National Park Scam?

[chrissables]

I tried to enter the North Entrance of Khao Yai National Park on my motorbike with my girlfriend Saturday morning.

As i got to the desk where they were taking payments, (This was 50 meters before the "real" entrance) The lady taking the money stamped two tickets before i had even stopped my bike, she said 800+ (can't remember if + was 20 or 40 baht)

I asked in Thai for a Thai price as i have lived here a long time, but she said no, and that scheme has finished.

I parked my bike to one side and went back to confirm, but she just shouted 800+, all changed now.

I decided to ride away rather than be extorted 10 x the Thai price. Also i asked another officer there why a Thai person with a BMW who is rich has to pay 40 baht, when i am on a motorbike and poor has to pay 400 baht, of course he just smiled!

Another point is my girlfriend is not a Thai lady, but from the Philippines. But there is no way they would have known that. So in fact they were charging a foreigner price for a Thai!

So my questions are, is it correct that the "scheme" for ex-pats getting Thai prices really has finished? And if not, how do i contact the park authority to make a formal complaint?

Thanks

Edited August 3, 2015 by chrissables

[longstebe]

Just get yourself a Thai drivers licence.................... Oh wait a min

[Tywais]

In News back in February so unfortunately she was correct.

Thai National Parks ordered to charge foreigners tenfold

[chrissables]

Just get yourself a Thai drivers licence.................... Oh wait a min

Yes! Very good!

[chrissables]

In News back in February so unfortunately she was correct.

Thai National Parks ordered to charge foreigners tenfold

Really!

Well i entered the National Park South of Chum Phae (Khon Kaen), asked and got the Thai price. But they were asking me in Thai how long i lived here etc. My girlfriend just looked blank and did not get involved.

At Nakhon Nayok we were waved in at 10 baht each.

Maybe its selective depending on who is at the gate?

But at Khao Yai, for sure they did not know my girlfriend was not a Thai lady.

Edited August 3, 2015 by chrissables

[otherstuff1957]

"My girlfriend just looked blank and did not get involved."

They undoubtedly thought that she was Thai.

[chrissables]

"My girlfriend just looked blank and did not get involved."

They undoubtedly thought that she was Thai.

5555555555555555

Actually, i said that to her!

Thai love Thai, and you are rich!

My girlfriend is a teacher, and we had planned to see the waterfalls, i was so pissed off at their attitude, it ruined the day. I asked her later would she have paid 400 baht? She would not!

I have been to many places in Thailand, and for me i will now find places without tourists. Get fair prices, see real Thailand.

[nong38]

I think its often down to interpretation of rules and how much some people seem to think they can get away with, I have always paid the Thai price for National Parks, Thai DL seemed to do the job, but if they turned funny I would be prepared to walk away rather than be ripped off.

I can remember going to Global once and when I wanted to pay by foreign debit card they suddenly wanted to charge a 30bt surcharge, I presented the shopping to trolly to the employee in front of me and left. The scheme seemed to have been dropped sharpishly as there was no problems next time.

Always be prepared for the unexpected here.

[kotsak]

They can't even keep their double standards properly, since most Asian can get away with it, so at the end it's black and whites who get the shaft.

[claffey]

The way I look at it is that ,in principle, it is wrong to charge foreigners who are resident here more.

However, I don't go to national parks that often, maybe a few times a year. It takes so much time ,effort and money to organize trips.Is it really worth giving up a great day out just because of a principle???

I was recently charged full price in Khao Sam Roi Yoy park. I was nice about it so they let my son in for free.We had an amazing day that we will never forget.If I was stubborn like the OP we would've had a shit day. Life is too short.Pay the few hundred baht extra and live your life to the full....

By the way many countries charge double prices to foreigners.In Europe we also do it but we are more subtle.In the UK many of the top tourist destinations have ridiculous prices.They only sell yearly passes.In effect this is double pricing as foreigners on holidays for two weeks are not gonna have the opportunity to go again but residents will...Thailand is not subtle but at least we know they are doing it!!

[FireMedic]

I went in on the north entrance yesterday. The normal ticket booth was closed and the rangers were doing the tickets. Thai people free, farang 400. I paid it, we went in and had a great time. Shitty? Yes. Not right? Yes. What can you do? Not a damn thing.

[chrissables]

The way I look at it is that ,in principle, it is wrong to charge foreigners who are resident here more.

However, I don't go to national parks that often, maybe a few times a year. It takes so much time ,effort and money to organize trips.Is it really worth giving up a great day out just because of a principle???

