hunghung

I got a reply from an agent.

Management fee is 150B/sq. m./month.

I asked him where one would put a washing machine and he says drainage system and the power outlet are there for a washing machine.    However, after watching many videos, I don't see where one would put a washing machine.

For this two-bedroom unit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr8Zp1ta6Ms) and this three-bedroom, unit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpxv3wkUSH8), where would one put a washing machine?

30 minutes ago, Airalee said:

And you know this from watching a couple YouTube videos?

Yes.  About 10 videos.

3 hours ago, Pravda said:

Are you a rich HK resident? 

 

Maybe you can answer a few questions for me as this has always puzzled me.

 

What is your logic for buying a 3 million dollar condo in a city like Bangkok when you can buy a better condo in a world class city like Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, etc, etc..... for much less.Heck, for that about of money Canada will even throw a permanent residency for you.

I am very impressed by the quality of 98 Wireless.  I doubt if you can find a condo with a higher quality anywhere in the world.  

I am interested in 98 Wireless.  I emailed some questions to two Bangkok property agents, but strangely I got no reply.

If you are familiar with 98 Wireless, please tell the location of vehicle parking (I don't see any parking entrance after watching some youtube videos on the property).

Also, please tell the recent transaction prices on 98 Wireless.  Do you know the problems, if any, of living in this property?  (One problem I find is that the monthly management fee is very high.)

Is there an online source that people can check recent transaction prices on Bangkok condos? (In Hong Kong, major property agents' websites provide transaction prices of properties that go through the agents.)

A happy ending for me: I got 20,000B back (out of the 31,000B I paid for the Cambodia tour).

To make a long story short, I found out last month from the travel agent that it had paid someone in MOTS (specifically, Tourism Business and Guide Registration Office in Bnagkok) 20,000B back in Sept. 2009 (a few months after I filed my complaint there). The travel agent thought the money had gone to me and that the matter was settled. Of course, I was never informed about the 20,000B. I presented this fact to MOTS and I finally got the 20,000B (actually less because of bank wiring fees).

I don't think I would ever find out the whole truth, but here is what I think happened:

Mr. K (the lawyer who received my complaint) contacted the travel agent and it sent a staff to MOTS National Stadium office to meet Mr. K (or someone else in MOTS). The staff was asked to pay me a partial refund of 20,000B and the money was transferred bank to bank on Sept. 16, 2009 to a personal, rather than an official MOTS, bank account given to the staff (I have a copy of the bank transfer receipt provided by the travel agent). The last name of the money recipient is the same as that of Ms.L's, but their first names aren't the same. Since Ms. L might not have given me her real first name (which is likely as she kept avoiding to give me her full name and official title), Ms. L herself might have been the money recipient.

When I presented the 20,000B story to MOTS, Ms. L emailed to me, saying that she found my story true and that I wasn't informed about the money because MOTS didn't know what the money was for (but she didn't tell if she was the money recipient). Here is the intriguing part: Why didn't MOTS know what the money was for? For bank to bank transfer, the recipient knows who the sender is. If MOTS didn't know what the 20,000B was for, all it had to do was to contact the sender, which is the travel agent in Pattaya (the bank transfer receipt clearly stated that the sender was the travel agent, not an individual). So I think Ms. L or someone else in MOTS wanted to keep the 20,000B, hoping that I would never find out.

My persistence paid off.

I can ask MOTS to investigate this matter, which is full of irregularities on the part of MOTS. However, I am satisfied as I got most of the money back.

What is your thought?

I believe I encountered the following scam when I was departing at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday (March 1, 2011):

Shortly after I entered the depature area around 5:40a.m., a Chinese woman around age 55 wearing good make-up asked me if I was Chinese and if I had some time and I answered yes. She asked if I could help her. She said she was trying to change her flight schedule with Kenya Airlines, but the Airlines required a few hundred Baht, which she didn't have. She asked if I could provide her the small amount of money. Then another Chinese woman around age 75 appeared and showed me her People's Republic of China passport.

I asked the younger woman to show me her air ticket and she showed me an E ticket. I was willing to help, but I had to verify her story and a way to do this is to go to the Airlines' counter to talk to a staff. So I asked her where the Airlines' counter was and she said it wouldn't open until about 1:00p.m. I sensed something shady and I told her I wouldn't be able to help. Then she became angry and said it was a waste of time talking to me and it is at this point that I realized she was probably trying to scam money (otherwise, she would still be thankful for my listening).

If you think of the time of the day, it looks even more probable that it is a scam (airport monitoring is less intense during the early morning hours).

Hi Mark, is there a bus from Chanthaburi to Ban Phe?

Thanks Mark.

Ban Phe is some 15 km from Rayong city. Would go to your place if I decide to include Ban Phe in my travel plan.

I stayed there before and found it is of very good value. You had a bad experience?

I shot Lek an email, but still haven't received a response

Wow, a couple of words from Zap.............

Depends if you want Rayong Town or are flexible, beach wise 10 mins toward Ban Phe is MaeRamPheung, long beach, fairly quiet most days except holidays and the Rayong Beach Condotel is clean, if basic.

