Thailand's new consumer
protection laws
Six months later, toothless
By Jon Fernquest Thailand's new consumer
protection laws
have been in place for six months (Read
article on new laws).
The new laws were supposed to make filing consumer cases easier. See flowchart below:
Consumer lawsuits against insurance companies and for telecommunications contract violations and medical malpractice are among the most frequent kinds of lawsuits (Read article on medical malpractice in Thailand).
Application of the new law has not been as easy as many had hoped.
In theory, the new law makes it easy for consumers to get redress for wrongs done to them.In practice, it is a lot more difficult:
The law allows them to file cases themselves by submitting either a verbal or written account at a court where they will get help from officials to draft a complaint.
No lawyer is required and there are no fees. The burden of proof of fault or negligence by business operators falls on the defendants while consumers only need to prove injuries or damages.
But in many cases consumers have been told in court to prove wrongdoing by the defendant and collect related evidence...
An example is those seeking damages from an insurance company had to prove the company transferred its assets to other bodies. They were also told to present a copy of the company's business registration. Such things are not easy for individuals to establish...
...In many provinces, courts simply rejected consumer cases. Some told consumers to get a lawyer, and some said they had no one handling this type of court procedure...There are not enough court officials to handle consumer cases. Only one official is tasked with consumer cases in each court...
...an increasing number of people had shown up at court trying to file consumer suits. But most failed to establish the facts required by law.
For example, they did not know whether their legal rights were violated or could not say what kind of damage they had suffered.
Consumers filing complaints often have to participate in a long series of time-consuming mediation conferences with protracted negotiations, perhaps used as a stalling tactic.The cost of gaining redress for damages may well become greater than the damage done.
American style class action lawsuits where many consumers join together, hire a lawyer, and jointly seek redress, might be more effective than individual consumers seeking redress themselves.
If consumers make their negative experiences public in blogs, online comments, or letters to the editor this could prevent consumers falling into the same trap. The negative publicity might also shame the company into changing its business practices. A letter published in the Sunday edition of the Bangkok Post is a good example:
Ask
any member of the "six-star" Paragon California WOW gym why the company
is finding it tough and I am sure you will get a punching bag full of
reasons.
Once the aggressive sales team has done with their spin, members are left to contend with a slew of miserable conditions including poor air-conditioning, turned-off drinking water outlets, cramped conditions from over-selling, broken equipment and more.
In the latest move to save costs, the company announced that, in an effort to do their bit against global warming, small towels used by members to keep the equipment dry and clean during training sessions would no longer be available. As a result, and with cleaning staff failing to keep the equipment clean, the gym and its change rooms are in serious danger of becoming a health hazard...
The reality is that the company sells a promise that it has no possibility of honouring. Lifetime memberships are sold for anything between 10,000 to 20,000 baht in the hope that the churn rate (members who no longer attend the gym for whatever reason) keeps the number of people using the gym at any one time manageable, whilst generating cash to keep the company profitable in the short term
(Source: Bangkok Post, Post Bag, 01-03-09, link)
Once the aggressive sales team has done with their spin, members are left to contend with a slew of miserable conditions including poor air-conditioning, turned-off drinking water outlets, cramped conditions from over-selling, broken equipment and more.
In the latest move to save costs, the company announced that, in an effort to do their bit against global warming, small towels used by members to keep the equipment dry and clean during training sessions would no longer be available. As a result, and with cleaning staff failing to keep the equipment clean, the gym and its change rooms are in serious danger of becoming a health hazard...
The reality is that the company sells a promise that it has no possibility of honouring. Lifetime memberships are sold for anything between 10,000 to 20,000 baht in the hope that the churn rate (members who no longer attend the gym for whatever reason) keeps the number of people using the gym at any one time manageable, whilst generating cash to keep the company profitable in the short term
(Source: Bangkok Post, Post Bag, 01-03-09, link)
(Source: Bangkok Post, general news, 2/03/09, Surasak Glahan, BUYER BEWARE: Consumers get their day in court, link)
consumer protection laws - laws
that try to protect consumers from being cheated by businesses
