new2here

I’ve used both... and for the most part, been fully satisfied...

That said, I do agree in general with the OP that from a language basis only, Shopee isn’t nearly as English language friendly as Lazada... 

Yes, this IS Thailand and yes, Im sure that the overwhelming percentage of both Lazada’s and Shopee’ customer base are primary Thai speakers - so i can’t and don’t fault either for focusing their whole operation around the Thai language... but ... as a English speaker, I would chose to favor Lazada as I feel they support the English-speaking customer base - however big or small it may be - better than others platforms. 

i do think that, at the upper ministerial levels, that’s truly the goal ... and with the (assumably) handpicked data that’s given to them, i’m also sure it’s seen as a very doable and attainable goal ..

but... i simply think that there isn’t enough true transparency and accountability for real actions to be taken and (most importantly) a sustainable plan implemented at the local “boots-on-the-ground” level.

To be fair, Thailand is by by no means the only country where is say this applies ... but i do think that it tends to be pervasive here. 

It will be interesting to see how the legalities play out — such as who is apportioned blame and to what extent do they incur legal/financial liability to those who have proven losses/claims ... and if claims become massive, what’s the liquidity situation for those entities with exposure. 

Ethics will always be a hugely powerful and popular position to have for public optics benefits .... but... when it comes right down to it, few — not zero - but few, will hold that same ethical position when THEIR own economics comes into play and negatively so.

On 3/7/2021 at 9:26 AM, recom273 said:

Recently anything bigger than a letter has been delivered by a courier, J&T express - so it appears the post office is subbing out it’s parcels, the service has been pretty good, deliveries from aliexpress arrive a lot quicker. The wife ordered some cosmetics from

facebook, sent from within Thailand, they arrived with a J&T sticker over the original post office sticker.

 

One thing that frustrates me is all these new random couriers calling me up and asking where the house is, then after a bit of explanation they show up 30 mins later (do they only do 16 drops a day?) and insist on hitting their horn to get me to come downstairs instead of just throwing it over the gate and driving off. So I really appreciate couriers who have a regular route and know their customers. So far, so good with J&T.

 

Has anyone else noticed this?

just off chance, are you sure the package didn’t originate with JT and just used a Thai Post box/package? 

3 hours ago, RR2020 said:

And I will remember who treated me as a human being in future.  And who treated me as a "diseased dirty foreigner".

 

Thailand, Singapore and many other countries are very low down on my list of airlines to use, places to spend money now.  And I am/was Platinum on Thai Royal Orchid Plus.

 

Sad...........but very true !!!!!!  

 

People will remember..........and their future plans will be made based on the current experience.

You know, I have heard this kind of things before— like after major airline strikes - where disserviced passenger swear up and down that they’ll never fly X or Y airline again.... but... to be very honest... I don’t really think this holds true for the masses nor over a long term..

what it seems that today’s reality is price - for the majority of flyers - is first and foremost the #1 consideration...

therefore, IF the beast price just so happens to be on carrier X or Y - the ones who have been sworn off in the past - it’s my opinion that few people will knowingly pay more to fly someone else, over carrier X or Y, despite their prior disservicing... sure, they may bitch and moan about flying X or Y again...  but in the end, they’ll buy and it fly them.

23 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

Another great Thai idea !  All they need now is planes and passengers.

I agree ... I mean this IS a good thing... and to me the larger message being sent here is that, at present, things appear to be moving in the right direction... so... while i agree that this move won’t really have a major and immediate impact, I do think the message here is that we are probably coming off “the bottom” and now well into the “recovery” phase - but that’s probably going to be a slow, uneven and erratic process.

Given BKK isn’t a hub for any other carrier aside from TG, I don’t think we will see major changes ... EVA is the only other carrier I can think of who might benefit from this move as they have historically operated Euro services originating in TPE with direct service via BKK... Aside from BR, I think perhaps down the road we might see someone like Kenya (KQ) or Ethiopian (ET) resuming their previous “tag” fifth-freedom sectors to/from Asia via BKK from their respective hubs of NBO/ADD 

but again, i think this move by the CAAT, combined with the other more recent “relaxing” of commercial activity restrictions and the reduction in the number of red/orange provinces, to me, sends the bigger message that things are moving towards returning to ... (new) normality. 

