Incorrect change and such like.

[arsenal]

There's a thread on GB which is well worth a read but I thought I'd start one here. My experience of getting the 'wrong change' in Thailand is rather limited but then I virtually don't drink so I'm not a good example. The coins wedged inside the corner flap is well known as is the 100 less than it should be when paying with a 1000 baht note. If buying petrol make sure the pump is set to zero before the attendant fills up. More of the station's now have pumps where the amount is keyed in before the filling starts.

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[scottish-guy]

...pumps where the amount is keyed in before the filling starts...

I've known a few "top" boys more or less like that - and I never got any change from them, correct or otherwise

[arsenal]

They charge more for older vehicles.

[NitNoi]

In over ten years in SE Asia, I have received the wrong change many times - surprisingly, mostly in my favor!

[a447]

I normally don't bother checking bills. I tend to trust people, as I have done all my life. It's the legacy of growing up in a country of very honest people.

On the odd occasion that I have checked, all has been in order. But then again, I don't get roaring drunk - a bit difficult on Coke Zero - so perhaps the temptation to short-change me or inflate the bill is limited.

I find the Thais very honest. On a couple of occasions I've handed over a 1000 baht note in the dark , mistaking it for 100 baht. And the notes have been returned to me, earning the waiters a decent tip for their honestly.

I know, I know.....what about the times I made the same mistake and the money wasn't returned? Or did it only happen a couple of times?

Well, if I'm so careless, then that's my fault.

If I found a place trying to rip me off, I doubt I'd return.

[Jellybean]

Now, for the life of me arsenal, I cannot remember if it was before or after that rather controversial episode of the alleged short change from a go-go bar in Pattaya that I stopped handing over 1,000 Baht notes in the bars.

Every time, and it is usually daily, I go to the supermarket or a 7-ELEVEN in Thailand, I hand over a 1,000 Baht note and therefore tend to build up quite a collection of 100 and 20 Baht notes. I used to, not so much these days as I don’t visit them quite as often, hand over almost the asking price, subject to any well deserved tip, when in a go-go or host bar.

But I don’t think I’ve visited a go-go bar in Bangkok for two or more years, but I still maintain this habit when I visit go-go bars in Pattaya.

And back in the days when I owned a car and I used to fill it up with diesel, I always checked the pump was re-set to zero. And, as with my practice in a go-go or host bar, I handed over, more or less, the correct money with at least a 20 Baht tip for the pump attendant. Sometimes it was more if they offered to check my car’s tyre pressure, check the oil, or clean my car windscreen etc. This is the sort of service you no longer see back in the UK, where it has been self-service for more years than I care to remember,

[arsenal]

And a simple tip. Small notes in the right back pocket and 1000s in the left. A fastening such as a button or press stud also helps.

[Smiles]

" ... to check my car’s tyre pressure ... "

Jelly Bean, you bring tears of joy to my world.

[Jellybean]

And a simple tip. Small notes in the right back pocket and 1000s in the left. A fastening such as a button or press stud also helps.

Yes, I agree, a very good tip, arsenal. When looking to buy shorts or cargo pants for wearing in Thailand, I always look to buy those with zip pockets, or failing that, button or press stud pockets. I keep my 1,000 and 500 Baht notes in the zip pocket and my 100 Baht notes in my right-hand side button pocket and my 20 (and to a lesser extent, my 50 Baht notes) in my left-hand side button pocket. As mentioned elsewhere, I have eyesight problems, which are exacerbated in the usually poor light conditions of bars, so the above system works very well for me.

Last year, while back in the UK, my favourite khaki cargo pants developed a rip below the knee. They were my favourite because they had four leg pockets, two of which had zip pockets, besides the usual two hand pockets. I tried shopping to find a replacement in two high street stores and online, but to no avail. I therefore took the ripped cargo pants to a local tailor, who very kindly turned them into shorts for the reasonable price of £10 (the equivalent of 448 Baht).

Jelly Bean, you bring tears of joy to my world.

Great! I am glad to read that, Smiles. It’s always better to bring tears of joy than tears of sadness. But I don’t understand why my post elicited such an emotion.

[arsenal]

Jellybean. It is one of life's sad truisms that a much loved and well used item such as a pair of cargo shorts, sunglasses, trainers, belt bag etc is almost impossible to replace with something one loves as much, once it's time is up.