retiree

I got an Electrolux EWF 549 front loader maybe 15+ years ago.   I'm nice to it, and it treats me right.  It replaced a cheap top-loader "Rak Mia" (I love my wife) model from Big C that lasted 5+ years.  Never had to call washer service, but I have called refrigerator repair in Bangkok (for an LG), and was pleasantly surprised to find it was both rapid and cheap.  It seems highly unlikely that you would have to ship your washer anywhere.

For buying I usually visit both HomePro and PowerBuy (Central).  The trick is to find a salesperson who is not a rep of the manufacturer (which is why I don't bother with Paragon), and can offer useful advice.  My other experience has been that the price of any given model is fixed by the manufacturer no matter where you buy it.   Oh -- sales vary by brand, but are on every holiday, and on 1/1, 2/2 .. of each month.  The 11/11 sale ends today ???? 

--Retiree

Eventually I was blocked from trying yesterday.  Tried again today and victory is mine! after about 15 tries.   I think there is a perfect distance that puts where my chin would be (if it were visible) at the bottom of the selfie guide circle.

Not home free yet, though.  Halfway through registration it asked: 

   Q. what is your job?   

Fair enough.  I chose housewife / house husband / unemployed  from their dropdown list; retired is not an option.  But then it insisted on my company and place of work!  I wrote "retired" and repeated my home address. 

Then ... it wanted another ID.  Options:  pink card, Thai driver's license, yellow house book., none of which I have (or want), so I crossed my fingers and gave it another picture of my passport instead.

No dice.  Failure is mine!  Quick response saying that I had failed to identify myself, please check my documents etc.   Oh well ...  

-- Retiree 

It's not asking me to hold ID (scanned in previous step), just to take off my hat and shut my mouth.  And it controls the camera., so ... 

I've grown a beard since taking my last passport picture.  When trying to register for the True Money app on Android, I can scan my passport, but can't get past the "take a selfie" page.   Are they trying to match my selfie to the scanned passport pic?  And if so, is there a workaround?

Thanks,

-- Retiree

On 10/29/2021 at 5:30 PM, Pravda said:

However the doctor said if he writes up to be admitted which usually means spending a night at the hospital the insurance will fork out the costs.

I had the endo- / colonoscopy party at a large hospital in Bangkok several years ago.  No assumption or mention of overnight stay.   Local insurance (Aetna) approved it in advance and paid in full.  I have in-patient coverage only, btw -- no out-patient.   Pretty easy sailing at both ends, and "come back in 10 years" sounded pretty good.

-- Retiree

"Sent driver, report accepted."

Thanks mtls2005.  Asked and answered!  Yowza!   

-- Retiree

Ok, that's a question for the crowd then:

Has anybody who could not file an on-line 90-day report because of the erroneous "overstay" bug been able to use a representative to do it?   

Has anybody who sent a representative been told to come back in person?

Thanks,

-- Retiree

Clarified original post:  yes, Muong Thong Thani.  And yes, I've used motorcycle reps in the past, no problems (to be fair, I've known the guy & his wife and kids for 25 years).  

Ubonjoe, you seem to be confirming that however it is filed, a timely TM47 report (accompanied by a stamped passport, of course) will fix their system.  Have I got this right?

I'm posting here because this particular problem is getting buried in the main on-line 90-day thread. 

I have used the on-line 90-day report many times -- this is not a frustrated with technology post. 

Both my visa (stay extended at CW for one year in July) and my most recent 90-day report (filed in June) are valid.

This week (within the 15 day before expiration period) on-line reporting fails on both: 

• PC, with the "Please contact your local office" popup.  Refresh / different computer / different browser does not fix.
• Android app: it tells me I'm late as of when my last extension would have expired (but I did extend at CW -- stamped in passport).

My understanding is that:

• this is happening to many folks because extensions of stay were not posted into the Immigration computer properly (at CW?  sometimes?  always?)
• this cannot be fixed by telephone to CW,
• one can report by mail instead (but the response may take weeks),
• one can report in person at CW Muong Thong Thani or 
• one can send a representative with passport, and the current and new 90-day forms to CW Muong Thong Thani as usual -- no face-to-face needed to fix this particular problem.

