2 tier pricing for Thais

[Takiap]

As a foreigner having lived and worked legally in the UK for ten years, let me comment................

Even though I am not a UK national, I earned exactly the same as any UK nationals earned. I paid the same amount of tax and national insurance, and I paid the same price for goods as any UK national paid. So, in my ten years there, I never once experienced double pricing.

Abusing foreign workers by making them work late shifts, and making them do tasks their job description doesn't include?....... SJ, while I love most of your posts, it is clear you have never set foot offshore before. These are things which happen on a daily basis in the North Sea, irrespective of whether you're a Brit or not. Any drill crew member will confirm this, and I sure it's the same the world over, and certainly the same in South Africa.

Thai workers in the construction industry? - They're there illegally because foreigners cannot get a work permit in the UK to work on a building site!

Double pricing sucks, but fortunately we can often still have the last laugh. For example, a local ice cream vendor decided I should pay farang prices, without even considering the fact that maybe I live here, and that after seeing my face each and every day of the week. As a result, she has not sold a single ice cream to me or my kids in the last five years. Maybe ignorance was her downfall, but I prefer to call it good old fashioned stupidity. I know I would rather make two baht every day for the next ten years rather than only make four baht once. I mean, my chickens can think further than that.

When my wife (Thai) was expecting our second child, staff at San Paulo were more interested in explaining that we would have to pay X amount more because they charge farang more than they charge Thais. The last time I looked in a mirror without my clothes on, I got the distinct impression that I would be unable to conceive, let alone give birth, hence there was no farang giving birth. So, yes, they even turn on their own if there's money involved.

Sorry guys, hell will freeze over before you convince me double pricing exists everywhere. Like I say, I never once experienced it in the UK, and I can also say it doesn't happen in my own country. And, that age old excuse that it's because Thailand is such a poor country just doesn't cut it anymore.

So, I stand by my guns.......if I even for a minute think I'm being charged more for something simply because my skin is white, they can kiss my white a.....!

Double pricing stinks, and while I can avoid it having lived here for so long, I feel sorry for the tourists who know no better.

[lilmolfie]

I get upset when this happens also as my mum is Thai and other Thais can obv. tell that she's lived in England for nearly 30 yrs. It's the one thing I dislike about Thailand tbh

[margaretcarnes]

Because they are tourists, they are on vacation, they profit from roads, from mosquitos and everything Thailand has to offer for FREE. Tourists are not paying any tax in Thailand, they should pay more, that's all. Don't mater if they are white or not, a tourist should pay more. With the misere all arround the world the luxury vacations should be highly taxed.

But for thai people a farang is always a tourist so they charge you more even if you live here and contribute already as a citizen. Even after 20 years you will be considered a farang, a stranger, a guy from the other world. That's why i don't like double pricing for farangs, they should rename this as a tourist tax as we do in France, so we can charge anyone visiting our country without having the fear of discrimination because don't mater your color, you are going to pay if you don't live in the country at full time. And if you live in the country for full time you are going to pay too a lot of different taxs, France is the most taxed country in the world, even China has lower taxes.

Just 2 final points Johan - first - little wonder I have never been to France and am now even less inclined to want to go there.
Second - confirming what others have already said tourists in Thailand do pay plenty of tax. Thailand does have VAT. It also produces much of it's own food, clothing, touristy gifts etc which people do buy while here - and believe it or not tourists also pay for accommodation and transport. I know tourism isn't the be all and end all of the Thai economy, but without it you might never have arrived in HuaHin yourself.

[Super Joe]

Abusing foreign workers by making them work late shifts, and making them do tasks their job description doesn't include?....... SJ, while I love most of your posts, it is clear you have never set foot offshore before..

Not sure why you'd elevate working double shifts to 'abusing', I certainly wouldn't. I'd class abuse as the likes of forced labour, like what happened to the Thais in Hawaii who had their passports taken from them and physically restrained, or the Thai farm workers in Poland forced to work 24 hour days and eventually sent home without a penny in salary. Don't see many Thai companies doing that to us Westerners, local Asian migrants I'm sure though.

These are things which happen on a daily basis in the North Sea, irrespective of whether you're a Brit or not. Any drill crew member will confirm this, and I sure it's the same the world over, and certainly the same in South Africa

The bit I underlined sounds all equal, that's all I'm saying. When I worked overseas the construction companies, small and large, it was anything less than equal, it was only the Thais, Filipinos, Nepalese & Indians who were payed less for the same job, not given apartments to stay in as we whities were, given the cack jobs, layed off first, got to wash the bosses car, get the teas, work Christmas/New Years Day blah blah. Engineers and CAD co-ordinators on view between the site office and the site washing the bosses car, hmmm class. Again, not abuse levels though.

And big deal...I didn't give a to$$, still don't really although I'd like to think I treat our workers half decently, but thing is I wonder how the people complaining about 20 Baht at waterfalls or 200 Baht to the doctors (not the OP as Thai national) would like to try the above on for size. Makes me laugh when I hear about how 'bad' the Thais treat us!!

