"They're no fleas on us" says movie chain after online drama

[Jonathan Fairfield]

"They're no fleas on us" says movie chain after online drama

 

BANGKOK:-- Major cinemas have said that their movie theaters are clean after online claims from a Thai woman who said she was bitten by fleas while watching a movie last week.

 

The woman - named by the cinema as Naipaporn Phakdeepanitpong - had gone on Facebook to say that she had been to a doctor who said that several pustules that formed on her legs probably came from dirty carpet or seats at Major Ekkamai.

 

The girl posted a ticket showing that she had been to see the movie Logan at that Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, theater.

 

However, the poster subsequently said that the manager of the theater contacted her and took her to a hospital for a second opinion. She was presented with a basket gift and given a Gold Card for a free movie too. 

 

The customer was very happy with Major's actions.

 

Now the chain has issued a detailed letter outlining the cleaning that happens at their theaters along with a denial of the flea allegations.

 

 

In the letter they state that according to the doctor at the hospital the pustules were not necessarily caused by fleas and might have been from insects or an allergic reaction to a chemical. 

 

That could have happened anywhere - they said that their theaters were very clean and that they took this matter very seriously and customers were their number one priority.

 

Apart from cleaning between every movie showing, they said that at the end of the day the theaters are given "ozone" treatment to kill bacteria. 

 

Then once every three months all seats and carpets are given a good clean.

 

Source: Thairath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-04-14

[trigpoint]

Damn foreigners infesting cinemas now.

[fruitman]

6 minutes ago, trigpoint said:

Damn foreigners infesting cinemas now.

The big boss from Major is the same american who owns sizzlers, swensson, pizza company, and a load of hotels.

 

Once we went to a hotel in kanchanaburi, owned by an old aussie lady who had a nice golden retriever called "countryboy".

We liked to play with that dog but the next day it suddenly got washed against fleas.

 

On our way home all of us were scratching nonstop, we all head fleas.

[Bluespunk]

33 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Apart from cleaning between every movie showing, they said that at the end of the day the theaters are given "ozone" treatment to kill bacteria. 

Fleas aren't bacteria and neither will cleaning get rid of them once they are present.

 

Theatre needs fumigating [or whatever the term is for getting rid of fleas]

[Bluespunk]

34 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

In the letter they state that according to the doctor at the hospital the pustules were not necessarily caused by fleas and might have been from insects or an allergic reaction to a chemical. 

Must be nice to have a tame doctor.

[trogers]

The cinema chain is correct. Those are not bite marks of fleas. They are the bite marks of bedbugs.

[fruitman]

9 minutes ago, trogers said:

The cinema chain is correct. Those are not bite marks of fleas. They are the bite marks of bedbugs.

That's what i thought.

 

But isn't it possible to watch the bites under a microscope and determine what they are?? Doctors don't have any equipment to see what it is?

[Misterwhisper]

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

1 hour ago, trigpoint said:

Damn foreigners infesting cinemas now.

The big boss from Major is the same american who owns sizzlers, swensson, pizza company, and a load of hotels.

Incorrect. The Major Cineplex Group is 100% owned and operated by the Poolvaraluk family and there is no involvement whatsoever from Minor Group, which operates the restaurant chains you mentioned. Just wanted to set the record straight. You probably confused Minor with Major.

 

And I concur with trogers that these really look like bite marks of bed bugs. "Ozoning" auditoriums does not kill insects, but regularly fumigating them does. Modern seat upholstery is nowadays usually impregnated to prevent insect infestation, but that treatment may lose its effectiveness after a certain number of years.

 

I still remember with horror a visit to the old Washington Square Theater back in the late 80s when the most expensive ticket prices were 40 Baht. As soon as the lights had dimmed the place cockroaches started emerging from all nooks and crannies, including from inside the cracked faux-leather seats. They crawled all over me and got in my shirt, my hair. I left in panic and never went back to that cinema again.   

[Wilsonandson]

Great movie Logan. Next time take a pair of socks with you. I always travel with a bottle of insect repellent on me. Bed bugs crawling around in the carpet. Now that's why I have floor tiles in every room of my house.

