1st Timer to Thailand...

[lord khram]

As a regular South Eastern Asia customer, I have to strongly disagree with you, Quero.
Most of the replies have been on the pro's perspective, I have to step in and give you a customer's point of view (who's also a tourism consultant btw...).

I have NEVER (I underline the word NEVER) been asked a wire transfer in my 6 or more Thailand inland/underwater trips. All my bills where paid on my credit card (including Steven's though he's not the only business I used, even in Phuket...).

Otherwise, I have only been asked once to pay a deposit for a dive center in Indonesia using wire transfer... and quite strangely I wouldn't recommend this operation, because of their poor customer management.

Tourism business managers have to understand that wire transfer is not that common in many parts of Europe and can cost a LOT compared to the price of the product that was purchased. This is not a good service that you are delivering to your customers but rather a service that benefits to yourselves, it doesn't provide any value to your guests, more than that : it may sometimes bother. I can tell you that transfering money from France is a pain in the neck : it takes me almost a half day with paperwork, faxing documents, going to the bank, etc. while it should take no more than 10 minutes with a credit card. The cerdit card fees is YOUR problem, as a customer I don't want to hear about them, adjust your price accordingly!

You also have to know that most of the high end credit cards includes a cancellation insurance for anything that has been paid for, asking to pay by wire transfer means your customer is not protected on that side. If I break my leg two days before going on holiday, my credit card company will refund my deposit whereas if I paid by wire transfer I am screwed : do you call that a customer service? ...

Personally, I absolutely do not feel that the asian dive centre I am contracting with is more honest when I am asked to pay a deposit on a british or german bank ... or even sometimes on a taxfree area bank like I was asked for that Indonesian dive center.

My recommendation upon that peculiar operation would be : Warning!!! They're here for your money first, your satisfaction comes only second.

I agree Luko, all too often customers opinions or requirements don't seem to be important any more

 

[JTinSD]

I've been coming to the region for a long time. In the past 40 years things have changed.

It used to be I landed in a destination city with nothing prepaid, maybe a few letters exchanged that led me to believe that maybe there would be a room waiting for me. I bought bus and train and boat tickets as I needed them.

Then about ten years ago with the advent of the internet, I could prepay and thus definitely reserve some arrangements. Most often the method was bank wire transfer or Western Union. I am used to paying by these methods, and there is no red flag for me.

Now there is PayPal and Thai E-Pay and just straight credit card payments, and this is a real improvement. My last three flights to the region have been on frequent flier miles and anytime I can use a credit card, especially for travel-related expenses, I will. The consumer protection offered is a big deal as well.

To be clear, wire transfers are not a red flag, but I would prefer to use a credit card, and it would be a factor for me as to how I make arrangements.

OT: You know, it used to be fun to land in a new strange city and make it up as I went. There is really something to be said for spontaneity, although knowing what comes next has its appeal, now that I am older.

 

[Quero]

Luko, first of all, I didn't think anything about you or your character. People are often quite "forceful" when they write casually in forums like this one, while in real life they are relaxed and agreeable.

Next the OP only asked if it was a "red flag." To me that meant "is the agent trustworthy." I answered that question from the perspective of the likely integrity of the agent. I think you approached it from an entirely different angle.

I agree that it would be wonderful if taking credit card payments were 100% standard procedure here, but it's not. Getting set up to accept credit card payments is not a trivial thing to accomplish here, though it can be done, given enough time. Simply getting approval for a credit card merchant number for a machine that requires that the physical card be swiped through it and cannot take offline charges (mail order) or web-payments (payment gateway) requires quite a lot of paperwork and application processing time. (My online machine is through Ayudhya Bank.) Once you get into the off-site charges, it gets even more complex and involves a substantial low interest (.85%/annum) fixed deposit for which the bank holds the passbook. (Mine is through Kasikorn Bank.) I simply don't find it appropriate that a company that hasn't managed all of the time and effort and capital it takes to get this done be labeled unprofessional. We all started out that way, exactly as Batfish stated his agency did, and added credit card facilities when we were able, due to demand.

I think my customers can judge their relationship to me, but you're right--two or three emails isn't enough. Generally speaking, I exchange dozens of emails with each customer. Based on my experience with them, they feel very free to shoot me a short email with any question whatever, and in the accumulation these conversational exchanges, we learn about one another. I presume it's the same for my colleagues here--I think the customers do get a sense of us.

I'm going to retire from this thread now, as it is veering off-topic with all the discussion the ease/difficulty of setting up credit card payment options, at least in the way I interpreted the topic, which was "can I trust my agent?" The OP isn't my customer, by the way, so I'm actually "defending" (your term) somebody else's business. I hope the customer remains happy with the agent, and I hope the agent prospers.

 

[Thai_Diver]

I don't understand the 'Us & Them' attitude on this forum. Why is it that certain 'customers' always seem to be attacking the 'Proffesionals'?

It seems to me that too many 'fun divers' expect their chosen dive centre to behave like a charity. In my experience (as a 'customer') most DC's I have visited in Thailand have given me exactly what I wanted and expected... A great day out and good diving!

 

[Luko]

Why is it that certain 'customers' always seem to be attacking the 'Proffesionals'?

Don't you think the term "always" is a bit exagerated and don't you think only the good experiences are worth writing?

About the term "attacking", which is also exagerated, I may tell you that some time ago, after I wrote ONE post that was about some of Phuket dive operators practises and advice I ddin't agree with, my photo gallery was suddenly flooded with negative comments written by imaginary or anonymous internauts.
It happens I have a geographical analysis tools embeded which says where the people are connecting from... Guess what : they had been connecting from Bangkok and Phuket...

How mature.

In my experience (as a 'customer') most DC's I have visited in Thailand have given me exactly what I wanted and expected

For me, the important term in your sentence is "most". Can you tell us more about the "rest".

There is really something to be said for spontaneity

JT, You're spot on !
This is exactly why I am awaiting eagerly my holidays, to fly the further away from home. Further east, there are still places where you just can't contact anyone and have to be spontaneaous... or where they won't ask you to pay anything before you come.
It's also about trusting each other.

 

[Thai_Diver]

Don't you think the term "always" is a bit exagerated and don't you think only the good experiences are worth writing?

About the term "attacking", which is also exagerated

If you read what I said you would have noticed the words certain 'customers', not all 'customers'. So in answer to your question, no, it is not a bit exagerated.

Anyhow, I have no axe to grind on this one so I'll bow out of this 'tit for tat'. I'd rather be diving than sitting here talking about it...