Guest fountainhall Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Well! Well! Well! We shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose. Yet more wrongdoings and the strong odour of corruption at the Airports of Thailand, according to today's Bangkok Post! Last September, the AoT terminated the contract of a company named Parking Management Co. which had won the contract to manage the car parking at the airport. AoT then took over the operation of the carpark. As widely reported in the media, on October 1 two hundred armed men, allegedly acting on behalf of Parking Management, occupied the airport's parking lot for an hour, blocked entrances and seized ticket booths in order to collect fares from motorists. Now an official Transport Ministry inquiry into the incident has found many irregularities. Fingers are pointed very clearly in the direction of the AoT which stands to face further action. Parking Management won the five-year contract last year to run the parking space, despite not having enough experience. The successful contractor was required . . . to have at least six years' experience in running parking lots (Parking Management did not have this experience) . . . at least 20 staff at Airports of Thailand Plc, including its president, neglected their duty and failed to protect the organisation's interests . . . AoT, the airport operator, erred in granting the concession to collect parking fees at Suvarnabhumi airport to a third party . . . certain initial AoT decisions appeared to favour Parking Management in a way that suggested malfeasance . . . AoT's management failed to set up a committee to supervise Parking Management's operations, and failed to terminate the company's contract after it failed to pay returns on its service after it started last April . . . AoT's management failed to impose a suitable system to prevent the "leakage" of parking fees collected at the airport. This failure sliced one million baht a month from AoT's potential income . . . the amount of parking space contracted to the company was set at 156,348 square metres instead of the 210,504 sq m, which is the actual parking space, so the AoT could have lost another one million baht a month. One of the 20 alleged wrongdoers named is AoT president Serirat Prasutanond. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/219014/parking-fee-contract-fiasco-goes-to-the-top So we’ve had the King Power Duty Free scandal with that company taking over vastly more space than it had been allocated in its contracts. We’ve had the travel advisories by governments warning their nationals about shopping scams at the airport and the police and fake lawyers demanding huge sums to ensure no convictions. Now the very obvious greasing of palms in the parking lot scandal. When, I wonder, will they get round to the official Airport Taxi scam, and the other graft that is regularly reported at Suvarnabhumi? Quote
TotallyOz Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 I really don't understand this at all. It seems to me that a country would want to put its best foot forward when someone first enters the Kingdom. The airport in Thailand is a joke. It shows the world what BS they are going to experience everyday in LOS. Why is there no one intelligent enough, or not bribed enough, to step in and get things right at this major International hub? Quote
Guest Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Why is there no one intelligent enough, or not bribed enough, to step in and get things right at this major International hub? This is more likely to be a case of people being bribed so much they actually WANT things to carry on exactly are they are. Quote
Guest Thor69 Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 The scam at the airport that seems insane to me is the amount they try to charge you to go by taxi to either Bangkok or Pattaya. I think they quoted me 2200 baht to go from the airport to a Suriwong Road hotel. I laughed and went upstairs and picked up a taxi from the domestic area for something like 350 baht. Seems crazy to me why the taxi scam continues. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 The scam at the airport that seems insane to me is the amount they try to charge you to go by taxi to either Bangkok or Pattaya. I think they quoted me 2200 baht to go from the airport to a Suriwong Road hotel. I am not sure to which scam you are referring (there are so many ). If you mean the official AoT taxis which are the only ones with the right to solicit passengers in the baggage retrieval area and then immediately as you exit the Customs area, I have never heard of quotes of Bt. 2,200. It's usually around Bt. 1,200. That in itself is a rip-off, but it is controlled by the AoT and so is an official rip-off! If you go down to Level 1 to the public taxis, you get one in to the centre of the city for around Bt. 220 - 250 plus the Bt. 50 airport charge and Bt. 70 for expressway tolls (assuming you are not travelling in the rush hour). The taxi driver's name, his licence and the car licence