German Fights for Refund After Eating Rotten Lobster at Popular Pattaya Seafood Restaurant

[DekDaeng]

This is not the first time This place has been in the news. The last time it was bad shrimp. Customer refused to pay so the police were called. Police looked at and smelled the shrimp and said it was spoiled but that customer still had to pay. The customer told the police he would pay for the meal if the police ate the shrimp. The police declined to eat the shrimp giving their reason he did not want to get sick. In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail.

Isn't it funny the Thais think of them selves as giving good service and their country is a great place to visit.

Anyone keeping track of how many tourist we have killed so far this year?

This one really takes the cake. Or is it the prawn - a very raw prawn?

"In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail."

Does TAT provide bail money? I suspect they would have, very quickly, had he declined the 'offer' to pay -

[jippytum]

The German did the correct thing in the circumstances .He paid a lot of cash for an inedible meal and had his evening ruined.

Poor reflection on the restaurant and staff.

Unfortunately it will not effect turnover as they cater for busloads of people every sitting .

[smedly]

all the product that is on ice or frozen should be clearly tagged and dated otherwise there is no way to tell if it has been there a day or a week or a month, no idea if that is how these places manage their stock but it is very important to ensure customer safety whic is of course their number one priority ...... right ?

[smedly]

This is not the first time This place has been in the news. The last time it was bad shrimp. Customer refused to pay so the police were called. Police looked at and smelled the shrimp and said it was spoiled but that customer still had to pay. The customer told the police he would pay for the meal if the police ate the shrimp. The police declined to eat the shrimp giving their reason he did not want to get sick. In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail.

Isn't it funny the Thais think of them selves as giving good service and their country is a great place to visit.

Anyone keeping track of how many tourist we have killed so far this year?

do you have a link to the story, not saying you are making it up but I find that very very hard to believe even for Thailand

[puukao]

he put a negative review online and was arrested......i'm kidding.

he was given a coupon for his next lobster 10% off.......or not

he went to the beach for a swim and was bitten by a lobster........doubtful

his date ate the black lobster and said, 'very good'.......likely

he got mad and started eating those 30 baht sushi rolls that are in the sun for 10 hours.....

[spidermike007]

This is not the first time This place has been in the news. The last time it was bad shrimp. Customer refused to pay so the police were called. Police looked at and smelled the shrimp and said it was spoiled but that customer still had to pay. The customer told the police he would pay for the meal if the police ate the shrimp. The police declined to eat the shrimp giving their reason he did not want to get sick. In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail.

Isn't it funny the Thais think of them selves as giving good service and their country is a great place to visit.

Anyone keeping track of how many tourist we have killed so far this year?

Could not agree more with you when it comes to money with Thais they are hell bent this makes me so ??????? if they have done wrong they got to take responsibility as one guy sad in the uk this would be refunded asap if you had to wait or the food was bad Shame on Thailand as always they don't give a shit about tourists !!!!!

Responsibility is an unknown term for Thais in general

Taking responsibility requires the ability to look within. It is the ability to introspect, take charge, and own a situation. Many Thais are not taught this ability. Part of it is the cowardly act of face, which discourages looking within, and finding the source of the problem. Once you do that, you then own it. You apologize, and you make good on it. In the case of this restaurant, they should have offered a profuse apology, taken the situation by the horns, by not charging him ANYTHING, and given him a free cocktail, on top of that. That is how a mature man would address a situation that was of their own creation. You do not charge two thousand baht for a rotten lobster. And if the weak, morally anemic, horrendous libel laws here were not invented to protect these worms, we would all be able to call out these fools.

If it were me, I would have absolutely refused to pay for the meal. The police would have been called, and I would have then asked the policeman to try a bite of the lobster, and refused to pay one baht. Take me to jail if you like, but no way am I going to cover the cost of their spoiled lobster. Not happening.

