snoop1130 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Angry vendors file complaint over Phuket Floating Market flop Yutthawat Lekmak PHUKET:-- Angry vendors from the Phuket Floating Market filed a formal complaint with the Kathu District Chief this afternoon (Sept 20), calling for compensation from the market’s operator after promises of hordes of tourists flooding the market failed to materialise. The group, representing 73 vendors angry over their predicament, all operate stalls at the market, located opposite Loch Palm Golf Club in Kathu. The vendors gathered at the Kathu District Office at 2:30pm today after their appeals to the Phuket Consumer Protection office and the Damrongdhama Centre (Ombudsman’s Office) were turned down. “I want my money back,” said Parichat Ruenrak, 24, who operates a small food stall at the market. “Then I want to cancel the contract and find somewhere else. We all want our money back,” she said. “Phuket Floating Market is a dream. Anucha Voranetiwong told us that a lot of tourists, especially Chinese, would be coming to the market, but there have been very few tourists since the market opened – and that has had a direct effect on our incomes,” she added. Ms Parichat explained that she signed a contract to occupy and open her stall at the market, and started paying rent for her stall, in November last year. “But we could not move in and open until the market opened. The opening was pushed back time and again – more than seven times,” Ms Parichat said. The market finally opened to much fanfare on May 18, with Phuket Vice Governor Khajornkiet Rakpanichmanee presiding over the opening ceremony, which was also attended by Kathu Mayor Chaianan Suthikul. However, Ms Parichat – and her 72 fellow stall holders – under the rental agreement they each signed now face a fine of B3,000 per day if they do not open their stalls. Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/angry-vendors-file-complaint-over-phuket-floating-market-flop-59177.php#iqcZzAuuWtDs4aEV.97 -- © Copyright Phuket News 2016-9-20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Bound to have been a disaster. Wife's been there a couple of times - deserted. Seems to have been no effort to get coaches to visit as poor parking facilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merijn Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 20 minutes ago, LivinginKata said: Bound to have been a disaster. Wife's been there a couple of times - deserted. Seems to have been no effort to get coaches to visit as poor parking facilities. The tour operators demand a percentage to bring in the coaches. No money no (Chinese) tourist simple as that. Besides that the access roads (Wichitsongkram road) is not really suitable for the big buses. This with the overwhelming amount of Chinese owned businesses where they can go to it is not a s surprise that it is a flop. As i live on Wichitsongkram Road i'm happy that it is a flop so i don't have to endure the buses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Baht signs in their eyes and no homework done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pib Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Promises, promises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBadGeordie Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 2 hours ago, Pib said: Promises, promises. As my mum would say "like pie crusts". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xircal Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Lack of infrastructure comes to mind. It's quite some distance from Patong and with tuk-tuks as the only means of getting around the island it's hardly surprising it's a flop. Also, plenty of souvenir shops in Patong and all within walking distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eisfeld Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Why would they sign a contract that includes a 3000 THB fine per day for not opening their stall? That's clearly unreasonable. That's a big red flag that should make you walk away from the deal right there and then. But I guess they were sold on the dream of making some nice money. The owner couldn't care less about the shop owners now that he invested so much money to build it and it flopped. He's trying his best to recoup some of the money I'd assume. If he misrepresented the project to the shop owners and made false promises then they might have grounds to get out of the contract as he might have breached his side even if it's not explicitly written in there. Don't think it'll be easily resolved though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surangw Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 1 minute ago, eisfeld said: Why would they sign a contract that includes a 3000 THB fine per day for not opening their stall? That's clearly unreasonable. That's a big red flag that should make you walk away from the deal right there and then. But I guess they were sold on the dream of making some nice money. The owner couldn't care less about the shop owners now that he invested so much money to build it and it flopped. He's trying his best to recoup some of the money I'd assume. If he misrepresented the project to the shop owners and made false promises then they might have grounds to get out of the contract as he might have breached his side even if it's not explicitly written in there. Don't think it'll be easily resolved though. just another case of thais hozeing thais Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lampang2 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Someone tricked them. And that's what the whole project was about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockman Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Thainess, in action! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 No difference than any other scheme/scam that preys upon people's greed. Promises of high returns from investments, real estate etc. all prey on greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 1 hour ago, steelepulse said: No difference than any other scheme/scam that preys upon people's greed. Promises of high returns from investments, real estate etc. all prey on greed. It could be very different. Anybody know if the organiser of this market is in it himself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenBravo Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 As usual, when things don't work out, somehow, government must help. They signed the contract. Yet again...no responsibility for their own actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 9 minutes ago, stevenl said: It could be very different. Anybody know if the organiser of this market is in it himself? This looks like the promise to me >>> Phuket Floating Market is a dream. Anucha Voranetiwong told us that a lot of tourists, especially Chinese, would be coming to the market, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psimbo Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Hmm, 'my business is failing but I would not