Competitors working illegally ruining my business, what to do?

[SOTIRIOS]

....gotta wonder who 'put them up to it'.....

 

....would think locals rather than tourists....???

 

 

,,but this is how it is here.....

 

...'play by the book'.......yet.....'be better or do better than others'.....

 

....1)...they will want to destroy you.....2)...and take away what you have created.....

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, remobb said:

1. You have no idea what type of person I am!

2. I asked you a simple question!

3. By your response I wonder what type of person you are!

4. I have a life and happy with it.

5. If you don't want any response, why ask for opinions of others?

He isn't the OP 

[Loaded]

We had a similar situation and informed the authorities. The response from our illegal competition was to threaten me with violence, and write fake reviews and false posts about us. The authorities were not enthusiastic to do anything against the illegal competition unless we could get a puu yai to exert pressure on them. We did this but everything is so slow that the effect is negligible.

 

There's a reason why when someone is shot dead the police announce that it's a personal or business dispute. There are few other ways to resolve a business conflict in Thailand.

[williamgeorgeallen]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

I would get the staff to complain on the grounds that these illegal foreigners are putting their real jobs at risk, which they are. That sort of complaint carries far more weight with Thais than what happens to a farang does.

this is a hard one. hopefully you have loyal staff who will want to help you, or at least keep their jobs. explain to them you may have to close. are you paying a local cop? we pay 1000thb/month  to a high ranking cop. it is worth paying this fee. any problems you just report it to them. it is important to pay a high ranking cop, no point paying a low down one. PM me if you want more information about this.

[realenglish1]

The reason that there is a code for not snitching is from the people that do not what to be snitched on

Go to immigration and file a compliant They are working illegally  Donald Trump is going to deport

the illegals in the USA So dont feel bad about what your doing Just complain They are eating

into your business

[Gulfsailor]

Action certainly should be taken by the owners of your company. So it depends who owns your company how to proceed;

 

- BOI foreign owned company, e.g. Majority  held by OP, complain with BOI, immigration and labor department directly yourself. 

 

- Thai company, e.g. OP holds 49% or less of the shares. Ask the Thai owners to make the complaint, as obviously their money is at risk as well and they will be taken more seriously than the foreigner minority shareholder. 

 

- Nominee Thai company, where the majority Thai shareholders only own on paper, never put the money in, and have no power. Typical set up by Thai lawyers to circumvent the law on foreign ownership. Here it gets tricky, as the majority Thai shareholder(s) wouldn't care so it's unlikely theyll help you with any complaint. Nor would you want to put a spotlight on this kind of  'company' as it was obviously set up to circumvent the law.  this case I would ask what contacts your Thai lawyer has who set up this 'company' for you, and what he can do (for a fee). 

[daveAustin]

3 hours ago, remobb said:

1. You have no idea what type of person I am!

2. I asked you a simple question!

3. By your response I wonder what type of person you are!

4. I have a life and happy with it.

5. If you don't want any response, why ask for opinions of others?

 

You realise you're not addressing the op, right? And I think we can guess what type of person you are from your trollish comment. Move along please.

[daveAustin]

3 hours ago, KittenKong said:

I would get the staff to complain on the grounds that these illegal foreigners are putting their real jobs at risk, which they are. That sort of complaint carries far more weight with Thais than what happens to a farang does.

 

 KittenKong is on the money here. Let concerned staff do the inquiring -- inform them that you may have to shut up shop because of the illegal competition. Police/immigration are more likely going to listen and there is less chance of comeback from the cheating foreigners. I would not think twice about grassing in this situation. They are screwing with your life.

[rott]

I am regularly told by whoever is on the next bar stool that the farang from such-and-such a bar was arrested after being reported for being spotted working without a permit.

 

Reported by a Thai naturally. Only way to do it.

[seancbk]

3 hours ago, fruitman said:

 

Not true!

Why nobody copies Sizzlers, Pizzacompany or MK-Suki? They always have long qeueu's waiting but they still open stupid restaurants nobody is interested in.

 

Please explain how 'Stupid restaurants nobody is interested in"  always have long queues waiting.
 

 

[Thaidream]

If you are going to report a person working illegally and employing illegal workers- you simultaneously report them to the local police; the labor department for a work permit violation and Immigration for working on a Tourist Visa or possibly no visa. That's 3 different reports. Hopefully, one of these officials will investigate.  However, watch our back. If the owners of the illegal business are Thais- they will try and get even.

