wcr

This was the answering email i got, when i asked Rita about Rental Insurance Coverage.

i asked about this and it is correct, some are on finance and the insurance is different, she has told me the vehicle i was driving is not on finance and was full coverage, as i said i had 2 small accidents and wasnt asked for a penny,.

The fact that a car is on finance has got nothing to do with the insurance type. You really don't seem to understand that by promoting people to use this woman you are putting them at risk.

I owned cars on finance when I had my car rental business and yet I HAD rental insurance. Rita is spinning you a load of old cr*p. Sorry (as you are obviously devoted to her), but its true.

I am so glad that some other posters are backing up what I initially said. In another post I was positioned by some posters as "bitter" when I made a negative comment about a certain agent.

I worked as an agent in Pattaya for a period of time before publishing the Real Estate Magazine. No secrets here. As someone who was in the industry I feel more than able to comment about what I know and saw.

REBA was set up to higher the standards of Real Estate agents in Pattaya. Nothing wrong with that. Unfortuantly it has gone on from that to acting as a cartel as stated already. It wants to have a monopoly on business done in Pattaya. I know of agents who are REBA members telling walk in clients not to deal with non REBA members as thay are not to be trusted to do good business. What crap. There are a lot of good agents in Pattaya who choose not to belong to the REBA cartel as they want to keep thier independance and do not wish to be told how much commission to charge, what contracts to use and to be told how to run thier business by a businessman who thinks he knows best. The principle is fine, but in the usual Pattaya style it has been twisted to benefit certain people and businesses. And frankly has been highjacked by an individual who loves to spout off his opinions in the press where ever he can.

They tried to get me to back them and when I didn't they enmass pulled thier advertising from my magazine and tried to get me closed. Luckily I didn't and kept fighting back and I supported the independants views. I managed to survive but it was hard on occassions, especially when you loose 18 pages of advertisng!!!

Rita sounds a favourite choice, on cost grounds, any other recommendations?

Like the man says "Rita has no legal "Rental Car Insurance". Just the private one, which doesn't cover in case of accident. "

Why wouldn't it cover in case of accident? Surely if it is 1st class insurance to cover "any driver" accidental damage would be covered - assuming you were driving with the owners permission, which you would be.

The answer is easy. You have paid to rent the car. It is a RENTAL car and not a private car. Therefore it must have RENTAL insurance.

If anyone chooses to rent a car just on price and don't care about the insurance cover then frankly they deserve everything that will be coming to them.

This has been going on for at least 4 years that I know of. And I was one who was attempted to be scammed by them about 4 years ago now. However I got suspicious by the staffs behaviour at trying to cover up the pump with 2 other staff members. I saw what they did and got out of the car and challenged them. They said sorry and returned the 250 Baht they overcharged me without any protest and blamed one of the staff as being new!!!

Do not go there. Easy as that.

Just because an agent is a member of REBA ES does not make it a good agent. Infact REBA are the people who have been trying to drive up the commissions in Pattaya. There are some good REBA members, and Town & Country are one of them (a late joiner BTW). One of the leading lights in REBA certainly is not to be trusted and a google search on his name will bring up some interesting stories. Being a member of REBA just means you've paid up to join.

Sallmanns was a REBA member but left due to his disgust at what was happening. He did keep his prices to 3%, not sure if they still are at that level. There are many other agents who have kept thier commissions at 3%.

Buying anything is a huge risk in Thailand, be it a condo, house or business. I think BKK is better than Pattaya, more trustworthy and worldly businesses and business people in BKK. Pattaya has far to many cowboys, and as someone who lived and worked there for over 5 years I can say that with confidence.

The housing market in the UK is in dire problems, and with what happened yesterday in the good ol US of A, it is set to get worse. As well as a second major UK bank being nationalised yestereday to avoid collapse, 3 banks were nationalised in the EU all down to our stupid American cousins not following through on promises. Luckily our government guarentees that savings upto £35,000 are safe in a government scheme, so you just have several accounts at different banks if you have over £35,000 in savings. What protection does the Thai government give you, or its people for that matter?

What is happening in the west will come to the east, and soon. It should be a concern for anyone who has a lot of money tied up in Thailand I would think.

Yep, so bitter that I am presently working in partnership with 2 Pattaya based businesses (not real estate) helping them to grow thier businesses here in the UK hopefully in a win-win situation for all of us. On top of two other businesses approached me prior to leaving Thailand (real estate) wanting to work with me also in getting business from the UK and Europe. And the reason why is because...

