johnopolo

I recently bought an AIS Lava Isis 700 phone from Telewiz for 2700 baht and I couldn't be more pleased. Used just as a phone (all other stuff disabled) can run for four (perhaps more) days without recharging on the large 2000mAh battery! Runs Android Kit-Kat and all that stuff works like a dream too :-)

I've been through this a lot of times with techs. Because the factory puts software on every HD they ship, it isn't obvious that they activated and partitioned it. Many people never experience a HD that has no software and is good only for a boat anchor.

Disk management can see a blank hard disk like that but the Windows operating system can't. The disk will be grayed out and will only begin to look "normal" when disk management is used to activate it and create at least one partition. Disk management will also format it and assign or change drive letters. This is all software being put on it to make it usable to Windows.

NOW the disk has a hard drive (letter) on it.

They just ain't going to get it no matter how many times you explain it. Go have a beer instead :-)

There's one critically important rule that you must NEVER break: do not EVER give your money to a third party to invest on your behalf. Get advice from third parties by all means but place the investments directly yourself - you want to be the only person with direct control over your money.

And please do avoid the many thousands of "investment scams" out there. How will you know whether what you are being offered is a scam? That's easy, just start a discussion in these forums - you'll soon get a reality check!

If any laws pertaining to Hate Speech are enforced, these forums will become very quiet places.

If you invest in anything that isn't in Thai Baht, you are gambling with exchange rates (unless you want to be in another currency for whatever reason). The return on money in bank deposits will never beat inflation. Stock markets rise and fall but over long periods, they have always beaten inflation. This seems to be money you don't really need so if the market crashes by 50%, so what - It will recover in due course. The important thing to remember is that you are IN the market.

There are many excellent stock market investment routes in Thailand (into the SET of course). Here's my advice for investing some of your cash:

Invest some of that money in "Ïndex Linked" funds (or as close to Index linked as you can get): if the market in general goes up so does your investment and vice versa.

Go as direct as you can. Avoid middle men, brokers, advisors and the like. There's no rocket science in this type of investment.

Bangkok Bank have an investment vehicle called B-LTF (Long Term Equity Fund). Year to date returns this year exceed 15% (but even someone that's comatose can make good money in a bull market :-) Fees are more thah acceptable and you can cash in any amount and get paid out in 24 hours.

Go and research what's available at Bangkok Bank - start here.

However, ALL banks in Thailand offer similar investment vehicles - take a look at their offerings too.

But whatever you do, DO NOT invest in "schemes" of any description. There have been thousands of scams involving just about every creative twist you could imagine. If I had to single out any one group that seems to attract particularly hapless investors, it's Property Schemes. Steer well clear of anything that isn't mainstream. You have been warned.

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Why is this news? There are at least TEN MURDERS PER DAY (probably a lot more - go scrutinise the stats) arising from robberies, hijackings and home invasions in Sunny South Africa. Not always to a star footballer of course. More often than not the victims are elderly people who really are unable to defend themselves.

And someone on another topic had the audacity to tell posters to stop Thai bashing. This is why, sunshine, they even rip of their own elderly. Disgusting, pitiful excuses for human beings.

Pray tell, which crime and corruption free country do you hail from?

well we know they believe in ghosts

Indeed. They should only believe in one ghost: The Holy Ghost. The rest of their ghosts should be demoted to angels ....

Pay attention to what's happening in the sciences and you may well come to a similar realisation.

Looks like another out of date bank website

1) TBDA - For pricing, and generally understanding more of the Thai bond market, the following link is a good start to browse as a website

http://www.thaibma.or.th/bond_info.html

2) SET- For more product knowledge on Thai bonds, as a start:

http://www.set.or.th/en/products/bonds/bonds_p1.html

http://www.set.or.th/en/products/bonds/files/bond_knowledge_eng.pdf

http://www.set.or.th/en/products/financial/financial_instruments.html

3) SEC

http://www.sec.or.th/EN/RaisingFunds/EquityDebt/Pages/Regulatory-Principles-Objectives.aspx

Cheers

Fletch

"Looks like another out of date bank website "

Perhaps if you poked the link with your wand it'll become a current Bank link ......

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I don't know anything about the secondary market but I invested in a direct subscription of Government Bonds a couple of years ago. Bangkok Bank are the government appointed agents for these bonds and there is an offering available right now. Here are the details:

http://bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/BuildYourWealth/InvestmentsAndDeposits/Bonds/Pages/Bonds57.aspx

Interest is payable twice a year and withholding tax of 15% is deducted. If you aren't above the tax refund limit, then you can easily claim a refund of tax deducted - up to a maximum of 200000 of taxable income which translates to a maximum refund of 30000 any one tax year.

Only available to those with Permanent Residence. Discussed elsewhere on this site recently.

Wow! What a bonus: I never even applied for Permanent Residence. Must come as a perk for supporting the Bond Issue - I can't wait for my Permit to arrive. Spread the word AyG, I'm sure a lot of people would like to get Permanent Residence without even applying for it.

I don't know anything about the secondary market but I invested in a direct subscription of Government Bonds a couple of years ago. Bangkok Bank are the government appointed agents for these bonds and there is an offering available right now. Here are the details:

http://bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/BuildYourWealth/InvestmentsAndDeposits/Bonds/Pages/Bonds57.aspx

Interest is payable twice a year and withholding tax of 15% is deducted. If you aren't above the tax refund limit, then you can easily claim a refund of tax deducted - up to a maximum of 200000 of taxable income which translates to a maximum refund of 30000 any one tax year.