[seancbk]

3 hours ago, fruitman said:

 

Sizzlers, Swensson, Burger King, Pizza company (correct me if i'm wrong) ALL belong to the same American businessman. He also started small but understands exactly what customers want. Soon he will buy/build his own malls i guess and he deserves it, i will be his customer for sure.

 

The problem for Thai copycats is they don't know what customers want, they want much for a reasonable price, good service and nice food of good quality. Only the guy from Sizzlers and CP understand that and will soon rule whole thailand.

 

 

You are correct.

Background to the man who started it all William Heinecke - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Heinecke

He is a fully naturalised Thai citizen.

And his companies - http://www.minorinternational.com/Home/Index.php

The man is a legend.

[xtrnuno41]

WHy you dont try the labor inspectors? They are everywhere in Thailand, they can pull strings.

They make reports and have contacts with the police,immigration and others,  controlled by governor

DOnt forget to bring an interpreter with you. Perhaps someone who is working with you and you can trust.

As his or her job is on the line. Or bring your gf if she can do it.

 

[sandgroper2]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

They always have long qeueu's waiting but they still open stupid restaurants nobody is interested in.

 

Nobody is interested but they get long queues. Care to re-think that?

Obviously they are waiting to use the toilet, or as yanks say, bathroom. (dunno why they pee in the bathroom, but, up to them i suppose.)

[seancbk]

24 minutes ago, sandgroper2 said:

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

They always have long qeueu's waiting but they still open stupid restaurants nobody is interested in.

 

Nobody is interested but they get long queues. Care to re-think that?

 

Obviously they are waiting to use the toilet, or as yanks say, bathroom. (dunno why they pee in the bathroom, but, up to them i suppose.)

 

 

No, that doesn't explain it given that the toilet facilities are in the respective malls not in the actual restaurants.    Anyone queuing is trying to get in to eat.

 

I'm guessing Bangkok Barry thinks the restaurants are stupid and therefore thinks nobody should/would be interested in them.  

Despite the obvious evidence to the contrary, ie multiple outlets and queues of eager diners.

 

 

 

 

 

[NanLaew]

7 hours ago, robblok said:

Yea yea.. but even back home people don't show their tax bills to anyone and certainly not on public forums. 

... and some of them go on to become President.

[NanLaew]

The OP infers that the location where he has set up business "doesn't have the best immigration department".  From what I have seen around Pattaya when it comes to foreigners working illegally getting busted, it's the regular police that investigate and prosecute any Thai labor law violations on behalf of the labor office. They will alert the Immigration cops to handle the deportation and bans of any foreigners they prosecute.

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, seancbk said:

 

 

No, that doesn't explain it given that the toilet facilities are in the respective malls not in the actual restaurants.    Anyone queuing is trying to get in to eat.

 

I'm guessing Bangkok Barry thinks the restaurants are stupid and therefore thinks nobody should/would be interested in them.  

Despite the obvious evidence to the contrary, ie multiple outlets and queues of eager diners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you need to re-read. I quoted someone. It wasn't me that thinks restaurants are stupid. Jeez. Not a good day on TV today.

[kaorop]

For someone who's been in Thailand for some time and has done everything by the book

and set up a successful business, all things that require some degree of nous, seems awfully strange you would need to resort to a forum for advice on this matter.

No one i know in that position would EVER resort to this.

 

So without further proof I gonna have to call my fav here, "clickbait" .

 

[seancbk]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I think you need to re-read. I quoted someone. It wasn't me that thinks restaurants are stupid. Jeez. Not a good day on TV today.

 

Apologies BKK Barry, it appears you manually quoted which mean't the original post wasn't included and so I missed that it was a quote.

 

The new quoting system sucks.   It used to automatically nest comments and quotes so you could see who and which comment was being responded to.

[Marcel1]

Op?

[chickenslegs]

48 minutes ago, Marcel1 said:

Op?

 

Original Post (1st post in the topic)

Original Poster (person who started the topic)

[cyberfarang]

15 hours ago, fruitman said:

 

Not true!

Why nobody copies Sizzlers, Pizzacompany or MK-Suki? They always have long qeueu's waiting but they still open stupid restaurants nobody is interested in.

No one is going to try and take on these huge companies because they have become too powerful and hold too much influence in Thailand. But there are still many foreigners in Thailand illegally running small scale restaurants and cafes usually hiding behind Thai names. 

