jesimps

May our god help us!

I would imagine that to run a nuclear power plant requires expert training; very tight discipline and strict adherence to the rules and regulations. Which reminds me, I have to drive into central Pattaya shortly...............

To all you guys; 150bahts is one thing (it would go a long way to buying my stepsons new school uniform!!we're not all holiday makers!!); Has anybody also noticed; they are now limiting the ammount you can withdraw. Verified by my UK bank(Nationwide); my daily maximum withdrawal is £300 ie about 16,000bahts. No ATM I have visited since the introduction of the 150bahts fee will let me withdraw more than 10,000bhts. A small matter; but it means the buggers are really maximising their options to screw us for more.Anybody solved that one?

I've been using the yellow Bank of Ayutthaya machines which have been giving free withdrawals for a few weeks now on UK Nationwide Visa/debit cards. I used the one at Tuk Com yesterday and have also had free withdrawals from the machines at the Festival Centre and Tesco Lotus just recently.

Just got 10,000 baht from Bank of Ayudthaya atm at Central Festival Shopping centre, Pattaya. Used my UK Nationwide, blue, sterling denominated, Visa/debit card and there was no charge at this end. That's three separate Bank of Ayudthaya atms that haven't charged me so far; Tuk Com, Tesco Lotus and Central Festival.

Maybe some good UK bloke/Nationwide customer can clarify here for everyone which of the Nationwide cards and/or which of their accounts are producing fee-free ATM withdrawals at Bank of Ayudhya ATMs... That way, we'll have all the details clear (hopefully) in one place for everyone to see and understand.

In my case it was the Nationwide visa/DEBIT card that gave me a fee-free withdrawal at Tesco/Lotus (next to Outlet on Sukhumvit). Don't know if you'd get a free withdrawal with the Nationwide cash card, I don't have one. Anybody know?

For information to anyone interested:

The yellow (Bank of Ayuttayah) machine in Tesco Lotus, next to Outlet, had no charge on a withdrawal of 10,000 baht using my Nationwide Visa/debit card on Saturday. This was confirmed by my online statement yesterday.

Just checked with my online account and was charged just 15 baht yesterday, for using the "big yellow machine" just inside the main entrance of Tukcom Pattaya, at the rate of 54.985 to the pound. I drew 10,000 baht using my Nationwide visa/debit card. Whichever bank the yellow machine belongs to, I don't care as long as long as it's cheap and saves me queueing for ages at my local SCB.

Do you see the 15 baht as a separate charge or do you see a withdrawal of 10,015 baht?

No not separate, statement reads "Cash Bay/Com Building Pattaya CHOLBURI TH 10,015 THB at 54.985". Official rate was only 55 something so not too bad at all considering the low banking charge.

Just checked with my online account and was charged just 15 baht yesterday, for using the "big yellow machine" just inside the main entrance of Tukcom Pattaya, at the rate of 54.985 to the pound. I drew 10,000 baht using my Nationwide visa/debit card. Whichever bank the yellow machine belongs to, I don't care as long as long as it's cheap and saves me queueing for ages at my local SCB.

For starters, you'll do a lot better here in Thailand when you figure out what bank's ATM you're using... They're actually NOT all the same....

When you used the "big yellow machine" and think it charged you 15 baht, what country/name bank card were you using???

You some kinda banking nerd who can match all the banks up to their machines by colour? I bank with SCB and Kasikorn (purple and green respectively). I normally draw my money over the counter but heard that the yellow machines were either cheap or free.

Apologies to all Aeon users, I thought their's was the yellow machine. Anyway, whichever bank it is, it said the charge is 15 baht; now whether that is the case or not I'll have to wait and see. Will check my online statement to see if it's true when the transaction appears.

I used a UK Nationwide visa/debit card by the way.

I was trying to pass on some, what I thought was, useful information but as usual on these boards, there's always some mug waiting to patronise you with pompous comments.

For starters, you'll do a lot better here in Thailand when you figure out what bank's ATM you're using... They're actually NOT all the same....

When you used the "big yellow machine" and think it charged you 15 baht, what country/name bank card were you using???

