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spambot

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  1. I am using a Surface Pro 3 i7 256GB that bought from Hong Kong last September. two reasons - i) don't wait for IT City long booking queue if it is available on shelf somewhere; ii) it is cheaper ( forget actual number ). very happy with the Surface Pro3 performance so far, EXCEPT :

    there are many manufacturing defects with the Surface Pro3. luckily mine is not over-heated, but it starts to BLEND into a curved screen, about 3mm+ along its length. warranty is NOT valid here in Microsoft Thailand.

    not an issue entering Thailand with only one Surface Pro3, put some data in it and it considered as personal use. not travel with another laptop. Surface Pro3 packaging is not foldable.

    Good Call - Useful real information - The heat I have heard from others can be a bit worrying - seems to happen on the processing you would expect with video HD playback and rendering etc - The info about the edge of screen is new info to me - Others have mentioned the pen input become unresponsive in that area - So i can image the edge issue could be frustrating for apps with edge close side panel selections.

    Good feedback on the foldability of the packaging - I was contemplating this as a possibility (now not - because of your insight). Worth considering since I will be entering back to Thailand by ferry and other peoples experience seem to indicate a more relaxed attitude than what occurs at airport controls - I will asses on way out (using ferry) the chances of getting the packaging back without problems, but on the whole feel I need to dispose of the box to be entirely safe.

  2. I think if you can save 7,000 baht on a Surface Pro from Malaysia then do it. But how much does it cost to travel, stay in a hotel and then return to Thailand? I'm not saying that cost is not worth it. It would be a great excuse to go to Malaysia but you might use up your expected savings on your travel expenses.

    I love the specs of the Surface Pro 3. If I had the money I would buy one too. I also understand how you feel about waiting for the Surface Pro 4. When i was looking for a tablet I had sights set on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I had to wait for months before it came to Thailand. I'm definitely happy with my choice but would love to be able to by a Surface Pro 3 or 4.

    He is going anyway... so he's saving money! It would not be saving money if he would go to Malaysia just for the computer. I did this two years ago when I had to be in Butterworth for a Thai visum. Buying my Canonprinter there saved me about 8000 Baht...

    The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an outstanding tablet. If I was looking for an Android tablet, this would be my number one choice as well. But the past weeks I'm doing a research on the internet for Windows tablets and there are some Chinese products which cost half as much and can run Android and Windows 8.1! My favourite so far: The Teclast X98 air ii, runs both systems, costs around 7000 Baht! Look for it on Youtube, you will be amazed. Of course, Surface 3 is a high quality product... but for what I want to do with my tablet, this one will do...

    Yikes - Great post

    The Teclast X98 air ii has been completely off my radar - It looks really good for the price - Slight niggle since I edit image and video I couldn't see any pen stylus options, but at this low cost would be worth the compromise of using an external wacom tablet input - Fantastic screen spec (same spec as iPad) - The 3G from reviewers seem to have refresh rate issues and camera (right way up) - also needs a separate new win 8 licence and so the ii (not the 3G) seems like the best choice (as you recommended).

    Bottom line: At this price I can see myself buying this now and using it as an easy to carry device for local bus journeys reading PDF's and viewing video how to's i.e essentially it can be used as a lightweight smaller form factor media device, rather than a device for larger projects - I like it.

    Questions:

    1. Where in Thailand (or even better) Bangkok can this be bought - Or is this only via Alibaba Express?

    2. The air ii - comes installed with Windows 8.1 - can this be right? (If the price is 7K - I am assuming it will be a Win 8.1 - non registered)

    Thanks for a great Post!

  3. The Surface Pro 4 is about to be released.

    True, but market estimates are suggesting Pro 4 will be targeting an August 2015 US launch (No actual launch dates have been confirmed by Microsoft) - SE Asia was around 3 months latter for pro 3 last launch - Hence (nearly) 12 months wait time - And this is waiting for a product that might not be a step change - other than its form factor (Surface mini and 15 inch version).

    I did think about the possibilities of Pro 4, but the question is not when to buy, but rather more about where i.e Malaysia would still be the same question I posed - Why not buy in Malaysia rather than Thailand whichever version of the surface being bought?

    Don't forget Windows 10 is due out next year. I don't know if the date has been announced, but maybe your message hints at it. My guess is the Pro 4 release would coincide.

    If you're going to buy in Malaysia do it in a larger city. I wouldn't expect much in a remote place like Langkawi. Penang has a few IT malls, direct ferry link from Langkawi (or at least was, last I looked).

    When I lived in Malaysia I would buy accessories for my peculiar phone (now antiquated) from Hong Kong. Never had to deal with customs, duty etc. Nearly everyone travels with a laptop these days, but if customs notices you have several they will definitely be curious.