I was recently charged full price in Khao Sam Roi Yoy park. I was nice about it so they let my son in for free.We had an amazing day that we will never forget.If I was stubborn like the OP we would've had a shit day. Life is too short.Pay the few hundred baht extra and live your life to the full....

By the way many countries charge double prices to foreigners.In Europe we also do it but we are more subtle.In the UK many of the top tourist destinations have ridiculous prices.They only sell yearly passes.In effect this is double pricing as foreigners on holidays for two weeks are not gonna have the opportunity to go again but residents will...Thailand is not subtle but at least we know they are doing it!!

Stubborn, yes!

They had stamped the ticket before my motorbike had even stopped, there was (still is) no way they knew my girlfriend was not Thai, so that was a scam.

Secondly my girlfriend has a salary. I asked her would she pay? No was the answer.

Sometimes one must stick to one's principles.

[evadgib]

I went in on the north entrance yesterday. The normal ticket booth was closed and the rangers were doing the tickets. Thai people free, farang 400. I paid it, we went in and had a great time. Shitty? Yes. Not right? Yes. What can you do? Not a damn thing.

Except perhaps....

and make sure TAT (inc their office in your home country) & tripadviser, media outlets etc are up to speed.

Edited August 3, 2015 by evadgib

[menzies233]

If they start charging me 10 X the price of a Thai, I will probably take a massive dump on the floor of their toilets, make em work for it! Greedy fools. Applying Western logic in this place can never apply, the way we Westerners (or at least me) used to look at it was, "Jesus are these people for real? They are going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg type of thing, they are hammering their income by overcharging scamming robbing the people that come here and spend money.

My personal opinion is that those in charge don't give a flying F$$K whether they lose income from foreigners in the least, they in many cases hate us and are embarrassed that they are not on the same social level as Western countries.

In a lot of ways, they would probably be happier if we all just left.

And given the current political situation, when they kick out all of the foreigners, they would be pretty happy to just behave like the Khmer Rouge, all of the peasants in their minds would be sent for re education or death camps. The problem as far as I see it is that they cannot quite balance the cash, they need international help, but as soon as they became truly independent or able to break away, this place would make North Korea look like Butlins!

Edited August 3, 2015 by menzies233

[Thongkorn]

I never pay any double pricing i just walk, there loss not mine.

[Jessi]

If they start charging me 10 X the price of a Thai, I will probably take a massive dump on the floor of their toilets, make em work for it! Greedy fools. Applying Western logic in this place can never apply, the way we Westerners (or at least me) used to look at it was, "Jesus are these people for real? They are going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg type of thing, they are hammering their income by overcharging scamming robbing the people that come here and spend money.

My personal opinion is that those in charge don't give a flying F$$K whether they lose income from foreigners in the least, they in many cases hate us and are embarrassed that they are not on the same social level as Western countries.

In a lot of ways, they would probably be happier if we all just left.

And given the current political situation, when they kick out all of the foreigners, they would be pretty happy to just behave like the Khmer Rouge, all of the peasants in their minds would be sent for re education or death camps. The problem as far as I see it is that they cannot quite balance the cash, they need international help, but as soon as they became truly independent or able to break away, this place would make North Korea look like Butlins!

They don't want Falangs in Thailand they only want their money. Nothing has change over the past 25 years to my knowledge.

Even restaurants with two different menu's and prices.

If they try it on with me I just walk.

[benalibina]

The negativity on here.....simply.....ah well...

[willyumiii]

I strongly dislike the double pricing myself and will not go to places that charge foreigners more.

But, what strikes me as odd about your post is that you and your GF are both foreigners, yet you would be willing to cheat and pay the Thai price for her since she looks Asian, and you think since you have been here a long time you should pay the price for nationals as well.

I detect a lack of integrity on both sides of the coin here.

[kannot]

Drove thru sam roi yot national park the other day and notice there is now no one there trying to get an entrance fee, its all gone so it was free..................went to Hua Hin Immigration yesterday and the small shop there wanted 25 baht for a can of coke usually 12 baht

[fish fingers]

everyone write a stinky review about Khao Yai rip off on trip advisor then link it back to the official Khao Yai Facebook page

[chrissables]

I strongly dislike the double pricing myself and will not go to places that charge foreigners more.

But, what strikes me as odd about your post is that you and your GF are both foreigners, yet you would be willing to cheat and pay the Thai price for her since she looks Asian, and you think since you have been here a long time you should pay the price for nationals as well.

