STEVE G wrote:I'm afraid that the price of something in this world is what people are prepared to pay, not what it's worth.
Does it cost Loius Vuitton 4000 Euros to make a handbag?
[/quote]
I am sorry to hear you have been "used" by Farangs - these are the type of people who give the rest of us who live here a bad name. I fully agree with your comment - please do not think we are all like Johan and the Farang with the door. Most of us are here because we love Thailand and the Thais. Ka[/quote]
I will never ever think that you guys are the same (it would be realy stupid and selfish of me to think like that)
We love you guys and I know that you guys love Thailand, I've got a lot of bloody GOOD Farangs friends
ImThai wrote:Dear Johan,
First of all I have to say that I do not like your Subject. I’ve been in Thailand for 2 and a half month now and guess what!! I’ve been helping all those farang who came by around my area. I was helping countless of them to get what they wanted by translating and by telling them where they could go to get their things or even write a note in Thai for them to help them along the way without any CHARGE.
Not just the Thai will hate you when you don’t pay for their services because you would hate me too if you done something for me and I didn't even say thank you to you!!
Guess what!! There were 1 farang trying to buy a door and wanted something to be made for his new house. The owner of the shop was Thai and of course he can’t speak English so I went there to help them out. The farang was extremely RUDE showing off how big and where about his house is going to be. He didn’t even say HI or Thank you to me!! He was treating me like SHIT; I can see that he after Thai price that is why he came to that poor looking shop. Spoil brat because he has so much money and Thai people always give him what he wants and be toooooo nice to him and treated him like a King that why he is treating other like that.
I'm Thai and get the same problem with prices and quality of the goods!! Good on you that you manage to buy your things for a lot cheaper.
YOU DONT LIKE IT...DONT BUY IT...OR...LEAVE THE COUNTRY....BECAUSE YOU AINT GONA CHANGE SHIT?!?!?!
Well said ImThai
Johan, I've said it before, and I'll say it again...... you're a bloody muppet.
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
Johan wrote:
I also bought a fake rolex at patpong long time ago for 600 bahts, the guy wanted 2500 bahts... after that i went to show it to some thai friends who worked as "kai", they told me they could get the same for 150 bahts. So again, he tried to sell a 2500 bahts fake watch when in fact the real price was 150 bahts. And he was so upset at 600 bahts.
Bollocks. 150 baht? £3?
There is different quality you know, I know somebody who has been coming here for 20+ years, speaks fluent Thai and sells stuff back in England for half of his income.
He'll happily pay 5000 for the top quality copies in BKK.
You seem to have fallen out with 90% of Thais you've come across Johan. Maybe it's more you than them?
90% ? I've meet thousands of thais, only few of them are angry people. But again, they are trying to milk us. And the builder of the project wasn't thai but farang.
I know there is different quality, i'm talking about the same quality, that watch he was trying to sell 2500 bahts that i bought for 600 bahts he can have it for 150 bahts. The same.
Same as in Hua Hin with that playstation 3, they are selling them 5000 bahts more than in Bangkok when the shipment fees are only 120 bahts for 24 hours express.
In Thailand the vendor makes his price, is up to him. You can find the same product priced double or more. Then when you come back to that shop to show them how they are trying to rip you off they are angry.
The answer is simple Johan - just stop buying stuff. Give the Thais who are simply trying to make a living a break.
Mark ups are all part of any trade. It's called making a profit. Thailand traders are no different to anywhere else and yes - if you make a public display of going to suppliers at source and throw that back in the retailers face of course they won't like it. Would you? Lesson number one - Thai people don't like to lose face. I would have thought the thousands of Thai people you have met would have made that clear.
I have been reading forums for a while now but this is my first post and is something I feel strongly about
Here's my ha'porth for what it's worth and forgive me if I am stating the obvious
There is a huge cultural difference between Thai and Western culture not the least of which is the aspect of "losing face". This is very important in Thai culture
We all know there is a Thai and farang price which in my experience has been only a matter of a few Baht
Don't forget even the poorest of us are rich by Thai standards. 15,000 Baht a month is a reasonable salary which is less than a lot of farang pay for their accommodation alone
I have a house here which I furnished myself and of course I negotiated prices but I would like to think I achieved this without being rude or upsetting the people involved
I feel privileged to be here in Thailand and I try at all times to understand and respect their culture. I guess we can at times appear rude and offensive, probably without meaning to
It upsets me to hear Thai people being treated in such a rude manner
It looks to me as if you are giving us farang a bad name Johan and have handled the situation badly
You should be more sympathetic to the Thai culture
I've had more problems with other farangs than with Thais. Even to the point that one of the culprits hightailed out of
Thailand and the matter is now going to the court. More and more detailed about this once the matter progresses in court.
I've been more entertained than offended by some of the ridiculous prices with which I've been presented.
Johan wrote:
I also bought a fake rolex at patpong long time ago for 600 bahts, the guy wanted 2500 bahts... .
Johan, on buying a faux Rolex don't you find it reasonable that also the price is faux?
"There's no plausible or convincing reason, certainly no evidential one, to believe that there is such an entity (= deity) and that all observable phenomena, including the cosmological ones... are explicable without the hypothesis; you don't need the assumption."
Well, one is making a lot of friends in the Kingdom, isn't one.
You come across Johan as a little bit of a doo doo stirrer. That attitude will get you in a lot of trouble here.
Mags said...
Lesson number one - Thai people don't like to lose face. I would have thought the thousands of Thai people you have met would have made that clear.
Well said Mags.
Lesson number two - Believe it or not you may actually learn a little from the long term expats here. Put away your arrogance and open your eyes and ears and maybe... just maybe.... you might survive here a little longer than the way your headed.
If it's within arms reach, there's nothing to worry about!!
Steve M. I must say you are a wise man, when you are a guest in an another mans house, you behave in a way that suits him.
I,m been travelling all around the world for many years, if you behave in this way, you are welcome whereever you go. But if you think you are God because you have some money, you should rather stay in your homecountry.
