Too slow, poor service, not enough staff and corrupt - Dusit Poll gives Thai immigration the thumbs down!

 

Picture: Bangkok Biz News

 

Amid all the hype about Lt-Gen Surachate Hakparns takeover at immigration comes a poll that shows half of his customers are not happy.

 

The Suan Dusit Poll showed that half of the people questioned were less than happy with immigration citing delays, lack of officers, surly staff and rampant corruption. 

 

They called for faster service at immigration offices and a better attitude from staff.

 

The poll interviewed 462 people going to immigration offices in Bangkok and its surrounding areas (Phuttamonthon). 

 

Just 50% expressed satisfaction with the overall service of Big Joke's men and women, reported Bangkokbiznews.

 

Some were pleased with an improved service recently and efforts to increase the security of the country. 

 

But 47% said that there were long waits at immigration offices. 

 

And a whopping 27% complained of corruption despite the Lt-Gen's "no tips" crusade.

 

And 25% complained that not enough was being done to keep illegals out. 

 

When asked what was impressive about immigration 38% said polite staff, 31% cited help to tourists and 29% believed the service was wholeheartedly sincere. 

 

But when asked for negative aspects 50% cited slow and inefficient officers - and not enough staff. 

 

Some 34% complained about the bad attitude of immigration staff.

 

And a further 14% cited the problem of continuing corrupt practices. 

 

People were asked what they would do to improve matters.

 

Some 42% wanted to see a faster service, 20% called for an end to corruption, 19% wanted better sense of service from officers, 13 wanted better technology and 5% called for more small help center booths so people did not have to travel to main offices. 

 

Source: Bangkok Biz News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-12-05

 

On 12/5/2018 at 2:52 PM, webfact said:

Amid all the hype about Lt-Gen Surachate Hakparns takeover at immigration comes a poll that shows half of his customers are not happy.

How many was happy before his "takeover"?

No other countries in the region have this much trouble with immigration.  Again, just Thailand is "special".   

A simple 90 day stamp on arrival would solve most of the problems as a large number of people will enjoy their holiday and then leave within this 90 day period.

 

For the rest there could be extensions of say another 30, 60 or even 90 days.

 

People don't want to go to immigration when they're on holiday.

 

Make it easy for them, if they don't get what they want then don't expect them to all come back.

 

I know many people who cut short their yearly winter trips to avoid going to immigration for extensions, etc and leaving the country only to enter again for another stamp is just something that a huge number will never ever do - so they go home instead.

 

"...And a whopping 27% complained of corruption despite the Lt-Gen's "no tips" crusade..."

 

You mean merely putting up a sign that says "No Tips" didn't end corruption as we know it? That is shocking news! No way! I can't believe it! It is impossible!

 

I would have sworn that it would work...

 

 

(sarcasm alert)

Edited December 5, 20187 yr by Samui Bodoh

Do agents get priority because they are so efficient and make Immigrations  job so much easier or are there other reasons?

Edited December 5, 20187 yr by Thailand

15 hours ago, webfact said:

surly staff and rampant corruption. 

 

They called for faster service at immigration offices and a better attitude from staff.

prototype example of the wrong people in the wrong jobs; imm officers should be Helping people instead of being obstacles

What a joke! Sorry for the pun. Corruption is a lot higher than that!

90 day reporting and re entry permits .... haha comical 21st century Thai style


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

No complaints with Udon Thani immigration, been dealing with them for a few years, very prompt service. 

58 minutes ago, ukrules said:

People don't want to go to immigration when they're on holiday.

 

I don't want to fly out and come back an hour later...why can't they let me stamp in BKK somewhere?? I'm married with a Thai and when i have to go to immigration my wife even has to take a day off to join me since they can't speak a word english there.

I had some friends arrive last Sunday in Phuket, over 2 hours to get through and that was at 7 am

KK Immigration is fast. Usually in and out in under 30 minutes.

IO have always been pleasant to deal with..

45 minutes ago, coxo said:

No complaints with Udon Thani immigration, been dealing with them for a few years, very prompt service. 

Happy with Pattaya too.  I've only been conned once in 15 years; there's still one officer who does nothing but play with her phone - I think it's for a re-entry permit.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

The poll interviewed 462 people going to immigration offices in Bangkok and its surrounding areas

They should have conducted the poll at Chiang Mai 2 months ago. Those numbers would have doubled. A complete review of the unnecessary procedures and a real effort at getting things on a computer and hence removing the need for 2 copies of my wife's I.D card and house paper (which hasn't changed) for 25 years is in order. If only we could find out what passed between the visa agents and the immigration officers, then we would have a better idea of the scale of corruption. Substantial I'm sure. 

They called for faster service at immigration offices and a better attitude from staff.

 

Impossible in this country, outsource the work to Singapore!

1 hour ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...And a whopping 27% complained of corruption despite the Lt-Gen's "no tips" crusade..."

 

You mean merely putting up a sign that says "No Tips" didn't end corruption as we know it? That is shocking news! No way! I can't believe it! It is impossible!

 

I would have sworn that it would work...

 

 

(sarcasm alert)

Sarcasm noted, mate....

Yet, all aside, the base principle issue go largely unaddressed.

As in: getting all regional/local immigration offices and officers on the same page.

Well understand that policies and practices vary greatly from one to the next.

18 minutes ago, Jeffrey346 said:

KK Immigration is fast. Usually in and out in under 30 minutes.

IO have always been pleasant to deal with..

