macgt3

Are you implying that what the officer did was illegal? If not, then why would he be reprimanded?

I could not do my 90 day reporting online until my address got moved from Chiang Rai. Apparently, that’s called the TM-30. Bangkok Immigration refused to have me moved. They claimed we must do this in Chiang Rai. I would have to fill this form out online along with the 90-day. More specifically, my wife tried filling it out because allegedly that has to be done by the owner of the place you’re staying at. Online directions for TM-30 say to upload the following documents: - Her Tabian Ban - Her ID - Copy of my passport - Copy of my visa - Enter a bunch of other data I never claimed to know what online form asks for what documents, but I do know that uploading documents was necessary to get my address moved and reported online. Point remains: we didn’t have to deal with any of this nonsense in the Buriram Immigration office. I filled out nothing. Literally signed my name on several pages and was on my way.

Believe me, I’m not concerned. I’m not tied down to this place like some of you may be. If it’s time to go, I go. It’s not like I have to stay here. Not that I don’t enjoy staying here. It’s just that I can enjoy myself back home ,as well.

According to my wife, we wont have to do TM-30 again. We needed to change my address from Chiang Rai to Buriram and now I’m officially registered at her house in Buriram. Her reason for doing so was to avoid all the immigration BS in Bangkok. She found out through other couples that doing anything immigration related in Buriram was easier, including the 90 day report. This ended up being true. Bangkok immigration office would not let us move my address from Chiang Rai. We spoke to multiple officers and they all told us this could only be done in Chiang Rai. We don’t know why, but that’s what we were told. That’s one of the reasons why we didn’t attempt it online. Since we were in the area, it was easier to stop by Chang Arena and get this over with quickly.

Good to know ???? Looks like Ban Kruat is a lot closer to where we stay than Chang Arena. So if the office moves there at some point, that would be awesome.

For the record, we live in Bangkok and I don’t see myself ever moving to Buriram. We stay in Buriram about once or twice every three months because that’s where my wife is originally from.

I never once claimed that I’m even remotely aware of the procedure. So what’s your point exactly? I simply shared how easy and quick it was to report in Buriram. That’s all. Is that against the rules? lol

What’s wrong with the online system is that it asks for a <deleted> ton of documents to be uploaded. Definitely more than just “[inputting] name, passport number, arrival date, extension or visa end date and submitted”. Not sure if you’re trolling or just making stuff up.

I disagree. It’s handled by my wife and that’s not against the law lol. So it’s certainly not my responsibility. Never was and never will be. I refuse to deal with immigration BS here. We have a deal where she takes care of immigration paperwork here and I take care of it back home in the US for her (which is much simpler BTW). If that burden is ever placed on me, I’ll gladly leave Thailand. No problemo.

I only watch CB Media because he covers the motorsport scene around Thailand better than anyone else I know of. Every other farang is just hanging around Bangkok/Pattaya drinking beers or eating from street stands. It’s the same thing over and over again. Happy to check out some of the recommendations posted herein.

BTW, I just asked my wife. She told me that the TM30 was filled out by the immigration officer. He asked for her Thai DL and nothing else.

You’re right, I’m not aware of the requirements. That’s because my Thai wife takes care of all that for me. According to her, everyone in the BKK immigration office told her that she can only change the address used for 90 day reporting in Chiang Rai because that was the address under which my visa was registered. No such “rule” in Buriram. Address was changed on the spot. No questions asked. I’m also confused by your references to me being “lucky”. Are you saying that this won’t happen again? I only saw one officer there running the entire show. So unless there are different officers on different days, why would my next 90 day report there be any different?

I’m not sure what TM-30 is TBH. If it’s required, then I’m pretty sure it was filled out for me, but I can’t confirm if that was the case. What I can confirm is that I didn’t fill it out and neither did my wife.

Started doing it online and instantly gave up. I drove to that tiny Buriram Immigration office next to Chang Arena on a weekday afternoon. My wife is from Buriram and we were staying in the area, so I figured why not give it a try... My wife walked in. I ran to the car to get our masks, thinking that we may get reprimanded for not wearing them. When I entered the room, I was told that if I wear a mask, I may anger the boss ????. Yes, this really happened. Needless to say, I loved it and proceeded to trash my mask. There were 3 other couples inside. I waited about 5 minutes. I didn't fill out a single document. Let me emphasize; I didn't have to fill out (or present) a single form. Nor was I asked for any documents besides my passport. We needed to move my marriage visa address from Chiang Rai to Buriram and fill out form TM-47. To our surprise, all of the required forms were filled out by the officer in under 5 minutes. I just signed them. I was asked for photos, which I didn't have on me. They took one of me by the wall with an iPhone and that was that. Another 5 minutes passed and everything was done. From start to finish, we were in there for about 10 minutes. The officer who runs the show was extremely efficient, super friendly, spoke good English, and listened to EDM. Paid nothing. I will never do anything immigration related in Bangkok again. One week prior, we wasted an entire day in Bangkok Immigration and accomplished nothing. I kept being told different things by different officers (regarding documents needed and how to proceed), at which point we simply gave up.

