Repairs and services in Thai

แอร์เสียครับ

ae sǐa khráp

The air conditioner is broken.

Male speaker

The sentence every expat sends their landlord in month one, usually in April. เสีย (sǐa) is the all-purpose "broken, out of order": swap in whatever died, รถเสีย (rót sǐa) the car, มือถือเสีย (meu-thěu sǐa) the phone, ปั๊มน้ำเสีย (bpám náam sǐa) the water pump. Subject plus เสีย plus ครับ is a complete, polite report: no verb "to be" needed.

ซ่อมได้ไหมครับ

sâwm dâi mǎi khráp

Can you fix it?

Male speaker

Put the broken thing on the counter, point, and ask. ซ่อม (sâwm) is to repair, and ได้ไหม (dâi mǎi) is the universal "can you, may I" tag you will bolt onto verbs for the rest of your life here. In fast speech ไหม comes out high, closer to mái, so do not be thrown when it does not sound like the textbook rising tone. The answers to listen for: ได้ครับ (dâi khráp) yes, can do, or ไม่ได้ครับ (mâi dâi khráp) no, cannot.

เสร็จเมื่อไหร่ครับ

sèt mêua-rài khráp

When will it be ready?

Male speaker

Always ask this before you leave the shop, or your phone screen repair drifts into next week. เสร็จ (sèt) means finished and เมื่อไหร่ (mêua-rài) means when. Note the word order: in Thai, question words like เมื่อไหร่ sit at the end of the sentence, not the front. Listen for the time words in the reply: เย็นนี้ (yen níi) this evening, พรุ่งนี้ (phrûng-níi) tomorrow, อาทิตย์หน้า (aa-thít nâa) next week.

เสร็จพรุ่งนี้ครับ

sèt phrûng-níi khráp

It will be ready tomorrow.

Male speaker

This is one you will HEAR: it is the standard answer to เสร็จเมื่อไหร่ครับ, and no future-tense word is needed in Thai. Other replies worth recognising: เดี๋ยวเสร็จ (dǐao sèt) done in a moment, so wait, and สองสามวัน (sǎwng sǎam wan) two or three days, so do not wait. If tomorrow matters to you, confirm by repeating it back: พรุ่งนี้นะครับ (phrûng-níi ná khráp), tomorrow, right?

พี่ครับ ขอรบกวนหน่อยครับ

phîi khráp, khǎw róp-guan nàwy khráp

Excuse me, may I trouble you a moment?

Male speaker

A repair shop is usually somebody under a car or behind a bench who has not looked up. Say phîi to anyone older than you, which is nearly always the right choice, and châang to the person who does the work. Walking up and stating your fault with no address term is the flattest possible entry.

ช่างอยู่ไหมครับ

châang yùu mǎi khráp

Is the technician in?

Male speaker

The person at the front is often not the one who does the work. Ask this before you explain anything, or you will describe the fault twice. châang covers mechanic, aircon man, electrician and plumber alike.

โทรศัพท์ผมเสียครับ

thoo-rá-sàp phǒm sǐia khráp

My phone is broken.

Male speaker

Name the thing first and hang phǒm on the back of it: thoo-rá-sàp phǒm is my phone. khǎwng can be added (thoo-rá-sàp khǎwng phǒm) but is usually dropped in speech. One verb, sǐia, covers a dead phone, a fridge that stopped, a bike that will not start. Swap in rót (car), dtûu-yen (fridge), khawm (computer) and the sentence still works.

โทรศัพท์ดิฉันเสียค่ะ

thoo-rá-sàp dì-chǎn sǐia khâ

My phone is broken.

Female speaker

dì-chǎn is the female counterpart of phǒm, but in a shop most women simply drop the pronoun and say thoo-rá-sàp sǐia khâ. The object is already in your hand, so nothing is lost.

แอร์ไม่เย็นเลยค่ะ

ae mâi yen loei khâ

The aircon is not cooling at all.

