Stopped using coworking spaces after a disaster in Chiang Mai

I used to book coworking desks months ahead but last month in Chiang Mai I paid $200 for a spot that had wifi dropping every 20 minutes. Now I just work from cafes with a portable hotspot and test speeds before ordering. Has anyone else switched away from dedicated spaces?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_rowan1mo ago

The real problem nobody talks about is how coworking spaces are getting greedy with those "membership tiers" where the cheapest plan locks you into a corner spot next to the bathroom. I switched to just buying a few hours at random places through day passes after getting burned in Ho Chi Minh where the "fast fiber" was actually throttled after 5pm to save bandwidth for their private rooms.

smith.nancy1mo ago

Idk @the_rowan, maybe it's just me but I've had the opposite luck with coworking spaces. The day pass hustle gets old fast when every place has a different login system and you're wasting 20 minutes just getting set up. At least with a membership you know the layout and can stash a water bottle in the fridge. I hit up a spot in Chiang Mai last year where the cheapest tier was right by the kitchen, sure, but the regulars there were super chill and someone always shared snacks. Maybe it's about finding the right place rather than fighting the fees.

price.ben1mo agoMost Upvoted

Same thing is happening everywhere now. Coffee shops charge extra for oat milk, grocery stores have 10 different loyalty programs, even my gym has three membership tiers with different towel access. Feels like everything is just a way to squeeze more out of you while making the basic option feel crappy on purpose. Why can't anything just be simple anymore?