New Zealand father and son arrested at Phuket Airport over Patong restaurant bill

[NoshowJones]

i had to skip on 2 cans of coke from the hotel fridge 10 years because the bus arrived early and there was no one in reception to take my money.......im living on borrowed time then.....

Why not buy them in 7-11 instead of paying about double the price from the hotel minibar?

When I used to stay in hotels I used to ask the front desk to empty the minibar and then I would stock it with what I wanted from 7/11 etc at a better price.

Any hotel room I go in to which has a minibar in the fridge, I just take everything out, I don't even bother to ask the front desk. I then put my own things in it, then

replace the hotels things back in the fridge just before I check out.

[Sviss Geez]

Ahh, a new twist...

Our scams are now retroactive, with police support of course.

One more nail in the tourist coffin, Thailand. At least you've found some degree of consistency.

What scam?

[Sviss Geez]

Nothing "retroactive" about it. The arrest warrant was issued in 2013 after they (allegedly) skipped on their bill. They returned in 2015 and were caught. No different than if a warrant was issued today but the suspect isn't caught until 2+ years later.

Unless you are trying to suggest that walking out on a restaurant bill isn't a scam but being arrested and held accountable for doing so is ?

Must have been a fairly substantial bill for the restaurant to file a complaint and an arrest warrant to be issued.

Exactly, an inflated bill and that's why this restaurant has been previously accused of cheating customers. Another Thailand scam.

You don't know the difference between "substantial" and " inflated"? So no "exactly" about it at all.

[mankondang]

That restaurant owner must have some big connections. Immigration officers plus 4 Kathu police needed to get these criminals. I would also want to pose proudly behind these hardened criminals and smile knowing that I've made Thailand a safer place. After all, it's a well known fact that those who are accused of cheating on a restaurant bill are likely to kill.

The Thai Immigration guys were only doing their job. They get handed a passport, put it in the computer, see there is Warning, a warrant out on the passport holder, and inform the authorities.They, and the immediately informed authorities, do not know what the warrants are for, they are just doing the job their paid for. The warrant, whether it is for little matter like this or for an act of international terrorism, is information not privie to them. They are not the judge, jury and executioner, that a visitor like you, with all the post incident information, have the self appointed power to be.

Edited September 16, 2015 by mankondang

[Sviss Geez]

Kill someone, have money and / or be HiSo and you walk.

Maybe cheat on a Restaurant, you go to the Monkey House.

TiT...

They were imprisoned? Where did you get that from?

[zakk9]

They have apparently been released already, but if they stayed at that resort, this may have happened without them knowing it. Here's what happened to me at a hotel in The Philippines a couple of weeks ago:

When checking out, I paid the bill with my credit card, including food and beverages consumed at the restaurant during my one week stay. For some reason, I checked the list, and found that the dinner from the night before wasn't there. If I hadn't checked, I would have left the hotel with an unpaid restaurant bill.

I don't claim that this is what happened, but it is a possibility, and if it is, that may be the reason why they were let off without any problems.

[Sviss Geez]

Nothing "retroactive" about it. The arrest warrant was issued in 2013 after they (allegedly) skipped on their bill. They returned in 2015 and were caught. No different than if a warrant was issued today but the suspect isn't caught until 2+ years later.

Unless you are trying to suggest that walking out on a restaurant bill isn't a scam but being arrested and held accountable for doing so is ?

Must have been a fairly substantial bill for the restaurant to file a complaint and an arrest warrant to be issued.

You are so wrong. This is Thailand where money buys these kind of things. Seriously, how about the guy who got blacklisted when he went toe to toe with a student who stole his writings and was blacklisted. The "student" had legal charges against himself and still managed to pay off an immigration official to blacklist the professor.

No way in hell does a person rack up a 15000 baht restaurant bill in Thailand unless hes at the top of the Conrad Hilton in BKK, it just isnt possible. And to blacklist a person for an "ALLEGED" crime, not substantiated is typical of the crazy tactics used in the country. Great example of the madness is the KT trial going on right now where the police are using DNA that does not match to try and convict innocent people.

You need to think about the whole picture before you spout off with your comments. They are incorrect.

"You need to think about the whole picture before you spout off with your comments. They are incorrect."

No, he doesn't, but you do.