be complaining if the shoe were on the other foot'. How anyone can buy into the 'promise' of business baffles me- its like the Condo owners who believe the 'X amount of annual return' on rental income for their properties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 43 minutes ago, steelepulse said: This looks like the promise to me >>> Phuket Floating Market is a dream. Anucha Voranetiwong told us that a lot of tourists, especially Chinese, would be coming to the market, You're quoting me, but your answer is not related to my question. Is the organiser in it himself, in other words, is he losing money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenBravo Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) Why would the owner be "in it himself"? He makes money through collecting key money and rents.........not selling stuff to tourists. Sounds like the 3000 Bt a day penalty for not opening a stall is a fantastic way to hedge his bets should the main concept fail..........which it has. Why doesn't Caveat Emptor not apply in this case? It applies in every other situation in this country. What law has been broken? Edited September 21, 2016 by KarenBravo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenl Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 26 minutes ago, KarenBravo said: Why would the owner be "in it himself"? He makes money through collecting key money and rents.........not selling stuff to tourists. Sounds like the 3000 Bt a day penalty for not opening a stall is a fantastic way to hedge his bets should the main concept fail..........which it has. Why doesn't Caveat Emptor not apply in this case? It applies in every other situation in this country. What law has been broken? I have no idea if he is in it. If he leased or bought the land and developed it, he could be in for a lot. And if he is in it for a lot himself it is not your typical scam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandalf12 Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 12 hours ago, Lampang2 said: Someone tricked them. And that's what the whole project was about. What? In Thailand, no such thing could happen. (Trust me I am Thai ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTIRIOS Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 ....deceit.... ...greed..... ...the orders of the day..... ...wonder if pricing also might have had something to do with it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 I seriously doubt he has any major stake in the retail businesses. If he did, he would have struck a deal to get the Chinese to come before building commenced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longstaff Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Signing up to rent a space in a market is not being greedy...it's trying to make a living by working, its entrepreneurial, its about trying to improve your lot in this world. From what I've been told the rent for a 3 x 2 meter space is pretty high. Normally any retail development, like a shopping mall, will have a business plan with projections in terms of numbers of visitors, and a marketing plan to ensure the visitors indeed come; without this who would risk renting premises in any retail development? Like all business ventures there is a risk for both the developer and the tenants. The issue here seems to be that the developer exaggerated the likely success of the venture, AND tied up the tenants in contracts that are very harsh. I imagine few of the tenants sought legal or accounting advice before signing up. The developer will have more of a problem on his hands if they all simply stop paying and walk.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) I certainly agree with you on many points, however, when spaces in the middle of nowhere cost more than where established retailers already are due to false promises of hordes of Chinese coming, that's playing on greed. All of these vendors could have easily found spots in Patong, Kata, Karon, Phuket Town or elsewhere just as cheap or cheaper. I can also recall seeing some of these stalls trying to be "sold" onward on some facebook groups and they were way over the top on pricing compared to what shops are renting for in already established areas. Pump and dump comes to mind. Pretty much sums up the attitude of the management "Asked for his response to the vendors’ plight, he said, “Whatever they complain about is their problem. We must abide by the contract.” Edited September 21, 2016 by steelepulse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 I vaguely remember reading of some floating market project in Phuket, where visitors / customers had to pay to get inside the market. I suppose it was not this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merijn Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 15 minutes ago, oilinki said: I vaguely remember reading of some floating market project in Phuket, where visitors / customers had to pay to get inside the market. I suppose it was not this one? Yes the market charged a entrance few for the first few months. But they dropped that very quickly as nobody was willing to pay that and the tour buses never showed up. it's the same developer which did the floating market in Pattaya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertthebruce Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 7 minutes ago, merijn said: Yes the market charged a entrance few for the first few months. But they dropped that very quickly as nobody was willing to pay that and the tour buses never showed up. it's the same developer which did the floating market in Pattaya. 8 minutes ago, merijn said: Yes the market charged a entrance few for the first few months. But they dropped that very quickly as nobody was willing to pay that and the tour buses never showed up. it's the same developer which did the floating market in Pattaya. The Floating Market in Pattaya was a right dump...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) My how things change so quickly... http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-floating-market-pulls-in-the-crowds-57612.php#bCQpBWOY1OYVzPZG.97 Interesting that the current article claims 72 vendors when the article upon opening claims 288 businesses and growing bigger when they open a night market. Edited September 21, 2016 by impulse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surangw Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 could be the first few times some "official" came around to collect tea money for some bogus infraction they all bailed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 15 hours ago, merijn said: Yes the market charged a entrance few for the first few months. But they dropped that very quickly as nobody was willing to pay that and the tour buses never showed up. it's the same developer which did the floating market in Pattaya. Thanks. I guess the damage and bad reputation was done already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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