Scams in thailand!!

Enterprise_1701C

We had a wonderful time over there, but as others say keep your wits about you. If you go for a taxi or tuk tuk ride make sure you agree the price up front (check roughly how much it should be with your rep ifrst (if you have one)). Bartering is fun, but not quite so profitable as in Egypt. Great place for custom made clothes, we came back with silk dresses and shirts, and a couple of suits - all for silly prices.

Expect the worst and hope for the best.

Doshwaster

Jane_Blackford wrote: »

We had a wonderful time over there, but as others say keep your wits about you. If you go for a taxi or tuk tuk ride make sure you agree the price up front (check roughly how much it should be with your rep ifrst (if you have one)). Bartering is fun, but not quite so profitable as in Egypt. Great place for custom made clothes, we came back with silk dresses and shirts, and a couple of suits - all for silly prices.

Expect the worst and hope for the best.

The custom made clothes can be bargains but they can also be scams. There are dozens of tailors around, most will be hawking outside their door (don't shakes their hand as you pass as they'll never let go!) but ask around for recommendations of where to go.

One scam is when they offer to deliver it to your hotel. Don't do this - they will deliberately send them on the day you check out so that it's too late for you to have any alterations done.

I got some made to measure work shirts and they are fantastic. So nice to have a shirt that actually fits properly - at a price less than you would pay for one in Tesco.

ecleeconfused

Have just come back from BKK and think the following tips might help..

Dont bother with tuk-tuks (unless you want to try just for fun). Always flag down a moving taxi. Flagfall is about 35 baht but clicks over very slowly so journeys are almost always cheaper than tuk-tuks (unless you are very good at haggling!). Most taxi drivers dont speak good English so either say where you are going clearly or have it written in Thai.

Do use the excellent river taxis. Not the rip-off tourist trips that last an hour plus. Just jump on at the numbered quays and pay on the boat (between 14 - 20 baht per trip). Is excellent fun and a great way to see the city. Many are 'express' boats so dont stop at every quay so is worth checking but I actually quite enjoyed just jumping on and seeing where I would end up. The skytrain is also excellent and really easy to figure out.

Normal Thai people will not approach you in the street and engage you in a friendly conversation - if anyone does so assume they are trying to get you to buy something/ go somewhere. Just have a chat for a bit and politely decline whatever plan they come up with. They won't get nasty - just look a bit sad!

Do look out for your personal posessions at Hua Lamphong railway station - my watch dissapeared somewhere between cigarrette outside and the loos - may just have been me being a t**t though!

Don't be paranoid everyone is out to get you.

Have a great time, wish I was heading back soon!

Luckyred

We found the Thais to be very polite and hospitable people. We never once had a problem with taxi fares. The only "scam" that we got caught out with was the following: we went in a bar a few times in Hua Hin. it was a pleasant place, very attractive surroundings and the drinks were cheap. Anyway one evening two lady boys asked if they could join us so we said yes. We got chatting to them and found them fascinating, really beautiful. I could hardly believe they were men. There was my husband and me and another couple (our friends who we were on holiday with). We bought a round, then our friends bought one. We were all drinking lager as were the lady boys. We then decided to go back to the hotel as it was getting late, the lady boys tried their best to get us to stay but we resisted. The barman brought the bill and it was over £70! :eek: and this was 9 years ago! We asked how come the price of drinks had gone up so much since the night before but the barman pretended not to understand. We refused to pay and the manager appeared. It got quite nasty and they threatened to call the police. We decided it wasnt worth the hassle so we paid up and left. :mad:

KonkyWonky

Watch out for natives offering to luv you long time ten dolla

globalds

No real scams happened when we went last summer, but anything for sale at a bargain price is not genuine regardless of what you are told.

The best tip I can give that works and works really well, is for when you arrive at Bangkok airport. ...don't get a taxi at arrivals . Go upstairs to departures and go out the doors to get a taxi that has just dropped someone off ..there are plenty and you can ask them to use the meter or you won't get in , just walk up to the one coming in behind.

Makes the taxi fare very reasonable ( you will be expected to pay the toll fare on top of meter if you use the express way).

Nobjocki

KonkyWonky wrote: »

Watch out for natives offering to luv you long time ten dolla

TEN dolla ?










Bloody inflation.

richardw

globalds wrote: »

The best tip I can give that works and works really well, is for when you arrive at Bangkok airport. ...don't get a taxi at arrivals . Go upstairs to departures and go out the doors to get a taxi that has just dropped someone off ..there are plenty and you can ask them to use the meter or you won't get in , just walk up to the one coming in behind.

Makes the taxi fare very reasonable ( you will be expected to pay the toll fare on top of meter if you use the express way).

That is exactly what happened to us when we got out of our taxi at departures at BKK last night, somebody was waiting to grab the taxi.

Btw the standard taxi doesn't have much boot space because of the LPG tank taking up a lot.

Doshwaster

globalds wrote: »

Makes the taxi fare very reasonable ( you will be expected to pay the toll fare on top of meter if you use the express way).

The first time I went to BKK I arranged a chauffeur driven Merc from the airport to the hotel for around £10. Given the increase in prices and the change in the exchange rate, I wouldn't dream of doing that now.

dacouch

Wise Chinese Philosopher Confucious Says "Man who go through airport turn style sideways is going to Bangkok"