Scams and Conmen, Bangkok

I booked in the net Pinnacle Lumpinee hotel in BKK (27 May to 10 June 2012) through AGODA but two hour later I called Agoda to cancel because I found a better hotel location Agoda sent me back a e mail cancellation approvals, we went to Bangkok then came back To Australia but I found out now Pinnacle Lumpinne hotel never return the $461.00 they stole from my visa, AGODA received my complain but did nothing. I have been sending e mail to TAT nobody in Thailand care about Pinnacle Lumpinee Hotel dishonest Staff and Agoda an accomplice. BE AWARE!!!!!!
gloriarene
NSW Australia

Unique Suggestions: Do not book Pinnacle Lumpinee Hotel Do not use Agoda

Fun Alternatives: There hotels that do not take money from you visa until you check out look for them

I really haven't tried to book online for a place in where we can stay when we arrived in Bangkok, because I thought at that time that it's dangerous to enter your credit card number in the internet... well, i was wrong.

We planned to ride in a airport bus to get to Sukhumvit and then just find a hotel to sleep there but it didn't went that way. We were blocked in the airport by this old man in a Royal tourist agency and offered us a free tour around the city if we would avail their hotel nearby the airport. Being nice, we said yes thinking that a free tour would be very accommodating since it's our 1st visit in Bangkok and it's getting late. He booked us in Royal Pacific Hotel, for 2 days and 2 nights. I think we paid less than 7000php.

We took a cab from the airport to the hotel, service fee is 300Baht and it only took us less than 30mins to arrive in our destination. We were exhausted that we slept easily that night.
But then again, the place near the airport is not accommodating since we always need to ride a cab to go in the cities to wander. We live, we learn.

the next day we were toured by a tourist guide as promised also with a service car, but before the tour ended (around 1pm) we were brought in these expensive jewelry shops to buy something... my friend and I really not into these things that's why we were so irritated at that time. But still being nice and because we were in a different country, at least we bought something on that shop. But we were surprised it's not just 1 jewelry shop we stopped by, there was another but this time it sells this illuminating rock or whatever you call it!!! we never bothered to buy again because we had enough and it's not our point of interest!!!! we thought it's the last shop, we were wrong again!!!

the 2 thais stopped by another store, this time the jim thompson's shop, it's a well-known shop for fabrics and silks... but it's not what we like you know!!! we like touring around Bangkok not asking some tailors to make us new clothes!!!! well, it's not a really good experience to give you instructions on where to go... especially spending money on something you don't like!

Lesson learned: Don’t accept hotel offers from people in the airport. They would really bring you mischief by taking you to the gem/jewelry shops. Book your hotels in advance.

Unique Suggestions: Learn to say "No" in a nice way.

Fun Alternatives: Still, say "NO" in a nice way. Make up stories like you don't have to spend on something that you don't need and that you're saving for your mother's birthday, etc.

The Tawana Hotel in Surawongse Road Bangkok charges guests US$30 for every "visitor" to the room after 6.00pm. Even business colleagues. Hotel managerment say they only "rent you a bed, not a room" so you are not entitled to have guests - unless you pay, which goes into the pockets of the security people. The cost does not appear on your official hotel bill. Despite its marble foyer, this is a "short stay" hotel (renting rooms by the hour) supporting the prostitution trade in Bangkok.

Unique Suggestions: Always establish the "guest" policy of the hotel BEFORE you check-in or book online. This hotel is now refusing to refund my 5 night stay as I checked out immediately.

Thai people will generally not approach you in the street unless they are after something, never take a 10baht tuk-tuk, better to take a meter taxi.

Fun Alternatives: Learn a few words of Thai, eg. if someone approaches you with the bird seed, just say, "my ow rock" which roughly means, wont take it, or "Phom(if you are male) Di Chan(if you are female) ma thae o lye krang laeow "khrap"(if you are male) "khaa" if you are female, this means I have been here many times.

On 6 Jul 10, I made an int’l call from a public phone in BKK Int’l Airport. The call lasted no more than 2 min and it cost US$41.91. Card validation of USD0.95 was charged but then refunded. The phone company's code was also 800 99461355. I will never call from any public telephone using my credit ever again!

Unique Suggestions: Do not use your credit card on public telephone anywhere in the world. Buy a local phone card to make phone call even if one instead.

Near the Grand Palace there is a place were a lot of doves and a Thai fat woman and a middle aged man give unsuspecting tourist a small bag of corn kernel. They look friendly and as if they were giving you the corns for free even if you ask for how much they will keep on saying its ok...its ok... feed them... after the corn were out they will ask you to pay 50 batt per bag and they ussually give you 4 -6 bags of corn.... well i said dont have money..I only have 20 batt..if you want we go to the police,,,he he he...they accepted the 20 batt...but before that they keep on shouting ...so i also shout them and keep on saying Police...Police...Help me....lets go to the police station... They seem to be shock of how i was so determined to go to the police station...they finally said..ok..ok..no police just pay 20 batt...I gave them 20 batt then walk fast as i could.

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I am living in Bangkok and my family came here for vacation so I brought them to the Grand Palace. After that we hung out around the area and I proposed them to walk through the royal field to check the kites then go to Khaosan Road for getting a drink.

