cacahootie

20 hours ago, arithai12 said:

If you have a life in Thailand, it means you are a resident of Thailand and then you are entitled to get a new passport at your consulate. Is it different for USA?

 

If by "living overseas" you mean being a permanent tourist or similar, then yes there are a few complications.

 

I have a Non-O visa and have been here a while... but I've not had to go through a passport replacement so I don't know... all I know is from overhearing this gentleman being told he'd need to return home for a new passport after having had too many overseas replacements, and I don't know his situation beyond the scant bit I overheard.

I was at the US consulate in CM a couple of months ago and overheard a gentleman trying to get his 6th replacement passport in 3 years.  The individual behind the counter had the misfortune of telling him all he could get was an emergency travel document to go back to the USA, and he could apply for a new one from home.  So it appears that for the US at least, you have to be kind of a numpty to get cut off.  Of course, having to return to the USA for a passport (which I suppose could also be denied) when you've got a life in Thailand could be a major hassle.  One of those things about living overseas that complicates our lives.

I just bought a new top-spec Hilux, 2.8G 4x4 AT, and got 60k baht that was characterized as a down payment bonus, plus all the regular extras like tint, insurance, bed liner, air deflectors and 2 years standard maintenance, which I was pretty satisfied with.  But they kinda screwed things up and set up the financing deal with the down payment being the value of our trade in rather than the value minus what we owed, so we're ending up paying an extra 120,000 out of pocket down which was a bit of a rude surprise after we watched our trade in drive away.

I've heard lots of people bash Samsung, but of all the aircons I have in 2 houses so far, the Samsung I bought from PowerBuy has been the best, quiet and reliable.  I definitely think the inverter is a smart choice - particularly because it can "throttle" the compressor and keep a steady stream of cool air instead of alternating very cool and room temp air - I like the steady stream of cool air.  I purchased mine online at a sale via PowerBuy, and the installation crew was very quick and efficient.  The people I had remove it and then the crew that subsequently reinstalled it for me in Chiang Mai were not at the same level of professionalism, imo.  PowerBuy has always followed up with me to make sure everything was delivered and installed properly, and I find their prices are typically good, especially on sale.

12 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Thats because diesel engines are being outlawed in America due to emission issues. I think 2018 is the last year a manufacture can sell them.

Where on earth did you get that idea??!?!?! Diesel engines are definitely subject to greater emissions requirements year-by-year in the USA, but they're not slated for the chopping block in any way, shape or form, in fact, the availability of diesel options in light duty trucks is better now than it has ever been, with options available from numerous manufacturers.

40 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Said this before but who on earth is crossing borders (and from Europe and the States its a long way at that)  without at least 20,000 equivalent is just plain bizarre. Am well aware people transfer to Thai accounts etc and use atms but I wouldnt come with less than £3000 under any circumstances let alone £450. You just dont know when you might need hard currency.

Because it's way safer and more convenient just to use an ATM or better yet a credit/debit card.  Granted, I will usually max the ATM for the sake of minimizing ATM fees, but having a fat wallet stuffed with cash is both physically and in terms of risk uncomfortable.  I've traveled all over the world for years, and have never had issues with ATMs.  I keep enough "safety money" in large bills to tide me over in case of issues, separate from my daily wallet, but aside from the immigration requirement (which has never been asked of me), I see no reason to subject myself to that level of cash-in-hand.  Besides, in my experience, using the ATM in-country ends up being the most cost-effective option in terms of fees and exchange rate penalty.  I'm lucky to get ATM fees refunded (up to $15/mo) even internationally, but even without, the exchange rate you'd get at a bank without hunting down a good-rate booth justifies just using an ATM and getting a mid-market rate.  Even better, my CC has a 0% FTF and gets the mid-market rate, so it is by far the cheapest option for payment whenever accepted.

I know some people who came of age when all card transactions were conducted on carbon paper may not trust the reliability of electronic systems, but any issue I've ever seen has been transitory, much less so than having an airport security person skim your wallet or having it fall out of your pants while sitting on the john.

It's just a service, not cable, but I recently subscribed to MotorTrend On Demand, which has tons of shows for petrolheads, including Roadkill, Roadkill Garage, Hot Rod Garage and a bunch of the more reality-tv type stuff... I subscribed personally because they're not distributing shows via YouTube anymore and it was $2.99/mo to start out.  They have an Android app, so if you get an android box you should be able to hook stuff up.  I also have netflix and prime video as well which has a good selection of stuff.

I'm awaiting my AIS Playbox, due to be installed tomorrow.  I subscribed to the package with HBO, so I'm looking forward to HBO Go as well.  Not hundreds of channels, but from the lineup it looks good.

11 hours ago, genericptr said:

I could get married also but I don't have 12k in the bank even if I wanted to get married to her :).

