Abuse Of Phuket Tourists: 'Bar Mafia’ Crackdown Looms

[Dukeleto]

Nothing will be done. He's compiling and submitting a report which will gather dust. The only reason this is reported is to feed the xenophobic Thai media.

Agreed! and indeed I am mystified at where all his information comes from! I have seen some of those things mentioned happen, but they were not from Farang owned bars only! Indeed how do you get beaten up by going to another bar. Do they watch you when you walk down the street and if you don't enter into their bar do they send a squad of goons into the bar you are in and beat you up??? What cobbelers! Overcharging in bars is done by everyone who thinks they can get away with it!

Friends of mine took other friends to a go go bar, got overcharged (500 baht a drink and not as advertised) they were not allowed to leave until the bill was settled. Tourist police were called. When the wife spoke to one the tourist police on the side to enquire why this happens he screemed at her to %&*$ off from Thailand! Finally the reality of how it really is here...if you don't tow the line and just cough up like all good "quality" tourists should then £$%& off.

[Dukeleto]

I don't know...... this crackdown sounds serious. It might last 4 or 5 days.

Hahahahaa

[exbelg]

this must be a late april's fool day, right ?

what about 200.000 baht repairs for jet ski, operated by the THAI MAFFIA

tuk tuk maffia

the taxi maffia who blocked the port for boats arriving

etc ...

so the problem for thai is really : blame it all on the farang

[IanForbes]

Why would anyone want to visit, let alone live, in a corrupt cesspool like Thailand ? Admit it guys, you are all there primarily for the culture.....bwaaahaaaahaaa.

Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up. But trust me guys, if you get back to civilization and get a REAL girlfriend your self-respect CAN be revived.

What pray tell is a REAL girl friend? Thai rentals are far less expensive in the long run. And, what self respect are you talking about? Certainly if you are young, handsome and with an unlimited amount of money then finding an attractive girl friend in Europe, North America, New Zealand or Austalia is no problem. But, if you are over 50 then you better be a millionaire and don't mind giving half of it away after every breakup.

It's easy enough to check the price of drinks in ANY bar... just ask. If you can find some place cheaper then drink there. Or, buy your beer in the nearest 7-11 and drink on the beach.

There is no question that Phuket bars near Patong Beach charge far more than bars elsewhere in Thailand. It's also noticeable that Russian mafia have taken over many bars in Pattaya... but nobody is forcing you to drink there. Last time I checked in Pattaya a few months ago there WERE alternative places to drink.

But, if you insist on getting drunk and don't pay attention to your tab then it's no wonder that a few crooked bars will take advantage of you.

[AussieLovesThailand]

Why would anyone want to visit, let alone live, in a corrupt cesspool like Thailand ? Admit it guys, you are all there primarily for the culture.....bwaaahaaaahaaa.

Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up. But trust me guys, if you get back to civilization and get a REAL girlfriend your self-respect CAN be revived.

Over the past 5 years, I've been to Thailand about 30 times, gone to hundreds of bars in Bangkok, Pattaya and a few in Phuket and other places and NEVER ONCE been scammed at any of them.

A couple of other minor scams in heavy tourist areas, but nothing like you would expect in many other countries.

Best of all is a Thai Girlfriend that lets you have a little fun!

[wump]

Agreed! and indeed I am mystified at where all his information comes from! I have seen some of those things mentioned happen, but they were not from Farang owned bars only! Indeed how do you get beaten up by going to another bar. Do they watch you when you walk down the street and if you don't enter into their bar do they send a squad of goons into the bar you are in and beat you up??? What cobbelers! Overcharging in bars is done by everyone who thinks they can get away with it!

Friends of mine took other friends to a go go bar, got overcharged (500 baht a drink and not as advertised) they were not allowed to leave until the bill was settled. Tourist police were called. When the wife spoke to one the tourist police on the side to enquire why this happens he screemed at her to %&*$ off from Thailand! Finally the reality of how it really is here...if you don't tow the line and just cough up like all good "quality" tourists should then £$%& off.

