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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Racism at the condo developers

    So a friend of mine was talking about making a reservation on a condo at a building going up near Central Festival.

    Given that there might be a jump in demand when the chinkies are allowed back and (if ever) the Digital Gonad visa becomes law, I thought I'd go with her to have a look.

    Apart from the fact that they are advertising one bedroom condos at a little over 40 sq.m., which is the size of a hotel room (not a studio mind you - a one bed!), I wasn't exactly interested at that point anyway, but the lady went to great pains to say that if a Thai wanted to make a reservation now for a building that (if it's completed) would take two years to finish, they would have to deposit Bt10K.

    But good old farang has to deposit Bt100K.

    Of course, the poor lass had absolutely no idea of what the justification was.

    What a fucking cheek.
    The next post may be brought to you by my little bitch Spamdreth

  2. #2
    5 4 Knoll
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    But good old farang has to deposit Bt100K
    Welcome to dual pricing , widespread racism and no redress

    In cas anyone is unclear

    There aare teh Hi-Sos , the literably untouchables, mow down a cop etc

    They look down on every one

    Then CahaiTcheow money lenders they lend money to everyone



    The praa , thai peasants who have pretend votes, but do pay local price and never need a WP visit Immigration

    Tourists with somewhere else to go unless Ukranian

    Then the voteless , landless farangs who initially enjoy the louche lizards , the easy ways, whose purpose is to be overcharged and build houses for Thai peasants somewaht like teh Cambo and Burmese labourers only the falangs don't get paid

    They can only look down on TD Mods , the mentally handicapped oh and of course Australians.
    Quote Originally Posted by Latindancer View Post
    I just want the chance to use a bigger porridge bowl.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat
    taxexile's Avatar
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    breaking news ...........

    long time thai expat, obsessive news contributor and self proclaimed expert on all things thai is traumatised after suddenly finding that racism exists in thailand.


    #helpforharry

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexile View Post
    breaking news ...........

    long time thai expat, obsessive news contributor and self proclaimed expert on all things thai is traumatised after suddenly finding that racism exists in thailand.


    #helpforharry
    So you compare that to paying over the odds to get into a national park do you tax?

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat
    taxexile's Avatar
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    So you compare that to paying over the odds to get into a national park do you tax?
    why are you surprised that private businesses, emboldened by the legitimising of dual pricing scams by the government for many years and recently by the hospitals, now seek to line their pockets by following suit and charging foreigners more than thais?

  6. #6
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    ^^ I certainly do. Dual pricing is basically institutionalized in Thailand.

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat
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    make a reservation now for a building that (if it's completed) would take two years to finish, they would have to deposit Bt10K.

    But good old farang has to deposit Bt100K.

    Of course, the poor lass had absolutely no idea of what the justification was.
    and as far as harrys friend goes, in todays climate of worldwide financial upheaval anyone foolish enough to put 100 large down on a thai condo development in chiang mai that is 2 years from completion undoubtedly deserves to be reamed, steamed and dry cleaned.

    #gofundharryslass

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat DrWilly's Avatar
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    Pretty pathetic response, Taxe

  9. #9
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexile View Post
    100 large down on a thai condo
    You do realize " 100 Large" is about $3k ? You make it sound like the person dropped this huge amount of money.

  10. #10
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    Re: the size of the condo unit, 40 sqm is quite big (for PH standards). I've seen and stayed at studio-type condos (Airbnb) for short vacays. Here, the developers usually make the studio condos as 24 sqm (4*6 m) or 28 sqm/ 4*7 m if there's a balcony. In some condo units, they place the bed at the end & put a divider, so it somehow becomes a 1-BR unit. I've seen vids of units which are 22 sqm (studio type) and 38 or 40 sqm (1 BR type). I'd never buy a condo unit for living though, as I prefer to have land.