400k baht equivalent in the bank is not really necessary for either a marriage extension or a Non-O visa based on marriage.  Last week I went to Savannakhet and received a 1 year visa with no financial proof whatsoever (as is well-documented on this forum).  Furthermore, if you want to go the extension route, Immigration will accept an income affidavit showing at least 40k baht/month income in lieu of bank statements.  Of course, getting married is it's own bureaucratic headache in and of itself, and you shouldn't get married if you don't want to be married to that person.

You seem to be overdramatizing things a bit and getting caught up in the abstract requirements instead of the practical requirements and collected wisdom available in this forum.  I understand getting pulled aside can make one a little uneasy (it has happened to me, I know the feeling), but so far you've not been refused a visa or denied entry... so use the wisdom here and don't get too worked up.  Dealing with all of this is the price one pays for not having a more "legitimate" basis of stay or the disposable money to purchase an Elite visa.

7 hours ago, farcanell said:

? if your flying From/ to Phuket, a little side deal could see you in a lovely hotel, if your happy to cart an extra bit of luggage back with you ?

I certainly hope you're not inciting illegal activity on a public forum... anybody would be wise to be very, very, very skeptical of such offers unless they can be extremely certain they're not unwittingly becoming a drug or cash mule.

4 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

Either your understanding of major US and Japanese manufacturers maybe different of mine, or you're just born for bad luck, but the summing-up of your problems is astonishing.

 

In fact I can't think of a major Japanese brand that makes all the items that are listed in your post, so I guess you may be a bit confused about major.

The hard drive is the oddball, and is perhaps a misunderstanding.  Toshiba makes hard drives, as does "HGST", which has the name Hitachi in it, and was previously run by Hitachi, but is now actually a subsidiary of Western Digital (with a small ownership stake by Hitachi).  It is more likely the poster is referring to Hitachi (given that it makes more home appliance type stuff than Toshiba), but as of 2012 it's not really accurate to call HGST Hitachi anymore.  Regardless, HGST is known for reliable hard drives, but as with anything mechanical, there is a nonzero failure rate.

7 hours ago, jerry921 said:

Hopefully this won't be seen as too far off topic: couldn't you have gone into the bank that owned the ATM and gotten your card back?

It was in front of a 7-11, not at a bank branch.  I called the bank's call center and they were like "sorry, nothing we can do".  I had eaten at a restaurant across the street and realized I didn't have enough cash, so I was a bit scatterbrained and was in a hurry to get back and settle the bill.  I'd eaten there a number of times before, so it wasn't really a big deal since they knew I wasn't a scammer... but along those lines I was focused on paying my tab rather than the business at hand.

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

https://www.visaeurope.com/lost-your-card

Probably available world wide.

Depending on your home bank this service can be free (at my german bank it is free)

So if i lost my card they would send me cash by western union if i call them, and i would also get a new card within a few days.

But of course it makes totally sense to have a second card.

I have a visa debit card and last year while in Thailand I (very stupidly) let an ATM eat my card because I forgot to take it back out at the end (very very stupid, I know).  I contacted my bank to get a new card, and there was zilch they could do aside from FedEx me a new card from the USA, and even then it was only express not overnight, so it ended up taking about 5 days.  I was able to Western Union myself money twice via the direct bank account method, but then I got locked out for security review and went into that black hole (so I wouldn't rely on that).  Now I have a credit card which has zero % international fee but charges a somewhat hefty cash advance fee and a debit card which charges 1% with no fees and $15/mo ATM fee reimbursement (which even works w/ the Thai ATM fees).  Even considering the 1% fee and ATM fee, the improved exchange rate via the visa card makes ATMs competitive with either wiring to a Bangkok Bank account from USA or Transferwise.  The instantaneous nature of ATMs is nice too...  I miss Japan with no fees or penalties whatsoever, just free ATMs...

For reference - Aeon bank ATMs have only a 150 baht ATM fee, but a 20k withdrawal limit.  I've not been able to find an ATM that will give me 30k, even those that say they have a 30k limit seem to limit it to 20k for an external visa transaction.  But when you do the math - using an ATM is basically competitive with any other means you'd use, and a whole lot more convenient.  At least for me, the exchange rate is very favorable compared with any of the Thai bank rates, which is something to consider as well.

I've just recently moved to Chiang Mai from Bangkok - I have purchased all my appliances from PowerBuy, fridge, washing machine and aircon, as well as an iPhone 7 Plus.  I have been quite satisfied to the point where I wouldn't consider buying elsewhere, except for computer stuff which I have just used InvadeIT for and am waiting to see if they live up to their reputation (so far so good).  The website is easy to use and generally accurate (although the AC I bought on special was advertised as a 12k btu unit, and it ended up being a 13k btu unit with heat pump capability - which I never use, but regardless, not going to complain, esp since it's an inverter unit so there's no penalty to the increased capacity).  They've just revamped the site as well, and now it appears that you can schedule a 1/2 hour delivery window (I've not used that capability yet so I can't speak to the accuracy).  The prices online vs in store appear to be the same, so you can browse in store and then buy online for ease of checkout and clarity in setting up delivery.  I've not seen better prices on things except perhaps Makro, I haven't strictly compared item to item.  I don't use them for service, I had an AC company I used in BKK that serviced my AC units, and expect to do the same here in CM.

