Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

General chat about life in the Land Of Smiles. Discuss expat life, relationship issues and all things generally Thailand and Asia related.
hhinner
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Re: Water supplies to residential areas

Post by hhinner »

Name Taken wrote:
hhinner wrote:
Name Taken wrote: <snip> ...

That's one of things that really pisses me off about living in Thailand, every single Thai is trying rip you off... <snip>
Really? Every single Thai?
Uh oh, looks like dtaai-maai has his little troll army trolling me again, he's obviously too butthurt to here the truth about Thailand and wants me to stop posting.
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2. I'm not a troll.
3. I've never been in any army, never mind dtaai-maai's Trolls.

"Every single Thai is trying to rip you off." Now that's trolling!

Sorry that not everyone shares your point of view.
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Re: Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

Post by Big Boy »

buksida wrote:Anyone that thinks Thailand is bad should try spending some time in Malaysia - as a foreigner you'll be stung on absolutely everything there.

Paying over the odds in a tourist town such as Hua Hin should really be expected and budgeted for IMO, it happens in every tourist destination in the world.
I'm personally not disagreeing. I came here with my eyes open. I knew what I was coming to, and I wouldn't change it. If I'm happy with a price, I pay with no problem. However, it is frustrating when you go to other parts of the country and see thing like replica football shirts selling for a quarter of the Hua Hin price.
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Frank La Rue
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Re: Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

Post by Frank La Rue »

When shopping anything of substance or booking a hotel I am often asked by Mrs La Rue to stay in the car or out of view such that the price can be agreed on Thai terms. Then I am allowed to join
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Khundon1975
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Re: Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

Post by Khundon1975 »

Name Taken Sorry mate, I can't agree "that every single Thai is trying to rip you off".

Some are, but not all. But isn't that the same the whole world over. :wink:

If you think the price that you are asked to pay for anything, is too high, you have two choices, haggle the price down to what you feel is fair, or, keep your hands in your pockets and turn around and walk away, it's that simple.

Mags got it right, shop local to home when you can, they soon get to know you and you will pay the "proper rate" not some hiked up, plucked from the air price.

The wife, over the years, has built up a small group of tradesmen, builders, plumbers, and others who she trusts and who she knows offer good prices, because they know, they will get repeat custom from her and her family.

As for buying land, property ETC, the family (minus FIL) always took me along to look but it was FIL who visited a few days later and bought in his name. Frank is correct on that one, keep your white face out of the way. :wink:

Hua Hin is pricey, mainly down to the BKK set spending time here, so of course shops restaurants, services ETC are higher, than out in the boon docks. Plus, the overseas tourists are willing (after a little fun time haggling) to pay the prices asked and still feel they are getting a bargain.
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margaretcarnes
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Re: Water supplies to residential areas

Post by margaretcarnes »

Big Boy wrote:
margaretcarnes wrote:But also important is to barter with a smile. It really does make a difference, and bartering is expected.
Unfortunately, this is a skill I don't possess [Edit](batering, not smiling), so if it happens, I'm just another lost sale - I walk away. I know that I'm not alone. The problem for me with bartering is the opening cost is outrageously high, and my brain warns me - RIP OFF ALERT!!!


Good to know that your smiling is better than your batering BB! :wink:
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Re: Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

Post by Takiap »

I personally don't feel as though every Thai is trying to rip me off, but of course that could be because I've been here for quite a long time already. Rip off artists are generally only found in certain sectors........tuk tuk drivers for example.

Going to local markets and shops, I pay the same as local Thais. In the past I've even tested this by getting my wife to ask about prices with me out of sight. When I later appeared on my own, I got offered the same prices, sometimes with some haggling and sometimes without.

I think a lot of foreigners would feel a whole lot better if they remind themselves that if all Thais just kept quiet and paid up, they would get ripped off just as often as anyone else. Of course dual pricing is a different matter altogether, but when it comes to day to day living, I have found most Thais have no desire to rip me off. Of course, venues that cater mostly for tourists are somewhat different, and in those places I think it all boils down to how you deal with it.

Like BB has said, if you are happy with the price then pay; if not, then haggle, and if you don't like haggling, then simply move on.

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Re: Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

Post by migrant »

As others have said Hua Hin is a holiday destination and the holiday makers generally farang.

Here in Southern California we get a lot of vacationers and there are plenty of places with inflated prices. Go 5 miles away and prices drop considerably
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Re: Water supplies to residential areas

Post by Name Taken »

hhinner wrote:"Every single Thai is trying to rip you off." Now that's trolling!
No, I was over exaggerating a little bit. :wink:
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Khundon1975
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Re: Water supplies to residential areas

Post by Khundon1975 »

Name Taken wrote:
hhinner wrote:"Every single Thai is trying to rip you off." Now that's trolling!
No, I was over exaggerating a little bit. :wink:
Just like the rip off merchants do, when they offer you an inflated price for goods ETC. :wink:

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Re: Water supplies to residential areas

Post by Name Taken »

hhinner wrote:I'm not little.
It was not a reference to your actual size, and I have never met you so I wouldn't know anyways.
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Re: Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

Post by hhfarang »

the worst cases of serious rip offs are by other farang.
I started my retirement in Hua Hin by being massively ripped off by a farang builder... they are the worst of all the rip off artists in Thailand as they don't get you for a few baht or even a few thousand, but usually a few million! I managed through a well written contract, daily on site inspections, and by keeping meticulous records to keep from losing several million to a builder there (who is still building communities, btw). I only ended up losing a few hundred thousand, a couple of years of my life, and getting a head of grey hair, but I've known many who lost millions and a few their health or lives from such unscrupulous villains.

By contrast, I only felt ripped off by Thais a few times and the amount was usually small.
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Re: Is it Rip-Off Thailand?

Post by taffinexile »

We may get ripped off when buying some things in Thailand but as non Thai who only holidays there we are happy with the price in the end. As a Brit in the UK we get ripped off by everybody!
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