Crazy Farang Seen on Soi 22

For the second time in 3 years I created a scene in Thailand. Thais just don't get business. I think I have mentioned before ... if business is slow at a bar they raise prices ... their thinking is ... I am not selling as much so I have to raise prices to make the same income. No amount of reasoning with them makes sense.

In this case ... with Songkran approaching ... every little shop along the street wants to be an entrepreneur and add water guns to their merchandise. I have no problem with that and like to support the stores along Soi 22 so I bought a water gun that I am quite familiar called '1500' and went for a coffee and then an hour later went for a beer at Rendezvous bar with Thavorn and Jaidan.

Jaidan enjoying a pregame nap before Songkran - note plastic pouch

Thavorn with famous gun from gun battle on Soi 22

While enjoying a vodka and orange juice at the bar I decided to fill the water gun and try it out on the early bar shift that arrives at 3 pm. After filling it I was dismayed to find it leaking water everywhere. I decided then and there to take it back knowing that it would be a battle. It is not the money (350 Baht) but the principle of getting ripped off that was motivating me. A Thai person would just accept it as bad karma and eaten the 350 Baht although it was over a day's wages. So we walked 30 meters to the shop where we purchased it. I explained we had bought it just 2 hours ago from them and had just filled it 5 minutes ago and it was leaking. At first they did not believe I had bought it there and was trying to rip them off. Thavorn then chimed in stating that indeed we did and she being Thai was listened to.

Then the fun started. The Thai man suggested I broke it and was trying to get another for free. At that time, the cashier from the bar walked by and confirmed that she filled it for me and it was leaking from the git go. At this point I got the usual Thai answer that he would sell me another one for the same price. Of course that set off my farang hormones and I suggested that he sold me a defective product and should replace it for free. He responded that his cost was 200 Baht and the best he could do was 200 baht. I suggested that was great, I get to pay 550 Baht for a working '1500' that sells for 350 Baht. Here is where they just don't get it. He will sell 100 of these guns over a 3 day period and make 15,000 Baht. The concept of taking a 200 Baht loss on one defective sale and making 14, 800 Baht as the price of doing business is just beyond them. They live in the here and now and the here in now is now this particular sale.

My only recourse is to do the farang thing and embarrass him. I turn around and address everyone within 100 feet telling them not to buy their water guns from this store as they sell bad guns. I then inform him that I will do this all day long unless we come to some form of agreement. So after another heated exchange he says he will sell me a new gun for 150 Baht and and will take a 50 Baht loss and I the farang can take a 150 baht loss. I realize (from living and dealing with Thais) that this allows him to save face and I accept his offer but feel ripped off but that is the best I am going to do without really creating a public stink which would come back to haunt me on Soi 22. There are some warts to paradise! Meanwhile Thavorn has slid away to hide from being associated with the crazy farang although I suspect she knows what set me off.

I asked her if she thought I cared about the money and she said of course not ... you think it is not fair ... she is beginning to understand the farang.

Thavorn and Jaidan at home shot through the plastic pouch with my Note 3. 

Works well as all the touch features are passed through the pouch. Many a phone has been ruined during Songkran.

Meanwhile Thavorn informs me the remote control car I bought on sale is not recharging. It was 900 Baht ($30) and I had noticed that there were some on the shelf at 1299 Baht so I asked her if it was opened (I did not have my glasses on) and Thavorn said no. However, when I got home I noticed that it was taped up wrong so obviously this was a returned item and that was why it was on sale. Now understand that when an item is returned it is typical Thai to assume the user did not know how to use it and to put it back on the shelf and resell it on sale. Of course all sales are final if on sale :-) I suspect the battery pack or wall charger is defective. Once again I could fight the brave battle but sometimes it just wears you out so I will assume the bend over position.

All in all ... not a bad day in paradise ... Songkran begins at midnight and my guns are loaded ... and not leaking!

TTYL