Ripped off at Soi Cowboy

[Billy Sweets]

I was wondering if you had any advice for me on something that happened in BKK recently.

My wife who is Thai and a friend from the US went to Soi Cowboy.  I was advised by Thai Visa not to mention the bar directly by name as Thailand has defamation laws.  I have been to cowboy numerous times before over the years with friends visiting etc. and have had relatively no issues.  We were in the is bar for no more than 15 minutes and had 2 drinks each and we bought 4 lady drinks.  when we wanted to pay and leave and were presented with a bill for 14,861 THB.  Obviously I was not happy and said I wouldn't pay.  They started getting very agitated and angry and it was making my friend very uncomfortable.  We had been drinking previously and I was also a bit wary if the police came would they help us and how would they be able to do so anyway.  Their word against ours kind of thing.  I have also heard that police in that area are crocked.  I reluctantly paid and left in disgust and tried to spread the word of this particular bar through Trip Advisor etc. so that this doesn't happen to someone else.   To make matters worse when I checked my credit card online a few days later I see that they charged me a second time for another 2,785 THB.  That is really rubbing salt in the wound.  I have informed my bank but do not have much hope that they will resolve the matter without police assistance.  I feel that I haven't done enough and really don't want this to happen to anyone else.  After some digging I found out that this bar has a checkered past of this type of thing and also violence on people that refuse to pay.  It happened a few weeks ago and has bothered me ever since.  My wife is currently and has been away on a university course so I haven't gone to the police yet.  I'm not sure what they can do and i'm a bit worried that this bar is a mafia bar or something so don't want to deal with any issues in the future.  Do you have any advice what I should do or what I can do?   Obviously not go to this bar again is the first thing.  It's a shame for places like this as they give the entire place a bad name!!  Thanks in advance for any advice.

[smutcakes]

Forget about it, move on. Inform people you know but don't beat yourself up over it. You won't get any money back and you are just likely to cause yourself issues if you go trying to create problems for them. Chalk it down as a bad night and move forward.

[Peterw42]

In the future pay as you go, and paying with a credit card is just asking for trouble.

It does seem beyond any normal padding of the bill. Most bars will put the dockets for the drinks you buy in the wooden cup at your table and provide an itemized account when paying, This was not the case ??

What were the drinks, 100 baht beers or 800 baht cocktails ?

[petermik]

This soi is well known for rip off,s at certain bars(same nationality of owners-non thai BTW) pity you did not discover beforehand....lesson (expensive) learned

[thedemon]

If this happens and you feel that you have no choice but to pay, you need to demand a receipt. They must provide that by law and it is unlikely they won't. If they insist on payment without a receipt, call the police on the spot.

 

Assuming you do get a receipt, take that receipt to the local Police station, not the Tourist police (in this case it would be Thonglor station) and file a complaint stating that you were forced to pay under duress. Normally the police will take action but even if they don't the police report should be enough to have your bank reverse the Credit card charges.

 

The chances are high that simply asking for a receipt will cause them to back down. It is a game of bluff and you can be sure that they don't want the police involved.

[thedemon]

It goes without saying that you need to keep absolutely calm. Don't argue about the amount. There is no point in that.

[anotheruser]

It is so pathetic that places can do this and the law is designed to aid and abet the crooks.  

[dddave]

I expect that sort of scam on  Soi Patpong but not on Soi Cowboy; I'm surprised.  The worst Soi Cowboy scam I've encountered over the years was the "Vodka-Coke" rip-off. (Offer to buy a lady-drink, girl asks "Is vodka-coke ok?" you say "Sure". Her drink comes as a small glass of Coke and a shot of vodka...billed as 2 separate drinks)  

A lot more tourist couples seem to be strolling Soi Cowboy these days. Maybe some bar owners are thinking if Patpong can do it, so can we.

[ukrules]

What bar was it, could you please PM me the name so I can avoid it in future ?

[anotheruser]

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

What bar was it, could you please PM me the name so I can avoid it in future ?

Just say what places it is in between with out naming it. That way we know the locale without mentioning them directly.

[tonray]

Walk Away quietly is the best thing you can do.

[brewsterbudgen]

Google "The Arab's bars".

[anotheruser]

1 minute ago, tonray said:

Walk Away quietly is the best thing you can do.

Yes given the insane defamation laws walking away quietly is indeed about all anybody can do. 

