firecat69

Have a nice weekend Hope you can come back with a coherent argument. HeHe

It is relevant because if it is Apple then in 5 minute you should have known it was useless.. And you are who said Thailand is known as the Land of Fakes and Copies . Wrong just like you are wrong about scams . Even using the term loosely you have had more scams then everyone else in this thread put together. And I'm sure you will even come up with more. That should tell you something! You evidently are an Easy Mark! Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

But evidently you don't avoid the scams. You still did not tell me the supposed model of the fake phone? Plus Thailand is no different then most Asian countries that sell fakes to people who should no better. Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia etc etc etc so once again only in your own mind is Thailand the land of fakes and copies. You live in the USA? Any major city sells fakes of everything, mainly because people like you buy them.

Why don't you get it? You were buying a fake. If he had a 100 of them piled up they would all work differently. They are junk and you decided to buy junk and even if I believe he substituted another phone . What were you doing while he showed you the phones. What did you do, go to the Bar and return. If you had a working phone in your hand you should have put it in a bag added the box and left with your purchase , aware that you were purchasing something that was illegal. Your lack of awareness does not mean you got scammed , rather that you made a bad decision. By the way what was the supposed make of the phone just out of curiosity?

Certainly gives me pause to at least stop into Jomtien next trip. Used to always stay in one of the View Talay's on the beach but the lack of tempting boys snd the tedious baht bus rides especially in season forced me to stop. Certainly sounds like it is worth another look.

I've given more then an inch. I admitted to buying an illegal copy watch. It stopped working 3 days after I got home. End of story . Tough luck for me I got what I deserved.

No matter how many times you say it , it will not be true. You knew you were buying an illegal product and you bought it anyways and hopefully you learned your lesson. If you buy fakes, stolen goods etc , you will likely suffer the consequences in the USA or any other country in the world. Where do you think the phrase Buyer Beware came from.

You were buying from professional cheats and thieves. The types of shops where in many countries come in and seize everything they have on display. By your own admission, you were buying a copy. You knew you were buying a copy and you knew it was illegal for them to be produced and sold. And yet you went in and purchased an illegal product. Sorry you got what you deserved just like I did in the first illegal copy watch I bought. I did not feel sorry for me and I don't feel sorry for you! All you had to do is buy the real thing which apparently you did when you bought a used phone. That is what happens when you buy the real thing. It works!

You bought a copy and you got a copy. If you were not willing to buy what you know is an illegal phone then it would be impossible for you to get scammed. If you went into MBK and wanted to buy an iPhone. The vast majority of the stands would ask you if you wanted the real thing or an illegal copy. If you responded you wanted the real thing and they gave you a copy then you would have been scammed. But you went into Patnip knowingly to buy an illegal phone, you got an illegal phone and I don't feel the least bit sorry for you. As I have recounted I bought my first copy watch in Patpong Market. Of course I was well aware that I was buying an illegal copy and Customs might take it from me on entry into the USA. Long time ago but I paid somewhere between 500- 1000 baht. I was hoping to get a year of use out of it or maybe until my next trip. It stopped working a week after I returned. Do I think I got scammed? Of course not !. I bought something I knew was illegal and should have no complaints. Oh and by the way I have many friends that have bought precious or semi precious stones in Thailand. They went to reputable dealers and when they returned home to insure them found they were appraised in every case at or higher then the price they paid. True if you don't know how to find a reputable dealer in anything then you have no business buying it.

We are starting to know a lot. Hilary will murder the BUM!

Londoner, Paulsf, Jfarmer017, Alexx, Abang1961, Smiles, Stijtnje, Divine Madman , A447a, Firecat and even you admit you have never suffered a scam personally. You are right . It is 10 people who have never experienced personally any scams. Some suspect stolen money and some have experienced thefts. Bottom line the overwhelming number of people have never been scammed or have been smart to avoid a scam if it had been tried on them personally. And then we we have a couple of members who have suffered scams and thieves multiple times. I honestly don't know what that says except they need to change the way they do things . Bucknaway even feels he was scammed because he went to buy an illegal phone and they actually gave him an illegal inferior phone. The scammer got scammed. I can't make this stuff up. HeHe

Don't put words in my mouth. The fact that I make sure I have some 10 baht coins in my pocket has nothing to do with crooked baht bus drivers. It is convenient to just hand them the coin and walk away rather then staying waiting for them to make change. I have no reason to think Baht Bus drivers are crooked and in fact think they probably work rather long hours to make a living and I have been paying the same 10 baht for many years. I don't know a single country where taxis are actually regulated and the rules enforced with the exception of Great Britain where it is cheaper to buy a house then take a taxi. HeHe

First I'm not aware of where here is and unless you took it into an Apple store to verify its authenticity you have no idea what it is. An OEM box means nothing . All the fakes come in the Boxes that appear to be Apple original. Take a walk through MBK. There are thousands of OEM Apple Boxes displayed but of course they are empty. Second it's a private sale. Maybe someone could be desperate for money immediately but other then that I see no reason you would have got such a deal or it could have been stolen. Other then that Lucky you!

