Little may be as frustrating as Thai business policies, especially for the long-term visitor. Often they make little sense to the western mind. Read on…
Return policy – There isn’t one. Thai business is fascinating in this regard. In the USA we have a return policy to help the buyer avoid being sold bad products by sellers. Thailand does not. If you buy a CD-ROM that doesn’t work you will likely not get your money back. If you buy a mobile phone that you don’t want to keep and you want to just exchange it – the store may not even have an exchange policy.Be absolutely sure what you’re buying works. Test it before you leave the store. This way you’ll cut down on problems later. Most places will show you an item is in working condition if you ask. If they won’t, don’t buy it there.
Try before you buy – usually there exists no such practice. You may not be able to try a bicycle, motorbike or automobile before you buy it. That’s Thai style. It’s frustrating, but you probably won’t get far if you push for it. Or you might – I’ve talked stores into letting me test a motorbike and bicycle, but some held fast to their policy of not letting me try before I bought.
Bartering – It’s a normal part of the Thai shopping experience to barter on price. Feel free to try to get the price you want. Try hard not to get upset if you fail. Keep in mind Thais usually want to receive as much money as possible today and they don’t value the long-term or repeat customer like we do in the west.