I have been planning a trip to Thailand for well over a year. I am a UK citizen with residency in another Asian country, so I emailed the consulate with my plans and they said I qualify to apply for a multiple entry tourist visa. They require first emailing all of the documents to get "pre-approved" and then they sent me a time for an appointment. Mind you, I wrote my intended arrival date in March of 2023 and had all of my hotel itineraries and flights. When I got to the appointment, the lady kept asking me about my ticket asking me if I could change it because it shows me leaving Thailand in September. I told her I was aware that I needed to leave every 60 days because I assumed that's what she was going on about. I paid my money and the next day, a full 2.5 months before I planned to depart, they approved my visa starting from the day I applied. I was livid and confused.
First, they said they already asked me if I could change my ticket. Second, they said that it clearly states the validity period on their website. I found the the following sentence: "you must enter Thailand within the validity of visa from the date of issue". They think that means they have clearly stated that the first day of validity is the date upon which the visa is issued.
Perhaps not surprisingly, they have said that this is my fault. This is in spite of the fact that my intention was clearly stated on numerous documents that they required I submit for pre-authorization before they gave my an appointment. To be clear, I sent the documents and after 3 attempts at the correct format, they approved them and gave me an appointment. They ignored my email requesting that the visa be changed.
Anyone have any recommendation for appealing this? The visa they have given me is COMPLETELY worthless to me as I have already booked arrangements for the time I applied for, not the time they gave me.