There's an AEON ATM in Tukcom Pattaya

When did that appear ? jesimps where exactly is it in Tukcom ?

Assume it's Aeon. Anyway it's a big yellow machine, just to the right as you walk through the main door on the ground floor.

Good luck.

For starters, you'll do a lot better here in Thailand when you figure out what bank's ATM you're using... They're actually NOT all the same....

When you used the "big yellow machine" and think it charged you 15 baht, what country/name bank card were you using???

There's an AEON ATM in Tukcom Pattaya

When did that appear ? jesimps where exactly is it in Tukcom ?

Assume it's Aeon. Anyway it's a big yellow machine, just to the right as you walk through the main door on the ground floor.

Good luck.

For starters, you'll do a lot better here in Thailand when you figure out what bank's ATM you're using... They're actually NOT all the same....

When you used the "big yellow machine" and think it charged you 15 baht, what country/name bank card were you using???

There's an AEON ATM in Tukcom Pattaya

When did that appear ? jesimps where exactly is it in Tukcom ?

Assume it's Aeon. Anyway it's a big yellow machine, just to the right as you walk through the main door on the ground floor.

Good luck.

Test test test

There's an AEON ATM in Tukcom Pattaya

When did that appear ? jesimps where exactly is it in Tukcom ?

Assume it's Aeon. Anyway it's a big yellow machine, just to the right as you walk through the main door on the ground floor.

Good luck.

Used the Aeon atm in Tukcom Pattaya not one hour ago and was only charged 15 baht for the transaction. Saved me standing in the queue for 30 minutes at my local SCB.

Naam just loves to get the last little word in

And this time the final word from Naam is...

"Aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh"........hopefully.

In my case (underlined). When the banks here started the 150 baht per transaction charge the normally smooth withdrawal of funds at the ATMs (using foreign cards) seemed to change and I began to have great difficulty in drawing over 10,000 baht per day. On one or two occasions I was allowed to withdraw up close to my 300 pound per day limit, but mostly I got the message "Transaction invalid, please contact your bank".

My Uk bank assured me that my daily limit applied anywhere in the world. The local banks told me their machines were working correctly and to contact my UK bank. In the end I had to admit defeat and started withdrawing my money over the counter, which is a pain for me and the bank's staff. I've heard that some banks refuse to do this because of the work involved, but my bank, Siam Commercial still does.

At the moment, I'm in the process of organising an account with Currency Direct in anticipation of SC stopping over the counter withdrawals. This way I'll be able to make transfers from the UK without having to pay the bank transfer charge.

I'm a little paranoid about posting on these boards because of all the would-be comics, smart alecs and downright nasty so and so's that hover around here. For their benefit, I've underlined 'In my case".

the simple explanation is: Gold has NO intrinsic value (as the goldbugs claim). actually nothing exists which has intrinsic value if there is no demand. stranded on an uninhabitated island the demand for Gold is ZERO. on this island the art of hunting and fishing as well as the knowledge of a source with drinkable water is a zillion times superior in intrinsic values than tons of Gold

because you don't have any?? its the best conductor, and it will keep going up and down, and steadily up

having a good conductor is most important when stranded on an uninhabitated island. one can conduct wild boars from the woods on to the charcoal, conduct fish from the sea to a tree where they can dry, necessary is only a little conducting of salt from the sea water on to the fish to preserve them, gold can most probably conduct drinking water from the ground and perhaps a one kilo bar placed at certain locations of the island can conduct an artesian well for having showers...

All people stranded on an uninhabited island please raise their hands. None. Right. All people who've made a few bob out of gold in the past year please raise their hands. Millions.

If you were stranded on an uninhabited island and had loads of pounds, dollars, yen or euros, would you be any better off? Course you wouldn't, so I don't see the point you're trying to make, except for the fact that you don't like investing in gold and consider that no one else should. A fine example of Naam pomposity.

Perhaps we should all carry pumpkins, bananas, potatoes, apples and oranges around with us just in case we end up as castaways.

I should imagine there are bags of spelling mistakes there to get your teeth into. Or better still, break the habit of a lifetime and actually try to help someone occasionally instead of making caustic comments.