I am such a bitter individual me

The finalisation was that you wouldn't pay me!!!

I posted this comment due to the statement you made in a post here about how proud you were of your sales people. That hit a raw nerve for me. I sold 5 units on the opening night, as you will remember, more than anyone else. It wasn't just LRB however, what about the Northshore units I sold which I also didn't get paid out on?

Yes I am an ex UK police officer and yes understand the law, and Thai law is very similar in English law. And yes David I did take legal advice in Thailand and that advice came back that under Thai employment law a foriegn national is not allowed to sell real estate (as you will be aware) and therefore I would not have been able to sue for unpaid commissions. All I would have got was 3 months salary which I was entitled to but didn't get. I decided not to persue you through the courts for that amount considering that I was owed around 300,000 baht in commissions on leaving ECRE and that excluded anything due from the sales at LRB, which I realistically didn't expect to be paid out on.

Unfortunatly this is the situation for anyone who works in a sales role in Thailand. Work permits issued to people in sales roles show them as consultants giving advice to foriegn nationals about buying in Thailand on a fixed salary. When things go wrong, it is the employee that suffers and the employors that benifit. I realised that after my experiences at East Coast and after that started up my own business where I was in control.

Good post Dave. You invited me to the party for the launch and I wished I had invested in 1 or 2 units back then.

Inadvertanly you may remember my wife and I ended up sitting on the table between Eric Lai and the president of Bangkok Bank...

Forget the naysayers your rep in my book is about as good as it gets in Pattaya!

Maybe 'thainet' missed the boat on this project as I did.

Again I am more than proud of my sales staff that did a great job at La Royale.

David

East Coast

Yeah, and I was one of them. So proud that you didn't pay me my commissions.

OOOOooooooooooooh!!!!!!!! Bit below the belt, isn't it?

It is the truth. I sold 5 units on launch night, never got a baht in commission along with other commissions kept on stuff sold.

Watch this get removed soon.

Good post Dave. You invited me to the party for the launch and I wished I had invested in 1 or 2 units back then.

Inadvertanly you may remember my wife and I ended up sitting on the table between Eric Lai and the president of Bangkok Bank...

Forget the naysayers your rep in my book is about as good as it gets in Pattaya!

Maybe 'thainet' missed the boat on this project as I did.

Again I am more than proud of my sales staff that did a great job at La Royale.

David

East Coast

Yeah, and I was one of them. So proud that you didn't pay me my commissions.

Hi Guys,

Not sure why this one has been revived, I have been living here for 8 months now, but maybe the info will be useful to some.

Peter

Didn't spot that.

Anyway, I didn't contribute to your original post, now I have, and hopefully it will help educate someone.

Spend some time in the various office digging into the details of what is and what is not covered in the 'insurance'. The price differance between companies seems to be whether they are operating on personal insurance policies or commerical insurance polices, only one of those covers you and the vehicle for rental usage, can you guess which one?

One simple test, ask the question - "If I have an accident - do I telephone you or the insurance company?"

If they insist that the call is made to them - there is something regarding the insurance that they are trying to hide.

Final thought: Always, always go round the car with a digital camera (inside & out) taking pictures of any marks to avoid any dispute when you return the car. Let 'em see you do this, shows them that you are not an easy touch.

As someone who used to own a car rental business in Pattaya I would suggest you don't go on price only. Insurance is MORE important than a cheap price. Find out which company's offer RENTAL insurance. Get that list and then compare thier prices.

You will find many rental companies will tell you you are getting "First Class Insurance" which is correct, but it is PRIVATE insurance only and not RENTAL. You neeed to ask the question, "Is it rental insurance" and ask to see a copy of the policy. The policy should be in English and will say on it that it is for hire and reward or rent. I also gave Bail Bond insurance with the cars, which means if you are in an accident in which the other vehicle's passenger is killed you will be arrested and put into police cells. To get out you must post bail which is set by the police. Bail Bond cover means that the insurance company will post bail for you without you having to stomp up 200-300,000 Baht to get out of the cells.

When I owned Western Car Rentals I always put a copy of the insurance policy in the car, along with a copy of the car registration book. They also had the telephone number of the insurance company.