number are noted on a piece of paper you receive, along with a number to call for any complaints. This gives you a degree of security that you will not be ripped off or a taxi can be located if you leave something in it. By getting a taxi up at Departures level, you avoid the Bt. 50 airport charge. On the other hand, you have no security and may be ripped off if you do not know what you should be paying. I suspect you are referring to the taxi touts. They should be avoided like the plague. You may save a few minutes by not having to queue, but they are a total rip-off. Why they can not be eradicated, beats me! Actually it doesn't beat me. Someone is making money out if it I have sometimes had luck at Departures level getting a hotel limousine for the price of a taxi. If the driver has dropped a hotel guest at the airport and has no pick up, he has to return to the hotel empty. Some drivers will happily take you in to town for Bt. 300. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 Why is there no one intelligent enough, or not bribed enough, to step in and get things right at this major International hub? In a country where corruption permeates all sectors of society and is seemingly accepted by the vast majority, what is such a person to be found? The Bangkok Post today has an article about Thailand being way behind its neighbours in dealing with corruption, with politicians, lawmakers, police and soldiers rated as the most corrupt groups. A six-year study on corruption by an economist at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce showed that over the period 2003 to 2008, Thailand failed to reach even half way on a scale measuring effectiveness in tackling corruption. It found that corruption was at its highest level during the administration of Thaksin Shinawatra. But others were not far behind. Businessmen who work with the state sector said highway and traffic police, politicians, Customs Department officers and tambon administration organisation staff are heavily involved in corruption, including demanding kickbacks to facilitate and speed up their services. Private companies awarded contracts on state projects reportedly have to pay at least 5% of the project's value in kickbacks. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/219194/thailand-remains-a-nest-of-corruption Quote
Guest Posted February 1, 2011 Posted February 1, 2011 I think they quoted me 2200 baht to go from the airport to a Suriwong Road hotel. I laughed and went upstairs and picked up a taxi from the domestic area for something like 350 baht. Seems crazy to me why the taxi scam continues. This is not a scam. It's a normal business practice to try & charge non price sensitive customers more. That's why (for example)in the UK pre-booked forex at the airport is very competitive and the turn up on the day rate is bordering on extortion. A taxi scam would be something like a fiddled meter, or taking deliberate detours. I don't care if there are taxis in the arrivals hall charging 2000 or even 20000 baht for a ride into town. These will only part complete suckers from their money & there's nothing wrong with that, as it would soon slip though their hands anyway. You still have the options of getting a meter taxi or the train. Quote
Jason1988 Posted February 2, 2011 Posted February 2, 2011 This is not a scam. It's a normal business practice to try & charge non price sensitive customers more. That's why (for example)in the UK pre-booked forex at the airport is very competitive and the turn up on the day rate is bordering on extortion. A taxi scam would be something like a fiddled meter, or taking deliberate detours. I don't care if there are taxis in the arrivals hall charging 2000 or even 20000 baht for a ride into town. These will only part complete suckers from their money & there's nothing wrong with that, as it would soon slip though their hands anyway. You still have the options of getting a meter taxi or the train. Americans refer to being overcharged for anything as a "scam." Example: "Hotwire tried to scam me $100 more for the same ticket so I got it on Expedia." Just call it "american english." Quote
Guest Posted February 2, 2011 Posted February 2, 2011 There's a big difference in meaning then ! So if Tescos charge 10% more than Wallmart for their bananas, would that be considered a "scam" in the US? Quote
Jason1988 Posted February 3, 2011 Posted February 3, 2011 There's a big difference in meaning then ! So if Tescos charge 10% more than Wallmart for their bananas, would that be considered a "scam" in the US? In the USA it is usually a term used on higher dollar amounts such as $100 and up and considered a slang by younger people. Under $100 most people would say that the price isn't competitive or they tried to "rip me off." But in the case of Walmart, those bananas they sell are probably lousy and you'd expect them to charge less. In the USA, Walmart has dreadful produce. They are very weak in that category. I don't know much about Tesco as I have only been to one of their stores in Thailand. Quote