We can be so lucky that we have our economy specialist Khun Sokal. He will save the world now with his knowlage about the world markets.

Send me 2 satang when you finished. I'll pm you my account number...........LOL

When I was growing up I bought into this mainstream BS economics too(just like you are now). Thank goodness I changed and learned how real economics works. Now is your chance.

"was"?

Hello, soft lad's at it again. Plea to mods, please ban this sarcastic moron from using the forum. When was the last time anyone received a useful reply from him? He just seems to hover, waiting to penalise people for spelling mistakes and to make sarcastic replies to genuine and harmless comments. He's like the kid who used to throw bricks at you on your way home from school who you could never catch and used to stand there going naa naa na naa naa!

I used to really enjoy visiting this forum, but now only do it very seldom, because every time I do, I see this idiot's cutting criticisms to posters who are genuinely seeking sensible advice.

It doesn't matter which thread you're on, he's there spitting out venom on all subjects under the sun. Not even attempting to be helpful.

My advise to the Klingons (s?) is to get rid of this prat and find yourselves a new representative. My advice to the mods is to clean up this forum by getting rid of provocetors (s?) like Naam.

Personal for Naam: There you go soft lad, lots of spelling uncertainty there for you to pick up on.

I started a thread on this Nationwide problem a while back, but after a few helpful answers the smart alecs, would be comedians and a sarcastic git from outer space chimed in and that was the thread, finished. Glad to see that most of the replies on here have been of the helpful sort.

Once the local banks started the 150 baht lark, I started to get problems at the ATMs after using them for years with only the odd glich. I spent a lot of time on the phone to Nationwide and also inside the local banks, but was assured by both that the problem wasn't with them.

In the end, to keep myself sane, I started to change my money over the bank counter. It's a pain in the backside as my bank is always busy, and I have to take my passport, sign countless forms and hold everyone else up. But at least I walk out of the bank clutching the amount I ask for. I wonder however, how long it'll be before the banks get fed up with this drawn out procedure and stop it's usage, forcing us once more out to the ATMs and the 150 baht fee.

And to reply to a certain other person on here, who seems to take great pleasure in winding people up and who thinks he's the only farang who appreciates living in Thailand: I've lived here for 3 years; I'm married to a Thai...

is that perhaps your problem?

Hello soft lad, you still here? Surprised the mods haven't thrown you off by now for disrupting any thread that's ever been started on these boards. Still, s'pose when you sit at the computer all day every day, you have little else to do but pass sarcastic comments. Maybe one of these days you'll surprise us all by posting a reply that actually helps someone.

Overly optimistic of me to hope that all the replies would be helpful, but thanks to those who did offer sensible comments. To those who didn't, especially 'He who shall not be naamed", please go and get laid, it'll probably make you less bitter and twisted.

If you can't think of a suitable reply, I'm sure there're plenty of spelling mistakes here that you can jump on. Oh! And by the way, I probably won't be able to read your sarcy reply for a while because I have a life and can't be arsed to sit at the computer all day.

So what makes this a scam??? Why drag `scam` into the theatre??

I actually asked if it was a scam and asked for opinions. Of course, you sunshiners are always hovering waiting for someone to dare criticise the local setup, where all dealings are straight down the middle.

If the local banks were only paying up to 10,000 because it enabled them to received more 'donations' of 150 baht, then that to me would be bordering on a scam. Just wondered if it was happening to other people so that I have some idea of who is placing the restriction on my withdrawals.

And to reply to a certain other person on here, who seems to take great pleasure in winding people up and who thinks he's the only farang who appreciates living in Thailand: I've lived here for 3 years; I'm married to a Thai and I love Thailand. I do however reserve the right to question certain local practices here and to ask for advice on this forum.

For the last couple of months I've been having a bit of battle with Nationwide in the England about the maximum daily withdrawal amount from ATMs in Thailand. In two months, apart from two occasions, I've only been allowed to take a maximum of 10,000 baht from dozens of machines I've tried here in Pattaya and in Bangkok.

