richard_smith237

6 hours ago, oldhippy said:

QUOTE:

Everything we buy has marketing now. Why do you consider JW "clever"? Do you consider the price difference between red and black labels to great for the increase in quality?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Unfortunately you are right, the cost price  of many products now mainly comes from their marketing (and taxes).

 

I am old school - I buy a product for what is in it, not for what some slick marketing manager has enhanced it with.

 

The difference between red and black JW? No idea, I seldom drink whisky, and if I do, I prefer the better stuff. Unless I want to get drunk - happens occasionally, in that case the cheapest available will do.

The difference between Red and Black Label ?.... in my younger years here in Bangkok when my friends and I went out on the sauce we used to drink Suntory Red... we suffered hangovers, after a while we switched to Johnny Red and suffered less extreme hangovers...  Switching to Johnny Black or Chivas the hangers were much reduced... 

Thus: When partying and mixing whisky with whatever the difference is very little, but the difference was noticed the next day... 

But mixing Beer, then Wine, then Whisky on an evening is a recipe for a tender morning after... No 4am noodles and a pint of water before bed can resolve that potential 'let me just stay in bed all day' moment !

1 minute ago, berybert said:

I'm glad I don't go to the same optician as you lot do.

The car is overtaking the bike then slows and turns, I.E. he cut the bike rider up

Please quote to place your response in context...  I (we) are not sure who's post you are referring to. 

If it was mine, please read again, we are in agreement. 

9 hours ago, loong said:

100% the fault of the pick-up driver.

Undertaking is allowed in this situation. In fact motorcyclists can be fined for travelling in the right hand lane.

I suggest that you pause the video as soon as the vehicles come into view.

The pick-up is clearly coming from the far right lane and cutting in front of the bike. It doesn't matter whether he had his indicators on or not, it doesn't make it ok to cut in front of another vehicle.

Most fuel stations have a very high sign and can be seen from a long way off. The pick up should have maneuvered into the left lane long before this.

At first I figured 100% the motorcycles fault for attempting to undertake. However, after watching the video again and after reading your comments I can see my mistake in observation. I'm doing an about turn and am now of the opinion that the Pickup driver is 100% to blame for the accident. 

I too see that the pickup driver started in the 2nd lane and cut across into the 1st (left most) lane to turn left. It seems the pickup drivers decision to make the turn was a late one, he did not show his intention to turn at least 30m in advance (as per land traffic act) and failed to position his vehicle correctly. 

I do believe the pick up driver may not have noticed the incident, but this is Thailand who can tell with the numbers of hit and runs we see. 

The motorcyclist could also have avoided this incident. 

I think both the pickup driver and the motorcyclists were hardly paying attention, which IMO is the route cause of this accident (2 people driving / riding carelessly). That said, IMO: Pickup driver is at fault. 

15 minutes ago, fruitman said:

Exactly. Would be better at 200.000 baht.

 

So NOBODY should come to Thailand bringing designer clothes/purses/shoes without the receipts..No Macbooks , Ultrabooks or Nikon camera's. No musicinstruments, protheses or golden teeth, maybe pacemakers have to be declared as well?

 

Quality tourists like Thailand is begging for will go elsewhere i guess.  Is it the same in Singapore with 20.000 baht maximum?

I think many countries have similar limits on the value of items brought in. 

The issue for me is that these regulations involve so much ambiguity there exists a possibility whereby many of us could fall foul of an overzealous customs officer. 

That said, common sense does appear to apply here and while this story has inflamed opinions, only one story has been presented whereby customs have behaved quite unreasonably (*earlier post regarding a 2 year old handbag). 

The legality of UBER has been questioned numerous times on this thread. 

If I'm not mistaken, the answer, UBER are both legal and illegal....  the legality is dependent on the type of registration the vehicle holds.

UBERx for the most part are illegal (White number plate background, with black script / numbers), these are private vehicles and not registered to take fare paying passengers. 

UBER Black on the other hand are for the majority, legal (White number plate background, with green script / numbers), these are vehicles which are registered to take fare paying passengers. There are also a number of UBER Black vehicles for which it is not legal to take fare paying passengers (White number plate background, with black script / numbers).

