1
There is a different between a TAT-office and and travel-office WITH a TAT-license. All travel agents MUST have a TAT-license, but this is almost no reason for not try to ripp you off. So ALWAYS be aware .... if everything would be arranged the same way as back home it would not be Thailand anymore and you could as well stay home.Take a look at my Blog at http://changnoi1.blogspot.com or at my photo Albums at http://picasaweb.google.com/changnoi1 or read my hotel & restaurant reviews at http://changnoihotelthailand.blogspot.com/
2
I was ripped off by a travel agent with a TAT license. The tuk tuk driver only tells you 'It's TAT office.' Also, some NICE people who come to give you travel advice voluntarily and ask you to take the tuk tuk nearby to go and book your ticket 'because you have to book at least 1 week in advance. It's peak season' etc. do not have such nice intentions. Just ignore the advice!
3
This scam again... Just curious, did you ever question what the motives were of the man who "helped" you before you climbed in the tuk-tuk?
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4
Thanks GorShar, I now question the motives of my "helper". As a first-time traveller and as a person who probably has too much faith in others, I of course fell for it. If it is such a well-known scam, information like this should be published in the Lonley Planet guide (forgive me if it is and I just happened to miss that vital piece of information) for virgin travellers like myself so that others can avoid being ripped off like this.
5
I thought i would share my TAT rip off experience. I think this is a scam that many of the hotels on Ko Pan Ngan must be in on. Having tried to phone ahead for bookings on te island and told they were full or charging large fees I decided that there probably wasn't a chance of reasonably priced accomodation. So I gave up until we went to a TAT liscenced agent to ask about such trips. We were told that all accommoation was full, but he had a friend in one of the resorts (if I hadn't been trying to book already I would have been more suspicious). He told us he could get us a simple room with a bed and bathroom (all we wanted). Fine. Assuming that accommodation was hard to come by we payed more than we thought was appropriate. When we got to the place the extent of the rip off was evident. We were overcharged at least AU$500 for our crappy hut. Plus there were others available, plus crowds of people at the docks on arrival trying to sell accommodation.
6
One obvious thing about the "fake" TAT license is that it's normally written as "T.A.T." license no.xxx . Some of them did exist but their registered numbers have expired years ago. Be careful about that too.
7
the same thing happend to us....
8
Aaargh, why are this company still going?! The exact same thing happened to me and my two friends: we were approached by a "volunteer" outside the Grand Palace who hailed us a tuk tuk, we spoke to a "local" outside an attraction that the tuk tuk driver took us to while he was "at the toilet" and this man advised us to book with the TAT who, as we all know now, don't actually book things for you.
Posted By: VenessaP -- 28-Jan-2010 15:01
Posted By: VenessaP -- 09-Dec-2009 17:01
Thailand: Destination information
The Kingdom of Thailand draws more visitors than any other country in southeast Asia with its irresistible combination of breathtaking natural beauty, inspiring temples, renowned hospitality, robust c...more »
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