Hua Hin food sellers to sign MoU not to overcharge customers

[buksida]

Food-shop owners and street food sellers in Hua Hin seaside resort town will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Hua Hin municipal administration which requires them to strictly abide by trading rules and, most importantly, not to overcharge their customers, especially for seafoods.

The measure to rein in the food sellers in the famous resort town popular among vacationers from Bangkok and foreign tourists follows a recent social media post by a Sea Write author Somchai Liewwarin, aka Win Liewwarin, who complained that he was charged several thousand baht for just a few plates of seafoods when he dined with a few friends at a seafood shop in the municipal area about two months ago.

The post has drawn many responses from netizens criticizing overcharging practice by seafoods restaurants and food-shops on the famous walking street. It has also prompted the district chief officer, Thanon Panphipat, to take action to address the problem.

Thanon held a meeting with food-shop owners and street food sellers at the district office on Monday to discuss the alleged overcharging problem and it was agreed at the meeting all the food sellers would be made to sign an MoU promising to not overcharge customers and to follow other trading regulatioins.

Regarding the author’s complaint, the district chief officer said the case was unclear as the author did not provide evidence to prove he was overcharged. The author, meanwhile, said he didn’t want to press any charge against the food seller but merely wanted to warn the other tourists to be careful.

Thanon said the municipal administration have warned food sellers to show price lists and service fees to inform customers.

He said he would meet with the food sellers next Monday for an MoU signing to commit them to strictly adhering to proper trading regulations.

Source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/hua-hin-fo ... customers/


Its ridiculous that there are so many bandits out there that it has to come to this! So much for Buddhism and karma.

[Big Boy]

Are there so many bandits[/u] out there? Yes, Thais love money for nothing, but most establishments charge a fair Hua Hin price for a fair service (I say Hua Hin price because they are not Thailand prices, and some are locally inflated by location within the town).

If the allegations are true, then yes, they are taking the P, but how do you define bandit? Food from a street seller should cost less than it does from a top hotel, but at what point is the profit seen as offensive? e.g. ingredients will be/cost the same, but if the street seller makes 50 Baht per meal and the hotel makes 500 Baht per meal, who is the bandit?

[buksida]

Well you for one have complained no end of times on the forum about being overcharged for various things in Hua Hin so I'm surprised that you even question it.

In this scenario I would define a 'bandit' as someone that blatantly charges multiple times the going rate for an item after it has been consumed, preying on easy targets in order to deceive them, it is bordering on robbery.

There is no comparison between hotels as they have displayed their prices and customers have chosen to accept them. A 'bandit' is one that hides the price and charges a thousand baht for a shrimp they probably paid twenty times less for (in this scenario), effectively holding the victim to ransom if they don't cough up.

That's my definition anyway and I know there will be a slew of replies saying 'the dumbass tourists deserve to be fleeced from those poor downtrodden street vendors'.

[Big Boy]

Guilty as charged - I hate Farang mark-ups, but don't we all, whether we admit it or not. However, I don't know if its the fact I'm not as green anymore, establishments recognise me as not being a tourist or I just generally avoid the rip-off merchants, but the food scams don't come across as being as prevalent these days. Yes, there will always be unscrupulous Thais, but that can happen anywhere.

Yes, hotels advertise their prices, but does it really justify some excessive prices charged? I don't know. Street vendors obviously see these prices, and it encourages them to grab a piece of the action. There is one place where Mrs BB has tried the overpriced Thai offerings (when I've had European), and she resists going there anymore because they are selling (what she considers) sub-standard food for top Dollar. She'd rather pay a street vendor 5x more (and still be better off), rather than suffer the food from this establishment.

[laphanphon]

฿1000 per shrimp.....yea........just tad over market price....555

[buksida]

Another thing to consider is that hotels have huge overheads to cover such as staff, taxes, utility bills, maintenance, etc, which is factored into their prices. Street vendors have none so they're simply being greedy if they expect to sell at the same prices. Sitting in a five star restaurant with full service and all the trimmings warrants a certain price level above sitting on a plastic stool in a market next to a stream of waste with motorbikes hurtling past two feet away. Although I admit, the food on the street is often better!

