And hold onto your wallet too, there’s a new scam for those using Bangkok’s riverboats.
Considering that hordes of touri still fall for the ‘The Grand Palace Is Closed’ scam despite it being such an oldie but goodie, passing the word about a new scam in Bangkok may be nothing more than a warning once again falling on deaf ears. But then since it may provide me a chance sometime in the future of saying I told you so . . .
Stickman, a long time blogger who covers the straight commercial sex bar industry as well as making general observations about Thailand, recently mentioned a new scam he’d heard about that I thought I’d pass along. Many touri use the Chao Phraya riverboats to visit Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. Most guide books suggest getting off at Ta Tien Pier, the one closest to Wat Pho. Evidently there is a gentlemen there who charges visitors a 20 baht fee for using the pier. Stickman says he has a book of official looking tickets and that most people he approaches, not knowing any better, pay up.
There is no fee for using the piers; there is for using the boats. Other than at Central Pier, where on occasion someone sets up an old wooden table at the ramp entrance, you do not pay your for your ticket until you get on the boat. Unless you fell for the Tourist Boat scam, which I consider to be a scam but is in fact a bonafide business. For stupid touri.
Ticket takers collect fares on the riverboats, not on the piers.
If you are planning on visiting Bangkok and have not used the riverboats before, there is a link below to an article previously posted here about the system and how to use it.
Scamming touri is a Thai national pastime. A bit of research before you go coupled with a lack of greed on your part does wonders in avoiding getting ripped off. As much as I hate to hear of yet another touri getting scammed, I have to give this guy credit for coming up with a new one; Thais tend to rely on time honored scams so anyone taking the initiative to come up with something new deserves a pat on the back. Pat hard enough and he could end up floating in the Chao Phraya.
This enterprising local has set up shop on one of the lesser used piers, trading merit for a few baht from disembarking passengers. But he’s a nuisance, not a scammer.
Related Posts You Might Enjoy:
Rolling On The River: The Chao Phraya Riverboats
I Heart Thailand #437
Gems, Scams, and Greed in Thailand
Don’t know if they still do it and if you can consider it a scam, but in my dancing years (ahh, the good old days!) I parked my car at soi Convent when I went to DJ Station. Kids were roaming the street with flashlights to guide drivers to the curb to park their car. For this they charged 20/40 bath. Not paying this sometimes resulted in small damages to the car.
lol
Didn’t know about that one Hendrik, but it’s good to know that the assisted parking to keep your car undamaged ploy is in use the world over!
Paying to use the pier to get from the boat to land? (Or swimm, if you don’t want to pay?)
Well, most webpages where I buy flights use a similar system: no matter which way of payment you choose, there is a fee for that!
Hadn’t thought of it that way but you’ve got a point.
That’s probably why people are paying the pier fee without questioning it.
Interesting article! have you ever written on eon how to use the klong saen saep boats? I would like to go on one but none of my Thai friends will do so. I would like to know what to expect so that I am not a nuissance to the locals who use it for commuting to and from work!
I thought I had John, dug back through likely posts and found I had, but in a few throwaway sentences. Good idea for a post in the future, so thanks!
(Though those few sentences did sum up the process of boarding – it’s buried in the I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: Daytime Fun In Bangkok post, if you can’t wait.)