Went to Roxy A-GoGo the other day and expected to pay 130 baht for a beer same as last year. But I requested the drinks menu nevertheless. 500 for a beer and 800 for an OJ? I laughed and asked for the real menu. She wouldn't bring it. So we just left, luckily we didn't get hassled no more.

A couple of days later, one of the promoter guys on the street comes and stops me "come A-gogo A-gogo". I asked "which one?". He said "Roxy's". So I said no, I don't wanna pay 500 for a beer. He said "okok 400". I said no. He goes on "ok 300". What kind of business is this?

Also, while the nice and honest gogo bars (Rock-Hard A-Gogo, Suzie Wong's 3 A-Gogos in Soi SeaDragon) had next to no customers, Roxy's was absolutely packed and it was hard to get a seat (mind u it's a rather huge A-Gogo). I just don't understand people?

[grumpyoldman]

Why would anyone want to visit, let alone live, in a corrupt cesspool like Thailand ? Admit it guys, you are all there primarily for the culture.....bwaaahaaaahaaa.

Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up. But trust me guys, if you get back to civilization and get a REAL girlfriend your self-respect CAN be revived.

What pray tell is a REAL girl friend? Thai rentals are far less expensive in the long run. And, what self respect are you talking about? Certainly if you are young, handsome and with an unlimited amount of money then finding an attractive girl friend in Europe, North America, New Zealand or Austalia is no problem. But, if you are over 50 then you better be a millionaire and don't mind giving half of it away after every breakup.

It's easy enough to check the price of drinks in ANY bar... just ask. If you can find some place cheaper then drink there. Or, buy your beer in the nearest 7-11 and drink on the beach.

There is no question that Phuket bars near Patong Beach charge far more than bars elsewhere in Thailand. It's also noticeable that Russian mafia have taken over many bars in Pattaya... but nobody is forcing you to drink there. Last time I checked in Pattaya a few months ago there WERE alternative places to drink.

But, if you insist on getting drunk and don't pay attention to your tab then it's no wonder that a few crooked bars will take advantage of you.

Hear, hear Mr. Forbes, good post, also to avoid the bill padding pay as the drinks come.

[FarangKenStine]

In Soviet Russia beer drink YOU

[arthurwait]

Why would anyone want to visit, let alone live, in a corrupt cesspool like Thailand ? Admit it guys, you are all there primarily for the culture.....bwaaahaaaahaaa.

Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up. But trust me guys, if you get back to civilization and get a REAL girlfriend your self-respect CAN be revived.

What pray tell is a REAL girl friend? Thai rentals are far less expensive in the long run. And, what self respect are you talking about? Certainly if you are young, handsome and with an unlimited amount of money then finding an attractive girl friend in Europe, North America, New Zealand or Austalia is no problem. But, if you are over 50 then you better be a millionaire and don't mind giving half of it away after every breakup.

It's easy enough to check the price of drinks in ANY bar... just ask. If you can find some place cheaper then drink there. Or, buy your beer in the nearest 7-11 and drink on the beach.

There is no question that Phuket bars near Patong Beach charge far more than bars elsewhere in Thailand. It's also noticeable that Russian mafia have taken over many bars in Pattaya... but nobody is forcing you to drink there. Last time I checked in Pattaya a few months ago there WERE alternative places to drink.

But, if you insist on getting drunk and don't pay attention to your tab then it's no wonder that a few crooked bars will take advantage of you.

The last time I was in Pattaya the 2 places that had Russian girls dancing in the windows had gone. Was that temporary or have they gone or moved ?

My mate was most disappointed.

[diehard60]

"For example, they might charge 200 baht for [a small] bottle of beer that usually sells for around 80 baht to100 baht a bottle at other bars. They exploit consumers," he said.

Every bar usually has a privce list somewhere in the open. I was in Patong a number of times and if I see the price of my drink double than other bar, I get up and walk away to other place. I don't see the problem when they charge 200 for a beer if it costs 80-100 elsewhere. Nobody forces touris to stay in any particular bar - get up and leave! End of problem.

