JoeyMac

We are paying considerable rent - 75k a year. So i think the landlord will have a field day with our 2 month deposit. Might consider with holding the last months desposit.

Amateur hour mistake by us. Our first condo here in the heart of Sukhumvit. My partner was already here. We chose the condo, agreed all terms when i had to leave for a few days. i arrived a few days after signing i saw many areas of slight damange (eg, little scuff marks in the walls, the fridge has a slight dent in it, markings on the floor, and markings on the kitchen worktops') The agent discussed them, but he has made no report of them or give us any documentation. This is despite saying he would do so. Pretty much means we are screwed here if the landlord turns out to be one of those you know what. Thoughts ? We've been here just under a week. I know amateur hour.

I certaintly hope he doesn;t intend to put no dish on the balcony or something like that. My agent said just go to the True store to get Broadband. We had no idea what we were doing, so just popped in

Yeah they said i have to pay for installation. They said pay the engineer when he turns up. Nothing on the bill about this. This legit ?

No paid nothing. But agreed a contract and signed. I was told to pay the engineer once installed, and i would then get a monthly bill. I will ask the condo now, and then go to True to attempt to cancel.

Guys would love some more valuable assistance, and if this is completely normal. Moved into our condo last week. I was told getting broadband in Thailand was very easy by agents and other randoms. I mean it's easy getting a sim card and getting online in Thailand, so you just assume broadband would be just as easy (as opposed to some other countries where getting a sim card can be soul destroying). Tuesday - go to the True store in Silom. All well and good. Sign a contract. Was told an engineer would call that afternoon to arrange and installation. Splendid news ! Wednesday - hear nothing. Thursday - No engineer calls. I pop back into True store. Explain i really need broadband for work and would appreciate a time so i can make plans. They say engineer says he is busy (do they only have one?) and he will call tomorrow. Friday - No engineer calls. Go back to True store. They ring engineer and he says he will call for 100% sure this afternoon. Note it was not 99% but 100%. No one calls. Weekend - i assume closed so don't bother. Monday - They promise me the engineer will call me. I tell them i am sick of promises. I assume maybe this is what happens in Thailand. But nope they insist the engineer is just busy and will call me today for sure to arrange an appointment. You guessed it, no one calls. Tuesday - Still no broadband. Now do we just put this down to normal behaviour? I mean they are just constantly just going to say 'yes it's coming, call today' type nonsense to please me for a short period. Why not just say 'bloody hell we are over worked, the engineer is useless, we have no idea when he will call, good luck' ? Back to the broadband anyone else have any problems? I am tempted to move to another company, but i have a signed agreement, so am a tad worried now moving away.

You lost me at 'simply open the website'. I did open it. Then quickly closed my laptop. The horror.

Think the landlord is in China. So my agent said they would do it.

Guys we've just moved in to property. Our agent has said he would do our TM30, which i thought was unusual. How do we check if it has been done? I had a look at the website, felt lost, and ran away from the screen.

To get the extension will i need an agent in Thailand? If so, how much will they charge. Or is it relatively straight forward and something i could do myself? Same with the multiple reentry permit - can i do on my own?

Hi guys. I am trying to work through the minefield as to what to do here. Two children studying in Thailand. As parents we can get O visa to be with each child. Now how do i navigate going forward and which option should i take? Do i : 1) Apply for the O visa and Education visa in the UK? Then will i be correct in assuming that after 3 months, we will have to get these visas extended for the year. Will there be a fee for extending the visa? If so, how much? 2) As i am currently in Thailand. on a visa waiver. Do i just stay here, and apply in Thailand. How much will it cost to get the education visa for my children? I believe the school will help. Then how do we go about getting an O visa, and how much will those costs be here in Thailand ? And again, will we then have to go through an extension after 3 months? 3) It is very important for me to have multiple entries. How do we navigate this aspect of the visas we get? I have heard of reentry permits. Is there a cost for this ?

