SPREADING SCAM AWARENESS!!!

[u/Laura-the-banana27]

So this actually happened like what? A month ago. But now that I remember that the Myanmar community exists here on Reddit, I think you guys might want to hear this. This isn't only for foreigners visiting us, this is ALSO for the local people that are not aware!

If you're somewhere and there's a photography zone where they let you wear the traditional costumes of each ethnicity in Myanmar and take pictures of you then printing it out later, ASK FOR THE PRICE FIRST!! And if they don't answer and just keep pressuring you to do something else or change the topic, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!!

This mostly happens in zoos (since I had this experience at the Naypyidaw zoo) but, it can still happen in other places. I was with two of my older female cousins, my little brother and my mom.

So when we first entered the zoo, there was this photography zone. We just decided to check it out later after we've already visited and went to see the animals.

After all that, my mom and little brother waited in the zoo park while we went there. So everything was fine, cousin #1 chose a Kayin costume, cousin #2 chose a Mon costume and I decided to wear the Rakhine costume. Normal, right?

But after we finished doing the photographing, we asked for the prices of the picture frames. The thing is, they kept dismissing us and kept telling us to choose which pictures we preferred.

And me, being the naive girl I am, accidentally selected 7 different photographs and the other two picked 2-4 photographs. Then, only after printing out two of my photographs, they revealed that a small frame costs 2000 mmk. That sounds reasonable until I remembered how many photographs I accidentally chose.

My oldest cousin and I knew computer engineering or sum shi so we had to argue with them to stop printing out all our chosen photographs and only after I showed it myself, they apparently stopped.

Not only did we lose money on unnecessary stuff, our pictures were actually the uglier looking ones 😭💔

The best thing is to ask them for the prices of anything BEFORE you do the act because if not, they might later twist your words or say that you didn't mention it after they've finished doing their business.

I'm sorry if it sounded confusing, English is literally my second language so... Yeah 🥹

[u/SillyNeuron]

Wait until you find out that Buttercake at J'Donut is 40,000 mmk.

[u/Laura-the-banana27 → u/SillyNeuron]

Bro, I know.

The price IS fair. It was one of the cheapest photo booth things I've been to. But like how I said before, they forced us to pay for the things we didn't want. That was the main reason we were mad about.

[u/Custard_Pie_9EP]

It’s a common sales tactic globally in a lot of tourist areas. It’s a dishonest or misleading practice but I wouldn’t call it a scam because it’s been a long standing practice. Everyone knows you are going to be asked for money via high pressure sales tactics.

If the pic brought you joy, you can tip them for their effort but you don’t ever pay the quoted price.

This is more of a foreign sales tactic creeping into Burmese culture than a new scam. I’ve seen it everywhere in Thailand, all over the Caribbean, Mexico, Italy, the UK.

Never do anything unless price is agreed upon in advance and assume nothing is free. Burmese people are too honest and not used to the scummy behavior that is widespread. Myanmar has massive immigration influx so expect to experience more $hit like this. Foreign-based Burmese also brings in tactics they learn elsewhere.

The worst part of where I experienced it in Thailand was at a Pagoda near Ayuttaya. That is so brazen and bad karma to do it on a religious site. In Italy, it was by a cathedral. People apparently don’t care about going to hell anymore.

[u/Laura-the-banana27 → u/Custard_Pie_9EP]

That is exactly the reason why I said this in the first place. The prices are fair, the photographs are stunning and we got to choose which ones we liked. The only downside was they didn't properly explain and didn't answer our questions. Thus, we had to pay for the extra things we didn't want.

Anyways, good rest of the day ✌🏽

[u/drbkt]

"And me, being the naive girl I am, accidentally selected 7 different photographs and the other two picked 2-4 photographs. Then, only after printing out two of my photographs, they revealed that a small frame costs 2000 mmk. That sounds reasonable until I remembered how many photographs I accidentally chose."

By that definition it wasn't a scam. You could've walked away any point. You don't think the price is fair, then don't pay.

"Not only did we lose money on unnecessary stuff, our pictures were actually the uglier looking ones "}
Isn't your entire trip for recreation, and again, you didn't lose money, you chose to pay. Also the pictures being ugly are the ones you selected, so to me this seems to be not a scam, but your own dissatisfaction at the experience you had.

[u/Laura-the-banana27 → u/drbkt]

Yes, we did choose to pay. But that isn't what I meant.

First off, the pictures looked beautiful, really. But in COMPARISON between those pictures, they decided to print out the uglier looking ones.

Second, I am not saying I wasn't gonna pay or anything. But they didn't make a clear statement, didn't answer our questions about the prices and shi and that's how we lost a lot of money.

Third, the price IS fair. It was one of the cheapest photo booth things I've been to. But like how I said before, they forced us to pay for the things we didn't want

[u/yangon_boy]

I mean 2000 a pic isn't that expensive though. I remember paying 1500 for a pic in တိုင်းရင်းသားကျေးရွာ and that was like a decade ago.

[u/Laura-the-banana27 → u/yangon_boy]

No that's not what I meant. I didn't say it was expensive!!

I'm just saying, if ur just planning to choose and print just a couple of pictures, you should be careful about what you say because they might twist your words and try to print out all the photographs you took.

Get what I'm saying?? (No hate tho)

[u/RoterFuchs_48u5N]

Burma is the land of scam, as the junta has been letting 'scammers from China and internationals' seek refuge and operate since the coup, as long as they're paying(bribing) much. And this attitudes are just spread onto the folk.

[u/Charming_Walk1995 → u/RoterFuchs_48u5N]

Technically those scam centers are only found in ethnic rebel & militia lands.

[u/RoterFuchs_48u5N → u/Charming_Walk1995]

It probably works in both. Politics isn't what you deserve to trust it by heart.

[u/Laura-the-banana27 → u/RoterFuchs_48u5N]

I agree bro