If they try to charge you more than you actually ordered - that is a scam but don't get shit-face drunk and chances are it won't happen to you.

I think you are missing the whole idea here. Now it seems farongs are over charging farongs. This used to be just Thais doing this - Remember???? Or how soon we forget. The fact is people are being CHEATED!!!!!!

[newermonkey]

Seems to me the farangs are teaching the Thais a thing or two, historicaly the Thai people have never invented anything but are copycats. So clean out the bad foreigners and they will be replaced by the very group who were helping them. My guess is the foreigners are supplying all sorts of illegal services to their customers and there will always be a premium to pay because the people running it are most likely paying the BIB a substantial sum for the privilege. But there seems to be a substantial demand, otherwise these businesses would not have survived.

Edited May 21, 2011 by newermonkey

[SICHONSTEVE]

Why would anyone want to visit, let alone live, in a corrupt cesspool like Thailand ? Admit it guys, you are all there primarily for the culture.....bwaaahaaaahaaa.

Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up. But trust me guys, if you get back to civilization and get a REAL girlfriend your self-respect CAN be revived.

WOW get back to civilization and get a real girl friend, where did you come from under the rock that advertizes the good life in the west. Man talk about BS this takes the cake. Have fun in lala land.

I would like to make a comment about your quote 'Boatman' 'Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up' Just where was that??? Pattaya or similar touristy area!!! This isn't REAL Thailand, it's where pseudo playboys of the likes of you go to wantonly blow you're money on floozies and getting drunk and catching various diseases that you don't dare mention to your mates back home!!

My wife is a professional with a masters degree in school management and we have been private kindergarten school owners for 2 years which we built from scratch (my wife designed and supervised the building of it all), and with our number of children approaching 400 now it is highly lucrative. I am blissfully happy and my income is 6 x what I was getting in England and I retired at 52 (although I teach English very part time in our school for 4-6 hours a week).

Do you honestly believe that those robots that have to get up at 7.00 AM in the morning and go and do their 8 hour stint having driven the 15 miles in heavy traffic (and pouring rain) to be greeted with the occasional strained 'morning' by other occupiers in the morgue that is work. Then, when the clock ticks on to THAT time when they are relieved of their duties (everyone stares at it constantly without blinking from 16.55 PM until that magic click when the big hand touches twelve and the other one lies on 5) when everyone can leave the zoo, go home (through that dreaded traffic again) - greet the wife with an equally strained 'hi' as you've had a really rough day in the morgue/zoo. An argument with 'said' wife soon erupts on account of the grumpy mood you are in and you go to bed early without your tea in futile protest as you are sick and tired of your wife and life and repeat this for another 4 days of the week. On the positive side, the weekends are better because you can watch sport on the TV whilst the wife/GF goes and does the shopping.

Compare this to my life in the "corrupt cesspool' - I get up in the week when I want to, watch live/(recorded) live golf on the TV and head over to the school office when I choose to to see an endless tide of human faces with smiles lit up on them ALL as they wai me. I eat the food that's brought to me every day in schooltime by the childrens cook/my personal chef. My wife drives me to the pub/restaurant/beautiful beach less than 5 minutes drive away, as and when we like. I can swim in our swimming pool (when our children aren't having paid for lessons in it) and go to sleep after watching a few films and some more sport (I can choose to watch EVERY single premier league game as well as a good sprinkling of FA cup matches, the european games and assorted games from leagues all over the world). I sleep contented in the knowledge that I can do it all over again the next day!!!

I do not deny that corruption is endemic in Thailand but you have to accept and put up with what is really a mild irritant taking all things into account.

You stick to your mundane lifestyle and I'll carry on with mine in the cess pit 'thank you very much'!!! I think that I know who is enjoying their life more out of the two of us.

Stay in the West and do us all a favour matey as it is people like you that is turning it into the cess pool you make Thailand out to be!!!

