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what is your thailand pet peeve?


theshaw66

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Funny story about the lies....

 

Read a post on another board from a guy who owns a hotel in pattaya. His cook asked for some time off, as her mum was ill and she had to go take care. Anyhoo, a couple days later the mum comes into the hotel, healthy as ever, asking if the daughter is OK. Apparently she hadn't been in touch for a few days and mum had just come around for a little chat!

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I read through some but not all and I think I heard it before. I can deal with everything except the clerks that don't think for themselves.

 

I've had problems at Western Union. Customs. Etc. and the culture is, if I don't understand it or its not exactly like the routine, I don't do it or try to do it. I've had problems at banks and western union getting money. Some of my family and friends call me by my middle name and even though my passport has my full name including middle, try explaining to a Thai that your middle name is a 'pet' name and its still you. That all the other info points to you as the person. I've never had problems in western nations or in Japan suprisingly, which to me is a 'western' nation in terms of wealth and outlook.

 

The other stuff (lying, taxis, driving, whatever) are annoyances. This however, can have material effect. I had a friend that got held up in transit in Bangkok because they wouldn't look at the situation logically and with reason.

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So true.

 

Base level employees literally will not make a decision.

 

They will be obsequious, and they will smile their asses off, but until you politely ask them to bring their boss to you, and that boss comes, and you then ask him to bring his boss to you, and then that boss comes, you will not make headway.

 

So many people just give up, of course.

 

Which is also a very Thai thing to do.

 

 

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....the point i was trying to make with the taxi thing was not about having to pay a dollar more ,because i always tip good if i feel the cabbie is honest and not on the take....

 

This taxi meter thing and its not directed at you 66, amazes me. I used to be a hard "meter only" taxi user, the meter rarely ever got to more than 100 bt. The meter would read 60bt and i would give the taxi driver 100bt and say keep the change anyway.

So now I just say "go Nana 100bt Ok" in thai, 90% of the time the driver says OK and off we go. The driver has a fixed price, the quicker he gets you to your destination the better for him. I was going to give him a 100bt no matter what so what difference does it make to me.

It's good for him cos he gets the 100bt, its good for me, cos he gets me to where I want to go as quick as possible, everyone's happy.

We are only taking about the difference of $1 maybe $2AUD here at the most, can you guys really be that tight.

Its only ONE DOLLAR.

Once again not aimed at you 66.

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Hi,

 

"We are only taking about the difference of $1 maybe $2AUD here at the most, can you guys really be that tight."

 

Before the subway was built I used to take a taxi home from work every day. That '$1' difference would have added up to 2 weeks lunch every month.

 

Sanuk!

 

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Hi,

 

"Do many expats really catch a taxi to and from work each day?"

 

I don't anymore due to the subway opening, but I would imagine that there are many who do.

 

I used to take taxis very often (10-15 trips a week easy) and overpaying by 40 Baht a trip would quickly add up.

 

Sanuk!

 

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I use taxis everyday, always round up the fare, but i wouldn't do what you do CR, as it encourages scamming and attitude with farang...furthermore a thai person wouldn't tolerate a taxi driver taking the piss, so why do you bother? Sure, flash your cash around as if you are some high roller, but for what? You wont get anywhere faster, it's often impossible to do so in BKK...

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