Fraud complaints drop since opening of jet ski dispute centers

[Rimmer]

Fraud complaints drop since opening of jet ski dispute centers

Kamolthip Woraphan mans the jet ski dispute assistance center opposite the Pattaya Police Station.

PATTAYA:--In the three months since Pattaya opened three “jet ski dispute assistance centers”, complaints about fraud and extortion have dropped noticeably, an officer manning the Pattaya Beach booth said.

Kamolthip Woraphan, who was manning the booth opposite the Pattaya Police Station on Jan. 5, said there has been an obvious drop in complaints about jet ski vendors fabricating damage and extorting tourists – sometimes under threat of violence – out of tens of thousands of baht for bogus compensation payments.

At the start of the new year, there had not been complaints for several days, Kamolthip said.

Jet ski resolution centers were opened in Pattaya, Jomtien and Koh Larn in late October in an attempt to bring rampant extortion scams under control. The centers encourage vendors to register their watercraft and obtain insurance, while offering mediation services for people facing scams.

The goal is to have all problems handled at the centers, instead of taking matters to police, which have had a checkered record in resolving the scams.

Kamolthip speculated two factors may be behind the reduction in incidents: Jet ski vendors were now cooperating with authorities and not taking advantage of tourists as they once did, or, some third-party vendor may have stepped in to negotiate a compromise without getting authorities involved.

In either case, however, the officer admitted that not all those renting jet skis know about the resolution booths and that more needs to be done to promote their existence.

The three dispute centers are located on Soi 9, near the Pattaya Police Station, Jomtien Soi 5 near the Surf Kitchen restaurant, and at the Koh Larn district office. They are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

- See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/fraud-complaints-drop-since-opening-of-jet-ski-dispute-centers-54792#sthash.yKYm4nBC.dpuf

-- Pattaya Mail 2016-01-15

[harrycallahan]

If they need this then they're still the wrong people to do business with.

[pedro01]

" some third-party vendor may have stepped in to negotiate a compromise without getting authorities involved."

What third party?

No compromise is acceptable when someone is trying to scam you.

[Geordie59]

You still won't catch me renting one.

[WhizBang]

Oh my lord, words fail me.

[peterb17]

Oh my lord, words fail me.

Why?

[marinediscoking]

I'm not seeing the scams now since they have open that booth, so finally something is working. I never thought I would see the day, but I wonder how long it will last. In the high season the jet ski renters can make money just on rental free's. In the low season I don't think they can so that will be the test. Not nearly as many people are renting now, seems the word is out to the Indians, Arabs and the few Russians about past scams. I do see some thai's renting on the weekends though. Also in the past the resters would have 10 or more skis ready to rent now at the same spots I only see them having 2 or 3 and not 7 to 10 young thai thugs on staff just sitting around but now only 2 or 3.

[razer]

From the videos on YouTube, the police, acting as mediators, were actively involved in scamming tourists.

How can we know if this isn't another version of the same thing?

[Squeegee]

I'm surprised the criminal jet ski scammers allow anyone to get to the booth in the first place.

[cooked]

Jet ski vendors? So they are actually selling the things now? No wonder scams have been reduced.

[Woody1]

From the videos on YouTube, the police, acting as mediators, were actively involved in scamming tourists.

How can we know if this isn't another version of the same thing?

Nothing gets passed you!

[Ulic]

Hopefully they build a file on individual jet-ski rental vendors, damage to jet-skis,

photographs, damage reports, etc....etc....

[wump]

So instead of stopping the scam they open a Jet Ski Dispute Center... This country is just one big joke

[onemorechang]

So instead of stopping the scam they open a Jet Ski Dispute Center... This country is just one big joke

That's about the size of it.

But think the guy has a nice air-con room for a good snooze if needed.

during a hard shift.

[phycokiller]

I think its mostly that there arent many people renting them these days. The main scammers at Mikes seem to have gone, I think they ran out of business. Half pint, who was the most violent and should be in a private institution has moved up to the soi 13/2 area and the fat ones seem to have got a boat to hire these days. The uniformed people in the scam reporting box are the sames ones that used to turn up and force people to pay, anyway hopefully they are all suffering financially these days

[dashdashdot]

I imagine this peace will last only until the guys in the booths see a cut of the profits, a slice of the pie, a whathaveyoumwhatchamaycallit

[dashdashdot]

Then it will be business as usual, SOP

[dashdashdot]

Actually strike that - these booths could lend credibility to the rental offices damage claims. "Even the authorities agree you have damaged the equipment"

[godden]

Dispute centre or donate centre !!

[biplanebluey]

HaHa "not all the Jet Ski renters know about the Resolution Centres yet"--------- WHY ?????

[duckmandon]

Get rid of the noisy & dangerous things. All around the world you actually need a special licence to operate a Jet Ski. Here you can just hop on and go with little or no instruction on how to operate them safely. When Thailand gets liability laws then this will stop. I can just imagine the cues of people, who get hurt, waiting for compensation at the courts. Maritime safety like any safety is a joke here.

[scubascuba3]

The fat jet ski scammer that sits opposite mike shopping mall doesn't look so smug these days so scams are definitely reducing. Well done to the Police or whoever it was that brought this in.

[bodymassagemyfriend]

Its seems to me tourist numbers ( the one renting jetskis , not Chinese ) are lower so there is another variable to take into account,

then claiming its thanks to the dispute center is questionable.

[NCC1701A]

“jet ski dispute assistance centers”

"At the start of the new year, there had not been complaints for several days, Kamolthip said."

"instead of taking matters to police, which have had a checkered record in resolving the scams."

"Jet ski vendors were now cooperating with authorities and not taking advantage of tourists as they once did,"

"or, some third-party vendor may have stepped in to negotiate a compromise without getting authorities involved."

[balo]

From the videos on YouTube, the police, acting as mediators, were actively involved in scamming tourists.

How can we know if this isn't another version of the same thing?

Not the same thing or you would read about daily scams here on TV. Edited January 16, 2016 by balo

[tropo]

From the videos on YouTube, the police, acting as mediators, were actively involved in scamming tourists.

How can we know if this isn't another version of the same thing?

Yes, a way of keeping the cops out of direct "negotiations" and their noses clean. On the street at night the cops have negotiators in plain clothes collecting "tips" just around the corner.

[phycokiller]

I think what happened was that the complaints on the internet reached critical mass and most tourists now know about the scam, I see very few jetskis being rented out these days

[SheungWan]

emoticons are really over used on threads

Have you considered taking your complaint to the emoticon dispute center?

[roo860]

Why not have a whole row of these kiosks? Like terraced houses, where you can go and dispute all the other rackets that go on?

[Rimmer]

Off topic posts removed, if you wish to talk about emoticons and mobile app please do so in the support forum, thank you.