A guide on how to avoid a scam in Bangkok
One of the problems tourists face when they arrive in Bangkok, or any other part of Thailand (along with many countries around the world) is getting caught up in scams and/or paying extreme premiums due to not understanding the local ropes.
Luckily, my average day involves walking around with Thai people or walking around in a shirt/tie – This disinterests the scammers as they are aware I know how the system works. However, if I’m walking around with friends/family we come across as tourists – prime bait.
It’s a real shame that most tourists do not get to meet any Thai people outside the tourist industry… If you think about it, most tourists only get to speak to Taxi drivers, Hotel staff, tour guides, tailors and bar girls… the types of people that will mostly try and have one over on you.
Here are 10 tips that are worth baring in mind when you visit Thailand for the first time. I hope that by reading the info below, it will prevent you from experiencing a negative encounter with a Thai that is only interested in one thing: drawing as much money out of you as possible.
Don’t loose your cool
Okay, I wanted to start with this tip, as I believe it’s the most important. What ever situation you find yourself in, especially when it’s all turning sour: keep your cool. You’ll be able to react a lot better if you are relaxed, which brings me onto tip number 2…
You’re on your own
Yes, Thailand does have a tourist police division but from what I hear (I’ve never had dealing with them myself) they are not very friendly, and sometimes are even involved within the scam. This can be quite scary, but it’s better knowing you have no help from the authorities sooner rather than later.
Mai al
When you visit Thailand, you’ll no doubt pick up a little bit of Thai language and phrases… one of the ones that all my friends and family still know to this day is Mai Al krub/ka (krub for a guy, ka for a lady) This simply means don’t want/need. When you are walking around and people approach you, nine times out of ten they will leave you alone if you say these 2 words… it implies that you have been here long enough to learn a little language which may mean you know how the system works.
Get a driver
One of the most popular spots where tourists are likely to get ripped off in Bangkok are the temples, especially the Grand Palace and Wat pra gel.
On my first trip to Bangkok, I had the idea to hire a taxi driver for 2 days… a day to see the popular tourist sites with some shopping, and another day for the driver to show us some of Bangkok that most tourists don’t normally get to see. As soon as we met a taxi driver we got along with, we agreed on a daily rate and the taxi driver was waiting at our hotel the next morning. Although this option is a little more expensive, the pro’s far outweighed the extra few hundred baht. The pro’s include having a tour guide as well as a driver, somewhere to leave bags/goods when visiting the next place, someone to guide us through different areas where we wouldn’t have got to know about otherwise, someone to teach us what the weird looking food was on the street, someone to teach us the local lingo and most importantly… the driver kept us away from scammers!
Tuk Tuk’s
Everyone wants to experience a ride on this crazy, unique Thai vehicle and I don’t blame you! For the Tuk Tuk virgin, they are a lot of fun, especially if you get a driver who thinks he is a formula one driver! No matter where you want to go within the city, the tuk tuk fair should not cost more than 100B – If you get quoted more, move onto the next one! There is one exception: Koasarn Road – That’s another post for another day!
Avoid gems/gold
Seriously, if you want to save a few quid on gems and stones and think you may be interested in what the guy you have known for 5 mins has to offer… save your money and loose of face and buy me a beer now! If you are looking for some nice gold, jewelry or gems, you are best off to visit one of the big shopping centers (not MBK) like Siam Paragon, Emporium, Central World or Gaysorn Plaza.
Airport Taxi
It’s a real shame that most tourists are most likely to get ripped off before even leaving the airport. The authorities do nothing to stop the hundreds of taxi sellers harass newly flown in tourists walking through the airport terminal every day. Do yourself a favor and head to the 2nd floor, where you’ll find meter Taxi’s – The fair should cost between 300b to 400b to the city center. The sellers start their rates at 1,000B
Tailors
Sound too good to be true? It is. Personally I’ve never had a tailored suit made in Bangkok, and don’t think I will. I have seen friends have suits and shirts made and I think the cuttings and quality of materials aren’t that great – However, I’m a little fussy with my clothing so your opinions may differ from mine. If you want a tailored garments made in Bangkok, I recommend checking out some reviews on-line. What ever you do, try and resist the $99 5 shirts, 3 suits and 10 ties package!
Bar Girls
There are many stories of girls drugging men here in Thailand with sleeping pills etc so they can run off with your wallet, passport and other valuables. If you are hitting the naughty areas of town, make sure you put your stuff in the safe before you leave your hotel, and only carry enough cash that you can afford to loose!
Anybody else got some tips they would like to share?
