Foreigners. Do You Get Scammed And Overcharged?

[MAJIC]

A simple Poll,have you been scammed or over charged in Thailand,

and if so, it should show in the Poll how bad it is,.... or not?

[onnut]

10 baht here 20 baht there. nothing to write home about. maybe a beer or two padded onto a bill.

[stevenl]

The answers are overlapping, 3 of the 4 would be correct for me.

[sadman]

If you've been properly scammed, you won't know it (by definition). If you've been overcharged, it is quite likely that you either won't know it or you were prepared to pay the inflated price, in which case is it overcharging?

Like probably everyone on this site, I have without doubt been overcharged and scammed, but I've had the same in may parts of the UK, Europe, Africa, the USA, Australia and other parts of S E Asia. Probably about the only place I definitely haven't been had over is Andorra, and that's only because I was a guest and spent nothing at all.

May I ask: what is the point of this poll?

[MAJIC]

The answers are overlapping, 3 of the 4 would be correct for me.

I dont believe 2 choices are available on these Polls.

[onnut]

If you've been properly scammed, you won't know it (by definition). If you've been overcharged, it is quite likely that you either won't know it or you were prepared to pay the inflated price, in which case is it overcharging?

Like probably everyone on this site, I have without doubt been overcharged and scammed, but I've had the same in may parts of the UK, Europe, Africa, the USA, Australia and other parts of S E Asia. Probably about the only place I definitely haven't been had over is Andorra, and that's only because I was a guest and spent nothing at all.

May I ask: what is the point of this poll?

I dont agree!

so if a Local buys a coke for 20 baht and you go and get one and they charge you 30 baht and you tell them you will only pay 20 baht the same as the local before you did, and they say no its 30 baht! so you can walk off and go elsewhere and still be charged 30 baht, so in that case it is better to pay the 30 baht because you are thirsty. thats a scam!

they are only asking for 30 because they think you can afford it, which most cases is true but not the point.

[MAJIC]

If you've been properly scammed, you won't know it (by definition). If you've been overcharged, it is quite likely that you either won't know it or you were prepared to pay the inflated price, in which case is it overcharging?

Like probably everyone on this site, I have without doubt been overcharged and scammed, but I've had the same in may parts of the UK, Europe, Africa, the USA, Australia and other parts of S E Asia. Probably about the only place I definitely haven't been had over is Andorra, and that's only because I was a guest and spent nothing at all.

May I ask: what is the point of this poll?

Of course.

Just curiosity,comparing Thailand with other Countries.

But no Poll can be 100% correct of course,and not to be taken too seriously either.

[afarang]

If you've been properly scammed, you won't know it (by definition). If you've been overcharged, it is quite likely that you either won't know it or you were prepared to pay the inflated price, in which case is it overcharging?

Like probably everyone on this site, I have without doubt been overcharged and scammed, but I've had the same in may parts of the UK, Europe, Africa, the USA, Australia and other parts of S E Asia. Probably about the only place I definitely haven't been had over is Andorra, and that's only because I was a guest and spent nothing at all.

May I ask: what is the point of this poll?

Of course.

Just curiosity,comparing Thailand with other Countries.

But no Poll can be 100% correct of course,and not to be taken too seriously either.

Rubbish.All of us have been done over at some point.Some of us learn our lesson.Learn to avoid the scammers. In Thailand . Thais are the past masters at it.Novices get done so many times. How many examples do you need?Give one,forget the tourist traps, which are called DOUBLE pricing. A tuk-tuk from Thewet to Khaosan Rd. , is B40,Tourists will be charged B80 .Nifty? Case proven

[surangw]

Time share scams are big money, ( but usually not thais that get the payoff)

[BangTaoBoy]

When you are new tourist to Phuket of course you will get scammed. The more savvy and well travelled you are, the better you will be, but everyone will be overcharged at some point. Quite simply because you don't know how much things should be and lets face it, you're on holiday so who cares about a few quid here and there.