[spidermike007]

This is not the first time This place has been in the news. The last time it was bad shrimp. Customer refused to pay so the police were called. Police looked at and smelled the shrimp and said it was spoiled but that customer still had to pay. The customer told the police he would pay for the meal if the police ate the shrimp. The police declined to eat the shrimp giving their reason he did not want to get sick. In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail.

Isn't it funny the Thais think of them selves as giving good service and their country is a great place to visit.

Anyone keeping track of how many tourist we have killed so far this year?

This one really takes the cake. Or is it the prawn - a very raw prawn?

"In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail."

Does TAT provide bail money? I suspect they would have, very quickly, had he declined the 'offer' to pay -

Since Thaivisa does not allow us to call out these worms by name, we should find another forum to call out these pirates. Perhaps trip advisor? If you send me a PM with the name of this place, I will start some forums elsewhere, to make it known what this place is doing. It is wrong. They deserve some backlash from these acts.

[Peterw42]

This is not the first time This place has been in the news. The last time it was bad shrimp. Customer refused to pay so the police were called. Police looked at and smelled the shrimp and said it was spoiled but that customer still had to pay. The customer told the police he would pay for the meal if the police ate the shrimp. The police declined to eat the shrimp giving their reason he did not want to get sick. In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail.

Isn't it funny the Thais think of them selves as giving good service and their country is a great place to visit.

Anyone keeping track of how many tourist we have killed so far this year?

This one really takes the cake. Or is it the prawn - a very raw prawn?

"In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail."

Does TAT provide bail money? I suspect they would have, very quickly, had he declined the 'offer' to pay -

Since Thaivisa does not allow us to call out these worms by name, we should find another forum to call out these pirates. Perhaps trip advisor? If you send me a PM with the name of this place, I will start some forums elsewhere, to make it known what this place is doing. It is wrong. They deserve some backlash from these acts.

The name has been mentioned a couple of times in the thread, even a copy of the bill.

[champers]

Mthai news agency tried to compare the customer Mr Hoelderirch Wolfgang with German businessman Ullrich Wolfgang , who was deported out of Thailand in February 2001 for tax evasion.

Good grief! It's Martin Boorman.

[Peterw42]

Mthai news agency tried to compare the customer Mr Hoelderirch Wolfgang with German businessman Ullrich Wolfgang , who was deported out of Thailand in February 2001 for tax evasion.

Good grief! It's Martin Boorman.

Is that a Before food poisoning and after food poisoning photo ?

[salavan]

What happens next?

What happens next? the German jumps off a balcony

[onemorechang]

Mthai news agency tried to compare the customer Mr Hoelderirch Wolfgang with German businessman Ullrich Wolfgang , who was deported out of Thailand in February 2001 for tax evasion.

Good grief! It's Martin Boorman.

More like Klaus Kinski, i would say.

[Mangostin]

I am fascinated by people who travel or move to a foreign country and behave as they would back in their home country. Come on man! Life is too short. Accept you got ripped off and leave and don't come back. Lucky you did not eat the whole thing. Move on. Lesson learned.

Unless you own one of such places, it's really beyond me why someone would say something like that...

[Mangostin]

What happens next?

Pattaya will likely declare war to Germany, sending the yellow submarine filled with its special force, the "Ya Mo" brigade, trained to defeat their enemies with rice, whisky, "deeper activities" and maybe some rotten lobsters...

"Khun Ying Mo according to legend rallied villagers to fight against their captivity, enticing the Lao soldiers with rice wine and sex"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhon_Ratchasima_Province

[Bangkok Barry]

It strikes me as funny, how many Thais are willing to charge alot for their services, but when asked for a refund, due to a poor product, or service, they fight to the end to avoid having to give the money back. And some of them refer to us as cheap? Ever try to get a refund, or even a credit from a Thai? Some would rather lose a customer for life, rather than give a refund. There have been instances where I had a service issues with an establishment I had been doing business with for years. Rather than refund me a small amount of money they chose to lose me as a customer for life. Is that an extreme lack of vision, or what? Talk about not being able to see the forest beyond the trees.

