dave111223

Sometimes i talk with my left, sometimes with my right...depending on the severity of the situation.

Better than hot as he||.

At least when it's cold you can put on a blanket. Not a lot you can do when it's hot.

The problem is that all the sales reps. get paid commission by different brand names. So they have no interest in selling a brand other than that (and in most cases will be down right rude if you attempt to purchase another brand).

The worst part is my wife doesn't seem to grasp this so always spends like 20 minutes listening to the guy trying push his commission brand.

It's funny because if leave the store and come back an hour later you'll probably meet a rep. being paid by a different brand and he'll tell you the model the previous guy was pushing sucks, and only his brand is good.

I used to work at Staples in the US in the electronics department, and taking payoffs from brand sales reps would get you fired. Which makes for a better situation as you only push the brands that you know to be good as you have nothing to gain by sell one over the other.

Leaving models out of the shelfs which were no longer available would most likely have the department manager looking for a new job.

Seems to be common practice in all businesses here though.

The thing with electronics here that most annoys me is the price. I can put up with bad service as long as i'm saving on the price. If I go to a restaurant and food/service sucks but hey at least it only cost me $2, so no hard feelings.

But with electronics the prices are pretty similar to what you'd pay in the US anyways.

The selection of movies/software at Fortune sucks compared to the selection at Pantip though.

(I couldn't even pick up a Seinfeld season at Fortune when i tried).

Plus to look at the movies at Fortune you've got to "sneak" though some hidden door in the back of the shops into some tiny crowded room, most uncivilized!

Last name wasn't Barton was it?

As you said just go down to Pantip and buy a copy. Which I believe is not actually illegal if you have the original copy, as it is considered a backup of your original.

I had a Christmas party last night and so last week went to Villa to order a turkey.

The prices seemed pretty high; I ended up paying 3,500 Baht for a 14lb turkey + stuffing. But i don't have an oven in my condo so didn't have much choice. I seem to remember the prices at foodland being lower, but didn't want to make an extra trip.

Asked them to deliver the turkey at 5:30pm on 24th. 7pm rolls around we started thinking <deleted> is the turkey. So my wife calls Villa to ask where the turkey is; 20 minutes on hold with them pushing some papers around and the result is "We forgot" and "We can bring it in the morning instead". Eating the 3500 baht turkey for breakfast the morning after the party by ourselves does not really sound that appealing, so we ask for a refund instead.

They said ok to the refund so now i got to spend my Christmas going down to Villa to get a refund of my missing turkey!

I just can't believe that for that price they could just forget the turkey!

Needless to say GET YOUR TURKEY FROM FOODLAND, NOT VILLA! Lest the same thing happen to you; you've been warned.

If it is just phone calls and emails why not just block/delete his emails and block/hang up his phone calls?

Bit of a no brainer, or did i miss something?

One thing to think about is the Tax ramifications before she applies for US citizenship. Something that i didn't really think about before applying for US citizenship.

US citizens are required to pay tax on their worldwide earnings, so even if you permanently moved back to Thailand she would have to file/pay taxes to the US.

I would like to see a special visa issued for sex tourists: A “non Imm, multiple entry (fnar, fnar) X Visa”. Then any foreigner caught engaging in any sexual activity with a local without an X Visa could be taken to prison and spanked in the Singapore style.

It would do wonders for the sex industry and generate billions of Thai Baht in bribes :-)

11. Free daily sex for Thailand-Elite card-holders ... just watch sales take-off !

For the price of the elite card you could probably pay a hooker for 20 years anyways

(Well more like 3-4 years, but want kinda person pays a pro every single day!)

Look on the bright side, now you are only paying 6.66 baht per liter instead of 7 baht.

I have them shave my palms at the same time.

Don't you think you should maybe plan a surprise honeymoon in Thailand instead?

I thought it was the law that you have to vote here?

My wife says she's going to check the "No Vote" box.

Mine relate to marriage stuff, but here's my list:

1) Permanent Residency for non-Thai spouse

2) Opportunity for non-Thai spouse to apply for Citizenship have X number of permanent residency years.

3) Automatic work permit for non-Thai spouse (ie can work anywhere after marriage).

4) Ability for married couple to both have their names on Land/house purchased.

My wife loves Christmas; she always has lots of family members over, has lots of food and lots of presents.

Family, Friends, Presents and lots of food; whats not to love

Too many skinflints around worrying about that they might actually have go shopping for someone other than themselves!

Classic cheapskate quote "Xmas is just kept alive by big corporations to steal your money"; used to take the focus off them keeping their wallet firmly in their pocket.

<br />Seriously what tourist carries around $20k cash anyways? Either someone up to no good or very very stupid.<br /><br />I would think the amount of cash in someones pocket has little bearing on how much money they actually have.<br />

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You get a better rate at a money changers in Bangkok with cash so maybe thats why. Try changing your money in the UK you may get 60 baht per £ bring in cash you can get 67-68 upwards thats more than 10% higher.

I withdraw money from my US bank via a Thai ATM and get the favorable onshore rate.

So i guess walking around with over $20k in a suitcase makes more sense than just using an ATM, or a wire transfer with currency converted onshore?

Seriously what tourist carries around $20k cash anyways? Either someone up to no good or very very stupid.

I would think the amount of cash in someones pocket has little bearing on how much money they actually have.

I am intrigued, please continue

Yes - bank deposits currently have an unlimited guarantee from the Financial Institutions Development Fund.

There are proposals that in five years time the level of insurance coverage will be capped at 1.0 million baht per customer

I heard that the cap was currently at 1m (per account)?

Supposedly they have some deal where you can get a life time membership for a 1 time flat fee of like 20K.

I am assuming they would then cancel your membership through some loophole after the first year though...

My plate number tells them I am farang ??

Shhh! You'll start giving immigration ideas.

10 percent of very little means suffering.

30 percent of a huge amount means no suffering.

BURDEN is on the poorer classes, and recently in a certain unnamed country, further breaks and cuts only for the rich have happened, just as in ancient Rome. The shift of the BURDEN is on the poorer classes. This is called class war. It happens in most countries. The elite classes usually win. There is a Thailand connection if I ever saw one.

I will shut up now, sorry too off topic.

By this reasoning 0% of very little is also suffering. So we should institute negative tax rates? So that after taxes everyone brings home the same amount of income?

Talking about PERCENTAGE of wealth, not total gross amount. I already said that but predictably conveniently ignored for typical right wing dogma.

Interesting to note that the same kind of lopsided taxation structure was in play during the time of the decline of the Roman empire (the rich avoiding being taxed at the same percentage of wealth rates as the not-rich).

Unless i'm crazy the tax brackets get higher the richer you get:

- Poor People = 0%

- Pretty poor people = 10%

- Doing ok people = 15%

- Well off = 20%

etc... etc...

So what are you talking about?

At least it would stop people living in a house that they can't afford to maintain. You see people in houses/shops that look like total sh*t but house has been in the family for years.

Maybe they would sell it someone who appreciates the property's true value.

All the time you see a house in a prime location and could sell for a ton, and then you see the residents sat out front in their whitey tightys watching the last chip of paint dangling from the walls.

Overall i dislike taxes, but i find property tax is one of the least offensive as the money goes back into your own local community (schools, police etc..), opposed to income tax etc... (which goes who knows where)

But as many have said the money would go right into someones pocket so the point is moot.