I Hate Doing Business With Asians!

[Taco]

First, let me say that I really enjoy hanging out with most of the Asian people that I meet. So much so, I married a Filipina with two kids. However, that’s where my admiration for Asians begins and ends.

It doesn’t matter what Asian country they come from, business is always done the same. I never had a problem with any Asians until I was forced to do monetary transactions with them on a regular basis which results in something bad happening at least 80% of the time. Indeed, most Asian people act totally surprised when confronted by an angry white person. I’ve already ended up at the police station(in the Philippines) over one business deal that went bad, which would never happen in my own country. So, in memory of my bone crushing, deceased father(6’2’’, 270lbs.) I just want to say, “Don’t f**k with usâ€￾! We don’t have a lot of patience!

[zboy1]

As an Asian, that's the one thing I've always disliked about my own race: we're like the Jews in that we have no regard for principles or honor when engaging in business, and we would screw over our own parents, to obtain money and power in life. Greedy Asians and greedy Jews are so alike in so many ways, LOL.

[Taco]

we have no regard for principles or honor when engaging in business, and we would screw over our own parents, to obtain money and power in life.

Yeah, I've seen that happen before. My wife never told her dad that we got married because if she did he would stop giving her money each month. Her dad found about 5 months after our marriage from another family member, she may never talk to him again. Also, she tried to blame it on me for not stopping her.

[Robert77]

Asians is a broad group..... it's a very american thing to assume that all europeans are lilly white and the same, all asians are like asian-americans, smart, and the same and all latinos are gardeners and act and think the same....

Doing business with a japanese is not the same as doing business with a philipino..... a china man is very different ethnically and culturally from an indonesian, a south korean does not prioritize the same things a cambodian prioritizes..... the philipines is a developing country with a banana republic mentality and a laid back "tomorrow" attitude.... nothing to do with the NOW NOW STRESS CRAZY STRESS NOW NOW JAPANESE.

what type of philipino woman did u marry? is she educated, from a middle class braket? or is she a working class woman from the masses in the philipines?

[xiongmao]

One day the rest of the World will wake up and realise that doing business in China was the worst idea ever.

[germanguy]

This thread is not racist.

Every Asian is the same.

[Rock]

I had toyed with the idea of doing certain types of business in Phils too. But after kicking the tires a bit and some back-of-the-envelope due diligence, I quickly figured out my style of doing things would not fit in well here. Plus, system is designed very inefficiently and cards are stacked against non-nationals so its much harder to ultimately make a buck. I think Thailand is relatively easy and efficient compared to here for the type of business I do.

Actually, I would say the Jews of SE Asia are Chinese, Indians and perhaps in case of Phils Koreans as well. They are the ones who swoop in and make the lions share of money here. Japanese have done a lot too on an industrial scale but they have a reputation for being straight, more in-line with Anglo business sensibilities.

Indigenous locals here are much less proactive (other than asking for handouts lol) and more opportunistic. Put some cash in their hands and don't expect to have an easy time getting back even the principal if you don't have a system of enforcement. Indians with their loan sharking businesses and Koreans with their mafias to skirt laws restricting foreign enterprises understand this and have organized accordingly. As a one-man-band kano out somewhere in middle of some province, about the only business you are likely to succeed in is giving your money away to locals. So better not do business at all, act permanently strapped for cash, and be kuripot.

[Adama]

[Moretorque]

In general I have a problem with getting my money out of and for the most part will not work for Blacks or Asians. To me Blacks are worse as far as getting paid, most Asians do not write bad checks.

[C.J.]

When I visited a certain section of Latin America and got on the bus, the older female attendant took my money but wouldnt give me back the change I was entitled to. I didnt argue with her. I just thought, "WTF?" It amounted to less than 50 cents, but she insisted on keeping it.

In the US, this is also true, but machines take our money. They emphasize that YOU SHOULD NOT BRING MORE THAN PROPER CHANGE ON THE BUS. If you give them more than expected, expect them to keep it. Mostly because they can't give your change back, it requires them to empty the machine, count and all that.

