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Unseen Tours Scam
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Unseen Tours Scam
Written by Not saying   
Thursday, 18 September 2008

I had been in Bangkok for five days. At the end of the five days I decided to go to Chiang Mai, to see the amazing city.

I went looking for a train ticket initially, because I heard it was good, but all the tourism operators told me I couldn't get one at short notice. Fair enough. Just as I was about to leave a tuk-tuk driver offered to take me to the TAT office (and pointed it out on a map) so that they would give me good advice. Despite what I had read over and over about tuk-tuk drivers, I still felt in control (because he said he was taking me to the official authority) and besides I wanted to see what the price was, as I was shopping around. Obviously, my first mistake! He took me to a big office which had six or so operators, and many Western people arranging trips. I felt pretty safe, seeing all those people there. The tour group operator was UNSEEN TOURS.

A friendly lady who spoke reasonable English suggested she could help me by organising a trek in Chiang Mai with 3 days accommodation plus airline tickets - almost instantly. I was happy to have the assistance. Then she told me the price - for four days, 17,000THB. I did some quick maths, and felt it was too much. I told her 15,000THB was the most I'd pay. She disagreed. I was clearly desperate for a solution, I decided to go with it. Second mistake. I even paid her a tip!!

Then I asked her, "Is this the total price I will have to pay" and she said, "Yes, total price". I went to the ATM to get the money, and paid it. Then she wrote me out a receipt - which at the time I didn't notice said "DEPOSIT" on the bottom. I just assumed the document was legit.

So she says, "You must go back to your hotel, check out, and then we will arrange the rest of the documents and tickets by the time you get back." So I checked out of my hotel and returned. On the trip back I started to feel I was being scammed, so I decided I would ask for my money back. So I came straight in and said, "I'd like my money back". The lady said, "But you still owe us money for the trip, we have booked the flight." The lady said something in Thai to me, and then talked to her manager. I was ushered into the manger's office who listened to (a probably fake)  assessment of my request. The manager started speaking, in excellent English. He asked me where I was from. He was a smooth-talking, silver-tongued devil. I told him my situation, that I wanted a refund. He said, "I understand, but I can't give you a refund." He started to sweat profusely as he was talking to me, rubbing his brow, as if stressed. Then he said threateningly, "We can get the police to make you pay this money if you don't agree." I was intimidated.  I said, "Look, I am reasonable, I will pay for the flight and accommodation but nothing else" He said NO. We sat there for sometime just looking at each other. Then he said, "OK, I will take 3,000THB off the price of 9,000THB. At this point I felt even more trapped. This was the first time I'd heard the price of 9,000BHT talked about. I felt I couldn't get my money back, that I was trapped. SO I thought the only way to get out of this situation was to give them a credit card to pay the final part (which was never discussed).

So in total I paid 23,000THB for a short trip to Chiang Mai! They took me to the airport. Yes, I am a trusting fool. But I wanted to believe in the Thais!

Some guys at the airport at Chiang Mai picked me up and took my envelop with the receipt for the money I paid. They took me to the hotel, and while I went upstairs to make sure my bag was in the room, they disappeared with all the evidence.

When I got to Chiang Mai I asked for a refund again, because I would not be going on the trek. I emailed them at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it but the email address bounced - did not exist. Nor did the telephone number work.

I feel horrible and I have not left my hotel room much and have a very negative view of Thailand right now. I have cancelled my credit card and will have to make it alone on the money I have.

The total price of this ended up being over 60% of its value. The rooms here cost 800THB per night. The tour wouldn't have been worth more than 1,000THB. The flights cost maybe 2,200THB.  

It was so hard to save the money to come here, I am new to travel and did not expect this... I am certainly not a rich man. 

 

Comments (26)Add Comment
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written by Brad, Fri 19 Sep 2008 16:51:49 MDT
Sad story sir, but you know what they say, " There's a sucker born every minute"?
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written by Andy, Fri 19 Sep 2008 17:56:48 MDT
Brad you are a complete arsehole and should be banned from owning a computer.

