Is it illegal to leave a bad review?

[cyril sneer]

A condo I lived in recently refused to give back my deposit, reason being that he didn't have the money to pay me back

 

I wanted to write a bad review on google but my partner said I can't. Will I end up in the monkey house or face deportation for doing so? 

[SteveK]

Use a fake name, post through a VPN to hide your IP address, and don't give an specifics that would link the review to you. Then give them both barrels. But seriously, in Thailand even if what you say is 100% true it can still be defamation, especially when a farang is saying it. But if they can't trace you I'm not sure what can happen to you, almost certainly nothing.

Edited September 21, 2019 by SteveK

[ezzra]

First of all before you run to write a bad review anywhere, i would lodge a complaint with the police in your area as not giving back deposit money without a proper and valid reasons is a crime, and yes, you can write a negative reviews  providen it's worded in such way the it comes as a review and not a malicious and insulting ramblings...

[CharlieH]

Defamation laws in Thailand are draconian and it would not be advisable to do so.

Look at our own forum rules for guidance.

 

6) You will not post comments that could be reasonably construed as defamation or libel. Any such posts will be removed and the poster may face an immediate ban.

Defamation is the issuance of a statement about another person or business which causes that person to suffer harm. It does not have to be false to be defamatory. Libel is when the defamatory statement is published either in a drawing, painting, cinematography, film, picture or letters made visible by any means, or any other recording instruments, recording picture or letters, or by broadcasting or spreading picture, or by propagation by any other means. Defamation is both a civil and criminal charge in Thailand.
 

 

 

[dotpoom]

4 hours ago, SteveK said:

But if they can't trace you I'm not sure what can happen to you, almost certainly nothing.

Sorry...but is that not stating the obvious?

Edited September 22, 2019 by dotpoom

[fhickson]

dont do critical reviews on airbnb if your in a defamation location (sic pun ????)

 

i did a critical review there, a host got irked and i discovered that the host could see other places i had stayed in thailand, and other landlords reviews of me, other reviews i had written and where, etc etc and maybe even current and upcoming stays which were in the same city.

 

anything happens and they go silent. not our problem.

Edited September 22, 2019 by fhickson

[jesimps]

Last place I visited was in Kanchanaburi. I gave a very truthful and critical report on the place on the Agoda website, listing both the good and bad points. The bad way outnumbered the good I have to say. The people who made previous reports must've been weary of being sued because they were all positive, which is why I chose to stay there. I ended up leaving a day early it was so bad. I think it's only fair to the people who follow you to be truthful in your reports.

[evadgib]

Anyone who has ever tried to criticize products/bad service from Lasada will realize that it simply isn't possible.

[HHTel]

7 hours ago, cyril sneer said:

A condo I lived in recently refused to give back my deposit, reason being that he didn't have the money to pay me back

I was due the return of unused money from the Prachuab court some years ago.  After the court case was complete, I turned up at court with my lawyer to pick up the remaining cash which was close to 100K.  The court actually said that they'd pay it in a few weeks after they've collected enough fines as they don't have enough cash at the moment.

I suggested we sue the court for misappropriation of funds but my lawyer advised against it.  They did pay it after around 6 weeks.

My point is that it's not only individuals that cry poverty.

[tifino]

7 hours ago, SteveK said:

Use a fake name, post through a VPN to hide your IP address, and don't give an specifics that would link the review to you. Then give them both barrels. But seriously, in Thailand even if what you say is 100% true it can still be defamation, especially when a farang is saying it. But if they can't trace you I'm not sure what can happen to you, almost certainly nothing.

this can bring you down... as in most cases, if you do a Review, to do it you'd have had to have made a Booking thru the *.com site in the first place .i.e. say Booking.com as a simple example, you can only post a review, if you had availed their Booking service...  

 

I cared not for repercussions, when I (using Booking.com always) left Swampy Novotel a lot to think about. I received an apology  from the Novotel house manager dept... a few days later. Really too late by then, because thai mrs was really peeved by the room's condition and the inaction.

I knew I had to complain by the pen,

as and UNTIL i MADE HER READ the received Apology for herself... it was until then, all 'my' fault...  

Another on was at 'one' of the LK places; where at breakfast, she was being glared and tormented by the serving staff; as they auto assumed she was a bargirl!!

  Mind you, the breakfast room was at the time well occupied by masses of barebacked fat russians all tattoed, with their respective bargirl hanging on... 

I could see both angles of the respective perceived impressions/reactions, but again; I was forced by she who must be obeyed... to complain! - by the pen...  

