how to deal with the cheating

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curiosity
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how to deal with the cheating

Post by curiosity »

Hi folks,

I know about the foreigners-pay-500 riel more at every street shop rule and the many attempts at ripping me off. The cheat that I hate the most is what happened to me right now. I call it the "late cheat".
I have been buying fruit from a lady's small street shop for quite a while now. Her fruit is very yummy and the price has always been reasonable. Today I went there to buy some bananas and a small pineapple. The lady was not there, but some men as well as two teenage girls were outside at the shop. One guy charged me 7.000 Riel for one bunch of bananas and for a small pineapple. After I had handed over the 7.000 Riel to the older teenage girl, another older man started laughing in the background, saying "bai dollar, bai dollar" (3 USD). Then the guy who had already asked me to pay 7.000 Riel suddenly looked at me slyly and asked me for 14.000 Riel (which is even more than 3 USD).
I said "thlay nah!", shook my head and repeated in Khmer "7.000 Riel". Then the Khmer group started smiling in that weird way and said "14.000 Riel". I then took the money back from the teenage girl and returned the bag with the bananas and the pineapple. After that I walked away, hearing the whole Khmer group laughing.
I'm so angry right now.
How dumb can Khmer people be? If you have already set the price, you cannot suddenly change it!
Has the "late cheat" (first being asked an ok price, then suddenly more) ever happened to you? How did you deal with it?
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frank lee bent
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by frank lee bent »

Walk away
Nixon
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by Nixon »

Go to Lucky Supermarket, pick up an item clearly marked with a price. After you have paid, just look at the receipt and learn the real price. It happens everywhere.

I bought a bottle of wine at a Circle K last week, the price went from $8 to $12. I told them that if they can’t sell it for the marked price I just want my money back - of course they refused. After calls to the manager and me telling the staff I would sit and wait for him they agreed to change it to another bottle with the original price..

I haven’t been here that long but in general I think the best is to send someone local to buy stuff at markets.
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armchairlawyer
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by armchairlawyer »

Cambodia regards prices in a unique way. They rarely get displayed in the market. If you ask for a price, you can be abused if you don't then at least enter into a haggling game. You can be charged a higher price than that stated on a Price List, on the basis that the PL is out of date.
You did the right thing by sticking to one seller as once she gets to know you she will treat you well. You also did the right thing by walking away when her subs played games.
The other day I needed to hire a tukruk to go to Koh Dach. My GF suggested I do the haggling because the drivers usually ask her why she is pushing for a lower price when the barang has lots of money and the driver is poor.
To avoid problems you can shop somewhere with Western standards such as Thai Huot and you can use Grab for transport. And if your favourite seller lady is not there one day, walk on by. Also tell her what happened.
curiosity
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by curiosity »

how do you play the haggling game correctly?
epidemiks
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by epidemiks »

I don't understand. You had paid and had your goods in hand, why didn't you laugh along with them at the joke and then walk off?
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Cam Nivag
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by Cam Nivag »

curiosity wrote: Sun Jun 23, 2019 10:37 am
How dumb can Khmer people be? If you have already set the price, you cannot suddenly change it!
Has the "late cheat" (first being asked an ok price, then suddenly more) ever happened to you? How did you deal with it?
I've certainly heard this type of story before. Replacement worker suddenly wants to charge more than the normal worker.

I can't say this makes the guys "dumb." They're trying to charge white people the maximum amount and have concluded that asking every white person for $3 is more profitable than asking every white person for $1.75, even though the occasional whitey may walk away.
Nixon
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by Nixon »

curiosity wrote: Sun Jun 23, 2019 11:04 am how do you play the haggling game correctly?
The best is if you don’t need to buy it.

I was in desperate need for size 46 shoes when I first arrived. Not that easy to haggle as next to no one is selling larger sizes than 44. After getting pissed off at a woman trying to sell these crappy plastic size 46 shoes for $30 I had to go to a real shoe store. Sure, paid more but at least I got a decent product.

Note, I have worked as an agent for shoes and clothing brands so I know what a product should cost.

With other things, use your common sense and walk away. There is always someone who needs to sell it more than the first guy.
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A10
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by A10 »

I find that now I'm suspecting mood has a lot to do with how you're treated at a stall (meaning the mood I am in). Since my return to Cambodia I've noticed I get overcharged a lot less, and the only thing I can think of this time around is that I'm happy to be back, whereas before I was kind of stuck here because of personal circumstances. Since my return, I've had a parking lot attendant pickup a $10 bill I dropped and returned it to me (no one but him saw it, not even the seller), I've had sellers give me extra stuff on top of what I bought (more than the usual green onions and red peppers), and even had people refuse extra "tips".

Not sure if the two are connected, but I can't imagine it hurting anything.
curiosity
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Re: how to deal with the cheating

Post by curiosity »

not sure whether my mood has to do anything with it. I have made very different experiences. Some sellers are very kind and give you extra stuff, especially when you return every week. The Khmer folks like my regular driver or the place I usually do my grocery shopping have never tried to cheat me. In fact, if I select a vegetable that does not look perfect, the shop lady will replace it with a better looking one. My "regulars" are not the problem. But when it is not somebody that does not know me, boy the cheating game will be on.
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