Chiang Mai 17,000 Baht For A Few Drinks

[pdogg]

Hey Lung, where are these places so we can avoid 'em?

 

A foreign man was badly beaten by tuk-tuk drivers late April after the driver had taken him to a karaoke bar where he was charged 17,000 baht for a few drinks and forced to pay lest he suffer the consequences.

 

The man, a Chiang Mai long-term expat, explained that on the night, “I had a tuk-tuk driver, one man from the karaoke and two girls – one being the manager – escort me to the ATM. After some polite bartering I paid the karaoke place 4,000 from the 17,000 they had asked, a bit over priced but I thought a payment I could do for me being silly enough to get myself into that situation.”

 

But he then says the tuk-tuk demanded 2,000 for his fee. A fee that had not even been discussed. 

 

“The next thing his friend turned up and they said they would escort me to the police station.” 

 

They took him into some land nearby the karaoke bars on Chang Klan Road (close to Chiang Mai Land) and beat him up.

 

http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=1771

 

[Luung]

It's Chiang Mai Lan PDogg, a kareoke area off of Chiang Klang Rd which runs directly south, roughly half a mile from the Night bazza & it's notorious, I hate the fuckin' place.

 

The article was right in that they're a law to themselves down there & they do own the police!.. BTW, Chiang Mai BIB are actually worse than Pattaya BIB, but not quite as bad as the BKK lot; just please take my word for it, as I've stayed in this country for a long time now & I've been on the wrong end of them both up here & down there, as well as a lot of other people I know too... And believe me, it doesn't matter how much you're in the right here, YOU'RE IN THE WRONG!

 

This behaviour is getting more & more common place, I nearly got a beating outside the Mandalay nightclub a little while back by a handful of lads for complaining when the staff had broken into my car & shoved it down the road leaving the side door wide open, just because I'd parked to close to the place... AND IT WAS A FUCKIN' PUBLIC PARKING AREA! The owner happens to be the Nothern Thai General, he charges westerners 400 baht to get in & openly revels in braggin' how much he hates the fuckin' Falang.

 

There's always been a nasty underbelly to this place & I just wish that more people could witness it or at least come forward when something happens, just so that the boil can come up to burst.

 

Anyway, if you don't want to get ripped off, stay out of Kareokies in this area, they're all mafiosie & nasty... And they're just waiting for you!

[petesie]

Here's me thinking Chaing Mai was nice and I must visit...

[Jimslim]

Oh Chiang Mai you say ? 

 

My apologies I thought I was reading about Obsessions in Pattaya    

[globetrotter]

Oh Chiang Mai you say ? 

 

My apologies I thought I was reading about Obsessions in Pattaya 

Is it really that bad and is it still going on ? Was only there once and all seemed fine when I left, albeit fairly sober

[Luung]

Here's me thinking Chaing Mai was nice and I must visit...

It is a nice place to visit, just bring your gum shield!..

 

Only joking...  But seriously, go! Especially if you like either art & culture or nature & the outdoors, you'll have a great time; just avoid the bigger, supposedly high end venues, because on the whole they're not particularly Falang friendly, especially with the new found feelings of empowerment buzzing around at the mo... Just be a bit savvie, that's all.

 

The beer bar scene is fine, just overpriced for what it is.

[JaiDee]

I saw this story on ThaiVisa and was perplexed when I saw this line;

 

a Chiang Mai long-term expat

 

   Errrrm, for all of us long-time expats; have you ever been jacked by a Tuk-tuk driver other than perhaps the first year you discovered Thailand?  I haven't even gotten into one of those horrible things since the late 90's; IMO this guy should have known better.

[pdogg]

 

Chiang Mai To Curb On 'Extortive' Karaoke Bars

(24 September) Chiang Mai Governor Thanin Suphasaen said that the authorities and other related organisations are planning to curb on overpriced services within the Province.

 

Mr. Thanin said he had been receiving complaints against seven restaurants and karaoke bars, but it is generally understood that patrons who visit the streetside bars in Chiang Mai are often charged extorted prices for their drinks and bar companions.

The Chiang Mai provincial authority has also had a meeting and agreed to propose guidelines which would prohibit nightlife establishments from overcharging their customers.

If they fail to do so, legal prosecutions would be applied, under both criminal and administrative laws.

Police force also regularly patrol the sites and and encourage business owners to follow the new guidelines.

Chiang Mai Governor said he would instruct the Revenue Department in the Northern region to check the business performances of the 7 establishments which were the sources of many complaints, in order to oversee their performance, and advise them on revenue tax system.

According to Mr. Thanin, the authority will compile monthly reports regarding the performance of the venues, starting from 30 September onwards. 

http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1EQXlNelEzTnc9PQ==

[Luung]

Sounds like a smoke screen for another incredibly profitable beer bar clampdown!

 

No restaurants named... No kareoke bars named!

 

I've already mentioned about the kareokes, they've got police protection & backing in many cases too!

 

And if there's one thing that I will stick up for about Chiang Mai nightlife it's eating out!.. Overall the restaurants are extremly well priced & I very seldom hear anything bad other than the odd remark about the quality of some of the supposedly high end establishments!?.. All I can think is that maybe they're getting ready to give some of the Falang owned eateries a bashing, which they do like to do from time to time?

 

If they should be targeting anywhere, it should be the nightclubs!

 

[pdogg]

 

A 38 year old Dutchman was knocked unconscious following a dispute over a 30,000 baht bill in a Chiang Mai karaoke bar on Christmas Day.

