Dirty Money??? WTF!!

[Jumpy]

So I went to change money today at TT money exchange at soi 14 phatthayasaisong with my photo copy of my passport. I handed my stuff over the guy starts to count my money and then hands one of the notes back to me saying that it was dirty. It had black ink on it but it was a legitimate note. I said it is still legitimate currency you can scan it with a uv light to see whether it was fake or not. He didn't look like he knew what I was talking about, I got into an arguement with him and then he just handed all my money back and told me to go away. So off I go down the road to the next TT booth, I hand my money over, the guy goes one step further and starts to sticky taping some of my money because there was little tear's in the notes, and then hands back to me the same note saying it was to dirty. I argue with him for another 5 mins after he hands me an eraser to clean it up. Eventually he accepts it.

Now I've been coming to Thailand for a good 20 years and this has never happened to me, Pattaya has changed so much and an accumulation of other incidents during this trip it's sad to say, that this could be the last one. e.g. my regular hotel I stay at, I had to move rooms three times. This was the second time this has happened to me at this hotel. 

The only good thing about this trip was Nui's massages, she has been mentioned on here before. Nui is amazing such a beautiful person inside and out.

[Gone-east]

I realised during my early visits to Pattaya that marked or torn bank notes are likely to be rejected. Old and ruffled ones seem fine, but tears and extra ink don’t cut the mustard. Up to them.

[PBear66]

The kiosks on soi 3 or 5 sukhumuvit  Bangkok will take bank notes that aren't perfect.

Always amazes me people queue in Vasu when you can nip down the road a bit and get as good a deal without the hanging about. 

[forcebwithu]

Pretty standard for banks and exchange booths to reject torn or marked notes. For that reason seasoned travelers make sure to bring with them crisp, clean notes to avoid the possibility of hassles when exchanging.

[keepitfun]

Yep, personal experience ...torn notes are a no.  Same for ones with writing on them.

[Mr Wombat]

I have been caught with the same problem. I had a A$100 note that someone had written on. No one would accept it.

Before I come to thailand now I check every note

[Macawber]

Sometimes the staff at these exchange counters can be overzealous and you were unlucky that it happened twice. The pic of your note seems to suggest that it looks okay but ..... up to them. 

My suggestion to others it that you should consider bringing clean undamaged high denomination notes to safe guard against problems. Having said that there are no guarantees in LOS 555 ... and that can be bloody annoying 5555

[Pattaya_Brian]

3 hours ago, Jumpy said:

...I got into an arguement with him and then he just handed all my money back and told me to go away. 

I'm stunned.

[Autoroam]

I make sure every note I withdraw from home country I do it at the counter....I tell the teller every note must be pristine and check them there...I exchange any notes with even the slightest grime or defacing....thais are ting tong that way.....I think if you went to the Hilton they might change it...but you might lose 20-30 bht on the rate

[deano4598]

Ever since I started coming to Pattaya I have read advice on here, and that advice goes back years as well, of avoiding bringing marked or torn notes as they get rejected. 

On the subject of arguing with the money changer...... waste of breath mate, the result was as predictable as the sun rising in the morning.

So OP, nothing new here on the currency subject, re your hotel making you change rooms, did that give you a reduced rate for the trouble? a free night? I would have expected something?

[Stalker2565]

On 9/3/2018 at 11:59, Jumpy said:

my regular hotel I stay at, I had to move rooms three times. This was the second time this has happened to me at this hotel. 

Actually I have more interest to hear about this issue. Why they ask you to change room?

 

For your "dirty note' issue, You go two TT and they give you mostly same comments on the note, obviously it is just some new order or policy from TT office (maybe like "not accept 'dirty' note anymore" for some reason we don't know) , Just take it easy.

[storytime]

In Russia a twenty US dollar bill was given back to me, so I gave it as a tip to a lucky girl in a strip club.

[Crushed]

A few weeks back I had three notes rejected from the Superrich near the BKK ARL line but 12 Victory in Central Festival took two of them.  The one that was rejected was torn.

