If you live in Thailand or spend a large amount of time in Thailand, you will soon find that getting a problem fixed can be frustrating. Not understanding the language can be part of it but, also, the Thai way of dealing with things and especially dealing with problems can sometimes drive you crazy.
There are several ways to make sure your problems are easily dealt with. Just follow these easy tips, and you’ll soon find getting problems solved in Thailand is no more difficult than in your own country.
Never Lose Your Temper – Thais are notorious for being relaxed and always calm. If you lose your temper when dealing with a Thai, you are the one who ‘loses face’ and so will be on the losing end of the situation.
Keep your cool no matter what and you have a good chance of having less communication problems and always staying on the winning end of a bad situation.
Get A Translator If You’re Trying to Deal With Something Important – If you have a serious problem in Thailand that needs to be dealt with correctly, in most cases, it’s best to hire a translator to help you (but make sure you get one who speaks excellent English!).
Few Thais, especially outside Bangkok, speak good English so problems can occur from simple misunderstandings due to not understanding the vocabulary you are using. It’s well worth a few hundred baht to hire a translator and make sure you don’t incur any more problems.
Don’t Expect Efficiency – If you have to get something done urgently in Thailand, make sure you have plenty of time to get it done. Waiting until the last minute and then expecting your problem to be fixed quickly is guaranteed to cause you stress and make you crazy.
Be Complimentary – If you’re having problems getting something done, being complimentary to the Thai trying to help you can go miles towards getting your problem solved fast.
For instance, I’ve always had great luck with Thai immigration and Thai officials overall because I often tell them how much I love Thailand and what a great job Thai officials do. I do mean it, but I also make sure I say it.
With a little bit of sweet talk, it’s often amazing how your problem suddenly becomes ‘easy to solve’ and how it’s usually solved correctly, as well as how fast their English improves and communication problems disappear.
Buy A Small Gift – If I need something fixing quickly in my apartment or need some help at work with a problem, I always buy a small gift for the person who might be able to help me.
It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, in fact it can often be a 30 baht bar of chocolate or a Thai snack, but it’s always appreciated and will usually help get your problem solved faster.
After all, Thais are no different than any other nationality. They like to be appreciated and buying a small gift is a nice way to do that.
Thais like things to be calm, unhurried and polite. The main thing in Thailand is to remember to always be polite and you really will have very few problems.