4 tourists pay THB8,840 for seafood meal

[webfact]

4 tourists pay THB8,840 for seafood meal
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- A group of four tourists were recently taken for a ride by their taxi driver, or at least the restaurant he drove them too.

A tourist of Malaysian-Chinese descent shared a photo of the bill she and three friends were asked to pay at a Bangkok seafood restaurant they were taken to on the recommendation of a very friendly Bangkok taxi driver.

The bill from the Ratchathewi-area Sriayudhya Seafood Market charged the four visitors THB8,840 for a meal including a very generous, mandatory tip of THB800.

User “Connie Ha” elaborated on her experience as a Thai netizen posted it the receipt to Pantip, where it had enraged many in the community for not being cool for Thailand’s tourism image.

On the receipt, the tourists were charged absurd prices for snapper (THB1,800), shrimp (THB1,750) and some crab [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/05/18/4-tourists-pay-thb8840-seafood-meal

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-05-18

[graeme64]

this is such a non topic.

How much did the menu say it would cost?? didnt bother to check then tough. Same as getting in tuk tuk and not setting a price.

Is it a scam - yes, when you have a job interview and discuss your salary, do you honestly say what you think you are worth to the company, or the absolute MAX you think they will pay.

And besides - they never complained about the food, seafood is expensive and if it was decent there is a seafood restaurant here in Phuket I go to that has prices that match this. Better location than BKK i suspect, but it is not WAY over the top.

And if you get taken to place because your taxi driver suggests it - you get what you deserve.

There is a thing called the internet - do some research.

[hathairat2711]

Surely people can't be this dumb by asking a friendly taxi driver to locate a restaurant for you. I would have thought the hotel where you were staying.

Furthermore, surely the restaurant had a menu with the relevant prices.

Unbelievable.

ps Why post this anyway, it's useless information, like many original posts that are posted in ThaiVisaForum.

Enjoy

Edited May 18, 2015 by hathairat2711

[thesetat2013]

I have seen the same prices at the seafood restaurants on walking street in Pattaya.

[Manbing]

Experiencing Thainess, its all part of the campaign to show the world how generous and welcoming Thais are to tourists.

See how they make the 800bht tip mandatory, how much more Thainess can that be

[Suffinator]

Nothing new here to see ... move along.

[wooloomooloo]

See how they make the 800bht tip mandatory, how much more Thainess can that be

I go to many eating establishments in LOS and quite a few high-end restaurants charge an additional service charge (10%) and VAT (7%). It's all there on the menu.

There's a lot of food on that bill and, divided by four, doesn't sound too dramatic to me.

Many similar places in London.

Edited May 18, 2015 by wooloomooloo

[GotR1GHT]

Experiencing Thainess, its all part of the campaign to show the world how generous and welcoming Thais are to tourists.

I really feel sorry for you.You know very little about Thailand,probably only bad things

Edited May 18, 2015 by GotR1GHT

[kkup]

Many places charge per kilo, if they had generous portions then it could be right. I've bought giant prawns that were 200-300 baht each.

[F4UCorsair]

Just another example of tourism being a con...........not just Thailand, the world over, but couldn't these losers read the prices?? If there were no prices on the menu, they had choices, ask or walk.

[Guest]

I think this is a posting to expose how really stupid some people who post on this forum are .. or that some, really do not live in Thailand .. and for sure .. not Bangkok.

Quick math lesson folks:

8,000 divided by 4 is 2,000. That is what it costs to eat crab, shrimp, live fish cooked to order, etc.

10% of 8,000 is 800.

Is there something I am missing here? .. or have i lived in Bangkok long enough to know which way is up?

And yes, anyone who uses a Tuk Tuk driver to "take them someplace special" is a moron who needs to know that half that 800 went to him as his finder fee.

There is a sucker born every minute, and I will not shed a tear for a gaggle of idiot tourists.

As one person asked, it is so obvious ...

Were the prices on the menu ??? or do you just smile and say "yes, four of everything" then COMPLAIN ABOUT IT

Edited May 18, 2015 by Guest

[firestar]

Crabs, giant prawns, etc..... nowhere is that cheap.

[Bluespunk]

Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included.

[AlQaholic]

Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included.

I get 7,007 before tip of 800.

[wooloomooloo]

Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included.

Fresh seafood and drinks for four? Are you kidding me?

Being generous at 50 baht / £1 that works out at £177 / 4 = £44.25, for arguments sake. No food poisoning, obviously enjoyed the food and the ambience, because they only complained about the bill.

