Do Thais have any business sense?

[Guest MonkeySee]

A friend of mine went to the Jomtiem beach and discovered he forgot something in South Pattaya. The motorcycle taxi is usually 40 baht each way. Since the taxi had to return to his station empty, my friend thought that it would be fair to offer a 70 baht fare round trip. The motorcycle taxi guy refused and came back to his station empty. I know if I were the motorcycle taxi driver, I would have certainly given a discount instead of returning empty. Do Thais have any business sense? I know they are not stupid, but this makes no sense to me. Maybe this driver did not understand the offer? Another example is a vendor selling corn. I have been here long enough to know that the charge for an ear of corn is 10 baht. When I gave the guy 20 baht note, he only gave a 5 baht coin in return. I called him on it and instead of giving me another 5 baht he returned my money. I guess he did not want to loose face. Up to him! To me it makes no sense, but this is Thailand

[Guest Steve1903]

You were right on that one. The motorcy guy was being stupid. I came across a similar thing in Holland. I wanted a return journey taxi which was 60euros one way so i offered 100euros for return but the guy refused and i got the bus back leaving the taxi driver to return to where he picked me up with his 60euros. Really cant understand that attitude at all. I gave him the best fare he was going to get all night and he turned it down. I just do not get it.

[Guest TOQ]

I have been here for some time now and I hate to say it but I've come to the conclusion that the vast majority of Thais just don't reason things out.. It is usually just cut and dry for them.. Its a shame

 

john

[Guest joseph44]

I have been here for some time now and I hate to say it but I've come to the conclusion that the vast majority of Thais just don't reason things out.. It is usually just cut and dry for them.. Its a shame

 

john

 

I'm working for a 100% Thai owned and managed company and the company is run as it if is a food stall along the street.

I stopped of proposing the implementation of proper software, ERP system, production planning as well as logisitic planning and every other cost-saving and efficiency increasing action.

 

Rather than making more money, the people tend to live from day-to-day, solving problems as they occur and treat the customer as their emporer, rather than see them as a partner.

 

In the beginning rather frustrating, now I'm going along with the system and just trying to change things step-by-step.

 

This is one of the reasons, that the vast majority of successful businesses is owned by the Thai-Chinese population here. The know how to deal with business and are willing to take calculated risks.

[Guest laurence]

Same as Monkey See. I paid for a one way motorbike trip, about 60 Baht, the place was closed and asked for a discount on return trip and was quoted another 60 Baht. I took a baht bus for 10 Baht. But my bf, a motorbike taxi driver said he negotiates with Thais but not Farang.

[Guest fountainhall]

I have been here for some time now and I hate to say it but I've come to the conclusion that the vast majority of Thais just don't reason things out

 

The problem, as posted on another thread recently, is that Thai logic bears little relation to what we call western logic. Same in Japan and a number of other countries. Whilst westerners will usually assume that because 1 + 2 equals 3, and that by extension 3 - 1 will equal 2, Thai logic does not work that way. Don't ask me why! I have been visiting for 30 years and living here for more than 7, and I can't work it out. You just have to accept it, or slowly go crazy.

[PattayaMale]

A friend of mine went to the Jomtiem beach and discovered he forgot something in South Pattaya. The motorcycle taxi is usually 40 baht each way. Since the taxi had to return to his station empty, my friend thought that it would be fair to offer a 70 baht fare round trip. The motorcycle taxi guy refused and came back to his station empty. I know if I were the motorcycle taxi driver, I would have certainly given a discount instead of returning empty. Do Thais have any business sense? I know they are not stupid, but this makes no sense to me. Maybe this driver did not understand the offer? Another example is a vendor selling corn. I have been here long enough to know that the charge for an ear of corn is 10 baht. When I gave the guy 20 baht note, he only gave a 5 baht coin in return. I called him on it and instead of giving me another 5 baht he returned my money. I guess he did not want to loose face. Up to him! To me it makes no sense, but this is Thailand

 

I asked my Thai friend about this and he gave me some good insight. First, he said maybe the Taxi driver was not going to go back to his taxi stand and second he asked why the Farang was so "Keenow", cheap. The price is 40 baht. He also asked my if Taxi drivers in my country give a discount. I said no, taxis are metered. He smiled as though he won.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I asked my Thai friend about this and he gave me some good insight. First, he said maybe the Taxi driver was not going to go back to his taxi stand and second he asked why the Farang was so "Keenow", cheap. The price is 40 baht. He also asked my if Taxi drivers in my country give a discount. I said no, taxis are metered. He smiled as though he won.

 

 

If all taxis and motorbike had and used meters it would make things much simpler, but then the drivers couldn't take advantage of the newbies.

[Guest naughtybutnice]

If all taxis and motorbike had and used meters it would make things much simpler, but then the drivers couldn't take advantage of the newbies.

 

Neither would cheapskate farangs who appear to be in abundance in Pattaya be able to seek to take advantage of the drivers.

