Ripped off at Soi Cowboy

[weejun]

6 hours ago, Billy Sweets said:

I have heard that some of the bars on Cowboy have changed ownership to Chinese and this type of behavior is not uncommon in cities in China.

Chinese? Where can I read about this?

 

On 3.4.2017 at 9:04 AM, Thaidream said:

If you doubt this story- you might want to peruse the internet- it's full of stories/reports about punters being ripped off on Cowboy from one of these 6 bars that are named very explicitly in the reports.

Got some links? I can't seem to find a whole lot of them. Just the story about the guy paying in cash and then getting a bill for the same amount which several people here have repeated.

[Bangkok Barry]

I don't understand why the OP didn't demand to see the itemised bill. And in every bar I've ever been in during 25 years here the chit has been put in a pot each time I've ordered a drink(s). Hitting 15,000 baht would take 75 chits when based on moderately high-end drinks costing around 200 baht each. And I have never bought a drink that costs other than something ending in a multiple of 5 or more often 10, so how do we get the odd figure of 14,861? None of this makes any sense at all. Also, apart from one time being caught with the double-drink con, I have never, in what must be hundreds of visits to Cowboy bars, been scammed.

[steven100]

3 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I don't understand why the OP didn't demand to see the itemised bill. And in every bar I've ever been in during 25 years here the chit has been put in a pot each time I've ordered a drink(s). Hitting 15,000 baht would take 75 chits when based on moderately high-end drinks costing around 200 baht each. And I have never bought a drink that costs other than something ending in a multiple of 5 or more often 10, so how do we get the odd figure of 14,861? None of this makes any sense at all. Also, apart from one time being caught with the double-drink con, I have never, in what must be hundreds of visits to Cowboy bars, been scammed.

you must be a hansum man ,  thats why they didn't scam you.

[buick]

OP - i'll repeat what i said early on and has been repeated by others.  you should not have a problem getting this charge reversed via a phone call to your credit card company.  while some might claim using a credit card is stupid, in this case, it was not a bad idea.  i've had alot of success getting charges reversed even when i've signed for the charge right in front of the merchant.  these are charges ranging from $500 to $1,200 (USD).  the $1,200 was a bar bill !!!

 

it is not your job to convince me of anything but there is some conflicting commentary between you and your friend along with what i believe is your report on trip advisor.  on trip advisor, you name the bar and you mention 15,000.  and you say you negotiated the bill down.  but you don't mention that here and claim a bill of 14,861 ( at least i think that is what it was).  most bills at go go bars end in a 0 or a 5.  even when you are getting ripped off.  was the bill negotiated down or not ?

 

the bar you mention on trip advisor (maybe it wasn't your report and there is another person who got the same scam), is in fact a quarter of the way down from asoke but it is on the left side, not the right side (per your report).  and for others, be aware there are 3 of these bars on each side of cowboy so you can't avoid them by sticking to one side or the other.  the reason i like the left side coming from asoke are tilac, dollhouse, shark, baccara.  these bars are fine.  not much on the right side.

 

now, what is the deal with the lady drinks.  billy says 'girls were sitting with my friend which he bought them a drink each'.  then the friend says 'a couple girls sat down.  i didn't even know billy ordered the drinks'.  i understand the whole ordeal got the blood pressure pumping, etc... and details can be tough to recall.  but it would seem pretty easy to know who ordered the drinks.  i know these bars and i wouldn't be surprised if the drinks weren't even ordered and they just showed up.  but the conflicting statements about the drinks, the bar location, the bill negotiation, etc... make it hard to fully accept the report as 100% factual.

 

i'd also say, living in asia for X years doesn't give you any ability to avoid scams.  you have to be scammed or have a close friend who was scammed and gave you the full story, etc... in order to know how to avoid them or resolve them in a non painful way.  as i noted on one of my posts here, i've been scammed right, left, and center.  and i'm sure i'll get hit again.  sometimes you have to suffer the same scam twice before you learn, i know that is how i've managed to learn and avoid a few.

 

 

 

 

[buick]

4 hours ago, weejun said:

Chinese? Where can I read about this?

 

as you suspect, the chinese don't own any bars on soi cowboy.  the ownership of all the bars is well known within the industry and gets talked about alot on the beer drinking circuit around sukhumvit.  many owners can be seen at the bar several nights a week (but not the one who owns the 6 bars related to this thread, he isn't around much and when he is it is with body guards).  the one i wonder about is dollhouse, the owner died and no one seems to know who the new owner is (at least per the people i talk to).  it is possible that an owner has received a loan from a chinese person/entity which, depending on the size of such loan, might give them some say in how the bar operates.  i wonder if this is how the ownership of the dollhouse was 'transferred'.  as far as i know, no 'for sale' campaign was launched.

