TheAppletons

There are zero consumer protection laws in Thailand. The system is set up to screw the poor Thais for the enrichment of the oligarchs.

I'm thinking you're a Don Lemon kinda guy.

I would. Multiple times.

Perhaps you'd like to mail a few to the OP who was asking about where to find subject products in Chiang Mai.

Exact same situation for me the past two months. Of note, however, is that WISE advises they can transfer the money faster if one uses a debit card or SWIFT transfer, both of which generate an increase in fees for WISE.

If one cannot find "decent coffee" in Chiang Mai, one isn't putting in much effort. Map of Chiang Mai coffee shops:

Crusty baguettes - Croco Pizza in Santitham. Owner bakes his own bread and pizza crust daily. Delicious. Fresh flour wraps - not gonna find. Edit to add: 25 meters down the street from Croco is Ombra Cafe. Some of the better croissants I've found recently, both butter and almond. Edit to add to the edit: Bagel House Cafe, Moon Muang soi 8, is a solid recommendation for bagels. Butter is Better also has pretty good bagels, especially if you like lox and cream cheese on top.

It's highly unlikely - meaning virtually impossible - for a phone to get "hacked" simply by taking a phone call. What is much more likely to happen is that the scammer will "socially engineer" a hack by convincing the recipient of the phone call to either download malware, visit a fake website, or give out sensitive information (passwords, account numbers, ID numbers, etc.) that the scammer can use to his advantage. If your girlfriend was indeed scammed out of money, it's highly probable that she was unwittingly coerced into it as described above. (Many people who do get scammed by revealing information over the phone to con men are so embarrassed by what happened that they will omit key details to save face.)

Have you tried using the card in an ATM to make a withdrawal? If that works, then it's employee error. (Since Schwab refunds 100% of all ATM fees, I'm wondering why you bother with the "cash advance" route when you can just withdraw from the ATM free of charge. Your money, your choice, of course.)

Yes it could be several of the things that you posted. Regarding the link in the OP as it relates to your scenarios: a. Clearly it's a rumor until it happens b. Doubtful but anything is possible (until it isn't.) c. The "rumor" states that Thaiger will merge the AN/Thaigertalk forums.... d. ....after Thaiger purchases AN. So at least three of your stated scenarios may all be true simultaneously.

"Asean Now, the infamous forum formerly known as Thai Visa, is in the process of being bought by The Thaiger. It has been an open secret that Asean Now has been touted for sale to anyone within earshot for months....."

That isn't a requirement.

What did OJ Simpson say when his son asked to borrow the car? "Go axe your mother."

Do you need to submit a photo of the biodata of your passport to the host? No. Does the host need to allow you to stay in their home if you refuse? No.

In general, I agree with everything you stated. However, it's pretty clear to me that the Thai government/TAT/whomever were intentionally vague regarding the "expanded" activities in the hopes of bringing more tourists in earlier. They were purposefully trying to make it sound like Songkran was three week instead of three days. If you live here, you know that three weeks of water fights would be ridiculous and counterproductive. If you don't live here....

Which is why I originally asked if "water distribution" referred to water trucks delivery, residential taps, or both.

I don't live here....staying in a condo temporarily this month while Chiang Mai is on fire.

Except it also says this "Residents will have access to public water only between the hours of 5:00 AM and 10:30 AM until further notice, following days of disrupted service across the city."

When they say "access to public water" - does this mean they actually cut off residential water supply after 10:30 am daily? As in, no showers except between 5:00 am and 10:30 am? The article mentions something about water trucks delivery so I'm uncertain if "water distribution" refers to truck delivery, residential taps, or both.

Customer Service.

This has happened to me for the past two months. My transfers are ACH transfers from a linked credit union account. In each instance, once I was told it would take five days, I was offered the chance to cancel the transaction and use a different method (either debit card or SWIFT transfer) to make the transfer occur faster. Naturally, these methods are more expensive. It would appear, on the surface, that WISE is slow-rolling some transfers in an attempt to incentivize one to choose an option that results in higher fees for WISE.

So were you.

I lived in the Lisbon 'burbs for three years circa 2008. Cannot say enough good things about the area (and the country.) If one moved out of the metro area, it's still pretty inexpensive (relatively speaking.) Great food, nice people, fantastic weather.

^^ THIS. If there is an international flight leaving, the re-entry desk will be open. Why is this? Because if there is an international flight departing, the Immigration bureau needs to have Immigration officers on hand to stamp passports. If there are Immigration officers on duty, they are available to provide one with a re-entry permit. Why is this? Because Immigration officers are the ones who process re-entry permits.

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