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liftn
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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 Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:13 pm Post subject: thailand overrated |
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| a real disappoint, overpriced, LOUSY service and business sense. Never again |
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scratchpiece
Joined: 24 Feb 2011
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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You're one of very few people who had a bad experience in Thailand.
Lemme guess.... you were down in the islands? Phuket?
I live over here and I've been down there as well... didn't enjoy it.
Let me know what city you were in though |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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I actually had someone try to rip me off at the Bangkok airport! Trying to give me $5 change for a beer when I gave a $20. The guy rounded up 100 baht to $5 to begin with, then tried to pull that one.
When I pointed out his mistake, he gave no resistance in giving me the correct change. I can't help but feel his error was intentional. |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
I actually had someone try to rip me off at the Bangkok airport! Trying to give me $5 change for a beer when I gave a $20. The guy rounded up 100 baht to $5 to begin with, then tried to pull that one.
When I pointed out his mistake, he gave no resistance in giving me the correct change. I can't help but feel his error was intentional. |
OF COURSE! Taking advantage of naive tourists who are ill prepared is done at every turn. Even those who love Thailand the most recognize that foreigners there are charged more just because they are foreign (and able to pay more), that prices are fluid and any opportunity to outwit the ignorant of their cash is done. This is not a reason to judge the country negatively. It IS a reason not to go there in the first place if you have done your homework and found out that you must barter and be aware regarding money in every instance. It is just as silly to judge Thailand based ont he practice as it is to judge India, where the same thing is done. Open your eyes and put things into context. Is America awful because of airport security attitude? Is Rome a bad place because of the traffic? Geez.
And Thailand is not overpriced unless you really don't know what you are doing. But there's one born every minute. I spent a month there and with research and vigilant attention I found the country to be incredibly cheap and a fantastic value, from Hua Hin to Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
| lift wrote: |
| ...LOUSY service and business sense |
Were you going there to vacation or open a Starbucks? |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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You'd sing a different tune if it happened in Korea.
I understand that is part of the tourist fabric of Thailand. But come on man...the airport? Are you kidding me? Khao San Road, Phuket..cool, I get it. But the AIRPORT? That is your country's image. Bangkok is a hub and many people might end up at that airport merely for transit. Image is important - at least Koreans understand that. Hell, Incheon airport is the nicest place in the country. American airport security may be rude in the name of "safety," but trying to scam people out of money? Pathetic. |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 10:30 pm Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
You'd sing a different tune if it happened in Korea.
I understand that is part of the tourist fabric of Thailand. But come on man...the airport? Are you kidding me? Khao San Road, Phuket..cool, I get it. But the AIRPORT? That is your country's image. Bangkok is a hub and many people might end up at that airport merely for transit. Image is important - at least Koreans understand that. Hell, Incheon airport is the nicest place in the country. American airport security may be rude in the name of "safety," but trying to scam people out of money? Pathetic. |
I guess you've never tried to take a taxi from Incheon Airport. |
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Draz
Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Location: Land of Morning Clam
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 5:56 am Post subject: |
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| Louis VI wrote: |
| nukeday wrote: |
I actually had someone try to rip me off at the Bangkok airport! Trying to give me $5 change for a beer when I gave a $20. The guy rounded up 100 baht to $5 to begin with, then tried to pull that one.
When I pointed out his mistake, he gave no resistance in giving me the correct change. I can't help but feel his error was intentional. |
OF COURSE! Taking advantage of naive tourists who are ill prepared is done at every turn. Even those who love Thailand the most recognize that foreigners there are charged more just because they are foreign (and able to pay more), that prices are fluid and any opportunity to outwit the ignorant of their cash is done. This is not a reason to judge the country negatively. It IS a reason not to go there in the first place if you have done your homework and found out that you must barter and be aware regarding money in every instance. It is just as silly to judge Thailand based ont he practice as it is to judge India, where the same thing is done. Open your eyes and put things into context. Is America awful because of airport security attitude? Is Rome a bad place because of the traffic? Geez. |
Having a general populace fully committed to screwing visitors over is exactly as valid for judging a place as annoying government policies or having a thousands of years out-of-date city plan. Geez. |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:00 am Post subject: |
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| flakfizer wrote: |
| nukeday wrote: |
You'd sing a different tune if it happened in Korea.
