Hua Hin Forum

Well, I didn't say it was cheap.... You didn't say, but, of course, we all knew that. "Cheap" and "good quality" never go together, not in Thailand, that's for sure. One approach I always use for getting workmen to listen is to pay well above the average rate. First, I ask Thai ...

The simple answer is that you can pay a lot more money, there are quality craftsmen available in Thailand, ... If you don't do that you're basically going to end up with untrained people working as handymen and not craftsmen. Your assumption is faulty, because you don't know the amounts I pay. And ...

It occurs to me that if that is the case you would not want them there anyway and the sooner they are gone the better. I would probably help them pack their tools Excellent! :thumb: Thank you, "Centermid7". Next time something like this happens, I will remember your advice, and possibly o...

. There is no magic word. I don't agree with that discouraging perspective. Not a magic word, but there certainly are ways to approach the situation -- ways compatible with Thai culture -- which often work. If we discuss together, it can help all of us in similar circumstances. One way, suggested pr...

... a condo in Cha Am. Everywhere I look I see superb workmanship. Everything fits. Measurements are precise. Materials are first class. I simply don't believe it. I wonder what you haven't seen yet. However, the topic here is not shoddy construction -- there are countless stories about that. The q...

Its a strange cultural difference. We learn from experience that in the long run it saves you time and money to do things correctly the first time. Other Asian cultures Korean and Japanese are even more obsessive about getting things right, but here in Thai that penny never seems to drop. Exactly! ...

. I would do simply do it myself Yes, that would certainly be best. But the problem for expats goes far beyond just this one job. We expats in Thailand encounter sloppy workmanship in many ways. For example, I've experienced doctors, dentists, opticians and lawyers doing really sloppy work. Can't qu...

. Of course they said, as if they'd do anything else. Stupid to ask was the inference. Off we went and returned after their shift for a look. The normal slippy tiles had been used instead. Thank you, Noz, you've painted a vivid picture. I'd be doing my best to stand over them working, as far as is p...

. There are good tradesman out there, it's just a challenge to find the one you're looking for... Thank you, Dannie Boy, for positive encouragement. Even after ten years here, I still struggle with sloppy work everywhere. I've asked Thai friends, who invariably reply, "Thai people not care.&quo...

. It’s a never-ending problem with Thai workmen: they won’t listen. How do you handle it? They want to do things their way, the Thai way, the easiest, quickest, cheapest, sloppiest way. They say, “This is the way we do it.” Their way, invariably, leads to problems down the road — after they have bee...

. You probably did the right thing as it's not worth attracting too much attention too yourself and it would be his word against yours Very good advice. Thieves and scammers everywhere ... some desperate and dishonest types these days. Mix all that with the self-entitlement so many feel now is a rig...

. A recommendation for Thailand historical fiction: Four Reigns by M.R. Kukrit Pramoj ISBN 978-974-7100-66-2 A classic of modern Thai literature. Paints a moving picture of changes in Thai life and culture, among the upper class, from the end of the 19th century to just after World War II. For those...

Homer wrote:The refuge of one who uses inappropriate and semantically loaded words is to say it's just word games while denying he is doing the same.

I second that.

- Al

. Mulder Niels: Inside Thai Society, Interpretations of Everyday Life CAUTION: Mulder's approach -- like that of many academics in the social sciences -- is thoroughly seeped in Cultural Marxism. I bought and have read this book. It is certainly useful as a catalog of topics to consider, but the ton...

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Big Boy wrote:I felt safe enough, but the train runs in Thailand. I think its an unwritten law that Thai trains have to be late. Probably the nicest 2nd class service I've used in Thailand.

Thank you, again, Big Boy.

Late, okay, This Is Thailand.

- Al