I think others are essentially correct.  At present there is no known exception policy to ASQ or SQ.. That said, the CCSA, as the primary entity with jurisdiction over the whole ASQ/SQ process, I suspect would be the entity that would have the authority to issue a waiver, which would be at their sole discretion. 

but... i think (my opinion only) the odds of that are very close to zero...

however, i don’t think you have anything “to lose” so to speak by asking... so... i’d get into contact with your local Embassy as they would be the folks who might know who or what division of the CCSA you would need to contact, the process and other insights.

I would therefore start with your local Embassy and go from there.

Lastly, while i can appreciate the emotional impact this issue carries, I don’t know that i’d endorse the idea of intentionally and willfully “breaking” quarantine as it’s my opinion that the public “sentiment” towards non-complaint foreigners with regards to quarantine rules isn’t very positive and that might mean any violators would be handled in the most strict manner. 

Several of the hospitals I’ve used operate using a kind of “block” based type of appointment system whereby a set number of people are all given the same block of time (say 09:00) as their appointment time... and then at 9:00am everyone who holds a 9am time is then seen on a first-in-first-out basis.  

I agree that BH seems to use a more accurate individual appointment system for a lot of their services... and i recall BNH was the same..

16 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

So... you're saying the airline currently still employs 30,000 people, Mr. Chansin? 30 THOUSAND????

 

I am beginning to understand at least one of the reasons how Thai Airways got itself into such financial trouble. Not even the largest European car manufacturers have that many employees... let alone a national airline. 

I suspect that the “30 thousand” figure is total people “on the books” in any form - be that long-term redundancy, voluntary leaves and any other type of leave where by rights of recall exists.

As one might suspect, as I read the Arms Control Act (BE 2530) Chapter 1, Section 7, it reads in part:

”Section 7. The Minister with approval of the Council of Ministers shall have the power to publish in the Government Gazette the Notification prescribing weapons, weapons accessories, chemical substances, biological substances, radioactive substances or devices or instruments which may be used in combat or warfare to be arms.”

Therefore it reads to me, that the Minister has very, very wide discretion to dictate exactly what is and is not a weapon .. and need not explicitly name each and every item by a specific name, but may use the items inherent characteristics.

As such, Id take position that “brass knuckles” would be classed as a “arms” thus be subject to the Act.

i have done so many times and never had an issue..

that said, if you’re looking to - example - exchange 20x1000 into 100’s that might be an issue as that’s a fair amount of 100 notes... but commonly any amount less than 100 bills is usually no problem...

now, as far as getting NEW notes (ie still with the BoT wrapper) THAT might be harder as not all branches get new supply and they usually don’t know what they’ll get until the cash drop arrives.

My experience is that if you’re going into a medium to larger size branch, you stand a decent chance.... it would help if you were a customer of that bank .. .. and better yet, a customer of that branch... 

New notes tend to be popular around university graduation time and other types of events... so banks will understand why you are explicitly asking for new notes.

As far as fees go, i have never heard of a fee to simply “break” a few large notes to smaller ones.. nor a fee to get “new” notes.... 

On 2/18/2021 at 6:24 PM, Pilotman said:

I thought 'checks' went out with  flared trousers, big collars and string ties.  Who uses them nowadays? 

For personal use, yes, checks are very very much a rarity... but for businesses - especially lower to mid-sized established businesses, checks are still a rather common sight..

When i first transitioned to BBLs elite banking unit, they offered me a personal checking, but commented that it’s so rare for an individual to have/use one and that many payees an individual might be sending a check to either don’t/won’t accept them, the process is much harder, that there simply isn’t all that much use for them at a individual consumer level.