[trogers]

3 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

Great movie Logan. Next time take a pair of socks with you. I always travel with a bottle of insect repellent on me. Bed bugs crawling around in the carpet. Now that's why I have floor tiles in every room of my house.

Roll out those carpets in winter...

[catinthehat]

1 hour ago, Arjen said:

Dog/cat fleas do not stay on humans. They target them when nothing else is available. This causes bite marks and itching. It is very unlikely you will walk around with these fleas.

Moral of the story: Take your dog or cat to the movie with you. Sorry couldn't help my self.

[roo860]

I remember a few years ago, there was bed bugs reported on Thai railway sleeper trains. The minister for railways said it was down to dirty foreigners!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[tukkytuktuk]

9 minutes ago, roo860 said:

I remember a few years ago, there was bed bugs reported on Thai railway sleeper trains. The minister for railways said it was down to dirty foreigners!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

How dare he, what would make him say such a thing?

[madusa]

20 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

Incorrect. The Major Cineplex Group is 100% owned and operated by the Poolvaraluk family and there is no involvement whatsoever from Minor Group, which operates the restaurant chains you mentioned. Just wanted to set the record straight. You probably confused Minor with Major.

 

And I concur with trogers that these really look like bite marks of bed bugs. "Ozoning" auditoriums does not kill insects, but regularly fumigating them does. Modern seat upholstery is nowadays usually impregnated to prevent insect infestation, but that treatment may lose its effectiveness after a certain number of years.

 

I still remember with horror a visit to the old Washington Square Theater back in the late 80s when the most expensive ticket prices were 40 Baht. As soon as the lights had dimmed the place cockroaches started emerging from all nooks and crannies, including from inside the cracked faux-leather seats. They crawled all over me and got in my shirt, my hair. I left in panic and never went back to that cinema again.   

That sounds like a horror movie within a horror movie. I mean you were there to watch a horror movie and you were also the actor in the movie with cockroaches crawling all over you.

[petedk]

Will we see another defamation lawsuit here?

[sanukjim]

6 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Fleas aren't bacteria and neither will cleaning get rid of them once they are present.

 

Theatre needs fumigating [or whatever the term is for getting rid of fleas]

In Thailand Never will you hear of any admitting of anything wrong in their establishments.It is just one of the many pieces of crap that we put up with to live in LOS.

[Misterwhisper]

28 minutes ago, madusa said:

That sounds like a horror movie within a horror movie. I mean you were there to watch a horror movie and you were also the actor in the movie with cockroaches crawling all over you.

Incidentally, it was the original "Fright Night" movie. While I was running out of the cinema head over heels, still scratching myself everywhere and shaking cockroaches out of my shirt, I thought what an appropriate movie title that was. I only saw "Fright Night" years later for the first time when it was broadcast on TV. 

[madusa]

22 hours ago, trigpoint said:

Damn foreigners infesting cinemas now.

The Thais were correct when they said "Damn foreigners infesting cinemas now",  when I say there were correct I don't mean to say foreigners are dirty or they are responsible for this problem. We come to that later.

I had done some research on bedbugs because I used to own a guesthouse and it was hell of a problem. Bedbugs are very stubborn insects and they are very difficult to get rid of. Just when you think you got rid of them they are back again, because the eggs are all over the place and they hatched and new babies are there. All mattress or pillows have to been thrown away if you see the black feces  of the bedbugs on them. Wooden beds have places for them to hide but not the metal ones.

If you could put all beds and mattress under very hot sun the bedbugs will not survive they cannot stand the sun(  must be hot mid-day sun) they will jump out of the pillows and beds under hot sun. And the eggs will die.

The "Damn foreigners" are not solely  responsible for spreading the bedbugs because anyone who travels will spread the bedbugs so the Thais don't understand this part.  The Thais got the impression that the foreigners are the ones because the backpackers look scruffy, unwashed, long hairs and so on, so they assumed the foreigners are the ones who spread them. In fact a clean guy of whatever nationality will spread the bedbugs and the  bedbugs hitch a ride in the luggage and not on the person,  usually in the backpack or some of the clothings in the bags. Then they crawl out of the luggage on to the bed usually at night when it get cool and they could sense your body heat while you lie on bed, that's how they find the bed. Why don't they go to cupboard, or bookshelf or kitchen table ? Why only the bed? Because that's where the heat of your body at night tells them where you are.

