

Might turn out to be a good thing. Hua Hin Is busy.

Have you seen the bars in Hua Hin they are all empty and have been for years. Walk away now before the amount mounts up.

How many of her friends are on the pay roll that he now has to fund ?

I take it he hasn't registered his bar as a company yet or will ?

Walk away now. Sorry run away now.

If I'm right what has he actually bought ?

A little bit more info on the situation. At the moment Bob has only put a deposit down on the bar. Im not sure what contracts have been signed but hes due to take over the bar end of March.

Claffey nailed it - Costas is correct too. At this point there is nothing you can do except smile sweetly and wait for the axe to fall. Oh - and point him the direction of this forum.

Small money and maybe hes testing her before he buy a million dollar house..

its uncommon but just maybe a happy outcome best of luck BOB enjoy the moment while it lasts

By the way this is an old trick, pay money for nothing or pay money to a friend whose bar is heavily losing money, the bar usually inherited from the current owners/ ex bar girl's last mug who she got to buy it for her.

He didn't buy anything for anyone. It's an old scam.

Have you seen the bars in Hua Hin they are all empty and have been for years. Walk away now before the amount mounts up.

How many of her friends are on the pay roll that he now has to fund ?

I take it he hasn't registered his bar as a company yet or will ?

Walk away now. Sorry run away now.

If I'm right what has he actually bought ?

From the brief call we had I know hes put down a 200k baht deposit and got some contract to say she cant sell the bar. He did say it was in her name so I have no idea what paperwork has been signed etc. I have no clue about how the process works

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/583272-the-perils-of-owning-a-bar-in-thailand/

Good luck Bob

Takes all kinds.

A friend of mine on his very first trip to Thailand, was dropped off at the Chao Phraya Massage by a scamming taxi driver, just hours after his arrival.

Ended up marrying that girl.

Yep. Met his future Thai bride at a Bangkok massage parlour 6 hours after touchdown.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/583272-the-perils-of-owning-a-bar-in-thailand/

Good luck Bob

Well that was an amusing read....

He could be lucky, if it all goes wrong now, he could avoid getting married and dropping 10x as much on a house and car.

I remember being in a bus driving through Pattaya for the first time in about 1996 for a work conference.

Looking out the window of the bus, I saw a bar named "Bobs Bar". Sitting outside was this big fat guy with a sexy little tanned skinned thing sitting on each leg. I assumed that was Bob.

At the time, I thought that Bob had made it. He had a bar by the beach and 2 hotties to keep him company. What more could he want?

...and that's the image I'm sure a lot of guys have when they first come to Thailand.

If he is a good friend you need to tell him the facts...if he's just an acquaintance, you should enjoy the free beer till it runs out.

A little bit more info on the situation. At the moment Bob has only put a deposit down on the bar. Im not sure what contracts have been signed but hes due to take over the bar end of March.

Claffey nailed it - Costas is correct too. At this point there is nothing you can do except smile sweetly and wait for the axe to fall. Oh - and point him the direction of this forum.

Do you even believe the op?

I don't.

Wait until the Mods punt this one into Farang Pub and then read the answers. Until then, it will all be meaningless criticism and anecdotal tales of woe.

Bob is obviously a shrew cuckold businessman, I'm sure Lek is a keeper and this is the beginning of him building a business empire in Thailand.

All these cynics here criticizing, they should be praising Bob for his foresight and vision of an after new life

Takes all kinds.

A friend of mine on his very first trip to Thailand, was dropped off at the Chao Phraya Massage by a scamming taxi driver, just hours after his arrival.

Ended up marrying that girl.

Yep. Met his future Thai bride at a Bangkok massage parlour 6 hours after touchdown.

And are they still together?

The problem is that those seeking advice only listen to that they wish to hear.

Looks like our Bob is going to lose a few bob.

I recommend the chappy below as his new financial adviser.

Consultant visiting times by appointment only and in a totally secure environment.

However when dealing with an expert one is never sure if the expert is an expert or an incurable romantic.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7FCmzjaN5g96vuKTBaajqSYRgFCu8H5DYmdCpfkjLU8Y3FzMH3g

I don't know about the bar business and I certainly wouldn't be buying one, but is there any reason why Bob can't have the bar in his name instead of Lek's? If Lek really likes K Bob, she certainly wouldn't mind transferring her "new" bar to his name since he's the one paying. If not, walk away from the 200K and consider this a lesson learned.

Moved to Expat forum/Pub

"What do you want to hear when we're making love?!?"

Bob's your uncle...

All I can say to Bob is som nam nar haha

99 Baht breakfasts are the way forward, The OP could get some advice from one of the more experienced breakfast eaters

bob, invested in thailand, found a girl who is different, to the op, can bob say lek's last name if in fact he knows it

I did some investigating on this bar ownership.

The bar is quiet ...you lose

The bar is busy...here we go some Ting Tong make up list of expenses ....you lose

OP is hoping to make money and get points on the side for being such a kind heart.

And a dumbass.

The real winner will be the land lord...releasing fees, renaming rights, key money and just keep selling the same bar over and over to stupid falang.

It's a little late to do anything now. Just wish him luck and tell him to be careful. Suggest the bar to your other friends and ring the bell on your first visit. Don't be negative now as he will have enough of that later....