new2here

I think the Singapore comparison is a tenuous one at best... SMRT Trains Ltd is wholly owned by SMRT which I turn is 100% owned by the SG sovereign earth fund... while not *directly* government owned, there are no private shareholders - only the Ministry of Finance. 
 

by comparison, the BTS is ultimately owned by the government but operates under long term concession.

 

so, I think there are fundamental differences in how the two approach not only pricing but also operating strategies. 
 

Do I myself think the BTS is “expensive”?  That’s hard to answer with a flat yes or no.  I think it IS fairly priced for: a) what/where it is, b) who are it’s target ridership/clientele and c) how it’s cost/ownership/operating structure is set up.

 

i don’t think it was ever really designed (rightly or wrongly) for the use by the minimum wage earner... now, I myself think that perhaps this I was a poor public planning idea at the onset, but I do think that’s what it was... and from the onset the routes, fare structure, times of operations etc were geared to those who were the selected target.

 

i also think that, while an unpopular viewpoint, I can see why the BTS, as the concession operator, would resist either adding frequencies or adding carriages to alleviate “overcrowding” at peak times —- it’s all down to costs... and so long as they are running with load factors that don’t ever really and truly hit 100% or even into the upper 90s across the system for *sustained* periods of time, then there’s no business cases to be made for adding costs into the equation.

sure no one likes a full carriage or waiting for the next carriage with room - myself included - but I think there’s a cost side to be considered too.

 

yes, the parent company makes a lot of money... true.. but that alone doesn’t then translate into a private business justifiable case whereby they “should” add costs into the equation— just because they can afford to ... or not.

For me, while I have noted some increases - what I haven’t really seen is large across-the-board price increases... to me, it seems to be more hit-or-miss with somethings like haircut, massage, cleaning staff and related labour intensive services being at or just slightly higher than years past,  but other things like some non-Asian food being noticeable more.

 

On 11/16/2019 at 3:35 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Thats exactly why some Embassies stopped with the Verification on Income letter.

 

It was impossible for them to be able to accurately verify the income of all requests without a larger team, significant leg work and cost. 

 

Too many people were outright lying on their income claims and the Embassies were unwilling to sign off on a legal document they were unable to verify. 

 

Of course, people blamed the Embassies for their change of policy, however, really its the immigration requirement which is awkward for some to meet and when they can't they unfairly complain at their Embassy for not being willing to verify / notaries their spurious income claim. 

 

Basically, some folk are upset they can't use their Embassy to lie for them. 

I agree with the first part - the embassies didn’t really have the ability to definitively say that the income stated was in fact as it was self-reported to be... sure, I’ll bet that for some (I’m not a british citizen so I can’t comment on the U.K. systems specifics) people’s incomes would hav been verified as it perhaps came from wholly state controlled sources... but I think for others that may not have been the case...

 

 so... to that end, I can see why an embassy would be reluctant to “sign off” on such a document.

 

as to the last part... were there some who flat out lied (knowingly presented false data)?  I’m sure there were... but.. it is my opinion only, that these folks were probably in the minority... but I cede that any level of fraud does tend to diminish credibility in the process - and that puts its legitimacy into question by outside parties.

I think this is correct.  Everyone I have known who stopped working needed a form, in landscape format I recall, that comes from the employer- which effectively says who you are, passport, nationality and date of termination.

 

i don’t recall of anyone I know who has managed to legally “cancel” their own permit legally - but to be fair most everyone I know comes from the world of academia and perhaps the rules for other types of employee(er) situations (like BOI) may be different.

I agree with the above. At this point, I suspect that Customs knows there’s something “a miss” with the stated declared value and what they see...

So... since you don’t have genuine documentation, you can’t rally produce anything and “doubling down” really means willfully producing falsified/fraudulent papers to circumvent law.. which, given the value of the thing your taking about, to me, isn’t a worthwhile risk-v-reward situation.

I think a “refused delivery consignee” is your only and best bet at this point. I’m not sure what fees, penalties or the like MAY be involved with a “RTS” return-to-sender shipment, but it’s my opinion that whatever it may be, it still better than trying your luck with what will end up being fraudulent documents.