The gentlemen above who wrote the story, the best of us can be scammed, Im sorry for your loss and I hope you dont let this bother you, keep on travelling.
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written by joey, Fri 19 Sep 2008 20:34:00 MDT
Yes Brad there is a sucker born every minute, you sound like one. never been scammed have you? well you must be clever then. looks like the bastards took all that mans money, he needs sympathy not childish sarcasm. another knife in the back of an unwary traveller, sorry to hear about your plight Not saying
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written by joey, Sun 21 Sep 2008 04:29:40 MDT
with a name like Brad , you must be a smal time backyard yank with no sense of life. duelling bangoes strikes a chord, deliverence maybe. this is a site for scams not insults, poor NotSaying got scammed and he reported it,as he should you yanker.
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written by joey, Sun 21 Sep 2008 04:58:44 MDT
first rule of thumb in thailand, if they smile at you, dont trust them. dont give the scum your credit card,dont let it out of your sight. people like Brad are probably Thai. The low life in Thailand are in the gutters waiting for you,poor bastards I wouldnt swap with them for all the tea in China,they are low low down gutter snipes,When they smile at you in Thailnd ...............................do not trust them, when they say Thailand beautiful country, they lie. I want your money, I want your money, that is all they love Money
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written by Not saying, Wed 24 Sep 2008 06:20:51 MDT
No, this was a valuable lesson. I will be advising everyone I know to steer clear of Thailand. This is the net result of endemic corruption and a system which allows these people to operate outside the law. Brad is an example of how Thai people think nothing about the loss of money from a Western hand (and I am presuming he is Thai, for his unprovoked attack makes no sense to me).
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written by Barb, Wed 24 Sep 2008 16:22:05 MDT
Wow,
I have had only great experiences in Thailand, tho, granted we have stayed in Phuket. Haven't been scammed, tuk tuk drivers are friendly and inexpensive and staff at the small hotel we used were extremely welcoming and friendly. We found good deals on tailoring, food was fantastic and cheap. We are in fact going back next week.
I feel very badly for this person and agree that Brad should be banned from the site. He seems to enjoy surfing to find people who have been hurt or taken advantage of and then kicking them when they are down. If you can't help, don't make things worse.
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written by JOHN, Wed 24 Sep 2008 22:33:40 MDT
To the author of this letter, mate it sounds you got a real bad experience here, its takes great courage to share it with us i only hope that this wasn't the first time in thailand as the thai people are in general fantastic. unfortunately for you, a couple of bad apples have spoilt your experience thanks again for sharing your story , and better luck in your travels in the future.
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written by Pf, Sat 27 Sep 2008 01:03:53 MDT
Sorry to hear that you were treated so badly & robbed by these people. It is important to remember not all tourist operators in Thailand are crooks like this one. Thailand is still a great destination for foreigners. However, it is our responsibility to do our homework and check out these "business" operators before we pull out our credit cards or pay any cash. Next time try getting references from others tourists, making friends with local Thais, getting recommendations from the hotel staff, and even visiting the Thai embassy or consulate in your country.

As for this "dishonest business operator" suggest you post the name of his business and the location on this and other sites to let other people know about him. Also why not write the Thai Tourist board and let them know, perhaps you might be lucky and they may do something for you.

I think we ned to remember that many of these people are struggling to make ends meet and the only thing they see in your eyes are the $$ $$ signs.
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written by MIKEY, Sun 28 Sep 2008 06:34:23 MDT
Brad:

thanks for sharing your story with us/

I think it is wise to always pay with a credit card, if there is a problem you can cancel the transaction quickly and leave the tour company to explain the situation ( and provide documentation like actual plane booking info, ect) to tha cc company.