And we can't quite be sure that there wasn't additional orders that weren't included on the original bill.

If you want 30 baht noodles walk out to the soi and find the nearest street cart. Jeez.

Seriously, I'm losing the will to live.

Edited May 18, 2015 by wooloomooloo

[ratcatcher]

Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included.

No, it's not you BP, I came up with B7007 then add 10% should be around B7700.

[Johnnie99]

this is such a non topic.

How much did the menu say it would cost?? didnt bother to check then tough. Same as getting in tuk tuk and not setting a price.

Is it a scam - yes, when you have a job interview and discuss your salary, do you honestly say what you think you are worth to the company, or the absolute MAX you think they will pay.

And besides - they never complained about the food, seafood is expensive and if it was decent there is a seafood restaurant here in Phuket I go to that has prices that match this. Better location than BKK i suspect, but it is not WAY over the top.

And if you get taken to place because your taxi driver suggests it - you get what you deserve.

There is a thing called the internet - do some research.

You too should do some research.

Seafood, here, is not expensive. If you find it is, you are getting fleeced every time.

[captainhornblower]

Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included.

Absolutely right - by my reckoning it is 7,007 before tip.

But more to the point, as many posters have commented, you cannot order, eat and then moan about prices after the fact. Also, seafood in Thailand is not cheap anymore especially with what they had.

[krisb]

The Chinese sympathizers run deep here.

Not.

[steven100]

If they went elsewhere it wouldn't have been much cheaper .... maybe 1,000 - 1,500 max.

2,000 baht each for seafood dinner, crab, fish & river prawns, drinks etc ...

Price seems to be at the high end of mid-restaurant market rates, however not exorbitant.

Case closed .

Edited May 18, 2015 by steven100

[asdecas]

Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included.

It's you and they do.

There are many of these expensive seafood restaurants dotted around Bangkok. Yes, they often take advantage of unsuspecting tourists but no, they are not always a total rip-off.

I have known Thais take people, myself included, to them as a way to thank, or to impress clients, it's a very Chinese/Asian mentality.

It's also true that from the taxi driver up, the very old attitude of equating farangs and tourists with money to burn lives and breathes still.

[Paul888]

The problem with nonsense non event stories like this is that they detract attention from all of the real scams.

[Johnnie99]

See how they make the 800bht tip mandatory, how much more Thainess can that be

I go to many eating establishments in LOS and quite a few high-end restaurants charge an additional service charge (10%) and VAT (7%). It's all there on the menu.

There's a lot of food on that bill and, divided by four, doesn't sound too dramatic to me.

Many similar places in London.

"Many similar places in London".

Perhaps it has escaped your limited notice that we are not in London, but in a country acknowledged to be cheap to visit.

Or maybe you are an oft-visitor rather than a resident. That would explain your lack of knowledge.

[wump]

I arrive at 7007 Baht without tip?

[wooloomooloo]

Perhaps it has escaped your limited notice that we are not in London, but in a country acknowledged to be cheap to visit.

Perhaps it escaped your very limited intellect that fresh, good quality, seafood is definitely not cheap in LOS and sold by weight.

My point being that service charge and VAT is much like London in that it is an addition to the bill.

Have you ever been for a high-end meal in LOS? I doubt it.

Edited May 18, 2015 by wooloomooloo

[lostoday]

Many places charge per kilo, if they had generous portions then it could be right. I've bought giant prawns that were 200-300 baht each.

You got the answer. The price is listed on the menu by weight but it does not say how much the item weighs. When you get the bill big surprise. Happened to me once when I was a newby in Bangkok years ago. I ordered a lobster and when I got the bill they explained the menu price was per ounce or something like that - you get the point. Menu price is correct but no where on the menu does it say by weight - that comes later.

[rebelplatoon]

Like many others said: check prices. Not just here anywhere in the world. If you're ok with it and it was quality food, just pay. Don't complain. The 10% they probably put on top after getting too much other quality tourists. Moving on.....

[misterphil]

Wheres a photo of the menu prices?

[wooloomooloo]

I should also point out that item #1 on the bill is a charge for something but not clear what the actual charge is.

[wooloomooloo]

Wheres a photo of the menu prices?

That would spoil the complaint wouldn't it. Obviously, the complainants didn't take one. Ate the food okay, though.

Edited May 18, 2015 by wooloomooloo