Female speaker

For anything that still runs but runs badly, describe the symptom instead of naming a fault. mâi ... loei means not at all, so mâi yen loei says there is no cooling whatever rather than that it is a bit weak. Urgency is a separate sentence: wan-níi dâi mǎi khá.

แอร์มีน้ำหยดค่ะ

ae mii nám yòt khâ

The aircon is dripping water.

Female speaker

The other half of every aircon call. A drip usually means a blocked drain line and is fixed during a wash, so pair it with the láang ae question below rather than treating it as a separate job.

ล้างแอร์ด้วยได้ไหมคะ กี่บาทต่อเครื่องคะ

láang ae dûay dâi mǎi khá, gìi bàat dtàw khrêuang khá

Can you wash the aircon too? How much per unit?

Female speaker

láang ae is the routine service every household here pays for once or twice a year, and weak cooling is often nothing worse than that. Aircon work is priced per unit, so dtàw khrêuang is the phrase that gets you a real number.

มีสองเครื่องค่ะ ห้องนอนกับห้องนั่งเล่น

mii sǎwng khrêuang khâ, hâwng-nawn gàp hâwng-nâng-lên

I have two units, the bedroom and the living room.

Female speaker

The first thing an aircon crew asks is how many units, because that sets the price and how long they stay. Give the count and the rooms in one breath and you usually get a package rate for both.

น้ำยาหมดหรือเปล่าคะ

nám-yaa mòt rěu bplàao khá

Has the refrigerant run out?

Female speaker

nám-yaa is the gas. When a unit runs but does not cool it is either a wash it needs or gas it has lost. rěu bplàao is the yes-or-no question form that does not push them towards either answer.

ต้องเติมน้ำยาไหมคะ เติมแล้วเท่าไหร่คะ

dtâwng dtoem nám-yaa mǎi khá, dtoem láew thâo-rài khá

Does it need a refrigerant top up? How much with that included?

Female speaker

Ask the price with the gas included, not the wash price and then the gas price. dtoem láew, once it is topped up, forces the total instead of a first figure that grows on the day.

มาดูที่บ้านได้ไหมคะ

maa duu thîi bâan dâi mǎi khá

Can you come and look at it at my place?

Female speaker

Nobody carries an aircon, a fridge or a water heater to a shop. For most household repairs this is the sentence that starts everything, and bâan works for a condo room as well as a house.

มาได้วันไหนคะ กี่โมงคะ

maa dâi wan nǎi khá, gìi moong khá

Which day can you come, and what time?

Female speaker

Ask both halves at once. A day on its own means someone arrives between morning and dark, and you lose the day waiting. wan nǎi and gìi moong together get an actual slot.

ค่าเดินทางคิดเพิ่มไหมคะ

khâa doen-thaang khít phôem mǎi khá

Is there an extra travel charge?

Female speaker

Say this before they set off, not when they are standing in your room. It is added on more often than not, and the amount depends on how far out you live. khâa in front of a word is the fee for that thing.

อยู่คอนโด ห้อง 512 ค่ะ เดี๋ยวแชร์โลเคชั่นทางไลน์นะคะ

yùu khawn-doo hâwng hâa nèung sǎwng khâ, dǐiao chae loo-khee-chân thaang lai ná khá

I am in the condo, room 512. I will share the location on LINE.

Female speaker

Nobody here gives a spoken address to a technician, they send a pin. Room numbers are read digit by digit: hâa nèung sǎwng, not five hundred and twelve. Send the pin while you are still on the phone.

เช่าอยู่ค่ะ ต้องถามเจ้าของห้องก่อนไหมคะ

châo yùu khâ, dtâwng thǎam jâo-khǎwng hâwng gàwn mǎi khá

I am renting. Do I need to ask the owner first?

Female speaker

Say it early. A broken water heater in a rented room is often not yours to authorise, and a repair you approve yourself is a repair you pay for. jâo-khǎwng hâwng is the owner of the unit, not the building.

