MangoKorat

1 minute ago, megapix said:

Can you please provide us with answer after they reply you ?

 

I think I will go to Savannakhet next week to apply for multi non-o based on marriage before I go back to EU. Cannot apply back home in EU and HCMC seems to require 6 months bank statement which basically means that they need the funds to be seasoned.

 

I will prepare bank statement with 400k balance and certificate from bank but the funds has not been seasoned. If they require the funds to be seasoned then I dont know what Im going to do. Getting a single entry is useless because in January I will be in Thailand for 4 days only before going on holiday. I would waste a visa for 4 day stay.

I certainly will provide their answer.  I've tried to make it as simple as possible as even the best Thai national English speakers sometimes don't fully understand - hopefully they will this time.  The last time I wrote to Savannakhet the reply took around 7 days - I wrote earlier today.

1 minute ago, Brickleberry said:

Using the income method (If you send transfers using Wise) is only possible with two banks; Bangkok Bank & Kbank. This is because Wise uses accounts with these banks to send money to your account.

Using the visa as intended, you should not have to show the money is in a Thai bank account - a MENO is for visitors, not residents. Technically only those resident in Thailand can open a Thai bank account so they cannot require the funds to be in one.  That is a requirement for an extension of stay - not a MENO.

Recent reports seem to suggest that applicants are being asked to provide proof of funds in a Thai bank account.  As I will be applying for just such a visa in the near future, I have written to the Consulate at Savannakhet for clarification.

2 hours ago, Brickleberry said:

 

The problem isn't the system being abused, it is the requirements.

 

A MENO based on marriage is not intended for people who live in Thailand with their wife - its intended for those who work/live elsewhere but visit their wife regularly.  Therefore, people who in fact live in Thailand using a MENO are technically abusing the intention of that visa. I would repeat that I am in no way criticising people who do that, I would probably have done the same if I was still married as my local immigration office can be really awkward on extensions of stay.

That said, Thai Immigration are now abusing the requirements - 400,000 in the bank covers a 12 month stay when using the extension of stay method - a MENO only gives you a 90 day stay so why 400,000? Using the income method: proof of 40,000 per month should be easy enough for those using the visa for its intended purpose unless their earnings are 'grey' and unrecorded - in which case they will have to either be 'creative' or use an agent.

What I will never understand is that a married guy who probably supports his wife and maybe has a family is required to show 40,000 per month whilst a single guy on a B visa has to show 50,000 per month.

18 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

In this case we do know the leakage path, it's the mains inlet filter that keeps the nasties from the switching power supply from getting into the wide world, hence the usage of the term "functional earth" it's needed for the device function correctly rather than safety.

 

 

Well you learn something knew every day.  I've seen people post on this subject before but I'd no idea that computers had an inlet fiter or dealt with earths differently.  I'd always presumed that getting a belt off anything meant an internal short.

One thing I found before I changed over to UK sockets was that many older Thai style sockets and switches  tend to 'leak'.  I used to often find a very low voltage (2 - 4v) on the negative side of sockets and once got a belt off a light switch.  Those faults disappeared when I changed them and completely when I went over to UK sockets.

26 minutes ago, SammyJ said:

Sounds like you live in a condo, where often a surcharge is added, which in some cases DOUBLES what the PEA would charge.

Didn't I read somewhere that the Thai authorities were going to stop that?  I rented in Bangkok many years ago but when I saw the landlord's charges for water and electricity (almost double), I almost backed out of the deal. Fortunately the landlord really wanted to let the property and backed down - allowing me to pay the actual cost.

I would guess that a lot of newcomers to Thailand aren't aware of this situation until after they've signed a lease agreement. Leases usually specify what you will be charged but don't show how much above the actual cost that is.

Good luck on finding someone reliable that's available for just a few hours per week. You'd be much better off selling the car and using a normal taxi service as Bob suggests above.

Just now, bob smith said:

what day job?

 

Still getting your attention then.

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Thanks.

 

wish I could say the same for you!

Strange. I thought you didn't pay any attention.  A word of advice, don't give up the day job - you'll never make it as a comedian.

13 minutes ago, bob smith said:

 

that's good then cos you dont get any!