After you have spent any amount of time here it takes very little intelligence to avoid being scammed. The people who live here and still complain about being riped off crack me up, they're just high lighting the fact that they're not very bright.

[Tropicalevo]

This is a crazy poll.

There is a big difference between a scam and an overcharge. You are being asked to answer 2 questions with a one choice answer.

I went to buy a bag of ice. I was told that it was 12 baht. I said that it is normally 6 baht. I was told that as a foreigner I could afford 12! Left the shop and bought one next door for 6 baht.

Overcharge

Take a taxi from Samui airport to my house. 10 minutes maybe 5 kilometers. Told that it is 600 baht. Person next me asks for the same - 600 baht. Thai person asks for the same - 600 baht. No choice - totally illegal (meter taxis).

To me this is a scam.

Catch a tuk-tuk in Bangkok to go to Chatuchak market. Get taken to a jeweler and a tailor first.

That is a scam (possibly - a waste of time at worse.)

As someone earlier said - anyone who comes to Thailand and says that they have NOT been scammed OR overcharged is on medication.

But this is probably true of most other countries with tourists.

(Except for Andorra. I went there as well and I wasn't scammed or overcharged. Mind you, I was only going through on my way to somewhere else. Just wanted to show the wife some snow!)

Edited September 28, 2010 by Tropicalevo

[MAJIC]

This is a crazy poll.

There is a big difference between a scam and an overcharge. You are being asked to answer 2 questions with a one choice answer.I went to buy a bag of ice. I was told that it was 12 baht. I said that it is normally 6 baht. I was told that as a foreigner I could afford 12! Left the shop and bought one next door for 6 baht.

Overcharge

Take a taxi from Samui airport to my house. 10 minutes maybe 5 kilometers. Told that it is 600 baht. Person next me asks for the same - 600 baht. Thai person asks for the same - 600 baht. No choice - totally illegal (meter taxis).

To me this is a scam.

Catch a tuk-tuk in Bangkok to go to Chatuchak market. Get taken to a jeweler and a tailor first.

That is a scam (possibly - a waste of time at worse.)

As someone earlier said - anyone who comes to Thailand and says that they have NOT been scammed OR overcharged is on medication.

But this is probably true of most other countries with tourists.

(Except for Andorra. I went there as well and I wasn't scammed or overcharged. Mind you, I was only going through on my way to somewhere else. Just wanted to show the wife some snow!)

Possibly a moot point,"Do You Get Scammed and Overcharged" Perhaps it should have been and/or.

But should not have any bearing on the end result,for the Pedantic Voter?

Edited September 28, 2010 by MAJIC

[thrilled]

hey your rich,compared to the average thai,quit complaining,it's only money

[Traxster]

Well......whenever I come to Thailand,

I come on the understanding that I will be 'scammed,overcharged,ripped off' call it what you like.

As long as it's not too much,I have no problem with it.

[naiharn]

Sadman wrote:

If you've been properly scammed, you won't know it (by definition).

Who said anything about being 'properly' scammed. That was an extra condition added by you, to support your following weird logic.

(Even if 'properly' scammed)

You might find out later. In fact you probably will find out later. When you discover the worthlessness of the gems/timeshare/membership you have been tricked into purchasing.

If you've been overcharged, it is quite likely that you either won't know

You might find out later. (And in any case, does your not knowing make it OK? If I steal something of you and you don't find out, would that be OK?)

it or you were prepared to pay the inflated price, in which case is it overcharging?

You may realise that the price is inflated but have no choice but to pay it. e.g. The taxi drivers simply won't take you without double the proper (local) fare. There is no alternative: no bus, no motorbike, too far to walk. So you pay. Or an immigration official demands 3,000 Baht for a stamp that you know should be 1,800 Baht, you either pay or leave the country.

Are you saying these cases are not overcharging, because in the end you were prepared to pay the inflated prices?