ยางแตกครับ ปะยางได้ไหมครับ

yaang dtàek khráp, bpà yaang dâi mǎi khráp

I have a flat tyre. Can you patch it?

Male speaker

Roadside tyre stalls advertise bpà yaang on a hand-painted board. A patch is a hundred baht or so and takes minutes. If they say the tyre is finished, the next words are bplìian yaang mài, change to a new tyre, which is a different price.

เปลี่ยนน้ำมันเครื่องด้วยครับ

bplìian nám-man khrêuang dûay khráp

Change the engine oil as well.

Male speaker

nám-man khrêuang is engine oil, nám-man on its own is fuel, so keep the second word. dûay tacks it onto whatever they are already doing, which is how you get two jobs in one visit.

น้ำรั่วค่ะ ท่อตันด้วยค่ะ

nám rûa khâ, thâw dtan dûay khâ

There is a water leak, and the pipe is blocked as well.

Female speaker

The trade you want is a châang bprà-bpaa, a plumber. rûa is anything leaking, dtan is anything blocked, and the two words cover most bathroom and kitchen calls between them.

ไฟดับทั้งห้องเลยค่ะ

fai dàp tháng hâwng loei khâ

The power is out in the entire room.

Female speaker

tháng hâwng, the whole room, is what separates a tripped breaker from one dead socket, and it is the detail that decides whether they send a châang fai today. In a condo, tell the ní-dtì at the same time.

ลืมกุญแจไว้ในห้องค่ะ

leum gun-jae wái nai hâwng khâ

I left my keys inside the room.

Female speaker

Say it to the ní-dtì or the guard before you call a locksmith, since a condo usually holds a master key and will open it once you show ID. leum ... wái is leaving something behind by accident.

ด่วนมากค่ะ วันนี้ได้ไหมคะ

dùan mâak khâ, wan-níi dâi mǎi khá

It is very urgent. Can you do it today?

Female speaker

Describing a bad fault does not make anyone hurry. This does. dùan is the word on express post and hospital signs, and asking wan-níi dâi mǎi gives them a yes or no instead of a vague soon.

ซ่อมได้ไหมคะ

sâwm dâi mǎi khá

Can you fix it?

Female speaker

Four syllables, no pronoun, no object. Hand over the item and say this. The question particle for a woman here is khá with a high tone, not khâ with a falling one: questions take the high tone.

ค่าซ่อมประมาณเท่าไหร่ครับ

khâa sâwm bprà-maan thâo-rài khráp

Roughly how much is the repair?

Male speaker

Without bprà-maan many shops will not put a figure on anything. With it, small items like a phone screen or a pair of shoes usually get a range on the spot. For a car, a bike, an aircon or a washing machine expect to be told they must open it up first, and ask about the inspection fee before you agree to leave it.

ยังไม่หมดประกันใช่ไหมคะ

yang mâi mòt bprà-gan châi mǎi khá

It is still under warranty, isn't it?

Female speaker

This is how it is said across a counter. The bookish version, yang yùu nai bprà-gan mǎi khá, is understood but reads like a form. Ask before they start work, never after. bprà-gan is both warranty and vehicle insurance, and the insurance half has its own set of questions below.

ใช้ประกันได้ไหมครับ ผมมีประกันชั้นหนึ่งครับ

chái bprà-gan dâi mǎi khráp, phǒm mii bprà-gan chán nèung khráp

Can I use insurance? I have first class cover.

Male speaker

For anyone here with a car or a big bike this is the most expensive repair conversation of the year. Cover is graded chán nèung to chán sǎam, first to third class, and the class decides what is paid and where the work is done.

เคยมาซ่อมที่นี่แล้วค่ะ ประมาณเดือนที่แล้ว

khoei maa sâwm thîi-nîi láew khâ, bprà-maan deuan thîi láew

I have had something repaired here before, about a month ago.