[whoareyou]

Neve happened to me or any of my expat friends in over a decade of visiting soi cow boy.

Most definitely the truth is often stretched in these reports or the writer was so drunk he rang the bell thinking it was for service. [emoji46]

[brewsterbudgen]

Neve happened to me or any of my expat friends in over a decade of visiting soi cow boy.

Most definitely the truth is often stretched in these reports or the writer was so drunk he rang the bell thinking it was for service. [emoji46]

There is a group of gogo bars on Cowboy, all under the same ownership, with questionable operating practices. Most expats know to give them a wide berth.

[fruitman]

Since 15 year in BKK i have never been to Soi Cowboy...i even won't go to Thonglor at all if not necessary.

 

Google has plenty of info about it.

[smokie36]

Contact your credit card company immediately and give them all of the details of this transaction.

 

They will chargeback the entire amount most likely.

[saakura]

What is a 'lady drink'? Are you saying that you took your wife and friend to Soi Cowboy and paid for a prostitute to come and sit on your table? 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 minutes ago, RonniePickering22 said:

Contact your credit card company immediately and give them all of the details of this transaction.

 

They will chargeback the entire amount most likely.

 

That's the best and correct advice for the OP. In this case, it's actually good he paid with a credit card instead of cash.

 

Depending on his country of origin/where the credit card was issued and the laws that apply there, there's a good chance he can dispute the charges and get all or much of it refunded/erased from his account.

 

Needless to say, it would be very interesting to see what the bar might do when asked by the credit card company to justify/detail how your group amassed 14K in charges during a brief visit for a few drinks.

 

Dealing with the bar directly is probably not going to be productive, and the regular Thai police likely the same. There is a Thai Consumer Protection Agency that can get involved in this kinds of cases if you bring it to them. But dealing directly with your credit card issuer is probably going to be the best bet.

 

BTW for the OP:: Did you ask for and receive from the bar their supposed accounting (check bill) detailing just how you supposedly came up with a nearly 15K tab?  They had to have some basis, legit or not, for coming up with that particular amount.

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[CharlieH]

Name & Shame is NOT permitted.

[anotheruser]

25 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Name & Shame is NOT permitted.

Understood. What bars are on either side of it?

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Sounds more like a Karaoke scam than soi cowboy.  The Arab, who is actually Persian, is a piece of work, but this is just too brazen.  Been reading stickman for years and never seen a report like that from Cowboy, which I think kind of sucks anyway.  I would do smoochi way before I went to that tourist trap...not even a good place for happy hour.  Nana is a transvestite circus.

[11223344]

The OP is a hit and run guy... new profile, one post. Who knows what has he done to the poor GoGo Bar's owner

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Vegas sure did turn to chit once it was declared a family destinations...I think we have seen something similar with couples going to red light bars.  So many things just plain wrong with the OP...evidentially there is almost a political movement to discredit the adult venues.  Lots of angry women sporting Fred Flintstone haircuts that only hate men with younger beautiful ladies more  than looking at themselves in the mirror.  And if they happen to work for an NGO, they can get a visacand a paycheck...as long as they can assure their congregations that there are 12 million women working as prostitutes in Thailand.

Edited April 1, 2017 by KhonKaenKowboy

[buick]

first, it is always good to get a reminder that rip offs can happen and getting examples and such helps us all remember and be able to be prepared.

 

second, i have had alot of success in getting charges reversed on a credit card (but never tried with thailand charges).  in some cases, i'm not even sure the credit card company does anything on their end in terms of penalizing the 'merchant'.  they just credit your account and write it off as a loss.  the merchant gets their money.  maybe some TV members have inside knowledge as they worked at a credit card company in the past.  i think they get so many of these, it just isn't worth chasing after them.  even something like 15,000thb is not a huge number.  but that might put it in the 'we need to follow up on this' group versus something like a 3,000thb charge.

 

third, i'm a little skeptical on the whole story here.  i've spent the last 10 yrs on the beer drinking circuit around sukhumvit and never heard anything like this.  NEVER.   it would be nice to get more details.  i've had drinks put on my bill (that weren't mine) many times in various go go bars.  sometimes it is on purpose, sometimes a mistake (usually on purpose !!!).  and i've been through the dreaded, buy one drink but it is really two drinks (lady drinks).  i had one where it was 300thb per drink so 600thb.  and my beer was 200.  obviously i just drank my beer, paid the bill, and left.  and i've had the deal in patpong (and patong in phuket) where some guy from the street drags you into a bar and next thing you know, you have to pay a 'finders fee' as this guy brought you to the bar and he gets paid for it.  sometimes it is 500/person.  i've had as high as 2,000/person.  and i've never heard of this finders fee being used on cowboy.

