soi3eddie

10 hours ago, coops said:

Even if your Thai ISP can provide 200mpbs, you won't get that from any international connection - there's not anywhere near enough bandwidth into Thailand itself from the rest of the world... so it's not much use, unless you need 200+ for your local Thai website needs?

 

Note that speedtest above is to a LOCAL server... change it to somewhere International and then decide whether it's worth paying extra for... 75-100 is fine.

 

https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/1 Broadband-Infrastructure-in-the-ASEAN-9-Region.pdf

 

International bandwidth per capita :-

Thailand 6 Kbps (yes, that's K bps )

Singapore 258 Kbps

Malaysia 15 Kbps, and the rest all below Thailand.. so it could be a lot worse. ????

I knew that the interconnection bandwith from Thailand was not great but never knew it was that low. I would estimate that most Thais are only consuming local contents though. What about Facebook, Youtube, Netflix etc. do they run mirror servers or cach servers locally in Thailand? Anyone know?

13 minutes ago, welshguy said:

Thanks for that.

 

T.B.H. . Im not sure what "rules" affect the class of ticket...I bought the one where you can have 75% mileage miles...if you know what I mean!  I will check it out later....just got back from work.

 

Id love to think I could get out there for this September...doubt it very much though!  If possible I would rather a refund as opposed to a voucher...a voucher wouldnt be the end of the world though...as Im planning (god knows when!! lol!) to go twice a year for 3 month stretches....so will have to wait and see.

 

I just remembered"! I also used some miles (from R.O.P. ) to go towards the flight......Saying thta...with all thats gone on WHEN!! I do eventually get there next time...I may well think <deleted> it and treat myself to go business class........just the once!

 

Again, thanks for the reply.

Do a new booking search on Thai website and it will show you the options and fare classes with rules about changes and refunds. Look at your confirmed booking and it will have something like "K" Class written somewhere in fare basis or similar. Always best to do a date change rather than refund if you have future travel in mind. IF Thai cancel on you then you are due a full refund of any cash you paid and any miles used will be re-credited to your ROP account. Using miles to upgrade is less easy than before since they changed the redemption rates in October 2019. I fly Thai R/T 3-5 times per year LHR/BKK and find the experience with them far better than EVA or BA (or QR or EY for indirect).

1 minute ago, thedemon said:

The problem is that it is difficult and expensive to install fiber optic cable into existing buildings. ISP's won't pay for that so it means the Juristic Person needs to pay which in turn means forcing all owners to cough up.

 

Might be viable in higher end condos but near impossible in cheaper ones.

Our building has AIS fibre to the cabinet (installed in the basement comms room). Then Vdsl over copper to the apartment. I guess the problem now is getting fibre optic lines run to each apartment through existing ducting which I think near impossible. 

And THAI Airways cancelling flights (London, Paris, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Sydney and Melbourne to name just a few) until 1st July clearly gives a clue. 

I'm also in Bangkok and have same issue in 2010 condo near Ari. Only copper connections wired to the apartments. I'm with ais and whilst maintaining reliable 80/30 tested speeds they reduced my price. Ideally I would like full fibre but they said not possible. I will ask the "juristic person" if they will allow individual fibre connections if any ISP will do it. Anyone know what 3BB are like for fibre installations in condos? 

9 minutes ago, kingdong said:

Cash is king.

But the exchange rates and uncertainty are your enemy. Also, there are rarely any bargains to be had in condos. Don't believe that that there are now. You may find a distressed westerner needing to sell fast but Asians will hold out for their imagined price forever leaving a place to rot. I've seen it. 

10 hours ago, welshguy said:

Im booked with Thai, to fly from Heathrow on September 15....

 

All Ive received was an e-mail off them, saying the outward flight had been changed from an A380 to a 777?!

 

I booked through Thais website....i dont know if this will make it easier to get a refund in the end?!

"Luckily"! I was going to book business class (to  celebrate my retirement this June.........that isnt going to happen now though!).

