4 tourists pay THB8,840 for seafood meal

[Guest]

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.

OK, I just need to know ... not looking for grief, just curious.

Where exactly do you live and eat seafood?

I live in Bangkok and eat in everything from street stalls to the Mandarin Oriental

2,000 THB in a nice restaurant with truly fresh shell fish and life fish certainly close to this range.

A few hundred THB one way or the other .. not much more.

Really? Where do you live and eat?

Please, at least tell us you live in the Kingdom and are not some whack jop in Oz making this crap up. And if you are here ...

Are you in Bangkok?

[cookee68]

If you cant read the menu,ASK, if you don't understand the language, then leave, they are the most common things to look out for before you get screwed with a big bill, happens all over the world, make your self street wise to the country that you are in, it helps

[Bluespunk]

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.

Perhaps you could develop the will to read, I was pointing out the numbers on the bill do not equal the final total.

[pchansmorn]

You are so willing to blame the Thai's for your stupid mistake, and it wasn't that much to complain about. There is no such thing as a mandatory tip in Thailand unless it is for a large party then usually 20 % and you are not expected to pay any more. Bangkok is not the place to order seafood, you go to where the seafood comes from the beach towns, is that so hard. And if you don't see the prices on the menu, ASK.

[rayw]

I think ANYONE who willingly pays those prices in Thailand, no matter what the bloody seafood is, is a fool or has way too much more money than sense, unlike most of us who live here for various reasons one of which is that we can afford to live here rather than rip off UK and particularly as pensioners.

This is one huge rip off indeed. The most I have ever paid for a meal for 4 of us, yes including sea foods and drinks too, is about 1800 Baht and that I cringe at here in Thailand. Normally for a really good very filling meal here just for me with a beer at a nice air con local restaurant or UK pub style bar, costs me around 300 to 400 Baht. Mostly that is also for more expensive farang food too, as I am not a lover of a lot of Thai food because I cannot personally ever eat garlic or onion in food (maybe I am a vampire !!). Thai food without those two for me horrid ingredients can be very nice and I especially do at times enjoy hot food, or "Pet" as they call it here. I for though love most good English food like fIsh'n'chips (Cod or Haddock best),full roast sunday dinner, nice sirloin or fillet steak with Baked Potato and veggies, Toad in the Hole, English sausage and mash. All the food I love and was brought up on as a kid and young adult .

[timmyp]

So did they actually pay the bill? The article doesn't say:

"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."

I've gotten some silly bills before, and protesting it usually leads to an apology and a corrected bill.

[Guest]

If you cant read the menu,ASK, if you don't understand the language, then leave, they are the most common things to look out for before you get screwed with a big bill, happens all over the world, make your self street wise to the country that you are in, it helps

Good advice, and some good news too ...

In Bangkok this is not an unusual charge in a good restaurant for (live) fresh seafood.

[Fairynuff]

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.

There is also a thing called nasty, and you seem to define it.

[wooloomooloo]

Perhaps you could develop the will to read, I was pointing out the numbers on the bill do not equal the final total.

Perhaps you could develop the skill to peruse the bill and look at item #1.

[KuhnPaen]

No, they just did the math afterwards and realized each of them could have gone ST on Soi Cowboy for that.

[Bluespunk]

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.

Really, then maybe I should change the batteries on my calculator because I'm getting about 1000 baht less than the final total.

[harleyclarkey]

What is not clear here at all is what class and quality of restaurant this is. Anyone here know??

We also do not know how much prawn, crab and fish they stuffed themselves with.

If a typical Soi place then we all know the Tuk Tuk took (tuk!) them for a ride.

Don't blame the tourists for trusting this creep.

Blame them if the menu had prices and they choose to continue with the meal.

[mesquite]

Here are the TripAdvisor reviews. Not flattering to say the least.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293916-d2093368-Reviews-Sriayudhya_Seafood_Market-Bangkok.html

[Bluespunk]

Perhaps you could develop the will to read, I was pointing out the numbers on the bill do not equal the final total.

Perhaps you could develop the skill to peruse the bill and look at item #1.

Item one from the picture I'm looking at is the final total prior to the tip being added.