Nationwide have been assuring me that I'm entitled to draw up to 300 GBP per day, regardless of the country and they ephasised that this applies also to Thailand. They suggested that it may be the local banks that put on this limit, but because if I tried to withdraw more than 10,000 baht I was getting a message something like "This transaction is invalid, please contact your bank", I was convinced that it was Nationwide who were applying the restriction. Now I've had a letter from Nationwide in which they sound very sincere, assuring me that there is no restriction and that they'll be very happy to let me have up to the maximum withdrawal in Thailand.

Could it be that the banks have altered their machines to refer you to your own bank if you press the "other amount" button, only paying out if you hit one of the buttons up to 10,000 baht? This obviously means that you have to make more withdrawals and in the process, pay more 150 baht fees.

Even with an exchange rate of 54 baht to the pound say, you should be able to withdraw up to 15,000 baht plus the 150 baht fee and still be comfortably within the 300GBP limit. I know that I can take my passport into my bank and withdraw my money that way but it doesn't suit me, therefore I'd be grateful if you wouldn't suggest this method of withdrawal.

Your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.

I have had problems using my Nationwide Visa Debit, Card Provider told me

1. do not request max daily limit.

2. try and hourt later if first attempt fails

Worked for me last few tries

Had same probs and told same thing when I phone. Can draw only a maximum of 10,000 baht, and if I request too close to the 300 pounds they put a block on my card. Use my Halifax card, get 15,000 baht at least at the present exchange rate, no probs.

Sent them message via secure link, told I can withdraw up to the 300 pounds limit, no restrictions in Thailand!!! Tested it in Bangkok yesterday (live in Pattaya), still only allowed 10,000 baht.

Am giving up with NW and arranging to have pension paid to Halifax.

One reason is the highwaymen they call the traffic police. I was ambushed for 200 baht yesterday when I pulled into the outer lane of a dual carriageway to overtake a line of slower moving cars. They said I spent too much time in the overtaking lane! Waste of time to argue with them so I gave them their lunch money, my children who were in the car with me on a visit from UK were left speechless. I just told them TIT.

that i'm talking out of my àss goes without saying as it's the Klingon way to deal with earthlings. that you have no fàcking idea how aliens are treated in the U.S. goes without saying too. the expression "i'm sure" proves that you know nothing but you assume. that i am sitting at my computers (plural and not computOrs) looking at four screens 10 to 12 hours a day and working hard is nobody else's but my own business. that i visit in between this forum to have a little fun is my business too. that you are a poor boy and most probably [quoting you:] "not much better off than the average Thai" is your business for which you can't blame anybody else.

next!

One thing about the average sunshiner ie Naam, is that he can always be relied upon to pick up on spelling mistakes, it helps when he can't think of a decent retort to a critical post. The aim is to make his adversary look stupid and therefore reinforce his argument. By the way Naam, you spelled the slang word for backside wrong, it isn't ass. Oh, and another thing, the 'I' of 'I'm' should be a capital letter. Wouldn't normally point it out but you seem to be of a pernickity nature (pernickity could be spelled wrong too). Oh! And there are several other times in your post that you used a small 'i'. The one part of your post that you were spot on about was the fact that I am a poor boy, but I'm not ashamed of that. We can't all be rich types, and a few bob saved by not going along with double pricing makes life a little easier. Oh, and while I'm at the English lesson, you didn't start your paragraph with a capital. Tch tch.

I happen to think that the US and the UK treat foreigners in an exemplary fashion, why else do you think they flock to our countries in droves?

If you want to cut off you nose to spite your face, that's your buisiness

but don't use your income as an excuse, go home and see how much better your life style will be, not to many places you can live as well on a limited as you can in Thailand, even if you do pay more than Thai people.Rather than complain put on your thinking cap and figure out how to beat the double price thing, you are married to a Thai right.

Read my post again please. I HAVE figured out a way to beat double pricing, I just refuse to visit these places anymore. Another thing, I don't even miss going to these attractions, therefore I'm not cutting off my nose to spite my face. There are plenty of interesting places for visitors to see without going to these tourist traps. You know what else pal? I resent the sunshine brigade who come on here and keep telling people who have legitimate gripes, to go home. This is my home.