So if a Thai traveller has travelled to many places and stayed in guesthouse that got bedbugs he or she would also be spreading the bedbugs that's for sure. Since very few Thais stay at guesthouse so the blame is on the foreigners.

I had Japanese(very clean people) who stayed at my guesthouse having bedbugs bites all over their bodies when they stayed at other guesthouse.

Thais don't understand the problem and put the blame on the foreigners (which they mean white foreigners). They should know anyone can spread bedbugs just a matter of bad luck staying at an bedbug infested guesthouse or hotel.

[worgeordie]

6 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Fleas aren't bacteria and neither will cleaning get rid of them once they are present.

 

Theatre needs fumigating [or whatever the term is for getting rid of fleas]

As long as they use the right chemical,or they could kill people too,

as what happened at a Chiang Mai hotel,now demolished.

regards worgeordie

[gdgbb]

7 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Fleas aren't bacteria and neither will cleaning get rid of them once they are present.

 

Theatre needs fumigating [or whatever the term is for getting rid of fleas]

...neither do flea bites normally cause pustules.  The cinema doesn't need fumigating as it doesn't have a flea infestation.

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, gdgbb said:

...neither do flea bites normally cause pustules.  The cinema doesn't need fumigating as it doesn't have a flea infestation.

So says the management and their doctor.

 

Another doctor says different.

 

Panto season again.

 

[trogers]

33 minutes ago, madusa said:

The Thais were correct when they said "Damn foreigners infesting cinemas now",  when I say there were correct I don't mean to say foreigners are dirty or they are responsible for this problem. We come to that later.

I had done some research on bedbugs because I used to own a guesthouse and it was hell of a problem. Bedbugs are very stubborn insects and they are very difficult to get rid of. Just when you think you got rid of them they are back again, because the eggs are all over the place and they hatched and new babies are there. All mattress or pillows have to been thrown away if you see the black feces  of the bedbugs on them. Wooden beds have places for them to hide but not the metal ones.

If you could put all beds and mattress under very hot sun the bedbugs will not survive they cannot stand the sun(  must be hot mid-day sun) they will jump out of the pillows and beds under hot sun. And the eggs will die.

The "Damn foreigners" are not solely  responsible for spreading the bedbugs because anyone who travels will spread the bedbugs so the Thais don't understand this part.  The Thais got the impression that the foreigners are the ones because the backpackers look scruffy, unwashed, long hairs and so on, so they assumed the foreigners are the ones who spread them. In fact a clean guy of whatever nationality will spread the bedbugs and the  bedbugs hitch a ride in the luggage and not on the person,  usually in the backpack or some of the clothings in the bags. Then they crawl out of the luggage on to the bed usually at night when it get cool and they could sense your body heat while you lie on bed, that's how they find the bed. Why don't they go to cupboard, or bookshelf or kitchen table ? Why only the bed? Because that's where the heat of your body at night tells them where you are.

So if a Thai traveller has travelled to many places and stayed in guesthouse that got bedbugs he or she would also be spreading the bedbugs that's for sure. Since very few Thais stay at guesthouse so the blame is on the foreigners.

I had Japanese(very clean people) who stayed at my guesthouse having bedbugs bites all over their bodies when they stayed at other guesthouse.

Thais don't understand the problem and put the blame on the foreigners (which they mean white foreigners). They should know anyone can spread bedbugs just a matter of bad luck staying at an bedbug infested guesthouse or hotel.

Patrons must have been bringing along their own blankets for those honeymoon seats...and that's your source of bedbugs.

[gdgbb]

4 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

So says the management and their doctor.

 

Another doctor says different.

 

"Another doctor says different."

 

Yes, an unidentified doctor that the woman claimed she had seen initially.  The (2nd?) medical examination at a hospital cleared the cinema and the woman appeared to be happy with that explanation.

[Bluespunk]

Just now, gdgbb said:

"Another doctor says different."

 

Yes, an unidentified doctor that the woman claimed she had seen initially.  The (2nd?) medical examination at a hospital cleared the cinema and the woman appeared to be happy with that explanation.