I detect a lack of integrity on both sides of the coin here.

I really don't understand why you think that.

It always was the case that if you lived here, had a driving licence etc, you could enter at a Thai price. I have always done that. That is not cheating, it is following the rules.

My girlfriend is a teacher with a work permit here, that has also allowed her to to get the Thai price in the past. How is that cheating?

As already stated, they did not know, and had no way of knowing she was not Thai, they had stamped the ticket before my bike had even stopped.

The only cheating going on was the 10 x Thai price being asked.

[chiang mai]

10 x is way over the top and too much, I will not pay.

[MartinL]

By the way many countries charge double prices to foreigners.In Europe we also do it but we are more subtle.In the UK many of the top tourist destinations have ridiculous prices.They only sell yearly passes.In effect this is double pricing as foreigners on holidays for two weeks are not gonna have the opportunity to go again but residents will...Thailand is not subtle but at least we know they are doing it!!

Don't have time to research your claim re. yearly tickets BUT English Heritage offers a 9-day Overseas Visitors ticket for £30 for a single adult (other options are available eg, family of 2 adults, up to 4 kids under 19, 9 day pass £55). The purchaser pays the £30 then has unlimited access to ALL EH sites - over 400 sites according to Wikipedia. If I lived in UK & went to just 2 English Heritage sites - say, Stonehenge & Dover Castle - in the company of an overseas visitor with one of these tickets, her cost would be the £30 already paid, mine would be £32.50. Now THAT - along with FREE access to some genuine world-class (not the Thai interpretation of that phrase) museums, art galleries etc. - is the way to treat foreign visitors & get them interested in the culture & history of a country.

Edited August 4, 2015 by MartinL

[chatette]

We went the other day, handed the woman at that ticket table our Thai ID cards and she said `4 foreigners' (in Thai)....

When husband replied that only Thai people have Thai ID cards (d'oh), she waved us in for free (to save face, I expect).

I completely disagree with the dual pricing policy, btw. There's absolutely no justification for it at all.

[craigt3365]

I've gotten into some parks with my Thai DL and got the "local" price. Other times, no way. So, I just drive off.

[jacko45k]

If they start charging me 10 X the price of a Thai, I will probably take a massive dump on the floor of their toilets, make em work for it! Greedy fools. Applying Western logic in this place can never apply, the way we Westerners (or at least me) used to look at it was, "Jesus are these people for real? They are going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg type of thing, they are hammering their income by overcharging scamming robbing the people that come here and spend money.

My personal opinion is that those in charge don't give a flying F$$K whether they lose income from foreigners in the least, they in many cases hate us and are embarrassed that they are not on the same social level as Western countries.

In a lot of ways, they would probably be happier if we all just left.

And given the current political situation, when they kick out all of the foreigners, they would be pretty happy to just behave like the Khmer Rouge, all of the peasants in their minds would be sent for re education or death camps. The problem as far as I see it is that they cannot quite balance the cash, they need international help, but as soon as they became truly independent or able to break away, this place would make North Korea look like Butlins!

They probably get that a lot......

Do Chinese go to these National Parks and pay 400 baht?

[asdecas]

A double pricing thread yet again?

If you've been here 'a long time', you should have got over it by now.

[Ace of Pop]

Pay to look at Trees. Strange.[emoji319]

[BudRight]

I was walking around Sukotai and had already paid one set of rip-off prices at the main entrance. At the rear, a woman started screaming at me,

"YOO YOO YOO YOO YOO YOO YOO YOO"

I ignored that stupid bitch and kept walking. Sure enough she kept shouting but did not follow. She did give a withering glance on my way back.

By the way, according to this it's cheaper for a Thai to take a guided tour of Buckingham Palace than that stupid park.

https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/royalmews/plan-your-visit

9 pounds. For all races and nationalities.

Edited August 4, 2015 by BudRight

[recom273]

It's not just national parks, I went to a cave temple in phang-Na at the weekend .. 200 for Thais 500 for westerners. Showed my DL and explained in Thai I paid more in tax in one month than most did in one year.

Then we went to a national park in Thai Muang, 100b for me, 20b for the wife, 20b for the bike. License and explanation just bought a smile and request for ID card only for Thai price.

Of course, after the journey - sometimes you pay it, but it all adds up to an expensive day ( the temple boat ride was 75mins ).

A lot of the guys who will be refusing to pay it here are teachers, which we don't do for the high wages, we do it for the lifestyle. If we can no longer enjoy the countryside, then what's the point of being here ?