 

 

some excerpts, of the end summary of one of our Booking.com Reviews:

7.1

 

???? Newness of the hotel. Daily Room Cleaning Staff did a good job. [hotelname] Accomodation Reception Staff pleasant and welcoming. Good aircon. Breakfast menu selection and quality very good thanks

 ???? Shower Drain continually floods after a few minutes, even after reporting twice in the 13 days stay. My Thai-born wife felt not welcomed by cold attitude of [hotelname] breakfast reception desk lady. My wife is not a bargirl. A simple 'sawadee' or 'hello' would be good please. The LED lights save electricity, but were not powerful enough for comfortable reading/writing at the desk

놈 2 guests agreed with this review

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by tifino

[Wongkitlo]

My wife has a guesthouse. Someone accused her unfairly of dishonesty in a booking.com review. I tried to get booking.com to remove it including mentioning the Thai laws with no result. They have an owners forum. The consensus on the forum was that because they are an international company their servers are not in Thailand so it would be hard to prove they are breaking a Thai law. I guess trip advisor and airbnb would be the same. TV would be different because Thai company probably using Thai servers. Some of the reviews she receives are very unfair.

Sent from my SM-J730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[wgdanson]

22 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Anyone who has ever tried to criticize products/bad service from Lasada will realize that it simply isn't possible.

Absolutely not true. Several times I have said something is rubbish and claimed, and got, my money back. Sent something back with Kerry last week, printed out the return form, scanned it at Kerry, and the refund was in my account before I left that office, 30 seconds.

[Golden Triangle]

I left a pretty bad review of a Pattaya attraction on Trip Adviser a few years back, then I learnt about the defamation laws here, it was a pain to get the review retracted but once I explained the law to them they were pretty good about it, the review was honest & forthright BUT if the owner had seen it and deemed to have damaged his business I would have been in deep doo doo.

 

My advice would be - Don't do it.

[Jingthing]

My wife has a guesthouse. Someone accused her unfairly of dishonesty in a booking.com review. I tried to get booking.com to remove it including mentioning the Thai laws with no result. They have an owners forum. The consensus on the forum was that because they are an international company their servers are not in Thailand so it would be hard to prove they are breaking a Thai law. I guess trip advisor and airbnb would be the same. TV would be different because Thai company probably using Thai servers. Some of the reviews she receives are very unfair.

Sent from my SM-J730F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Yeah that makes sense but if it was an expat that left the review couldn't they still be personally liable?

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[bkk6060]

No guarantees on this, but I do know a number of people who did not get their deposits back.

I have always used a real estate agency when I rent and never had a problem.

Just sayin, maybe it helps to use that service.

 

To add, people leave bad reviews about Airbnb and hotels in Thailand all the time but maybe that is different.

Edited September 22, 2019 by bkk6060

[Hank Gunn]

32 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Absolutely not true. Several times I have said something is rubbish and claimed, and got, my money back. Sent something back with Kerry last week, printed out the return form, scanned it at Kerry, and the refund was in my account before I left that office, 30 seconds.

Good you got refunded and from everything that I’ve read about Lazada, they’re pretty good about refunds. However, this topic is about online reviews.

 

I’ve generally been pretty happy with most things I’ve bought on Lazada, but one item I purchased was of fairly poor quality. I wrote a critical review with specifics as to the product’s shortcomings and within about a week it was gone. You might want to go back and check some of those negative reviews you left.

[evadgib]

1 hour ago, wgdanson said:

Absolutely not true. Several times I have said something is rubbish and claimed, and got, my money back. Sent something back with Kerry last week, printed out the return form, scanned it at Kerry, and the refund was in my account before I left that office, 30 seconds.

Methinks you missed the essence of the thread ????

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, Hank Gunn said:

Good you got refunded and from everything that I’ve read about Lazada, they’re pretty good about refunds. However, this topic is about online reviews.

 

I’ve generally been pretty happy with most things I’ve bought on Lazada, but one item I purchased was of fairly poor quality. I wrote a critical review with specifics as to the product’s shortcomings and within about a week it was gone. You might want to go back and check some of those negative reviews you left.

They are all still there, just checked.

[wgdanson]

12 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Methinks you missed the essence of the thread ????

No, I started my reply by saying that I had put negative reviews about Lazada products....then added the part about sending them back.

[evadgib]

4 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

No, I started my reply by saying that I had put negative reviews about Lazada products....then added the part about sending them back.

It started with 'Absolutely not true' which is tantamount to saying I made the whole thing up.

I wouldn't waste my time with such nonsence.

Edited September 22, 2019 by evadgib

[wgdanson]

4 minutes ago, evadgib said:

It started with 'Absolutely not true' which is tantamount to saying I made the whole thing up.

I wouldn't waste my time with such nonsence.

Anyone who has ever tried to criticize products/bad service from Lasada will realize that it simply isn't possible.

 

This is what YOU said. 'Anyone' includes me. And it simply IS POSSIBLE because I have done it. 

And it is LaZada. 

And I too shall not waste any more of my time.

[evadgib]

5 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Anyone who has ever tried to criticize products/bad service from Lasada will realize that it simply isn't possible.

 

This is what YOU said. 'Anyone' includes me. And it simply IS POSSIBLE because I have done it. 

And it is LaZada. 

And I too shall not waste any more of my time.

So you have successfully posted critical reviews on lazada website? I'm all ears as to how you managed it as I wasn't able to but they readily accept any that are positive or neutral.

[Tom89]

2 hours ago, evadgib said:

Anyone who has ever tried to criticize products/bad service from Lasada will realize that it simply isn't possible.

