bluesofa

50 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Very true.

For me also very simple without such hassle.

You are unlucky with your district office.

Some foreigners are harassed to the bone and give up.

As Khun Benq says, different amphurs perceive the rules differently.

In Udon Thani their understanding was that a 'certified copy' was using an 'approved' translator (in my case a Thai/English school with a signed translation) to provide a Thai translation of my passport details page into Thai, in order that my name (in Thai) could be entered into a yellow housebook.

7 hours ago, hansnl said:

I need one that does that and doesn't nag......

Surely you just press 'mute' on the remote?

3 hours ago, phuketrichard said:

Cambodia takes ur fingerprints on entry, Thailand takes ur photo

how do u accomplish that without being there physically?

Maybe he's going to use the hands-free option.

(sorry!)

16 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not sure what the MFA would have to do with it. They only verify the translation of the affirmation of permit to marry.

The only ministry that would be involved in it would be the Interior Ministry.

Just what I was thinking too.

6 minutes ago, Colabamumbai said:

Bullshit about refusing to register marriages, but many Amphurs are sending the documents back to MFA to verify that they are legit, before issuing marriage certificate. My experience in Ban Lamung, waiting 20 days now.

Is that a recently new requirement now?

41 minutes ago, madmitch said:

I had an odd request at SCB yesterday, a bank I've had an account at for 12 years. I asked for a new debit card with a chip and pin option, which was no problem; 100 baht and it was in my hand in ten minutes.

 

But after signing my passport copy the girl stated that I needed to enter a UK address! 

"But I've been living in Phuket for 12 years."

"If you have British passport you need British address."

"Why"

"All foreigners have to give foreign address"

 

I didn't say any more, just put my parents' address on the form, confirmed that any statement will still contain my Thai address and that was it.

 

Anyone else come across this?  

Yup, earlier in the year, exactly the same at the SCB too.

Picked up new chip & pin card, they wanted a UK address.

Me: I don't have one, I've lived here twenty years, I don't have a UK address. Had this account for nine years without you needing a UK address before.

Staff: But we need one.

Me: Yawn, OK then. I gave them my address from twenty years ago.

Staff: Thanks.

BTW, all Thai banks are in the process of replacing the old magnetic strip only card, with the new 'chip & pin' card - this is for all customers.

2 hours ago, themerg said:

I had 8 people show up to redirect 1 internet cable, 5 of them did nothing.

The government tells businesses how many employees they will have.

It's good for the working people.

I like it because it gives people money who would otherwise be very poor.

This is Thailand. Things are done different here.

I LOVE Thailand.

I genuinely wasn't aware of the government dictating how many employees you must have? I see a couple of earlier posters have said the same.

Does anyone have any specific info on this, or a reference/link about it?

4 hours ago, shy coconut said:

 But the headline of the post refers to "over here"  suggesting a national problem, as opposed to your particular

experience with your cable supplier.

That's a fair comment, no problem with you saying that.

That was my own play on words, by putting two "over"s in the headline.

As you say it was my experience with a cable company, which I compared to my own job doing the same thing previously.

1 minute ago, Golden Triangle said:

Overmanning here is endemic,just look around Homepro, Tesco, Big C etc, Iwalk around doingshopping and can see them hiding down the aisles either chatting to mates or Candy Crush on their phones, try asking one of them where they hide a certain product and receive a blank stare in return.   ?

Tesco were pretty good when I was looking for some stewing steak.

As I didn't know it in Thai, the assistant gave me her smartphone on the google translate page, I typed it in. She looked at the translation, smiled and told me they had none...oh well.

2 minutes ago, Get Real said:

5 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Now today, in Udon, we have a low signal problem with our cable TV here. Low and behold we still had three guys to come and fix it.

 Nice to know that at least something in a constant over here.

True, but I couldn't swear if it's the same three guys though.

18 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

You see what fits your preconceptions and prejudices.

 

Western nanny states have long buckled to ridiculous, uneconomic demands of labor unions. As shown in the photos, experience in leaning on a shovel or placing hands on hips while pretending to care are important qualifications for employment in Farang Land.

