matt111

If the green book is in different name (ex gf) can I still post using the post office the motorbike using her greenbook and my passport?

Why would a parent have any *significant* influence over a 20-22 year old? Odd.. very odd.. but this is TV. If they cant make their own decisions (and roll with them, granted not all will be perfect) at that age you've already big-time screwed up, doesnt matter what happens there after. Big idiots are people who think they are still parental guardians for too long.. just food for thought

Sheryl,

Thanks. That's good to know, as just lab results I had no real guidance than L/H markers and Google. The lab marked the reference range on the sheet as 4.7-6.10 for RBC, and MCH 26.5 - 31.2 then annotated them with L and H respectively, perhaps they choose the wrong range for male/31?

I will get T3, T4, and testosterone, B12 levels measured in a few weeks, so I guess I can stop looking for supplements in meantime.

It will be a number of weeks before I can return to get more specific tests however I have my CBC labs results in the meantime:

WBC 8350

Hb 14.8

Hct 42

RBC Count 4.64 L

MCV 89.7

MCH 31.9 H

MCGC 35.6

RDW 11.8

Platelet Count 169k (in referencce range but low?)

PMN;Neuotrphil 61

Lymphocyte 35 (on border)

RBC Morph Normal

So its look like simple anemia to me at this stage, and this tallys with fatigue / procrastination / brain fog, easy bruising (looking at several at the moment), and a few other symptoms (raging body temperature after drinking - never a problem before - note liver levels are comfortably within range). However until I get Iron and B12 tested Im unsure which one it is likely to be? Id like to alter my diet asap and and add supplements, is there anything I can infer from the above before my next visit as to which vitamin(s) Im deficient in? Male/early 30s. I suspect but cant be sure this has been bought on by either parasites, food poisoning a few years ago, or possibly years of drinking than I should, or perhaps all three

FYI incase anyone googles, about 2700baht all in, took 1hr, car was just sat in bay 98% of time whilst mechanic worked on another car.

Service labour free, 4L oil, oil filter, air con filter, check this, check that, check this sir..

Seemed reasonable enough?

Went to Koh Samui driving / transport department this morning will what I thought was the docs (valid and original uk photocard license, original uk english counterpart paper, medical cert, passport, certificate of residence, originals and copies 2x of everything) to be told by counter staff that since 1st June they now require either:

a] License to be stamped by your embassy (im pretty sure embassy would be reluctant to stamp original dvla doc, and how they stamp a photocard i dont know)

or

b] International license (which i believe they mean one of those mickey mouse IDPs from the AA for six quid)

Is this requirement country-wide? And of course no logic to it, counter staff goes back to headphones and facebook, I guess samui have mis-interpreted the rules and it should be copies of license should be stamped (if in absence of original) or something to that effect.

Can I apply elsewhere? Id rather take a drive than deal with them again, frustrating, seem so happy to knock me back.

How much should a 1st year service at purchased dealer for a 2013 Cheverlot Sonic 1.4 LT 5dr Auto/Petrol (small city car), ~5,000km, no known issues/problems cost?

Any scams to be aware of for those unfamiliar with car terminology?

About a minute into the shower I notice something on the floor about 3/4cm. Stop the shower to ensure it was actually moving, and sure enough it was squiggling about, and still was when picked up via toilet paper dab (not from a rear wipe). Not taken a shower for several before.

 

It looks like pork tapeworm (i do eat a lot of pork/rice dishes from various vendor) or do these things somtimes appear in the shower footwell by other means?

 

I never had a great stomach since being in thailand (a few years ago) it was pretty bad, but at this moment in time I feel fine.

 

Self med with a general anti bug adzeni something or other?

 

I ended up opting for a Zenfone 4 because the Zenfone 5 in the flesh is massive (to me) and Zenfone 6 plastic demo looked like a tablet, worried as I had previously committed to the spec of Zenfone 5 after spending far too long reading reviews that at half the price the Zenfone 4 might struggle I neednt have any concerns, I suspect its just iphone 5s and s5 users that feel the Atom chip is slow, safe in the knowledge the 25k price was worth it. The zenfone 4 just flies and Ive no issues with apps I use (gmail, hipchat, chrome browser, playerfm, hackernews etc..) so if the size is bearable the Zenfone 5 should be a safe bet (faster atom chip, more memory etc..).