Like probably everyone on this site, I have without doubt been overcharged and scammed,

'properly' scammed - or an inferior type of scamming?

but I've had the same in may parts of the UK, Europe, Africa, the USA, Australia and other parts of S E Asia. Probably about the only place I definitely haven't been had over is Andorra, and that's only because I was a guest and spent nothing at all.

May I ask: what is the point of this poll?

Main point is to draw out the silly logic of apologists like you

[LivinLOS]

As someone earlier said - anyone who comes to Thailand and says that they have NOT been scammed OR overcharged is on medication.

Thats about how I feel.

My mother (shy little old lady) had a large fruit knife waved in her face by a screaming thai guy when she had the cheek to suggest that 200 baht for a slice of watermelon might be a little high.

Would that be a scam, or overcharging ?? Or a mugging ??

[LivinLOS]

As someone earlier said - anyone who comes to Thailand and says that they have NOT been scammed OR overcharged is on medication.

Thats about how I feel.

My mother (shy little old lady) had a large fruit knife waved in her face by a screaming thai guy when she had the cheek to suggest that 200 baht for a slice of watermelon might be a little high.

Would that be a scam, or overcharging ?? Or a mugging ??

[Theo007]

I took my car to have the air serviced at a shop on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya. Was told to come back in an hour to collect it. Upon returning I was told that the cassette player wasn't working but the shop just happened to sell them. He offered me a great discount and said he could have it installed immediately. I declined his kind offer and left. When I arrived home I discovered that the speakers had been disconnected. A week later I had to find another air con shop since all the gas had leaked out!

[petercallen]

I think this topic has been discussed on this forum so many times its well past its due date

[Ulysses G.]

May I ask: what is the point of this poll?

Another excuse to whine about how "terrible" it is here.

[antony77]

If you speak a little Thai you almost never get scammed. I have no sympathy for farangs who make no effort to learn the language.

The worst scammers in Thailand are Farangs in the Real Estate Business.

[LivinLOS]

If you speak a little Thai you almost never get scammed. I have no sympathy for farangs who make no effort to learn the language.

The worst scammers in Thailand are Farangs in the Real Estate Business.

Crock.. My wife gets continually ripped of and scammed here.. And shes Thai !!

[sarahsbloke]

When you are new tourist to Phuket of course you will get scammed.

My friend's son and his gf (Australian) came to Thailand for the first time last month (Phuket) on holiday.

After a few days there, they phoned up my friend and asked if they could come up to Chiang Mai and stay, as they were sick of being ripped off.

They had a very nice holiday in Chiang Mai!

[NamKangMan]

If you've been properly scammed, you won't know it (by definition). If you've been overcharged, it is quite likely that you either won't know it or you were prepared to pay the inflated price, in which case is it overcharging?

Like probably everyone on this site, I have without doubt been overcharged and scammed, but I've had the same in may parts of the UK, Europe, Africa, the USA, Australia and other parts of S E Asia. Probably about the only place I definitely haven't been had over is Andorra, and that's only because I was a guest and spent nothing at all.

May I ask: what is the point of this poll?

I dont agree!

so if a Local buys a coke for 20 baht and you go and get one and they charge you 30 baht and you tell them you will only pay 20 baht the same as the local before you did, and they say no its 30 baht! so you can walk off and go elsewhere and still be charged 30 baht, so in that case it is better to pay the 30 baht because you are thirsty. thats a scam!

they are only asking for 30 because they think you can afford it, which most cases is true but not the point.

Totally agree. Just because you can afford the extra 10 baht, doesn't make it right. Why don't they charge rich Thai's 30 baht for the can of coke???? A lot of Thai landlords and business owners are extremely rich, even by western standards, especially in the tourist areas. Therefore, I believe this "mark-up" is based on the customer's race (farang). The Thai economy Apartheid system. Farang MUST pay more than Thai :) :)

[petercallen]

If you speak a little Thai you almost never get scammed. I have no sympathy for farangs who make no effort to learn the language.

The worst scammers in Thailand are Farangs in the Real Estate Business.

Crock.. My wife gets continually ripped of and scammed here.. And shes Thai !!