กฎหมายคุ้มครองผู้บริโภค
toothless - ineffective, have no power to get the job done (See glossary) ไม่มีผลบังคับใช้
file cases, file complaints - when a person who claims to have suffered damage starts a legal case against those who damaged him or her ยื่นฟ้องร้อง
a flowchart - a diagram that shows the sequence of actions in an activity or process ตาราง / แผนภูมิ
in place - existing, being used ที่มีใช้อยู่
lawsuits - a case in a court of law involving two sides (people or organizations) คดีความ
telecommunications - communication using a telephone network (includes mobile phones and broadband internet) ระบบโทรคมนาคม
medical malpractice - when a doctor injures a patient through a careless mistake, violation of medical standards (See Wikipedia) การปฏิบัติหน้าที่ด้วยความบกพร่อง
in theory - what should happen (if it works as planned) ทางทฤษฎี หมายถึงสิ่งที่ควรจะเกิดขึ้นแต่เป็นไปไม่ได้
in practice - what actually happens (with existing real world constraints) ในทางปฏิบัติ
redress, redress for a wrong - do something to improve the situation for a person who has suffered from ill-treatment การชดใช้ การชดเชย
gain redress for damages - have your situation improved after suffering damage from someone อาการดีขึ้น
jointly seek redress - when a group of people together seeks redress for a wrong done to them ร่วมกันฟ้องร้องค่าเสียหาย ค่าชดเชย
an account - a written or spoken report describing an event บันทึก
a verbal account - a spoken report describing an event ตามคำบอก
a complaint - a legal statement charging a person with a criminal offense that sets out the facts on which the claim is based (can also mean an informal expression of displeasure, such as poor service at a store) คำร้องเรียน
draft a complaint - write a complaint ร่างคำร้อง
prove - show that something is true by using evidence and argument มีหลักฐานพิสูจน์
proof - a fact, argument, or evidence that shows that something is true ข้อพิสูจน์
evidence - information used in a court of law to prove something หลักฐาน
a fact - some statement that is correct ข้อเท็จจริง
burden of proof on Y - in the legal case Y must provide proof to defend themselves เป็นหน้าที่ของ ....ที่จะต้องหาหลักฐานมาพิสูจน์
burden of proof falls on defendants - the defendants accused in the case have to provide evidence to defend themselves (else they are guilty) จำเลยในคดีต้องหาหลักฐานมาแสดงเพื่อยืนยันความบริสุทธิ์
fault - an error, a mistake, something done wrongly or incorrectly ความผิดพลาด
negligence - be careless and fail to do something you should do (fail to follow standards) ความบกพร่องในหน้าที่
business registration - the official government document giving legal permission to do business การจดทะเบียนบริษัท
tasked with - given a task or job to do ได้รับมอบหมายงานหรือหน้าที่
establish the facts - show that certain things happened and that the consumer was damaged แสดงข้อเท็จจริงที่เกิดขึ้น
failed to establish the facts - did not prove the facts ไม่สามารถพิสูจน์แย้งได้
time-consuming - uses a large amount of time ใช้เวลานาน กินระยะเวลายาวนาน
participate in - join in and become a part of an activity มีส่วนร่วมในกิจกรรม
mediation - trying to solve a disagreement by finding things that both sides can agree to (a compromise) การเจรจาไกล่เกลี่ย
mediation conferences - a meeting to help two sides solve their disagreement การพบกันเพื่อเจรจาไกล่เกลี่ย
negotiations - formal discussions between two groups to reach an agreementการต่อรอง
protracted negotiations - negotiations that go on for a long, long time ข้อโต้แย้งที่มีมานานแล้ว
tactic - methods chosen to achieve goals and results in a given situation กลเม็ด วิธีการในการแก้สถานการณ์
stalling - try to avoid doing anything until later เลี่ยง ผลัดผ่อน
stalling tactic - try to avoid doing anything, to drag the whole the whole affair out, so the other side will give up, you win ใช้วิธีการผลัดผ่อน
class action lawsuits - a lawsuit where a large group of people together seek redress for damages done to them (See Wikipedia) คดีมวลชน
letters to the editor - letters sent to a publication about issues of concern to its readers, that are then published in the publication for others to read, blog comments are the modern equivalent (See Wikipedia) จดหมายถึงบรรณาธิการ
a punching bag - 1. a bag that boxers punch while they are training, 2. anything that undergoes a lot of punishment and abuse (See Wikipedia) กระสอบทราย ถูกกล่าวหาด้วยขอหามากมาย
aggressive - forceful, determined, and eager to succeed (note: often negative meaning) (See glossary) กร้าวร้าว
spin - present information in a special way, usually to make the bad seem good (See glossary) แต่งคดี แต่งขอเท็จจริงให้ดูดี น่้าเชื่อถือ
contend with Y - deal with problem Y, overcome Y
a slew of - a very large number of จำนวนมาก
miserable conditions - bad conditions (that make a person unhappy even to think about) สภาพย่ำแย่
cramped - crowded, not a lot of room to move around in แน่นขนัด
honour a promise - do what you promised to do ทำตามคำสัญญา
a promise that it has no possibility of honouring - impossible for them to do what they promised ไม่มีทางทำตามคำสัญญา
churn - when customers stop using a particular make of goods or services or change to another เิลิกใช้สินค้า
churn rate - how fast people are stopping their use of a good or service การเลิกใช้สินค้าบริการขยายเป็นวงกว้างอย่างรวดเร็ว