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Not sure if you realize, but the thai cost of the medical care IS the cost of the treatment. The service that is "substantially underwritten by public funds" is the 30 baht gold card scheme, not the hospital bills. Charging people way above what the base cost is , is simply to make profits. I don't think anyone would ever suggest public services should be in the business of making profits.

I do realize that.. my base point remains that when you speak of using a state-funded service, then I think there can be a good case made for those who have paid the underlying costs through normal taxation channels to pay a “tax-payer rate” or “subsidized” rate as opposed to those who essentially have not or do not pay taxes through similar channels.

Yes, the 30baht program is the price.. totally true... but... I also think that it’s fair for public hospitals, built with tax-payer funds, equipped with tax-payer funded hardware, that there is a rate table that reflect each patients tax-participation level.

I also agree that the essence of a public services should not be to generate profits like a traditional privately held, “for-profit” entity would be..... that said, I DO think it’s ok for some services (like heath care, transport services, etc) to be priced such that one of their missions, aside from the actual service delivery itself, is to ensure that revenues cover their operating costs, nett of state subsidies.


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As a whole I am against so-called two-tier pricing... but.... I DO think there is some merit when the service in question is one that is substantially underwritten by public funds as opposed to a service that is provided by a wholly privately run business.

Yes, I think it’s fair to note that pretty much anyone and everyone here - including those in class 2 or 3, all pay some amount of “taxes” if you will via their own natural spending and the VAT that is included... but... I do think that if you were to look at the typical Thai (such that this is) and a typical person in classes 2 and 3, I’d wonder if the Thai will end up paying more in taxes nett (in their lifetime), than a foreigner in class 2 or 3 (for the period that they are in the Kingdom)




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Because I am paid in THB, I’ve found that trips to Europe and the US are easier on the wallet.. not massively per se.... but I do notice that what used to be perhaps a $3,000 trips now ends up actually costing me more like $2,700 or so...

Have I made changes to how I spend? Not really I don’t think so, but I do notice the change in THB versus USD a little bit more when it comes to account settlement time on my credit cards.


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That’s unfortunate for sure.... and I think that for the online shopping platform, unless you go with a purely closed eco-system where by the online platform is also the supplier/seller and no other outside seller may use the platform, there’s always going to be the chance to run into “bad actors” on either side (this is to recognize that there can be cases of fraud and misrepresentation on the side of the buyer too)

That said, I do think that Lazada and others, who profit from the use of their platforms by outside actors, take all reasonable measures to prevent such... will it ever be 100%? No, I just don’t think that’s going to be realistic... but I do think they have an onus to assist buyers, like the OP, to come to a fair resolution when issues occur.

I’ve use Lazada, Shoppee and Tesco’s online platform and generally be well satisfied... but I also tend to limit my buying to items that are more interchangeable or commodity-like and tend to be on the lower end of the price spectrum... while I’m sure I could save some money by using an e-platform for bigger purchases, for the time being, I, myself am still a bit cautious with higher ticket purchases and tend to stick to more traditional brick-mortar outlets where I have a more tangible avenue for recourse - if such a need were to arise.


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I know some embassies and other similar entities don’t accept mail at that location directly, but accept it at an off-site location for security screening first. Kind of how general mail addresses to the White House (1600 Penn.) doesn’t go to the WH directly, but to a secured off-site screening building first. I wonder if that’s what is happening?


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Unless you're black.  Last month I came back from Vietnam & black passengers were being singled out by officers who were checking passengers' papers before they reached Immigration.

.... but did you actually see an different >enforcementof the rules for those that were allegedly singled out for examination? It doesn’t sound like there was any real action taken against those that were “black” per se- only that perhaps they were checked more closely.


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Generally the mail service if fine.Howrver as with most things it can vary from place to place. Most issues tend to be with the Postman not the service itself.
To ensure this aspect is better, get yourself a PO Box at your local office then you are not reliant on the Postman. 500 baht yr is usual cost.

My opinion and experience is the same as the above... overall, more than acceptable... that said, I also love in a large, well-known condo building in my postal delivery area and we have overall good delivery staff..

Like the above, I too went and got a P.O. Box - mine is at Nana P.O. as that was the closest office that had open boxes at the time i was looking.. Bangrak was full as was Yanna Wa... the only issue that might come up is - as I recall and is the case at the Nana P.O. - is that the area where the boxes are, is in a secured part of the larger P.O. building, thus is inaccessible after post office lobby hours.... yes, I have heard other P.O.s have 24/7 access, so I’d be sure to check this out IF this is a concern for you. But overall having a P.O. does remove one layer of potential delivery problems... and at B500 per year (for the smallest box and paid in one yearly amount) is an easy to afford price.