I've made it a habit to NOT continue providing service, until the receving party has paid up. Don't deal with poor people, and offer subscription services and you'll most likely do fine.

[jboy]

Been in the Phillies for quite a while and engaged in some businesses around here. I don't make as much as what I do on my other enterprises somewhere else but its more than enough to cover for my lifestyle (condo living, personal assistant, travels around the country abd some other perks). My biggest asset is my personal assistant, he's one of the straight pinoys I know. Paying him 2x he receives from his managerial position job before he got in with me plus bonuses and he does all the dirty gritty work for me. I would advise those who plan to do business here to invest in people they surround themselves with and exercise due diligence in choosing those people. More importantly, have something u can hold over them so u don't end up getting screwed. Mafia mentality works, be the godfather and u'll be in business baby

[Taco]

More importantly, have something u can hold over them so u don't end up getting screwed. Mafia mentality works, be the godfather and u'll be in business baby

Can you expand on your mafia management style? Employee theft is such a problem in PI I don't know how anyone can stay in business.

[Jester]

I had toyed with the idea of doing certain types of business in Phils too. But after kicking the tires a bit and some back-of-the-envelope due diligence, I quickly figured out my style of doing things would not fit in well here. Plus, system is designed very inefficiently and cards are stacked against non-nationals so its much harder to ultimately make a buck. I think Thailand is relatively easy and efficient compared to here for the type of business I do.

I thought the consensus here on HA was that Thailand was mildly protectionist against Farang business ownership?

[momopi]

Every culture has some quirks and it can either be of benefit to you or the opposite. The Chinese are more pragmatic and less perfectionist, so if you're the supplier, they're willing to overlook few minor flaws at the expense of the customer. The Japanese are more perfectionist and "beta" means "as good as production" to them. If you're the supplier to a Japanese company, expect them to nit-pick to perfection, to the customer's benefit. Minor cosmetic flaws, even those that do not affect the actual performance, is unacceptable. The Japanese are polite with one face but the other face is an Oni (*). I've personally witnessed Japanese managers chew out their subordinates in front of other peers with complete disregard for face saving.

Chinese companies can go overboard on hospitality for customers & guests, sending a chaffered car, putting you up at a nice hotel, treat you to banquets and take you to KTV. But to their own workers they'd go overboard on penny pinching. However the ethnic Chinese character has an undercurrent of rebellious streak. Given choice many Chinese would rather be their own bosses than working for someone else, and if pushed too far, the mob mentality takes over and they will riot. The Japanese, on the other hand, were generally better at being a "cog in the machine" and playing the role of the cog to perfection. But that's with the last generation and the current one, raised in relative comfort, have gotten lazy.

Korean bosses have a poor reputation because some of them have poor anger management skills and will verbally and physically abuse their workers. Stories of factory bosses making workers kneel because they didn't meet quotas, or beating workers are not uncommon in the press. I've never worked for a Korean company, so cannot testify to the experience.

If you've ever wondered where the biggest and best looking fruits went, for years they were shipped as premium products to Japan. However this is changing as American consumers are now more willing to pay more for organic or premium quality/selection produce.


(*) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni

[Rock]

I had toyed with the idea of doing certain types of business in Phils too. But after kicking the tires a bit and some back-of-the-envelope due diligence, I quickly figured out my style of doing things would not fit in well here. Plus, system is designed very inefficiently and cards are stacked against non-nationals so its much harder to ultimately make a buck. I think Thailand is relatively easy and efficient compared to here for the type of business I do.

I thought the consensus here on HA was that Thailand was mildly protectionist against Farang business ownership?

It's all relative. And one of my main areas of interest is residential condos. In Phils, just buying and selling will cost you 25% in taxes and fees plus there are no reliable real estate management firms here I know of. Scams abound and power costs like 6 times what it does in Thailand.

In Thailand, things in my experience there run smoothly and are pretty efficient. The real estate managers are reliable, power is cheap, and taxes are reasonable (can be effectively zero if you use a corporate structure to hold property). It's a pretty simple and straightforward and reasonably profitable type of business which attracts a lot of foreign investors from all over the world.