Matt Owens Rees

Beyond the Bamboo Curtain: Quality and Cheating in Thailand. All these posts are true and verified.

Collected my brush cutter from the repairer today. I’d returned it for an oil leak and starting issues three weeks ago. One week later, same problem.

Today, they said they’d finally sorted out the issue. Still wouldn’t start. I fail to see why some Thais say they’ve fixed something when they have not. I’ll take it to another company this afternoon.

It’s the second strimmer I’ve bought in Thailand in two years. A store’s own brand. Not expensive, but I thought it would do the job. It lasted less than a year. Japanese and Western prices, but low Chinese quality or Thai copies.

Essential parts of imported products are often substituted with inferior ones. Car batteries are a prime example.

Top-grade cement may be delivered to a construction site, but once the customer—Thai or farang—is no longer present, it can be swapped for cheaper material.

When I lived in Phutthamonthon, Bangkok, I witnessed this firsthand. Adoon and I both had houses in the same project.

He lived directly opposite me, and my new Thai neighbour and I quickly became friends. We hit it off immediately.

Adoon ran a successful canned fruit export business to the U.K. His English was good, but I told him, “If you ever want me to translate over the phone, just ask—I’d be happy to help.”

His builders were constructing an ornamental pond for Koi, using high-grade cement. Adoon was carefully checking the materials.

As he was leaving for his office, he said, “I want to be sure everything is right—no cutting corners.”

About twenty minutes later, a lorry arrived. It unloaded more bags of cement, and the original high-specification material was quietly loaded back onto the truck.

I called Adoon and told him, “You should come back now, something’s off here.”

He arrived ten minutes later, just as the driver was finishing loading. The contractors had red faces—they realised they’d been caught.

When confronted, they claimed, “There must have been a misunderstanding!”

Adoon glanced at me and said quietly, “I know you have my back.” He had often helped me resolve disputes with my builders.

I’m pretty sure the contractors guessed I was the one who had “informed” on them.

A Lesson Effectively Learned

Professional gardeners had advised me to buy only Honda. “No problems“, they said.

I went to the largest specialist store in town. Spent half an hour with the sales staff.

They showed me several models, explained the pros and cons, and offered me a coffee. Faultless customer service.

I made it clear: I wanted only a Honda. That was the recommendation.

“No problem, sir. A wise choice. More expensive, but we sell lots of them. Full twelve-month warranty.”

They gave me a demo. It started first time. Honda name and logo on the handle. I bought it. Warranty card and invoice both marked “Honda.”

No manual, but they promised to get one. Mai mee panha—no problem.

Discovery of the fake

Later, I found a big, big problem. It wasn’t a Honda. It was a copy.

A small local dealer checked it. No Honda serial number on the engine.

I had the invoice. I had the guarantee card.

My first thought: take it back. But guarantees aren’t easily enforced in Thailand. “Easily enforced?” Readers know what I mean.

It’s illegal here to criticise—even when telling the truth.
Big companies often ignore complaints, knowing legal redress is costly and slow.

A Thai judge may hear both sides. But there’s no guarantee he’ll accept your evidence or see your point of view.

And this company was big. Very big.
Word on the street: “if you’re in an accident with one of their vehicles, they’re never found liable.“

No one argues with them. They have contacts.
A company not to be messed with. Pursuing a claim would be pointless.
My Thai friends said to put it down to bad luck. That’s what they’d do.

Historical comparison

Japan, now a leader in Quality Circles, once had the same reputation as China—cheap labour, poor quality.

In the late ’60s, I bought a hover mower. Hard to start. Always breaking down. Japanese products were a standing joke in England.
Not so today.

Living in Thailand is a learning experience.