 

So if the worst comes to the worst, at least I wont lose as much money!  ( I mean if I HAD! gone ahead and paid for business class!)....Wether the refund is in the form of my money back or a "voucher" remains to be seen!  

When you book direct with THAI on their website they give you choices of fares and benefits such as; changes, refunds and mileage accrual. Needless to say, the cheapest tickets in any class have the least flexibility and incur more fees if changed/cancelled by you. Look at your fare class to see the terms and conditions of your ticket. I always buy a Fully Flexible as I often need to change flights and there's never a charge.  

I sincerely hope that THAI are flying again by September however if THAI cancels your flight you are entitled to a full refund (if they offer a voucher it's up to you whether or not to accept that or ask for a refund).

THAI often change plane types depending on load factors. I suspect that they are holding very few bookings going forward so probably assume that the smaller plane will be suitable. The A380 is a much nicer plane than the 777 and especially so upstairs in business class.

55 minutes ago, alexth said:

They call these offers? LOL Give them a few months and then we’re gonna see the closer to reality “offers”

Don't hold your breath...

6 minutes ago, habuspasha said:

 Thai Airways cancelled my flight from Mumbai to BKK on May 22 and they refuse my request for a refund.  They offer to reschedule that flight or provide a voucher good for a year.  Where else can you pay for something, not get it, and be denied a refund?  It would be called theft or extortion. I know they are in dire straits but this is not a policy to breed loyalty.  And IATA declines to regulate this.  Caveat emptor (with the caveat that you're not even the emptor).

Contact your credit card company and request a chargeback as the airline is not going to provide the service you paid for.

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Well at least they rebooked but nothing to stop them cancelling your flight again ?

No nothing at all. I can get a refund or transfer to another operator (Eva Air) if they are flying. Alternatively if Qatar are still flying I can currently buy one way for 14500 Baht. Ultimately if the world is still at a standstill there's no point going back to London as my businesses are travel related anyway so no work 

I just received an email from THAI Airways cancelling my flight from Bangkok to London for 2nd June. I called reservations (got through immediately to a helpful rep) and they told me that "right now" there is nothing scheduled to London, Sydney, Paris, Melbourne, Frankfurt, Copenhagen until 1st July 2020! Therefore I am now re-booked and "confirmed" to London on 1st July which is the earliest operating flight. She also said some routes (unspecified) will not be operating again until 27th October.

Heads up guys and gals: I just received an email from THAI Airways cancelling my flight from Bangkok to London for 2nd June. I called reservations (got through immediately to a helpful rep) and they told me that "right now" there is nothing scheduled to London, Paris or Frankfurt until 1st July 2020! Therefore I am now re-booked and "confirmed" to London on 1st July which is the earliest operating flight. She also said some routes (unspecified) will not be operating again until 27th October.

Just now, torturedsole said:

Driving from Phetchaburi to Hua Hin last week was the correct week to travel to invite this level of scrutiny.  

 

I'll be honest, the slightest hint of a bad attitude towards the RTP can invoke immediate and unexpected results.  

But they weren't checking temperatures or for Covid-19...

On 4/16/2020 at 4:02 AM, webfact said:

But this will be limited to 100 per nationality.

So if I first obtain nationality of an osbcure tax haven island nation somewhere (from which none of their citizens is ever likely to apply for Thai PR) will that increase my chances of getting Thai PR?

If this was in the centre of Hua Hin around Soi 59-61 area then that was Hua Hin Temple. The police station is actually in Soi 61 and there's a police box on the corner of Soi 61 and Petkasem Road (highway 4) where the cops hang out and target foreigners. I was sat outside the Beach Post Office in Soi 61 last week and witnessed a cop immediately target a westerner on a motorbike as he stopped at the traffic lights (rider was wearing a helmet). It appeared to me that the cop directly targeted him for being a foreigner as there were other bikes around. I didn't see the outcome as I was sat in our car and drove off shortly afterwards.