This man should not have had to pay one baht. The manager or owner should have offered an apology. And a free cocktail, for his trouble. Instead, they offered ignorance, and mental retardation. Too bad this place was not called out by name.

But Thais never, ever, admit something is wrong as they lose face. So, by ignoring the problem or insisting there isn't one or it is someone else's fault, they lose even more face by acting as this restaurant did, or the place you had a problem did. Acting as others would and ensuring your future custom and their good name wouldn't occur to them as that would involve forward thinking. And we all know that Thais do not do forward thinking.

[Bangkok Barry]

This is not the first time This place has been in the news. The last time it was bad shrimp. Customer refused to pay so the police were called. Police looked at and smelled the shrimp and said it was spoiled but that customer still had to pay. The customer told the police he would pay for the meal if the police ate the shrimp. The police declined to eat the shrimp giving their reason he did not want to get sick. In the end customer had to chose whether to pay or go to jail.

Isn't it funny the Thais think of them selves as giving good service and their country is a great place to visit.

Anyone keeping track of how many tourist we have killed so far this year?

Could not agree more with you when it comes to money with Thais they are hell bent this makes me so ??????? if they have done wrong they got to take responsibility as one guy sad in the uk this would be refunded asap if you had to wait or the food was bad Shame on Thailand as always they don't give a shit about tourists !!!!!

Responsibility is an unknown term for Thais in general

Taking responsibility requires the ability to look within. It is the ability to introspect, take charge, and own a situation. Many Thais are not taught this ability. Part of it is the cowardly act of face, which discourages looking within, and finding the source of the problem. Once you do that, you then own it. You apologize, and you make good on it. In the case of this restaurant, they should have offered a profuse apology, taken the situation by the horns, by not charging him ANYTHING, and given him a free cocktail, on top of that. That is how a mature man would address a situation that was of their own creation. You do not charge two thousand baht for a rotten lobster. And if the weak, morally anemic, horrendous libel laws here were not invented to protect these worms, we would all be able to call out these fools.

If it were me, I would have absolutely refused to pay for the meal. The police would have been called, and I would have then asked the policeman to try a bite of the lobster, and refused to pay one baht. Take me to jail if you like, but no way am I going to cover the cost of their spoiled lobster. Not happening.

They would not have called the police. they would have called in the neighbourhood thugs to deal with it. The restaurant is located on a street known all over the world for vice and prostitution, remember? Not the best place to argue, as many have discovered.

[onemorechang]

But Thais never, ever, admit something is wrong as they lose face. So, by ignoring the problem or insisting there isn't one or it is someone else's fault, they lose even more face by acting as this restaurant did, or the place you had a problem did. Acting as others would and ensuring your future custom and their good name wouldn't occur to them as that would involve forward thinking. And we all know that Thais do not do forward thinking.

Some Thais will admit they are wrong, but its not the usual first reaction. .

and deep down they will still feel they have lost face.

Its a shame this face thing holds them back so much as a nation.

[SidJames]

I showed this to the Thai missus & she told me that the story is also doing the rounds on Thai social media but they are naming the place.

The type of item that he was complaining about might give the slightest hint as to which place is being referred to.

She said that Thais often get the same treatment from these types of places.

Speaking in defense of said establishment, I have eaten there in the past & it was decent with a lovely atmosphere but the bill was off the scale as you might expect at a tourist trap.

Since Thaivisa does not allow us to call out these worms by name, we should find another forum to call out these pirates. Perhaps trip advisor? If you send me a PM with the name of this place, I will start some forums elsewhere, to make it known what this place is doing. It is wrong. They deserve some backlash from these acts.

[petedk]

surely it is a consumer right to be given food

suitable for human consumption.

in many countries offences like this carry fines for

the offending establishments.

any decent and forward looking restaurants should not only

give refund but also a compensatory token.

unless of course you are dealing with heartless scam artists.

And there lays the problem., Amazing Thailand,

A Western run restaurant here, most likely that would happen to some extent.

or new order served to you, maybe not refund.