toothless - ineffective, have no power to get the job done (See glossary) ไม่มีผลบังคับใช้
file cases, file complaints - when a person who claims to have suffered damage starts a legal case against those who damaged him or her ยื่นฟ้องร้อง
a flowchart - a diagram that shows the sequence of actions in an activity or process ตาราง / แผนภูมิ
in place - existing, being used ที่มีใช้อยู่
lawsuits - a case in a court of law involving two sides (people or organizations) คดีความ
telecommunications - communication using a telephone network (includes mobile phones and broadband internet) ระบบโทรคมนาคม
medical malpractice - when a doctor injures a patient through a careless mistake, violation of medical standards (See Wikipedia) การปฏิบัติหน้าที่ด้วยความบกพร่อง
in theory - what should happen (if it works as planned) ทางทฤษฎี หมายถึงสิ่งที่ควรจะเกิดขึ้นแต่เป็นไปไม่ได้
in practice - what actually happens (with existing real world constraints) ในทางปฏิบัติ
redress, redress for a wrong - do something to improve the situation for a person who has suffered from ill-treatment การชดใช้ การชดเชย
gain redress for damages - have your situation improved after suffering damage from someone อาการดีขึ้น
jointly seek redress - when a group of people together seeks redress for a wrong done to them ร่วมกันฟ้องร้องค่าเสียหาย ค่าชดเชย
an account - a written or spoken report describing an event บันทึก
a verbal account - a spoken report describing an event ตามคำบอก
a complaint - a legal statement charging a person with a criminal offense that sets out the facts on which the claim is based (can also mean an informal expression of displeasure, such as poor service at a store) คำร้องเรียน
draft a complaint - write a complaint ร่างคำร้อง
prove - show that something is true by using evidence and argument มีหลักฐานพิสูจน์
proof - a fact, argument, or evidence that shows that something is true ข้อพิสูจน์
evidence - information used in a court of law to prove something หลักฐาน
a fact - some statement that is correct ข้อเท็จจริง
burden of proof on Y - in the legal case Y must provide proof to defend themselves เป็นหน้าที่ของ ....ที่จะต้องหาหลักฐานมาพิสูจน์
burden of proof falls on defendants - the defendants accused in the case have to provide evidence to defend themselves (else they are guilty) จำเลยในคดีต้องหาหลักฐานมาแสดงเพื่อยืนยันความบริสุทธิ์
fault - an error, a mistake, something done wrongly or incorrectly ความผิดพลาด
negligence - be careless and fail to do something you should do (fail to follow standards) ความบกพร่องในหน้าที่
business registration - the official government document giving legal permission to do business การจดทะเบียนบริษัท
tasked with - given a task or job to do ได้รับมอบหมายงานหรือหน้าที่
establish the facts - show that certain things happened and that the consumer was damaged แสดงข้อเท็จจริงที่เกิดขึ้น
failed to establish the facts - did not prove the facts ไม่สามารถพิสูจน์แย้งได้
time-consuming - uses a large amount of time ใช้เวลานาน กินระยะเวลายาวนาน
participate in - join in and become a part of an activity มีส่วนร่วมในกิจกรรม
mediation - trying to solve a disagreement by finding things that both sides can agree to (a compromise) การเจรจาไกล่เกลี่ย
mediation conferences - a meeting to help two sides solve their disagreement การพบกันเพื่อเจรจาไกล่เกลี่ย
negotiations - formal discussions between two groups to reach an agreementการต่อรอง
protracted negotiations - negotiations that go on for a long, long time ข้อโต้แย้งที่มีมานานแล้ว
tactic - methods chosen to achieve goals and results in a given situation กลเม็ด วิธีการในการแก้สถานการณ์
stalling - try to avoid doing anything until later เลี่ยง ผลัดผ่อน
stalling tactic - try to avoid doing anything, to drag the whole the whole affair out, so the other side will give up, you win ใช้วิธีการผลัดผ่อน
class action lawsuits - a lawsuit where a large group of people together seek redress for damages done to them (See Wikipedia) คดีมวลชน
letters to the editor - letters sent to a publication about issues of concern to its readers, that are then published in the publication for others to read, blog comments are the modern equivalent (See Wikipedia) จดหมายถึงบรรณาธิการ
a punching bag - 1. a bag that boxers punch while they are training, 2. anything that undergoes a lot of punishment and abuse (See Wikipedia) กระสอบทราย ถูกกล่าวหาด้วยขอหามากมาย
aggressive - forceful, determined, and eager to succeed (note: often negative meaning) (See glossary) กร้าวร้าว
spin - present information in a special way, usually to make the bad seem good (See glossary) แต่งคดี แต่งขอเท็จจริงให้ดูดี น่้าเชื่อถือ
contend with Y - deal with problem Y, overcome Y
a slew of - a very large number of จำนวนมาก
miserable conditions - bad conditions (that make a person unhappy even to think about) สภาพย่ำแย่
cramped - crowded, not a lot of room to move around in แน่นขนัด
honour a promise - do what you promised to do ทำตามคำสัญญา
a promise that it has no possibility of honouring - impossible for them to do what they promised ไม่มีทางทำตามคำสัญญา
churn - when customers stop using a particular make of goods or services or change to another เิลิกใช้สินค้า
churn rate - how fast people are stopping their use of a good or service การเลิกใช้สินค้าบริการขยายเป็นวงกว้างอย่างรวดเร็ว