Edited May 21, 2011 by SICHONSTEVE

[exbelg]

when you go eat / drink here, they never give you real prices in any restaurant

later

Service charge 10%

and

VAT 7%

are added to the listed prices...

maybe in those place, they should add : corruption to BIB 50% (not) included in the pricelist

[EyesWideOpen]

In 1999 I lived in Patong off and on for about a year, and loved it. Then I went back two years ago, and it had turned into a complete shit hole. First day walked in to a small gogo bar with a couple of rough girls shuffling around. Ordered one beer, got bored and asked for the check. It was 400 baht for the beer. When I asked why, the response was there was a " show". I started laughing, put down 100 baht and walked out. It appears to me that the Thai mafia running these places are so tight with the police, they believe they can do anything they want and get away with it. But in the end this will destroy everybody including the good businesses, because in the future as soon as people hear the word Phuket, the next word that comes to mind will be shit hole / clip joint. Som na na........................... :-) I tell everybody I meet that wants to go Phuket, to not bother unless they liked being ripped off.

[KarstenBoAndersen]

I had been in more then 100 Thai bars that do this !

But noe they try to move focus from the real problems TUK TUKS and JETSKI !!

Can't you see it, some come up with all these made up problems to move focusand they jump right on it !

I had NEVER seen any foreign bars in Patong cheating, if we had been cheated was it by the Thai staff there both cheated the customers and their boss !

It such a fuc_king joke !

Now they go for the foreign bar owners and the TUK TUKS still fuc_k around with everybody !

[newermonkey]

I would like to make a comment about your quote 'Boatman' 'Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up' Just where was that??? Pattaya or similar touristy area!!! This isn't REAL Thailand, it's where pseudo playboys of the likes of you go to wantonly blow you're money on floozies and getting drunk and catching various diseases that you don't dare mention to your mates back home!!

My wife is a professional with a masters degree in school management and we have been private kindergarten school owners for 2 years which we built from scratch (my wife designed and supervised the building of it all), and with our number of children approaching 400 now it is highly lucrative. I am blissfully happy and my income is 6 x what I was getting in England and I retired at 52 (although I teach English very part time in our school for 4-6 hours a week).

Do you honestly believe that those robots that have to get up at 7.00 AM in the morning and go and do their 8 hour stint having driven the 15 miles in heavy traffic (and pouring rain) to be greeted with the occasional strained 'morning' by other occupiers in the morgue that is work. Then, when the clock ticks on to THAT time when they are relieved of their duties (everyone stares at it constantly without blinking from 16.55 PM until that magic click when the big hand touches twelve and the other one lies on 5) when everyone can leave the zoo, go home (through that dreaded traffic again) - greet the wife with an equally strained 'hi' as you've had a really rough day in the morgue/zoo. An argument with 'said' wife soon erupts on account of the grumpy mood you are in and you go to bed early without your tea in futile protest as you are sick and tired of your wife and life and repeat this for another 4 days of the week. On the positive side, the weekends are better because you can watch sport on the TV whilst the wife/GF goes and does the shopping.

Compare this to my life in the "corrupt cesspool' - I get up in the week when I want to, watch live/(recorded) live golf on the TV and head over to the school office when I choose to to see an endless tide of human faces with smiles lit up on them ALL as they wai me. I eat the food that's brought to me every day in schooltime by the childrens cook/my personal chef. My wife drives me to the pub/restaurant/beautiful beach less than 5 minutes drive away, as and when we like. I can swim in our swimming pool (when our children aren't having paid for lessons in it) and go to sleep after watching a few films and some more sport (I can choose to watch EVERY single premier league game as well as a good sprinkling of FA cup matches, the european games and assorted games from leagues all over the world). I sleep contented in the knowledge that I can do it all over again the next day!!!

I do not deny that corruption is endemic in Thailand but you have to accept and put up with what is really a mild irritant taking all things into account.

You stick to your mundane lifestyle and I'll carry on with mine in the cess pit 'thank you very much'!!! I think that I know who is enjoying their life more out of the two of us.

Stay in the West and do us all a favour matey as it is people like you that is turning it into the cess pool you make Thailand out to be!!!