He should have not given in, so quick.

Indeed it would. I had some ribs at a British-run pub in Bangkok. They were tough and undercooked, I brought it to the attention of the owner who was on the premises and the item was taken off the bill. In London my food order was lost by the kitchen and because my friend and I had to wait over an hour both the entire meal and our drinks were free.

Can you ever imagine a Thai business doing that? The Thai way of doing things is to never give a refund, ever, for anything. Even says so on the credit card receipt - NO REFUND. Never seen that anywhere else, and anyway that isn't legal as you can just get the cc company to cancel the charge. I read of a man who bought a pair of shoes in a top department store and the next day one of the soles came loose. He took the shoes back, refused to back down when they refused to replace them and they called the police. Service, Thai-style. Money is king. always. Under any circumstances.

You are right. I have lived here for 20 years and eat out 2 or 3 times a week.

But to be fair, I have had free meals 3 times in Bangkok.

Once on Thong Lor , where I complained about waiting for 45 minutes.

Once at Terminal 21 where I pointed out that there was a little piece of a plastic bag in my spaghetti

Finally, at a Japanese restaurant chain where I mentioned that the vegetables were tough as if they were several days old.

Once I was violently sick minutes after eating at a restaurant. I complained but they just said that I couldn't prove it was their food. Needless to say I never went back and I tell all my friends to stay away.

[spidermike007]

But Thais never, ever, admit something is wrong as they lose face. So, by ignoring the problem or insisting there isn't one or it is someone else's fault, they lose even more face by acting as this restaurant did, or the place you had a problem did. Acting as others would and ensuring your future custom and their good name wouldn't occur to them as that would involve forward thinking. And we all know that Thais do not do forward thinking.

Some Thais will admit they are wrong, but its not the usual first reaction. .

and deep down they will still feel they have lost face.

Its a shame this face thing holds them back so much as a nation.

I have said it before, and I will continue saying it until the day I die. The practice of face is the ugliest, and most cowardly part of Thai culture. And it is the least spiritual part of their daily life. It is the opposite of spirit. It is the absolute refusal to look within for the source of any problem, or issue, and by it's nature is the polar opposite of the practice of Buddhism. Buddha taught introspection as a part of personal and spiritual growth. To refuse to look within is to refuse to grow, develop, and become a better person. Period. End of story.

Many will attempt to put some local spin on this. Oh, it is a part of the culture, oh you do not understand face, etc. But, the reality is that face is simply ugly, gross, immature, churlish, and a sign of a deeply undeveloped nature. It holds not only the people back, but the entire culture, and the entire nation, on so many levels. The obsession with face is ugly.

[balo]

A lot of Thai bashing in this thread. You were not there so you do not have a clue most of yiu.

[Mangostin]

Why "thai" bashing? Do someone really believe that people are showing their disagreement with such a disgraceful attitude because of someone nationality?

Would someone really expect to not to be criticised because he or she belongs to a particular gender, race, group, whatever else or it's maybe the bad actions of someone which triggered that effect?

[Golden Triangle]

They do have a nice ambience though, despite it being illegal.

Because they are built over the sea?

No, they are built over a sewer that pretends to be the sea

[spidermike007]

A lot of Thai bashing in this thread. You were not there so you do not have a clue most of yiu.

So, let me understand your position. From your point of view, is it ok to charge someone for spoiled goods? It is ok to charge nearly 2,000 baht for a rotten lobster, that should have been discarded days earlier? Is it ok to attempt to pass off bad food on an unsuspecting tourist or foreigner? And is it acceptable, once caught in the act of perpetrating this crime, to continue the charade, and deny, obfuscate, and shed blame on others?

Where are the standards? Where is the morality? Where are the ethics? Is there no code of conduct? Please explain.

[spidermike007]

I am fascinated by people who travel or move to a foreign country and behave as they would back in their home country. Come on man! Life is too short. Accept you got ripped off and leave and don't come back. Lucky you did not eat the whole thing. Move on. Lesson learned.

