How can newbies to Thailand avoid paying farang prices?

[phuketrichard]

1 hour ago, Dick Crank said:

Now and again I just pay and get my monies worth...

 

one of my favorite things to do is agree on a tuk tuk price and ride with my feet up on the back grill near the guys head. Feels like I'm riding a horse.

 

could even pass some gas (fart), have not tried that one yet

 

horsey dumb doit bite boy!!

ur not going to last long in Thailand

 

why not just call him a <deleted>

เหี้ย

hiia

[Berkshire]

On 1/29/2017 at 9:24 AM, phuketrichard said:

ahh and u have?? so please give us just ONE address ANYWHERE in thailand for a 7/12

 

there are NONE here on phuket isand

 

On 1/29/2017 at 9:26 AM, overherebc said:

 

Took me 12 years to find it and you think I'm going to tell anyone where it is????

 

It took me nearly 10 years.  I stumbled into one by accident, the manager comes out and says "Can you keep a secret?  Don't tell the other farangs because all they do is complain about nothing being in English, the plastic bags, and our catchy door tune."  I was like "Mum's the word."

[HooHaa]

i have found arguing and accusing every vendor you meet as being dishonest and ripping you off works especially well, especially if you want to alienate  even the few good-natured vendors left in the country.

 

better answer, watch what others are paying, ask around beforehand and get an idea of the real cost of things.

you will get hosed a few times, but be aware of the value of the currency relative to your own, and simply walk on and find the next vendor or taxi if you feel you are being asked for too much.

with taxis, drivers and the like, be wary of anyone whose english is too good or seems overly friendly, but dont be rude, on occasion people are genuine.

 

As has been said before, always flag a cab in bangkok, never get into a car thats sitting still soliciting riders.

 

but most importantly, consider the cost relative to what you would need to pay back in the real world. 

if you do get rinsed a few times for a few extra dollars or baht, learn, suck it up and remember next time.

 

Edited June 18, 2018 by HooHaa

[Dick Crank]

Anyone know what the female options are in the uk these days for gents over 50?

 

sorry I asked...

[Ks45672]

9 hours ago, Dick Crank said:

Anyone know what the female options are in the uk these days for gents over 50?

 

sorry I asked...

Same as here.... 

There are apparently loads of working girls these days because the economy is rekt... 

 

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/7f0cb09c-87b0-4cfa-9653-bab1028a2c55

 

[Damrongsak]

On 1/2/2017 at 9:48 AM, sanemax said:

 

   Thats exactly what I did recently .

Saw some street grilled chicken on sale ,

Waited for a Thai to buy one and saw he paid 100 Baht

I asked how much they were and was told 120 Baht

I just walked away , I didnt even bother offering 100 Baht

Years ago at the old Sanam Luang weekend market in BKK, I had that happen. I was just idly looking at some fruit.  A Thai bought some.  The vendor thought I was interested and indicated a substantially higher price in Tinglish.  I remarked in decent Thai that the person a moment ago just paid xxx for the same thing.  And walked away.  555. 

 

In other countries where I couldn't speak, I'd try to be polite and laid-back.  See how brash or forceful the seller was.  Show waning interest and hope the seller would lower the price a bit. 

[Dick Crank]

5 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

Years ago at the old Sanam Luang weekend market in BKK, I had that happen. I was just idly looking at some fruit.  A Thai bought some.  The vendor thought I was interested and indicated a substantially higher price in Tinglish.  I remarked in decent Thai that the person a moment ago just paid xxx for the same thing.  And walked away.  555. 

That works great if you can find an honest vendor. When they all overcharge you are left with being hungry or shopping at the 7-11 where you pay more but save face on not getting cheated.

 

If this type of thing bothers you your lucky to be in Thailand and not some of the other countries around the area.

[spidermike007]

If I am uncertain, and they quote me 1,100 baht for an item, I counter with 200 baht. The look on their face is worth it! Sometimes they say, no 300 baht. That is when I know I am onto something!

[The Deerhunter]

On 6/29/2017 at 11:41 PM, Chou Anou said:

1) Accept that as a newbie, you WILL sometimes pay "farang prices"

2) Keep things in perspective...50 baht is $1.47 USD, 500 baht is $14.70 USD, etc...i.e. don't lose it over getting "taken" for a tiny amount of cash

3) LEARN TO SPEAK THAI (yes, I know it's a slow process and an ongoing project, but if you're going to live in Thailand, begin as soon as you arrive)...knowing how to speak Thai well will not save you from paying "farang prices" on all things, but it will help with a lot of them

4) Always be polite and respectful when dealing with Thais in money matters.  And please don't say, "but they're not always polite and respectful, wah-wah, blah blah..."  You are a foreigner.  And you have a reputation as a farang (aggressive, crude, loud, quick to lose your temper) that it's YOUR responsibility to overcome.  

5) Learn the "real" prices of things so you can bargain accordingly, and be able to "choose your battles" (getting overcharged 50 baht is a lot different than getting overcharged 5,000 baht, etc.)

6) LEARN TO SPEAK THAI.  And make sure it's polite, and formal when necessary--not just "bar girl Thai"

7) Learn to accept the things (admission to state parks, temples, etc.) that you're just not going to be able to "pay the Thai price" for

? LEARN TO READ THAI.  This will help more than you know, because sometimes prices are posted differently in English and Thai.  And trust me, if they see you've gone to the effort to learn to read Thai in order to know the Thai price, they will be impressed, and give you the Thai price (as long as you're not loud and arrogant about it...see item number 4)

And get  a Thai driving licence    Don't try to drive forever on an IDP..  #1'it is not legal if you live here and #2.' In some places they see it as a proof of residency and give Thai prices.

[The Deerhunter]

On 6/30/2017 at 12:03 AM, observer90210 said:

very very true and who would not appreciate? Immagine an Asian tourist loudly asking us something in a Chinese style language, on the streets of some European capital? ..

 

I noticed in In Spain, sometimes even the locals who speak your language, (either english, french or german)  will pretend not to understand until you utter a few broken words in spanish ....then after having said "no comprendo"...suddenly you will notice them responding in your languguage......(not all are like that, but I did notice this phenomena quite a few times in Spain)...and so on....dynamics of human nature seem to have gone global.

There is definitely a visible component of that here.  They liked and show appreciation when you try.

[BritManToo]

On 6/18/2018 at 3:14 PM, Dick Crank said:

Anyone know what the female options are in the uk these days for gents over 50?

sorry I asked...

I scored one ten years older than me. (back when I was 50).

 

She did really nice Sunday roast dinners for me and her family, we'd sit drinking wine in front of a roaring log fire of a winters evening.

Sadly I had to end it when she asked why I never held hands or tried to kiss her.

I still miss those Sunday roasts.

Edited June 19, 2018 by BritManToo

[Dick Crank]

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I scored one ten years older than me. (back when I was 50).

 

She did really nice Sunday roast dinners for me and her family, we'd sit drinking wine in front of a roaring log fire of a winters evening.

Sadly I had to end it when she asked why I never held hands or tried to kiss her.

I still miss those Sunday roasts.

It's nice to know there are options out there, other then choking my chicken...