My wife never gets ripped of or scammed and she is Thai also

[doggie888888]

I have been overcharged in Thailand, of course. More surprisingly, even by other foreigners!!!

It's not just a Thai thing.., it's the lack of a legal framework (eg consumer protection) that allows unscrupulous people to cheat and overcharge. In my own experience, some farangs overcharge much more than the Thais. The former tend to overstate the "foreign quality" promise and charge a premium. Alas, often they can't deliver and then blame Thailand for the over-promise.

[NamKangMan]

When you are new tourist to Phuket of course you will get scammed. The more savvy and well travelled you are, the better you will be, but everyone will be overcharged at some point. Quite simply because you don't know how much things should be and lets face it, you're on holiday so who cares about a few quid here and there.

After you have spent any amount of time here it takes very little intelligence to avoid being scammed. The people who live here and still complain about being riped off crack me up, they're just high lighting the fact that they're not very bright.

Rubbish. Look at the tuk-tuks. They will take the piss out of a first time tourist, and a farang who has lived here for 10 years. It's called COLLUSION.

Your argument is, someone who lives here knows to avoid the tuk-tuks, however, the expat has had to modify his/her behaviour to accommodate the tuk-tuk rip off. Eg. buy a bike or car or move to a place in walking distance. How many of us modify our behaviour to avoid being ripped off. I'm suggesting, a very high percentage of us have now put in place practices that minimise our exposure to the rip offs. It's that bad. Just self assess your everyday actions and you will see it in yourself. Eg. "I get the missus to buy everything." or "I shop at Big C / Tesco / Carrefour where the prices are marked." or "I pay as I go in a bar." etc etc

Sure, only a few baht here and a few baht there, BUT, it's most businesses, bars, taxis, markets etc etc etc etc etc etc. It's rife. Once again, I like it here, but, to say it does not exist is living in "denial."

Some people are too proud to admit they haveever been taken advantage of, ripped off, or overcharged etc.

[NamKangMan]

This is a crazy poll.

There is a big difference between a scam and an overcharge. You are being asked to answer 2 questions with a one choice answer.

I went to buy a bag of ice. I was told that it was 12 baht. I said that it is normally 6 baht. I was told that as a foreigner I could afford 12! Left the shop and bought one next door for 6 baht.

Overcharge

Take a taxi from Samui airport to my house. 10 minutes maybe 5 kilometers. Told that it is 600 baht. Person next me asks for the same - 600 baht. Thai person asks for the same - 600 baht. No choice - totally illegal (meter taxis).

To me this is a scam.

Catch a tuk-tuk in Bangkok to go to Chatuchak market. Get taken to a jeweler and a tailor first.

That is a scam (possibly - a waste of time at worse.)

As someone earlier said - anyone who comes to Thailand and says that they have NOT been scammed OR overcharged is on medication.

But this is probably true of most other countries with tourists.

(Except for Andorra. I went there as well and I wasn't scammed or overcharged. Mind you, I was only going through on my way to somewhere else. Just wanted to show the wife some snow!)

You are contradicting yourself.

What is the shop next door also said 12 baht for ice? So, you go to a third shop and it's also 12 baht for ice. It's called COLLUSION. Give it time and the ice vendors will do as the taxis and you will have no choice but to pay 12 baht for the ice, all over the island, because you are farang.

This collusion is expanding, not shrinking, across many industries. Soon, the idea of "going elsewhere" will be of no benefit because it will be an inflated farang price everywhere. What will you do then. You will have no choice but to pay.

[NamKangMan]

The tuk-tuk model of pricing is spreading. :) :)

Edited September 29, 2010 by NamKangMan

[NamKangMan]

hey your rich,compared to the average thai,quit complaining,it's only money

Ok then. Can I interest you in the purchase of a time share apartment? Or, the "FREEHOLD" purchase of" land" in Thailand. Don't worry, it's only money. :) :) :) :)

Edited September 29, 2010 by NamKangMan