As I understand it, the legality also considers the insurance coverage of the vehicle to carry fare paying passengers. 

Thus: Its not quite 'black and white' or... 'black and green' in this case. That said, in comparison, many of the taxi's are not correctly insured (I've had an accident with an uninsured Taxi and assume many are not insured), also many of the drivers are not the same person indicated on the interior license plate. 

If Taxi's were all fully legal and followed professional practices I would be in full support of them. Experience has taught me that this is most definitely not the case.

The Taxi drivers have made their bed, the public are becoming exasperated with the behavior and attitudes of taxi drivers in Thailand (and it seems a number of other countries too, which is where UBER have stepped in). The pubic have become exasperated with the taxi drivers sense of entitlement, their petulance and in many cases criminal (or at the least illegal) behavior,  the public in growing numbers are showing support towards an alternative... UBER in Thailand are simply providing this alternative, as are All Thai Taxi (in Bkk) but their numbers are not many and they fail to provide sufficient competition, their 'app booking systems' remain flawed for they are rarely available to the point many forget all about All Thai Taxi.

GRABTaxi could be an excellent alternative, I have positive feelings regarding duel accountability (both driver and passenger are registered in the app which offers some form of accountability), however, the many times I have used GRAB Taxi a regular taxi turns up, which often means its in a poor state of repair, no seat-belts in the back and a driver with an attitude that he is entitled to my custom and I should be privileged to sit in his car rather than one of mutual respect in the meeting of a double coincidence of want (the driver respectfully provides a service which I respectfully pay for according to metered rates).

I think all of the issues with Taxi's in Thailand comes down to the attitudes of the drivers and their sense of entitlement which may stem in some part from a desperation to make ends meet. But in aggregate their attitudes do little to garner support of the general public. All they need to do is turn over a new leaf and take pride in and value their service, however, the re-education of a whole industry seems a little too much to ask.

2 minutes ago, trogers said:

That 2-year old Gucci bag answers your question...

Indeed, that story is particularly worrisome...  it opens up a potential can of worms for any traveller entering Thailand.

Fortunately, as things stand the Customs officials are fairly flaccid in their enforcement.... with the exception of the 'Gucci handbag' story above. 

1 minute ago, sanukjim said:

All over the world people are in error about the names of alcohols. You would have to be a cheapo to chose Samson over Johnny Walker or just don't have a taste for good whiskey.Of course if you use anything other then water as a mixture in a whiskey you diffidently do not have a taste for whiskey so just drink the cheap stuff as it suits you.

Just love this kind of snobbery when talking about Black Label... 

Its a good enough drink neat, or mixed with whatever you like... its hardly top shelf. 

I drink it instead of Sang Som because Sang Son would give me a ruinous hangover.

I drink Black Label mixed with Soda and a dash of coke when out in a club with friends (bottle on the table), or sometimes neat on ice if I'm feeling too full...  I strengthen up to get my sparkle on, and weaken down if I'm feeling 'wobbly' !!!

Very rarely a headachy hangover on just Black label alone... 

If sat at home, then perhaps something a little nicer to sip....  

Muncher...

3 hours ago, Xaos said:

 

Boy was taking photos of girls in toilet then going through them. One girl spotted it and came back with farang to confront him. He hide phone and the rest is on Cctv.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 

 

Is that actually fact... because already on this thread one person has alluded the the fact that he gave the very same theory, which was then picked up by coconuts news, the poster in question was then approached by coconuts who never let facts get in the way of a good story..... 

So... Is this something you know, from a reliable source (not coconuts) or just hearsay from this forum ????

35 minutes ago, trogers said:

That's your opinion. Lecture that to the one who points a gun or knife at you sometime in the future.

You go to weddings, meetings, decent restaurants and bars with people who have guns and knives ?

I admit, I would feel slightly more vulnerable walking down beach-road in Pattaya with a Rolex watch. I'm assuming you are of the opinion that should I ever walk down beach road in Pattaya with a Rolex I would deserve it if I were the victim of any robbery.... 

