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I've sent this report by Fax and email to TAT awhile ago.
I've been in Thailand for 5 years now and I've never encountered this type of scam. Please note that Sta. Fe is a restaurant chain offering discounted steaks and usually located inside a big shopping mall. The diners are both Thais and foreigners.
I had a fair share of tourists scams and traps from tuk-tuk drivers offering free rides to other temples, to direct buses to Bangkok from the islands (e.g. Koh Chang, Koh Samui), but this is quite a new modus operandi. Please be warned and inform your friends.
The
Office of Tourism Development, Ministry of Tourism and Sports
Address
: National Stadium, Rama 1 Road Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Fax : +66 2
216 6906
Report
on the Incident in Santa Fe Steakhouse, Century Mall, Victory
Monument, Bangkok
Date:
8th March 2009, Time- 6.45pm to 8pm
My family and friends went
to Sta. Fe Steakhouse to have dinner last night. The restaurant was
packed so the waiter told us to wait for a bit so they can clear up a
table for the 7 of us. While waiting, a Man who came from inside the
restaurant (Tall, slender man, wearing a striped polo shirt, black
slacks) told us to wait, as well. We assumed that this Man is the
Manager of the restaurant as he was also chatting with the waiters
(wearing a grey shirt/uniform). We ordered our food (6 orders of
99baht steak promotions+ 1 spaghetti+ 2 jugs of pepsi). Once they've
cleared up the tables near the entrance of the restaurant, the Man
showed us in, and even asked the waiters to move the other small
table and add an extra chair so all 7 of us could fit in.
So
then we sat and waited for our orders to arrive. The Man again came
to us and told us that since we ordered more than 650 baht, we can
get some discount. So I said ok, that's very good. The Man can speak
fluent English. He showed us the menu and asked us if we want to
order soup, I said no, but then he said “oh, its free”. He again
told us that we need to pay our bill (which came out to be 750baht)
immediately so we can avail the promotion. So, we gave him the amount
(It was 7bills 100- hundred baht + 6 bills of twenty Baht). All that
time, the waiters were chatting to him. He even went to the cashier,
which we thought he gave the money to the woman there (she's wearing
a yellow shirt). After giving the money, the Man then told us that we
will also get the Banana crepes for free. We didn't ask for the
receipt yet as we were expecting to get it when we finish our meal.
So finally our orders came + 2 bowls of soup+ 1 order of
banana crepes (which the Man told us to be free). We had a good meal
and we were even planning to recommend the restaurant to our tourist
friends who are coming the next day. We didn't notice the Man leaving
the restaurant.
When we finished our dinner, we got up and was
about to leave the restaurant when the waiter told us we didn't pay
yet. The bill included the 2 soup+ crepes (total 1,024 baht). We told
them we paid to the manager already. They told us the Man was not the
manager of the restaurant and they did not get any money from us. We
got so annoyed and angry about it. We asked for the police and for
the CCTV camera recording. The security came with the staff of
Century Mall. The waiter forced us to pay half of the bill. Out of
pity to the waiter as he told us he only gets 6thousand baht a month
salary, and our bill (total 1,024Baht) will be deducted from it, we
paid 500baht.
The extra money we paid is irrelevant. We want
to report this incident as this is very dangerous to tourists and to
those foreigners who live and work here in Bangkok. Sta. Fe
Restaurant is a proper eating place located in a well-known shopping
mall. The staff of the restaurant should be able to protect their
paying customers from cons. The waiters should warn their customers
about these kinds of people. If they notice something strange, they
should call the attention of the customer or ask someone who speaks
English to inform the foreign customer.
I've
been working legally here in Thailand for 3 years. I am paying my
taxes monthly to the Thai Government (2,425.00 Baht/month). My
parents, sisters and friends just came to visit me here in Bangkok
and they are only here for a few days.
I
demand an action from the management of Sta Fe and the Century
Shopping Mall. The waiters/staff of the restaurant will be able to
clearly identify the Man who swindled us. The CCTV camera recording
will also show this. If they cannot protect their customers from
these cons/swindlers, they should not be allowed to manage a
restaurant, to run a shop, or a shopping mall!
Hoping
for your action regarding this very dangerous scam.
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