Well, the first time I did it I didn't really think it through - I had run to Vietnam for 6 hours to do a visa exempt run.  The fact that I was out & back the same day on VE flagged me and I was taken aside.  There was another chap there who had some convoluted story about an ED visa with 1 day validity left.  The IO tabled him briefly to ask me why I was out & back, was I working, etc...  I explained I had a thai GF (now my wife) who was waiting to get a passport so I wanted to go quickly, and that I worked in USA and had an internet job and he basically lost his scowl and said next time do a tourist visa.  The next time was just chatting with an IO during an extension, and she didn't even bat an eye.  The third time was trying (unsuccessfully) to convert my tourist to Non-O Marriage visa and my wife without thinking blurted out I had a US job and worked online to the very unfriendly IO who still didn't bat an eye (but also gave us a whole bucket of obstacles).  Given those experiences, I don't volunteer the info but I think it's a good defense to the working illegally in Thailand issue.  Who knows - you may encounter an IO who wants to be very literal about the rules.

I've been in Thailand now about 1 year, but I'd been visiting frequently for 2 years before that.  After my experience at Swampy I've done all my visa runs via land borders, and only returned to Thailand by air from a vacation in Japan with a reentry permit in place.  The IO gave my mother and I a hard time, but because he couldn't understand the address on the TM8, not for any other reasons.

My stepson is trying to land a job at 7-Eleven and the requirements are stupefying to me.  Some of it is a bit overboard but relevent, i.e. all education records for him.  Others are just ridiculous to me - a stamped bank statement from my wife, a salary certificate for 3 months (she doesn't work, so they need 3 months of payment for me).  Why does it matter what our bank account looks like or how much money I make?  It makes no sense at all to me, I wonder if anyone here knows the reasoning behind this absurdity.

Anybody else experiencing a water outage today on the east side of town?  We're specifically in Ornsirin 6, on the outer ring road near the 1006 (road to San Kamphaeng).  Heard some murmuring that it'd be back in service around 8pm which has clearly come and gone already.  Just moved up here from BKK and this is my first water outage.  Tank is down about 33%.  Ancillary to that, does anybody have the phone number for a water truck in the area in case this goes on much longer?

I was married at Amphoe Rat Burana late last year - had none of these issues.  No police check, US Affirmation form doesn't require you to decide in advance where you'll go.  The only thing that struck me as a bit over the top was the requirement for a certified copy of passport (that I had anyways, seen many mentions of it).  Went in on a Friday to validate the forms and could have had it done the following Monday if we wanted (as it was, we were going on holiday for a week so we opted for the following Monday).

I was married at Amphoe Rat Burana in November 2017, so this is fairly recent.

First of all - every Amphoe is going to be different.  Our local Amphoe, Khlong Sam Wa, was very unhelpful and dismissive.  I read in another post here on Thai Visa that the lady at Rat Burana was helpful, and she was in fact extremely friendly and helpful, so what was required there is likely the minimum because she wasn't trying to make things difficult.

We needed affirmation of freedom to marry stamped by embassy, translated and certified by the MFA; a certified copy of my passport (copy done at US Embassy and stamped), did not need to be put through the MFA, although some have required MFA stamps.  We needed my wife's tabien baan, her divorce certificate, 2 witnesses with ID cards.  You'll want copious copies of everything just to be prepared.  We visited the office for a preliminary session where she validated everything we had and scheduled a time to come back and do the actual thing with our witnesses.  If your Amphoe is being difficult they may require a translator if you can't speak Thai.  Luckily the lady at Rat Burana speaks pretty good English, so that wasn't required.

Choke dee.

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Are you serious? People actually pay 500+ baht for a 10 minute ride?

Are farangs insane on Phuket/ Samui?

Not insane - they just need a taxi.  In Bangkok, I've never been successful at negotiating a tuktuk below 200 even when I know for a fact a taxi or Uber is less than half (granted I gave up after a few tries, I just ignore them now).  The farang beach towns are all pretty well locked down by taxi mafia, so 200-500 baht (depending) is going to be the rate you get, again, I gave up on them past a few tries so perhaps it's possible to find someone who will negotiate a reasonable price, but I never did.  Same with Vientiane, a tuktuk is going to be 50k kip or more and I once got it down to 40k!  Facts of life in the tourist zones - legit tourists don't realize how absurd the prices are and set the floor for everyone else.

If you want to be sure of getting another visa, already having "LOTS" in your passport, the best bet is to get a new passport.  I found Vientiane to be the most convenient, the border post at the Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai has never given me any issues.  If you go to Penang and enter overland by minibus that means Sadao, which should be avoided.  If you don't want a new passport, AFAIK Vientiane will issue one unless you have a red stamp already, but you may very well earn your red stamp on this try.  Nothing about visas is certain.