[handdrummer]

The crux of the matter, between food stalls and hotels, is that the hotels post their prices and you can to choose to pay their price or not eat there but if prices aren't posted and you're not to bright, then you'll get ripped off.

[Big Boy]

I'm not trying to defend either street traders or hotels. Simply asking for a definition of bandit.

One thing I tell every visitor who comes to see us. This is Thailand, and especially where bartering is involved, you will be ripped off. However, if you're offered a price that you are happy with, accept it. You are happy, the trader is happy. You've been ripped off, but the item would have cost a lot more in your country. It's a win/win situation.

Personally, I won't get into the barter game. In my opinion, the people who think they are good at bartering are the gullible ones. The trader is never going to sell for less than he needs. Invariably the trader will make a bit extra.

I agree, for anybody ordering anything without first knowing the price, it is blind stupidity. Such people leave themselves wide open to being abused.

[buksida]

I'm not trying to defend either street traders or hotels. Simply asking for a definition of bandit.

And I gave you that definition in the third post down.

but the item would have cost a lot more in your country. It's a win/win situation.

Dunno where you eat but I've never paid 23 quid for a prawn.

Such people leave themselves wide open to being abused.

And I figured the people would be blamed rather than the bandits trying to fleece them.

[HHTel]

Big Boy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 21, 2018 1:35 pm
but the item would have cost a lot more in your country. It's a win/win situation.

I'm sure he wasn't talking about the price of prawns! When bartering, if both parties are happy with the price then he's correct in that whether it's a rip-off or not then it is a win-win.

A friend of mine recently bought some tailor made shirts. He bartered a price that I thought was high but he said that he'd pay 3 times that in the UK. He was happy with the deal and I'm sure the trader was too.

[Big Boy]

I'm not trying to defend either street traders or hotels. Simply asking for a definition of bandit.

And I gave you that definition in the third post down. Apologies - I missed the definition.

but the item would have cost a lot more in your country. It's a win/win situation.

Dunno where you eat but I've never paid 23 quid for a prawn. I was using bartering as a general example of what happens here. I've never known anybody barter for a meal, although I'm sure it goes on.

Such people leave themselves wide open to being abused.

And I figured the people would be blamed rather than the bandits trying to fleece them. No, not entirely.
There has to be blame on both sides. The person deliberately not displaying a price list, and the person stupid enough to buy blindly.

[Bluesky]

I'm not sure how the Hua Hin traders would deal with the Australian Colloquialism "Don't come the raw prawn with me!" (Don't try to put one over me)

[HarryVardon]

It would also be nice if the "++" is banned. Most restaurants include tax in the prices (which is the way it should be) and leave it to the customers discretion how much tip is left. The standard of tipping is very low in Thailand (20-100 Baht). To add 10% + 7% to a bill is ridiculous as that can be anything up to 600-700 tip which is just not done here. If they want to add a tip to the price that is fine AS LONG AS this is included in the price shown on the menu per item and NOT just added to the end bill!

[HHTel]

It is quite common in the UK to have a service charge of 10 - 12.5%. Not included in the menu prices and added to the bill on completion. The service charge has to be noted on the menu. In such cases, it's not usual to leave an extra tip as it's already been taken in the 'service charge'.
This is not exclusive to Thailand by a long chalk. It's common practice in many countries in the west and has been for years.

[StevePIraq]

I recently bought a pizza from Big C food court, cost was 300Baht, sit on a hard concrete bench, no air conditioning, served in a box, vendor has next to zero costs.

Also bought a pork Cordon Blue, fires a few chips on the side at the same food court, a real plate but same poor facilities Cost 220Baht. Same but way better at Farther teds 280 baht

Farther Teds pizza top price 295 Baht, fully air conditioned, lovely surroundings, great tables and chairs, excellent service. Serious operational running costs.

I wont be eating at that food court again.