If all you want to do is power your laptop during those long, dark, lonely nights, then:

1. Get a new laptop battery (you need one anyway).

2. Buy a semi-sealed car battery (otherwise the fumes will kill you) - say about 50Ah (budget on 2000 baht).

3. Remove the existing UPS battery and connect the leads up to the new car battery (use thick wire to extend the leads).

4. Do not draw more than another 10W of power from the UPS (that's two small CFL lamps): the more power you draw, the less wattage you'll get overall.

5. The charger in the UPS could take up to 30 hours to fully charge a 50Ah battery.
6. If you don't know what you're doing with electricity, find someone that does.

So, you're looking for an "honest lawyer" (an oxymoron of note). I wish you good luck and a lamp with a genie inside. There's a saying that it's only 99% of lawyers that give the rest of them a bad name and I'm inclined to think that's an understatement. For what it's worth, here's my suggestion:

What you require is the performance of a simple administrative function. There's no rocket science involved and it will probably fall on some lowly clerk to do the actual work. This should be charged at a fixed flat rate which both parties agree to in a simple written agreement (a couple of paragraphs). As for payment, I would offer ZERO up front and 100% on satisfactory completion - backed up by an irrevocable bank guarantee (which the lawyers can draft at their own expense). Just be sure that you trust your bank manager to properly explain what you are signing up for!

If you don't get that, move on. If you can't get that, write it off and get on with life.

The Thai government is to be commended for this effort.
To the bile spewers out there: get a life.
To the alternative/conspiracy crackpots: please stick to your views - it'll shorten the time we have to put up with your idiocy.

Please accept that I really can't give you any advice (other than to avoid lawyers wherever possible) but I do have a thought regarding the apartment. If the apartment has chanote (a legal title deed registered at the land office) and that title deed reflects you as being the sole owner of the apartment, then I suggest that you consider selling said apartment. That would be a clean break and you would get your cash and the problem would be history. Whether your soon to be ex could interfere with the property sale remains to be seen but I would think it highly unlikely. Seek out a few reputable (or as best as you can find) Realtor / Property / Estate Agents in the area and request valuations from them. However, do not sign any "Sole Agency agreements" and be very wary of signing anything else.

This is a very, very sad situation and you ("cheated") need to keep your head. Seeking legal redress based on emotions is a recipe for a big financial hit on yourself - not to mention another emotional one! You need to get some close friends or family involved who can help you see the wood for the trees. Instituting legal action as "a matter of principle" or for revenge or "to save face" or for any other emotional reason will surely cost you a great deal of money and additional heartache with no discernible benefit.

However, if it's money you're after, you need to assess the risk / reward ratio of going the legal route. On that subject I do have some experience and can offer the following advice: If you wish to walk away with a net 1 million baht from this sorry mess, your very best course of action is to go to your nearest casino and place 1 million on black. You most certainly won't get better odds going the legal route.

Thank you for your input. Appreciated. I am not after money even though I paid for the restaurant. I just want to keep the apartment that I bought. He wants everything. I will go the legal route. Btw. I just got threatened by his lawyer the one who was representing me. It will cost him a lot in legals too. Won't it?

Yes, it probably will - as it surely will you. But you're thinking with your heart and not with your head (no offense of course) and that's a very costly exercise when lawyers are involved. Get some moral support and try to keep a cool rational head.

This is a very, very sad situation and you ("cheated") need to keep your head. Seeking legal redress based on emotions is a recipe for a big financial hit on yourself - not to mention another emotional one! You need to get some close friends or family involved who can help you see the wood for the trees. Instituting legal action as "a matter of principle" or for revenge or "to save face" or for any other emotional reason will surely cost you a great deal of money and additional heartache with no discernible benefit.

However, if it's money you're after, you need to assess the risk / reward ratio of going the legal route. On that subject I do have some experience and can offer the following advice: If you wish to walk away with a net 1 million baht from this sorry mess, your very best course of action is to go to your nearest casino and place 1 million on black. You most certainly won't get better odds going the legal route.

I have 54 mbps (supposedly) but actual transmission is usually between .01 and .04% of that, which works out to somewhere around a 56 k modem, and even that dribble is often not enough to send a line of text on skype.

Has it ever occurred to you that unless you're at the very end of a 12km long party line, there's something definitely, certainly, absolutely, hopelessly wrong with your connection (assuming your "I have 54Mbps" is correct) and that perhaps you should get it attended to?

Oops ... that didn't work :-(

This kind of provocative anti-Thai solicitation serves little purpose other than to amuse the tiny minds of those that eagerly participate with their own horror stories, real or imagined. Allow me to present a real-world, balanced view, based on my personal experiences.

Like most people, I have dealt with at least dozens (if not scores) of shop assistants every year that I have lived here. Some of those have been excellent and some have been terrible. But that's the way it is most everywhere - Thailand isn't unique in having the odd dodo masquerading as a "Salesperson". However, I have NEVER had a significant confrontation with any of those people. Why on earth would anyone want to go down that route? There's just not any future in it.

It's the customer's responsibility (and the only sensible option) to evaluate the situation and act accordingly. If the language barrier is insurmountable, put a smile on your face and move on. Same goes for the level of expertise you are expecting: if it's not there, ditto above. A previous poster mentioned the wealth of information available on the Internet - go there if you want expert technical opinions! If you are faced with an &lt;deleted&gt;, find someone else to deal with or leave immediately - but always politely, and always with a smile. Don't start a mindless, pointless war of words: you will most certainly not benefit in any way.

If I had to rate all my (many) shopping experiences over the years, based on my personal level of satisfaction, I would give it a >90% thumbs-up.

Alan, send me a PM.