55Jay

6 hours ago, i claudius said:

Well at least us cave men our kids and our pets are still alive and not withered away because of the the mentality that you must love all gods creatures while they bite you to death

I'm a stone cold atheist. 

Oh dear.  Really? 

A general overview for some Thai banks here: 

https://thailand.deposits.org/deposits/

If you are in Thailand, go to a Mall where there are many bank branches to check the rates, and inquire about any promotions they may have.

You can still have an election with people in the streets.  USA pulled it off somehow AND with the Ruskies meddling on Facebook.

The take away from that, which probably keeps Prayuth up at night is, despite all the careful preparations, the wrong party might still get elected.

18 minutes ago, Basil B said:

But they are not the origins of the gangs that are now going around trying to kill member of rival gangs , those guys are more worried how many hairs they have left and the price of Sterident.

LOL, ok, ok.  Crips, Bloods, and a host of others are insidious and influential.  The police better step up their game.  Sounds like they were being too PC careful and this train has left the station already.  

Do you live in Thailand or UK?

1 hour ago, Basil B said:

You just do not get it, the gang violence in the UK is an American export, kids trying to to copy their American cousins, and we are doing something about it.

Well, I know a few old school British ex-hooligans with extremely short hair, who would take exception with that assertion.   If you insisted, they might smash you with a hammer and kick you with hard toe Doc Martins until mushy peas were spilling out yer ears.  

Wasn't there, obviously, but it would be useful to know if the volunteer who got punched was involved in the initial contact at the bar, or was he on a fixed post at the Walking St. check point, which is where the assault actually took place.  

Clearly the suspect wasn't restrained earlier or while at the Walking St. check point, I presume waiting transport to the station.   Besides sloppy procedure, that suggests he wasn't combative at the bar or at the check point.

So what set him off to suddenly punch this volunteer at the check point?

Suspect certainly appeared intoxicated but very calm and coordinated as he was escorted (then in cuffs) into the station by a volunteer, as other volunteers stood around, including the bulldozer who got punched.  Which isn't a good idea either. 

Not a good scene IMV, and I would be on-guard against these volunteers getting utilized too frequently and in ways not intended, and after a while, you forget where the line is.  Moreover, the ones who are "supervising" them are ill-trained and sloppy to begin with.

Tough, real world lessons for all those kids. 

#1.  Just because you protest en masse doesn't mean you get what you want. 

#2.  #1 + a pile of dead teenagers and adults, apparently isn't enough to move the needle and crash through the wall of money and the army of special interests around American politicians. 

You've heard about it in school, on the internet, and now you've seen it in action, first hand. 

The next generation of liberals and progressives has just been baptized and confirmed.

But like most religions and superstitions, it works 50% of the time.

If it happens to rain, and it will, eventually, the gods get the credit and the nonsense ritual is reinforced.

If it doesn't rain, they complain to PM Prayuth, who then blames it on Thaksin.

1 hour ago, Fruit Trader said:

Home modems are at risk from copper phone lines so its best pull the phone cable during electrical storms.

+2 points for the reminder.  I unplugged things about 3 hours ago for a T-storm passing through, but neglected that detail.  Thanks.

8 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Yeah... I hear ya. Here's my ex-...

 

 

Co-worker of mine drove a crummy old Dodge Daytona in the early 90's, burned oil, always topping up.  Did it once in a parking lot when the engine was hot, spilled some, apparently, and that was it.  Car was a goner by the time the fire department arrived.  

I'm typically home for the afternoon thunderstorms this time of year, run around doing the unplug routine then wait it out.   The main breaker box and the hard wired air cons would probably be toast if we took a hit, but at least the refrigerators and other appliances and tech I can unplug, would be ok.  

Glad you came away with minimal loss.  Another nod for being prepared.

Appointed by Ronald Reagan.  I'm sure that's enough to sack him.  <sarc>.

I'm not a Hang 'Em High Brigade member but overall, a good effort IMO. 

There's plenty for a crime busting crusader to do here, and busting foreigners bobbing and weaving in the loopholes, is low hanging fruit.  Reckon it would appeal to the average Thai because it doesn't affect them directly.

22 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

I got mine (VDSL as no fibre here yet) put in about 15 months ago and it is in my wife's name.

 

The total cost was 1,431.25 inc VAT and my monthly bill is 630.60 baht.

 

They installed it on the day they said they would and it took less than an hour.

 

I get a monthly paper bill and I usually pay it at the end of the month (due date is 3rd of the next month) by internet banking.

