Deposit in Thailand

Deposit

Deposit in Thai English is mad jum

A partial or initial payment of a cost or debt.

Deposit in Thailand have the same meaning in English as in Thai language that you should pay something to lock your item at a certain price and make sure you get the item or service.

In Thailand that is normally the case when you deal with let’s say a shop in a department store but other than that the rules wary in Thailand.

If you for example leave a deposit when you book a hotel in Thailand the room might not be there when you arrive, they will simple reject you claim and give back the deposit. This can happen in many hotels under four stars. The biggest hotels with five stars do not make money this way and would not lose their reputation for small money. The most common problem is when you book online on a cheap website that have a contract with the hotel. The hotel do not want to honor the deposit and booking since they got walk in customers paying more money than the cheap contract and you get in the middle.

When you buy a car you might see the car sold to someone else that was more important then you and you have to wait longer or simple get the deposit back. Be on the alert when you book a car at the motor show in Thailand for a new model, the deposit you pay for that car is only to be in the queue and will not be taken of the price. The more money you pay the higher on the queue you will get but there is always people with more money in Thailand and that have more friends.

In other cases when you deal with market or tourist people Thai and foreigners alike are the subject to the sellers will. A deposit means that you are forced to stay with the person selling but they can take up the price as they fit or give you another item. If you do not want to buy the item at hand they might give you the deposit back or they will say you paid deposit already and blame weather or wind for the high price.

A warning for scams in Thailand is when you can hear them say “up to you” when you ask how much you want to leave in deposit. That normally means that you do not really need to give one but if you stupid enough to do so any amount will do. You have nothing to gain in this situation but they can lock you up as a customer before you find something cheaper.

Advice on dealing with deposit

In general you can say that you should avoid giving away deposits before looking around elsewhere and if there is many buyers that sell the same thing. In markets they just show case a few items but have plenty of the same item in a house nearby.

Deposits for hotels and tours when in Thailand are normally never necessary since there is so many of them. If you not in Thailand try to book directly with the hotel and avoid middle agents. If you want a specific room make sure that is in your terms when you deposit.

Make sure you have a backup plan even if you left a deposit with a company or hotel. You might end up without hotel room or forced to take a room you did not want. It is very complicated to fight a deposit claim in Thailand and most Thais will just think you crazy doing it even the police force will just ask you to take the money back and be on your merry way.

A bar fine for a bar girl in Thailand is not a deposit of any kind it is a fee for you take the girl out on a date and no guarantee she will be willing to do anything.

A document that says 10 % in deposit and have proper terms on it for both sides is more secure and almost never cause any problem since the company is used to handle deposits.