4 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Above this I wrote something to the effect of "I solemnly swear I possess a legitimate degree in X from university X, etc." Yes, they didn't even want to look at the degree, and that's not what what they're actually verifying. But what they are notarizing is your affidavit that you swear your degree is legitimate. This was then accepted by the Thai MFA, then the labor office, and then khurusapha. At least two other teachers at my school have done this, as have others I've seen posting on the Internet. Hope this is clear enough.

specific to the US Embassy ....  what one does is essentially a SELF-certification... YOU are stating, under penalty of perjury, that your statement (whatever that is on the form) is true and correct.

True, some places and agencies might accept this... but it is fair and correct to note that this process (again, specific to the US embassy) is NOT a certification/verification by the degree-granting school itself nor any a certification/verification by any governmental agency or instrumentality attesting to the legitimacy of the degree itself.

I was required to present an original degree and TOR to my employer and they knew the US process and required it be stamped by the Sec of State (state level) the US DoS Office of Authentifications , then finally the Thai Embassy (Legalization) 

On 2/9/2021 at 6:26 PM, Captain Monday said:

That is because the wide bodies work well with Thai network planning on domestic flights too( before covid)

As long as they can keep them flying full , producing revenue and avoiding ground time, crew utilization also

a factor.

 

 

If i recall correctly, one of the drivers to running a wide body on the BKKCNX sector was, in part, a way to capture some of the ULD-built, air cargo demand.

ULD (Unit Load Device) cargo movements are the more common way mid to large scale cargo shippers move and prefer to move their goods as it reduces their handling costs, tends to lower damages and loss issues and can be “built” onsite by the shipper... and a narrow-body, like the B73x or A32x family can’t accept ULD loads.

So, it made sense for TG to run at least one wide body per day (first morning sector is ideal) on that market.

I agree with the others in that I suspect the end answer will be no..: that said, if you feel you have a justified case, Id contact your local Thai Embassy (I would use a full embassy and not an Honorary Consulate, Consulate or Consulate General) and ask about petitioning for an exemption - which i recall must ultimately come from the CCSA.

but i wouldn’t put much weight into being approved for any type of quarantine waiver/exemption or modification..

6 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

It would be more impressive if they improve their rubbish food choices. They have no clue that a better food choice would improve footfall.

I agree that their food choices could use some improvement... that i agree with.. i do however, think, on balance, their stores are well designed, relaxing and inviting... and their coffee is more than acceptable....  so if they were to perhaps overhaul their menu, i think they’d see a bump in sales and average ticket size.

57 minutes ago, skorp13 said:

They are using foreigner complaints as leverage. If they stay open longer they can make more money and have a better chance at recovering losses. Also girls that work the bar have a chance at more drinks which means more money they have a chance to send home

I agree.. and to a large degree, I think (my opinion only) is that this foreigner complaints “card” is their biggest and best card to play.

That said, I think they’d have a stronger hand if they could (or would) show the trickle down impact that reduced hours creates; ie lower staff tips = reduced spending on X, Y and Z... 

i myself certainly wouldn’t try to trod out the Pattaya is a world-class resort “card” as I think that one is very questionable at best... plus, I think if you’re trying to move feelings /actions, you’re always better off to put it into terms of a person that another individual can relate to or visualize... a world-class resort is, to me, a hard to grasp and questionable visualization at best 

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I feel the problem is less one of fertility and more one about finance. Raising kids is not cheap and many Thais have worked out that none, one or two is better for them than half a dozen hungry mouths to feed.

I agree...

While my experience is limited to a very very small pool of females in this age/circumstance range... but of the ones that i do know, many have said the exact same thing about having kids...

Most like/love the idea of children (2 or more) but many said the economics are hard and many said to me that they saw firsthand when they were kids (from households of 2-4 kids) how hard it was for their parents to make the economics work ...  plus many of the women also said that they’d finished university and now would like to work and develop a career based on their degree ... and they also want to have some amount of savings put aside.   what i also heard from many was that that they planned to “raise” their kids alone rather than with the biological father as it wasn’t necessary - many of my female colleagues are from single parent (mom) households. 

