ableguy Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 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 And yet you read it and reply? Why ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loxley99 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 The usual scam is simply to quote lobsters etc on the menu as 'per kilo' ...at the end the bill arrives and you have no idea what the real weight was ..nor can you prove it to the contrary !! Check before you put fork to mouth !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeichen Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Posters please read the article in full before posting your stupid western comparisons or your should have checked the prices first. THEY DID. This isn't Red Lobster in the US, This isn't France. Please use sensible comparisons. This isn't a thread of how much you are willing to spend. This is a clear case of tourists being cheated. "If you paid 200-300 per prawn; you were ripped off. Up to you if you want to pay that; but it's wrong......." You do realize that some Prawns weigh 300-400 grms each? So 200 baht a prawn that is prepared isn't actually a bad price if it is 200-300 gms. I love how people assume that they didn't read the menu. Does a menu tell you that you pay for towels? Does a menu tell you that you will pay 17% VAT and service + an additional 800 baht extra tip? I wouldn't have been surprised if the Red Snapper was actually Tabtim. A lot of shops will scale the tabtim and sell it as snapper. Yes, it is possible to have a meal that cost more than 8k baht. That isn't the article. Yes, if you eat Lobster you will pay a lot. That isn't what they ate. The crab wasn't Alaskan King Crab. It was local mudcrabs as that is what the rest. sells. The point is that if you look at what they charged itemized for each person it isn't the same as their menu or what they charge Thai people. Local Thais are upset about this. That is what the article is about. That the locals are upset how Tourists were treated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeichen Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 "isn't membership here voluntary" Apparently so is reading the actual article before spouting off nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MockingJay Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Rather fishy, that bill... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy360 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Hmmm. Dog bites man. How unique! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man River Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included. It is amazing how many here jumped to the conclusion that the prices were the problem, not the math. It is a scam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostoday Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Could be me, but those numbers don't add up to 8,800, even when the tip is included. It is amazing how many here jumped to the conclusion that the prices were the problem, not the math. It is a scam. The prices on the menu were not the same as the prices on the bill that was the scam not the maths Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim walker Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 That's not to bad only about 2000 Baht a head and the Taxi drivers tip for taking suckers to restaurant would also have to be covered if the seafood was fresh then that price would be ok in a nice restaurant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashireman Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Eat, drink and be merry. You are adults. You can read or ask for details from the menu...it's allowed? Nevertheless, I hope it was a fine dining experience... 'I love fish'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostoday Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Eat, drink and be merry. You are adults. You can read or ask for details from the menu...it's allowed? Nevertheless, I hope it was a fine dining experience... 'I love fish'... The prices were on the menu. It said 200 baht. Only it didn't say 200 baht per ounce. Do you get it now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nontabury Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Forget about the TripAdvisor reviews as there's no evidence that the customers slated the food, drinks or service. They scoffed the lot and decided that they didn't like the bill. Tough titty. Cheap Charlie's on their cheap vacations wander in to any old establishment and want something for nothing. The Thais should be pushing back on their review and responding that the Malays/Chinese are giving their citizens a bad reputation. It could also be a case of, A fool and their money are soon parted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostoday Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) Forget about the TripAdvisor reviews as there's no evidence that the customers slated the food, drinks or service. They scoffed the lot and decided that they didn't like the bill. Tough titty. Cheap Charlie's on their cheap vacations wander in to any old establishment and want something for nothing. The Thais should be pushing back on their review and responding that the Malays/Chinese are giving their citizens a bad reputation. It could also be a case of, A fool and their money are soon parted. I ate there the menu said 300 baht when the bill came it said 300 baht per oz. Could be a case of you don't read the above thread very well. I really have to go to sleep now but this is one of those threads where no one will read it before writing an opinion that has no relevance to what happened at that restaurant. Edited May 18, 2015 by lostoday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancashireman Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Eat, drink and be merry. You are adults. You can read or ask for details from the menu...it's allowed? Nevertheless, I hope it was a fine dining experience... 'I love fish'... The prices were on the menu. It said 200 baht. Only it didn't say 200 baht per ounce. Do you get it now? Who is the subject? Does 'who' get it now... 'I love fish. Still...' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) Here's what I do: I go to the market, browse the stalls, find the seafood that is appealing to me and the right price (priced in kilograms), bag it up, take it home, and BBQ. Voila! No problemo! Edited May 18, 2015 by connda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulic Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Don't forget the 30% commission to the tuk tuk driver. He put more in his pocket than the restaurant owner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nidieunimaitre Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Meanwhile, now on holiday in Europe, I NEVER ask how exactly the price is calculated before I order. Also I do not ask if the peanuts and the use of knife and fork / the use of the furniture are extra or already calculated into the menu - price. The thought of asking if the napkins are extra would never enter my mind. I never am asked to pay a service charge, and I tip if I feel like it. Surely some posters will say that I am a stupid tourist, who is asking to be ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dao16 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 They paid too much in my opinion. 