Little scams make big money

[NoshowJones]

Guys, I think you have too much time on your hands to be concerned about the OP losing a Baht....

Maybe, but it has turned into an interesting topic.

[NoshowJones]

It's ok for you Thai visa posters to laugh, but get real this is a serious problem when you get shortchanged a baht,

That's quite a few satang you know and as he says it mounts up. A man has trouble sleeping at night thinking that somebody has plotted to take a baht, that's one less lick of an ice cream he will not get to take.....and all because of serious scamsters working at the pumps....so beware, it could happen to you.....be vigilant.......this is a serious concern for all of us.

Not long ago I put one baht into the machine to weigh myself, the machine was not working so I lost my baht.

Even though I'm a Scot, I did not complain about it.

[NoshowJones]

The only time I have had to check my change and point out that I was light was on the buses in Bangkok.

I was just thinking today, I'm quite lucky, not to live in a tourist destination - the police here are too busy directing traffic and smuggling Rohingyas, it doesn't occur for food vendors to overcharge and when I speak to a moto-taxi he's so shocked that he's not quick enough to rip me off.

I just rode a 5,000km trip round Laos, the only place I was stopped was outside Hua Hin police station, the last time I was stopped 4 years ago; outside Hua Hin police station ..

It's a simple solution - move away from The tourist destinations.

Those tube things the bus employees use for their money when collecting fares, I wonder if they register every time they give out a ticket.

Surely it must be easy for them to make themselves some money and share with the driver.

Also, about your first sentence, it is more expensive to travel on air con buses than the ordinary type, it took me three years to find that out.

[recom273]

The only time I have had to check my change and point out that I was light was on the buses in Bangkok.

Those tube things the bus employees use for their money when collecting fares, I wonder if they register every time they give out a ticket.

Surely it must be easy for them to make themselves some money and share with the driver.

I would of thought that was easy, the numer of tickets they sell = the amount of money in the tube.

I never had an incident on the white buses or aircon as they have inspectors that checked the tickets.

But I soon learnt to check change in the smaller ones, just like 1b coin instead of 2b, claiming they had no .50 satangs. I didn't worry about the number of tickets I didn't get - the guys were pro's they would hand you your change and then have to run off and wave out the back door or something, pocketing the fare.

You have to admire them in a way, I guess they are on little money, the worst job in Bangkok, hot and sweaty - and they are constantly skimming 1-2-5b .. Hell, they do it 50-100 times to make lunch money.

For most of us it's more trouble than it's worth and I didn't make an issue out of it, I had to laugh, it was a challenge to watch where the scam was coming from and how it was conducted.

Edited October 20, 2015 by recom273

[NoshowJones]

The only time I have had to check my change and point out that I was light was on the buses in Bangkok.

Those tube things the bus employees use for their money when collecting fares, I wonder if they register every time they give out a ticket.

Surely it must be easy for them to make themselves some money and share with the driver.

I would of thought that was easy, the numer of tickets they sell = the amount of money in the tube.

I never had an incident on the white buses or aircon as they have inspectors that checked the tickets.

But I soon learnt to check change in the smaller ones, just like 1b coin instead of 2b, sometimes 5b short claiming they had no .50 satangs. I didn't worry about the number of tickets I didn't get - the guys were pro's they would hand you your change and then have to run off and wave out the back door or something, pocketing the fare.

You have to admire them in a way, I guess they are on little money, the worst job in Bangkok, hot and sweaty - and they are constantly skimming 1-2-5b .. Hell, they do it 50-100 times to make lunch money.

For most of us it's more trouble than it's worth.

In the ten years I have been in Thailand, I have only ever seen one inspector check tickets, I do not live in Bangkok though I go there often and use the buses regularly.

The bus employees are wrong to take extra money from passengers, if they are being underpaid, they should skim it off the company.

[SoiBiker]

On the other hand Thai also except 1 baht less if you have to pay.

Many times i have to pay like 20 or 30 baht and just grab my coins out of my pocket. Then when i 'm 1 baht short in coins they accept it.

I don't like to carry many coins so always try to pay with them first before reaching to my wallet.

Also i hope they stop with the satangs soon, get tired of those.

Yes, those satangs are a real nuisance, some places accept them and some don't.

I wonder in any other countries have a stupid system like this.

The decimal system?

I believe it's fairly popular.

[NoshowJones]

On the other hand Thai also except 1 baht less if you have to pay.

Many times i have to pay like 20 or 30 baht and just grab my coins out of my pocket. Then when i 'm 1 baht short in coins they accept it.

I don't like to carry many coins so always try to pay with them first before reaching to my wallet.

Also i hope they stop with the satangs soon, get tired of those.

Yes, those satangs are a real nuisance, some places accept them and some don't.

I wonder in any other countries have a stupid system like this.

The decimal system?

I believe it's fairly popular.

Nice to have you back SB, haven't seen your posts for awhile.

[recom273]

The only time I have had to check my change and point out that I was light was on the buses in Bangkok.

Those tube things the bus employees use for their money when collecting fares, I wonder if they register every time they give out a ticket.

Surely it must be easy for them to make themselves some money and share with the driver.

I would of thought that was easy, the numer of tickets they sell = the amount of money in the tube.

I never had an incident on the white buses or aircon as they have inspectors that checked the tickets.

In the ten years I have been in Thailand, I have only ever seen one inspector check tickets, I do not live in Bangkok though I go there often and use the buses regularly.