 

and the above amounts are not close to  15,000.  was there some talk of paying a bar fine and then that was rescinded (but not by the bar).  what if the patron doesn't have the money.  the guys i hang out with don't carry credit cards, only cash.  was the credit card presented at the beginning so they figured they could run up a bill ? was there some attempt to get the bill reduced or explain what the 15,000 was for ?  i'm sure the bar was part of a certain group of bars, which regular visitors to cowboy know to avoid.  that said, i've visited these bars from time to time just to see what is going on inside.  every time i get the drink rip off but i know it is coming and not a big deal. 

 

i'm sure something happened here but it sure seems like one or more things have been left out of the story.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2017 by buick

[ChidlomDweller]

21 hours ago, anotheruser said:

It is so pathetic that places can do this and the law is designed to aid and abet the crooks.  

Indeed, can't even name it for fear of a defamation lawsuit from the MAFIA.  Freedom of speech is alive and well in Thailand.

[brewsterbudgen]

What is a 'lady drink'? Are you saying that you took your wife and friend to Soi Cowboy and paid for a prostitute to come and sit on your table? 

If it was one of "The Arab's" bars she won't have been a prostitute. One of the reasons for the problems in these bars is that the girls "don't go". Many customers don't realise this and run up large checkbins on the mistaken understanding that the cutie sitting with them is available.

[brewsterbudgen]

first, it is always good to get a reminder that rip offs can happen and getting examples and such helps us all remember and be able to be prepared.
 
second, i have had alot of success in getting charges reversed on a credit card (but never tried with thailand charges).  in some cases, i'm not even sure the credit card company does anything on their end in terms of penalizing the 'merchant'.  they just credit your account and write it off as a loss.  the merchant gets their money.  maybe some TV members have inside knowledge as they worked at a credit card company in the past.  i think they get so many of these, it just isn't worth chasing after them.  even something like 15,000thb is not a huge number.  but that might put it in the 'we need to follow up on this' group versus something like a 3,000thb charge.
 
third, i'm a little skeptical on the whole story here.  i've spent the last 10 yrs on the beer drinking circuit around sukhumvit and never heard anything like this.  NEVER.   it would be nice to get more details.  i've had drinks put on my bill (that weren't mine) many times in various go go bars.  sometimes it is on purpose, sometimes a mistake (usually on purpose !!!).  and i've been through the dreaded, buy one drink but it is really two drinks (lady drinks).  i had one where it was 300thb per drink so 600thb.  and my beer was 200.  obviously i just drank my beer, paid the bill, and left.  and i've had the deal in patpong (and patong in phuket) where some guy from the street drags you into a bar and next thing you know, you have to pay a 'finders fee' as this guy brought you to the bar and he gets paid for it.  sometimes it is 500/person.  i've had as high as 2,000/person.  and i've never heard of this finders fee being used on cowboy.
 
and the above amounts are not close to  15,000.  was there some talk of paying a bar fine and then that was rescinded (but not by the bar).  what if the patron doesn't have the money.  they guys i hang out with don't carry credit cards, only cash.  was the credit card presented at the beginning so they figured they could run up a bill ? was there some attempt to get the bill reduced or explain what the 15,000 was for ?  i'm sure the bar was part of a certain group of bars, which regular visitors to cowboy know to avoid.  that said, i've visited these bars from time to time just to see what is going on inside.  every time i get the drink rip off but i know it is coming and not a big deal. 
 
i'm sure something happened here but it sure seems like one or more things have been left out of the story.
 
 

Almost certainly not the complete story!

[buick]

12 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Almost certainly not the complete story!

 

until further info is provided, i'm going with the following scenario.  the group got a bill they weren't happy with, disputed it in a way that upset the 'staff', and then got a new bill that was quadruple the original amount.

 

 

 

[Spaniel]

I haven't been to Soi Cowboy in many years.      What is the "Arab's bars" as mentioned in several posts?