If something you paid for in Thailand goes wrong, start with the business itself, in writing. If that fails, the main public bodies are the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB, hotline 1166), the Tourism Authority of Thailand (1672) for travel services, the Department of Land Transport (1584) for taxis and the Tourist Police (1155). If you paid by card, your card issuer may be able to reverse the payment.
This page is about ordinary consumer disputes: a tour that was not what was sold, a hotel room that did not match the photos, goods that broke, a deposit that was not returned. It is not about fraud. Deliberate scams are a police matter, and our guide to common scams in Thailand explains how they work and why money handed over in cash rarely comes back.
The honest picture is that a visitor's best tools are the ones that work quickly and from abroad: a firm, polite written complaint, a card dispute and good records. The formal Thai routes exist and are free, but most of them work in Thai and take time.
Who to contact (checked October 2026)
- OCPB (consumer protection)
- Hotline 1166; online complaints via OCPB Connect (Thai only)
- TAT Contact Centre
- 1672: travel information and tourist complaints
- Department of Land Transport
- 1584: taxi and public-transport complaints (24 hours)
- Tourist Police
- 1155: disputes that need an officer, such as a held passport
- Airports of Thailand
- 1722: airport services
- Card payments
- Your own bank or card issuer, as soon as possible
Step one: complain to the business, in writing
Most disputes are settled at this stage, and every later route will ask what you did first. Speak to the manager rather than the front desk or the driver, stay calm and say clearly what you want: a refund, a partial refund, a replacement or a different room. Raising your voice rarely helps in Thailand and can make a manager less willing to help.
Then put it in writing, even if you also spoke in person. A short e-mail or a message through the booking platform or LINE (the messaging app most Thai businesses use) gives you a dated record. Include:
- what you bought, when and for how much, with the receipt or booking number;
- what was promised, with a screenshot of the advert, brochure or listing;
- what went wrong, with photos or video taken at the time;
- what you are asking for and a reasonable deadline for a reply.
If you booked through an online platform, use its own complaint process before you leave the property, while the problem can still be checked.
Photograph the problem before you check out or hand anything back. A broken air-conditioner, a dirty room or a damaged item is easy to deny once you have left. Pictures with the date on them, plus the advert that promised something else, are the evidence every complaint route asks for.
The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) and 1166
The OCPB is the government agency for consumer protection. It runs a complaint center and call center on 1166, and it takes complaints against businesses about goods and services.
Online, complaints go through OCPB Connect, a website and mobile app where you can file a complaint, follow its progress and take part in online mediation. Its chatbot covers areas such as airlines, mobile phones, credit cards, car hire-purchase, condominium sales and residential rentals. As of October 2026 the service is in Thai only, and we found no English complaint form. A Thai-speaking friend, colleague or your hotel can help you file.
OCPB is most useful for people who live in Thailand: a condo developer that will not fix defects, a phone contract that keeps charging, a landlord keeping a deposit. Our guide to renting a condo covers leases and deposits in detail. Other agencies also send complaints to OCPB; the energy department, for example, tells households to report a gas shop that will not give a cylinder deposit receipt to 1166, as our page on cooking gas at home explains.
We could not find a published deadline for OCPB complaints, so complain while you still have the evidence and, ideally, while you are still in the country.
Tours, hotels and travel services: TAT on 1672
The Tourism Authority of Thailand's contact center on 1672 handles travel information and complaints from tourists. It is the obvious first call for a problem with a tour, an attraction or a hotel when the business will not respond, and staff can tell you which agency deals with your case. TAT is a promotion agency, not a regulator, so think of 1672 as the place to get your complaint recorded and pointed in the right direction rather than a way to force a refund.
Prices that differ for Thais and foreigners are a separate matter. Two-tier pricing is common at national parks and many sights, as our page on dual pricing explains, so a posted foreigner price is usually not something an agency will treat as a complaint.
Taxis and transport: DLT 1584
The Department of Land Transport licenses taxis and public transport and takes complaints on 1584, a 24-hour line. Use it for a taxi that refused the meter, refused to take you or overcharged, or a motorbike taxi that charged above the posted fare. Note the taxi's registration number (the plate and the number painted on the door or shown inside), the time and the place; without them a complaint cannot be traced.
Our guides to motorbike taxis and avoiding taxi overcharging in Bangkok cover fares and how to avoid most of these disputes. For anything left behind in a taxi, train or airport, see our page on lost property.
