Count Your Change

[Twilighter09]

Whenever I hand over a 500 or a 1000 bht note I tell them so the person next to me can hear. 500bht! or 1000bht! Usualy they respond yes 500 or 1000bht. I do it with all purchases. Bars, 7/11's, etc.

I've been doing this since I got short changed in Patts.

 

[BleacHie]

Curious if there is anyway to mark a bill?/ How about putting clear see through tape on your 1000 baht bills..I know they are serious about defacing the King so not sure how this would go over....anyone ever done something similar to this....??

 

[Aurelia S]

Don't put Singapore on your "places to visit" then no: it's equally expensive.

 

[Betty Sparkles]

Hey Diz. I'm watching Anthoney Bourdain in Singapore right now. He says the food is amazing and easy to find in the food courts. It looks incredible. I would visit a few days just for that.

 

[lostinsidemyself]

rip a small corner off each of your big notes before you go out - if you then have trouble getting short changed, call the mamasan over and show her all your notes with a corner missing and say that if a note in the till has a corner missing then it must be yours!

if you own a bar, look out for this tho as it can also be used as a scam and im sure it happens all over

someone gets their mate to go to the bar earlier on in the day and order a beer and pay with a 'pre ripped' note. then later his mate pays for his beer with a 100bt note and complains he gave her 1000bt - he shows his ripped notes in his wallet and asks her to look in the till

 

[Coach S]

Fine in theory...but not sure if the Thais would be happy with you defacing a banknote the king's face is on.

let us know how you get on mate 555555

 

[Pompal 09.]

My Thai friends always, but always study the bill in a restaurant or bar. 50% of the time the bill is wrong. The ability to make mistakes on your bill is standard practice. Its up to you to discover it and point it out.

 

[tanjika]

Just ask them if they've got change for a 1000 ?

Many countries have severe penalties for defacing their currency - any amount of time in the monkeyhouse here should be a deterrent.....

 

[wintersun77]

U actually advocate being ripped off? Not me. I dont like being ripped off 20bht,2000bht or any baht. I was short changed about 320 bht at chang rai seafood,the place near the tiger disco soi, just a few days ago. I pointed it out to the waitress n the guy handling the money already had the amount counted out n gave it to the waitress before she said anything to him. Count ur change,just like the original poster warns. Its ur money,not theirs....

 

[dmx87]

So basically you got f**k'd and paid 80 baht for the privilege .. at least you didn't catch anything :na:

 

[nonmisogynisticAL]

Better yet.. double chek the note you use to pay for the bill !!!

we went in to bar XXXXXXXX one night....
gave $1000 bhat for a beer
zero change
the claim was we gave 100bhat note instead... not wanting to start a fight over this we walked away and out.

 

[letsJUMP!]

Our first day in Singapore last Tue we had two 'accidental' short-change experiences. Obvious tourists loaded with $50 notes - buy a map at railway station, $8, shop asst talking to me 'where you from' etc, heard the 1-2-3-4 of the four '10' notes and two $1 coins. Walked away about 2m and started to put in wallet - $10, $5 $5 $10 - went back said I was 10 short, she said i must have dropped it. Asked why I had the fives. Got my extra 10.
Same day GF bought a carry bag $18, given a handful of 'counted' notes and started to walk away i looked at shop asst and said stop - count money and what a surprise, total 22 not 32, she said nothing and handed over the 10.
And then the restaurant with a 'price-less' menu. That was my mistake. Robbed, but we walked into that one didn't we? Nothing's cheap in Singapore.

 

[Meghan P]

Seems the practice is catching on in Patong.
Your drink bill is 200 even, so you give a 500 note.
Surprisingly, however your change is 2x100 + 8x20 and 2x10

Angling for tips is nothing new, and I expect to be given every opportunity by the waitress in terms of the notes.
I can also understand why some people habitually take the notes and leave the change. Hey I might want to tip as little as ten baht:sarcastic:

Personally I like to give a 20 baht tip each time (Up to me) and so pick up the notes.

If I don't notice the coins (Which of course I am not expecting) I hand back a 20 note.
Presto! your tip is doubled.

Works much better in dimly lit places and is just about perfect when they put your change in a box with a lid on it!

You should have seen the face when I noticed the coins and withdrew the hand with the 20 baht note in it:grrrrrr:

 

[CoRaZon]

Some of the Boutique Bars there charge up to Sing$16 for less than a pint, however if you're working there, like I was, the money Ex-pats take home more than makes up for it, but as a tourist it can be very expensive if you like to drink a few .......::

 

[dorkydes]

It's not just the bars ripping people off. it's also restaurants, family marts, 7/11s and even all the well known s/markets. The practise seems to have become almost the norm. Even when you use a bar or eating place regularly, where you would think they'd take care of you it happens. I've noticed it seems to have gotten steadily worse over the last couple of years. Don't accept it any never be afraid to query a bill etc. Also the double pricing. If someone, especially vendors try it on i just walk away.
What really pisses me off is that usually when you query the short change, they don't blink an eye, just give you the money. Shows me just how they view falangs. STUPID, And in many cases when the falang dosn't query it, they are right.

 

[Cool Kid 2]

That would be a surprise, nearly a 50% discount.