    That thing about having it delivered to your hotel before you get there: You may get to the hotel and be told there is no package, never arrived. You contact the vendor, he says it was shipped and has the delivery proof and you will be charged. Good luck with that.

    Some good points made in your post:

    There is a specific Microsoft authorised dealer on Langkawi I am going to buy from - And pricing seems less negotiable on the surface products and hence going to Penang might not save a lot (I have made contact with a dealer however there just in case).

    Its a pain ditching the packaging since its good to keep the manuals and other bits and pieces in and remembering where they are and even increases the resale value with original box - so not sure if I might chance keeping the packaging.

    Windows 10 is a good point - However I always try and stay one version behind - since they software vendors are always running late on their support and usually you have to upgrade your existing software from them to be fully compatible - I am running Adobe creative suite and various other video and image animation design applications and some are still not fully compatible with current windows, hence the wait on Win 10 is not high priority.

    • Like 1
  4. The Surface Pro 4 is about to be released.

    True, but market estimates are suggesting Pro 4 will be targeting an August 2015 US launch (No actual launch dates have been confirmed by Microsoft) - SE Asia was around 3 months latter for pro 3 last launch - Hence (nearly) 12 months wait time - And this is waiting for a product that might not be a step change - other than its form factor (Surface mini and 15 inch version).

    I did think about the possibilities of Pro 4, but the question is not when to buy, but rather more about where i.e Malaysia would still be the same question I posed - Why not buy in Malaysia rather than Thailand whichever version of the surface being bought?

  5. I am going to Malaysia next month and I am in the market for a new Microsoft surface pro 3 and in Malaysia its 5,000 RM = approx 47k THB

    Core i7-4650U (1.7GHz, 4MB L3 cache) - 8GB - 256GB

    Lazada - Malaysia

    Microsoft launch official price - Malaysia

    And same unit in Thailand:is 100 baht short of 54K THB - i.e It is 7K THB (£140 or $220) cheaper in Malaysia

    Banana Store - Thailand

    IT-City Store - Thailand

    Am I missing something here - Since there is a large difference in RRP price - Is there any reason not to buy in Malaysia?

    There seems to be a microsoft store even on the island of Langkawi, which is where I am heading (but not yet got confirmation back from the store that they will have stock of the surface for when I visit) - PollyCall Store

    I am also trying to get Lazada Malaysia to deliver to my hotel a few days before arriving and still awaiting a response back from them to identify if this is possible.

    Possibly there might be an issue with import tax at customs and may need to dis guard the original packaging for the surface and claim I entered the country with the item or warranty cover in country, however outside this - For a big tick item purchase like this what is the reason not to buy from Malaysia.

  6. Simply talk to her about what you feel and what her actions means to you

    • You know it is important for her to go see friends
    • But you are feeling hurt and even possibly overlooked
    • While this journey is something enjoyable for her you feel damaged once it occurs.

    Ask her: Just how important is it that she makes this trip - And how important are your feeling to her - Does she care you are feeling this way

    DO NOT emotionally blackmail her or try to stop her doing what she feels she should do.

    Just find out how important you actually are to her - What is her priority when it comes to you and your emotional well being.

    Then decide on what actions you need to take.

  7. UbonJoe.......I am assuming that at end of tourist visa if you leave (via Padang Besar) - You can simply turn around and return to Thailand - And that will still get a 30 day entry?

    And then before this 30 days ends if you go to Viententiane for a tourist visa and start again i.e leave via Padang Besar and turn around and return immediately back to Thailand with 30 days.

    - Is this viable?

    I cannot say anything for sure about Padang Baser. But it would be within the rules for visa exempt entries to get an entry after a tourist visa.

    And nothing for sure that far distant in the future if you get a 2 entry tourist visa in Laos and use it for the full 6 months that is possible from one.

    Thanks UbonJoe - You are amazingly generous with your in-depth knowledge - Thanks

  8. UbonJoe.......I am assuming that at end of tourist visa if you leave (via Padang Besar) - You can simply turn around and return to Thailand - And that will still get a 30 day entry?

    And then before this 30 days ends if you go to Viententiane for a tourist visa and start again i.e leave via Padang Besar and turn around and return immediately back to Thailand with 30 days.

    - Is this viable?

  9. I let my accountant deal with all that stuff.

    The taxman hasn't a clue where I am.

    Yup - I understand - And the many people I know in Thailand that are renting out property, each are dealing with the issue of their geographic location in a different way.

    Currently the implications for disclosure are not that serious issues as long as you disclose your tax position correctly to HRMC .

    The new proposed tax change would have mean that your tax code would have to be changed.