The bus employees are wrong to take extra money from passengers, if they are being underpaid, they should skim it off the company.

Really ? It's usually the white with blue stripe and the aircon busses that have inspectors. I don't live in town anymore but I got into the habit of keeping my ticket in my hand like the locals as there was a good chance an inspector would jump on, it was never a problem if I had already lost mine, it's more of a checkup on employees. I also saw money (50-100b) taken from the silver tube an slipped to the inspector.

Make up your own mind on that.

Anyway, to get back on topic - there's a reoccurring theme here - people being paid a pittance - pump attendants, bus ticket sellers - to do a job handling money where they feel they need to skim 1-2b to make a better living for themselves.

To us skimming that small amount seems like such hard work, more trouble than it's worth. Who's to blame - the kids, their employers, the education system or society.

These young guys operate as a family unit, they live in one room out back or on the bus, they all finished school at mathayom 3, if that - they are skimming so they can buy food ( and save the 6,000b wage ) or a bottle to share amongst themselves. Hardly the crime of the century, just one of my helmets probably costs more than the whole crew skim in a year.

Edited October 20, 2015 by recom273

[ldiablo]

I throw my one baht coins on the ground or in the trash. Sounds like you really need them. I can start saving them for you. Heck after a whole 365 days days you might have enough saved for a clue.

[ldiablo]

I remember my days working at the pumps as a teenager using the faithful "your car needs oil" scam. I would have some empy oil containers situated around the oil and would swap the full ones for the empty ones before filling up the oil.

Helped pay for my first year of university

Oh, to be a teenager again and living in Thailand.

Edited October 20, 2015 by ldiablo

[South]

I am literally shocked that this goes on in Thailand!

[nev]

That is small change compared with the real scam at the pumps, watch out for them leaving the last customers amount on the pump, it has happened to me a few times, say a motorbike comes in and puts 100 baht in they then leave this up and if you are not watching will pump your fuel on top, they make a quick 100 baht.

Now I keep my eye on them and make sure it is at zero.

Edited October 20, 2015 by nev

[bwpage3]

If I ever had to worry about 1 or 2 baht a day, I would probably do myself in. These kinds of posts are so petty it is hard to believe people get so worked up about them to write a story. Did you honestly think when you moved to Thailand that it is the most moral country in Asia? First rule of living in Thailand should be to understand that money is #1. Thai people have a mentality that foreigners should never have more than they have, hence they always try to take you money. That is the way it is and the way it has always been. Thai people have no morals when it comes to money period.

[SoiBiker]

Another Thai visa topic, another parade of crude, insulting generalisations about the Thai people.

Business as usual.

[Thian]

The only time I have had to check my change and point out that I was light was on the buses in Bangkok.

Those tube things the bus employees use for their money when collecting fares, I wonder if they register every time they give out a ticket.

Surely it must be easy for them to make themselves some money and share with the driver.

I would of thought that was easy, the numer of tickets they sell = the amount of money in the tube.

I never had an incident on the white buses or aircon as they have inspectors that checked the tickets.

But I soon learnt to check change in the smaller ones, just like 1b coin instead of 2b, sometimes 5b short claiming they had no .50 satangs. I didn't worry about the number of tickets I didn't get - the guys were pro's they would hand you your change and then have to run off and wave out the back door or something, pocketing the fare.

You have to admire them in a way, I guess they are on little money, the worst job in Bangkok, hot and sweaty - and they are constantly skimming 1-2-5b .. Hell, they do it 50-100 times to make lunch money.

For most of us it's more trouble than it's worth.

In the ten years I have been in Thailand, I have only ever seen one inspector check tickets, I do not live in Bangkok though I go there often and use the buses regularly.

The bus employees are wrong to take extra money from passengers, if they are being underpaid, they should skim it off the company.

Last week we took the riverboat express, 14 baht for 30 minutes or so. It's good and fun but after 20 min. the conductor wanted to see our tickets again.

He just stood infront of me and said something in thai, i acted like i don't understand you. I let him do for a while and suddenly he could speak english and said "ticket please"

[Berkshire]

Another Thai visa topic, another parade of crude, insulting generalisations about the Thai people.

Business as usual.

Yes, it does support the notion that the quality of farangs coming to Thailand is on the decline. Quibbling over a few baht? Amazing.

[napoleon3]

Let us all hope he does not fall from the balcony over this one baht scam.

[JetsetBkk]

Reminds me of a time I wanted a wall power socket rotated 90 degrees so that I could hang one of those mosquito zappers from it. A local odd jobs man came to do the job, and I just sat at my comptuer while he was working away. After about an hour he declared it was impossible because the power cable wasn't long enough to accommodate that. He explained all that to my then GF, and she communicated it to me, even though I could understand the gist of what he was saying, as well as see it.

He still demanded 300 baht (long before that was minimum daily wage and he didn't do the job). When he left I had a bit of a rant. I don't have many electrical tools at my disposal, but I opened a nearby jumction box, pulled our an extra 2" or so of wire and finished the job in well under 5 minutes.

Does it play on my mind? It must do, because I'm writing about it here many years later. I don't like paying for non service, whatever the baht amount.

Dämn! Why didn't I think of that? I keep balancing a zapper on an upturned mug so it will fit horizontally into a wall socket. Nice little job for me to do tomorrow...