Of all the times I have ever been stopped by police in Thailand over the last 20 years I have NEVER been asked for passport. Only ever driving licence. Something was fishy with your cop's behaviour and I applaud you for your handling of the situation. If they had wanted to stop you from leaving they would have. You made a brave call but it could have gone wrong. Caution is always advised.

FWIW: I got stopped and pee tested at an "offical" day-time checkpoint heading south from Phetchaburi to Hua Hin last week - the cops made a half <deleted> attempt at a vehicle search (probably to guage my reaction) and my GF and I were invited to witness them opening the glove box and trunk. I was concerned of something being planted. Then I was given a cup and told to pee and take it to a desk where a dropper was used on 3 different slides for various drug detection. Never was I asked for any ID, Passport or DL. The we were sent on our way. GF was not tested. Do they test only males?

On 4/14/2020 at 7:03 AM, CGW said:

Until the majors loosen the purse strings and the price of oil rises from where it is now ~$22, there will be no "good old days" in the near future! ????

The good days will be when people are complaining about the high price of gas at the pump - again!

The price of oil is heading south and could be as low as 10 USD/Barrel soon due to globally reduced consumption and no corresponding reduction in supply (although storage of all the crude is becoming an issue). I remember 1 litre of 91/95/Diesel being 12-13 Baht in the early 2000's and it look like it's not far off that already...

On 4/17/2020 at 4:38 AM, RJRS1301 said:

Surely this is where the armed services with mobile kitchens, personnel, transport and logistics should be in each major town and city across the country?

 

Also setting up testing stations with the food distribution

Yes, where are the Thai Army helping out the hungry? Would have thought it a perfect photo opprtunity for the military government to show how much they care? As there is no war going on what are all the generals soldiers doing?

5 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

You have never stayed in a big hotel where they can join two rooms together for a large family friends?

First time in Australia arriving at 9pm on a Friday night and stayed in King's Cross Hotel with my wife and 6mth old son. Party central in the next room with connecting doors - could hear everything! Blockaded our side of the door with furniture to ensure safety. Checked out first thing next morning.

12 minutes ago, jadee said:

It has a big sign from Kasikorn bank on the door saying it's been repossessed. Here's the thing; it's been like that for at least 3 years! So, that's what happens: the bank forecloses on the unit and (tries to) sell it. If it's been difficult these past years - imagine now with all the layoffs. I reckon it could be years between stopping paying and getting kicked out.

This raises a good question; how long would it take from point of stopping mortgage payments to actually being evicted? Anyone know the process in Thailand?

6 hours ago, natway09 said:

Walk into KTB bank & look at all the repossessed properties for sale

Yes but look at the prices too. I would bet that all are at book value of the original purchase price or loan value. Nothing discounted to current values - in a distressed and illiquid market who knows what a property here is worth - even at the best of times prices are gamble! Something is only really worth what someone is willing to pay... 

19 hours ago, hugolars said:

If she won 2M on the lottery she would pay off the loan, which is stupid.

She entered an obligation willingly to buy the condo and extend finance. If she now won the lottery and paid of the loan then she would be debt free and have no rent or mortgage to pay. It may be advantagious financially now to default on the agreement to pay the monthly loans however that has to be considered against potential consequences of "blacklist" and never getting any future finance.

On 4/14/2020 at 1:33 PM, metempsychotic said:

More to the point it was the first rain for months on end.

 

When that happens a film of oil is lifted from the pavements and they can be like sheets of wet ice.

 

Dude has probaly never driven the car in the wet, let alone first rain.

 

As for unseasonal rains, it has rained every songkran I can remember. Songkran usually indicates the very beginning of wet season.

 

 

Last month when heading out of Bangkok north of Rangsit it started raining (first time in months). No drivers were compensating for the slippery conditions. In the period of 30 minutes we witnessed or passed at least 7 crashes. 360s on the opposite carriageway and fishtails in front of us. Pure carnage.