    If your accountant knew you were non resident he/she would have been required to disclose your status as non resident.

    If they did not know your non residency status and you did not yourself disclose your residency as being overseas and did not change your tax code - This would become more serious and could be seen as tax evasion (if your true location was latter identified as non resident).

  10. If there is a change of government next year taxation of rental payments will be the least of the problems. Total economic collapse would be of more concern.

    And do you seriously think that a new Labour government would not be keen to tax non-residents (even if they didnt have the wit to think of it themselves)?

    The post is not meant to be a political comment - This is simple helpful information for UK landlords - They now have protection until April 2017 - With the added 'possibility' it might never happen.

    • Like 1
  11. Although it was not mentioned in the Autumn Statement Wednesday 3rd Dec 2014


    it was announced that the much discussed withdrawal of the UK personal allowance for non-residents will not happen until at least 2017.


    If there is a change of government next year it's possible, therefore, that it may never happen at all.


    .....So this is good news for UK Non resident landlords


    • Like 2
  12. Your double entry tourist visa was refused - And You only got a single entry!

    I am going specifically to Vientiane next week to try and get a double entry - on my UK passport

    I have only ever had one triple entry tourist and an OA visa from UK based consulates, but currently on extended retirement (runs out in 10 days time).

    I was hoping to get a double entry to stay for four months (before returning to UK and 8 months stay).

    Has anyone else been refused a double entry - And does anyone know what reason is being given when not allowing the double entry?

  13. There are a lot of incredibly badly informed people about what is and isn't true under UK divorce law. What is most true is that if you call a solicitor in Thailand and file for divorce there today... she can't file in the UK. Given a lack of cross-border enforcement between the two nations; a Thai court could give her 100% of your stuff and she'd still get $0 in reality. A British court may not be as lenient on you. Stick the boot in first and stick it in hard.

    Currently she is telling you where the divorce process should occur.

    Start the process yourself in Thailand - And if TheSeamReaper is correct then you will have no problems.

    Clearly you are feeling under pressure to give in to what she wants, equally she might feel in a similar way if you take action in Thailand.

    In effect start thinking about what decides which country can take presidence and why.

    She has been proactive - You might want to do the same.

    • Like 1
  14. Kitten Kong - I am sure that you mean well, but there is such a lot missing in your response - The aim of this post was to gain answers to the questions. There has not been any answers given in any of your contributions.- It might be better if you start a new post for your subject areas that you wish to discus in order to gain the insight or provide the education .

    The answer was given several times by several different people, including me: your simplest option is to get a retirement extension. Cheap, quick, easy and legal. But you seem to be determined not to do this. It's your choice.

    I was just responding to some of the obstacles that you appear to see in getting an extension. Personally I dont need to open another thread to discuss any of it as:

    1) I have a valid retirement extension that provides exactly what I need and which I have no problems renewing every year

    2) Whilst I do have UK income and holdings I have no UK CGT or income tax liabilities under any existing or proposed law

    OK - Its good to hear that you have UK property and you will remain in control in the face of the proposed changes.

    For my end I will be selling and then reinvesting in different property classes to get me past the 'statutory resident test' introduced last year, which replaces the old - "habitual residency test".

    I will remain flexible when I return to Thailand - If I latter decide to spend a few years away I can do without legacy - Conversion rates for FX have fluctuated 27% this year and I get the opportunity to the transfer closer to top of market.

    I got my answers from a different posting - Getting 4 months is relatively simple and the cost is the same as extending retirement Visa.

    There is no point doing something only because it is easy - Flexibility and increased profitably require more effort.

  15. Why would anyone pay such a high rate?

    The 7.5% is actually low when considering what most people pay - Most pay more than this

    - Look at http://www.rbs.co.uk/personal/travel/g1/money/exchange-rates.ashx and OK this might not be you bank, but its just a simple example of the huge spreads charged by most of the world banks as their spread on the Thai Baht .- Just to understand what this is - It is a calculation that is done when considering what you start with (in this case GBP) and then you go through a full round conversion you end up with (GBP) - So first buy (convert to) THB (to get your money into your Thai bank) and then you take your THB and buy GBP with this Baht (that you have now withdraw from your Thai bank) - Then you identify the percentage loss in doing this calculated in the currency that you first started with.

    Today's RBS rates leave you with an 18.5% loss - This does fluctuate with different banks, but bottom line is the spread on the Baht is much larger than it is on many other currencies.

    No one in his right mind would let his UK bank do the transfer to/from Baht. You should always let the Thai bank do the transfer so as to reduce costs.

    Example. Bangkok Bank TT buying/selling rates as of today: GBP 51.420/52.025 which represents a total loss of 1.17% (excluding transfer fees). For cash the spread is larger at 50.98/52.45 or 2.8% total, but with no fees. I dare say better rates can be obtained elsewhere.