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Still trying to fully understand your explanation here...
 
As I understand you, you're saying an overnight hotel stay is required in Xiamen going both directions on the BKK-Seattle route.
 
But on the LAX-BKK route, you seem to be saying the LAX to BKK segment does NOT require an overnight hotel stay in Xiamen... But I'm not following whether that's the same or different on the outbound BKK to LAX trip???
 

For Seattle, due to the fact that there is a 2.5hr technical stop in SZN, there is no way to avoid the overnight in XMN. You get into XMN too late to make a same-day connection down to Bangkok. It’s been like this since MF started SEA service.

I suspect this is why you will almost always find MF to be either THE lowest or one of the lowest fares on that market- essentially it’s priced to take into account the less-than-idea connection situation and the fact that total travel time balloons out to more than 30hrs because of the layover (8hrs+) and the stopover in SZN (2.5hra)


For Los Angles, that’s different... because to/from LAX a) the departure time from LAX is very very early in the morning (like a little after midnight) AND b) the fact that the LAX flight goes to XMN on a NON-STOP basis (in other words, unlike Seattle services, there is no SZN technical stop) you arrive in XMN early in the morning- thus you ARE able to make a same day onward connection to Bangkok. Therefore, flying to/from LAX does NOT use or require an overnight layover. It operate pretty much like all “normal” connections people are used to.

If works the same on the return- BKK-LAX... you’d leave BKK in the late morning and arrive in XMN afternoon or so.. their XMN-LAX flight leaves around 9:30ish PM... so you’d be looking at a few hours or so in the airport - nothing that would require a hotel or the like.

Do note: this is based on their current flying timetable and routing. If MF were to add (in the case of (LAX) or remove (in the case of SEA) a stopover, then this would radically change the connection timing and requirements in China.

But let me reiterate- service wise, I have zero issues. They’ve always been excellent onboard... and on the ground, because SZN is a focus city and XMN is their global hub, there’s always plenty of staff around..

So, if you’re a Seattle flyer, AND willing to deal with that connection story, it’s a good way to potentially save some real $$$. Out of LAX, given the current timing, they operate pretty much like everyone else.


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When I did it via LAX it was far easier as their LAX service is non-stop into XMN... so you don’t have any Shenzhen issues... and because it’s a late late night departure from LAX, that puts you into XMN early, early in the morning and therefore you can make a connection down to BKK a few hours later. Bags checked all the way to BKK, but there is still an immigration component in XMN.

I would say their LAX option is far easier in terms of connections then their SEA service which always has a technical stop both ways.


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Carrier: Xiamen Air (MF)

Route: BKK-XMN-SEA-XMN-BKK

Class: Business

Fleet: B738/B788

Dates: Late April/Early May 2019

 

I’ve flown MF several times on this sector as well as to LAX.

 

Overall, I will say — for the fare paid - it’s a good deal..

 

But... there’s a big (IMHO it’s big) but that comes with this.

 

Flying to/from Seattle and BKK requires that you overnight in XMN both ways.

 

On the outbound (to SEA) you tend to arrive in the late afternoon or evening - depending if you book their first AM departure or the midday flight. Then, the next morning, it’s an 0830 departure out of XMN. So, the layover is a true overnight.

 

However the good part here is that (at present) MF gives you a free* hotel for that overnight. If you are on a economy class booking, then the room could be SHARED with one other passenger of the same sex. If you’re in business or an elite holder, you get your own hotel room - no share.

 

For economy, sometimes there isn’t anyone else, so you might luck out and get a room to yourself, but they (MF) do tell you that you could end up with a “roommate”

 

Also, MF pays ONLY for the hotel and related taxes.. you have to pay for the taxi fare to get to the hotel and back. Most all of the hotels MF uses do NOT have a free hotel-airport shuttle. Thankfully, the hotels are all relatively close by and the fare will be in the RMB30 range each way (about US$6)... but you’ll have to pay the taxi in RMB.

