People who prepay for beauty, clinic or gym courses can't get the unused balance back when the shop closes or stalls
The Office of the Consumer Protection Board logged 79 beauty salon and clinic complaints in December 2024 alone, and 63 of them were refund requests for services not yet used. Another 17 were fitness contracts, 16 of them asking to cancel and get money back. One buyer of a 5,499 baht, 10-session physical therapy course found the clinic shut with about 5 sessions left, waited a month for a promised transfer, then needed an online OCPB complaint and about 2 months to be paid. In June 2026 the minister said beauty clinics were the top OCPB complaint in Songkhla this fiscal year, mostly refunds after a closure, and that the standard contract gives a 7-day cancel right and a pro-rata refund within 15 days (45 for cards). Most buyers never see that contract or the rule.
Is this you?
If you run into this every week, tell us. Teams only build for challenges with someone waiting for the tool.
0ready to build
Next build day
5 ways to tackle it
Hardware and sensors
Refund Math Card: a pocket card that prints exactly what you are owed
Enter the course price, sessions used and how you paid. The tool prints a card with the baht amount owed under the pro-rata rule, the 7-day cancel right and the 15 days (45 for cards) deadline. Show it at the counter before anyone invents their own rule.
Build with Static site, PDF or thermal printer, rule logic, QR to OCPB online complaint
Camera and vision
Contract Snap: photograph the pages at the counter, see red flags before you pay
At the clinic or gym counter the buyer photographs the contract pages. Vision reads them and flags a missing refund clause, a vague closure rule or an unfair cancel term against the standard contract, in plain Thai, before a baht is paid.
Build with Claude vision, OCPB standard contract as reference, mobile web
AI agent
Refund Filer: fills the OCPB online complaint and sends the letter for you
When the clinic is shut with sessions left, the buyer gives the receipt photo and the story. The agent fills in the online complaint form with the right numbers, drafts the refund letter citing the rule, and keeps a timeline, replacing weeks of confusion.
Build with Claude, browser automation (Playwright), PDF letter, receipt OCR
Data and maps
Still Open?: check if a clinic or gym is alive before you prepay
The buyer types a business name. The tool checks company registration status, whether the Maps listing and Facebook page are active, recent reviews and sudden closure signs, and returns a go or wait signal, so a shaky shop doesn't get a 5,499 baht prepayment.
Build with DBD open data, Google Places, Facebook page signals, Claude summary
Automation and APIs
Use-It Calendar: snap the receipt, get reminders before the cancel window ends
The buyer photographs the receipt. The tool extracts the date, sessions and price, adds calendar events for each planned session and the 7-day cancel deadline, and re-checks the shop's health every month.
Build with Claude vision OCR, ICS calendar export, n8n monthly check
What people reported
OCPB Dec 2024: 79 beauty complaints (63 refund for unused service); 17 fitness (16 cancel and refund); 2,153 complaints total that month
ocpb.go.th5,499 baht 10-session clinic course, clinic closed with ~5 left, owner went silent; ~2 months and OCPB complaint to get refund
thairath.co.thJun 2026: beauty clinics top OCPB complaint in Songkhla; standard contract: 7-day cancel, pro-rata refund in 15 days cash or 45 days card
thairath.co.th