Female speaker

khoei marks something you have done at least once. Being recognised is what gets you the real price and a slot today, so establish it in the first sentence rather than hoping they remember.

ครั้งที่แล้วพี่ซ่อมให้ค่ะ

khráng thîi láew phîi sâwm hâi khâ

You fixed it for me last time.

Female speaker

phîi used to their face is both you and a small compliment. hâi, did it for me, credits them with the favour. This is how a stranger becomes a regular in two visits rather than ten.

ฝากด้วยนะคะ

fàak dûay ná khá

I am leaving it in your hands.

Female speaker

Said as you hand the thing over, and the warmest sentence in the whole situation. It puts the item under their care rather than in their shop. Three words that change how the job is done.

ช่างไม่อยู่ครับ พรุ่งนี้มา

châang mâi yùu khráp, phrûng-níi maa

The technician is not in, he comes tomorrow.

Male speaker

What you get back at least as often as a yes. It is not a brush-off, it is a scheduling fact. Answer with gìi moong khá to pin the hour, or leave your number.

เจ้าของห้องจ่ายหรือผู้เช่าจ่ายคะ

jâo-khǎwng hâwng jàai rěu phûu-châo jàai khá

Does the owner pay or does the tenant pay?

Female speaker

Ask the technician, who has done this building before and knows the usual split, then confirm with the owner. Fixtures that came with the room are normally the owner's, anything you brought in is yours.

ขอใบเสร็จไปเบิกกับเจ้าของห้องค่ะ

khǎw bai-sèt bpai bòek gàp jâo-khǎwng hâwng khâ

I need a receipt so I can claim it back from the owner.

Female speaker

bòek is claiming money back from whoever owes it. Give the reason and small shops will write one out; ask with no reason and you often get a scrap of paper with a number on it, which the owner will not accept.

ต้องเปิดดูก่อนครับ ยังบอกราคาไม่ได้

dtâwng bpòet duu gàwn khráp, yang bàwk raa-khaa mâi dâi

I have to open it up first, I cannot give you a price yet.

Male speaker

The standard answer on anything mechanical. It is honest, not evasive, but it is also the point where you stop asking about the repair and start asking what looking costs.

ค่าตรวจเช็คคิดเงินไหมคะ

khâa dtrùat-chék khít ngoen mǎi khá

Is there a charge for the inspection?

Female speaker

There very often is, and it is payable whether or not you go ahead. khít ngoen, to charge money, is the verb for it. Asking now costs nothing and stops a few hundred baht appearing on a bill you thought was a quote.

ถ้าไม่ซ่อมต้องจ่ายไหมคะ

thâa mâi sâwm dtâwng jàai mǎi khá

If I do not go ahead with the repair, do I still have to pay?

Female speaker

The follow-up to the inspection fee, and the one that decides whether you can walk away after hearing the price. Ask it before you hand anything over, never after they have the item open on the bench.

ต้องมัดจำก่อนไหมคะ

dtâwng mát-jam gàwn mǎi khá

Do I have to leave a deposit first?

Female speaker

Normal once a part has to be ordered, and the usual answer is mát-jam khrêung nèung gàwn khráp, half up front. Get the amount written on the job slip, because a deposit with no paper is money you may not see again.

มีใบเสร็จไหมคะ

mii bai-sèt mǎi khá

Do you have the receipt?

Female speaker

What comes straight back at you after the warranty question. Answer mii khráp or mii khâ, or mâi mii khráp or mâi mii khâ. A photo of the receipt on your phone is normally accepted; the box alone is not. Losing the paper is not the end of it either, since electronics are often covered by a stamped warranty card or by the serial number in the shop's system.

ไม่มีใบเสร็จค่ะ มีแต่ใบรับประกันค่ะ

mâi mii bai-sèt khâ, mii dtàe bai ráp-bprà-gan khâ

I do not have the receipt, only the warranty card.

Female speaker

bai ráp-bprà-gan is the card stamped by the shop that sold it, and for most electronics it carries the warranty on its own. mii dtàe, have only, is the polite way to offer what you do have instead of admitting what you lost.