I've done it without any hassle from Lasada.

[tgw]

9 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Defamation laws in Thailand are draconian and it would not be advisable to do so.

Look at our own forum rules for guidance.

 

6) You will not post comments that could be reasonably construed as defamation or libel. Any such posts will be removed and the poster may face an immediate ban.

Defamation is the issuance of a statement about another person or business which causes that person to suffer harm. It does not have to be false to be defamatory. Libel is when the defamatory statement is published either in a drawing, painting, cinematography, film, picture or letters made visible by any means, or any other recording instruments, recording picture or letters, or by broadcasting or spreading picture, or by propagation by any other means. Defamation is both a civil and criminal charge in Thailand.

 

I agree negative reviews are tricky in Thai Law.

The forum rules are even more restrictive, since the forum obviously wants to protect itself from all possible risks.

 

Saying for example "they refused to refund my deposit for no reason" already potentially constitutes defamation and a false statement.

 

Negative reviews in Thailand should be limited to stating materially proven facts, such as "they refused to refund my deposit", you can scan and post the refusal letter, and then you can also take photos of your unit as you left it and add that you don't understand why you shouldn't get your deposit back. Witness statements aren't always sufficient and dangerous because people lie.

 

Any statements such as "they are liars", "I advise everyone not to do business with them", etc. are defamation.

 

And then of course, you still have to find a platform that will let you post that kind of review, because in Thai Law, the publisher is also liable for what gets published on its media platform.
Some platforms don't care what you write, such as Facebook, Google, etc. Others, like this forum, may delete your review even if it would be ok under Thai Law because they have no available legal expert and it's safer to just delete it.

Edited September 22, 2019 by tgw

[HHTel]

1 hour ago, wgdanson said:

I started my reply by saying that I had put negative reviews about Lazada products

Lazada don't have products as far as I know.  They're just an e-market which others use to sell their products.  Unless it's about service, any product review is about the seller.

[Max69xl]

2 hours ago, Hank Gunn said:

Good you got refunded and from everything that I’ve read about Lazada, they’re pretty good about refunds. However, this topic is about online reviews.

 

I’ve generally been pretty happy with most things I’ve bought on Lazada, but one item I purchased was of fairly poor quality. I wrote a critical review with specifics as to the product’s shortcomings and within about a week it was gone. You might want to go back and check some of those negative reviews you left.

I don't believe that Lazada would remove a negative review unless it was very aggressive or in a foul language. 

[Max69xl]

2 minutes ago, HHTel said:

Lazada don't have products as far as I know.  They're just an e-market which others use to sell their products.  Unless it's about service, any product review is about the seller.

When you buy from LazMall or the new LazMart,then Lazada is the seller. 

[Max69xl]

3 hours ago, wgdanson said:

Absolutely not true. Several times I have said something is rubbish and claimed, and got, my money back. Sent something back with Kerry last week, printed out the return form, scanned it at Kerry, and the refund was in my account before I left that office, 30 seconds.

I have returned several items from Lazada and never ever had a problem. Free returns through 7/11 and Thai Post, and refunded quite fast. But when people starts with really bad reviews and then starts the refund process, I do understand if they get a bit angry. 

[sunnyboy2018]

3 hours ago, tifino said:

this can bring you down... as in most cases, if you do a Review, to do it you'd have had to have made a Booking thru the *.com site in the first place .i.e. say Booking.com as a simple example, you can only post a review, if you had availed their Booking service...  

 

I cared not for repercussions, when I (using Booking.com always) left Swampy Novotel a lot to think about. I received an apology  from the Novotel house manager dept... a few days later. Really too late by then, because thai mrs was really peeved by the room's condition and the inaction.

I knew I had to complain by the pen,

as and UNTIL i MADE HER READ the received Apology for herself... it was until then, all 'my' fault...  

Another on was at 'one' of the LK places; where at breakfast, she was being glared and tormented by the serving staff; as they auto assumed she was a bargirl!!

  Mind you, the breakfast room was at the time well occupied by masses of barebacked fat russians all tattoed, with their respective bargirl hanging on... 

I could see both angles of the respective perceived impressions/reactions, but again; I was forced by she who must be obeyed... to complain! - by the pen...  

 

 

some excerpts, of the end summary of one of our Booking.com Reviews:

7.1

 

???? Newness of the hotel. Daily Room Cleaning Staff did a good job. [hotelname] Accomodation Reception Staff pleasant and welcoming. Good aircon. Breakfast menu selection and quality very good thanks

 ???? Shower Drain continually floods after a few minutes, even after reporting twice in the 13 days stay. My Thai-born wife felt not welcomed by cold attitude of [hotelname] breakfast reception desk lady. My wife is not a bargirl. A simple 'sawadee' or 'hello' would be good please. The LED lights save electricity, but were not powerful enough for comfortable reading/writing at the desk

놈 2 guests agreed with this review

 

'By the pen' Please explain. Tatooed Russians in LK Metro? Service staff staring at Thai girl because they though she was a bar girl? What a load of fantastical nonesense

[Airalee]

Learn how to leave a glowing left handed compliment.