A thing to consider is Zenfone are 4.3, with upgrade coming soon to KitKat (committed), and potentially Android L (unconfirmed), where as all iMobile I seen where 4.2.1. I would suggest with a hint of bias the Zenfone, companies that knock out phones every week (i.e. there must be 20+ current iMobile in tesco) are probably unlikely to see software upgrade at the major 4.x level as certification and testing would be prohibitively expensive

I was expecting to receive my UK drivers license and counterpart by EMS sometime this month, a family member was forwarding it from the UK. They used international track + sign from Royal Mail.

I learnt today that Thai post attempted delivery on 17th but because or a minor admission in the address (excluded Moo 1) they just gave up, interestingly the postmaster knew exactly where I was staying and just laughed (the specific in the rest of the address were clear enough) at the omission.

July 14, 2014
10:17:10 LAK SI MAIL CENTER Accept July 14, 2014
14:27:34 LAK SI MAIL CENTER Items Into Container July 14, 2014
14:27:41 LAK SI MAIL CENTER Dispatch July 15, 2014
16:38:39 CHUMPHON MAIL CENTER Items Into Container July 15, 2014
16:38:45 CHUMPHON MAIL CENTER Dispatch July 16, 2014
13:47:10 MAE NAM Container Received July 16, 2014
13:54:54 MAE NAM Items Into Container July 16, 2014
13:55:04 MAE NAM Dispatch July 17, 2014
11:00:52 CHAWENG Out for Delivery July 17, 2014
09:00-11:59 CHAWENG Delivery Status Scheduled delivery attempt due to Incorrect Address Scheduled delivery attempt due to Incorrect Address Scheduled delivery attempt due to Incorrect Address July 26, 2014
11:23:00 CHAWENG Items Into Container July 26, 2014
12:33:18 CHAWENG Dispatch July 26, 2014
21:25:58 CHUMPHON MAIL CENTER Items Into Container July 26, 2014
21:26:02 CHUMPHON MAIL CENTER Dispatch

The postmaster initially said I have to "write" a letter to Chumphon to get them to reforward it but he mentions it may have already been returned to sender.. He didnt have the address of chumphon mail center, after a few face palms he did note the particulars however not convinced he can do anything.

Problem is compounded because the person who forwarded it say they did not give the UK post office a return address.

Giving the RNXXXXXGB tracking code to royal Mail say they cant do anything yet and Thailand Post aside from the write a letter to chumpon dont reply to email.

Any idea where this will end up? I suspect if it was to be returned to send it would have to go via Bangkok first? Is there anything I can do other than wait and see?

What happens if the envelope doesnt have a return address?

New Balance is currently the "vouge" fake label in Thailand and has been for some time. If you are in a genuine sport shop you "should" be ok, but, as we all know TIT.

(i'm a trainerholic)

I know there are people knocking out 1,000baht NB running shoes which are fake but from a large sports retailer my doubts are doubting..

The model numbers on the non sale shoes do seem to correspond to stuff listed on the net.

I also noticed that they are now marketed in Asia as a trendy shoe and not a technical running shoe and have also wondered what was up.

Thats happening with them all, the Adidas shops for example dont stock any running shoes its all "trendy" stuff..

@VocalNeal: Do you recommend any retailer or brand in thailand where I can get a decent running shoe?

I visited a major sport retailer (big fancy shop) at a large shopping complex looking for a pair of running shoes however I wasn’t convinced of their authenticity, I had same experience at another one of their branches several hundred miles away too.

I struggling to believe that they are fake but I have my doubts. I wont mention the store or shopping complex as until I confirm it would be unwise to point fingers.