Can anybody please either correct or confirm this understanding?  

Thanks,

-- Retiree

My guess:  not a lot of over-60's signed up, so they just decided to cancel the evening shift (also affected by the curfew), and fit us in during the day.  Seems pretty reasonable. 

Hopefully an over-60 who goes for a walk-in Pfizer shot on or after the 13th will report his or her experience on this forum.  

--Retiree

Last Wednesday various coffee / sandwich / stores were open with limited access and no seating (but you can snag a chair from one of the out of the way places to rest your dogs).  

 -- Retiree 

Could you tell how many people were queued in the "L" area?
Could not say how many were "L" specific -- several queues are in the same place.  It wasn't very crowded early afternoon. 

So you can use a bank letter and proof of account activity from the day before? Not needed for same day?

Again, I have a fixed deposit account -- I don't know about regular accounts.  The balance hasn't changed since I opened it many years ago (except for automatic interest in and out).  Most recent activity in the passbook was three months ago.  This was questioned once by the IO a few years back, but her supervisor cleared it up.    And I always use a letter from the day before -- this has never been questioned.

23 hours ago, retiree said:

Same here; but just a few days before the window (I expire at the end of next week).  I was aiming for the least crowding so I picked a day after the switch to appointments, but before next week's holiday rush in case I had to fix something.  Hoping ubonjoe is prescient; will find out tomorrow, and post a report.

As usual, ubonjoe was prescient, and as promised, I have posted a report (under CW retirement extension report -- early on-line appointment accepted )     Bottom line was that a) even though my appointment was more than three days early, and b) even though the dedicated on-line appointment window was closed, I was able to process my extension at CW today.   I asked specifically if other people in the same circumstances could do the same and was told yes.   Obviously unofficial (the runner asked a supervisor for me, but she understand the situation clearly).  

I made an on-line appointment in June before the system went offline, for a week++ before my visa expiration (i.e. > 3 days).   Was waved in to the windows, and did not stop for a queue ticket.   My appointment desk (L1-32) was closed, but I was able to get helped at another desk (the supervisor) in the same cluster.   I suspect that I may have been the first such case -- my full set of paperwork was looked at pretty carefully before it was clear we were going to get started.  What helped:  business attire, and fee, bankbook, & papers all signed and stacked in order.   Went pretty quickly, except for an unusually long wait (45 minutes) to get passport & bankbook returned.  

Two additional points.  First, after I got my passport back I asked the runner to check whether other people with early appointments (i.e. more then three days out) could use them.   Answer from the next-level supervisor:  "Yes", plus something about them having the list of people with appointments (I didn't see this being checked for me though).   

Second, as always my bank letter was from the day before, and the most recent update in my fixed deposit account was from May -- the account only gets changed when interest is automatically deposited in and immediately transferred out to a regular account.   This was inspected very closely as always, but no questions were asked and there was no problem. 

CW was not terribly crowded.   The current three-day rule is not ideal in case applications need fixing, but it makes sense -- it lets them predict demand in any three-day period, will help keep numbers down over the first few weeks of lockdown at least, and I assume it will help smooth out the usual Friday and pre-holiday rush.   And apparently not very many people made appointments for this far ahead before the system went off line.  

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

And what if you already have an appointment with immigration and it is a couple of weeks before the three day window?

Same here; but just a few days before the window (I expire at the end of next week).  I was aiming for the least crowding so I picked a day after the switch to appointments, but before next week's holiday rush in case I had to fix something.  Hoping ubonjoe is prescient; will find out tomorrow, and post a report.

Fwiw today it works fine.  However, using Chrome, the first time I entered submit after filling out the first-page personal data, I got a blank page.  So, I: 

• backed up,
• re-entered some fields that had been blanked, being sure to use the drop-down lists when available,
• double-checked to make sure that all cells that were supposed to be blank were (and not - or spaces),
• entered a new captcha,

and it worked fine.
-- retiree 

And yet another variation:  has anybody had trouble (i.e. had the rep turned away) when they:

• made an appointment at CW, and 
• sent a non-professional representative to do the report?