Of all the replies on this thread, this is perhaps the most ridiculous of them all. Why should he take the 1,800 baht on the chin? Because he ordered the wrong dish? He more than likely chose a lobster that was fresh, alive, and swimming around in the tank. They served him one that was dead for days, and completely rotten. The restaurant committed a crime. They attempted to steal his money. And he should accept it, and leave, and not come back? Just be a compliant, silent, and cooperative victim of a crime?

How does this equate with behaving a certain way in his own country? You do not think he would have complained in Germany? Do you know what they would have done in Germany, or the US, in this case? Offer a sincere apology, offer to exchange the lobster for the freshest one in the house, and offer a free cocktail for his trouble. Or offer him a free meal. So, a different standard applies here? We should never expect good service here?

Please explain your reasoning, if possible.

[Jingthing]

I think he means be a "good" farang and smile bigger when you get ripped off. It's the local culture, didn't you know?

[OttoPollmann]

I am fascinated by people who travel or move to a foreign country and behave as they would back in their home country. Come on man! Life is too short. Accept you got ripped off and leave and don't come back. Lucky you did not eat the whole thing. Move on. Lesson learned.

That must be a statement from an all time do-gooder with no backbone.

Because he is a foreigner, he has lost all rights to complain that they've tried to cheat on him?

I would be so happy if I could say this to the foreigners in my home country too.

[balo]

A lot of Thai bashing in this thread. You were not there so you do not have a clue most of yiu.

So, let me understand your position. From your point of view, is it ok to charge someone for spoiled goods? It is ok to charge nearly 2,000 baht for a rotten lobster, that should have been discarded days earlier? Is it ok to attempt to pass off bad food on an unsuspecting tourist or foreigner? And is it acceptable, once caught in the act of perpetrating this crime, to continue the charade, and deny, obfuscate, and shed blame on others?

Where are the standards? Where is the morality? Where are the ethics? Is there no code of conduct? Please explain.

That's not what I meant . Thai media reports that the German ate the lobster , not only the tail, and then complained. We have two different articles about this story . Also there is a question about how to prepare a frozen lobster compared to one who is alive from the tank. I am not an expert , I would never pay that much for a lobster anyway. All I know is that the restaurant has many satisfied customers, and inspectors concluded that the standards according to them were fine.

[jacko45k]

I wonder if they have one of those 'Good Food, Good Service ' posters that used to be given out to qualifying establishments over a decade ago?

'Bad Food, Shxxty service' seems more apt. I am delighted they got the bad publicity, they need to be aware that in modern times, bad news travels fast and I hope it hits their business,

[spidermike007]

A lot of Thai bashing in this thread. You were not there so you do not have a clue most of yiu.

So, let me understand your position. From your point of view, is it ok to charge someone for spoiled goods? It is ok to charge nearly 2,000 baht for a rotten lobster, that should have been discarded days earlier? Is it ok to attempt to pass off bad food on an unsuspecting tourist or foreigner? And is it acceptable, once caught in the act of perpetrating this crime, to continue the charade, and deny, obfuscate, and shed blame on others?

Where are the standards? Where is the morality? Where are the ethics? Is there no code of conduct? Please explain.

That's not what I meant . Thai media reports that the German ate the lobster , not only the tail, and then complained. We have two different articles about this story . Also there is a question about how to prepare a frozen lobster compared to one who is alive from the tank. I am not an expert , I would never pay that much for a lobster anyway. All I know is that the restaurant has many satisfied customers, and inspectors concluded that the standards according to them were fine.

That was media show. The media was present when the inspectors arrived, or they arrived together. What do you think the chances were, that the inspectors were going to censure the restaurant, in front of the media, and then have them publish that for national consumption? In my opinion the possibility of that happening was next to zero.

This man did not finish the lobster. He brought a good chunk of it to the police station, to offer to the officer, who would not touch it, after examining it. So, we do not know how much he ate. My guess is not more than one bite.