As an example of prices, a 3 year old Ford Laser (executive style salon car, leather seat etc.) with unlimited milage, correct insurance, would cost 25,000 Baht p/m for one month, or 21,000 Baht p/m for 2 months+. A pick up (Toyota Tiger 5 years old) 21,000 Baht p/m one month and 17,000 Baht p/m 2 months+

Be aware!!! If there is anything wrong with the insurance and you are stopped by the police, or you are in an accident, it is YOU that will have to answer the police, NOT the rental company, and particularly if the rental company is Thai owned.

Hope this is helpful.

Invest in property in Pattaya and Thailand generally at your peril.

And that from the former owner of a Real Estate Magazine published in Pattaya....now that is scary!!!!

And thats why I can say it!!!! But it goes for other places in the world also. Just in Thailand your protection in law is pretty poor against bad developers. Just ask the people who invested in Royal Condominium on Jomtien Beach last year.

But now with the new Escrow Law in place why would anyone risk buying from a developer that does not offer such a service?

Thats easy for you to say as someone who knows about this. It is the poor farang who has met some bar girl and fallen head over heals in love and wants to buy a place to stay in when he visits and for her to live in, and who does understand the law. They are the ones who will continuously fall prey to the bad developer.

My name is David Gray from East Coast Real Estate in Pattaya. We have just launched a new website at www.thaiproperty.net. Hopefully it is a medium that will be used by both agencies and private individuals to sell or rent their properties. The site is absolutely free for all listings outside of the Pattaya area which we cover. We would love to get some feedback from you guys as to how easy it is to enter properties, register as members, find properties, speed of download etc. All constructive criticism is appreciated.

Many thanks,

David

Who did you nick this idea from... A certain Australian!

Constructive enough for you?

Invest in property in Pattaya and Thailand generally at your peril.

And that from the former owner of a Real Estate Magazine published in Pattaya....now that is scary!!!!

And thats why I can say it!!!! But it goes for other places in the world also. Just in Thailand your protection in law is pretty poor against bad developers. Just ask the people who invested in Royal Condominium on Jomtien Beach last year.

What happened to investors of LaRoyale Condominium, last year?

Faranglandoz

I made no mention of La Royale. There was another developement called Royal something where the developer ran off with everybodies deposits. The developer was an American called Ian Silver.

Invest in property in Pattaya and Thailand generally at your peril.

And that from the former owner of a Real Estate Magazine published in Pattaya....now that is scary!!!!

And thats why I can say it!!!! But it goes for other places in the world also. Just in Thailand your protection in law is pretty poor against bad developers. Just ask the people who invested in Royal Condominium on Jomtien Beach last year.

It is terrible...how did he get a Publishing License for it (assuming he has one of course).

It is a shame that someone has to print rubbish like this. I am guessing the editor is American, looking at the "humor" in the paper. (That was not a bash at Americans....just an observation of the content of the paper!!!)

I wonder what the authorities would think of the paper if they got a hold of it.

On the plus side....it does have a fair amount of advertising in it which shows that the owner must have excellent marketing skills to sell advertising in such a trashy publication...well done!!!!

Colin

Colin you make some valid points.

Point 1 - I will bet a million Baht on the fact that the WSJ does not have a publishing licence. And I would bet the same that MR V's other publication Homes and Condo's magazine also doesn't have a publishing licence. This is the same for many magazines in Pattaya.

Point 2 - The Managing Editor (Mr A.V) is an American as is his gofer Eric, so that is a correct guess.

Point 3 - You can lay money on the fact that the licencing office at the Regional Police HQ in Chonburi has no idea that this toilet paper is being published, and if it did the licensing officers would not be able to understand the content anyway. It needs someone, preferably a Thai citizen to complain about the content, then action would be taken.

Point 4 - Correct. The owner is a good salesman and networker. It amazes me that some of the companies who advertise in there do so. But don't be fooled, not every advertiser will be paying for the ads. Mr AV puts ads into the WSJ and his other magazine free for some companies as it adds respectability to them. An old publishing ploy.

Unfortunatly any adverse comments have no effect on publications as they are paid for by the advertisers and not the public. Therefore it would take the advertisers to pull out or threaten to pull out for the Managing Editor to change anything.

I know some will say that I should not get involved, but I am going to, because this sort of publication should not be allowed anywhere in the world including here in Pattaya. I will pay to get some of the articles translated and will then get a Thai friend of mine to make a complaint at the Police Station about its offensive and "sexually explicit" content. Lets see what happens.

Well done. I will send you a PM with some info you may need.