เช็คจากเบอร์เครื่องได้ไหมคะ

chék jàak boe khrêuang dâi mǎi khá

Can you check it from the serial number?

Female speaker

A service centre can very often look up the purchase date without any paper at all. boe khrêuang is the serial or machine number. One question here settles what a lost receipt seems to have ended.

ซื้อที่นี่แหละค่ะ ปีที่แล้วค่ะ

séu thîi-nîi làe khâ, bpii thîi láew khâ

I bought it right here, last year.

Female speaker

làe puts a light stress on thîi-nîi, right here, without sounding like an accusation. If they sold it, they can usually find you in the system, and a shop that sold you the thing is far more willing to look at it for nothing.

ประกันหมดแล้วครับ ต้องคิดเงินนะครับ

bprà-gan mòt láew khráp, dtâwng khít ngoen ná khráp

The warranty has run out, so there will be a charge.

Male speaker

The reply you get about half the time, and ná softens the bad half of it. Do not nod it through: this is the moment to ask khâa sâwm bprà-maan thâo-rài, roughly what the repair will cost.

ต้องแจ้งประกันก่อนไหมครับ

dtâwng jâeng bprà-gan gàwn mǎi khráp

Do I have to notify the insurer first?

Male speaker

The answer is yes, before any work starts. Work approved by you and not by the insurer is work you pay for. jâeng is the verb for reporting anything official, to the insurer, the police or the building office.

ที่นี่เป็นอู่ในเครือประกันไหมครับ

thîi-nîi bpen ùu nai khreua bprà-gan mǎi khráp

Is this garage in the insurer's network?

Male speaker

Worth learning the pair: ùu is a local garage, sǔun is the main dealer. Your policy decides which one you are entitled to, and taking an insured car to a garage outside the network usually means paying yourself and arguing later.

ขอใบเคลมด้วยครับ

khǎw bai khleem dûay khráp

I need the claim slip as well.

Male speaker

bai khleem is the paper that ties the damage to your policy, issued by the insurer's assessor, and no garage in the network starts without it. Photograph it before you hand it over.

ต้องสั่งอะไหล่ก่อนครับ

dtâwng sàng à-lài gàwn khráp

We have to order the part first.

Male speaker

One of the standard replies. It means there is no date yet, so do not walk out satisfied: ask for days next, then ask what kind of part they intend to fit. à-lài is the word for the part itself.

สั่งจากกรุงเทพ อาทิตย์นึงครับ

sàng jàak grung-thêep, aa-thít neung khráp

It is ordered from Bangkok, about a week.

Male speaker

The second thing you will hear, and outside Bangkok it explains most delays. neung is the spoken squeeze of nèung, one. A week here means a working week plus whatever the courier does.

ของแท้หรือของเทียบครับ ต่างกันเท่าไหร่ครับ

khǎwng tháe rěu khǎwng thîiap khráp, dtàang gan thâo-rài khráp

Genuine or aftermarket? What is the difference in price?

Male speaker

On a phone screen or a car part this choice can double the price or halve the life of the repair, and nobody will raise it unless you do. Ask the price gap and decide, rather than discovering afterwards which one you got.

มีของมือสองไหมครับ

mii khǎwng meu sǎwng mǎi khráp

Do you have a second-hand one?

Male speaker

meu sǎwng, second hand, is a normal and respectable option here for an older car or an out of production appliance, and it is often the difference between a repair and a replacement. Ask how long they guarantee it.

อะไหล่มาแล้วโทรบอกด้วยนะครับ

à-lài maa láew thoo bàwk dûay ná khráp

Call and tell me once the part has arrived.

Male speaker

Without this you wait blind and ring them every few days, which nobody enjoys. Put your number in their phone as you say it. Pair it with the LINE lines below, since that is where the message usually comes.