[Sviss Geez]

What a joke. So police had been monitoring the names of who is entering phuket and an unpaid restaurant bill is on the list of offenders? So CCTV was used to identify them? Not good at catching terrorists but " restauarant bunkers" in years past is our speciality! Pathetic!

Ever consider that the computer probably threw up their names as there was a warrant outstanding?

[Sviss Geez]

i think everyone should read the review's on this place before commenting,2out of 3 that i read,cheated,very very unfreindly.

the first being 2yrs.ago must have been a bad yr.for them.

“A mixed experience, one that will take me some time to get over”

Please read this review from Sara, an Australian who stayed there with her two children in June 2015, she ended up getting arrested too, the owner is obvious big time mafia in Phuket and controls the corrupted Patong police.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297930-d575754-r292460506-Centara_Blue_Marine_Resort_and_Spa_Phuket-Patong_Kathu_Phuket.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

Perhaps you should read the review again, she didn't get arrested.

[Gazza-ni]

What is even more amazing is they liked Phuket that much they wanted to go back

[Sviss Geez]

The MIBS look so proud ! A big catch like this ! It was worth taking a photo !

RI-DI-CU-LOUS

Yes, the whole thing is ridiculous.

Everybody pays cash in Thailand because so many places don't accept credit cards, and how many of them give a receipt?

No, everyone does not pay cash, there are very few places these days that do not accept credit cards and any half decent place will provide receipts, particularly for large amounts.

[Sooo Upto Me]

i had to skip on 2 cans of coke from the hotel fridge 10 years because the bus arrived early and there was no one in reception to take my money.......im living on borrowed time then.....

Why not buy them in 7-11 instead of paying about double the price from the hotel minibar?

When I used to stay in hotels I used to ask the front desk to empty the minibar and then I would stock it with what I wanted from 7/11 etc at a better price.

Any hotel room I go in to which has a minibar in the fridge, I just take everything out, I don't even bother to ask the front desk. I then put my own things in it, then

replace the hotels things back in the fridge just before I check out.

Exactly, not a difficult task to do.

[Sviss Geez]

and you write this without even knowing if they are guilty or innocent of leaving without paying their bill?

You don't get it, do you? Nothing to do with being guilty or not but with the fact that this would not happen anywhere else and that it is tied to connections and bribes. TV members.....

TV members indeed, this is very likely to happen in many countries if it is reported to the police.

[Sviss Geez]

On what charge is the boy being held?

Are you on the right thread? There is no boy involved in this report, there are two adult men though.

[zaphod reborn]

Nothing "retroactive" about it. The arrest warrant was issued in 2013 after they (allegedly) skipped on their bill. They returned in 2015 and were caught. No different than if a warrant was issued today but the suspect isn't caught until 2+ years later.

Unless you are trying to suggest that walking out on a restaurant bill isn't a scam but being arrested and held accountable for doing so is ?

Must have been a fairly substantial bill for the restaurant to file a complaint and an arrest warrant to be issued.

Exactly, an inflated bill and that's why this restaurant has been previously accused of cheating customers. Another Thailand scam.

You don't know the difference between "substantial" and " inflated"? So no "exactly" about it at all.

Obviously inflated, because the settlement suggests that the restaurant accepted substantially less than the amount presented on the check. I'm sure the Phuket police happily accepted their share of the catch. The scamming continues with direct support of a corrupt police department.

[Sviss Geez]

Nothing "retroactive" about it. The arrest warrant was issued in 2013 after they (allegedly) skipped on their bill. They returned in 2015 and were caught. No different than if a warrant was issued today but the suspect isn't caught until 2+ years later.

Unless you are trying to suggest that walking out on a restaurant bill isn't a scam but being arrested and held accountable for doing so is ?

Must have been a fairly substantial bill for the restaurant to file a complaint and an arrest warrant to be issued.

Exactly, an inflated bill and that's why this restaurant has been previously accused of cheating customers. Another Thailand scam.

You don't know the difference between "substantial" and " inflated"? So no "exactly" about it at all.

Obviously inflated, because the settlement suggests that the restaurant accepted substantially less than the amount presented on the check. I'm sure the Phuket police happily accepted their share of the catch. The scamming continues with direct support of a corrupt police department.

Why do people like you just invent things? Try reading the link, the full amount of the outstanding bill was paid, not "substantially less". Neither was there any suggestion of the police taking part of it. So where was the scam?

