Shortly after I arrived in Thailand I set up an online business for my wife, something to keep her occupied and a way to make her own money, and giving her more financial independence. I wont go in to the details of what the business is because that is not important but I would guess you would face the same hurdles if dealing with Thai people that are not based in your local area.
For the last 5 years we have imported most products from other countries as it is impossible to get the majority products we wanted in Thailand. In some cases the products have to be made to order, in other cases the products come "off the shelf", in either case the levels of service have ranged from good to excellent but in recent months we have decided to buy some products that are useful to us as stock from more local suppliers, and in particular Bangkok. The levels of service could not be more shambolic from a westerners point of view and the whole process is both labourious and ludicrous.
- The typical scenario to date with two of the three Bangkok suppliers used involves the following.
- Place an order by email (both companies invite email orders)
- Phone them three days later to tell them there is an email order for them
- Wait another three or four days for an invoice (possibly after phoning them to ask where it is)
- The invoice normally has half the order not available.
- Pay within a few minutes of receiving the invoice through Internet banking (at least this is very good) - All payments must be in advanced - no accounts.
- Wait for the order to be delivered. This is normally after phoning them to find out if they have actually shipped it, and with what company because they do not provide this information as a matter of course. This particularly useless when they choose a transport company that expects you to collect your order from their depot.
- Delivery typically arrives or is collected five or six days after chasing up to see if it has been sent. (About two weeks after placing the initial order)
In England I would phone or email a supplier and get the order the following day - without fail! We are supplied by two companies in central Europe and receive orders within 10 days via courier services and customs clearance procedures. So why does it take these people so long? They cannot be any busier than any other supplier in the world - can they?
Every time we go through this process I fondly recall the service received in Pattaya and Bangkok when visiting. It was excellent in just about every aspect and it gave the impression that the Thai's were thoughtful, caring and efficient but go outside of the tourist traps and business dealings in Thailand are often very, very different with no apparent customer care and certainly no desire to serve their customers efficiently or quickly. Perhaps it then comes as no surprise that there are so many "supplier" shops in cities throughout the country where you can just walk in, shop, pay and leave as it would be very hard to run a business if dependent on such a poor service as highlighted above. I only wish the products we want could be bought this way, but alas they are not and more frustration is lurking around the corner as we compile the next order.