THE PLOT THICKENS !!!!! So we go to another condo now that we like. This one does not have any compressor on the balcony. Visions return of sitting on a balcony and relaxing. The air conditioning works a treat. So i ask where do the air conditioning exhale it's air? It must be a fancy system they have. Answer? The compressor is in the bedroom !!!!! We look and see a decorative style door in the wall. Behind that, inside the bedroom is the compressor !!!! It then has a pipe to flush it out into the air. I look at the agent in aghast. He tells me this is very normal in Thai condos !!!! So it looks like a compressor on the exterior may actually be the best option !!!! I could have literally had the compressor in my bedroom !!!

And how does one determine if the unit is faulty? Even with regular maintance it become fault any minute. So whilst i'm sitting there i could be getting faulty air blown in my face.

Let me clarify - are you saying the air released from the compressor is simply hot air with a bit of Freon mixed into that ? You are specific that there is nothing else coming out, no other gasses? Question - is this Freon pumped into the interior too ? Talk to me about Freon. What do we know about it ? Further question - what if the compressor is dirty ? The type of dirt that is not seen to the naked eye, microscopic dust and general environmental dirt on it (because it is of course in an exterior environment in Bangkok) - are you then going to then be blowing dust in your face too. Would i be on a correct course of thinking with this line of attack ? The compressor whilst looked clean, certainly didn't look shiny gold - i wouldn't have eaten my dinner off it.

Rent is around 75,000 a month - so yes we are seeking PERFECETION. If you simply wanted a one bedroom condo randomly in the city i could pick one up tomorrow most likely. Finding a two bedroom, that is in the location you need it to be, the size, has the amenities you want in a condo (security, modern infrustructure, pool), and close to entertainment is vital.

This is clearly the wrong way to look at pollution. You've checked a simple reading for a city, but fail to look at local levels, and even more your own surroundings. Because whilst a city maybe clean (or polluted), if your immediate local surroundings are a condo on a highway, or living next door to a polluting factory, or you have someone whom is perpetually smoking around you your LOCALISED pollution is going to be far higher than some reading for a whole city. I don't understand why you have become annoyed by simply asking is my air conditioning unit compressor is a polluting hazard IF i sit on a balcony drinking Early Gray Tea, reading the Guardian, and relaxing - when it is literally blowing in my face. I am simply seeking the science. Yes millions have air conditioning units. But millions don't sit a yard away from the compressor exhaling 'fumes' into their face.

You directed me to google. I searched google. Google wants me to buy compressors. I am looking for links to the information. Fully aware of course that would be very time consuming for your good self, to benefit a random guys murmerings on his visions of drinking tea on a Bangkok balcony.

Yeah but c'mon - most of us have an air conditioning unit on most of the time we are in Bangkok.

Promise me that the air being released is safe. Promise me. Show me linked articles to support this 'theory' you put before us. You seem overly supportive of compressors. Let me guess ... you have a gigantic one on your balcony and you need to justify it. Maybe.

Thanks guys. Of course the cosmetic look is a blow (literally), but what we are more concerned about is the pollution. I think we have established the air released is not going to be british countryside fresh oxygen. I am trying to establish however how harmful it is. So as i sit drinking some twinings Tea on my balcony with a compressor blowing my head off - , i am not harming myself.

So if Freon is toxic. It is released in small quantities from fridges. I wonder then how much is released from a full blasting compressor unit ? To say it is harmless i think is a tad incorrect from my 20 minute google course i just done.

FREON GAS ?!

So am i to conclude that these condos that put a compressor on the balcony are actually a major negative, and this is an actual 'skid mark' on the condo ?

Gas you say ?

Back to the science - can anyone clarify what is in that heat that is coming out? I'm hearing talk of 'agents', 'cooling agents', etc etc Let's be honest the 'air heat' that it is releasing into the atmosphere can't be vitamin C healthy. But what harm does it do?