Tension was high when I entered the building office in the morning. I had not found my neighbour Farang S, who was supposed to be back from a trip to the UK. Maybe he had stayed longer. So I went to the office alone. All eyes were on me. All eyes except those of the receptionist.
The receptionist had returned and sat behind her desk. She was crying. Another office lady stood next to the receptionist with a hand on her shoulder.
The receptionist had large red eyes. She wiped tears from her face. She looked like she had not slept for a while, and hardly eaten.
The other ladies in the office smiled at me. There are many Thai smiles. This was the “we are sorry” smile. It was also the guarded “are you angry at us?” smile.
The female manger came forward. She had the same apologetic smile as the others.
The situation was awkward. I had brought papers and prepared to defend my case about the missing rent money but the scene in the office made me think one of my neighbours had been there already and done that.
- If you want to see my rent receipts you have to give them to me first, I said.
- Yes yes, give to you today, said the manager.
The manager was not interested in talking or in looking at my papers. She gave the impression that the matter was settled. I received more apologetic smiles. The silence in the room was heavy. It felt like I was disturbing someone’s funeral. I left.
I hope this was the end of it.
Tags: apartment, Bangkok, gay Thailand
April 26th, 2007 at 4:25 am
Erm….
No conclusion? No explanation from them? No apology? No more rent demand?
I’m confused. Maybe you are too! Maybe they all are.
Hope you get the missing receipts as intimated.
Phew.
April 26th, 2007 at 4:46 am
No explanation? No apology? No more rent demand?
I don’t get it either. Is this how the Thai’s are?
April 26th, 2007 at 7:35 am
if it was me i’d start looking for some where else to live could’nt live with that set up
April 26th, 2007 at 8:52 am
No conclusion?
No.
No explanation from them?
No.
No apology?
No.
No more rent demand?
No.
The unspoken conclusion was that the receptionst stole the rent money. They suffered a big loss of face and would rather not talk to me about it but prefered to shoo me out of the office with “no problem”.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:58 am
I’m sure SF that you were relieved with a positive resolution to the situation and also not surprised that no explanation was given for “the problem.” Having done business in Thailand for a while, you come to expect that things are different here than in Farangland. The other real problem is that it is exceptionally difficult to seek remedies through the legal system here. You are right about the huge loss of face. And I’m sure the receptionist was out of work the minute you left.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:23 am
SHAME SHAME SHAME on the DIRTY RECEPTIONIST for her Deceitfulness..I hope they FIRE HER!! She Cannot be trusted..IF I were you I’d never HAND HER ANY $$$ EVER AGAIN..I’d demand to give it to the highest person in charge there PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This is Awful what she did!!!Thank Goodness your not going to lose your beautiful home!!!
April 26th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Yes, I was wondering myself why she was still there. Perhaps simply as punishment (to have her face broken by each person who came in). But they seemed to have skipped the finger-pointing part of the photo op.
Thai’s dont apologize, at least not in my experience. They prefer to make some sort of obviously ridiculous excuse that blames everything on someone, something, anything else.