Wanderlust wrote:hhs,
I think I would give up on trying to find a collective term that fits all the potential undesirables in the property business here, mainly because you'll never find one!
**********************
Thanks, WL, you just gave me one THE UNDESIRABLES. brings back memories of THE UNTOUCHABLES, which it appears some of THE UNDESIRABLES may be.
**************************
Fortunately I think they are outweighed quite substantially now by good, honest professionals, although no doubt when the good times return the bad 'uns will start reappearing. I would have thought now would be the ideal time for the good 'uns to try to resurrect the trade body that was going to be formed actually, after all they must have more spare time to give it some thought? Better to look to the future than dwell on the past I'd say.
I guess you're not familiar with the history of the now defunct 'trade body" of which I was the Consumer Representative. It was my vigerous participation as such that contributed to my assassination. The bad and the ugly developers or their henchmen showed up at the meetings, took notes, tried to disrupt and hinder progress by claiming every positive suggestion was impossible to implement. They feared an organization that would pledge to do such things as put all electrical wire in conduit or paint all steel works with rust inhibiting paint, or fix things that were under warranty. They wouldn't join because it would cut down on their profits, so they had to do what they could to kill the trade association. There was a prominent RE agent who was responsible for organizing the meetings to discuss the trade association idea. He received such serious threats he moved out of HuaHin. End of trade association idea. On reflection I should have done same. The good may out number the bad, but they don't have the fire power.
The "good, honest, professionals" you mention know who the bad and the ugly are but it is dangerous to their health to say or do something, so they blame victims like me, who complain to the newspapers. I should just shut up and agree to be robbed of a couple million baht. When an article appears which is uncomplimentary to Hua Hin, it hurts everyone"s business, not just the bad guy's. But the good guys keep quiet. No one tries to put pressure on the bad and ugly to clean up their act.
So a complaint article hurts business. What kind of thinking thinks: MURDERING the complainer is the way to stop bad press about Hua Hin???? Noobody will notice??? A contract is put out on me, the complainer, I get shot and around the world goes the news of what can happen to you with builders in Hua Hin, Thailand. I wonder how many who googled Thailand or HuaHin read about murder and decided to give HH a miss? Now was that great thinking or simply rage that a 65 year old pensioner wouldn't roll over and agree to be cheated?
WE all know the solution but it involves a change in the culture, of which I cannot be specific, but all who have lived here know.