 

If the OP decides to try and report the activities of his illegal competitors to immigration, they won`t be interest and none of those departments will act on the OP`s reports. Usually these illegal workers know all the tricks and how to beat the system, very hard to pin them down.

[Berkshire]

11 hours ago, kaorop said:

For someone who's been in Thailand for some time and has done everything by the book

and set up a successful business, all things that require some degree of nous, seems awfully strange you would need to resort to a forum for advice on this matter.

No one i know in that position would EVER resort to this.

 

So without further proof I gonna have to call my fav here, "clickbait" .

 

 

Tend to agree...especially since the OP has conveniently disappeared. 

[NanLaew]

15 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

 

Tend to agree...especially since the OP has conveniently disappeared. 

Well wouldn't you if the bulk of respondents were only intent in tearing you a new ringpiece?

[seancbk]

30 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

 

Tend to agree...especially since the OP has conveniently disappeared. 

 

Always bugs me when people start a thread to ask a question and then disappear without responding to any of the answers.

 

[Loeilad]

I've been looking at teaching visas/permits lately and quite frankly, I'm shocked; fake degrees (which appear to be ratified by foreign embassies!!), dodgy work permits and visas issued on payment of 20k.....it is quite disgraceful that these people are taking jobs that they are simply not qualified or entitled to. If they are prepared to go that far, what does it say about their general level of honesty?

Edited November 12, 2016 by Loeilad

[simon43]

There's a reason why when someone is shot dead the police announce that it's a personal or business dispute. There are few other ways to resolve a business conflict in Thailand.

 

This - life is very cheap in Thailand.

 

Since I am no longer involved in the hotel business, I can recount my own experience in Phuket.

 

I opened the very first 'transit' hotel at the international airport, just after the tsunami of 2004. I t was an immediate success, full of overnight guests every single night of the year.

 

Of course, visible success means that others will copy your ideas, and then others, and then others....

 

When I called it a day some months ago, there were 100 guesthouses and hotels listed on booking.com at Phuket Airport.  Many were legally owned by Thais and many were illegal businesses, with no hotel or guesthouse licence.

 

During the years of running my small hotels, I was physically threatened on several occasions and 2 of my Thai staff were shot dead, (with no police investigation).

 

Finally, the local police worked 'in hand' with a local drug dealer(s) to force me to vacate my most recent transit hotel business.

 

I decided that enough was enough and left Thailand.  I now have an enjoyable job in Myanmar and regret nothing of my time in Phuket.

 

OP beware.  If you 'cause problems' to your illegal or legal competitors, you'll spend a lot of money on lawyer's bills, police bribes etc, and you will always be looking behind you for that guy with the baseball bat or gun.

 

You need to seriously consider whether that hassle will be worth it.

[NanLaew]

28 minutes ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

This - life is very cheap in Thailand.

 

Since I am no longer involved in the hotel business, I can recount my own experience in Phuket.

 

I opened the very first 'transit' hotel at the international airport, just after the tsunami of 2004. I t was an immediate success, full of overnight guests every single night of the year.

 

Of course, visible success means that others will copy your ideas, and then others, and then others....

 

When I called it a day some months ago, there were 100 guesthouses and hotels listed on booking.com at Phuket Airport.  Many were legally owned by Thais and many were illegal businesses, with no hotel or guesthouse licence.

 

During the years of running my small hotels, I was physically threatened on several occasions and 2 of my Thai staff were shot dead, (with no police investigation).

 

Finally, the local police worked 'in hand' with a local drug dealer(s) to force me to vacate my most recent transit hotel business.

 

I decided that enough was enough and left Thailand.  I now have an enjoyable job in Myanmar and regret nothing of my time in Phuket.

 

OP beware.  If you 'cause problems' to your illegal or legal competitors, you'll spend a lot of money on lawyer's bills, police bribes etc, and you will always be looking behind you for that guy with the baseball bat or gun.

 

You need to seriously consider whether that hassle will be worth it.

Sound advice and if the OP is still around, maybe he can up sticks and try his 'niche market' enterprise in some other part of Thailand... with a revised business plan that includes the likelihood of being squeezed out in 'x' number of years.

[Ace of Pop]

The OP writes in code to me, what's his work and why has he run off it's easy to run anything here if yer Street Legal


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