Double Charging Falangs In Pattaya

[PattayaXpat]

Would you condone or participate in a double pricing structure

in your home country if it was based on the color of ones skin

and assumption of wealth?

This is a follow up to the "Would you pay 5 or 10 baht for a short baht bus trip poll"

The previous poll showed that most would just pay the extra 5 baht to avoid confrontation but there were alot of people who just thought that only a "Cheap Charly" would even think to question the practise, and that whore mongers of questionable virtue have no right what so ever to question it.

So if this was happening in The UK or US.... would it also be OK? Would it be OK with you if your goverment charged double the price for entrance to a state park to any one without white skin with no regard what so ever to whether they lived there or not?

If you owned a bar or a disco would you give your staff the power to decide who is a local and who is a foreigner and then charge them double or more for a drink?

Some double/inflated pricing examples:

1) Baht Bus

2) Motorcycle Taxis

3) Koh larn Boat Trip

4) Koh Samet park entrance

5) Tonys, Lucifers, Exzyte. Entrance fee and drinks

6) Thai boxing at Thepprasit stadium

7) bathrooms in beer bar complexes

The majority of these are obviously private ventures. Pattaya after all is a tourist town but some of this IMOP is way out of hand.

[Tammi]

Would you condone or participate in a double pricing structure

in your home country if it was based on the color of ones skin

and assumption of wealth?

This is a follow up to the "Would you pay 5 or 10 baht for a short baht bus trip poll"

The previous poll showed that most would just pay the extra 5 baht to avoid confrontation but there were alot of people who just thought that only a "Cheap Charly" would even think to question the practise, and that whore mongers of questionable virtue have no right what so ever to question it.

So if this was happening in The UK or US.... would it also be OK? Would it be OK with you if your goverment charged double the price for entrance to a state park to any one without white skin with no regard what so ever to whether they lived there or not?

If you owned a bar or a disco would you give your staff the power to decide who is a local and who is a foreigner and then charge them double or more for a drink?

Some double/inflated pricing examples:

1) Baht Bus

2) Motorcycle Taxis

3) Koh larn Boat Trip

4) Koh Samet park entrance

5) Tonys, Lucifers, Exzyte. Entrance fee and drinks

6) Thai boxing at Thepprasit stadium

7) bathrooms in beer bar complexes

The majority of these are obviously private ventures. Pattaya after all is a tourist town but some of this IMOP is way out of hand.

[/quote}

Tony's charge double/inflated to farangs? Sheeeesh!!

[Hobgoblin]

I don't condone it, and I refuse to do business with any place that practices double-charging. I don't see it as charging Thai people less, but I see it as charging non-Thai people more. It's racism, pure and simple.

On the occasion I've had to use a bathroom at a "beer bar complex", I just threw down the two baht and used the bathroom without even looking at the person collecting. Paying customers shouldn't even have to pay to use the restrooms in the first place.

What about the Ko Lan boat trip? I've always paid 20 baht - same as the Thais.

[bkkmadness]

On the occasion I've had to use a bathroom at a "beer bar complex", I just threw down the two baht and used the bathroom without even looking at the person collecting. Paying customers shouldn't even have to pay to use the restrooms in the first place.

But the toilets and the bars are owned by seperate people aren't they? Surely if that's a problem you could find bars with their own toilet facilities? They have signs up for the toilet charge don't they? Why throw down the money at someone when you have already accepted to use the service? Why not use a toilet elsewhere?

[Buckwheat]

"Would you condone or participate in a double pricing structure in your home country if it was based on the color of ones skin and assumption of wealth?"

If my home country condoned it (as apparently Thailand does) I would have no choice but to participate in a double pricing structure or do without.

IMHO, sometime, someplace and somewhere everyone living or visiting here will "participate"...all bluster aside.

[PattayaXpat]

On the occasion I've had to use a bathroom at a "beer bar complex", I just threw down the two baht and used the bathroom without even looking at the person collecting. Paying customers shouldn't even have to pay to use the restrooms in the first place.

But the toilets and the bars are owned by seperate people aren't they? Surely if that's a problem you could find bars with their own toilet facilities? They have signs up for the toilet charge don't they? Why throw down the money at someone when you have already accepted to use the service? Why not use a toilet elsewhere?

The toilets will be rented out by someone else or run by the owners, that's how they get away with charging. This doesn't apply to bars, just the beer bar complexes. The only other one that I can think of is the Pattaya Bazaar, near the dolphin circle. The bathroom down stairs is 5 baht, if you walk upstairs (During the day) it's free.

I haven't been to Koh Larn in years, my girl told me that it's more for Falangs. If I'm wrong about that I will remove it from the list.