I understand that is part of the tourist fabric of Thailand. But come on man...the airport? Are you kidding me? Khao San Road, Phuket..cool, I get it. But the AIRPORT? That is your country's image. Bangkok is a hub and many people might end up at that airport merely for transit. Image is important - at least Koreans understand that. Hell, Incheon airport is the nicest place in the country. American airport security may be rude in the name of "safety," but trying to scam people out of money? Pathetic. |
I guess you've never tried to take a taxi from Incheon Airport. |
OK, you're right, point taken. I actually had some woman at Incheon actually walk as far inside as the customs area trying to solicit me to take a taxi. The Bangkok airport does handle taxis more responsibly than Incheon.
Another time I got quoted 60,000 won to get to Mokdong. More than I'd want to pay, but I think it might be close to the actual price considering the distance and toll.
That's actually one of the few outright tourist scams in Korea. That I've run across, anyway.
Last edited by nukeday on Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:02 am Post subject: |
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| Draz wrote: |
| Having a general populace fully committed to screwing visitors over is exactly as valid for judging a place as annoying government policies or having a thousands of years out-of-date city plan. Geez. |
Indeed, which brings up back to my previous point: With the minimum of research one can know BEFORE one goes, what one is getting into. Complaining that a place one has gone to is bad because of a drawback theat everyone knows about is inane. "India has too many beggars." "France is full of standard-conscious snobs." These are valid negatives but they are far from overall judgements about a place. In fact, they are obvious things to expect. There are a 101 reasons to love France, India and Thailand, and some obvious reasons to consider them annoying. If the negatives are sooooo important to you, then DON'T GO THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Judging Thailand as a bad place because of falang pricing tactics is absurd.
I'll leave this thread at that. |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:03 am Post subject: |
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| Well we keep seeing the same complaints about Korea, when a cursory glance at Dave's would warn people of 90% of the problems they might encounter here. From your posting history, you've echoed some of these same complaints. I suppose we are all rubes? |
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loveless
Joined: 27 Jul 2010
Location: love is a danger of a different kind...
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:06 am Post subject: Re: thailand overrated |
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| liftn wrote: |
| a real disappoint, overpriced, LOUSY service and business sense. Never again |
no! just, NO! gee, where did you go?  |
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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:10 am Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
| Well we keep seeing the same complaints about Korea, when a cursory glance at Dave's would warn people of 90% of the problems they might encounter here. |
Exactly.
Back in 2002... I was well aware that Koreans expected everyone to go to work sick, so I didn't act all self-righteous about days off for illness, I just buckled down and went in sick. I knew that Koreans were last minute with giving info, and wasn't fazed by finding out about new class schedules 2 minutes before class. I knew before coming that I would be pointed at, called American and asked a thousand times about my marital status and age, and so harboured no negativity when it happened.
Knowing some significant aspects of the culture helps one prepare for it, and tempers one's expectations. |
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West Coast Tatterdemalion
Joined: 31 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 8:22 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, if you think Thailand is bad, then you shouldn't step one foot in Bali. Yes, even at the airport. You have to run a gauntlet through the currency exchange there. Oh, and the touts are in the baggage claim area just waiting to help you with your bags. The touts are all over the place there. Offering you everything from magic mushrooms to crappy sunglasses. And you have to deal with it the entire time that you are there. I loved Bali and I don't really mind the touts because I know that they are poor people trying to survive. Again, if your sensibilities are that easily offended, never go to Bali. |
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ZIFA
Joined: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Dici che il fiume..Trova la via al mare
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Louis VI wrote: |
| I knew that Koreans were last minute with giving info, and wasn't fazed by finding out about new class schedules 2 minutes before class. I knew before coming that I would be pointed at, called American and asked a thousand times about my marital status and age. |
Thing is though, try doing it to them and see how they react. Next time you're out with another foreigner and see a korean, point at them and call out "woah..look at the korean person" and see how it goes down. I have done it and while being funny to watch, its also angering to know that a people who have inflicted this treatment on me countless times can't take it when directed at them.
A lot of this stuff is rumoured to be "just culture" when in fact its "just bad manners".
And yes, I'd love to follow around one of those Bali touts all day repeatedly shoving some plastic trinket in his face and see if anything clicks in his brain. |
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morrisonhotel
Joined: 18 Jul 2009
Location: Gyeonggi-do
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| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 12:02 am Post subject: |
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| ZIFA wrote: |
Thing is though, try doing it to them and see how they react. Next time you're out with another foreigner and see a korean, point at them and call out "woah..look at the korean person" and see how it goes down. I have done it and while being funny to watch, its also angering to know that a people who have inflicted this treatment on me countless times can't take it when directed at them. |
Are you doing this to random people or are you doing it to people you know do that to foreigners? |
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