[bkk6060]

It is the biggest tourist trap rip off place in Thailand.  The staff at the places are generally not friendly.  Taking a girl there is what I imagine it is like being with a blow up doll.

I would recommend to totally avoid the place.  But, many don't.

[brewsterbudgen]

It is the biggest tourist trap rip off place in Thailand.  The staff at the places are generally not friendly.  Taking a girl there is what I imagine it is like being with a blow up doll.
I would recommend to totally avoid the place.  But, many don't.

That is patently not true. Patpong has a far worse reputation for such scams. In general Cowboy is very tourist friendly, with community police desks at both ends. Quite why the OP didn't approach them I have no idea.

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[AdmiralWest]

Buick.  Sorry I did not go into in depth detail last night and was not perfectly clear. Only 2 girls sat down and onlt 2 girl drinks were bought. The rest of the girls were just walking around and had nothing to do since the bar was practically empty. Billy asked me if I wanted to buy the girls a drink and I said sure and he left to go to a waitress but the girls never received drinks. Thats why I said I did not if they were actually ordered -- but I said yes and I/we are not disputing that.  Two girls sat down for less than 10 minutes, drank nothing and barely talked with me - not that I really cared. We were in there 15 minutes tops and there is no way 2 ladydrinks and 4 crap drinks add up to approximately 15k plus the charge they rang up for him later. Billy was worried about the reputation of some of the bars and the corrupt cops so he decided to pay and argue another day. 

 

I could care less if any jagoffs don't believe us or others are so pretentious that this could never happen to them or it their internet muscles turns them into superman and can stop a bullet.   Like I said, we will do our best to solve,this problem and not let the poor little,tourists down by babking down to 100 pound thai guys. Billy and I are former wrestlers but you have to know the situatiion and it is hard to stop a bullets. 

[AdmiralWest]

Just a quick background I am Billy's friend who went to Soi that night. None of us are kids, uneducated, or troublemakers. We were directed to this website by expats who thought we might receive some help with our issue. We appreciate the constructive thoughts and hope some people can further enlighten us. I guess the old saying goes that unless something bad happens to you then you don't have a clue what you are talking about. I am mystified with some of the childish comments from a few who think they are geniuses and have never been scammed in any way in their entire life. You all must be billionaires!!

 

We had gone to a late dinner that evening and since I had never been to one of the 3 main redlight districts in Bangkok Billy and his wife suggested that I visit Soi  Coyboy. I live on Soapy road so I am not completely naive to the ways of Bangkok but also far from an expert. We entered Soi from the Asok side and walked around a quarter or so the way down. We were approached by a girl out front and she convinced us to come inside by saying there are pretty girls inside. Once we got inside the 3 of us sat in the back of two rows.  There were only a couple other people in the bar when we entered beside the girls. We ordered drinks for ourselves and then a couple of girls came to us and sat down. I did not even know Billy ordered them drinks at the time. They stayed next to me for maybe 5-10 minutes and a few other girls were walking by and on the stage. Billy's wife was trying to make sure I was having a good time but it was a little lame so after we ordered a second drink Billy had gone up to pay. He was talking for a little while with the cashier and then begain arguing. His wife and I went over to see what was going on and that is when I found out the scam bill they wanted to charge.  I said there is no way possible and we should not pay that scam.  Then the drama started to enflame and at that point Billy thought it was best to avoid a potential disaster and try to fight another day knowing how corrupt things tend to be. So Billy paid because I only had 4k Baht on me thinking there is no way the bill should be more than that. I assume the second scam bill he received may have the real one albeit still inflated. 

 

As for one genius member who thinks that Billy's wife should know better, well I assume you must be living in fantasyland with your blow up doll. Most Thai women would never have a clue that this could happen.  They may be acutely aware of some low end scams but never something to this extent. If I were to take your argument, lets assume she worked at a bar in the past - and this is not the case but lets assume. She would probably be the most shocked person since other bars might run some minor scams but she would never invision that the scam could be so egregious.  

 

Once again we appreciate those members who have offered some constructive advise. We apologize for not responding earlier but we have businesses and don't have the opportunity to monitor this site hourly. I hope you all understand. If anyone has an idea on how to approach Bangkok police to get a police report, how to contact the consulate and apprach them, and any other thoughts please let us know. 