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written by bard from bkk , Sat 04 Oct 2008 21:37:55 MDT
Bkk is a wonderful city , just dont think and act like a tourist. Walk away from people trying to offer you a good deal. If you do that most of the average thai people are nice. Spend some time in the city looking for the real deals , go to the markets . Have fun .
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written by Todd, Wed 08 Oct 2008 14:34:34 MDT
I recommend everyone read this?

http://www.stickmanweekly.com/Reader2007/reader4672.htm

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written by Thai Threats, Sun 12 Oct 2008 17:22:08 MDT
Look left,there is a ripoff in thailand.
Look right,there is a ripoff in thailand.
Go straight ahead,there is a ripoff in thailand.
Turn around,there is a ripoff in thailand.
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written by Thai Threats, Mon 13 Oct 2008 06:15:29 MDT
Address of UNSEEN TOURS?
Phone number of UNSEEN TOURS?
Complain to the Tourist Police?
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written by Scammed again, Mon 13 Oct 2008 06:23:43 MDT
Complain to the Thai Police?
Now that is funny.

Take a look here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29324583@N05/
All these scammers are working in view of the Police Boxes.
Thai Police are involved with scamming tourists.

...
written by Thai Threats, Mon 13 Oct 2008 18:03:30 MDT
Are police corrupt to the same degree in Thailand as they are back home in Farangland?
It seems that they are, in a lot of ways.
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written by Scammed again, Mon 13 Oct 2008 18:51:46 MDT
I would estimate the Police are responsible for 80% of crime in Thailand.
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written by Theo, Mon 13 Oct 2008 23:18:50 MDT
Conclusion: Thailand without police would have crime reduced 80% Chaeper too!! No salary has to be paid! I wonder why Mr Tarksin didnt think of that! Would probably be the solution for the Bangkok traffic jam as well!!
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written by Kevin, Tue 25 Nov 2008 10:24:42 MST
A word of advice TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) does not sell tours, they only give advice also tuk tuk are just as bad themselves. They get a cut for every tourist they take to scammers office. And lastly there TAT office in Hualompong train station, its next the showers and bathroom there's no need to take a tuk tuk. The head office is on Petchaburi Road.
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written by Billy, Tue 06 Jan 2009 06:20:34 MST
That story is VERY sad indeed.
Thailand the land of Fake Rolexes, Fake Gender, Fake Fakes, Fake People, The country is a joke. No one takes Thailand seriously anymore.

When is the Government going to step in? It seems to me that by doing nothing, there is an unspoken rule that they are condoning it. Oh yeh, I forgot about the Fake Government...

You would think that they King of Thailand would do something about it, or at least have a say. It would be interesting to know what he personally thought about it.
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written by sammie, Tue 06 Jan 2009 12:25:59 MST
Billy, I would imagine the King of Thailand would be extremely distressed, the monachary is the only sound thing the people have left.lets hope it is not too late for what was once a beautiful nation.
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written by Ken Gibson, Tue 06 Jan 2009 14:43:53 MST
The King would be furious that the Grand Palace is Scam Central.
Grand Palace Security, managers and maintenance personnel watch it happen all day long.
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written by sammie, Tue 06 Jan 2009 15:23:46 MST
Agreed Ken. I have been reading Stickmen's column, I enjoy his writing very much and take the liberty of pasting one article here:
Check what the ATM machine spits out!

About 3 weeks ago I was given a 100 baht note as change at my local office coffee shop. It didn't look right and was missing the metallic strip running down the side - so I gave it back. This week I was reading about the 1000 baht notes circulating that were fake and all the markings that were missing. Yesterday I was at MBK and withdrew 10,000 from an ATM. When I got home I was putting the money on the counter when I realized I was given a fake. I started to wonder how the obvious fake got in the bank machine - then thinking that this is Thailand, maybe it was an inside job from a bank employee. What better way to get the fake notes in circulation and pull out the genuine notes to put in your pocket. Maybe you could print a reference to this and for all of us to be on the lookout - even from bank machines.