I have had the girlfriend do this many times before online reporting or appointments were available.  Concerned this time because I'll be asking a motorcycle driver friend to do it (I'm old, and the GF is unwell).  I have known him for 20 years, so no concerns there, but he does look like a middle-aged Thai motorcycle driver, rather than a well-dressed office girl.   I assume he would not have trouble with the regular long-wait cattle call. 

Thanks in advance if you have made an appointment, sent a rep, and have a report ???? . 

-- Retiree 

On 1/4/2021 at 9:41 AM, jjray said:

I tried to do my online 90 days report but this msg appeared on screen......

Solved (at least for me), using Chrome, and also getting the popup.

The problem was that on the first entry page, I had entered a single - in the Middle Name and Flight Number fields (because the hyphen was shown on pdf copies of previous pending and approved applications).   When I removed the hyphens from the form I was able to get to the next page with the submit button. 

Mileage may vary,

-- Retiree 

OP here.  What I learned:

• my performance concern (browser response) is not an issue per se with current multi-core processors,
• benchmarks.ul.com is very good for overview of specs / benchmarks / hardware details, and finding comparable neighborhoods, once I had a starting point.
• versus.com is very good for comparing a few phones head-to-head.
• issues like "replaceable battery?" and "what kind of glass?" seem more important than performance in this range.

Thanks to all for comments,

-- Retiree

If I understand correctly, there is a 500 b/day fine, to a max of 20K.    If his medical paperwork is in order, then he will be fined, and if he is lucky, a new "extension" to his currently expired visa will be issued (or perhaps it will just be a new "under consideration" for a new retirement extension).   There is probably a critical point at 90-days overdue, but at present he is planning to be either walking or dead by then.   I have located a recommended visa agent if he decides to to go that route (but he might not, as a not-wealthy, old-school guy who has always managed things for himself).  

Thanks again for all advice,

-- Retiree

"not bring any paperwork"  -- a mutual Thai friend had some business at CW, and will ask questions on his behalf.  The sick friend probably won't be travelling further than bed <-> bathroom until his next doctor app't in two weeks (he's still as weak as the proverbial kitten). 

And yes, I've used the very good appointment system myself, but I suspect that if his current visa is expired he won't be able to use it.  But, we'll see.  

-- Retiree 

That makes sense -- he will need the doctor's note in any case.   I will suggest that the Thai friend might try to ask questions on his behalf, but not bring any paperwork.   If it would'a/could'a helped, she can go back next day.  

-- Retiree

Well, he's a responsible & organized guy; just got very sick very fast.  

Thanks very much for advice, which I will pass along.   I think his first step will be to ask a Thai friend to get out to CW with his paperwork (such as it is) tomorrow, and see if any guidance is available.

-- Retiree 

Asking for a friend in his 70's, who has had non-O retirement for some years (at CW), based on 800K in bank.  

Cancer diagnosis in September, immediate surgery and chemo, then hospitalized Oct. 7 - Nov 3 (he has a letter saying this).  Now at home but has been very weak (looks really awful, truth be told).  Sees doctor again in two weeks.  

His 1-year non-O expired Oct 19.    90-day report expires Nov. 20.    Wants to know what to do.  Should he:

• drag down to CW as soon as possible with Nov 3 letter from hospital, letter from bank, and extension request?
• wait until he is stronger in a few weeks, and get a current doctor's letter attesting to his illness?
• something else?

Any help would be much appreciated,

-- Retiree

Sorry; I should have said "<4,500 baht". 

Want phone rather than notepad 'cause phone fits in my shirt pocket.

And yes, I know there are plenty available; lol there are a half-dozen 7/11's on my block!  I just have no clue if one of the low-cost brands is appreciably better than the others in terms of how fast the browser (and I guess the Android implementation) runs.  Does that Huawei model zip along?

Thanks,

-- Retire