[hatguy]

That's bull crap. These ppl have no qualms in handing you notes like that of their own. I actually reject them and say that's no good. Please change it. Not joking

[Dazza118]

It's pretty common in foreign exchanges all over the world.

[philbadger]

Sorry you had a bad trip and thanks for the heads up.  I'm definitely going with Schwab card ATM vs. money exchange to avoid this type of hassle. 

[Badger77]

Just last week I got lucky enough to remember this might happen.

Went to my local bank back home and made sure I had only the new style, new condition 100 dollar bills.

Saves the headache later.

[Wolf Cat]

Never get in an argument over something so trivial, if my money was rejected for being dirty, I'd take it back to the room and clean it up, problem solved.

[Draze]

Myself and my mate had our GBP notes rejected in Koh Samui because they had either been written on or a slight tear on the edges. 

[CdnSilverFox]

I had that happen on my maiden trip. Ended up back at the hotel literally washing my bills in the bathroom sink. Good thing we in Canada changed to polymer notes.


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[Harry Brown]

On 05/09/2018 at 11:44, Stalker2565 said:

Actually I have more interest to hear about this issue. Why they ask you to change room?

 

For your "dirty note' issue, You go two TT and they give you mostly same comments on the note, obviously it is just some new order or policy from TT office (maybe like "not accept 'dirty' note anymore" for some reason we don't know) , Just take it easy.

This can happen sometimes if you have not booked and you are a walking, the hotel could be reasonably full, and if a certain room is requested you may have to move to another one?  Has happened to me once. But it was no real  bother to me.

[flyingscotsman]

Happened to me just 2 weeks ago in Pattaya. 

Went to exchange booth on 2nd road and out of all the notes I had the guy rejected a £20 as it had the number 100 written on the side of it (someone must have been counting bundles of 20's and marked each pile into 100)

I made sure when I got a pile of £50 notes for my trip in January that all of them were clean and crisp. The guy in my bank gave me a funny look when I told him why.

1st time I had a bank in Pattaya a few years ago refuse about £100 of Scottish notes as the girl said it wasn't real money. The bank manager was close by and explained to her it was real money but he couldn't take it as they get charged for taking Scottish notes instead of English.............pisses me off when it's actually the same currency.

[Luv2Phuket]

Just now, flyingscotsman said:

Went to exchange booth on 2nd road and out of all the notes I had the guy rejected a £20 as it had the number 100 written on the side of it (someone must have been counting bundles of 20's and marked each pile into 100)
 

I had some £20 notes with me after a stop in London on my last trip, and one of them got rejected for the same reason -- a small mark that I hadn't noticed.

I just went to another bank, and they exchanged it without issue.

[flyingscotsman]

Just now, Luv2Phuket said:

I had some £20 notes with me after a stop in London on my last trip, and one of them got rejected for the same reason -- a small mark that I hadn't noticed.

I just went to another bank, and they exchanged it without issue.

Wasn't a big deal for me as it was only 1 x £20 note out of around £1,000 so I just kept it for my taxi when I got home. If it had been a larger sum I would have tried other booths to get it sorted.

[thairak]

2 hours ago, flyingscotsman said:

Happened to me just 2 weeks ago in Pattaya. 

Went to exchange booth on 2nd road and out of all the notes I had the guy rejected a £20 as it had the number 100 written on the side of it (someone must have been counting bundles of 20's and marked each pile into 100)

I made sure when I got a pile of £50 notes for my trip in January that all of them were clean and crisp. The guy in my bank gave me a funny look when I told him why.

1st time I had a bank in Pattaya a few years ago refuse about £100 of Scottish notes as the girl said it wasn't real money. The bank manager was close by and explained to her it was real money but he couldn't take it as they get charged for taking Scottish notes instead of English.............pisses me off when it's actually the same currency.

thats true in many countries of the world , I have had Scot notes refused in Isreal, Egypt , Seychelles , many places , I haven't carried them for years .