Just wanted to share my experience of how I went about renewing my temp DL today (which expired more than 2 years ago)… - Reserved a queue at 9:30 AM yesterday. - Watched 3 films (I believe each one was an hour long) - Took a test on the computer. Failed with 42/50 on the first try. They let me take another test immediately after, which I passed with 48/50. Finished both tests in about 30 minutes. The questions, answers, and grammar are horrendous. Never took a test this poorly worded in my life. But everybody gets two attempts in a day. - Lined up for a driving test at 1 PM. There were a total of 7 vehicles. I was the last one. Most people were repeating the step they failed on days prior. One bike failed (he went around the wrong cone). I took my sweet ass time. There is really no way to fail, unless you rush it. The “hardest” part was lining up the left wheels with the white line by the curb and that’s only because I’ve driven on the left - or “right” ???? - side of the road for 25 years. Respect to Thais who all used a DMAX truck with a manual transmission to pass the test (parallel parking that thing looked like a real PITA). - Had my license 10 minutes later. It’s good for 5 years and was told I can renew 6 months before it expires (which surprised me because I thought it was 3 months). - Paid 505 baht In case you’re wondering, my wife is from Buriram and we were already there. So Nang Rong was the logical choice. I definitely recommend this place. It’s just so simple and hassle-free. There were hardly any people and I was the only farang.

I don’t think it has anything to do with the phone being low spec, because it’s not. Many people prefer smaller screens at a cheaper price point. iPhone SE latest Gen has the same identical A15 chip as your 13 Pro Max. It’s actually a newer iPhone than your 13 Pro Max. There’s a market for it. Otherwise, Apple wouldn’t have released it when they did and stores in Thailand wouldn’t be selling it new for 23,900. It’s a phone that normally sells used for 17-18k baht in US. And the prices I was quoted at MBK (9k - 11k) were still very much in line with yours (roughly 50% of what they cost new). The realistic part of me sent the phone to US yesterday where it will sell for at least 5-6k baht more. But since you’re not from the US, I wouldn’t expect you to understand how easy it is to sell things there. Yes, we’re spoiled, but generally speaking iPhones sell like hotcakes there, especially if you throw them on Craigslist or eBay. IMO, keeping your iPhone for another year is not a good idea if you’re already set on upgrading because iPhones retain the most value in their first year. I sold mine that way every year for nearly 15 years straight and recouped at least 70% of the value each time. So, upgrading never cost me much. I didn’t realize how bad the used phone market is here in Thailand until now. I bought a new iPhone 14 Pro 256 space black at Icon Siam over a month ago, which is why I wanted to unload my SE. I change phones often because my job requires it and the US market makes it super convenient to do so. Clearly, the dynamic here is very different. It is what it is. Had I known all of this, I wouldn’t even attempt selling it here. Seems like everything is more expensive in Thailand. Maybe food isn’t, although that depends on what one eats. Can’t think of anything else.

Your argument makes no sense whatsoever because the topic at hand was iPhone SE and the US model supporting the same identical GSM/EDGE bands as the Thai model. As a matter of fact, all variants of the SE support the same identical GSM/EDGE bands. There are no differences there. So what you said about GSM/EDGE bands simply doesn’t add up. First off, GSM/EDGE bands are archaic nowadays and hardly any carriers use them (unless you live in the middle of nowhere). But even then, every recent iPhone supports those same bands, regardless of what region you bought your iPhone in. And because the US variant supports more bands than any of the others, it means that it will work in more places around the world vs the other variants. Hence why it’s the best choice for anyone who travels a lot. At the end of the day, you’re splitting hair. Every SE variant - no matter what region it’s from - will work everywhere in the world and you’d hardly ever notice a difference. The phone is designed to switch bands for an optimal optimal connection, and there’s hardly any carriers that only support one band.

This is exactly what happened to me today. Every place took their sweet ass time molesting the phone to no end before quoting a ridiculous price. One place even offered 9000 baht, which is basically half of what I can get for it in the US. I also burst out laughing, which they didn’t appreciate. The most annoying part was that each merchant had to “call their boss” to check on the price. They must cater to straight up suckers who will give the phone away for scraps. Too much scum working there. I’d say it’s the first time I felt somewhat uncomfortable in a Thai mall lol. Actually, “Thai mall” isn’t even a good way to describe it because hardly anyone working there looked Thai.