I was staying in Luang Prabang and observed a very nice middle aged German couple staying in the same guest house. They had come from Thailand, having changed their euros into dollars at a Bureau de Change in Kao San Road Bangkok for their Laos trip. They had been given all fake notes and paid their hotel bill with them. The duty Manager took the notes to the Bank who declared them fake and the police were called. Luckily the Owner of this establishment who is a very well educated Lao Architect happened to know this couple who had frequented this establishment in the past, managed to sort it out, but the consequences could have been dire eg... see Kay Danes story in foreigner prisons abroad. Personally I would never change my money in the tourist areas, it beggers belief that you cant even trust the banks to part with bone fide notes these days!
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written by sammie, Tue 06 Jan 2009 15:26:42 MST
Even the Thais get scammed bless them.... as Stickman wrote:
Saving on severance pay, Thai style.

A lot of people are working for a reduced salary or losing their job these days due to the global financial crisis. Please be aware of this little, unfortunately legal trick. My boss of 4 years told me that I was a key employee but due to the crisis he kindly asked me to reduce my salary for the next 6 month by 20%. He had already fired 8 other staff and I didn't want my name on that list so I agreed to the reduction and signed the contract. However 3 weeks later when I got my first reduced salary I also got a notice that due to reduced workload my position was being made redundant and I was fired with, by labour law, 7 months compensation. However, by law, the compensation is measured from the last payment day – meaning that my compensation was now 20% less that it otherwise would have been. When I signed the paper for a reduced salary I truly believed that I had secured my job – however it was just a tricky set-up for me and 19 other staff to save money for the compensation by my employer. So if you agree to reduce your salary, make sure that your employment is secured in writing for the given period or compensation in case of redundancy you are guaranteed the "full amount". This cost me a 6 digit number in Thai baht.

Maximising the gratuity.
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written by slouching_tiger, Tue 06 Jan 2009 21:47:07 MST
For anyone who wants to know Unseen Travel's address is

440/444 Wisutkasat Rd., Banpanthom Pranakorn Bangkok 10200
Tel: 02-282-4248, 02-629-4116
FAX: 02-282-0962, 02-629-1824

I too fell for the scam. I was sitting on a bench near khaosan rd reading a map (first mistake) when some guy comes up to me and asks the usual friendly questions: where you from? how long have you been in thailand? is this your first time in thailand? how long are you staying? Little did i realize that these questions were the MO of these scammers to find out if you have been scammed before!

Once he realized this was my first time, he asked what i was going to do in thailand during my vacation. I told him i was planning to go to an island. He then told me to make sure to go to TAT office to book your tickets. He said many agents on Khaosan Rd cannot be trusted because they are not TAT agents. He then proceeded to recommend a TAT agent and told me the stuff about its my lucky day. The government is subsidizing TUK TUK drivers with a yellow flag on their bike on this official holiday. You can ride all you want for 20 baht for 4 hours. He then proceeded to draw on my map five places i should visit with a tuk tuk driver. One was the lucky driver, another was the TAT office, and another was the jewelery store. All this time i was thinking this guy was extremely helpful.
He said his english was good because he was an English teacher.

Anyway, to make a long short, at Unseen travel i paid about double of what i could have paid if i booked everything myself. So a tour that cost 5,000 baht i paid 10,000. Plus the agent had the gall to take 500 as tip (commision). I'm kicking myself for not asking for an itemized list of costs for hotels and transportation. or shopping around before handing over cash. I guess because they said they were a government agency that these prices were the real deal.

Luckily i didnt hand over any money at the gem shop. If I had more money in my account at that time, if i had any interest in jewerly (thank god i dont), i certainly would have fell for it though. Three guys from three apparently different countries (thailand, malaysia, and singapore) talked about to me about how easy it was double my money and how i could become a lifetime member for this once a year special sale.
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written by mikey, Tue 06 Jan 2009 22:56:43 MST

written by Ken Gibson, Tue 06 Jan 2009 14:43:53 MST
The King would be furious that the Grand Palace is Scam Central.
Grand Palace Security, managers and maintenance personnel watch it happen all day long.

KEN

wishfil thinking, It goes on because it happens to non-thais.

The kind is popular because he ( not really his money keep in mind) is seen giving a few pittance to some poor thai persons in the country every so often, big news, but like much in thailand, "just for show"

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