“not want”:
- “Mai Al” is poor pronounciation. You are trying to say something closer to “Mai-OW” which literally means “not want”. “ow” means to have, take, or want, depending on context. A confident “mai-ow krap, karp khun krap” *will* almost always send a unwanted street vendor scurrying away. Better to pronounce it correctly for good effect.
Tuk-Tuk’s:
- had to laugh out loud at that one…If you’re spending 100 baht on a tuk-tuk, you should have taken a taxi. Also, if you are trying to avoid scams (the point of this article) then staying away from tuk-tuk drivers will keep you away from about 80% of the Bangkok scams.
Gold:
- gold is not a scam, but here’s the deal. There are several large, established, well-known gold dealers in Thailand. Discover one of them and use only them. Also keep in mind that Thai Gold looks a
bit different from western gold due to it’s higher gold content. It will
look a bit “oranger” guess I’d say.. 23 karat is the Thai standard,
which is softer and more delicate than many people are used to. Also some people prefer the less flashy western-style gold (western-style 18 karat has a “dull” look, as compared to Thai gold, which catches light much more). An item from a ‘good’ gold shop will be stamped with 2 markings. One is the manufacturers stamp, and the other is the gold dealers stamp. You should see them hammer the stamp onto your piece when you buy it. By the way, gold in Thai is pronounced “tong”. No reason to avoid buying gold, just educate yourself on the process first, and if you don’t find exactly what you want, you can get custom work done. Also pearls (from the waters off Phuket) are very nice. Black pearls are very popular and can be found in Thailand.
Tailors:
- there are good custom tailors in Bangkok, but this is not something that a tourist should try since tourists will not be in town long enough to find the good places. Tourists will generally end up with a crappy suit; people who live here figure out where to go. Some of
nicer malls such as MBK will have good designer clothing that a tourist would actually like. Locals can have anything make of course.
Bar Girls:
-Main thing I can say, especially for a first-time Bangkok visitor is to be very VERY careful about taking anyone off from either Nana Plaza or Patpong. Both of those areas are huge tourist rip-offs. Especially stay away from what’s left of the ‘upstairs’ bars at Patpong (I never go there, so things may have gotten even worse by now). Also educate yourself on ladyboys before you get an unwanted education in the room (heh). I have a few ladyboy friends but this
is something that a visitor would not be expecting. Patpong sucks. Go somewhere else. Nana is a mess. Avoid.
Passport:
-Thai law says everyone must be carrying an ID at all times. For visitors, it’s a really bad idea to carry your original passport. So first
thing when you hit Bangers, go to a copy store and get a reduced sized copy (very reduced, like 25%) made. Make sure you get both the photo page with passport number, as well as the page with your visa stamp. Then have them trim the paper down and laminate it. The laminated copy of your passport will survive the Bangkok heat and wear with no problems, will your original is safely stored in the safe.
BTS Skytrain:
-the Skytrain is great. Check it out. You can get a day pass for very reasonable price.
Driver:
-I really would not do this in Bangkok, maybe if you are making day trips outside of town it would be an ok idea. Taxi and skytrain is much better and cost-effective.
Silk:
- if you buy “Thai silk” from a vendor or cloth store, make sure it’s really silk.
Airport Taxi:
- at the new airport, the cabstand is downstairs from arrivals (go down the ramp after exiting the terminal). And avoid the hucksters at all costs. You can also go up to the second floor to get a cab (departures) but this is frowned upon by the police. Have not tried that yet but probably will.
Frequent travellers:
-keep a short list of “emergency” hotels to stay at in case you end up arriving w/o a reservation. My key factors in selecting hotels for this purpose is: 1) very popular so any cab driver will know the location 2) cheap, only use these hotels for one night..late arrivals 3) near the skytrain 4) food nearby, 24 hours 5) internet service
Gene
Hi Gene - Some valid points there. However, I think a guide like this is a) to much to take it in for the first time visitor and b) takes out the “adventure” in traveling… which is the most important factor when I travel. It’s okay if things go wrong from time to time, they seem to make the best stories when you get home! I was simply outlining some golden tips from my first time experience to Bangkok (It was a while ago now)
You can pronunce “Mai Al” and “Mai-Ow” roughly the same… although when I’m explaining this to friends, It’s easier for me to say “think of May as in the month and al as short for Alan”… it seems to work perfectly good enough.
I strongly disagree about the Driver… This is one tip I give to most new visitors, it saves so much bother… but yes, it is more exspensive. On the other hand, depending on the driver, you may get to see some of Bangkok that you wouldn’t get to see reading a guide book. For instance, the driver may introduce you to his family or may invite you to eat some fried rice on the side of the street… those sould small and silly, but can sometimes be great memories.
Anyway, I really appreciate the detailed reply…. food for though for any new visitor to Bangers!