Note: I do actually chose where to wear items which may be perceived as valuable by those in my surroundings potentially placing myself in a vulnerable situation. 

But, by your comments troggers, can I assume you never wear anything decent or of considered value? 

Now, I place very high value on my passport, and so could criminals who could sell it on. We are advised to carry our passports with us at all times. Thus, would I deserve it if my passport were stollen ?

You see, your arguments, while understood are so fundamentally flawed on every level of decency. I'm just relieved we are discussing belongings and not an attack on an attractive young lady dressed for a night out. 

1 minute ago, smccolley said:

In the video I can see the indicator. 

 

To be fair though, he could have thought it was a pothole in the road.

 

There was a time I thought I hit a pothole in my 4x4 but my wife insisted it was a car. No damage to my truck but we went back to the scene and found a tire sized dent in my friend's yaris's hood...

Were you diving a Humvee or monster-truck ?

I've nearly been involved in very similar accidents in Bangkok. 

Turning left in to a the Soi where I live....  not only did I have to position my car to prevent motorcyclists from undertaking, but I also had to stop more often than not to give way to the motorcyclists riding down the pavement. 

This never happened, because I was well aware of the carelessness of many road users, especially those motorcyclists trying to undertake and riding down the pavement. 

That said: All the pickup did was indicate and turn left. He could have avoided the accident by being more observant, but I still consider the accident 100% the motorcyclists fault for attempting to undertake. 

28 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You obviously never tried to take a taxi to Auckland airport. The taxi drivers are just a bunch of extorting crooks.

Pattaya "taxi" prices have always been a rip off if not on the fixed route which is the best priced in Thailand.

Same everywhere though. Try taking a tuk tuk in Phuket!

Never had an issue with Taxi's in Aukland... in and around the city, and from and to the airport...

Tuk Tuks in Phuket... I agree... A-holes !

11 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

Yes I agree although the truck driver has also been charged with reckless driving. In the papers in the UK today.

I believe its quite normal in the event of a road accident involving death that all related parties be charged. 

(first class insurance in Thailand has a 200,000 baht bail bond for this purpose). 

The BiB simply appear to be following protocol. The real issue will be what happens IF these charges are actually brought to light. 

It is my guess that charges will be waived and the poor man will be free to grieve the consequences of this tragic accident. 

5 minutes ago, trogers said:

Deserve is a subjective word.

 

And in my opinion, the guy who climbed the fence into a pride of lions deserve the consequence. He knows the risk and he should not ask why he becomes a victim.

haha.. this is getting sillier and sillier....  You are continuing to argue that someone who is robbed deserves it... 

No one deserves to be robbed... anywhere....  No one deserves to be the victim of any crime.

Well some might, perhaps if a thief were robbed, they may deserve it... 

4 minutes ago, SABloke said:

 

UK is 390 Pounds (only 17 500 Baht).

 

Yep - the UK Customs have equally archaic and idiotic regulations.... I guess these types of regulation are never modified or altered as that would take effort and be of no financial benefit to Customs and Excise (in any country). 

27 minutes ago, trogers said:

I am prepared to lose a Casio should it be a great temptation to the desperate locals among whom I am having a vacation.

 

But I guess they would be too smart to expend such energies for my Casio when there is a Rolex nearby...

You're still avoiding the 'deserve' question....  I guess because you can't answer it without admitting the comment was wrong. 

I understand the point you are trying to make in that with more valuable belongings we risk greater loss... especially if traveling to areas of a known higher crime rate. But that doesn't mean anyone deserves to be the victim of a crime... prepared, they should be... Predict, they could. Take measures to avoid, they can...... but deserve ? no... 

The pickup was indication. 

The motorcyclist tried to undertake.

It was 100% the motorcyclists fault. 

Now, to the question. Who believes the pickup driver saying he didn't notice the bike ?

Well, he must have been sleeping not to notice, but I believe that the pickup driver didn't notice that a bike had hit him. 

That said - the pickup driver 'should' have checked his mirrors before maneuvering....  I still believe this accident is 100% the fault of the motorcyclist. 