Not a beach/water lover. Would stay in town.

I'll be visiting Rayong, Chantaburi, and Trat.

Can someone suggest good accommodations in those places? Price in the range 500-1200B would be ideal.

Spaniel, I tried lek-hotel and the email seems to go through (I get no unable-to-deliver message). Thank you very much!

Spaniel, I dropped the underscore so that there is nothing between lek and hotel. The email still doesn't go through (try this yourself to confirm).

Can you call Lek again about its email address?

I just sent an email to and it doesn't work. I immediately got the message

"This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.

Delivery to the following recipients failed.

"

Spaniel, can you send a blank message to and see if it works for you?

http://lekhotel.tripod.com/ is an outdated site. I tried both the emails on http://lekhotel.tripod.com/contract_us.html and they both don't work.

I appreciate if someone can provide me its email address (I live outside Thailand).

I was a guest at Lek Hotel (Pattaya 2nd). I try to contact it, but its email address that worked no longer works. I also use the email address of of Lek Villa (I think it is part of the Lek group), but that email also doesn't work.

Does anyone know if Lek Hotel (Pattaya 2nd) is still in business? If yes, can you provide the email address and website address (I remember it has a website, but I can't find it now)?

Another Alternative:

Take the Airport Express route no.3 (see AE3 route at http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/55) for 150B. Then get out at Soi 6 (Stop no.10) or at Soi Nana (Stop no. 16, the last stop). Then take a taxi to Soi 4 (fare should be minimal as the two stops are so close to Soi 4). You may not even need a taxi unless your hotel is deep in Soi 4.

I haven't tried this myself. What do experienced Bangkok travellers think of this alternative?

Thanks!

Someone recommended Loei to me for my next Thailand visit, saying that it is beautiful.

Does anyone know a good Loei accommodation for a visit of a week or two (a clean, conveniently-located guest house will do)?

Also, what is the temperature there in Jan/Feb?

It seems the B consulate is broke rather than incompetent. Of course, it won't say it's broke because of the shame.

If I recall correctly, when the ? shirt took over the new airport 2-3 years ago, the B govt. was the last country to send a charter flight to pick up its citizens (again, looked like it was broke).

For the Thai side, obvious incompetence. Thai officials should have pressed and pressed the B consulate to take care of the matter, threatening to expose the matter if the consulate did nothing.

Hi DP25, I thank you in advance.

There are consumer traps everywhere. In where I live, government agencies or trade organizations look at complaints that have merit seriously.

For the high-profile case you mentioned, both the guide and the tour operator had their licenses revoked. (One may sympathize the guide since her income totally depended on commission from shops. However, she did choose to take the job anyway and so she should be responsible for her behavior.)

are you sure this woman is not from MOTS hence the use of a hotmail account, seems that may the case and she is just hoping you drop everything.

Miss L is from MOTS and I think she is a lawyer. In the lastest email, she uses an official email account ([email protected]) instead of a hotmail account. However, she still hasn't provided her official title and full name.

I was expecting a positive outcome from Mr./Ms. A, but he/she didn't follow through, probably trying to cover up the bad acts.

Story Update and Translation Help Needed:

I wrote to Dr. N (Director-General, Office of Tourism Development) on July 12 about my experience (I didn't mention this in my previous threads to keep the story short). About 5 weeks later on August 20, I received an email from Mr./Ms. A of Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration, saying he/she was responding to my July 12 letter and asking me for details. I swiftly provided the details and Mr./Ms. A said that he/she would find out the truth about what Miss L did and also handle my complaint against the travel agent.

Despite repeated inquiries, I heard nothing from Mr./Mrs. A . I wrote to Dr. N again on October 12 , but heard nothing. My feeling was that MOTS was trying to cover up the matter and using the (despicable) non-response tactic. On Nov. 8, I wrote to one of the deputy Prime Ministers asking for assistance.

Yesterday (Nov. 25), I received an email from Miss L, with the warning letter to the travel agent attached (I don't know if her response has anything to do with my letter to the deputy PM). Miss L said she found the letter in Mr. Z's file folder (if you recall, Mr. Z was the one who received my complaint in person and Miss L said months ago that he had departed). Of course, I don't believe her story. If there were a warning letter written months ago, it would have been in my complaint file and Miss L wouldn't have told me earlier that she was in the process of writing one.

In any case, the letter is written in Thai, which I have no knowledge of. Can someone please help translate it into English? I see my name on the letter, but I am not sure if it is a generic letter (one that can be used over and over again, making it meaningless) and if it is addressed to the Pattaya travel agent (I don't see the English name of the agent). Please assist. (The letter is in image file. If it were in text file, I could have used Google Translate.)

(Also, I have suspected Mr. Z's departure is a lie, but I am not in a good position to check this out. If you are in Bangkok and speak fluent Thai, you can help by calling/visiting MOTS National Stadium office and asking to talk with this person. Please send me a private message and I'll give the name.)

Enjoy the cheap transport while you can. I don't think 15B even covers the variable cost per person.

Perhaps the cheap fare is used to make people feel the poor construction may be forgiven and to help people involved escape inquiry.