8000 baht for 4 people eating seafood is way too much for Thai standards. Normally it is about 3000 baht eating crab, shrimp and fish for 4 people. But the problem is we don't know what they had and how much they had? What kind of crab? Was it blue crab or king crab? Fresh blue crab is about 400 Baht/kg in the market so a restaurant could charge 800 Baht/kg. If it was blue crab, then they were ripped off. Next prawns, what kind of prawns they had? This varies from type to type and their size. Huge river prawns are sold about 500 Baht/kg in seafood fresh markets. If they had those prawns they would be about 1000 Baht/kg in a restaurant. If it comes to real big sea prawns than the price would be even higher. Expensive sea fish is about 400-500 Baht/kg in the fresh market. Whole salmon is less than 300 Baht/kg in Macro, and "pra kapong" is even cheaper. Of course the restaurant could add up a 100% increase to these prices. The problem is we don't know what kind of crab, prawn or fish they had. It is like arguing about something without knowing the facts. Exactly. That is what I was trying to get to in my previous post. If this were one of the nearby restaurants to me now, this bill would be totally silly. I would freak out with that bill for most restaurants I know here. The place I went to on the island was first class, and it was featured on TV, magazines and tourist guides after we went. Totally worth it and would have been about the same price for 4 people. You get what you pay for. Thailand is cheap, but 5-star service costs the same all around the world. Look at the hotel chains. The big, high quality ones here cost the same as in the rest of the world. Take a few steps down, and they are really cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greer Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 All those who think this ridiculous price is not that expensive - you are making a comparison with the UK, Australia, or US - where seafood is expensive, and if you are here in Thailand and paying this, you are the fool, being ripped off soundly! Seafood here is NOT this expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csabo Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 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..... I am gonna let you in on a secret I picked up on a while back that eats me inside. Women (like the four diners in the story) don't look at prices in restaurants. I have been out with girls my whole life and noticed they just pick what they want and never think twice about how much it will cost. This is probably because THEY NEVER HAVE TO PAY. On the rare occasion they do pay they are shocked when they see the bill because 90% of the time the dine out they never see it. They have absolutely no idea what twin lobster tails and three apple martinis cost. To the guys who think they are not "paying for it"...think again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin2852 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Sure 8800 Bt is a lot to pay for a meal, but there were 4 people there and they ate a lot of seafood. The "tip" looks more like GST than a tip and it is not high why are we even looking at this bill ? it should be referred to the Authorities if it is excessive and ignored if not. This is a waste of time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getithere328 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Rather fishy, that bill... I smell a rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forethat Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I got done in a similar way my first month in Bangkok. A seafood place on Phaya Thai which is now closed if I'm not incorrect. 7000THB for a meal for two. I smiled and wrote it off as learning money. PS. The food was <deleted> too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Foreman Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I totally agree with many previous posts. In London that is cheap, poorer quality and no doubt without Thai service. As already posted menus tend to have prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papa al Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) 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. Not everyone is as smart and outspoken as you Graeme. Some consumers are really gormless and should be protected. I myself am gormless. But with luck, and the help of a protective government, I hope to acquire gorm someday. Edited May 18, 2015 by papa al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukecan Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 8800/32/4 = $68 per person Definitely not a good deal, but a scam? Hardly. It depends on the restaurant actually, if it was a posh place then these prices are normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttthailand Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 For those saying the price is fine keep in mind that they arrived 4 in a tuktuk. It was a scam no ands buts or ifs about it, it was a scam ! Why do people try to put lipstick on a pig and call it something it is not ??? Things we know from living in Thailand: Are there expensive 5 star restaurants that you would pay high prices for a meal, yes 100% sure. Did the tuktuk driver take them there so he could get a commission, 100% sure ! Did the driver take the ladies to a place he would suggest to his family or friends, 100% no way ! Was it partly or 100% a scam, you can count on it .... 100%! Enough said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostoday Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 8800/32/4 = $68 per person Definitely not a good deal, but a scam? Hardly. It depends on the restaurant actually, if it was a posh place then these prices are normal. The scam was the menu said 300 baht when the bill came it was 3000 baht. If you read the thread you might find out how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttthailand Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 5 star respectable restaurants don't pay tuktuk drivers to bring customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecee10 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 The moment you see a phrase like 'online outrage' you know it's probably a beat-up of a story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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