LivingNThailand

Not funny. You are not a diver.

I had a friend from Arkansas and she told me exactly how chitlins were made. I had a "stomach ache" for a week just thinking about it. ugh.

Well thanks for posting. Much more info that the local "paper"

Sort of what I posted earlier this morning but for some reason the post didn't "stick". I think this is fake to get comments.

Only a tourist? One of the great quality tourists the government wants? Did this guy go to jail? Is the PEA following up with a claim? Unfortunately, the press never follows up on the details.

I'm not a senile retiree but i have a BKK bank CC, it comes with the caveat of the balance i mentioned earlier. I was joking about being an old senile retiree. I was answering the person who said that the debit card with his name on it was available for people with work permits and pay slips. I have a retirement "visa" so apparently not available to me. Also, when I inquired about a credit card, quite a while ago, the "credit card" available to me was actually a pre-paid debit card, and I didn't want to tie up my money with that product when I already had a debit card, US credit card and US debit card. Maybe the credit card situation has changed since then.

BKK Bank Call center says no problem to get new debit card at ANY branch. Branch says no, cannot. So I refused to go to my original branch and teller made my life difficult. Great Bank. I'd change, but Social Security has an agreement with BKK Bank for deposits and to start all over with new bank after all this time would be a pain as the requirements to open a new account have changed dramatically. So I put up with crappy service. If I were to start all over I would have another account with K bank for regular banking. But back then they didn't have the convenient mobile banking and internet banking they do now to transfer funds. Not going to lose any sleep, I only have to deal with them once in a while. So I hope the original poster has his ammunition when he goes into the BKK Bank to get debit card. Chok Di.

There you go. Not available to old senile retirees. who knows how to use mobile banking, by the way. thanks for the info.

“The Be1st Digital debit card is aimed at the young generation, first jobbers and customers who enjoy a digital lifestyle -- I guess not me. 😅 Seriously, I read the article and looked at my mobile app but couldn't find anywhere to apply for the digital debit card. I think foreigners need to apply in person like I did when I got a replacement card for my canceled debit card. It wasn't offered to me when I went in to get the replacement, about 2 months ago. I only use it as an ATM and for things like Lazada, grocery stores, and Homepro when I don't have the cash. I"m a cash & carry kind of person. I have a USA credit card and debit card for serious online shopping. I only showed the rent a car company in California my debit card because it was Union Pay and I was seriously pissed they changed from Visa to Union Pay. I kept telling the bank that No One in the USA accepts Union Pay (at least back then) Now you can get a Mastercard Debit card from BKK bank. Anyway, thanks for the information. Next time I go to the bank, which will be in 11.5 months from now when I renew my visa, I'll ask them about the debit card with my name on it. Better security. You guys have a nice evening. PS. I do use the mobile app to pay PEA and water bills. So I'm not that old fashion. 😁

Hum, I've had an account for 9 years and never had my name on the debit card. Do you have a special account? My account is just a regular savings account.

Correct. I showed my debit card to a rent-a-car company in California and they said they couldn't take it because my name wasn't imprinted on it. They give debit cards here on the spot, whereas in the USA you usually have to wait 7-10 days to get one with your name imprinted on it.

If I were you, based on my personal experience, I would call the Bangkok Bank call center 1333 and confirm everything with an agent and get their name and the date and time of the conversation, the basic CYA. The call center wait time is reasonable, and they speak excellent English. The reason I say this is because my debit card got canceled because I inputted the PIN correctly 3 times at a store. Unknown to me I had a 5,000 THB limit on the card and the card was declined 3 times, automatically canceling the card. The call center told me I could go to any branch. So I went to a more convenient branch in a smaller shopping center and the lady told me I had to go to my original branch. We went back and forth for about 30 minutes, I kept saying the call center told me I could go to any branch and I wasn't going to leave and go somewhere else. Finally, when she realized I wasn't leaving and I threatened to call the call center, she then took another 1.5 hours filling out paperwork and making my life miserable, probably on purpose. For clarification, this was a Monday morning in Phuket. The other thing is to make sure your limit on the debit card fits your needs. I think I upped it to 20,000 but you can go higher. I hope this helps. Be curious about how it all pans out for you. Please update us. Thanks.