The whole double pricing thing is wrong but TIT. I also avoid the places who do it (when I can) but I try not to let it bother me too much. I think that it is important for everyone to know what's going on, just how cheap things really are in Thailand. It helps when you want to make decisions later on about moving here...

[PattayaXpat]

"Would you condone or participate in a double pricing structure in your home country if it was based on the color of ones skin and assumption of wealth?"

If my home country condoned it (as apparently Thailand does) I would have no choice but to participate in a double pricing structure or do without.

IMHO, sometime, someplace and somewhere everyone living or visiting here will "participate"...all bluster aside.

Maybe I should have worded that diffrent, something to the effect of would you "profit from" rather "than participate in"

If you owned a bar or a disco would you give your staff the power to decide who is a local and who is a foreigner and then charge them double or more for a drink

?

[jumnien]

They should charge by the kilo. That way the farangs would have to pay more than double.

[bkkmadness]

They should charge by the kilo. That way the farangs would have to pay more than double.

And it'd be getting more expensive every week.

[BKK90210]

The good news is... According to the news released last week by the Chonburi city hall,

All hospitals and clinics will be required to post their fees on the wall or at the frontdesk for all patients to see, by beginning of next year. I know this will effect the city of Chonburi, and Sri Racha, but don't know about Pattaya though.

So just hop over there from now on...if you want to save some baths

[COBBER]

Would you condone or participate in a double pricing structure

in your home country if it was based on the color of ones skin

and assumption of wealth?

This is a follow up to the "Would you pay 5 or 10 baht for a short baht bus trip poll"

The previous poll showed that most would just pay the extra 5 baht to avoid confrontation but there were alot of people who just thought that only a "Cheap Charly" would even think to question the practise, and that whore mongers of questionable virtue have no right what so ever to question it.

So if this was happening in The UK or US.... would it also be OK? Would it be OK with you if your goverment charged double the price for entrance to a state park to any one without white skin with no regard what so ever to whether they lived there or not?

If you owned a bar or a disco would you give your staff the power to decide who is a local and who is a foreigner and then charge them double or more for a drink?

Some double/inflated pricing examples:

1) Baht Bus

2) Motorcycle Taxis

3) Koh larn Boat Trip

4) Koh Samet park entrance

5) Tonys, Lucifers, Exzyte. Entrance fee and drinks

6) Thai boxing at Thepprasit stadium

7) bathrooms in beer bar complexes

The majority of these are obviously private ventures. Pattaya after all is a tourist town but some of this IMOP is way out of hand.

1. Baht Bus - 10 baht instead of 5. Big Deal!

2. Moto Taxis - Never payed double.

3. Koh larn - Never paid double.

4. Koh Samet - Sneak around the back and dont pay anything.

5. Tonys etc. - Not silly enough to pay these prices.

6. Thai boxing - Never been to Thepprasit, but when in Bangkok i pay the same price as Thais.

7. Bathrooms - Where is the dual pricing. Ive never seen it.

[ZZZ]

1. Baht Bus - 5 to 20 Bath depending on distance. Only fair if farangs pay

double as they often take up more space and normally refuse to use

crowded bath busses.

2. Moto Taxis - Never payed double.

3. Koh larn - Never paid double.

4. Koh Samet - Owned by the Thai people and funded by tax money,

only fair if Thai can use for free or for a big discount.

5. Tonys etc. Think the drink prices are same for all, no entrance fee.

6. Thai boxing - Never been to Thepprasit.

7. Bathrooms - Nearly all Thais in the beer bar complexes work there so it should be free for them, how would you feel if you had to pay when you went to the toilet in your work place?

Most tourist venues in Pattaya are built for the foreign tourists and would be more expensive if they could not get some of the locals to use them and most locals would not do so at the prices they have to charge to make a decent turnover.

Many tourist venues all over the world offer discount cards or similar to local residents.

Edited December 9, 2006 by ZZZ

[Jingthing]

If you refuse to stand on the back of a baht bus, it is your own ###### business and has absolutely nothing to do with the price of eggs in China, or double pricing policies on baht buses. No ride, no baht. Simple. You pay the price by waiting for a later bus. Same logic as not using motorcycle "taxis".

[bmanly]

OK PattayaXpat let my try answer your questions. First off all the Koh Larn ferry trip is 20 baht for all persons Thai and Farang same, for sure. As for Motocy taxis I have never paid double, however I have paid 10 or 20 baht more than a Thai regular on occasions.

The whole issue about the baht bus fares is over 5 baht, it is peanuts in our world. Secondly paying 2 baht more to use a toilet in a beer bar complex is not going to make me upset either. Just stand back and think about it, Thai bar girl works a WHOLE MONTH for a salary of 2,500 baht, farangs well we can blow that in a night. If paying 2 baht more in Pattaya to use a toilet pisses you off you shouldn't be here really, it's just mean and petty. I have my grievances too, my big one is National Parks but I have solved the problem I don't go, same as Tony’s, Excite and Hollywood. I have written on other threads about this if you don't believe in it or don't want to pay for it DON'T GO!