Somebody said here just google scams in Bangkok. So for fun I just googled Pantip Plaza scams. http://www.thebigchilli.com/features/the-latest-shopping-mall-scamyou-want-a-genuine-or-fake-mobile Somebody please tell me how gullible you have to be to think that you will get an iPhone for 4500 that will be as good as the real thing at 25,000. I feel sorry for a Thai person not familiar with electronics falling for this charade in order to help her daughter but I don't feel the least sorry for a non Thai world traveller that does not realize he is buying junk. Why should he have to be warned about it. Common sense should be enough. When I made my first visit to Patong market I did not need to be warned that a watch that was thousands of dollars in the USA and being sold for 1000 baht was likely a piece of junk. Over time I was able to find quality fake watches in MBK where the store stood behind the sale. And I have 3 boxes full of watches , some of which are ten years and still working. Common sense should allow you to avoid scams and general awareness and taking certain precautions should protect you from thefts. There are Gay Sex places in the world were common sense and general awareness will not save you but it will increase your chances of not having a problem.

Just to review this thread. 9 never been scammed, 2 possible thefts but not sure and Bucknaway and Christian who seem to have a lot of negative experiences.

Hilarious you walked into Pantip to buy an illegal copy and you got a bad illegal copy. You got what you deserved.

There is no perfect scam, just ask Bernie Madoff

Just to be clear I don't consider the taxis in Pattaya a scam either. I just think you must haggle really hard to get close to a reasonable fare. But I have gotten the same fare from Royal Garden Mall to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital as I will pay for a baht bus to myself and direct. Two guesses which I'd rather take . But again you are free to turn down the price. I see no difference between that and the prices charged for drinks on Soi Twilight. If you don't like the price do not enter. As far as being prepared for it I certainly did not need anyone to tell me the baht bus fare in most cases for a non thai is 10 baht in a thread about scams . As i remember I asked at the Hotel Desk what the fare was. And by the way I once got on a baht bus with no money. I was so embarrassed when I walked to his window . His response was don't worry and he drove away.So maybe we should start another thread of all the kindnesses we have received when visiting Thailand. I have a couple of problems with members who post 3rd party stories about a scam they never experienced and have no reason to know if it is true. I also feel it is interesting that certain members seem to make the same mistakes over and over again and somehow it is not their fault. It is. A boy steals from you and you don't confront him and you invite him back so he can do it again. Boggle my mind. And by the way I have never googled scams in Thailand and would likely not believe anything on site where anyone can post anonymously . If a member here posted about an actual scam who happened to him personally, I would pay attention to it.

And you are in the Vast Majority!

Well I'll agree meter taxis in Pattaya are a rip off but I have never been ripped off by a baht bus driver. Since I always have a few 10 baht coins in my pocket, I find it impossible to be ripped off. Taxis in BKK along Silom Patpong area and in front of Soi Twilight sometimes try to get a flat fare . Awful easy to wait for the next moving taxi or if it is raining spend the extra 40 baht to any location I would be going to. Still not a scam or thievery. Just say no and move on to the next taxi. And as far as my superior pick ups just an idiotic comment. My comments have been plain that if you put temptation in front of someone who may be desperate for money then you may suffer the consequences. Not that hard to do certain things that reduces the probability of a theft to near Zero and if you don't protect your iPhone , you may lose it as I did. So when members report multiple cases of money etc being stolen from them , you have to wonder why they continue to be careless?

I understand what you are saying but negative reports don't mean much when they are not current and I don't know what the obvious reason is to ignore good reports. Just as obvious to ignore bad reports. I have posted many more good reviews then bad reviews and consider them fair. I would hope that it helps someone make a decision on where to stay. I'm not talking about scores but detailed reviews. I have chosen many hotels around the world because of good reviews and have never been disappointed. I have found some fabulous restaurants all over the world because of reviews and I would likely never have found them. Found great Boutique Hotels in Hanoi which I never would have found except for the positive reviews. And the list goes on. Best Steak restaurant I have ever been to in South Africa where 99% of the reviews are very positive. Luckily I did not pay attention to the 1% negative reviews.

You gave the facts in a thread about scams . Breaking into a room and pulling the safe out is so far from any definition of a scam that it is patently ridiculous. This is a SCAM thread. Look up the definition on Google and then report all the scams you like, otherwise start a new thread on thiefs.

Easily the best trip report ever because of the willingness to share your deepest feelings. Your general appreciation of the boys you meet in Thailand enable you to have these type of experiences . Many of us feel the same way about the boys we meet and are unwilling or unable to recount those feelings . That is why we react negatively when posters want to focus on scams (almost none reported) and thefts . I apologize for derailing your thread for a short time when I should have started a new thread commenting on my thoughts about supposed scams.

+++++1

You are laughable sometimes Christian. First try looking up the definition of scam and also stop using your poor judgment of boys to infer I don't know what is going on. At last count I have been to 71 countries with almost none of the ridiculous events that seem to happen to you have happened to me. And your 200 boys is a small fraction of the number of boys I have had in my room. I have had 1 theft not a scam. Boy stole my iPhone and it was new and it was expensive . It made be more careful where I put my iPhone but after a few days I failed to let it color my feelings about the honesty of Thai Boys in general. You need to engage your brain if you don't want thefts to happen. Yes if you put too much temptation in front of someone who is desperate for money , he may steal from you. That is not a SCAM. How many people have to say it. Just like when I used to visit massage parlors , I would never leave money in the room unattended. Wallet would come with me into the shower. Bucknaways comments about how easy it would be to break into a safe is equally ridiculous. I'm sure it is just as easy to break into his home wherever he lives. Safes are not meant to protect you from a master criminal with tools breaking into your room. Rather they are meant to keep visitors in your room from having easy access to your valuables. Assuming you are not staying in a dump then the chance of an employee breaking into your safe is minuscule.