I will personally avoid MBK from now on. I went there today and was extremely disappointed. I got offered 11000 baht for my 3rd Gen SE 256GB, which is in like-new condition and with 10 months of warranty left. Afterwards, I drove to Central pin-klao and shipped it back to US for 985 baht with Fastship. Should be there in 3-6 days. As soon as my sister receives it, I’ll throw it on eBay, where I sold plenty of iPhones. I know I can get at least 16000 baht equivalent for it. Possibly more. Shipping statewide is dirt cheap, too. May not seem like much, but the extra 4-5K baht is worth it IMO, even if I factor in the eBay fee. It seems incredibly difficult to sell a smartphone for a good price in Thailand. Lesson learned. I’ll never attempt it again lol

Nice try, but you were clearly wrong. You didn’t actually say what you claim you said. I’ll quote it for you: ”The support for GSM/EDGE would restrict my personal interest in the model you have as the USA region requires different bands” You were clearly stating that the USA SE variant is one you’re not interested in because USA region requires different GSM/EDGE bands, which doesn’t make sense because both variants (Thai and US) support the same identical GSM/EDGE bands. You were implying that because GSM/EDGE bands are different in the US, then the phone wouldn’t be compatible with some GSM/EDGE bands here, which is flat out incorrect. The US SE variant will work optimally with any carrier in Thailand.

The website I took a screenshot of showed only 4 variants, but you were still incorrect by claiming that the Thai variant includes different GSM/EDGE bands. It doesn’t. Every single SE variant is identical, apart from the bands they support and the fact that US variants don’t have the stupid writing on the back of the phone.

My wife bought an iPhone 13 Pro Max directly from AIS last year at a significant discount. It was subsidized as part of the “Handset contract with promotional package (12-month contract)”. When we did my visa run, we inserted a Vietnamese SIM card and it was SIM locked. We couldn’t use it and the carrier in Vietnam confirmed that it was locked. When we returned to Thailand, we went to AIS and asked them to unlock it, which they told us they couldn’t do because the plan she’s on doesn’t allow it until the contract expires. And it makes sense. Otherwise, anyone would buy such an expensive iPhone at a discount, stop making monthly payments, leave Thailand and use it with any carrier outside of the country. AIS would either lose money or break even at best.

Nothing I said was incorrect. The USA model is the model that supports the same identical 5G bands that the Thai model supports, plus two extra bands that the Thai model doesn’t support. 4G and GSM/EDGE is identical. I didn’t say anything about warranty, nor did I ever imply that it’s something people don’t care about. The only thing I said is that the US model iPhone SE is the one that will work anywhere in the world (only exception being the Japanese model, which includes a few 4G bands that neither the US nor Thai variants support). Also, not sure where you get your information from, but unlocked phones are the standard in the US. Subsidizing works in very much the same way that it does in Thailand. If you buy a new iPhone from AIS or True and you don’t pay full price, it will be locked to that carrier. Same as US. If you buy any iPhone from an Apple Store for full price, it’s always fully unlocked. I work with iPhones and Android phones for a living. I’ve had every iPhone since iPhone 3G and I sold every iPhone I ever had on eBay. The situation now requires me to sell it in Thailand, but if I can find a decent shipping price to US, I’d rather go that route because it’s typically easier to sell anything in US vs other parts of the world. I already got quoted 1k baht by Fastship for shipping to US in 3-5 days. As you can see, the A2595 is the best variant to have anywhere in the world (other than Japan). The sole difference between Thailand’s A2783 is that the A2595 supports more 5G bands, which makes it a better choice, unless somebody cares dearly about warranty (or lack thereof), which can be easily factored in by adjusting the price.

There are exactly 4 variants of the SE and mine is the US/CA one. It’s fully unlocked too. I bought it from an Apple Store in US. It is technically the best of the 4 because it supports the same bands as the others, plus additional two bands that the others don’t. So the US variant is actually a true global SE, despite not being referred to as “global”. The Thai variant is referred to as “global”, despite missing two bands that the US variant supports.

So what’s the consensus? I also want to sell my iPhone here in Bangkok. I have the latest SE 256GB unlocked in mint condition used for only 2 months. Apple Store sells them new for 23,900 Baht, but I know that the trade-in would be too low for my liking. I thought about listing it on eBay because the price I can get there is around 18,000-20,000 Baht, but I’m not sure how expensive shipping from Thailand to, for example, USA would be. Thoughts?