[kblaze]

That restaurant owner must have some big connections. Immigration officers plus 4 Kathu police needed to get these criminals. I would also want to pose proudly behind these hardened criminals and smile knowing that I've made Thailand a safer place. After all, it's a well known fact that those who are accused of cheating on a restaurant bill are likely to kill.

criminals ?

what's funny is you not realizing he's speaking tongue-in-cheek

[ozyjon]

The image has been Photoshopped,,,

no finger-pointing, no blurred faces,

i want to see the evidence and i want

these guys to stand up and say

'' we have rights''

[Yann55]

Treating tourist like this will certainly have an impact on tourism.

I just can't believe your comment ...

Either they did run without paying the bill or they did not.

1/ If they did, well, it was the wrong thing to do, even if the food was overpriced, bad, and thrown at them by extremely unfriendly staff, which happens a LOT in Phuket, and which is one of the reasons I have vowed long ago not to return to that island, beautiful as it may be.

2/ If they did nothing wrong, then I do feel sorry for them because in this country, the line between being accused and being guilty is hazy as hell, and justice, especially on the islands, tends to be ... how can I put this diplomatically ... in the hands of those who can afford it.

[dukebowling]

The Police only get involved in cases like this when they get a peice of the action.

For example, earlier this year, a small hotel in Pattaya had a beauty pageant where the coordinator skipped out on the bill (over 30,000 baht). They called the police and explained the situation. The police's response, "How much will I get of that?"

Where is the reform?

[wvavin]

Like father, like son. Shit disgrace!!!

[NamKangMan]

It's made the news in New Zealand.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11513930

[Briggsy]

Free the Finn Twins!

"They're not twins!"

Free them anyway!

"They have already been released."

Good.

[chrissables]

There are a lot of posts stating that it would be near impossible to get a 15,000 baht bill for a restaurant meal.

Perhaps, they had guests for dinner. Maybe a couple of bar girls each.

Perhaps, the 15,000 baht bill was the total of having several meals in the restaurant, and charged to the room.

Perhaps, the bill was the total of a restaurant meal, room service, mini bar etc, over their holiday.

Perhaps they ordered a couple of 5000 baht bottles of wine.

Many ways to easily accumulate a 15,000 baht bill in food and beverage in a decent hotel, on Phuket.

That said, I am a little suspicious the bill comes to an "even" 15,000 baht.

I have in the past paid more than that for a meal for two in Chiang Mai.

My friend paid about 30k for the two of us for lunch at Sri Racha. The costs add up because of wine etc.

Now a 50 baht Thai meals is good!

[sambum]

<snip>

Must have been a fairly substantial bill for the restaurant to file a complaint and an arrest warrant to be issued.

PG reports it was 15,000 baht for food and beverage, so quite a substantial bill.

For 2 people in one night! Must have been a good one!

[Maestro]

Removed a troll post.

[Acharn]

Treating tourist like this will certainly have an impact on tourism.

Why? You think millions of Chinese who are thinking about visiting Thailand are going to be upset about this? You think tens of thousands of Germans who are thinking about fleeing their January weather for a few days in sunny Phuket are going to be upset by this? And on and on. Conceivably some people in New Zealand might worry about being cheated at a restaurant and decide not to visit Thailand, going to Malaysia or Phnom Penh instead, but most Kiwis who even hear the story are probably going to figure the two actually did cheat the restaurant.

[toooa]

Some people are really stupid, I applaude their capture... such a"holes....

And the comments here where where they say that tourism will suffer an negative effect because if this..... Such idiots there are really!!

Glegolo

[edg]

I checked out this place and they have mostly excellent or very good reviews on Tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297930-d575754-Reviews-Centara_Blue_Marine_Resort_and_Spa_Phuket-Patong_Kathu_Phuket.html

[gemguy]

I will speculate on this on

I would surmise, 2 years ago, they argued over a obviously padded bill that they refused to pay while the owner refused to budge on the over pricing.

So, possibly, they said they did not have enough cash money and needed to go get some money from the Bank or ATM machine while the 2 New Zealanders never came back to pay the bill.

Or...they were drunk and did a "Dine and Dash"

Meantime how would the owner of the restaurant know the names and nationalities of those 2 particular patrons and why would he let them go in the first place.

I mean... just try not paying the bill at a Thai restaurant and see how far you will get after having a dispute about the bill.