ต้องจ่ายค่าอะไหล่ก่อนไหมครับ

dtâwng jàai khâa à-lài gàwn mǎi khráp

Do I have to pay for the part up front?

Male speaker

Common once something has to be ordered in, and reasonable, since the shop cannot resell a part fitted to your machine alone. Pay it against a written slip that names the part.

กี่วันเสร็จคะ

gìi wan sèt khá

How many days until it is finished?

Female speaker

gìi forces a number out of them. If you ask naan mǎi, will it be long, you will get mâi naan, not long, and learn nothing. This is the counter version; chái wee-laa gìi wan is the written one and sounds like a manual. sèt mêua-rài khá, when will it be done, works just as well.

วันนี้เสร็จไหมคะ

wan-níi sèt mǎi khá

Will it be finished today?

Female speaker

For a screen, a zip, a tyre or a wash, ask by the day rather than counting hours. If the answer is no, follow with gìi wan sèt khá and get the number before you leave the item.

ประมาณสองพันบาทครับ

bprà-maan sǎwng phan bàat khráp

About two thousand baht.

Male speaker

Hear bprà-maan at the front and you have been given an estimate, not a price. The bill can move. This is the moment to use the next phrase.

ถ้าเกินสองพันโทรบอกก่อนนะคะ

thâa goen sǎwng phan thoo bàwk gàwn ná khá

If it goes over two thousand, call and tell me first.

Female speaker

The sentence that prevents the surprise bill, and worth memorising as a block. ná keeps it a request rather than a warning. Give them your number as you say it and they will almost always ring. A man says the same line ending ná khráp.

ขอไลน์หน่อยครับ เดี๋ยวส่งราคาให้

khǎw lai nàwy khráp, dǐiao sòng raa-khaa hâi

Can I have your LINE? I will send you the price.

Male speaker

Ask a Thai shop for a price and very often the answer is not a number, it is this. LINE is where the quote, the photo of the burnt part, the delay and the it is ready message all arrive. Complete the handover or you never hear back.

ขอไลน์ร้านหน่อยครับ

khǎw lai ráan nàwy khráp

Could I have the shop's LINE?

Male speaker

Ask for theirs as well as giving yours, so the chasing can go both ways. Most shops have a QR taped to the counter or on the wall behind it.

เสร็จแล้วไลน์บอกได้เลยนะครับ

sèt láew lai bàwk dâi loei ná khráp

When it is finished, just LINE me.

Male speaker

dâi loei means go right ahead, no need to hesitate. Saying this saves both sides a phone call in a language neither of you is comfortable in, and it gives you the message in writing.

เดี๋ยวส่งรูปให้ทางไลน์นะคะ

dǐiao sòng rûup hâi thaang lai ná khá

I will send you a photo on LINE.

Female speaker

How you report a fault without going in, and how you get a rough price for a leak or a cracked screen before travelling. A photo also settles arguments later about what the item looked like when you handed it over.

ทิ้งเบอร์ไว้ได้ไหมครับ

thíng boe wái dâi mǎi khráp

Can I leave my number with you?

Male speaker

For the shop with no LINE, or the roadside châang with a keypad phone. thíng ... wái is leaving something on purpose, the opposite of leum ... wái. Write it on the job slip yourself.

ซ่อมไม่ได้ครับ อะไหล่ไม่มีแล้ว

sâwm mâi dâi khráp, à-lài mâi mii láew

We cannot repair it, that part is not made any more.

Male speaker

Not a refusal, a dead end: the part no longer exists. Before you accept it, ask about meu sǎwng, a second-hand one, which is often the only thing standing between an old fridge and the tip.

ไม่คุ้มซ่อมครับ ซื้อใหม่ดีกว่า

mâi khúm sâwm khráp, séu mài dii gwàa

It is not worth repairing, better to buy a new one.

Male speaker

khúm is worth the money. This is usually honest advice rather than a sales line, but the shop saying it often sells the replacement, so ask the price of both before deciding.