9 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

Not exactly that. I made a conscious decision about seventeen years ago that I was not going to buy any more private health insurance, this decision followed many years of paying fees for it that had increased every year and eventually become so cost ineffective I had actually become angry at the way the industry was ripping me off - the straw that broke the camels back was seventeen years ago when I wrote a cheque for almost 5k Pounds to Bupa UK to renew my policy and I thought, there has to be a better way. So instead of paying fees to insurance companies I set aside a sum of money that is liquid but I invest and I roll up the principle and interest monthly, the purpose of that fund is to pay my private medical expenses, as and when they arise.

 

In the seventeen years I've been doing this I've more than doubled the value of the fund to the point where I've now actually reduced it's value because I thought the fund was getting too large. In those seventeen years I've paid out 170k Baht for a cardiac stent (PCI) plus about 82k Baht for diagnostic tests of one sort or another - I don't charge my fund for routine medical things such as doctors visits, health exams or medication I take monthly such as statins and aspirin and there's a lot of subjectivity on my part about what things should be charged and what shouldn't. My basic rule is that the fund will pay for anything that is likely to impact my regular monthly living expenses budget and that seems to work out well. The fund is capable of paying for two major medical events and the residual value of the fund forms part of my Thai and UK wills and will be passed to my heirs when I die.

 

I don't recommend the above to everyone, it takes a lot of discipline to run and manage plus you need to start off with a healthy sum. But I enjoy all of that and I had the money available when I sold a property in the UK so for me it has worked out well.

That seems like quite a decent way of handling it...  

If you don't mind my asking, what preparations do you have in the event of something much more significant occurring... i.e. the dreaded cancer which requires some repeated and quite expensive treatment (which could easily be more than 5 million baht per year)....  

I suffered a DVT and Pulmonary Embolism while in Borneo... I was medevaced to Singapore on a learjet, spend 10 days in a hospital.... the Bills were astronomical, my insurance covered all this... I was 33 years old... 

I also know of a lady who at 40 years old suffered a rare illness, she was in ICU for a month, bed bound in hospital for 4 months, after release required daily physio - her bills were huge (about 5 million baht), she had no insurance, I think her parents had to help by remortgaging their house. 

That said, I know many more people who have never needed to go to hospital so odds are we're all ok... well most of us. But its taking a big chance unless we have that 'standby' money. 

8 minutes ago, humqdpf said:

Now that we have dragged you out of an Uber car and threatened you, you take my taxi, ok?

Their logic is fundamentally flawed isn't it.....  IF anything these Taxi drivers are UBER's best advertising tool... 

Anyone seeing this news is surely going to avoid these taxis as much as possible... 

... or, would it force customers to think twice before ordering an UBER ?

I can just imagine the scenario, where I (a westerner) is in the car with my Wife, the Taxi's assume she is an UBER driver and chase us and demand I get out of my own car !!!!...  

... the potential wrongs in permitting such lawless behavior without making these criminals accountable for their actions are many and only impact the public... 

1 hour ago, trogers said:

Which is your home and which is your holiday destination?

 

So why do you need to strap an expensive watch for your travel? A plastic Casio works too...

It has nothing to with need... I simply can, I like watches, I like cars... they are my thing. I can so I do. 

My Wife likes jewelry, handbags, getting her nails and hair done... she can so she does... 

In reality, we don't even need a plastic Casio, although I do find my Apple Watch extremely useful, more so than the conventional 'luxury watches'...  its still nice to wear something of high end quality now and again. 

The same for well tailored suit, a quality shirt and good pair of shoes... its just nice to wear on the right occasion. 

Of course, not everyone will understand this, not everyone can. Perhaps people are jealous of others who have more, or perhaps they simply don't understand why... One thing is certain, we are all different in our opinions, behavior and attitudes....  

.......I welcome these differences, but in this case, only up to the point someone argues that someone else deserves to be the victim of a crime or lose their belonging simply because of its value... in this case you are simply wrong. 

Yet, you still can't answer 'why I deserve to lose something while traveling'....  

Do you also deserve to lose your Casio when traveling ?

55 minutes ago, trogers said:

Which is your home and which is your holiday destination?