 

One last wrinkle.... the Seattle service makes a “technical” stop in SZN both ways - to and from Seattle and Xiamen. Outbound to Seattle, you will clear and exit China immigration in SZN... Inbound from Seattle you will clear and enter China immigration in SZN. Checked baggage however is cleared by customs only in XMN both ways..

 

This means that unlike most “traditional” connections, using MF means that the process takes far longer and is much more cumbersome, than the more traditional walk to the next flights gate. MF does have a lot of staff around to make sure you don’t get lost and the process is pretty well organized now.. so it’s very doable.. but it does add 2+ hours onto an otherwise long day of travel.

 

Speaking to onboard. The 788 used is first rate and I’ve found the cabin crew to be more than ample. Yes, their English skills aren’t native-level, but given their role and range of interaction with you, there should be no issues.

 

Meals are offered in both traditional western as well as Chinese/Asian options.

 

All the times I’ve flown them, i would say the passenger mix is nearly 90+ Chinese with a small handful of western nationalities.

 

They do have free WiFi, but you have to sign up and get a code BEFORE you travel.

 

Would I recommend them? I would BUT, you have to understand and be willing to “deal with” that enroute/overnight layover... but MF tends to be fairly lower priced as compared to other carriers to fly a more traditional schedule.. so you’ll have to decide if the savings is enough to compensate you for the stopover. I’ve talked to a few people who reported saving more than $300 over other airlines... so depending on the exact fares, the savings flying MF may be considerable... you just have to decide if all the stopover/layover process is worth it to you.

 

Lastly.. but sure you check about visa requirements and if you and your specific booking are eligible for the newish TWOV that China now offers from selected cities.

 

 

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Another example of once an EMS mailing enters the foreign country postal system that tracking can make it look like the shipment has been lost in space....but then the addressee receives it which the EMS tracking may not reflect immediately (or maybe ever).   The communications/updates between postal systems of different countries is far from real time or complete. 

I agree. I regularly send letters and small parcels to the US from Bangkok and tracking on the Thai Post side tends to be very soldi right up to export from the SMC (Suvarnabhumi Mail Centre).... however, once it hits the US, overall the USPS tracking tends to be very good... so.. really the only “gap” per se, is basically the time between leaving the SMC and the time it hits and clears the importing USPS/CBP Mail center... that time can be a few days and sometimes my letters/parcels miss that scan - so I looks like it’s really in a black hole... until it hits my local PO where local delivery scans now kick in.


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Around 10 days...or that is how long it took when the wife and I got our US passport renewed a couple years ago...we renewed at separate times about a year apart.   You can either have them email you to come to the embassy to pickup the new passport or when applying you can tell them to just mail it to you.

I did mine in October (before the change to mail-delivery only) and it took exactly 11 days. They gave me a date-stamped “return pick up” slip and it was ready at the consular building on that day exactly.

As far as how long in the consular building to apply? I think from the moment I walked in (based on my early AM appointment time) to the moment I walked outside, I think it was less than :45 or so...


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In the current climate, I simply wouldn't hand over any rent or deposit money until and unless the landlord fills in the TM30 form and provides the additional documents required.
 
In fairness though, both my current and my previous landlord did just that without me even prompting them - but from this report and similar ones in the past, it's obvious that some (many?) landlords aren't familiar with their duty to report a foreign tenant yet. Ultimately it's us, the foreigners, who will be screwed.

I agree. I’ve had several close friends who’ve been in this situation. Not that their landlord simply wasn’t willing to do so- only that they were wholly unaware that such regulation was in fact mandatory.

While not in Bangkok, each time my friends ran into this issue, they asked an IO from their local office call their landlord and explain what the mandate is, what’s needed for compliance and the process.


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What if they still have to take you if you refuse to buy a ticket - which I understand to be the case.

 

I suspect what will happen (and is common for many carriers) and many carriers legal contract with you permits, is that the existing onward/return tickets value will be used as the principle means to “pay” for your repatriation...

 

Also remember that so long as the carrier that is tasked with repatriating you is the same carrier who issued your ticket (that means the first 3 numbers of your e-ticket) they can always make changes to it— even if your ticket had you flying out of Thailand on a different carrier (I.e. interline) that issuing carrier has a lot of control over it and, by association, the funds/value it represents.