งั้นขอเอากลับไปก่อนนะคะ

ngán khǎw ao glàp bpai gàwn ná khá

In that case I will take it back for now.

Female speaker

You have to ask, or the thing stays on their shelf. ngán, in that case, ties it to what they just said so it does not sound like you are storming out. gàwn, for now, leaves the door open to come back.

ถ้าซื้อใหม่ราคาประมาณเท่าไหร่คะ

thâa séu mài raa-khaa bprà-maan thâo-rài khá

If I buy a new one, roughly how much is it?

Female speaker

The question that follows mâi khúm sâwm. Ask it in the shop that just told you not to repair, then compare online before you agree. Some will take the dead unit off the price as a trade-in if you ask.

มารับได้กี่โมงคะ

maa ráp dâi gìi moong khá

What time can I come and collect it?

Female speaker

phrûng-níi only tells you the day. gìi moong gets a clock time so you do not make the trip twice. ráp is the verb for collecting a thing or a person.

รอสักครู่นะครับ ยี่สิบนาที

raw sàk-khrûu ná khráp, yîi-sìp naa-thii

Wait a moment please, twenty minutes.

Male speaker

The most common thing a shop asks of you. sàk-khrûu on its own is elastic, so listen for the number after it. Anything under half an hour, stay: the job is done in front of you and you can test it before paying.

ฝากไว้ก่อนนะครับ

fàak wái gàwn ná khráp

Leave it with us for now.

Male speaker

fàak is entrusting something to someone's care. If you hear it, the job is not happening today. Do not leave anything without asking for a bai ráp khǎwng, a job slip, and a day.

รอได้ค่ะ

raw dâi khâ

I can wait.

Female speaker

Two syllables that often move you to the front of the bench, because a job done now is a job finished. Waiting also means you see the repair happen and can test it on the spot.

วันนี้รอไม่ได้ค่ะ เดี๋ยวมาใหม่ค่ะ

wan-níi raw mâi dâi khâ, dǐiao maa mài khâ

I cannot wait today, I will come back.

Female speaker

maa mài, come again, keeps it friendly and tells them the item is still wanted. Put wan-níi in front so it is today that does not work, not them.

ขอใบรับของหน่อยค่ะ

khǎw bai ráp khǎwng nàwy khâ

Could I have a job slip please?

Female speaker

bai ráp khǎwng is the paper that proves they have your item, and it usually carries the quoted price and the promised date too. Small shops will not offer one. Ask, and take a photo of it.

มารับของครับ นี่ใบรับของครับ

maa ráp khǎwng khráp, nîi bai ráp khǎwng khráp

I have come to collect my item, here is my job slip.

Male speaker

Lead with the slip. It saves the search through the shelf and settles the price, because whatever is written on it is what you agreed. A photo of it on your phone is normally accepted.

ขอลองก่อนได้ไหมครับ

khǎw lawng gàwn dâi mǎi khráp

May I try it before I pay?

Male speaker

The phrase that prevents the second trip. Nobody is offended by it: turn it on, run the thing that was broken, then pay. Once you have walked out, the burden of proof moves to you.

จ่ายยังไงดีครับ โอนได้ไหมครับ

jàai yang-ngai dii khráp, oon dâi mǎi khráp

How should I pay? Can I transfer?

Male speaker

oon is a bank transfer and is how most bills of any size are settled here. yang-ngai dii, what would be best, lets them name their preferred method instead of you guessing.

สแกนจ่ายได้ไหมครับ

sà-gaen jàai dâi mǎi khráp

Can I scan to pay?

Male speaker

The PromptPay QR taped to the counter. Show them the confirmation on your screen, since that is what they will ask for. Even a roadside tyre stall usually has one.

ขอใบเสร็จด้วยนะครับ

khǎw bai-sèt dûay ná khráp

Please give me a receipt as well.

Male speaker

This is your receipt for the repair, not the shop asking for the old purchase receipt. You need it for the landlord, the insurer, or the next warranty claim if the same fault returns. Ask while you are paying, not after.

