Go Go Touts on Bangla Rd

[kemperk]

So now they won't be "licensed" and have to pay 1000 a month so there numbers will increase and you'll get the guys out doing it as a casual job kinda thing who will no doubt be more aggressive in their touting trying to make a quick buck.

 

[mr_know_it_all]

Excellent idea. Go and experience the touts in operation. No halfhearted attempts though. At the very least step inside one of the gogos even if you then spin round and walk out again. Looking forward to your report.


Seems to me that now they have those "licences" hanging round their necks they've become even more c@ckier than before...it's like "look at me! I'm licensed by the police to do this so it's ok."

 

[Ade494]

More wasted (life) minutes....

Here's another idom, regarding thaicum "like water off a duck's back", 55555:intello: :intello:

 

[MIL HOUSE MD]

If these bars can charge (and get) 500 baht for a beer simply by claiming there was a tout, it's a tiny stretch of the imagination to picture them doing it whenever they think they can get away with it, regardless of whether or not there was a tout involved. It's apparently "free money" whenever they want it, since they probably know by now that everyone will be thinking "Yea, probably a tout issue.". If they read this forum, they will learn that #1, they will get the money, and 2 the customer may not return, but at the end of the day they'll have a lot more money in the pot.

Maybe from the customer's viewpoint, the first words should be "how much for a beer", not "give me a couple of beers" which will put the cart back behind the horse.

 

[Teo]

Sorry, I thought we were talking about touts on Bangla Road (like the title of this discussion says) who find tourists on Bangla, and bring them in to the show, where they get hit with inflated drink prices. Them's the people I was referring to. Pretty difficult to have a conversation, when we're not even talking about the same thing.

Even stranger that several people here accept what someone else said in this discussion, until I refer back to it, and I'm then "wrong" for pointing out that someone else posted it. Seems like the post in question was fine until then, and didn't become "wrong" until brought up again.

Oh well, I'll go to Soi Seadragon and find out what happens.


......and to 'sirgezza', I never said anything about understanding "Thai Logic", other than that a better term for the place it was used up above would have been something much stronger. The person said he was being charged for something he didn't get; I think the word "ripoff" would be more appropriate.

 

[The Wife]

Okie, just for pabs: YouTube - Slo Mo Ducks!

 

[Divide et Impera]

I nearly got conned by a tout over a longtail boat ride to the floating market from the choa pharay river ferry terminal in BKK yesterday.

They are everywhere apparently.

There is a sign out on the sreet about longtail rides and the guy started up a conversation about them and wanted to take me there and show me,hmmmm..nice guy i started to think...hang on,check the price for the same trip from the company next to this one....200 baht cheaper.Went for the cheaper one,new friend looked quite despondant.
After the trip,i checked the sign out on the street.It was offering the ride for the price i got,so that was why the tout started talking to me as soon as i stopped,so i couldnt see the prices down towards the bottom of the sign.

 

[Polly <3]

I give up with you. You must be on a wind up.

 

[Pipes]

just wanted to say thanks for this educational thread... these touts were everywhere on bangla wearing purple shirts...

it was good to see some of the tourists were catching on too.. noticed one or two of them having a go at the touts about how much commission they earned from their first drinks etc..

 

[MissNobody]

I'm not sure if you meant it that way or not, but you've identified the REAL problem in what you just posted.

The problem (as I see it) isn't with the touts. They're just trying to get some $$$, along with everyone else in Patong. However, if the bar was all set to charge you 300 baht, then it's obvious that the bar is ALREADY working with the touts.

Get the bars to change THEIR policies, and NOT pay the touts, and there won't be any more touts.

(Of course, if enough patrons come into that bar and gladly keep paying 300 baht for beer after beer, the bar owner's likely to think the touts are providing a boost to his business!!)

Several people here are involved with running bars in Patong. I wonder what they'd have to say about this? I'm guessing they know a lot better than most of us as to what's really going on.

(Think about it though - using your experience as an example, if these guys are usually getting 150 to 180 baht for every customer they bring into a bar, no wonder there are so many of them!!!!)

(...and before someone dumps on me for "defending" the touts, I'm not defending, just explaining. If you get bugs in your kitchen, the bugs are not the problem - the real problem is not keeping the kitchen clean, which is why the bugs are attracted to it. Same thing. Best to prevent problems beforehand, rather than have to deal with them later on.)

 

[kimmywimmy]

This just in: Farang found dead with a few thousand A4s up his butt. Film at 11.

 

[cyndiann]

to be honest, i am a pretty hot headed guy but these touts just never seemed to bother me
i walk down the street and they approach me with their cards and i say no and they move on
maybe because i am always with my thai gf/wife???

although i would probably not like any of them if i had to spend more than 2 minutes in thier company
they are nasty, theiving scum

 

[Random Hangman]

After reading stories about touts I am hesitant to check out gogo's. I want to check out Roxy tonight,but wonder what will happen in regards to the touts and the bill. A few more : and I think I will be good to check it out. :intello:

 

[cbgreene9185]

Hahahaha... if my name works that well feel free to anyone to use it anytime.

 

[Sandy V]

They're spreading their net even wider. I was walking down Bangla few nights ago and was opposite Rock Hard when I heard a tout near me talking to a group of 5 or 6 tourists waving his card and offering the pingpong show and he ended up walking the whole group from there all the way down to one of the gogos in Soi Seadragon!

 

[I pity duh Tardlings]

Rule no. 1 Lew, from now on as I discovered.

Never talk to Thai or Filo men, if they approach YOU in public places.

 

[Shazia Khan]

That is exactly to what I was alluring:great:

It's just that you appear to be defending the practice of ripping off tourists, so I was a bit confused by your post.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I may get some T-shirts printed then with "I know Jeffrey, and his phone number" and start selling them on Bangla........

 

[reighning]

They have been doing this for 5 1/2 years.

 

[Bellatrix]

I had one of the cnuts punch me a few months ago. Did the usual walking in front of me down Seadragon. I stopped a couple of times and told him to go away but he still dived infront of me when I walked into the gogo making out he'd brought me there. Just inside I had a quick look round and decided not to stay as it was busy and nowhere to sit...he's still standing by me as I turn to walk out the door and as I try to get past him he's saying to me "Tip! Tip! You give me tip!" By this time he had really p$ssed me off so I told him to "fcuk off" (mistake) and he punched me in the ribs as I passed him. I just carried on walking with him swearing at me in Thai. As he probably had some of his mates nearby and I know better than to get involved in a fight with a Thai I wanted to get out the soi without getting my head kicked in or worse.

***************

Stop and have a look at the pricelist on the back of one of their cards sometime!