They've been going for it for at least 1.5 years or more. My neighbor told me yesterday that one of their children is starting school next week in a Russian School in Rawai. How does that happen?

Wow, lucky car owner. Also payments on the Mazda, if he had a loan. I heard that the car dealers are practically giving away cars to move them. Someone is going to want their money.

I hope PEA follows through. These guys are a blight on Phuket. Although I have some very nice Russian neighbors with kids. Wondering how dad makes his money?

I do. Will this idiot have to make restitution to the PEA? Thanks for the story. Much better coverage than the local paper.

I read that they could be held up to 84 days before they could be sent to court (read it, not 100% sure if it is true). I think they will be held the maximum or close to it. Just a feeling.

I live in Phuket and see these out of control Big Bikers every day. Completely surprised that I don't see at least one bad accident a day. My fear is one of these idiots will take out an innocent Thai family on a small bike. I wish they would at least crack down on the Big Bikes. It's a real problem.

me too. Whew. 😅

I've seen this argument in other papers. However, in my opinion, that is not the real problem in Chalong & Rawai. I live in Chalong and very near where this incident occurred. My observation the other day was that the tourists behaving very badly on the motorbikes is the problem here. These tourist motorbike drivers are arrogant and self-centered, don't know how to ride a bike, don't observe the natural traffic flow, ignore the safety of other drivers, just bad driving and big bike speeding. They feel like they can do whatever they want because they are in Thailand and on holiday, a very bad attitude. Now, this may sound strange, but we know that the Thais drive terribly. However, they drive in a flow and are aware of the surroundings. A few are really terrible, but not as terrible as the tourist here in Chalong. My guess, and it is a guess, but I see it every day, is that these guys didn't like sitting in the traffic there by the police station and decided to drive very fast in the oncoming lane. This happened in front of the police station, not the traffic circle where they give the traffic tickets. There is no way you can speed around the traffic circle. What happened after that is not good, but if the police could just get a handle on these cowboy motorbike drivers life in Chalong would be much better.

I was going to write a post about this and still may do. The PM and his government have in a few short months destroyed Phuket. Horrible behaving people have moved in, set up businesses, and torn up the road with their unbelievably bad motor bike driving, with no consideration at all for anyone else on the road. Having lived here in Phuket for 9 years and a good friend for 24 years, we are dismayed by what has happened to Phuket in just a few months. Phuket was always a bit crowded and had tourists behaving badly, but now it's a total free-for-all, and this is before noon!!! We don't dare go out after dark, and a lot of long term expats have said the same. The government keeps saying they want more and more tourists to come to Phuket to spend more and more money, but the majority of the people coming to Phuket are destroying it. Please Mr. PM, send in the army or some other independent organization to go from door to door at each business and weed out the illegal ones. Then get rid of these undesirable people who aren't spending tons of tourist money, but are taking advantage to the Thai people. It is so so sad.

If they're white skinned, yes I think they do now, but a while back they were in a sub-category. I can't remember what, now.

Absolutely not.

Lots in phuket. Now they have muey Thai visas. What is the government thinking? We need quality tourism. Sigh. Seriously low life’s here now.

There must be 1,000s of young people illegally working here in Phuket. You can spot them. They are not tourists. Women in yoga pants carting their children arounds, bakeries, coffee shops, car rental & motorbike shops, all with Russian signs. Russians selling real estate. Russian commercials. Russian families buying cars, home improvement items and driving the rental properties up in price. These people are not tourists. If the police would check on all of them they could clean up the employment problem and clear them out. Local Thai people are very upset and not much has been done about it. It’s very sad. All because the PM wants high tourism numbers.