 

We would like to help make Bangkok as safe and fun for all of us

 

As for the bar. Think Deja Vu

[Billy Sweets]

Buick.  I did not write on Trip Advisor so sounds like this is not the first time this has happened.  I also made no mention of negotiating the bill.  I did not see any room to negotiate with these crazy girls hence paying the bill in the first place to get out of there.  The bill was as I said 14,821 THB as strange as that sounds.  I snipped my credit card statement below minus the name of the bar.  I am following up with my bank as you have suggested but do not expect much of a result.

 

 

[DILLIGAD]

I would assume (yes, I know that's dangerous) you could get a police report then approach the Army anti-corruption Dept. where I live, they work out of the local Amphur (Town Hall). I believe you will have more luck/force with the Army involved.


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[Wake Up]

17 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

 

You're a <removed> for paying. Letting Thais walk all over you . No wonder they keep pulling stuff like this knowing they can get away with it. You've done a disservice to tourists everywhere. 

 

My first trip to Thailand a street food vendor tried to charge me 20 baht for pork balls after previously charging my gf 10 baht in Ratchada. I flipped out and caused the biggest scene there was a crowd of 15 Thais gathered round.

 

Nobody has done anything to me since in more than five years. They can sense it when you approach. They know who will stand for it and who wont. People need to stand up to them. 

 

 

 

It is comments like this one than ruin TV for many and cause many to not post. Frankly I am tired of the "look how great I am" posts and "look how bad others are (especially Thai) posts". What a miserable existence. 

 

Thank you Ubonjoe and many others who have really helped me with useful information about Thailand. Much appreciated.

 

But because of posts like this one I am not leaving Thailand which is a great place to live ---but I am leaving TV. Life is too short to be around mean spirited miserable insecure people with an unlimited forum to sprew slim and manure.

 

Best of luck to all and try to have some fun with others. We are all lucky to be alive for the brief moments we have in Thailand or any other country. 

 

 

[buick]

billy/admiral, thanks for the addtl info and it sounds like these bars may have adjusted their business model.  i will definitely spread the word around here and see what else i can find out.  in the end, the money (btwn two guys) isn't a big deal.  you could have made a fuss about the whole thing and maybe 'won the battle but probably not the war'.  escalating the issue and messing with the wrong people can cause big problems.

 

with the credit card, they typically remove the amount from your bill while it is under dispute.  if possible, don't make any more charges on the card.  make sure to call them and tell them you can't resolve the issue with the merchant.  the credit company/bank will have to do it.  they'll try to put the ball in your court, make sure to keep putting it back in theirs.  if it doesn't work out, you'll survive.  but i think you've got a good chance for a positive outcome.

 

at the very least you've got a story to tell for a few years until another scam comes along to takes its place.

[bkk6060]

23 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

It is comments like this one than ruin TV for many and cause many to not post. Frankly I am tired of the "look how great I am" posts and "look how bad others are (especially Thai) posts". What a miserable existence. 

 

Thank you Ubonjoe and many others who have really helped me with useful information about Thailand. Much appreciated.

 

But because of posts like this one I am not leaving Thailand which is a great place to live ---but I am leaving TV. Life is too short to be around mean spirited miserable insecure people with an unlimited forum to sprew slim and manure.

 

Best of luck to all and try to have some fun with others. We are all lucky to be alive for the brief moments we have in Thailand or any other country. 

 

 

In looking at some of your posts you make some good points and contributions.  I would not let some anonymous JO chase you off this site.  

[RandolphGB]

2 hours ago, Wake Up said:

It is comments like this one than ruin TV for many and cause many to not post. Frankly I am tired of the "look how great I am" posts and "look how bad others are (especially Thai) posts". What a miserable existence. 

 

Thank you Ubonjoe and many others who have really helped me with useful information about Thailand. Much appreciated.

 

But because of posts like this one I am not leaving Thailand which is a great place to live ---but I am leaving TV. Life is too short to be around mean spirited miserable insecure people with an unlimited forum to sprew slim and manure.

 

Best of luck to all and try to have some fun with others. We are all lucky to be alive for the brief moments we have in Thailand or any other country. 

 

 

 

The guy didn't take any direct action against the bar then instead went onto a forum to complain about them. What kind of response does he expect? You think a bar owner scammed by a customer - and a lot of tourists on Soi Cowboy that try it- would be whinging online or would he have taken it out there and then?

[CharlieH]

As the Op has left this thread it can close.

 

CLOSED