I've always said double pricing is out of order, not defending ANY of it, just pointing out we Westerners (if that's the right term), are far from whiter than white on this front, although not like for like as I'm sure our hospitals don't do it.



SJ

[Takiap]

Okay SJ, you're forgiven

Yes, I don't like double pricing, as I'm sure my post suggests. At the same time, it doesn't really bother me much anymore as I've learned how to avoid it.

MC.......I agree, I wouldn't want to visit France either if they punish yopu for being a tourist. At least in the UK they charge everyone astronomical amounts of money to visit any tourist attraction, hence the reason why only tourists get to see the best bits

[Johan]

In fact i don't know any french guy who likes France or want to live there.

Take a look at here : http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0413/ ... alors.html

Then tell me who here want's to go in France, we have taxs for everything, if you are going to build a new window in your house i believe there is a tax for that window too.

[Super Joe]

Okay SJ, you're forgiven

I was always good at talking my way out of a severe beating

SJ

[BaaBaa.]

In fact i don't know any french guy who likes France or want to live there.

Surrender Monkeys.

[lindosfan1]

Baa baa please dont insult monkeys they are quite intelligent

[malcolminthemiddle]

When I worked overseas the construction companies, small and large, it was anything less than equal, it was only the Thais, Filipinos, Nepalese & Indians who were payed less for the same job, not given apartments to stay in as we whities were, given the cack jobs, layed off first, got to wash the bosses car, get the teas, work Christmas/New Years Day blah blah. Engineers and CAD co-ordinators on view between the site office and the site washing the bosses car, hmmm class. Again, not abuse levels though.SJ

They even had their own classification, they were known as TCNs. I wonder how we supposedly DCNs classify them now?

[margaretcarnes]

MC.......I agree, I wouldn't want to visit France either if they punish yopu for being a tourist. At least in the UK they charge everyone astronomical amounts of money to visit any tourist attraction, hence the reason why only tourists get to see the best bits [/quote]


Ah yes - but the best things in life (UK wise anyway) are free my dear - those rolling hills, wild moors, tinkling streams, and steaming cow pats of Gods Own County

[mabubba]

And trying to follow the title of this thread, my wife does the shopping - food, clothes etc. She's happy with that and if I were to go with her she almost certainly would be treated differently and probably charged more. If I were to question the price, in my very rudimentary Thai, my wife and the seller would probably "lose face". So, I don't even bother with things like that now.

Me too. When I wanted a motorbike for the day, one of the girls at Jings' went and rented it for me. I do appreciate it when they take care of you

[Jaime]

Comparing 'labour rights abuses' of Thai workers in the UK (which in my experience is mainly committed Thai on Thai - especially in the restaurant and rag trades) with double pricing in Thailand is simply not comparing eggs with eggs.

The former is illegal, generally understood to be wrong by the local populace and has consequences for those who are found out, whilst the latter is not only legal but reinforced by state bodies such as National Parks.



Seems like this thread needs to be brought !!

[lucrative]

If we are still talking about 2 tier pricing,i can attest to the fact that at HH govt hospital i got charged 300 baht extra for an outpatient visit,they didnt hide the fact it was printed on my receipt. During a 20 day stay recently for 2 broken legs from a car accident,when i checked my bill which was around 220,000 baht, there was clearly printed on the bill 26,298 baht foreigner service,now i dont mind a little extra graft for local organisations,after all i only live here and pay quite a hefty sum to do so via education visas.....but 26,298 baht!!! i have to say i am quite indignant about this especially when the nurses dont even give you a bed bath and you get no help to toilet yourself, if you want to go poopie you are told you will need an adult nappie and someone to help you,so if you are on your own in town you are stuffed.anyway i digress can a 26,000 baht charge really be justified roughly 12% on an already large bill. i was a little disappointed with that and the inpatient care, medical staff A+ i had a great doctor.

[Siani]

If we are still talking about 2 tier pricing,i can attest to the fact that at HH govt hospital i got charged 300 baht extra for an outpatient visit,they didnt hide the fact it was printed on my receipt. During a 20 day stay recently for 2 broken legs from a car accident,when i checked my bill which was around 220,000 baht, there was clearly printed on the bill 26,298 baht foreigner service,now i dont mind a little extra graft for local organisations,after all i only live here and pay quite a hefty sum to do so via education visas.....but 26,298 baht!!! i have to say i am quite indignant about this especially when the nurses dont even give you a bed bath and you get no help to toilet yourself, if you want to go poopie you are told you will need an adult nappie and someone to help you,so if you are on your own in town you are stuffed.anyway i digress can a 26,000 baht charge really be justified roughly 12% on an already large bill. i was a little disappointed with that and the inpatient care, medical staff A+ i had a great doctor.

I think you should start another topic. How important it is to have medical insurance. Tell the forum about your experience. We all go through life thinking we do not need it. It is only after reading things like you have said, that it really hits home. Since being in Thailand I have had one accident myself and seen hundreds. It is astonishing how quiet the Bangkok Hospital was yesterday, on one of the busiest days of the year. Thousands of people going to the music festival. When we were there at 5 pm we there was only two other patients in the emergency area I wonder why?