 

I pop into the local office every 3 months or so and ask about a fibre optic link and the answer is usually maybe this year.

 

I have had absolutely no hassle and neither has my Thai neighbour who had hers put in on the same day.

 

When the comms companies run fibre I will see who offers the best and what their service is like and then choose.

I don't have any issues with the actual internet service, just a few times we've wound up in the silly zone, but that's not limited to 3BB or Thailand for that matter. 

The invoice thing is odd.  Wasn't like this at our first house in the countryside, only when we closed that account (not in our name) and opened one at the small, stand-alone 3BB office near the new house.   Wife did address the wonky invoicing 9 months ago, and it stopped, briefly, then began again.  

It's just an administrative annoyance to me at this point.  The internet functionality is fine, so there's nothing to gain by throwing an exotic, non-routine curve ball at them, which has a 50/50 chance of making things worse or creating new, unwanted aggro.  So I just leave it alone.  That's my general approach to customer service in Southwest and Southeast Asia.

6 hours ago, dufusdonald said:

No, it doesn't happen all over the world. In civilized countries you may have to make a few calls but eventually you get to speak to someone who knows that paying customers are entitled A) not to be lied to  not cheated out of their money and C) service but not in the Land of Scams.  Six phone calls to 1530 and not one damn reply. It is what it is.  And if I was in another country and it was the same I would complain there too.

 

Why is it ok to fluck customers  over in Tland?  Just curious.  Saying it happens in other countries so what?  What does that have to do with Thailand and 3BB and what happened?  Idiotic comment

Your expectations were reasonable and so is your disappointment that they dropped the ball, then act like children, avoiding ownership and responsibility for it, save face, etc.  That's an immature, unprofessional quirk and one Thais in general would be better off without.  If you or someone upstream in the company screwed up, own it, make it right, then move on. 

IMO, paying too far in advance for services that haven't been rendered yet, takes your leverage away if there's a problem at some point during the pre-paid time frame.   I think they offer a discount if you pay a year in advance, but I've never done it and never will.   Bad enough they always bill me for 2 months in advance and I don't even do that.  Just paid for May this morning and it's shown as a previous, outstanding balance due from April.  And then the current amount due is for June.  June?  We just started May!  I'll pay June when we get to.......JUNE!  Cheeky buggers.

The actual internet functionality, save for a couple weeks over 5+ years in 2 houses, has been fine.  No issues.

1 minute ago, edwardandtubs said:

You're right and I edited that comment. They have totally shot themselves in the foot.

No problemo.  During the initial stages of the Union Pay transition, could still get a Visa logo card by request but I suspect that ship has sailed by now.  I know I missed the boat, haven't had a BBL ATM card for quite a while, and too stubborn to get a Union Pay card.  LOL. 

24 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

I got one in 2016 that's valid for 5 years. What kind of a bank doesn't issue debit cards? According to their website they're still issuing exactly the same ones I have. Of course, not everyone qualifies but that doesn't mean they don't issue them.

As the spin up for Union Pay really got going, BBL demoted the Visa logo debit cards to the bottom of the page.  I just looked through all the Be1st Cards on their site, only see Union Pay.  What are you looking at?

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/Be1stVisaDebitCard/Pages/B1stnewdefault.aspx

Edit:  I just noticed the page URL still says "Be1stVisaDebitCard. LOL, they missed that.

Fair point to Jingthing, the Scouts (et al) have been in decline for years, and the moves they've made in recent years are an effort to halt and, hopefully, reverse that trend. 

If you alienate parents with ever sharpening liberal political and social views, and they use their kids as boycott tools to signal their adult beliefs and virtues, that's a lot of warm bodies. 

If you alienate  conservative parents and they do the same, that's also lost warm bodies.

This is about the adults involved, not the kids.   BSA is pressured from both sides and was forced to make a business decision.   We'll see if it works.

14 minutes ago, underlordcthulhu said:

You really have to be living under a rock not to see the huge conservative movements happening all over the world, especially the West given all the vacuums the Left created.

Anyway, just keep this in mind, leftists don't reproduce at the same rate as conservatives and there has been an awakening within right leaning men to reproduce at an even higher rate than previously seen.

The Islamists are on an identical mission from god, cranking out babies like a gumball machine.

Seems a pointless exercise for conservative christians though, considering The Rapture could happen at any moment, and they and their kin have a one-way ticket off this hell hole of a planet.