 

So why do you need to strap an expensive watch for your travel? A plastic Casio works too...

Still can't answer why I deserve to lose my watch ?

Thailand is home, UK is for 6-8 weeks a year for Winter and Summer visits... plus a year Japan trip and many trips to Singapore...   Do I actually deserve to lose my watch on any of these trips ?

The reason I'm trying to nail you down on this 'deserve' comment, is that I think you are so very wrong, no one deserves to lose or be robbed of anything. 

Of course, when applying common sense, it could be argued that it could be 'expected' or 'predictable' that we 'could' lose something, it may even be silly of us to choose to wear an expensive watch, say somewhere like Cococabana Brazil... so common sense can be applied...

Perhaps you are referring to guys who are wear big gold necklaces on Pattaya Beach Road and get them snatched by a thief on a passing motorcycle....  these guys don't deserve to lose their valuables, they may be guilty of naivety... but they don't deserve to be victims of crime much in the same way a girl wearing a short skirt doesn't deserve to the victim of assault, however, she could have made safer choices in an imperfect world. 

So perhaps what you meant to write is that when traveling we could make safer choices in protection of our valuable belongings.... And I do... I don't expect to be robbed of my watch in the areas I go to in UK or Bangkok and I certainly don't expect a customs officer to try and tax me for a personal possession when traveling back and forth. 

Just now, johng said:

What about McDonalds,KFC,Buger king,Piza Hut,Tesco,
Ford,Chevrolet,Google,Facebook and all those other "vile" foreign companies who invest and create jobs for Thailand kick them all out and everyone can go back to thier rice paddies ?

Ignore him...  he's in the 'gone native' phase of his 'anti-americanism'... he's probably already switched to buddhism, doesn't use Air-con, rides his bike without a helmet etc... eats insects for protein... 

7 minutes ago, AndyOz said:

I must admit the vast majority of any bad experiences were pre smart phone. In saying that things must have changed an unmeasurable amount. For example in in Brazil (Rio and Manaus) and Argentina I was not allowed to even take a taxi while on business. Granted this was a company policy but others had been robbed and physically assaulted in the past.

Talin was another place where the taxis blatantly ripped off tourists while the police look on. I have first hand experience of this.

Compare this to Pattaya where I can get most places on a baht bus for 10baht. I feel taxi drivers are an easy target.

When in Pattaya I try to walk as much as possible, but I personally have never had a problem. I never get into a taxi without first agreeing a price or have a meter on wherever I am in the world.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yep, that common sense approach of 'never taking a journey unless first agreeing the meter or a price' is where many tourists slip up in Thailand and fall foul of an agressive tuk-tuk or taxi driver. 

I also agree that there are plenty of other areas where tourists are taken advantage of. These places have negative reputations for tourists and are hardly the 'clean tourist destinations' that Thailand is trying to achieve.... 

Yes, that last comment is somewhat farcical when looking at what happens in destinations such as Pattaya, however, given the numerous 'cleanup' announcements, turning a blind eye to the taxi woes does come with somewhat of a hypocritical stink... 

With such issues in mind my Wife applied for her UK Visa 3-1/2 months in advance (because we are also traveling elsewhere over the next few months so won't have time to apply for her Visa closer to our UK travel date).

Upon receipt of her visa she also received a 'sh!tty letter' from the FCO stating that 'this time' they will issue the visa (10 years, her 5 years expires late May) but next time she has to apply within 3 months of her planned travel to the UK.

I mean <deleted>... whats the point in writing a crappy letter ? My Wife was well organized, getting everything in hand well before our biannual UK visit just incase there were issues....  sometimes the mind boggles at the people who work in these places... 

Personally, I've had issues when booking appointments at the Embassy (for a letter of residence)... I've taken proof of booking, but the staff at the door have had no record of my booking. Fortunately, on the occasion this happened and after being turned away I received a call of apology and was informed that they would permit entrance if I was close enough to return within working hours. 

It seems these computer systems are not all they are meant to be. That said, this sounds like an issue with the VFS rather than than the Embassy. 

Perhaps try and register and book using a different browser (i.e. Firefox), also try registering under a different e-mail address.