And I should point out that I don't care what seafood costs, the bill itself doesn't seem that outrageous to me. It's just that the numbers don't add up.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Bluespunk

[Fairynuff]

Too many HiSo crab guzzling posters here with too much time on their hands and too much money in their pocket.

[mikeinbangkok]

I am appalled to see some irrelevant news articles appearing in T.V. I am often in Hua Hin, with Thai friends and I speak the language. A very regular and a great seafood restaurant that I patronize charges about 1,200 per head, but we do not order expensive crab. If we did, I would say, easily another 400 or so per head making it 1,600. This is after my so called "VIP" card which offers some sort of a discount. This is on the beach in Hua Hin.

If you are in Bangkok, having had prawns, crab and the works , to pay 2,000 per head if NOT unheard of. Unless yo a cheap stake not wanting to eat in a decent seafood restaurant , yo expect to pay that sort of money. If you are in Singapore, have a good Chilli Crab and rice, you pay Sin$ 100. So what's wrong in paying 2,000 per head.

The problem is many foreigners want to have everything for nothing in Thailand. With due respect, certain visitors from certain countries want everything Cheap Cheap. I have even seen them bargaining at a Healthland counter for foot massages!

On top of that if you ask a Tuk Tuk driver to take you to a seafood restaurant and don't read the menu, then you pay for your stupidity.

[Tim1980]

They could have been hungry and ordered a lot and yes for good quality sea food 2000B per person is quite reasonable but depends on where they ate...

[tookwan cottage]

Interesting. I am yet to encounter this kind of thing over a number of years. I call it "The Kingdom" because I am treated very well—and I am not wealthy. I wonder what it is about certain types of people ...

[Asiantravel]

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

Or maybe they just don't like Malaysians

Chiang Mai Karaoke Bar Charges 8 Malaysian Tourists 114,080 Baht

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1421648646

[sambum]

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

Whenever I see a "compulsory" service charge, I refuse to pay it, unless it clearly states on the menu that "These prices do not include service charge or VAT", in which case, I would probably go and eat elsewhere anyway.

However, on one occasion, I refused to pay the service charge (on the above grounds) and the waitress IMMEDIATELY cancelled the service charge, altered the bill accordingly, but did ask me to sign the amended bill to verify that it was at my request (i.e. she was not trying to line her own pockets!) But it did make me think that it was certainly not the first time that she had dealt with such a complaint.

[steven100]

cheap charlies can eat on the street if they want.

[morocco]

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.

Wow, you are a bit of an a$$hole. Kind of sounds like you have an interest in this restaurant. Not all tourists are as savvy as you but that doesn't mean they should be blatantly ripped off.

[Traveller45]

I got hungry reading this.

[mikemac]

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

When are you going to find a hobby, rather than sit in front of your computer all day bashing Thailand ?

You are nothing but a nasty troll who would have nothing to say without that stupid term "Thainess".

Maybe you should address your "trollness", it has really got to you.

[Travelman868]

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.

I've been to this restaurant and the prices are marked up to give the impression they are reasonable. The crab for instance would be marked as 300 baht, what they do not tell you this is per 100gm. We lived close to Nam Ma Phim beach in Rayong and that meal would be less than 2000 baht in a restaurant.

As for Phuket prices, if you live there or go on holiday there then you deserve to be ripped off every day. Fish is not expensive.

[nithisa78]

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.

I have more mileage from my 50bh for the day Tuk Tuk story. We became friendly.

Seafood people, move on.

[SiSePuede419]

It's the seafood diet.

You see food, you eat it.

Hint: If there's no prices on the menu, you can't afford it, 555

[ThaidDown]

Sorry, but the bill adds up for me.

Note the 11th line down, just below 'towel' 40. That is service and tax 17%..

Items add up to 6830, for me, then add 10% service, then add a further 7% VAT to that total and it comes to 8040 THB.

So they paid approx 680 baht for service in the main list plus a further 800 baht 'tip' . That is the rip off, not the price of food which is in the right area for a tourist place.

[sunny747]

those who are saying 8000 Baht is average price and that the 4 tourists are too cheap,

perhaps you guys need to go and eat there before commenting ??

all reviews are bad for this place : http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293916-d2093368-Reviews-Sriayudhya_Seafood_Market-Bangkok.html

[jspill]

Edited May 18, 2015 by jspill