Typically in a catalogue range of New Balance running shoes prices will vary from 40GBP to 120GBP yet this sport store seems to sell them all at 2850thb (excluding those on fire sale discount), that was first alarm bell. They look okay, boxed, labelled etc.. but another sign was the sole thing in each shoe (the thing you can remove) look like it had been cut by a blind child.

Ive asked a few people and all have said "dont be stupid, its so and so store, they dont sell fakes" and "if they're selling fake then there is no hope" etc..

So given this store is probably one of the biggest sports retailer, am I being paranoid?, I ask have New Balance collapsed the pricing differentials in their range and lowered the quality, or do they sell crap shoes to Asia markets or are they actually fake?

Thinking I'll order some Asics from the UK or wait till I get Brooks store in Penang..

Stick another 1k and go Asus Zenfone 5 (bigger screen, faster, more memory, bigger battery, great camera, dual sim too i believe), unbelievable spec for an affordable 6k. When browsing the malls it quite pathetic everything from android 3.2 to 4.2, yet practically nothing android 4.3+, doesnt make sense to me to buy a phone with less than 4.3, a bit like buying an iphone with ios 5.0... The zenfone range really is kicking ass it seems at the moment spec/price ratio, even the zenfone 4 is well under priced.

That all being said both invadeit and tohome.com are out of stock at the moment, anyone else know where in TH they are in stock? There seems be big demand so stocks are distributed to India, SG and Malaysia at the moment, there is a malaysian retailer (top link on google)doing cash on delivery so if you have a visa run soon perhaps you can get it deliver to hotel.

Stay away from chinese unknown brands, disaster waiting to happen, i.e. dont consider aliexpress or other vendors, reliability just isn't there, you can never really verify the spec.

I believe Advice computer is holding stock but not 100% sure

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

"No, I don,t have." with regards to asus zenfone.

But rapid reply to email, bookmarked for future reference, vs JIB who never reply.

A risk of derailing thread, but saving someone from headaches of Windows 8.x, have you considered a chromebook, similar physical form, weight, battery life,and upcoming chromeos upgrade (applicable to any recently released chromebook) will allow you access to a significant chunk of Android catalogue too (announced at Google I/O). Granted you wont be able to run photoshop, autocad, etc.. but the T-100 isnt really designed for them anyway. Printing happens via Google CloudPrint (i.e. generally Chrome running on a Windows PC with attached printer unless printer directly supports cloudprint, no different than ios airprint)

Also BannanaIT (if thats your local store, guessing by the worthless crappy value pack) have price matched Lazada print out before on laptops if set on the T-100 pays to be cheeky..

Stick another 1k and go Asus Zenfone 5 (bigger screen, faster, more memory, bigger battery, great camera, dual sim too i believe), unbelievable spec for an affordable 6k. When browsing the malls it quite pathetic everything from android 3.2 to 4.2, yet practically nothing android 4.3+, doesnt make sense to me to buy a phone with less than 4.3, a bit like buying an iphone with ios 5.0... The zenfone range really is kicking ass it seems at the moment spec/price ratio, even the zenfone 4 is well under priced.

That all being said both invadeit and tohome.com are out of stock at the moment, anyone else know where in TH they are in stock? There seems be big demand so stocks are distributed to India, SG and Malaysia at the moment, there is a malaysian retailer (top link on google)doing cash on delivery so if you have a visa run soon perhaps you can get it deliver to hotel.

Stay away from chinese unknown brands, disaster waiting to happen, i.e. dont consider aliexpress or other vendors, reliability just isn't there, you can never really verify the spec.

My Suggestion why not make visa online just upload all documents and wire /NEFT(national electronic fund Transfer) the fees to immigration and receive an Email visa.

This is my idea can i share all details with ADMIN may be this decrees the cost of going to immigration all the people now a days handle computer and mails

Awsome idea, in principal, and would ensure consistent policy is applied, it could be extended with random manual checks (such as address vists) to deter any potential abuse, and combined with analytics to capture patterns to do warrant attention. There's a lot of room to introduce consistency and efficiency with IT and I think its false idea that all this manual work is actually yielding any benefits.