11 hours ago, jackdd said:

He said "residing in Thailand"

Foreigners on non-immigrant visas aren't considered as residents, but as temporary visitors.

So if this turns out to only apply to permanent residents he wasn't lying.

I agree in that the term “residents” does have a immigration-based definition... that said, i suspect - my guess only - is that when the term “resident” is used by government and quasi-governmental entities *outside* of the IB, I think they are using a more “common man” definition which i might envision means those here on one or more of the long-stay (ie yearly) visas/extensions.

I do think the acquisition of new aircraft isn’t all that bad of an idea.

In the short term it’s going to drive down their line maintenance costs markedly 

For example, I recall their 772’s are ready for fleet removal and that will help as that fleet type is now around the 14 year mark with some of their oldest 772 being acquired in late ‘06

Overall their net fleet age isn’t too bad, but that’s largely driven by their A388’s and 787’s... so... to me, if they replaced their older 772s that would help tremendously with not only line maintenance costs, but also boot network reliability... and of course have a huge impact on driving down CASM (Cost per Available Seat Mile).

So... while i agree the optics of adding fleet now seems perhaps odd or unwise, i also recognize that given the overall interest rate environment is at very very low levels, this actually might be a good time to borrow for fleet renewal projects....: and by moving to a more fuel efficient fleet should help drive down operational costs on a post-restructuring basis.

5 hours ago, flexomike said:

you can take all you want out of the US, just have to declare it with customs if over $10,000, they do have sniffer dogs at some airports and than can smell out the money, I am speaking from experience. Wasn't aware of the limit and got sniffed out by a dog In Minneapolis, the officer gave me a hard time but after filling out some paperwork I was OK

This is a good point.  when you speak of traveling with cash, you should consider the laws of the arriving AND departing countries.

Many, like the US, DO in fact have *reporting* mandates for currency (which includes not only paper currency, but a lot more that the government depends to be cash-like or cash equivalent) EXPORTS due both citizens and non-citizens alike.

I myself have traveled from the US to thailand with $15,000 and once with $27,000 in paper currency form.  both times i filed a paper FinCen form with the CBP office at my departing airport and made a verbal declaration at the Thai customs RED channel.  the time with $15,000 the officer said “no problem” and waved me on...  the time with $27,000 they “ran” my name/data in their CRD system and asked to see the currency.. other than that, there were no issues. 

21 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

As indicated, unless you ride most every day, the Rabbit stored value card is the way to go. 

 

If you do ride daily, you can get a monthly pass with a set number or trips, but it's use=it-or-lose-it.

I agree... I’d also add that for the monthly pass system, you’d be wise to “do the math” as the monthly passes assume a value of each trip of X ... regardless of how far YOUR actual trip is*. 

so you’d probably want to know how much is the cash price for your typical BTS ride, then look at the monthly pass to see if there’s a savings, and if so, is it enough.

(*I recall that some trips incur a modest cash-top up in addition to the use of one trip credit when using the monthly pass)
 

It’s actually very easy.

I got my first EIP via paper check .. and that went to a oz. This time I got my smaller EIP via that Debit card..

If you follow the directions, it’s actually very easy.. as noted, you can also have the funds directly sent from “the card” to your US based bank - no fees....  you can also pull the funds from any ATM.. but many arms will still hit you with fees UNLESS you use one of the Money Pass network ATMS- then it’s free.. lastly can also use it for day-to-day spend.. alike any other pre-paid debit card...

I myself decided when i first arrived that as a part of trying to truly build a life here, that one part (of many parts) was to develop my financial footprint.

I don’t subscribe that debt is good, but I did seek, and currently have true credit cards* issued to me alone (Im employed, and single) and backed by my own personal thai credit file.

Given money can be moved fairly quickly and credit cards are largely universal in terms of acceptance.. I don’t think it’s really a NEED-TO-HAVE relative to credit cards... but ... i DO think there can be some upside...

My BBL and KBank cards all offer some decent dining promos that i regularly use.. and the cards I do carry are either fee-free or fee-waived due to my annual spend or overall relationship with the bank in question.