Pattaya to Cambodia Scams: Maneerat Transport & Travel (on Soi Post Office, Pattaya)

[hunghung]

In March 2008, I visited Pattaya and I took a 7 days/6 nights Cambodia package tour (by road) for 31,000 Baht with Maneerat on Soi Post Office in Pattaya. The tour was supposed to go from Pattaya to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Koh Kong, and then return to Pattaya. The price was supposed to include tour guides and all meals in Cambodia (copy of the tour program available). Unfortunately, the tour wasn't what was presented to me. Here are the major mishaps:

1. Siem Reap (2 nights): Before I paid for the tour, Maneerat showed me the brochure of the hotel which I was supposed to stay in Siem Reap. It is an almost brand new hotel called Monoreach Angkor Hotel (I have the brochure). However, when I arrived in Siem Reap (on March 7), the Siem Reap travel agent sent me to stay in Neak Pean Hotel, which is a very old hotel (although the front was renovated to look new).

2. Phnom Penh (2 nights): When I arrived in Phnom Penh by boat (on March 9), the driver hired by the above Siem Reap agent drove me to the hotel booked. However, the hotel didn’t have the booking record. Since the hotel was full, the driver and I had to look for hotel accommodation, wasting the very limited time I had in the city. In addition to the hotel mishap, it turned out that the driver was just a driver, not a tour guide. He just dropped me at attractions without any explanation of the attractions (a tour guide would walk with me and provide a fair amount of explanation).

3. Sihanoukville (2 nights): This was the most awful part. In Phnom Penh, I asked the driver about arrangements in Sihanoukville and Koh Kong. He said he and the above Siem Reap agent were only responsible for the Siem Reap/Phnom Penh part of the tour and he knew nothing about the rest of the tour, except providing me a public bus ticket to Sihanoukville. I was frustrated. I called and emailed Maneerat to find out arrangements for the rest of the tour. According to the tour program, I was supposed to spend 1 night in Sihnaoukville and 1 night in Koh Kong, with a guided tour in both places. To my great dissatisfaction, Maneerat informed me through emails (I still have the emails) that I would NOT visit Koh Kong and I would spend the last 2 nights of the tour at Holiday Palace Resort in Sihanoukville. Furthermore, there would be NO tour guide, NO transport to the hotel, and NO meals (except breakfast provided by the hotel) while I was in Sihanoukville. When I arrived in Sihanoukville, I was on my own! Thus, the package tour was not a package tour at all, not worthy of 31,000 Baht!!! (For your information, hotel accommodation in Cambodia is around 750 Baht/night. If there is no tour guide for all or a good part of the tour, anyone who pays 31,000 Baht for a 7 days/6 nights tour is being cheated.)

4. Return to Pattaya: This part is unbelievable. When I was in Sihanoukville, I emailed Maneerat about transport arrangement back to Pattaya. Maneerat assured me 3 times (in 3 emails; I still have the emails) that an agent would pick me up at the hotel lobby at noon on March 13 and take me back to Pattaya. On that date, I waited, but no one came to pick me up and there were no messages for me. So I was stranded in Sihanoukville for one night (fortunately, I was able to find my way back to Pattaya myself). Thus, Maneerat failed to complete my tour. A few days later on March 18, I emailed Maneerat about this transport mishap, but I heard nothing from Maneerat, let alone an apology.

This horrible Cambodia tour more or less ruined my holidays. Maneerat clearly has failed to deliver its promised services and the tour was just a ripoff (only the one-day visit to Angkor Wat qualified as a guided tour).

Additionally, a Maneerat staff overcharged me for Cambodia visa cost (almost double the legimate US$20) when I was at the Poi Pet border. There was also a currency exchange scam on the Cambodia side, but I won't discuss here unless someone is interested to know.

So beware of Maneerat Transport & Travel when you are in Pattaya.

[nelsonone]

not really a ringing endorsement.....but can't understand why you used an agent....you can do all of this independently

[Nicke]

Sorry for the misheaps; doesnt sound like a professional travel agent to me.

Lots of asians coming to Phuket on package tours too, I guess they are used to that kind of travel instead of planning/taking care of things themselves.

[dizbuster]

Originally Posted by nelsonone

...but can't understand why you used an agent....you can do all of this independently

For seasoned travellers like us, it's more of a challenge to to do it ourselves, whereas others without knowledge and experience from travelling are less confident and much more likely to pay money for someone to make all the arrangements. After all, that's what a Travel Agent does isn't it ?

This comes as no surprise as I have been on a few trips where things were not as they were sold to me, which is the main reason why I do it all myself now, but in the beginning I too was lured by the trips offered by travel agents, mostly because of convenience but also because of the assumption that I was paying for them to look after all the fine details. All I had to do was turn up and enjoy the trip.

[bagwan]

I'd say this thread is in the wrong section but good info none the less.

I once ventured over to siem reap for a couple of days to see some of the culture. I opted to arrange everything myself with the help of advice from the forum and everything went pretty smoothly and didn't cost me much at all. I did get wacked a couple of times with scams - they start at the poi pet border before you even set foot in cambo, even the police will try to scam you with the visa, then you have the mafia to deal with when you try and get a taxi. I got covered in crap at the border too, that is one dirty crossing. All part of the learning experience though. I can understand why a tour may seem like a quick and problem free way to get a trip arranged but they'll always provide less than you expected IME.

[ma_kore]

Sorry about the experience but prop's for posting it up here so that it might help others steer clear from the scammers.

All in all I like fixing stuff up myself and until now havent had much trouble !

[hunghung]

Hi ma kore,

What do you mean by "fixing stuff up myself "? Do you mean organizing your own trip?

[ma_kore]

Yes, going and shopping around for different deals... taking a chance. Getting on a train or bus. Its an adventure !

[Lightemup]

What you mean, being taken around the world holding hands with a guide isnt an adventure?....Jeezz...

[Matt Knickerbox]

$1000USD for 7 days in a third world country like Cambodia should've been 5 stars all the way.

From what I gather from Thais is that they really enjoy charging Chinese even more money than us. I have an American born friend that has Chinese ancestry and he has to convince massage places for 15 minutes everytime that he is American and not from Asia. So there for he should not have to pay double the price.

[nelsonone]

my condolances to the OP...but look at it on the bright side....at least you have two dicks!!!...555