    One could discuss the GCT and personal allowance situations endlessly (and the UK pensions thread is full of this) but to me it is a waste of time until they are fixed in law.

    I just don't see the point of selling property today to avoid some taxes that have not yet been brought in and which apparently wont apply retrospectively anyway, or may not be applied at all for some people. But it's your property to do with as you will.

    Kitten Kong - I am sure that you mean well, but there is such a lot missing in your response - The aim of this post was to gain answers to the questions. There has not been any answers given in any of your contributions.- It might be better if you start a new post for your subject areas that you wish to discus in order to gain the insight or provide the education .

  16. 800K x 7.5% currency conversion spreads = 60K

    Why would anyone pay such a high rate?

    ... I am now going back to UK to later return in around 6 months time - once I have organised (sold) my rental property to combat the new tax rules on April 6th 2015 for non residence who own property (zero tax allowances on my rental income and introduction of tax for eventual capital gains tax on property sale).

    Neither of those is in place yet. The CGT liability will only be calculated on gains made after April 2015, and HMRC have already indicated that the removal of the personal allowance will be primarily aimed at people who have no close ties with the UK, and so there may well be exceptions for those with such ties. So I suspect that you may be a bit premature in selling up just to avoid that deadline. Your decision, of course.

    Others have commented on the retirement extension issue and I agree with them, but you seem to like complex solutions to simple problems.

    The 7.5% is actually low when considering what most people pay - Most pay more than this

    - Look at http://www.rbs.co.uk/personal/travel/g1/money/exchange-rates.ashx and OK this might not be you bank, but its just a simple example of the huge spreads charged by most of the world banks as their spread on the Thai Baht .- Just to understand what this is - It is a calculation that is done when considering what you start with (in this case GBP) and then you go through a full round conversion you end up with (GBP) - So first buy (convert to) THB (to get your money into your Thai bank) and then you take your THB and buy GBP with this Baht (that you have now withdraw from your Thai bank) - Then you identify the percentage loss in doing this calculated in the currency that you first started with.

    Today's RBS rates leave you with an 18.5% loss - This does fluctuate with different banks, but bottom line is the spread on the Baht is much larger than it is on many other currencies.

    "HMRC have already indicated that the removal of the personal allowance will be primarily aimed at people who have no close ties with the UK" -

    This was outlined as guidance in the original consultancy document only - It would be useful if you refer to the results of the actual consideration outcomes and then post back.

    The capital gain is not yet defined as you say - Even the actual way it might be treated for allowance might be a different calculation to the one in current use - The Autumn budget will define details.

    I am not sure why someone would want to be reactive, when clearly something is going to happen. and if you are in the UK sufficiently long to pass the residency test - Then whatever the actual GCT change becomes it will then not effect them.

    "CGT - aimed at people who have no close ties with the UK"

    This is defined by the residency test - your have used wording that has simply only been used and contained in the guidance notes in order to to understand the aims set out in the "test for non residence " and has nothing to do with test results in the "residency" - Hence if you can refer to the residency test specifically to identify what you are trying to say since this general statement doesn't define anything.

    you seem to like complex solutions to simple problems.

    Simple problems can also be an excuse for not trying.

    Can you have a go at giving some actual data that might be useful to others along with myself on any of the questions set out - It would be good to receive input from your answers - if you feel that not trying is actually best policy - Obviously I understand.

  17. For 1900 baht you can get a one year extension, leave without a re-entry permit and start over fresh when you return. That seems like a lot less hassle.

    It's legal with no morals issues.

    True - But I am also then leaving myself potentially disconnected from 800k in a Thai bank if I get a long property sale and I wish to mitigate any risks in this area as much as I can

    Why? Get a re-entry permit and withdraw the 800k.

    800K x 7.5% currency conversion spreads = 60K

  18. really; hell of a long story when it can be solved with a visit to immigration an paying 1,900 baht

    and to even make it simper just get single re entry as it good for a year as well

    why start new??

    makes not one bit of if and in fact in future if they do up the amount needed in the bank u would be grandfathered in ( as has happened before)

    While I welcome all comments - I am not really helped (nor is any future reader looking for similar) by being told I am wrong in the way I make decisions.

    If you do have useful structural information to aide the resolution of the questions - I would love to hear back from you.

  19. For 1900 baht you can get a one year extension, leave without a re-entry permit and start over fresh when you return. That seems like a lot less hassle.

    It's legal with no morals issues.

    True - But I am also then leaving myself potentially disconnected from 800k in a Thai bank if I get a long property sale and I wish to mitigate any risks in this area as much as I can

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