 

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I have submitted exactly on the 15th day and received my receipt with the stamp saying send in 15 day next time. Also I have sent reports 16 days in advance and received the receipt with no comments. I would guess that one day  over is accepted due to mail delivery times.

Thanks, I am beginning to think the red stamp isn’t a “you did it wrong” type of warning (which is how I have personally interpreted it) but more of a general reminder.

The other part I can’t determine is what if 15 days just so happens to be a Saturday/Sunday/holiday. My guess is that you’d advance up (more than 15) and not push back (to less than 15) but haven’t gotten really clear guidance on the matter


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I have a question that I can’t seem to get answered or by someone at CW with reference to the date or time that I can submit a MAIL in 90 day report.

 

In the past, when I’ve done it, the new report slip (computer generated now and not the tear-off section of the TM7) was red stamped “Next time please send 15 days before the due date”. But I have always sent it well before— usually received (via EMS) around 18+/- days before.

 

However...

 

On this last report, I sent in my paperwork and it arrived at CW 18 days before but was sent back, the very next day, and I got a call from someone at Immigration that said I was too early. She said “15 days”...

 

I know that if it’s received LESS than 15 days they can (and I hear usually will) return it to you and now you’re essentially stuck doing an in-person report.

 

So... is it that I have to time it so that it’s received by CW *exactly* at the 15 day mark? Not 16 or 17 and not 14 or 13?

 

I called (and a Thai speaking friend asked) and was told the same “15 days”... but couldn’t/didn’t get clarity as to does 15 days mean ‘no less than..’ or ‘no more than’ or ‘exactly’

 

Also, IF it is in fact exactly 15 days, if that 15 day mark happens to fall on a non-working day (Saturday, Sunday or holiday) how is that accounted for.

 

I get it that CW doesn’t want reports coming in 30+ days early... not do they want reports coming in on the expiry date either... so the “15 days” makes operational sense. But I just can’t get a clear answer as to is it 15 days exactly, or what.

 

 

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20 hours ago, mogandave said:

 

5 Baht a bag is not much to us, but to a poor guy with a family grunting out a living on 10k a month it could be.

I would much rather see a deposit than a tax or fee.

 

I could go with that too.. I just think that a taxation-type approach isn’t really going to truly fix the issue long term.. but I agree that whatever tax/fee arrangement is put into place isn’t overly burdensome.. it should be motivational and not debilitating.    

I don’t think that you really can “tax” or regulate your way out of this kind of issue.

Yes, I do think a nominal B5 or the like, tax on the use/store supply of a traditional plastic bag, is a good idea and can’t “hurt” per se.

But I think the real key to sustainable improvement will be a shift in attitude... taxes, fees, regulations and such will all help start the behavior shift and encourage (through financial disincentive) behavior change.. but I don’t think any that will be the real long-term solution.

I know and understand why a society or government may choose to address issues via regulation and taxation - it’s easier, generally quicker and more tangible - but I just don’t think it’s a genuine solution that’s both sustainable and leads to true behavior changes absent the external negative stimuli (the tax/fee) being present and active.


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7 minutes ago, Davai said:

Anotger question is see there is a re entry desk at suvanabum is it possible to do re entry stamp 2 weeks before flying at suvanabum airport ?

No.  The Immigration office/desk (speaking for Suvarnabhumi only) where they process reentry permits is physically located just after or behind the outbound immigration processing area.  So... the only way for a passenger or general public to access this office/desk, is to have first been security screened AND competed and been “stamped out” of Thailand... both of these steps require you to have and show security access staff and immigration officers, a valid same-day boarding pass issued for a flight out of suvarnabhumi.

I have to agree with the others, on the whole, the level of consumer rights rules and the system and process in place to enforce and protect them is just not of the same standard as that as perhaps in countries like the US Or regions like the EU. Right or wrong is a different conversation, but this is just to say that IMHO, on a comparison basis alone, you don’t have the same level of rights or protections here.

Could you move forward with legal action? Probably... but... before I did I’d want to first take a hard look at my case critically looking at the facts, what law, laws or company policies/warranties I have, what are the economics in play— then make a choice if the value is there for you to expend money to move forward.

IMHO, unless you have a pretty solid written warranty and documentation showing a failure, and the amount of money is material, I’d probably just move on or accept one of their compromise solutions.


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