You can get your car passport from the Transportation office on Route 36 prior to leaving. The best thing to do is go down and see them with a Thai, and ask what is needed to get the car passport.

I did this a while ago now, and took my car to Laos, no problems. But as rules can change overnight (TIT) it is better to check first.

I have also left my car at the border and gone across on the bus.

It is terrible...how did he get a Publishing License for it (assuming he has one of course).

It is a shame that someone has to print rubbish like this. I am guessing the editor is American, looking at the "humor" in the paper. (That was not a bash at Americans....just an observation of the content of the paper!!!)

I wonder what the authorities would think of the paper if they got a hold of it.

On the plus side....it does have a fair amount of advertising in it which shows that the owner must have excellent marketing skills to sell advertising in such a trashy publication...well done!!!!

Colin

Colin you make some valid points.

Point 1 - I will bet a million Baht on the fact that the WSJ does not have a publishing licence. And I would bet the same that MR V's other publication Homes and Condo's magazine also doesn't have a publishing licence. This is the same for many magazines in Pattaya.

Point 2 - The Managing Editor (Mr A.V) is an American as is his gofer Eric, so that is a correct guess.

Point 3 - You can lay money on the fact that the licencing office at the Regional Police HQ in Chonburi has no idea that this toilet paper is being published, and if it did the licensing officers would not be able to understand the content anyway. It needs someone, preferably a Thai citizen to complain about the content, then action would be taken.

Point 4 - Correct. The owner is a good salesman and networker. It amazes me that some of the companies who advertise in there do so. But don't be fooled, not every advertiser will be paying for the ads. Mr AV puts ads into the WSJ and his other magazine free for some companies as it adds respectability to them. An old publishing ploy.

Unfortunatly any adverse comments have no effect on publications as they are paid for by the advertisers and not the public. Therefore it would take the advertisers to pull out or threaten to pull out for the Managing Editor to change anything.

Invest in property in Pattaya and Thailand generally at your peril.

This Rugby match was organised by the Rotary Club Of Taksin-Pattaya. The amount raised is way out and I don't know where this figure came from. The actual amount of money raised and pledged (so far) is actually around 150,000 Baht.

Most of the well established agents are OK, a little research will let you know which ones have stayed the course, just search for Thai property on google and you will get the idea, the first one to come up is one of the best.

This is a joke right?

Can anyone recommend travel insurance for Europe for an Asian person who is in Europe for 6 months. Please don't recommend Thai Visa as that insurance isn't suitable for me.

Thanks,

I fly into Manchester whenever I go back to the UK. Admittedly, keeping places free of litter no longer seems to be a source of pride within the UK but other than that I have found the airport to be ok and Immigration to be spot on with my Thai g/f.

One time the international line was empty and the EU line was busy. g/f was in the intl. line & they called me out of the EU line...through in 2mins. My g/f has never felt intimidated by authority in the UK which I take as a compliment to the professionalism of the UK service provider.

This last time they had the temporary barriers in place..only one queue leading to the front.At first glance the queues looked enormous but again it only took 10mins to get through. The single snake line cuts out all the queue jumping and frenzy that is typical at Bkk airport particularly when they open up another window. If I am through BKK immigration in less than 30mins these days then I am happy.

At Manchester I find them to be very helpful, generally smiley but always polite & quietly efficient. Contrast this with some of Bkk's immigration who are real sour-pusses and surly ( I think some of them obviously enjoy the power they yield). Last time I flew out from Bkk I tried to get some quick advice from one of the immigration staff standing (sitting) around. Absolutely pointless, the guy was just not interested in even listening to my problem, no attempt to point me in the right direction just a dismissive wave of the hand.

So there you have it. Two conflicting opinions. There's a surprise.

Hear hear. Agree with you. Always found UK Immigration polite and welcoming so far. Thai Immigration offers however are from a different school, not a smile or a welcome. Just a face full of puss.

Maybe the old boys where looking to take home a thai boy,maybe this time the choose the wrong one. 71-80 years old where they go at that time in the morning around pattaya.

Shame that you accuse two old age pensioners of paedophilia with no evidence of any wrongdoing and then fail to condemn a cowardly attack.

I din't accuse the old boy of been paedophile,maybe they where looking for adult boys. ha,ha,ha

You actually think you are funny? You are NOT. <deleted>.

My dear, not funny,realistic. I see worst then that in the street of London.

Really? And how long did you live in London for?