u/Dramatic_Ad_616

MOD - As this is a relevant matter to Thai Tourism kindly approve this post.

TL;DR My family was shouted at over a misunderstanding about ticket pricing, and after returning from Railay Beach, staff at the Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Club refused to return our 10-month-old baby’s stroller until we apologised

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This review is specifically about the Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Club, which is the sole ticketing operator for longtail boat services to destinations such as Railay Beach.

My family and I had an experience that was so upsetting that I feel compelled to warn other visitors and urge the relevant authorities to investigate. We are a family of four: myself, my wife, our 10-month-old baby, and our 7-year-old daughter.

The incident involved three to four female staff members working at the ticket counter. When purchasing our tickets, we informed the staff that we had two adults and two children. We genuinely did not know that a 7-year-old is charged the adult fare. Instead of calmly explaining their ticketing policy, the staff immediately accused us of lying and shouted at us.
We tried to explain that there may have been a language barrier and that we simply misunderstood the pricing policy. Rather than helping to clarify the situation, the staff continued speaking to us in an aggressive and disrespectful manner.

Because we were travelling with a baby, we had a stroller. The staff allowed us to leave the stroller at their ticket office since it could not be taken onto the longtail boat. We trusted that it would be kept safely until we returned from Railay Beach.

When we returned, we discovered that the stroller had been locked inside the office. The staff refused to return it to us because of the earlier disagreement over the ticket pricing.

Despite knowing we had a 10-month-old baby who was crying and needed the stroller, they continued refusing to return it. They insisted that we apologise before they would hand it back. Feeling we had no other choice, we apologised simply so we could retrieve our baby’s stroller.

Withholding a baby’s stroller to force an apology is completely unacceptable. It is intimidating, unprofessional and an abuse of the position they hold as the sole ticketing operator for visitors travelling to and from Railay Beach. No family, especially one travelling with an infant, should ever be placed in such a vulnerable situation.

I do not have audio or video recordings of this incident. However, anyone looking through the Google Reviews for this business will notice that “Rude Staff” is one of the most frequently mentioned review topics, ranking third among the visible review categories. While my experience is only one account, it appears consistent with concerns raised by many other visitors.

I have travelled to Thailand many times and have always found Thai people to be warm, kind and welcoming. This experience does not reflect the hospitality that Thailand is known for.

I sincerely hope the relevant authorities investigate the conduct of the staff at the Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Club so that future visitors, especially families with young children, do not have to endure a similar experience.

AO NANG LONGTAIL BOAT SERVICE CLUB – SERIOUS COMPLAINT

This review is specifically about the Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Club, which is the sole ticketing operator for longtail boat services to destinations such as Railay Beach.

My family and I had an experience that was so upsetting that I feel compelled to warn other visitors and urge the relevant authorities to investigate.
We are a family of four: myself, my wife, our 10-month-old baby, and our 7-year-old daughter.

The incident involved three to four female staff members working at the ticket counter, all of whom were wearing hijabs. I include this description solely to help identify the individuals involved, as I do not know their names.
When purchasing our tickets, we informed the staff that we had two adults and two children. We genuinely did not know that a 7-year-old is charged the adult fare. Instead of calmly explaining their ticketing policy, the staff immediately accused us of lying and shouted at us.
We tried to explain that there may have been a language barrier and that we simply misunderstood the pricing policy. Rather than helping to clarify the situation, the staff continued speaking to us in an aggressive and disrespectful manner.

Because we were travelling with a baby, we had a stroller. The staff allowed us to leave the stroller at their ticket office since it could not be taken onto the longtail boat. We trusted that it would be kept safely until we returned from Railay Beach.

When we returned, we discovered that the stroller had been locked inside the office. The staff refused to return it to us because of the earlier disagreement over the ticket pricing.

Despite knowing we had a 10-month-old baby who was crying and needed the stroller, they continued refusing to return it. They insisted that we apologise before they would hand it back. Feeling we had no other choice, we apologised simply so we could retrieve our baby’s stroller.
Withholding a baby’s stroller to force an apology is completely unacceptable. It is intimidating, unprofessional and an abuse of the position they hold as the sole ticketing operator for visitors travelling to and from Railay Beach. No family, especially one travelling with an infant, should ever be placed in such a vulnerable situation.

I do not have audio or video recordings of this incident. However, anyone looking through the Google Reviews for this business will notice that “Rude Staff” is one of the most frequently mentioned review topics, ranking third among the visible review categories. While my experience is only one account, it appears consistent with concerns raised by many other visitors.

I have travelled to Thailand many times and have always found Thai people to be warm, kind and welcoming. This experience does not reflect the hospitality that Thailand is known for.

I sincerely hope the relevant authorities investigate the conduct of the staff at the Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Club so that future visitors, especially families with young children, do not have to endure a similar experience.