 

 

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Neither would cheapskate farangs who appear to be in abundance in Pattaya be able to seek to take advantage of the drivers.

 

Cheapskate farangs may try, but they won't succeed in cheating the Thais. They have enough business sense for that.

 

[Gaybutton]

Don't forget, a great many Thai businesses are run by people with little education beyond the ability to read, write, and handle basic arithmetic. I would guess the average motorcycle taxi driver is someone who was able to afford the monthly payments on a motorcycle and was able to come up with whatever fees he has to pay to be a motorcycle taxi driver. I doubt they would have ever even had an opportunity to learn to think in terms of what we would consider to be business sense.

 

One of my favorite examples is the story I heard about why Bruno's restaurant moved from their former location to their current Jomtien location. The way I heard it, the restaurant had been in the same North Pattaya location for years. Then, when it came time to renew the lease, the building owner demanded somewhere on the order of three times the price they had been paying. It was explained to the building owner that it would be less expensive for them to move out and build their own restaurant unless he was willing to reduce the rent increase to a reasonable rate. The owner refused to budge. Bruno's moved out and as far as I know the building has been vacant ever since. Assuming that story is the way it really happened, then business sense obviously had nothing to do with the building owner's decision.

[Guest luvthai]

If the taxi rate is 40 baht each way why should the taxi guy settle for 70 baht? As a visitor to his country why is it right try to cheat him out of 10 baht? I also would have refused and returned empty if I had too. Its a matter of principal and right or wrong and not giving into some cheap farang. Too many times we as farang think it is ok to try and outsmart the natives when all they want is to make a living for the family where 10 baht to us is nothing but to a family guy it is a lot.

[Guest Steve1903]

luvthai, sorry but you are talking nonsense. Nobody is trying to "cheat" the Thai guy out of his money. These fares are based on the notion that you take a punter to a destination then travel back empty to your starting point. The fact that the driver has no "dead miles" (ie. going back unpaid and empty) entitles the punter to ask for a slightly cheaper agreed fare.

As for the bit about 10baht meaning nothing to the farang but means a lot to the Thai then how silly is it of the Thai to lose 30baht through obstinacy?

 

[Guest MonkeySee]

If the taxi rate is 40 baht each way why should the taxi guy settle for 70 baht?

I think everybody loves a bargain. Thais bargain all the time. To call a farang cheap because he asked for a discount is not correct. This farang is one of the most generous guys I know.

[Guest xiandarkthorne]

I think the motorcy guys are just taking a bit of a gamble. After all, if they managed to pick up a passenger on their way back, they wouldn't be wasting 'dead miles' would they? Such a gamble would, naturally, be based on their knowledge of the route involved, e.g. if the route were a well-travelled one with plenty of people potentially on the lookout for transport (not necessarily to the same return destination) then I would take the risk if I were them.

 

But if I knew that the road wended through poorly populated areas with little chance of picking up anyone, then I might be tempted to lose 10 Baht and accept the discounted offer. Surely that makes business sense, right?

 

Xian

[Guest Steve1903]

xian, as a long time cabbie i can tell you that doing return journeys a wee bit cheaper is par for the course. Please may I be lucky enough to get a few such hires tomorrow.

[Guest luvthai]

If the rate is agreed on at 40 baht to the beach then why is it not 40 baht back to the point of origin? No matter how you look at it you're still trying to get over the guy. In the eyes of the taxi driver you were trying to cheat him leaving him to think most farangs are not honorable.

[Guest xiandarkthorne]

xian, as a long time cabbie i can tell you that doing return journeys a wee bit cheaper is par for the course. Please may I be lucky enough to get a few such hires tomorrow.

 

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the feedback. I am not saying that it isn't...but I do think that you forget there is a big difference in reasoning between someone from the west and someone from the east, especially when it comes to a situation where (I still believe) knowledge of local conditions plays a major part in the final decision.

[Guest gay_grampa]

Bangkok metered taxis will negotiate a price of 1000 - 1200+ Baht for the trip Bangkok to Pattaya.

Looking down Second Road in Pattaya there are several signs for 'Taxis to Bangkok - Baht 800'. These are the same metered taxis that make the one way journey to Pattaya for a higher price ... so rather than go back empty they will do it for a lower price and pay a commission to the 'broker' who gets him the return ride.

[Guest MonkeySee]

If the rate is agreed on at 40 baht to the beach then why is it not 40 baht back to the point of origin? No matter how you look at it you're still trying to get over the guy. In the eyes of the taxi driver you were trying to cheat him leaving him to think most farangs are not honorable.

I see nothing wrong with asking a motorcycle taxi at the beach if he will accept a roundtrip fare for 70 baht. Thais bargain all the time and so do some farangs. I see nothing dishonarable in that. Since you do not believe in bargaining luvthai, the people of the underdeveloped world must love you. I hope you have deep pockets, since you connect asking for a discount equivalent to a cheapskate. I guess you pay sticker price when you are buying a car back home? You are truly one of the last of the big spenders!