When you need an officer: the Tourist Police
Some disputes cannot wait for an agency: a rental shop holding your passport until you pay for damage you did not cause, a bar that will not let you leave without paying a padded bill, a guesthouse refusing to return your belongings. Call the Tourist Police on 1155. Our page on emergency numbers in Thailand explains when to call 1155 and when 191, and which numbers to save before you travel.
For rental vehicles in particular, a damage charge is the most common dispute travelers face. Our sister site Driving in Thailand has a step-by-step guide to disputing a rental charge, from the company itself to your own insurer.
Paid by card? Ask your issuer about a chargeback
If you paid by credit or debit card and the business will not refund you for something it failed to deliver, your own bank may be able to reverse the payment. This is called a chargeback, and it is handled under the card scheme's rules, not Thai law, so it works the same from home.
- Contact your card issuer as soon as you can. Card schemes and banks set time limits, and they vary; we could not find an official limit that applies to every card.
- Send the same evidence you collected for the business: the receipt, the advert or listing, photos and your written complaint with any reply.
- Expect the business to be asked for its side. A clear record that you tried to settle with it first makes your case stronger.
A chargeback is a reason to pay larger bills by card rather than cash where you can. Our guide to using cards in Thailand covers surcharges, currency conversion at the till and where cards are accepted. A travel insurance policy may also cover some losses, such as a cancelled trip or damaged luggage, so check it before you write the money off.
Airports, airlines and utilities
A few problems have their own route:
- Lost or damaged luggage: report it to the airline before you leave the arrivals hall; the time limits for written claims are short. Our guide to lost or delayed luggage sets out the steps.
- Airport services such as taxis from the official rank or facilities in the terminal: Airports of Thailand on 1722.
- Electricity at home: your supplier first (MEA 1130 in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan; PEA 1129 elsewhere), then the Energy Regulatory Commission on 1204.
Bigger disputes: the consumer court
For a large sum, such as a condo purchase, a car or an expensive treatment, Thailand has a special court procedure under the Consumer Case Procedure Act B.E. 2551 (2008), in force since 23 August 2008. According to a summary by the law firm Tilleke & Gibbins, the Act was designed to make court action easier for consumers:
- a consumer can file a complaint orally, with a court case officer recording it for the consumer to sign;
- court fees are waived for consumers bringing a case, although restrictions apply;
- promises a business made in adverts, notices or warranties can count as part of the contract even if they were not written into it;
- the court may award extra damages where a business deliberately took advantage of a consumer or was grossly negligent.
This is a summary of a law-firm note, not the statute, and we found no source on how the procedure works for foreigners who have left Thailand. Proceedings are in Thai. Before you go down this route, take advice from a lawyer licensed in Thailand; many embassies publish lists of local lawyers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the consumer complaint number in Thailand?
The Office of the Consumer Protection Board runs a complaint and call center on 1166. For tourist services you can also call the TAT Contact Centre on 1672, and for taxis the Department of Land Transport on 1584.
Can I complain to OCPB in English?
As of October 2026, OCPB Connect, the online complaint system, is in Thai only, and we found no English form. Ask a Thai-speaking friend or your hotel to help, or start with the TAT Contact Centre on 1672, which deals with tourists.
How do I get a refund for a bad tour in Thailand?
Ask the tour company in writing first, with your booking, the advert and photos. If it refuses, call TAT on 1672, and if you paid by card, ask your card issuer about a chargeback as soon as possible.
Can I still complain after I have left Thailand?
Yes, but your options narrow. A written complaint to the business, a platform complaint and a card chargeback all work from abroad. The Thai agencies and courts are much harder to use once you have gone home.
Is a scam the same as a consumer complaint?
No. A deliberate fraud is a crime: report it to the police or the Tourist Police (1155) and get a written report. A consumer complaint is about a real business that delivered something worse than it promised.
Sources
- Office of the Consumer Protection Board – Home page and complaint center 1166 (checked October 2026)
- Office of the Consumer Protection Board – OCPB Connect (checked October 2026)
- Tilleke & Gibbins – Consumer Case Procedure Act takes effect (September 2008) (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – Thailand: getting help (checked October 2026)
- Provincial Electricity Authority – Electricity consumer rights (checked October 2026)
- Airports of Thailand – Suvarnabhumi airport guide (contact center 1722) (checked October 2026)