In relation to your poll question of course I voted no. But in my Country I have the rule of law and no mafia. If I ever see or hear of any kind of extra charging for certain other races of people I will challenge it on the spot and if not corrected I will follow up with complaints to the Fair Trading Department. In some cases the department can revoke licenses and close down businesses. So of course I do not and will not condone it in my country, but that is in MY country and I have rights, voting power and can write lengthy criticisms in the local paper without fear of being shot. I have written to and questioned in a public forum my local council on development issues, can you see the difference?

In Thailand it is NOT MY COUNTRY or yours or any other farangs that live there unless you have a Thai ID card, so we can not change anything. We can have an opinion but only Thai people can change things in the end.

There are things you can't change and there are some things you can avoid if you don't want to pay double money, in short if you want to fight the Thai Taxi mafia or the toilet lady over 5 baht and 2 baht then you are a better man than me. I come here for a good time and a long time and don't want to get mixed up in 2 baht and 5 baht fights, it just isn’t worth it.

[Rinrada]

By paying without reservation then means de facto you are condoning it.......

LOS has got NO chance to getting rid of its World Famous RIP OFF image....

[gpt]

All tourist places have their rip-off merchants. Japanese tourist charged the equivalent of 50,000+ baht for a cab from LHR to the city centre, over 1000Baht for a hot dog from a NY street vendor; the list is endless.

The choice is yours - keep your dignity and pay the 5 Baht toilet charge or complain about paying an extra few baht and pee your pants!

[britmaveric]

On the occasion I've had to use a bathroom at a "beer bar complex", I just threw down the two baht and used the bathroom without even looking at the person collecting. Paying customers shouldn't even have to pay to use the restrooms in the first place.

But the toilets and the bars are owned by seperate people aren't they? Surely if that's a problem you could find bars with their own toilet facilities? They have signs up for the toilet charge don't they? Why throw down the money at someone when you have already accepted to use the service? Why not use a toilet elsewhere?

Agreed - I 've seen a few bars catch on to this - give you a token and this is used for the loo. Bar pays for the facilities since you are buying drinks at the bar.

[Mossfinn]

Double charging is not isolated to Thailand, in Oxford you will find the ubiquitous 10% off for students, this rankles enormously, even though I have been a student of sorts in the past.

When it was introduced in my local, (many years ago now) I created merry hel_l, and so got my percentage as well, considerably nore than 10%, I might add.

When I am in the LOS, who gives a hoot, I for one don't.

Moss

[tropo]

If there is no official price list for a service, it cannot be considered dual pricing as there is no official price.

It's the same in any country. Any service that is not officially priced will vary and be open to negotiation.

It's the responsibility of the local councils to force the baht buses to issue a fare structure for their services. Until that happens they can ask whatever they like, and as long as people pay their asking price, that is the price.

[CRUNCHER]

If there is no official price list for a service, it cannot be considered dual pricing as there is no official price.

It's the same in any country. Any service that is not officially priced will vary and be open to negotiation.

It's the responsibility of the local councils to force the baht buses to issue a fare structure for their services. Until that happens they can ask whatever they like, and as long as people pay their asking price, that is the price.

Agreed. Either there should be a standard charge, set by the authorities with a table displayed in the vehicle or each driver can set his own rates with the fare displayed in the windscreen. The law of supply and demand will take care of the rest.

I do not mind paying the market rate, but the situation where a rich Thai businessman/lawyer/doctor etc pays 5 baht because he is Thai and a farang managing to survive on a pension pays 10 baht just because he is a farang cannot be considered equitable.

[MisterFingers]

Double charging is not isolated to Thailand, in Oxford you will find the ubiquitous 10% off for students, this rankles enormously, even though I have been a student of sorts in the past.

Yes, I agree.

I think of the real baht bus fee as 10 baht, with a discount for Thais because they simply can't afford it.

If the baht bus drivers charged everyone 5 baht, they would starve to death and that's a fact.

If they charged everyone 10 baht, they would lose all their Thai customers, and they would starve to death. Plus Thais could not afford to get around.

The fact is, tourists are much, much better off than local Thais.

If you can't accept this as a tourist, then vacation in Germany, the U.S., etc. where there is no double standard.

Sorry to the long term Falangs on a tight budget, you lose. There should be some kind of ID for long term residents to pay the Thai "discount" to be fair.

[taxexile]

If the baht bus drivers charged everyone 5 baht, they would starve to death

how terrible

quick , pass the kleenex and start a collection for thailands hard done by taxi and baht bus operatives.