Yes as I said, the cinemas doctor cleared them.

 

Shocker...

[Jonmarleesco]

I'm impressed there was no threat of a defamation suit; especially given there was no obvious evidence to support the allegation of fleas.

[Jonmarleesco]

7 hours ago, fruitman said:

The big boss from Major is the same american who owns sizzlers, swensson, pizza company, and a load of hotels.

 

Once we went to a hotel in kanchanaburi, owned by an old aussie lady who had a nice golden retriever called "countryboy".

We liked to play with that dog but the next day it suddenly got washed against fleas.

 

On our way home all of us were scratching nonstop, we all head fleas.

Is it now? Bill Heinecke sees himself as Thai.

[gdgbb]

7 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Yes as I said, the cinemas doctor cleared them.

 

Shocker...

Yes, indeed you did say that. 

 

No one else anywhere in the OP said the cinema was cleared by "the cinema's doctor"

[Jonmarleesco]

50 minutes ago, madusa said:

The Thais were correct when they said "Damn foreigners infesting cinemas now",  when I say there were correct I don't mean to say foreigners are dirty or they are responsible for this problem. We come to that later.

I had done some research on bedbugs because I used to own a guesthouse and it was hell of a problem. Bedbugs are very stubborn insects and they are very difficult to get rid of. Just when you think you got rid of them they are back again, because the eggs are all over the place and they hatched and new babies are there. All mattress or pillows have to been thrown away if you see the black feces  of the bedbugs on them. Wooden beds have places for them to hide but not the metal ones.

If you could put all beds and mattress under very hot sun the bedbugs will not survive they cannot stand the sun(  must be hot mid-day sun) they will jump out of the pillows and beds under hot sun. And the eggs will die.

The "Damn foreigners" are not solely  responsible for spreading the bedbugs because anyone who travels will spread the bedbugs so the Thais don't understand this part.  The Thais got the impression that the foreigners are the ones because the backpackers look scruffy, unwashed, long hairs and so on, so they assumed the foreigners are the ones who spread them. In fact a clean guy of whatever nationality will spread the bedbugs and the  bedbugs hitch a ride in the luggage and not on the person,  usually in the backpack or some of the clothings in the bags. Then they crawl out of the luggage on to the bed usually at night when it get cool and they could sense your body heat while you lie on bed, that's how they find the bed. Why don't they go to cupboard, or bookshelf or kitchen table ? Why only the bed? Because that's where the heat of your body at night tells them where you are.

So if a Thai traveller has travelled to many places and stayed in guesthouse that got bedbugs he or she would also be spreading the bedbugs that's for sure. Since very few Thais stay at guesthouse so the blame is on the foreigners.

I had Japanese(very clean people) who stayed at my guesthouse having bedbugs bites all over their bodies when they stayed at other guesthouse.

Thais don't understand the problem and put the blame on the foreigners (which they mean white foreigners). They should know anyone can spread bedbugs just a matter of bad luck staying at an bedbug infested guesthouse or hotel.

'Thais don't understand the problem and put the blame on the foreigners (which they mean white foreigners)' Or Chinese. Noticeably, the common denominator is ... Thais.

[Bluespunk]

2 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

Yes, indeed you did say that. 

 

No one else anywhere in the OP said the cinema was cleared by "the cinema's doctor"

''However, the poster subsequently said that the manager of the theatre contacted her and took her to a hospital for a second opinion.'' 

 

Yeah sure they took her to a hospital of her choice and just by luck they got the answer they required...

 

I'm sure no communication took place between the hospital and management before hand because that just can't happen here.

 

 

[gdgbb]

15 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

''However, the poster subsequently said that the manager of the theatre contacted her and took her to a hospital for a second opinion.'' 

 

Yeah sure they took her to a hospital of her choice and just by luck they got the answer they required...

 

I'm sure no communication took place between the hospital and management before hand because that just can't happen here.

 

 

Why are you speculating so cynically on this, you don't know that any of your speculation is correct, do you? 

 

The woman had already been examined by a doctor of her choice, maybe she agreed to the choice of hospital and maybe the diagnosis was accurate and honest.