100%+ spot on, except I don't like football but tonight its F1 qualifying and the race tomorrow live on the box, I work here as a Creative Director with a very good sallery have a lovely home near the beach in a fishing village, I am buying a race car so I can have even more fun at the weekends at near by Bira race track. Have a wonderful family. AND I can save money in a way I could never do in the UK.

ps last time I visited a gogo bar was when some friends visited from the UK 2 years ago.

ps... I am 60 years old but still feel like a teenager, it must be the fresh air here :jap:

[KarstenBoAndersen]

Who came up with that idea that it is the foreign bar owners who cheat ???

It most be the TUK TUK Mafia, so they can move focus from themself !

I had NEVER been cheated by a foreign bar owner in Phuket, but MANY times by Thai bar owners, and late at nighe it is very normal that the Thai bar owners do it !

So go back on focus on TUK TUKS and JETSKI again and not they the TUK TUK mafia drag you around by the nose !

Join the Facbook page "Ban Tuk Tuks on Phuket"

When they are gone they can start on the other problems !

[tragickingdom]

Just avoid Beer Bars . it really makes no difference if they belong to the Thai Mafia, The German Mafia or the Russian Mafia. They all have one thing in common, they attract a clientele that you do not want to see dating your daughter or son. The crackdown should be on the people on the take in the first place. It will never happen. The Thai elite is running this country into the ground for generations and will do everything to keep it that way.

[madmitch]

Went to Roxy A-GoGo the other day and expected to pay 130 baht for a beer same as last year. But I requested the drinks menu nevertheless. 500 for a beer and 800 for an OJ? I laughed and asked for the real menu. She wouldn't bring it. So we just left, luckily we didn't get hassled no more.

A couple of days later, one of the promoter guys on the street comes and stops me "come A-gogo A-gogo". I asked "which one?". He said "Roxy's". So I said no, I don't wanna pay 500 for a beer. He said "okok 400". I said no. He goes on "ok 300". What kind of business is this?

Also, while the nice and honest gogo bars (Rock-Hard A-Gogo, Suzie Wong's 3 A-Gogos in Soi SeaDragon) had next to no customers, Roxy's was absolutely packed and it was hard to get a seat (mind u it's a rather huge A-Gogo). I just don't understand people?

You were almost certainly followed into Roxy by a tout. The tout demands a commission from the bar which you pay for, hence the 500 baht beers.

It's a well known scam in Patong.

I didn't know Roxy were using the touts. Suzy Wong group a-gogos don't allow them, so you're safe from inflated menus in those establishments.

Most tourists don't know this of course but the golden rule in Pating is not to go anywhere with a tout and look behind you when you go into any bars of this type. And finally, as has been said before on this thread, if you don't like the menu prices just leave.

[grahamhc]

Why would anyone want to visit, let alone live, in a corrupt cesspool like Thailand ? Admit it guys, you are all there primarily for the culture.....bwaaahaaaahaaa.

Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up. But trust me guys, if you get back to civilization and get a REAL girlfriend your self-respect CAN be revived.

I first came to Thailand to visit an English couple who worked in Bangkok. Now I enjoy all aspects of Thailand, including the "Vibrant Nightlife".

Wat Sen Suek, Chonburi. 45 Km North of Pattaya

In my 15 years in Thailand, I have never been to Phuket, and no wish to. I find the beauty of Thailand up in the North East, where REAL Thailand exists, not an illusion for tourists.

[TinoThailand]

Do what I do; don't go to Phuket.

Yea common sense hahaha

[robert00]

Do what I do; don't go to Phuket.

I fully agree, Phuket will never see me again as long as those scumbags are around, full stop.

[keestha]

Reckon the type of place where you get charged 200 Baht for a small local beer, wouldn't be an open air beer bar, more likely the type of place where you have to walk through a door first, very well possible with touts standing in front of it. Not the type of place an expat/regular visitor would tend to go to.

There are rip off places in any touristy city, I had an unpleasant experience in Athens once. As a local/regular visitor you would never make the mistake of going into any such place, but as a first time visitor you just don't know.