While walking at the corner of the Saranrom Park, a nice old guy proposed us some free bikes to ride around the area, I declined but the guy was nice so we chatted up a bit. He asked what are our plans and part of my family (my uncle, my cousin and a friend) told him they planned to go to Chiang Mai next day but didnt have any bus or train ticket yet.

He then said its chinese new year and 1 million chinese people are going to come down to Thailand and its gonna be impossible to find tickets and accomodations in Chiang Mai, unless of course we do it right away. He said we should go to TAT agencies, and "luckily" he knew two of them in the area. My family got scared they wouldnt find any bus or train and listened to his advice. Honestly at that time I didnt realize it would be a scam, maybe because of the heat or something ;) He called two tuk-tuk that were just waiting nearby that would drive us to the agency then wait for us and bring us back to Khao San Road for only 40 bahts.

The trip was quite long and that's when I realized something is fishy, a ride that long cannot cost only 40 bahts when they usually charge you 20 bahts just to go down a soi. At that time I told my family thismight be a scam, but oh well at least we get a ride in a tuk tuk, that can be a nice (but in fact a very polluted) experience.

When finally arrived at the travel agency we were brought to a "VIP" room in the back and a very talkative salesman helped my family. I realized it's not a TAT agency but a travel agency that has a TAT license. He proposed all sorts of activities and things to do and accomodations in Chiang Mai. He said again it was Chinese New Year, and it would be like hell over there. Finally they just asked to buy bus tickets for.... 2900 baht round trip + 500 baht taxi to take them from the hotel to the bus station.

I told them its way overpriced, I had paid something like 1600 baht the year before for the same bus. I told them its a scam but they didnt want to bother and bought the ticket. I told it to the salesman, and he suddenly became much less friendly to me :D

I know its not the most horrible scam and that we didnt lose a lot of monet but I feel angry that those people play with the trust of innocent tourists.

As agreed the Tuk tuk brought us back to Khaosan, and the driver admitted he got money from the travel agency to bring us there (he said 100 baht but can be more).

Sorry for my bad english, I hope you understand everything I wrote.

Unique Suggestions: be nice and decline the offer, dont be rude or raise the voice, as you never know, they can become violent.

Fun Alternatives: as said many times by other people, always be careful when a foreigner, speaking fluent english comes to you and proposes something.

Correct. Aside from the knockoff name, its definitely a scam. YOu should avoid this tourist trap. I have been to Thailand at least 10 times. In the hundreds of meals that I have had in many Thai restaurants all over the country, this was the first Thai restaurant where I felt like I had been ripped off. When you enter this place –open until late hours and recommended by our taxi driver – you immediately note that there are taxis line up there. You also note that there are only foreign tourists inside, and absolutely NO Thai customers. That alone is a bad sign. Another taxi driver later confirmed to us later that the exhoritant price for the food (which is of decent quality) also pays the arriving taxi-driver a commission, and gets him a free meal. The owners of this restaurant are obviously relying on the fact that the typical tourist does not know the conversion rate of their own money to Baht, and if he does, does not do complex division. I paid more than 9 US dollars (!!!!) for a bowl of steamed rice with flecks of chicken. This is obscene in Thailand and I knew it. When I got the bill written entirely in Thai, I thought it was someone else bill. Since they are used to complaints here from tourists, they deflected my questions. At that point, there was little that could be done.

Unique Suggestions: If you go there because everything else is closed, don't say I didn't warn you.

Fun Alternatives: Go to ANY other Thai restaurant where you see Thai (preferrably elders) eating.

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Just across the grand palace, you will see that there are several birds in the park. NEVER take the corn bits from anyone to feed to the birds. EVEN if they say it's free! Why? Because in reality it is not FREE! We were very wrong to accept such an offer from a middle aged Thai woman. When we are about to go, she demanded payment and not only that! She's asking for a minimum of $50!!!! Who the hell would pay Fifity US dollars for a small plastic of corn pellets? When I said no, she hysterically shouted and just kept on saying "You pay $50!". It was very humiliating because it caught the attention of the others. I'm about to shrink from the looks of the people, as if i have committed a crime! Eventually, she agreed to accept 100 baht.

*** first of all *** Thanks to all who have posted warnings on Tuk-tuks and conmen - They are all true and thank God I was able to read them before travel.

Mine occurred outside the Holiday Inn – Silom area. We exchanged money at the tourist info kiosk just outside the Holiday Inn and about half a block away as we started walking were sweetly greeted by a supposedly Holiday Inn employee who had just got off the night shift and heading home.
Had it not been for the warnings of this site – we would have fallen for this one.
He had the usual offering of – don’t talk to any of the agents who will sell u canal rides, etc. – I live and work here and can direct you to the best and honest boat operator, etc. and of course my buddy here won’t charge you 10B to take you there on his Tuk-tuk….

Unique Suggestions: The river ferry is like a metro and has specfied stops and schedule - If ypu plan on riding it mre than once in a day buy the 100B odd day pass.

We bought one at the 1st or 2nd stop in the Silom area and explored all the sights including the temples and markets all day hopping on and off the ferry.