Oh you're so funny. Hardly surprising that you started this topic - you obviously feel out of place and you probably are.

There are people who don't like foreigners in every country - the UK is getting better but there is still a lot of hatred/fear here.

I've come across Thai's who appear to look down on me - oddly mainly in the UK.  However, I think a lot depends on who you mix with and where you frequent.  I have many good friends in Thailand and most of them are Thai, some have given me a great deal of help and regard me as family. When I'm in Thailand, most of my time is spent in the company of Thai people and I've always been made very welcome in my area.

I have also experienced the other side, the females that are out to fleece you and the childishly drunken Thai males.  You just can't generalise but in my opinion, if you don't mix, if you sit in a 'farang bar' drinking every day and isolate yourself, you're never going to be regarded as welcome.

The foreigners that I know and others I've met that work in Thailand and socialise with Thai's, get along very well and are respected in the main but you're always going to find the exception.

27 minutes ago, 2baht said:

 

     He get's a bit more attention and response than you do Mango! 😏

I'm not here for attention thanks.

33 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

Ayam Brand is a Singaporean multinational

That it may well be but the address on the tin is in Bangkok so I doubt they are subject to import tax. Other imported products are marked as such and some have tax stickers on them - no idea if that's a requirement.

11 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

How shallow  -  and inaccurate.

 

 

I have rejected opportunities to 'have some fun' with very young. I will usually only look in the 28 to 40 age range (almost impossible to define in Thailand). 

 

 

 

 

 

I wasn't meaning the very young! If you want to call something 'shallow' - read the OP!

I'd guess that Thai people most likley hate mysogynistic g i t s called Bob Smith

With regard to electronics - TV's etc. just about everything I can buy in Thailand is cheaper in the UK.  That said, there are some really cheap prices for some goods on Lazada but I've had mixed experiences with quailty on them. There's a lot of fakes on there too.

Food, when bought at supermarkets is much more expensive in Thailand.  Baked beans for example Ayams, a Thai brand are 75 to 90 baht per tin in Thailand whereas decent beans in the UK are less than 25 baht. Milk, bread - well up, cheese - crazy. That said, veg and meat can be bought cheaply at local markets as long as you don't mind flies walking all over them/low quality cuts. Interestingly though, food in the UK is much cheaper than it is in most of Europe.

Food at restaurants - way cheaper in Thailand.

Beer - much cheaper in Thailand.

Trainiers - I just bought a good quality pair in the UK for less than 900 baht. Unbranded/unknown trainers can be bought for less than 500 baht in Thailand but the ones I looked at didn't look like they would last 5 minutes.  In fairness though, I bought my trainers at the discounter TK Maxx where I buy most of my clothes/shoes. There may be an equivalent in Thailand that I am yet to find.

Flights back to the UK - always more expensive BKK-UK-BKK than UK-BKK-UK.

Labour, Car Parts, DIY materials - usually much cheaper in Thailand.

Petrol/Diesel - much cheaper in Thailand.

I used to find that everything was cheaper in Thailand - that's changed now, especially for food. A weekly trip to Tesco (Lotus's) probably costs me 10-20% more in Thailand than it would in the UK.

I would also state that I used to deal with the Royal Thai Consulate in Hull in the main - formerly run by the Consul Mr. Alan Taylor.  Alan was very aware of just how rude the staff at London could be and hinted to me several times that he himself sometimes had problems with them.

14 minutes ago, lom said:

I've told you what I have and I've also informed you of the variables involved.  Start with reading your PEA meter at sunrise and sunset for a couple of days, mixed rainy and sunny, so you get an idea of your power consumption. Then decide how much of a 24 hour day you want to cover with panel power (and battery power).

With that said I'm now leaving your thread.

Oh dear, sorry to upset you - I have taken note of your comments but I need to have more in order to provide a balanced view.

I cannot measure my usage because:

A. I do not currently live in Thailand full time.

and

B. I have never lived in the situation I will be doing so I don't know how much electricity will be used by other people.

I can only work on averages which is why I asked in my reply to Crossy if 10kwh would be appropriate.

I think it is probably better to install a system that is capable of providing more than is actually required as I think that in the main, electricity requirements go up rather than down.