ขอบคุณมากนะคะ ไว้มาใหม่ค่ะ

khàwp-khun mâak ná khá, wái maa mài khâ

Thank you very much, I will come again.

Female speaker

Do not walk out in silence, which is what most foreigners do and what makes the next visit start from zero. wái maa mài, I will come back another time, is the standard closing and costs you nothing.

ถ้าเสียอีกกลับมาได้เลยนะครับ

thâa sǐia ìik glàp maa dâi loei ná khráp

If it breaks again, just come straight back.

Male speaker

The reply that tells you the relationship is made. It is an informal guarantee, worth more than the paper one in a small shop. Say khàwp-khun mâak khráp and mean it.

แจ้งนิติแล้วค่ะ ยังไม่มีใครมาเลยค่ะ

jâeng ní-dtì láew khâ, yang mâi mii khrai maa loei khâ

I already reported it to the building office and nobody has come at all.

Female speaker

ní-dtì is the condo juristic office, the people you actually chase for anything structural, water or common area. Reporting once is rarely enough. Say this at the counter in person rather than on the phone and put a date on it.

พูดช้า ๆ หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

phûut cháa-cháa nàwy dâi mǎi khráp

Could you speak a bit more slowly?

Male speaker

The mark after cháa repeats the word before it, and careful writing puts a space on each side of it. Doubling cháa softens it into slowly rather than slow. nàwy is what stops the whole thing sounding like an order. Expect them to slow down for one sentence, then speed up again.

ฟังไม่ทันค่ะ เขียนราคาให้หน่อยได้ไหมคะ

fang mâi than khâ, khǐian raa-khaa hâi nàwy dâi mǎi khá

I did not catch that. Could you write the price down for me?

Female speaker

fang mâi than means the words went past you, not that you know no Thai, so it keeps them speaking Thai instead of switching to English. Numbers are where money goes wrong: get them on paper. Note both particles here, khâ falling to close the statement, khá high to ask, and the space between the two sentences.

ตอนแรกบอกสองพันไม่ใช่เหรอคะ

dtawn-râek bàwk sǎwng phan mâi châi rǒe khá

You said two thousand at the start, didn't you?

Female speaker

For when the bill has grown. Keep it a question: mâi châi rǒe leaves them room to explain an extra part, which is what keeps them willing to adjust. Flat contradiction ends the conversation and you still pay. A man ends it rǒe khráp.

ซ่อมแล้วแต่ยังเสียเหมือนเดิมค่ะ

sâwm láew dtàe yang sǐia měuan doem khâ

It was repaired, but it is still broken exactly as before.

Female speaker

měuan doem, the same as before, is the part that matters: it blocks the reply that this must be a new fault. Bring the job slip. A shop that keeps its customers will look again at no charge.

นัดไว้วันนี้แต่ยังไม่เสร็จเหรอคะ

nát wái wan-níi dtàe yang mâi sèt rǒe khá

We agreed on today, but it is still not finished?

Female speaker

nát wái points at the agreement without pointing at a person, which is the whole trick. Say it with a light face, since rǒe delivered hard is the one thing here that can land badly. Do not leave without a new time.

ไม่เป็นไรค่ะ เข้าใจค่ะ แต่ช่วยรีบหน่อยนะคะ

mâi bpen rai khâ, khâo-jai khâ, dtàe chûay rîip nàwy ná khá

It is all right, I understand, but please hurry it along.

Female speaker

The sentence after the complaint decides whether you are still a customer. mâi bpen rai and khâo-jai hand back the face you just took, and chûay rîip nàwy keeps the pressure on without keeping the temperature up.

แล้วกี่โมงเสร็จคะ

láew gìi moong sèt khá

So what time will it be finished?

Female speaker

Say this immediately after any apology, with a smile. láew at the front means so, then, and moves the conversation from what went wrong to what happens next, which is the only useful place for it to go.