[grumpyoldman]

Do what I do; don't go to Phuket.

I fully agree, Phuket will never see me again

We don't want you here anyway, so the feeling is mutual.

[pontius]

(The bragging has become a tad strong on here.)

Anyway, all I remember from Phuket are fat, half-naked falangs, and arrogant, ugly, rude Thais that couldn't cook if their life depended on it, but wanted a lot of money for their failure food. Can't remember drink prices.

Oh, and the taxi taxi taxi ****s, who charged B1000 for 5 meters.

Phuket can do whatever it wants, I will NEVER go back there, and they also cannot change my mind about Thais in general, I will always be impressed by non-Phuket Thai kindness, smiles, and beauty.

And I'm here for 9 years now, not 2 tourist visits.

[Hollywood3000]

Why would anyone want to visit, let alone live, in a corrupt cesspool like Thailand ? Admit it guys, you are all there primarily for the culture.....bwaaahaaaahaaa.

Yes, I spent 12 months over a 3 year period living it up. But trust me guys, if you get back to civilization and get a REAL girlfriend your self-respect CAN be revived.

12 months over a 3yr period is hardly living here, and where did you visit, you say living it up so I guess the tourist areas, tourist areas in all countries are a magnet for the county's scum and that's exactly the people who descend on Phuket and Phattaya. I did 4yrs in Phats before moving to the north it's a whole different way of life, been here 5yrs now, I'm still in a city but here you see real Thais and they ain't all after your money and it's far closer to paradise even without the coconut trees and beaches.

You have no right to condemn Thailand as a whole, unless you've been there, seen it, done it, which you obviously haven't.

I see where you are coming from with real GF slur, but we ain't all struggling in that department either, 10yrs and 2 kids later, life is heaven, the only reason I see you would broad brush everybody with the same colour is because you are a bitter man who failed miserably yourself in your Thai venture.

In your civilized life how are the early morning commutes in the freezing cold weather going, unless you've already hit retirement, which will tell me a lot more as to why it didn't work out for you - just another old-git looking to marry a young beauty way out of his league, the recipe for disaster - but correct me if I'm wrong - after all I'm only guessing.

Well put parryg! It's all what you make it, it's all where your heart is. Boatman...please...REAL girlfriend in the west?! Ha! Well dude if you are happy with a western woman then I'm happy for you but don't judge what makes me happy in my life. Your standards are different, not better and not wrong. To each his own.

[thaikahuna]

There is one bar in Patong that may fit this profile, in Patong, it has Russian girls pole dancing in it. There are a few go-go bars that do the big bill at the end scam just like Pattaya, Bangkok, Vegas, Soho etc etc, buyer beware.

A 'crackdown' is hardly required.

Giving still more credence and reason to PAY PER ROUND ORDERED. Then you can avoid getting it shoved up your back side with no vaseline.

[Samuian]

"TiT!" - Nuff said... Problem solved... those guys only want to prove again, and again what a success story and their country really is, so again and again they simply hit the bulls eye without even aiming!

[pogal]

I agree with Stanley

How can you agree ?

Stanley has not said anything yet he has only reposted peoples posts.

In that case, I agree with Johncat1!

EDIT: After reading Arthur's comment about Johncat1, I am recanting my support for Johncat1 and switching to being an avid worshiper of Arthur.

Yes, I do have Italian blood in me! dam_n it!

Edited May 21, 2011 by pogal

[hardy1943]

I have been a teacher here for 6 years and the government makes it harder every year for foreign teachers to work here and yet they let this scum open businesses and extort money from people.

It all comes down to money. MOST ( not all ) Thais do not have principles they can be easily bought.

Of course they are charging high prices because they have to pay off the police to stay in business.

If the government paid police a decent wage and got rid of most of it's existing police force we may actually have some law and order here, and the Thai people may even start to respect the police. Then the foreign mafia ( with Thai interests ) would have to move to another country.

You hit the nail on the Head. Thank you!

Edited May 21, 2011 by hardy1943