Please also understand that I have to google a lot of the terminology used here. I have never had any experience of solar power so for example, I have no idea what a Hybrid Inverter is - if I tried to explain how an automatic gearbox works, would you understand?

I'm learning but it takes time.

6 minutes ago, lom said:

The size of a single panel and its power rating is available from the seller or you can google it for a specific panel. Reduce 10% of panel power to compensate for losses.

I would rather have real world figures - given by people living in Thailand. We have several members here who have long standing solar installations.

4 minutes ago, lom said:

How long is a rope? 

You are the only one who can decide how many panels you need which is mainly based on your power consumption between 07-17.

If you read my posts fully you will see that I was asking if 10kwh was a reasonable assesment for an average house.

7 hours ago, SunsetT said:

Since Covid the UK Embassy's efficiency has greatly improved and all it takes to end all this speculation is a short polite email to: [email protected] enquire if the MENO is still available.

I have no idea if they have improved or not - their website is still a mess and clicking on many of the buttons simply takes you to a page that has nothing to do with visas etc.  I'm pretty sure they know about that but they do nothing.  I've pointed out mistakes on their website previously - politely.  All I got was an attitude of 'how dare you, a stupid farang, tell us that there are mistakes on our website? Our website is not there to provide you with information - we will do what we want with it'. 

During Covid, their information was often at odds with that coming from other Embassies and Bangkok and they seemed to think the best place to provide information was on Facebook rather than on their website!

I've also had several phone conversations with staff at the RTE London over the years and found their attitude to be very rude and condescending. My then wife (Thai) also spoke to them during Covid and also said they were rude.

If they've changed their attitude now, that would be very helpful but given that there website still doesn't work correctly, I find it hard to believe they've changed.  Contrast that with the staff at Ho Chi Minh - who I've always found very pleasant and helpful.

1 minute ago, xtrnuno41 said:

SO you cant do anything with the septic tank/soakaway area? Make a garage/inverter/ batteries room/?

You clearly don't understand. I am suggesting/asking if I can place solar panels over my septic tank/soakaway area and if so, how many sq m of panels would be needed to supply my house.

36 minutes ago, xtrnuno41 said:

But your airco(s) is(are) producing heat and you do take part of heating earth with it. The hot air is blown in the wind.

And not only your airco is doing that, there are billions of them.

So is it environmental thought or just free "easy" power?

Look, we could get into a really deep debate and essentially, I agree with you.  My thoughts overall on climate change is that the problem stems from the fact that there are just too many people on the planet but that's a different debate and something that is just about impossible to deal with. None of that really has a place here - I am trying to deal with things as they are and not how they can be.

However, I take on board your comments on heat recovery and will give it some thought as to what, if anything, I can do about it.  The water heater you suggest would indeed provide hot water 'for free' at some times of the day but it wouldn't work 24/7.  Heat recovery is a growing item in Europe but it only works in built up areas where many sources can be incorporated and then it is used for heating. I'm looking for cooling. I don't see how I could make it work in my plans. Simply saying that I could use the heat from an air source heat pump to compliment the solar water heater is easy - doing it is a different matter.  Air source heat pumps are large cumbersome machines whereas I believe solar water heaters are best placed on a roof - I can't immediately see a way around that but I will look at it.

My thoughts on using solar are genuinely environmental - how would it be if like the majority (currently), I simply installed aircon units and ran them 24/7 using grid electricity that is produced using predominantly fossil fuels? Or should I simply sweat?  How would it be if a ran a 3.2L V6 engined truck rather than the 1.4L hatchback I currently run to simply get one person from A to B like so many do?  I do what I can and please remember, that the environmental measures I will incorporate into my new home will have a significant cost - a cost that I am unlikely to recover. That, whilst huge amounts of energy are being wasted all over the world.  Think about internet servers that enable our youth to constantly surf on their phones needlessly. 'The Cloud'  that uses massive amounts of electricity to enable businesses to store their data without the need for huge hard drives, display lighting in city centres where nobody goes etc. etc.

Sorry but I think that what I am planning is entirely good for the planet. It may not be the best I can do but it is 100% more than the majority of the earth's population is doing.