    Whenever I'm s tourist in TH, I'm also subject to double pricing as a foreigner (even if I'm not white). I don't mind double pricing so much, if it wasn't too different from the local price. Malaysia has foreigner pricing in some of the zoos or nature parks, but it's only 2 or 3x higher than local price (from my experience). In TH, it's 10x the local price.

  11. #11
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stumpy View Post
    You do realize " 100 Large" is about $3k ? You make it sound like the person dropped this huge amount of money.
    Amongst many other dramatis personae, tax rather fancies himself as an East End wideboy - a 'Tony Soprano' type.

    Yes it's absurd, but there you are.

    It's a lot less creepy than his 'Cosmo Smallpiece' character, at least.

  12. #12
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    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    if a Thai wanted to make a reservation now for a building that (if it's completed) would take two years to finish, they would have to deposit Bt10K.
    I am not denying that there is discrimination, against foreigners, I have experienced by self. and that there is no dual pricing (also a victim of)
    But charging a local who is not going anywhere, less deposit than a foreigner who might or might nor be here in two years , is a good business decision IMO.
    The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat DrWilly's Avatar
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    Is the price of the unit the same? So it's just a larger deposit?

  14. #14
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    I am not denying that there is discrimination, against foreigners, I have experienced by self. and that there is no dual pricing (also a victim of)
    But charging a local who is not going anywhere, less deposit than a foreigner who might or might nor be here in two years , is a good business decision IMO.
    Exactly right Buck. Foreigners are a flight risk in general. So requesting a higher deposit makes sense.

    I too have witnessed the dual pricing on a few instances but why get all spun up over it. Yeah so a Thai pays $1 to enter a park and a Foreigner pays $3. Some of you guys lose sleep over this?

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stumpy View Post
    Some of you guys lose sleep over this?
    ...many will happily suffer for their principles...

  16. #16
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    It could be a lot of money - for someone who drives a Suzuki Swift.


  17. #17
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by taxexile View Post
    why are you surprised that private businesses, emboldened by the legitimising of dual pricing scams by the government for many years and recently by the hospitals, now seek to line their pockets by following suit and charging foreigners more than thais?
    Yeah, I'm not really.

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stumpy View Post
    You do realize " 100 Large" is about $3k ? You make it sound like the person dropped this huge amount of money.
    Even "Ten large" is a lot of money to Thais, considering it's non-refundable and the developer gets to keep it for a couple of years.

    Especially considering this. I would have considered dropping 10K as a bit of a gamble, but not 100K.

    And you still have to do due diligence on the developer, although this one is quite reputable.

    But it's the farang that seem to be the targets.

    Twenty local and foreign investors yesterday lodged a complaint with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) against a condominium developer who they claimed duped them into buying units in Chiang Mai that were never finished.


    One alleged victim said he bought a unit in 2019 after the developer said he would be able to cover the cost of the purchase by renting it out to foreign tourists, which the developer would help arrange.

    Most of the victims, he said, paid around three million baht per unit, but some have lost over 75 million baht.


    Several owners made some profit for some time, but it ended right around the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.


    He found out later that construction on some of the units had been suspended for some time. He then reached out to other owners, only to find out many were facing similar issues.


    Several even took their case to court and won, but received no compensation, he said.


    The head of the DSI's Special Case Management Centre, Pol Maj Woranan Srilum, said a number of individuals had also filed similar complaints against the condominium developer late last year.


    As such, authorities will treat them as a single case, he said.


    Back in 2013, the developer sold units from 18 projects, most of which were located in Chiang Mai and Krabi, through property fairs in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.


    Six of the projects have been finished, two projects are nearing completion, while construction has yet to begin or only just started on the rest of the projects.


    Armando Noqueira, from Portugal, said he spent 7.8 million baht on two units in Chiang Mai and one in Krabi in 2019, but the units remain unfinished to this date.