 

The post is about cable TV. As I said in my post I did a very similar job. So no, it doesn't fit my "preconceptions and prejudices".

See below from post #4:

"I worked for various telecoms companies in the UK, and everything was geared up to working alone. On two separate occasions here I've seen TOT send one guy to install a phone line. 

I'd still like to know why the cable TV company needs three technicians. AIS sent two to install fibre internet - better than three though."

1 minute ago, 55Jay said:

Ironically, the 3bb cased I mentioned wound up them saying internet from the soi pole to their test router inside the house was fine, 5X5, and so my non-3BB "farang" router wasn't "strong enough" all the sudden.  They said I should go buy a new one.

 

I'm no techie but IMV, the intermittent service problem was upstream somewhere on the ISP side, because we had one instance just like it in the past, and that was the reason.  My router wouldn't be broken one minute, then work again for a while, then "break" again.

 

To my wife's annoyance, I pushed her to call 3BB Call Center again the next day, one more time, cause you never know what a new Call Center rep might come up with.   She did and was told they had become aware of a problem in the distro box up on the main highway, they were working on it, ETR 3 hours. 

 

My internet service returned to normal thereafter.

 

Nothing wrong with my router.

Yes, quite often it's an easy option to lie/save face, etc., rather an admit it's their own network at fault.

I only only through bitter experience here (plus having a telecoms background).

11 minutes ago, faraday said:

The voltage goes up & down quite frequently, but never to zero.

I think it's in the process of being sorted, but when, gawd only knows.

 

Are you in a town, village, or in the sticks?

I had one job I went to in the UK when the voltage kept dropping and causing errors on some telecoms equipment. Narrowed it down to very low voltage on the mains supply, but it only occurred in the early evening.

Customer was the last feed on a long overhead supply. It dropped down to about 190V, just when everyone got home and probably switched the kettle and the cooker on.

Got the customer to contact the leccy board, who resolved it by providing a new feed.

21 minutes ago, faraday said:

Few weeks ago, PEA came out again to deal with the perpetual brown outs, here in Udon.

 

One guy goes up the ladder, to do something/anything/ nothing, while 3 remain on the ground, smoking & ruminating.

 

The leccy's still buggered though.

 

Btw, Bluesofa, don't see you on Udonmap....?

Do you mean you've had no leccy for all that time - or is it intermittent?

If it's an overhead job from the house to the road: I think they need need some Eastern Europeans to sort that one out. Apparently Poles make the best post impressionists.

I'm more of a lurker on Udonmap anyway (different moniker as well).

12 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Not sure about here....Could be training, could be safety/security, could be the way they work their individual wiring in the wide open spaces needing two guys up & one on the ground....

Thanks for the reply.

I can follow your security point - as has been said elsewhere recently on TV: The Thai male ego is pretty insecure!

12 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Happens in the west too....

 

I used to be a national contracting director for a nation wide company in the states.....

In some areas contractors would require to send 2 men out....One to do the work - the other to keep the truck from being stolen....Sometimes to keep a ladder from being stolen leaving workers stranded on a roof = sounds funny, but it wasn't - some guys died (frozen to death)

stranded in winter & nobody would hear them or respond in time....

OK, it does sound funny regarding the guy riding shotgun to look after the truck, although I wouldn't imagine that so much here, you never know.

Still doesn't explain how TOT can send only one guy though (the same as I was used to doing in the UK.)

Perhaps TOT send their staff on a "spacial awareness" course - ha ha!

12 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Multiple reasons might not think of.....

13 minutes ago, allane said:

How many workers does it take to do a job in your home country ? Multiply your answer by a factor of 3 or 4x, then you will know how many Thai workers are needed to do the same job.

Salaries ? Take the salary for a given job in your home country, divide it by 3 or 4, and you will have the salary for that job in Thailand. Most of them earn B7000 - B 15,000/mo., and I wouldn't pay them 1 satang more than that.

That doesn't answer my question why it needs more people to do the same job. Why do you need to multiply by a factor of 3 or 4?

