Korean Job Discussion Forums

[fandeath]

My friend just ripped me off!?

When I first came to Korea, a class asked me to go to Seoul Land for the day. Before we went, they told me that we should pool the money together and give it to one guy. We each gave him 30,000 won. Being new to Korea, I was not familair with this and kept track of how much we spending for admission, food, etc... By the end of the day I calculated and expected about 8,000 to be returned. He kept the money.

Through the years I participated in many events, but usually there is no money coming back to me. So I usually try to make sure we spend it.

Last week, I went out with another group of friends on the eating-drinking-singing room course. There were 10 of us and one guy collected 20,000 won from each of us. But at the end of the night, we do not even come close to spending that much, but of course there was not money to be returned.

I was really angry at this guy and judged him as dishonest, especially when I see him pocketing a big wad of cash. Friends are not suppose to make a profit are they?

Anyway, today, he brought me some stationary(notebook and a few pens) and said he bought it with the left over cash. He gave everyone the same thing. I appreciated that he acknowleged that he did have left over money, instead of pretending it was all gone, but I was a little disappointed by the gift.

So, I was wondering does anyone know the customs about this pooled money?

I would also like to hear other experiences.

[panthermodern]

It has been my experience that if you go out with your class, they pay for you.

I always tried to pay but they refused to take any of my money.

I, of course, would pick up the tab somewhere, like buying them all a couple of pitchers or whatever then "secretly" slipping off to bathroom and paying the tab.

If you are going out with a group of 10 this is no hardship for them or for you to covertly pay them back in such a manner.

[teachingld2004]

Call me cheap, but I will not split checks evenly. Evenly is always a rip off for me. I do not drink (OK, once in awhile) and do not think I should chip in for others. I do not usuall order what they order, and I always pay seperately.

I am not cheap. I make dinners and invite people over, and tell them only to bring drinks. I will buy snacks for the kids in school when the mood grabs me. But going out with friends, I do not even do the "once day you pay, next day I pay>" It never evens up.

If I chipped in and saw I should have gotten back 8,000 won I would have asked for it. Of corse, if a friend could not afford something, and I had extra money, I would treat. That is not the same thing. When I treat, I do not expect anythinhg in return.

[teachingld2004]

Call me cheap, but I will not split checks evenly. Evenly is always a rip off for me. I do not drink (OK, once in awhile) and do not think I should chip in for others. I do not usuall order what they order, and I always pay seperately.

I am not cheap. I make dinners and invite people over, and tell them only to bring drinks. I will buy snacks for the kids in school when the mood grabs me. But going out with friends, I do not even do the "once day you pay, next day I pay>" It never evens up.

If I chipped in and saw I should have gotten back 8,000 won I would have asked for it. Of corse, if a friend could not afford something, and I had extra money, I would treat. That is not the same thing. When I treat, I do not expect anythinhg in return.

[-666-]

Under 5,000 won dont sweat it.

Over 5,000 won think about whether or not its worth making a fuss.

Over 10,000 won dont go next time and cut your losses or eat/drink more than your share and throw up.

[inkoreaforgood]

[ajuma]

teachingld2004

You're Canadian, right???

[keithinkorea]

Some of the English teachers I've met here are some of the cheapest arseholes I've ever met in my life. I dont sweat the little stuff but I've seen some people get really mad at Koreans who are doing business, they think they are being overcharged when the service is reasonable and they're paying what everyone else is. Cheap bastards...

Often these are the same idiots who boast about how much money they're sending home, always underpay consistently and have a stack of privates.

OK one day they might become rich through these tactics. But they will always be arseholes in my opinion.

I've learned to avoid these leechers in my time in Korea.

Weird thing is (not bashing) they almost always seem to be Canucks!

[jajdude]

IF your biggest trouble is that you lost somewhere less than $100 once...

Oh, to have your problems.

[juicyhumdinger]

keithinkorea said

[juicyhumdinger]

yeah the pooled money thing

just let it go. Some small money under 10 grand? It'll come back to you sometime in the future.

[The Bobster]

[hojucandy]

i'm sorry but i think your story is ridiculous. for christ's sake man - it was only a few thousand won. where i come from friends don't quibble over money, esp small amounts like that! yu go out with folks, yu chip in for the bill. sometimes yu win sometimes yu lose... it all balances out, and even if it doesn't so what

[teachingld2004]

American.

I do not think I am being cheap by not chipping in. I have invited people to my apartment for dinners plenty of times. When I go and visit some one I bring something. If some one can not afford a meal I have paid. I make alot mote money then the korean teachers at my school, and when we have went places via taxi, I have always paid for that.

When a friend has a car, and we go some place far, I have given some money for gas.

BUT.... I do not drink when we go out, and I will not pay for the drinking of others. I do not see why people have to chip in. I have been out with large groups where the bill was supposed to be divided equally, and people have skipped out and we have had to cover their bills also.

If I am out with 6 people and they get 5 bottles of soju (and in a resturant that is 3,000 a bottle, not 1,000 won I still don't see why I have to chip in. Yes, granted that is not alot of moneyy, but I still will not do it.

[HamuHamu]

When our friends go out, which is most Fridays for galbi and then off to the local pubs for drinks, we split the bills evenly....to a point.

There are a few guys who drink like fish and eat like horses, and one of the girls who doesnt' drink at all. Then there are some like me, who eat an average amount, and have a few of those small glasses of beer at the table and maybe a pint or two at the pub.

When we leave galbi it's always divided equally, except the girls who dont' drink....WE are always the ones saying that the girl who doesn't drink should not pay anywhere near as much as everyone...we split it as evenly as possible (like, if there are 7 of us and the bill comes to 76,000, we toss in 10, she pays the 6). Sometimes it works out more, sometimes less. It rarely works out to an amount that is easy to split, and depending on what change there is, etc, so a few people have paid a couple of thousand more or less. Generally everyone is happy, except her, because she ALWAYS insists that there shouldn't be a different rule for her, and she wants to pay an equal share.

Reality is, paying 9,000 or 12,000 for a massive fantastic dinner, a few pints of beer, some shots of soju and a great conversation and happy times with your mates -- well, who cares about that 3,000.

When we leave the pub it's a bit harder. Everyone is just on their own to toss in as much as they seem to feel they owe based on the bill. The guys are the first ones to make sure that the girls who didn't drink much aren't putting in an equal amount. They always say "Ohh, you don't pay because you only had one pint..." So, sometimes I dont' pay, sometimes I pay way too much, and sometimes it's just right. It just all balances out in the end.

It means that on the nights when there's only 3 or 4 of us out for a dinner where I don't like the food, and I only pick at a little bit (this happens a lot ), and we split a bill evenly it is more than made up for on the million nights when I have a free pint, just because