Pescator Posted March 15, 2002 Report Share Posted March 15, 2002 Last year I went to a Thai Farmers Bank in Nong Khai to exchange 1000 DKK which should roughly give me some 5.000 bht. The nice female clerk counted my ten 100 DKK bills three times as they always do and I overheard her muttering: Muen Nung. 10.000?? I thought I didn`t hear well until I noticed that she was handing me 50.000 bht.!! I sure was tempted and had it been back in Europe I am not sure what I`d done. I asked the clerk if she was sure? Sure she was sure. I`d given her 10.000 dkk, right? And that made 50.000 bht. She didn`t realize she had made a mistake until I pointed out to her that those were 100 DKK bills and not 1000. I held my voice down to make sure that none of her colleagues would notice anything as I could imagine that this would probably be a major loss of face. Her face turned kind of red and she said thank you very much. I am sure I made some major "Bun" here. That should do for the next decade or so Well, that was that. Later when I spoke to a thai friend of my he say that the bank clerk would have had to pay the 45.000 bht difference herself, had they found out. What do you say? Is that true? Then I certainly understand why just about all thais count the money 3 times before handing it to the customer. Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 15, 2002 Report Share Posted March 15, 2002 I don't know for a fact if that's true, but it sounds about right. If Woodstock pulls that crap with screwed-up food orders, then I can just imagine what a bank would do. And my hat's off to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted March 15, 2002 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2002 "If Woodstock pulls that crap with screwed-up food orders, then I can just imagine what a bank would do. " Yes, I read that thread too and that`s what made me recall this episode. "And my hat's off to you". No need. You`d done the same thing. Besides I believe in the thai concept of "Tham Dee Dai Dee Tham Chua Dai Chua" Do a good thing and it comes back to you, do a bad thing and it also comes back to you. Now it has been a year and a half and I am still waiting. Damn, I should have kept my big mouth shut : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 16, 2002 Report Share Posted March 16, 2002 When I first saw the title of the thread, I assumed that you had been short-changed at a FX booth in Bangkok. There have been several reports of this happening in this and other boards. I have always assumed that this happens because the teller wishes to defraud the customer. However, after reading your story, perhaps sometimes a miscount (in either the customer or the bank's favor) is due to clerical error. Perhaps with all the different variety of banknotes that FX clerks deal with in a major tourist centre like BKK, it is not unreasonable to expect that honest mistakes will be made. I think you indeed made a lot of merit on this one. I too would have been tempted to keep silent on this, and in my home country I just might have done this. I would rationalize it in my own heart as payback for all the times I have been hosed by these banks. But in BKK, I think if a bank clerk was short 45K Baht, she would be fired and possibly face criminal charges. In any event, the lost 45K Baht would ruin her life a whole lot more than a 45K Baht winfall would benefit me. JG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 16, 2002 Report Share Posted March 16, 2002 I'm amazed that you didn't ask the girl out after that so she could properly express her gratitude! You might have to change your board name if the thought didn't even occur to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted March 16, 2002 Report Share Posted March 16, 2002 What a thoroughly decent chap you are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thalenoi Posted March 16, 2002 Report Share Posted March 16, 2002 Yes, be sure the management would have found the error by checking the books, they always do, and the lady would have been in big shit, as stated earlier. Errors are human and mistakes go both ways. These average out over a period of time. Bank cashiers have an error margin, if they go beyond they are in trouble. During a routine check I once found a personnal cheque of 200 usd from a cashier in his books. He was allotting himself a recurring credit because he was short of cash. He also got fired within 15 minutes. Thanks in behalf of that lady and I can not kiss you in her place, sorry for that... An ex bank auditor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted March 16, 2002 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2002 "I'm amazed that you didn't ask the girl out after that so she could properly express her gratitude! You might have to change your board name if the thought didn't even occur to you" It didn`t even occur to me!!! May have something to do with my progressing age. Too bad the handle Tao Hua Nguu is already taken, otherwise that would probably have fitted better Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phiketpete Posted March 16, 2002 Report Share Posted March 16, 2002 No doubt you will have to wait until the next life for the good thing to come back to you. Yes i agree errors do happen on both sides. I have handed over 2 500bt notes instead of 2 Bt100 in one of the bars. It was late it was dark i was drunk. but they gave me them back and asked for 100.s. However i have also had a forex outlet on Ploenchit Road try to steal a significant amount on a transaction. No error on the clerks behalf just an out and out attempt at thievery and i told him and his coworkers so. Basically as far as these outlets are concerned ALWAYS count the money given to you before departing the counter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 You really did the right thing, for that you can be proud of. I bet you that she would have paid and lost her job... Any way I thank you for that ...you did good. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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