On Feb 17, 1:27 am, zig...@rock.com wrote:
> Gem scam story: Blue Dragon - February 17, 2007
>
> 2Bangkok.com actually received another story from another tourist who
> was in the Blue Dragon at the time as the person below was...
>
> A reader reports: I have just returned from my 2nd trip to Bangkok in
> the past few months. I had returned with my partner to visit the
> parts we had not fitted in on our first stay. On the 6th February
> 2007 we had made our way by skytrain and boat to the Grand Palace.
> Approaching what I thought to be one of the entrances a young man in
> uniform stopped us and informed us that the Grand Palace was not yet
> open and would open at midday. It was about 10.00am and he said we
> would have time to visit a couple of other tourist sites and return
> later. Taking into account he was in uniform one would be lead to
> believe what he was saying. His English was spoken very well and he
> told us that he was a teacher and was on holiday so he worked at the
> Grand Palace part time. So we showed him our map and he told us to
> visit the Lucky Buddha, the Reclining Buddha and the Thai Export
> Factory as they had a once a year weekly sale ending that day. He
> waved over a tuk-tuk and showed the driver where we would like to go
> and negotiated 30 baht for the round trip. Now having a little
> experience in Thailand I knew that the drivers would get a voucher of
> some sort from the export centre so therefore knew the price for the
> tuk-tuk was cheap and understandable.
>
> The tuk-tuk whom couldn't speak great English took us to the reclining
> Buddha first then onto the Happy Buddha. At the Happy Buddha as we
> went back to the tuk-tuk the driver asked if we minded if he went to
> the toilet. Where he had parked his tuk-tuk there was a young man
> sitting in a rather modern 4 wheel drive. He had a young girl sitting
> in a stroller outside the drivers door. We started talking small
> chat, and he eventually asked us where we were going next. Telling
> him we were going to the Export Centre he told us that he had just
> been there that morning to buy something for himself and his wife. He
> said that it was the last day of a sale that they have for a week
> every year. The sale was for the Thai people and the general public,
> they were not normally open to the public, only the trade. He went on
> to say how he and his friends would buy during this sale and then take
> the goods overseas and sell for great profits to jewellery stores. He
> also said that you were only allowed to buy one piece per person so it
> was seen that it was being purchased for personal use and not for
> profit.
>
> On arrival to the Blue Dragon Export Centre we were welcomed and shown
> around. With it coming up to Valentines day I thought it would be a
> great opportunity to buy my partner something nice and at a great
> price. I asked the sales assistant 'Prayuth' questions that verified
> what I had heard on the street. Are you normally open to the public?
> "no" was the answer. When does the sale end? "Today is the last
> day". How many items am I allowed to purchase? "Only one each." We
> were shown to the VIP section upstairs, eventually we picked out a
> nice sapphire bracelet for 139600baht. I tried to negotiate on the
> price but there was no negotiating as it was wholesale. Now with it
> being the last day of the sale, and unsure of what funds were
> available on the cards that I had on me at the time I asked if I could
> hold it with a deposit.
>
> I made a deposit of 19600baht, we arranged that the bracelet would be
> delivered to my hotel on the 11 February 2007 being the morning we
> were departing and I could transfer funds to my account if necessary
> to pay the remaining balance. On the 8 February 2007 I decided to do
> some research on the internet just to find out how much sapphires were
> really worth as we had been around a few other shops on the 7th
> February 2007 to see if we had got a good deal. It was hard to really
> know as there was such a variance in the price of them and the shades
> of blue. On the internet I found a site that sold loose stones and it
> all seemed to add up for the mere fact that we had a piece of
> jewellery that was a finished item. I decided to look a little
> further into it and decided to do a google search on the Blue Dragon
> Export Centre. With it being an export company I thought they may
> have a web-page. Well this is when everything changed, the first
> thing I saw from the search was 'Scam at Blue Dragon". I opened up
> and read almost word for word what had happened to us, there my blood
> boiled.
>
> I made my way by taxi back to the Blue Dragon on the 9th February with
> a print out of what I had found. On returning I asked to speak to the
> manager, no-one was wanting to take up that role. The sales assistant
> that sold us the bracelet was there and made as he was the manager. I
> asked to speak to him privately and was taken to the upstairs office.
> I shoed 'Prayuth' the printout and asked for a return of the deposit.
> How much would I like he asked. The whole lot was my reply. Sorry we
> cannot, as you have signed we charge 10% of any deposit taken because
> we have to pay vat and taxes as he had told me at point of sale. I
> said yes that was when I believed you had a legitimate business not a
> scam running here. I said if I wasn't to get my full refund I would
> go to the tourist police (from reading the internet previously my
> thoughts were they were just as corrupt but I wanted to call his
> bluff) of which he stood up and said way you go. I exited the store,
> took a couple of steps and walked back in, I was going to take 90% of
> my refund while I could and sort the rest out later. We argued for a
> good 15 minutes me calling him every name under the sun and asking how
> he lay straight in bed and said we were fed lie after lie and his sale
> was everyday. His answer was its psychology "No it's a %&^* lie" I
> said. He was doing it to support his children's education in
> Australia of which I then told him "I hope they are deported, shot or
> whatever and I wished he would rot in hell as well". Now this guy
> could take a lot of verbal abuse but was I boiling. On my exit I
> warned everyone in the shop at the time that it was all a scam, I was
> going to clear the shop as I did. If I had the time and energy I
> would have sat at the front of the shop and told everyone to go but I
> now believe it would have cost me my life and with a country as
> corrupt as it is its not even worth the trip back again.
>
> I am going to try and pursue a claim via my bank with the fact that I
> have not received any goods, that I was lied to, to make a
> transaction. I will keep you posted as to how that goes.
>
> More on the Gem Scam & maps to the scam stores
It never ceases to amaze me how fast this so called educated people
part with their money! Big sale once a week and all that crap, and
they believe that - because somebody told 'em! If a deal sounds to be
too good to be true: it usually is!
Anyway goes to show that a fool and money don't suit!
Chaby
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