Rip Off Prices in PATONG run out of control
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Prices run rampant in Patong without standards or signage
Photo by phuketwan.com
Tourist Anger as Patong Prices Soar Out of Control
By Paweena Petyoi and Alan Morison
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Phuketwan PriceWATCH Economic Analysis
HIGH PRICES in Patong have brought a flurry of complaints from
tourists and an investigation by the local tessaban council.
A small beer that costs 33 baht in a shop almost everywhere on the
island cost anywhere between 80 baht and 120 baht in some bars in
Patong.
A stick of steamed corn that costs 10 baht in Phuket City will cost at
least 20 baht in Patong. There are no price controls in Phuket's
leading west coast tourist haven.
Some shops and stalls are also guilty of double-pricing, charging
tourists rates that are much higher than what they charge Thais.
Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob said yesterday that there should be
standard prices for all items, and the items should be clearly
labelled with the prices.
Complaints by tourists concerned everything from tuk-tuks to drink
prices and the cost of souvenirs.
Because the island's central administration at Provincial Hall in
Phuket City has had so many tourists and honorary consuls contact them
to complain, the governor asked the Patong tessaban to investigate.
Deputy Patong Mayor Chairat Sukhban told Phuketwan that he had been to
visit shops and stalls along the beach road in Patong to check both
prices, signage and the overcrowding of stalls.
He said commissions paid to attract tour groups were sometimes passed
on to customers, making prices even higher.
The cost of renting any kind of retail or entertainment space in
Patong is the highest on the island, with a small stall of less than
two metres in width costing 35,000 baht a month in rent alone.
Franchises, including McDonald's and Starbucks, also have to pay more
for prime positions in Patong, passing the cost on to customers.
In some cases, parking tuk-tuk drivers demand and get free drinks from
nearby stallholders, which means prices for genuine customers have to
be higher to compensate.
More intense competition for tourists who have less money to spend has
also encouraged a growing number of touts of all kinds, which in turn
generates more complaints.
Commissions to go-betweens inevitably makes the prices for tourists
even higher.
Patong's economy is also complicated by the presence of large numbers
of illegal workers. While making the point that her research was not
qualitative, Austrian academic Bianca Gantner talked to employees in
42 small Patong tourist shops earlier this year.
Have you ever been ripped off in Patong? Please tell us your
experience in the Comment box below
''Burmese employees (especially those with Nepalese roots) are
demanded because of their ability to speak English,'' she said.
''They are often talented sales people. They are not bothered about
working seven days a week from 10am to 12:30am, and they are not
fussed about having to stay longer in a shop if there is good business
(Thai employees would go home on time).''
Illegal Burmese workers in Patong fall into two categories: they
either pay off authorities, or they hide and run every time they see
an approaching official.
''I am led to believe that the number of Burmese working in shops in
Patong is probably more than 50 percent of the total staff in all
shops,'' Ms Gantner said.
Apart from the exceptionally high cost of renting space and bribes to
officials, the employment of Burmese at minimum wages in many shops
should, in theory, mean lower prices.
However, there are no official checks or controls of any kind on
Patong prices.
The Office of Commercial Affairs, Phuket, checks a range of prices
each month to measure inflation, but sticks to a set range of standard
goods and supermarket items.
Rip-offs of one kind or another on Phuket are thought to be the main
reason why tourists who visit the island once sometimes decide never
to return.
Have you ever been ripped off in Patong? Please tell us your
experience in the Comment box below
Good Soldier Schweik
wrote:
There is something wrong with this message.... Does someone hold a gun
top the head of all the tourists and make them fork over the money? Or
do they willingly pay the money?
If they pay the money then why the whining about being "ripped off"?
Now, if you want to talk about being ripped off let me tell you my
experience. No not in Patong but in Bangkok. Right there at the
airport.
Flying down from Bangkok to Phuket last Sunday out departure was
delayed a bit so we dropped into the food court at the domestic
portion of the terminal. A little snack? Thank you, and we stop by
Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and....
Ordered a donut and coffee and lo! the charge is 140 baht.... hmmmmm.
Now, the cost of a donut and coffee at Dunkin Donut's outlet in Lotus
super store in Phuket has been 49 baht for years and years, but in the
big shiny international airport it is 149 baht. Now, did I get ripped
off?
cheers,
Schweik
(goodsoldierschweikatgmaildotcom)
nurk_fred2000
wrote:
>
> - Show quoted text -
***GS, you did not "get ripped off" imho if everyone pays B149 but
we'll both agree its a very inflated amount no doubt due to massive
rents charged by the govt for retail space; exhorbitant rents...If the
price is posted and everyone pays the same you can a) grit your teeth
and pay, b) go to another stall, or c) go without...I recently went
thru LAX and was flabbergasted by the pricing but it was there on the
menu board and since I had a SBUX gift card I paid the $4+ for a small
latte...my hometown off airport SBUX retail store is $2.50+...chalk it
up to rising rents, less customers, and customers with less to
spend...Thailand is notorious worldwide for ph_king you out of your
Baht while smiling to you face to face...I have no problem when its
the same posted rate for everyone and no one gets a deal except maybe
the employees...Double pricing is precisely how a country/city/area
that survives on tourism dollars goes bust...if thats their policy
they deserve what they get sorry to say...
ia...@notcox.net
Well, the taxis in Phuket conspire to overcharge everybody, I believe.
There are no discounts, and apparently no competition.
Next time you are at Souvarabhumi airport and want a snack, go down to
the (I think) South end, called Area 8, and then to the bottom floor,
where you should look for a sign saying 'Magic Food'. Go through that
door and you will be in a mini-MBK coupon-style food court, with
ordinary Bangkok-level pricing. Its where the airport staff and
knowledgeable travelers go. You may never have to pay rip-off prices at
the airport again.
Cheers,
Ian
Good Soldier Schweik
wrote:
Actually, eating at the airport that day was pretty much a one off - I
don't believe I've ever eaten in either the old or new airports
before. I was just posting a rip-off experience in response to the
great Patong Rip-off Report.
My personal thoughts are that anyone who goes to Patong must be a
Masochist, the prices have been the highest in Phuket since the access
road was built and I can only assume that it was a slow news day that
caused the expose' to be written.
People come to Thailand; they flock to the most popular tourist
spots; they get charged the highest prices; they seem amazed?
Amazing!
cheers,
Schweik
(goodsoldierschweikatgmaildotcom)
ia...@notcox.net
I tend to agree with you. All the info about Patong or any other resort
is available before one departs, and people should do their research.
I'm going to post the info about the airport food court in its own
thread, since I have eaten at the airport several times, and this info
seems to me to be pretty good for those who might do so.
Cheers,
Ian