I know I began by saying the pay rates are lower here - but so is the cost of living. 

I worked for various telecoms companies in the UK, and everything was geared up to working alone. On two separate occasions here I've seen TOT send one guy to install a phone line.

I'd still like to know why the cable TV company needs three technicians. AIS sent two to install fibre internet - better than three though.

While I'm aware that pay rates are lower here than, say, Europe, but it always baffles me why it needs so many technicians to do what I'd see as a one-man job.

Twenty years ago I originally lived in Pattaya was surprised to see three guys turn up to fix a cable TV feed.

Now today, in Udon, we have a low signal problem with our cable TV here. Low and behold we still had three guys to come and fix it.

Two to look at the problem and one to sit outside staring into space.

After much discussion between the two of them, and testing the incoming signal level with their meter, but doing nothing else at all, they pronounced the problem fixed and went away.

I had assumed it was a problem in the street anyway (probably due to the heavy rain), which had earlier been resolved.

Oh well, it's included in the rental so no worries.

Not quite sure if there's something specific you're asking about?

I bought a UPS last year with a two-year guarantee. It stop functioning recently. Got my wife to call the nationwide electrical shop where I bought it, who told her to return and they would send it to the manufacturer in Bangkok for repair under warranty. (Due back any day now hopefully)

Why is a Lazada return a no-no? Was it faulty, or just a change of heart? I thought Lazada had an agreement with 7 Eleven, who will accept authorised returns.

Going off at a slight tangent, I read last year the Insurance Ombudsman said that vehicles with a Dashcam were legally entitled to a 5-10% discount on the renewal premium.

It took a bit of arguing, with the insurance company initially saying they would give the discount, then later claiming their renewal price included it.

Eventually they backed down when I said I would look for another company who would give the discount.

In the both the UK and Thailand, my experience when signing for a parcel with someone else's name, is that so long as the Post Office deliver it to the correct address, they don't seem concerned who signs for it.

Whether that is legally correct, I wouldn't know.

17 minutes ago, norrska said:

why not buy a high quality pair....or you could always make your own military-quality ho chi minh sandals from tire rubber

Ha ha! Interesting!

I've always found the weakness with those (and also other 'higher quality' open sandals) is where the straps over the foot are glued/plastic- welded/connected to the base of the shoe.

Countless number times that after a few months I've tried to super-glue the straps back into the base.

Do the Ho Chi Minh sandals suffer the same weakness, I wonder?

On 16/05/2018 at 8:10 PM, observer90210 said:

Why don't they just producing those biodegradable bags that look and almost feel like plastic ? ? ?

 

Many large retain chains of supermarkets in France have them for free at the vegetable and fruit sections.

 

Here's a video showing an Indonesian company making 'plastic looking' bags out of casava. To prove it is harmless, the inventor stirs the casava bag into a glass of water and drinks it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXklBP53VT4

(had to post as a link, as the video won't allow it to be placed within other pages)

On 12/01/2017 at 9:22 AM, UTH001 said:

Udon Thani staff openly and strongly ask for a tip when doing 90 days reporting...

I've only just spotted this topic, owing to someone recently adding a post to it.

Regarding Udon immigration. Yes, over a year ago (about the time of your post) I too was asked by the (then) guy doing 90 day reporting for a tip - by him rattling the box at me.

Extremely rude I felt, but trying to take what I thought was a Thai approach to it, I smiled, lied, and said I didn't have any cash on me as I hadn't yet been to the ATM.

To which the IO responded by saying that even twenty Baht would be OK. I still smiled and said I didn't even have that much on me.

I hasten to add that the IO doing the 90 reporting more recently - Khun Prasit - is not the IO who demanded a tip.

Khun Prasit is the exact opposite - he is polite, speaks good English, very straightforward and helpful, and always smiles.

I hope he stays at Udon immigration. for a long time to come. He's a credit to the service.

3 hours ago, alien365 said:

I got a reversible umbrella from Lazada for about 300baht which is great for getting in and out of the car on rainy days.

I've got one of those. When I'm using it, if there's a strong gust of wind, it becomes 'reversible' every time.