Ockpoptok warning
 

Check your credit card statements carefully.
Ockpoptok, supposedly a very reputable store, charged me twice for the same item, 9 days apart. I had already returned to the US. I tried calling the store to resolve the issue. They now don't understand English!

I'm going thru the credit card company to have the charge reversed.

Where is this store?

It's in Luang Prabang.

It is renowned to be highly reputable. I have to say I've occasionally had double billing from business in the US. When it's been called to the business's attention or to the credit card, it's been taken care of immediately.

Ha-ha-ha-ha. I once had a similar experience at George's (hair salon) on Orchard Road in Singapore. Unbeknownest to me, for close to SGD 300, George himself cut my hair on the day before he was due to get a tonsillectomy. He was a nervous wreck, and my "0.5mm trim" turned out 6.0mm shorter on one side than the other. Woof! I was devastated!

By the time I returned to my hotel, discovered the dicrepancy, and returned to the salon the following day to demand a refund, George was on sick leave for an ext4nded period that out-lasted my stay in Singapore. Thus, I too left the refund to my credit card company, and the process became complicated. I had, after all, "received" the haircut and had not "returned" it. We went around and around for months.

At last, I designed a free web page on virtualtourist.com, featuring a graphic photo of me in wet tresses, with a ruler to my shoulder, showing the 2 1/2-inch discrepancy in hair length. The web page warned travellers not to frequent George's and read: "If you are viewing this web page, it means that George's has still not issued a refund to my account."

Zip-zoom! Almost immediately after I emailed the web page address to George's, the salon re-charged my card for an additional full amount of the haircut (a second obvious error due only to their now blatant incompetance). At this point, I was out close to SGD 600. Amazing!

Alas! The charges inevitably got strainghtened out. But what a rigamorole! The web site worked wonders. If all else fails, and the amount you're talking about is worth it, I highly recommend the idea.

In fairness, the person who took your call may not have spoken English. My wife had the same experience at a hotel in Kampot (Cambodia) and a couple of emails saw it all sorted out.

Tourism is not as developed in Laos as in some other countries and it could have been a genuine mistake.

I was very impressed with the quality at Ockpoptok but i admit I paid cash.

The only times I have been billed 'twice' over the past few years was once by a 'good' hotel in Australia and once by a 'good' hotel in Singapore.

They were simply errors which c/card company sorted easily.

These things happen and should not necessarily be though of as more than just errors.