 

“Rob” visited the unnamed karaoke bar with a few friends for a Christmas night out but when it came time to check bin things turned sour when he disputed the 30k bill for “some food and a few beers”. The bill was negotiated down to 10,000 baht but he still refused to accept this knowing he was being scammed.

 

He asked for the police to be called to settle the matter but staff and security had other ideas and the Dutchman says he was kicked and punched by around ten people leaving him unconscious on the street.

 

Police eventually arrived and took him to the station to file a complaint and say they are investigating the alleged assault.

The Dutchman is just the latest in a long list of foreigners who end up on the wrong side of a mob beating over inflated bills at karaoke bars in Chiang Mai. It’s like the Patpong ping pong show scam on a bigger scale as the bills tend to be 30k plus.

 

Rip off karaoke bars typically pad bills with extra hourly fees for girls who didn’t join the guests at a cost of around 250b per hour. Then comes additional lady drinks at 200 baht a pop for those in the group and those not that the guest has not agreed to. Throw in charges for mixers, ice, food, gifts and the customer ends up with a final bill that is easily double or treble what it should be.

 

Many will settle the bill to avoid a confrontation or police involvement when the karaoke girls step aside and let the male “security” do the negotiating which is intimidation and threats.

 

Just like the Patpong scam, the karaoke con continues despite numerous police reports and media coverage.

http://www.stickboybangkok.com/news/dutchman-beaten-unconscious-chiang-mai-karaoke-scam/

[pdogg]

 

CHIANG MAI, 22 Jan 2015 (NNT) – Chiang Mai is poised to get tough with rogue entertainment venue operators and other service providers to improve the province’s image among visitors.

Chiang Mai Governor Suriya Prasatbandit has instructed local authorities and police to inspect all types of entertainment venues on a daily basis to make sure that only licensed ones are allowed to operate.

The attempt came in response to complaints about karaoke bars and transport service providers overcharging tourists. The governor, who described this type of operators as a social treat of Chiang Mai, disclosed that previous inspections had led to a closure of three unlicensed bars.

Mr. Suriya admitted that some crooked karaoke bars still existed due to the help of bribe-taking authorities. From now on, entertainment venues with records of cheats will be blacklisted so that they will not be able to cause trouble again.

Aside from illegally-run entertainment venues, authorities will keep a close watch on transport service providers to prevent them from ripping off tourists. Related agencies, meanwhile, are planning to impose more stringent measures to prevent the spread of unscrupulous activities among service operators.

The governor has called on Chiang Mai residents to help with the mission to preserve the province’s reputation among visitors.

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNSOC5801220010022

[Pdoggg]

Anyone know Kinnaree Karaoke on Chang Klan Road?

 

Monday night an Aussie father and son ran up a bill, didn't pay because it was exorbitant, so the karaoke employees beat the pop and stabbed the son.  They had to take refuge in a temple.

 

It's a disgrace that the local powers that be tolerate these rip offs.

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/595592/aust-father-and-son-claim-assault-in-chiang-mai

[Pdoggg]

Anyone know Kinnaree Karaoke on Chang Klan Road?

 

 

Some more details:

 

 

According to a police statement, the father and son, 60-year-old Peter Paul Joseph Hernburger and 18-year-old Jackson Peter Hernburger, hired a tuk-tuk to take them to a karaoke bar in Chang Klan.

 

They drank 13 bottles of beer and had five waitresses entertain them throughout the night, but when the bill arrived at 5am, they were outraged by the cost.

 

They felt they were being over charged as the bill came to around 13,000 baht.

 

After trying to bargain with the karaoke bar to reduce the cost, the son left the bar and approached the tuk-tuk driver, accusing him of taking them to an overpriced bar.

 

He then strangled the tuk-tuk driver who could not fight back as he was recovering from recent surgery to his abdomen for cancer.

The karaoke bar staff attempted to pull the drunk 18-year-old off, but Jackson Peter was still angry with the cost of the bar.

 

He turned to another man who was waiting to pick up his girlfriend outside the bar, and attacked him.

 

Nithikorn Laolee, the Tai Yai man who was attacked by Jackson Peter fought back and called a group of his Thai friends, including a man named Samart Thantrakul, to assist him.

 

During the fight, Jackson Peter was stabbed with a knife, but the injuries were superficial.

 

The two Australian men then fled the scene and hid in Wat Fai Hin, a temple located around two kilometres away from the scene.

However, the monks at the temple reported the two men to police who then escorted them to hospital.

 

All parties involved in the fights were summoned yesterday, June 18, to discuss what happened.

 

The son, Jackson Peter, was fined 100 baht for strangling the tuk-tuk driver.

 

However, Jackson Peter is now suing the two men identified in fighting back against the drunk tourist, and the verdict is pending.

The karaoke bar was fined for not closing on time.

 

According to Police Colonel Weerayut Prasobchokchai, the incident that occurred would have not happened it the karaoke bar closed at the correct time. He also warns that tourists are easy targets for inflated prices late at night.   

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/australian-father-and-son-suing-their-victims-after-drunken-brawl/

[M1954]

 

It's a disgrace that the local powers that be tolerate these rip offs.

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/595592/aust-father-and-son-claim-assault-in-chiang-mai

those rip offs probably feed the cashier with more money to be shared ehmmm no.... donated to the tea bag foundation, helping responsabile drinking.. :)

The more there are, the merrier they are....