However in Thailand they love cutting down trees and wasting everybody's time, it gives someone a job, just look at how much unnecessary paper the banks use to setup an account, to change a telephone number on the account, to report an ATM lost/stolen, immigration and other government departments apply a similar policy - a rainforest a day. A side note, immigration did once try to have a system setup where hotels and guesthouses could register guests online however since it was so poorly built (like the Thai train online booking system which is now withdrawn - one step forward 22 steps back) they went back to paper, no doubt a shady amateur software company pocketed handsomely.

The title is misleading

It's not "No more visa run"

It should be "No more TOURIST visa run"

which makes a huge difference

You are right. Non o, ed are allowed to do the run. Only tourist visa is the problem, and the 15-30 days run

Problem is not tourist visa being abused,it's working visa being so ridiculously difficult to get.

I believe this wording was carefully chosen to frighten everyone and portrait immigration as slamming a fist on the table of abuse.

However the people having to leave the country every 3 months spending a large part of their own salary to just stay in the country are not the abusers.

Working visas are expensive and difficult to obtain, as if only some type of "elite" foreigners should be working here. This is very far from true, as any developing country,Thailand is in bad needs of skills,which its own deficient educational system cannot provide.

It's just another crowd pleasing nationalist act.

I disagree about the working visas being difficult to get. Not at all - if a company is willing and able to hire you (well as long as you aren't proposing to work in a restricted profession or as a manual laborer unless you're from Laos, Cambodia or Myanmar) then you'll get the visa and work permit. I've never heard of a foreigner having difficulty getting a work visa after being offered a great job - doesn't happen and certainly never happened to me.

Getting a job offer in the first place is what's difficult as a foreigner. Being unemployed for months on end is normal for many foreigners looking for work in Thailand, except those with years of experience in their industry who are highly skilled. It's also said that legitimate English teachers shouldn't have any great difficulty obtaining work, or getting visas provided the school etc. that hired them is legitimate and is able to hire a foreigner.

Easy to say if you've never been responsible for acquiring one, your looking from prospective of an applicant, once you've got the position you pushed the work to your employer, however you'll find many employers are somewhat reluctant to hire foreigners officially initially (or if ever) due to the work and costs involved. It looks easy if you just go to penang with a wp3, drink beer and get your non-imm b, and then return to lawyer in 3 months for a 12 month extension, what did you have to do? nothing, a few photos and maybe a health test, heck that why TV is littered with "go get a WP" crap. For a company to get a work permit for a foreigner requires a lot of greasing of the wheels, and often various formalities such as increasing registered paid up capital by 2m and another 4 thais social security etc.., a few trees cut down, various payments to accountant, agents and so forth.. and more.. a small business has to be sure that going to represent a good ROI. Im not saying its impossible it just not as easy as TV grumpies make it appear.,

I do hope these recent enforcements of various rules also paves the way to make legitimacy much easier..

This is really sad. Sorry your family's holiday has ended up with you wondering if you should risk going to jail just to finish your holiday. That's horrible and really upsets me.

Based on stories and my own experience, nothing will happen to you if you overstay except paying the fine, but with the current and future rules they might not let you back in if you decide to come here again. I would think going to a neighboring country and flying into Bangkok before your next flight would be the best way to go.

Would they want to come back in after experiencing Immigration's "Discretion"

If I came to Thailand on holiday and experienced this I wouldn't be coming back. That would show me it's not a friendly country for tourists.

Indeed. When it comes to making life harder it seems the immigration officers have all the flexibility in the world (exercising their discretion based on the ambiguity in the rules if you will). If only their was some balance "On this occasion, as I can see you travelling with a young kid and clearly your only intent is extending your holiday, I'll make an exception and call my colleague on the entrance TH side and ensure you have free passage, however understand this isnt normally allowed and I am making an exception, enjoy the land of smiles" ..cue customary bitterness "its their country, their rules", respect blah blah

Unfortunately they're all crap winter/welcome/index/etc.., just varying degrees, expect to replace them every 12 months (vs something basic in the UK from staples/viking-direct/office-world that would easily last 5 yrs at same price).

