Expert Info
on 5 Feb 2014
I live in a furnished apartment in Chiang Mai, Thailand (not the luxury type). Two days ago, I was sitting in front of my laptop on a provided chair (5 steel legs with wheels) while talking to a friend on Skype (PC call). One of the 5 steel legs suddenly bended, the chair fell backward and the backside of my head hit the floor. Next day I talked to the apartment office to replace the damaged chair with a wooden 4-leg steady chair. But they want me to pay for the damaged 5-leg chair. The way I see it:
a. The damaged chair is an old chair. Since the apartment complex is 8 to 9 years old. Who knows how many residents have used (even abused) this chair before. Why should I pay the offce the price of a new chair?
b. There is no way a new resident being an expert on metal fatigue and having the necessary equipment to X-ray examine whether the chair leg has reached the yielding point while checking in, and demanding a new chair (dream on -- the office will never give a new chair)
c. After inspection, it reveals that the chair legs are made of "thin" steel, not to the standard of Europe or USA. And that is most likely why one of the chair leg yielded while I was just sitting on the chair talking to my friend over Skype.
d. Since the office claims that I damaged their property, shouldn't it also reasonable that they are responsible for my head injury if there is any (I have not done any CAT scan in a hospttal so far to verify if there is any permanent injury to my head which could appear several weeks later) since the "dangerous" chair is provided by them?
I understand that this is Thailand, and many Western standard rules do not apply here. Could anyone please give an advise what I could do at this point?
a. The damaged chair is an old chair. Since the apartment complex is 8 to 9 years old. Who knows how many residents have used (even abused) this chair before. Why should I pay the offce the price of a new chair?
b. There is no way a new resident being an expert on metal fatigue and having the necessary equipment to X-ray examine whether the chair leg has reached the yielding point while checking in, and demanding a new chair (dream on -- the office will never give a new chair)
c. After inspection, it reveals that the chair legs are made of "thin" steel, not to the standard of Europe or USA. And that is most likely why one of the chair leg yielded while I was just sitting on the chair talking to my friend over Skype.
d. Since the office claims that I damaged their property, shouldn't it also reasonable that they are responsible for my head injury if there is any (I have not done any CAT scan in a hospttal so far to verify if there is any permanent injury to my head which could appear several weeks later) since the "dangerous" chair is provided by them?
I understand that this is Thailand, and many Western standard rules do not apply here. Could anyone please give an advise what I could do at this point?
Expat Health Insurance
Cigna Global Health Insurance.
Moving your family abroad can be intimidating, but learning about medical options such as family health insurance early on can help you settle successfully.
- Comprehensive Family coverage, wherever you go
- Paediatric coverage for well-child visits & immunizations
- Access to dental and orthodontic care
- 24/7 multilingual Customer Service
Moving Internationally?
International Movers. Get Quotes. Compare Prices.
Sirelo has a network of more than 500 international removal companies that can move your furniture and possessions to your new home. By filling in a form, you’ll get up to 5 quotes from recommended movers. This service is free of charge and will help you select an international moving company that suits your needs and budget.
Get your free no-obligation quotes from select removal companies now!
I put this to Thailand Expat, a group on Facebook and got the following response from the group's admin:
"I am pretty sure you will be responsible for it, unless it was the Landlords fault or an employee of the Landlord. Just pay for a new chair. You may end up needing more than a CAT scan if you start arguing over it. However make sure they provide you with a receipt of how much the chair actually costs. I doubt they can produce that"
What this suggests to me at least, assuming they can't produce a receipt, is that you'll just need to get a chair that looks similair. I realise this must be upsetting and unpleasant for you (to put it mildly) but it will be less painful in the long run to get it over and done with.
Otherwise, have a look at our Accommodation in Thailand page - some landlords aren't worth putting up with (and only you will know that).
Good luck!
Xavier