scams

[dab69]

my neice is going to TH saturday and I was asked to
provide information. I simply sent the following
www.bangkokscams.com (http://www.bangkokscams.com)

figured I'd actually read it- I found some new ones there.
Especially vile from Filipinos there. worth a read.

[Up2U]

I found this link not that helpful. First, it has old posts (2009) and doesn't mention the JetSki (Phuket and Pattaya) and real estate scams, which are real scams. The posts talk about "minor league" scams (litter police and taxi scams); the JetSki scams can be many, many thousand of baht and real estate scams can be millions of baht. Two friends almost got "burned" in Bangkok real estate scams for millions of baht but in the end through costly litigation they prevailed.

Even by that websites definition dual pricing is not a scam. Posting in Thai script is not a scam.

[arsenal]

Ok not scams exactly but just be aware.

1. That old chestnut of charging more for a boys drink is back, notably in Nice Boys.

2. The Thai boys are trying that "You don't remember me? we had a drink last time." It's happened to me twice so far.

3. X-Boys Pattayaland (formerly Davids) have stopped giving 20 baht notes in their change. So wheras before 300 baht would consist of 2 x 100 and 5 x 20 it now consists of 2 x 100 and 2 x 50. Play their game if you choose to.

[Up2U]

Ok not scams exactly but just be aware. 1. That old chestnut of charging more for a boys drink is back, notably in Nice Boys.

How much more? I haven't been there in a while. What was the total check bin?

[newalaan]

X-Boys Pattayaland (formerly Davids) have stopped giving 20 baht notes in their change. So wheras before 300 baht would consist of 2 x 100 and 5 x 20 it now consists of 2 x 100 and 2 x 50. Play their game if you choose to.
I sincerely hope this was a one-off "arsenal", it would be interesting to know if they do this regularly, if so they are taking we customers for fools, so far the Bkk agogo habit of giving 4x10Bt coins in the folder i have'nt noticed in Pattaya yet, this is another blatent con/attempt to decieve, where they take the piss, deliberately putting coins in the hope you will only take notice of the notes and leave Bt40 coins PLUS Bt20 or whatever. I hate that. And before we get the 'usual' boring, tedious, repetitive, ad-nauseum replies about cheapness, it has nothing to do with the actual amount of money, it is to do with principal of being considered so stupid to fall for it, as well as these half-wits thinking they can get 'one over' on their 'valuable' customers. While it is clear many bar owners do not have even the basic comprehension of principals, many of their customers do. The amount of money being a side issue for most.

I couldn't give a shit about Bt20, Bt50, Bt100 when on holiday, i enjoy tipping, as well as the folder i tend to give to specific boys/waiters as I do not (in general) trust bar owners and mamasans, by the very nature of the business they are in, the 'ability' to be two-faced, false, devious and plain liars is a prerequisite, some owners having these 'abilities' as second nature, but anyone who deliberately sets out to cheat/con me in their bar can expect nothing, zilch, zero and they'll be told exactly why.

And the 'usual suspects' can spare us from the 'its the only way to get a fair tip from cheap customers' arguement, we've heard it a million times and it's still a load of crap.

Have to say I agree totally with new allans post above and am even more pissed off to realise that I have fallen for that very coins instead of notes for change scam that he described and it never entered my head until he mentioned it what the buggers were at ! GRRRR And as he say's its NOT about the money it's about the principal - and little do they know that being fair and str8 about things they've every bit more chance of getting MORE out of me that way than by trying to scam and few extra lousy baht out of me.

[arsenal]

Up2U: It was 20 Baht more for the boys drink.

newalaan: No it happened twice. I tell you...it's their policy.

NIrish; The coins rammed hard into the folder corner has happened here. It was in G.U.Y. I don't know if they still do it, probably.


While here I would also like to say thankyou to the coffee shop people at the top of viewpoint mountain who kept and returned my sunglasses when I left the there. Also to the staff at 7-11 near Sunnee in Soi VC who sent another customer chasing after me when they thought I had left my 500 baht chenge there by mistake.

[Neal]

May I say, be careful before you call some of these bars and boys trying to "scam" you. No I am not going to get into Cheap Charlie and tips and the previous disagreement was over restaurants so please do not mix the two. They are not the same.
Happy Place like other bars give out some coins or coins and bills so that if the customer wants to leave a tip, he has some change. If he were given all 100's, many will not leave a 10 baht tip. OK let me be more fair. Many will not have or ask for change to leave a tip. If the change is in 100's, they always gave out some twenties, again to leave a tip. I surely feel it is ripping off the customer if what you are saying is that any establishment is diliberately not giving out the CORRECT change. And if the change is 300 baht and they give you 2 100's and two fifties, well they are surely trying to get a fifty baht tip and that is too much as far as this (at the moment) poster believes. I would almost bet that the incorrect change scheme if in fact it is happenin or the 50's instead of some 20's is the WAITER and not the owner of the bar as they could care less. They don't get the tip money.

Arsenal: Yes, most bars give the boy 20 baht commission for getting the customer to buy them a drink. Do I think it's fair? Yes. Do I think that the customer should be charged 20 baht more so the bar really pays out nothing? HELL NO!

[Up2U]

Well, 20 baht more is not right. I have seen some bars make the boys drink smaller. Higher priced boys drinks seems counter-productive because it discourages customers from buying the boys drinks.

[Neal]

Up2u no it is not right and the drink should be as big as the customers drink. The bar should pay the 20 baht or up the drink prices by 20 baht and give the boy that. WHile it still comes from the customer, the customer sees the proper prices of drinks and if they don't wish to pay it, they can leave.

I do believe that ONE reason for charging the customer 20 baht more for a boys drink than a customers is that if they put the 20 baht in EVERY drink, it charges the customer more for all drinks and they don't have the 20 baht commission on the customer drinks so they can lower the customers drinks by 20 baht. How's that thinking?

...I do believe that ONE reason for charging the customer 20 baht more for a boys drink than a customers is that if they put the 20 baht in EVERY drink, it charges the customer more for all drinks and they don't have the 20 baht commission on the customer drinks so they can lower the customers drinks by 20 baht. How's that thinking?

I'll let you know when I figure it out! :sign5:

I'm inclined to the view that a beer or a coke (or whatever) should be the same price for customer and boys - otherwise it just leads to resentment and decreased custom, which is counter-productive. If you feel you're being ripped off you won't go back in a hurry.

As another poster has correctly said, a lot of the bars routinely serve a smaller drink or put very little alcohol in the boys drink - so they are effectively covering the boy's 20B commission anyway.

None of the major bars are selling drinks cheaply, they shouldn't have to resort to these underhand tactics.

[christianpfc]

I didn't pay much attention to it during my holiday, but that it's mentioned I checked my notes:

X-Boyz my drink 180, boy drink 200; Toy Boys my drink 150, boy drink 160. And in Bangkok: Classic Boys my drink 250, boy drink 270; X-Boyz my drink 250, boy drink 250 as well! I did not pay attention what the boy ordered, so I just thought he ordered something more pricy than I (wich is easy as I usually drink water or juice).

I read (I think on stickmanbangkok) that lady drinks in girl bars can be a real surprise for the customer (in the range of 500 Baht per drink).

Frankly how the change is given back to me has no influence on how I tip. If they glue the coin to the folder corner, then I would call it a scam.

I guess we can turn every topic into discussing drink prices within three posts.

[Up2U]

.......

Frankly how the change is given back to me has no influence on how I tip. ..............

Me too, it is a good business practice to give small bills and coins.