The best I've had (and still crap), build wise - metal base - and service wise, was from the massive shop Roo refers to between Big C and Makro, its on its last legs now (Euro something was the vendor and they did replace the wheels from bkk though after some arguing and agreement to pay delivery cost) infact probably replace this week too..

Is it very difficult to get a proper work visa? If, as seems to be the case, many employers dont want to be bothered, is it something you can do yourself? Or are the tax implications the root cause?

Not according to TV, "easy, just get a proper visa"... see my post a few posts back for a recent account (~15 months ago) for costs, efforts, trees, and time involved for a typical small business to take on a foreigner. Sure some TV members that are directors of small business DIY, speak perfect thai, understand all the accounting and wp rules, and immigration and labour department officials work effortlessly with them with no greasing, yeah sure . The tax, sso and minimum wage requirement are rarely the ballache, if only it was all so easy.

If on holiday and need to do some work best bet is the IT complex in Lamai, cant miss it, big glass building on the main ring road.

They charge 1baht a minute to sit in and use their wifi, but internet is super fast and obviously free power. No food but coffees are 50baht if i remember correctly and a food lady across the road.

2-3 hrs is a long time to spend in a coffee shop, either you're going to annoy the owners and other guests, or you're going to consume a bucket load of coffee..

Difficult as now they want to see office and staff - photos and checking it out, where as before you could just pay for 4 staff vs actually employing them and essentially act as a sole trader whilst having all the company fittings. Thailand has yet to come up with anything official to support a foreign sole trader unfortunately. Maybe speak to a local accountant and see what flexibility he/she has, varies with province, although I suspect now its pretty strict, as a primitive guide, expect to pay ~50k formation and 20k-25k first work permit application, plus on going fees/social-security/tax approaching 7-10k pm.

There are few murky shills here that will offer this grey shell company arrangement via PM for 20%-25% net of any invoices,, details almost completely absent, without mentioning how much tax they declare on your behalf (probably 50k minimum), just a heads up to avoid if you havent been spammed already.

Is there any issue with just renewing online via the gov website presuming they have your photo from drivers license etc.., paying the fee, having it delivered to your UK address, and then have someone that's travelling this anyway bring it out, then head down to local immigration office and get visa switched across? Saves a lot of hassle, and courier fees, collection from trendy etc.

I know the .gov site has different instructions for each country currently in but they seem more like guidelines in the interest of convenience rather than hard and fast rules (or legalities).. or is that wrong?

At Bangkok Bank, the cards with chips can ONLY be used at a BK Bank ATM and WILL NOT work abroad at all.

You need to get a magnetic strip one.

So will this mean you can only go to the card issuing bank, and can not access any Thai funds abroad via ATM ?

It is extremely difficult to get a Thai bank to do a Intl wire transfer by the bay, money is one way in Thailand.

Banks in other countries have been using chips for years.

This isnt Bangkk Banks fault, the be1st Smart visa card requires EMV machine, so its the card I opt for as apparently more difficult to skim. I have to use a BK Bank ATM whilst in Thailand, however I've had no problem paying for stuff on the Internet abroad (card-not-present transaction) and using it a point of sale checkouts in Malaysia (hotels and supermarkets in kota bharu, duty free at border, etc..) so it does work abroad just not in ATMs. Also have no problem having it linked to my Paypal.

In addition as more machines worldwide are upgraded to support EMV you'll find it will start working in ATMs abroad, although when this gains traction who knows.

There is no artifical limitations on Be1st Smart card visa just Bangkok Bank have opted for a rather new (<10yrs) technology for greater security.

Do you have the Bangkok Bank chipped card and have you tried it outside Thailand in an ATM that also accept chipped cards? If so, what country?

I tried in several different bank ATMs in malaysia (top floor kota bharu shopping centre complex) with no success but any of shops it was fine including even Burger King for a $3 breakfast (yeah dont ask)