    The developer had promised a return of 8% a year in rent before he attempted to get his money back.
    DSI urged to probe unfinished condos

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post
    Re: the size of the condo unit, 40 sqm is quite big (for PH standards). I've seen and stayed at studio-type condos (Airbnb) for short vacays. Here, the developers usually make the studio condos as 24 sqm (4*6 m) or 28 sqm/ 4*7 m if there's a balcony. In some condo units, they place the bed at the end & put a divider, so it somehow becomes a 1-BR unit.
    That's basically it. A wafer thin wall to make it into a "one bedroom" when in reality it's a small studio.

  20. #20
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    I am not denying that there is discrimination, against foreigners, I have experienced by self. and that there is no dual pricing (also a victim of)
    But charging a local who is not going anywhere, less deposit than a foreigner who might or might nor be here in two years , is a good business decision IMO.
    There is some logic there, although they don't help themselves by artificially claiming high demand.

    There is one building that finished in 2021 in a good location but with shit access. They claimed two years ago it was sold out but now it transpires only one person paid full whack and bought one.

    They are probably 50% over market rate.

    The chinkies have lots of money to launder, so they usually soak up all builds with the intention of flipping them. I guess in this case the timing was bad.


  21. #21
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrWilly View Post
    Is the price of the unit the same? So it's just a larger deposit?
    Yes. All of them have this "reservation fee" which is not really a deposit. I think it's more to gauge genuine interest. I was genuinely not interested

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    It could be a lot of money - for someone who drives a Suzuki Swift.

    A Suzuki Swift GLX I'll have you know. It has electric windows.


  23. #23
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    And you still have to do due diligence on the developer
    ...although it may not be the developer who's actually doing the construction work. We were attracted to our present condo by the fine reputation of the developer. We didn't know that the company had sub-contracted construction to a no-name builder who frequently cut corners to "save money." This sly tactic became apparent when we hired an independent inspector to check our condo before signing for ownership: floor tiles poorly laid, cabinet handles popping off, impossible to remove glue stains on window sills, ineffective exhaust fan over cooking area, cement nails sticking up from the floors, the cheapest available bathroom fixtures and a cracked glass shelf...it took an additional 3 weeks for the developer to certify that the problems the inspector identified had been taken care of...after which, we did our own inspection and threatened not to sign for the condo until we were satisfied...sloppy lack of professionalism with little apparent concern for the developer's commercial reputation...we were later told this practice is common with many (all?) condo developers in Thailand...
    Majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd

  24. #24
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    This size seems pretty standard in SE Asia. It is a good thing that many foreigners aren't usually coming with much more than some luggage. I don't plan to spend a lot of time at home anyway. Does the condo have other amenities like pool and gym? I don't need much space to be on my computer or watch TV. If the condo has good enough amenities, what else do you need except a place to sleep?

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    ...although it may not be the developer who's actually doing the construction work. We were attracted to our present condo by the fine reputation of the developer. We didn't know that the company had sub-contracted construction to a no-name builder who frequently cut corners to "save money." This sly tactic became apparent when we hired an independent inspector to check our condo before signing for ownership: floor tiles poorly laid, cabinet handles popping off, impossible to remove glue stains on window sills, ineffective exhaust fan over cooking area, cement nails sticking up from the floors, the cheapest available bathroom fixtures and a cracked glass shelf...it took an additional 3 weeks for the developer to certify that the problems the inspector identified had been taken care of...after which, we did our own inspection and threatened not to sign for the condo until we were satisfied...sloppy lack of professionalism with little apparent concern for the developer's commercial reputation...we were later told this practice is common with many (all?) condo developers in Thailand...
    Well in fairness to the one I was looking at, they have a fairly decent reputation. But you're right.

    They have similar cowboys in the sandpit amidst their own construction boom.

    A friend bought a house off plan on a golf course development, and mid-construction they invited everyone to a cocktail party to show them the progress.

    On viewing his property he noticed that not only had the house moved, but the garage had basically been squeezed into where his living room was supposed to be. Turns out that they'd rejigged everything after selling it to squeeze an extra house into each row.

    It took him a few years of legal wrangling but eventually he got something like a 40% discount and his legal costs paid.

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