Wow. Our experiences are dramatically different. I have not had a "bad" or corrupt experience at KK but I have only once been out of KK's immigration office in under 30 minutes. When I did my last 90 day report (Monday), I decided to time the two officers working and it was 30+ minutes later for each of the cases they were working. The odd thing was ... they weren't questioning the people ... just going through the huge folder of paperwork and stamping things. I think one of the officers was literally stamping for 5 minutes ... then had to get up and find a different stamp. They really need to do away with some of these useless forms, copies and stamps if they actually want to improve things. 

 

BTW ... the officers were polite and professional but just too few officers, a lack of efficiency, and too much paperwork.

What do they do with all the Photos and BS Paperwork

When I read these results I am happy that I am dealing with Jomtien Immigration. It can always better but in general I am happy with their service.

17 hours ago, webfact said:

half of the people questioned were less than happy with immigration citing delays, lack of officers, surly staff and rampant corruption. 

They couldn't have been interviewing CW customers then. Lack of officers? There are 5 officers that do my re-entry permit. ???? It still takes an hour though-maybe more a case of lack of efficiency

I'm waiting for a photo showing the "wizard of op's" during the arrest of dusit poll staff for tarnishing the image of the nation, computer crime act violation, threat to national security, defamation, and repeated parking violations.

If they really wanted to they could cut down the need for visits to the Immigration Office to a minimum. They already have online 90 day reporting and address reporting, if you know how to register, but the system really needs an upgrade to be brought up to 21st century standards. Better still the system should be dropped and just address changes reported! Why can't a 30 day extension to a tourist visa be done online? Does anyone ever get declined? Re-entry permits could be done away with for those on extension of stay by changing it to a multi-entry "visa" and they could make money at the same time as everyone would have to pay whether they want it or not.

 

This would mean just one visit to the office per year for most expats.

 

But as this is the hub of unnecessary paperwork, superfluous photocopies, rubber stamps, passport photos and queues, I can't imagine they would have any inclination to do any of the above, despite the so-called Thailand 4.0 being introduced.

 

 

One of the main problems with immigration is no sense of customer service; as well as a deprecating and demeaning attitude to those who are paying for a service. I would add inability to speak English the things gone wrong list.  At the old Nonthaburi immigration office I would have to leave the building from 12 to 1 so the staff could sit in the AC without unwanted guests and have a nice lunch.  But this humiliating treatment to customers does not just apply to government.  At Toyota in Nonthaburi, they turn off the lights and TV, but not the AC, in the waiting room while again, the staff enjoy a well illuminated lunch.

45 minutes ago, Jeffrey346 said:

KK Immigration is fast. Usually in and out in under 30 minutes.

IO have always been pleasant to deal with..

Roi et, immigration is always a pleasure to deal with. Friendly and professional.

'Too slow, poor service, not enough staff and corrupt'

 

Sorry guys but this is another bit of non-news.

 

Why would anyone be surprised at this? It's been the case since Adam was a boy, not only in Immigration and not only in respect of foreigners. Many perhaps most Thais (certainly most Thais in rural areas) appear to be obsessed with the idea of superiority, it's a natural urge to be one better than the next guy/gal, but in Thailand it reaches ridiculous heights. The consequence is that too much time is spent following poor procedure or pointless regulation so the boss can express his superiority, slowness in dealing with customers so you can show your superiority over your customers at work, and corruption so you can swan around being all rich and stuff, thereby showing your superiority out of work - usually by exercising their obsession with wearing lots of bling (this natural instinct is why Thai women demand gifts of gold from their foreign boyfriends/lovers/giks/whatever).

 

Thais are still developing - they're mostly emotional children and haven't yet learned how to mitigate their instinctive behaviour with rational behaviour. Simplistically put, people have an unconscious mind and a conscious mind. The unconscious mind is the origin of automatic responses and instinctive (unthinking) behaviour, the conscious mind is where the process of thinking  as opposed to just responding lives, When people get civilised and are no longer the companions to monkeys in the forest, it's usually because they've learned to strengthen the conscious processes that we all have and to mitigate the unconscious responses that we all exhibit when we're not thinking.

That is what distinguishes people from the rest of the animal kingdom. Humans have got a larger cerebral cortex, they can think more.

Simplistic yes, but seeing it like this at least offers some way to understand what can otherwise be pretty hard to fathom.

 

 

Edited December 6, 20187 yr by HalfLight

"Too slow, poor service, not enough staff and corrupt"

Show me a government department here that doesn't fit this description...  well, military number of generals

"No one wants to go to immigration when they are on holiday"

Amen. Hit the nail on the head with that one

24 minutes ago, madmitch said:

If they really wanted to they could cut down the need for visits to the Immigration Office to a minimum. They already have online 90 day reporting and address reporting, if you know how to register, but the system really needs an upgrade to be brought up to 21st century standards. Better still the system should be dropped and just address changes reported! Why can't a 30 day extension to a tourist visa be done online? Does anyone ever get declined? Re-entry permits could be done away with for those on extension of stay by changing it to a multi-entry "visa" and they could make money at the same time as everyone would have to pay whether they want it or not.

 

This would mean just one visit to the office per year for most expats. 

 

But as this is the hub of unnecessary paperwork, superfluous photocopies, rubber stamps, passport photos and queues, I can't imagine they would have any inclination to do any of the above, despite the so-called Thailand 4.0 being introduced.

 

 

 

"This would mean just one visit to the office per year for most expats. "

 

True enough but efficiency is not the objective. The purpose of the 90-day report is not to keep tabs on the whereabouts of the dreaded foreigners - if it were the databases of Thailand would be a lot more effective than they are.

 

The objective is to remind the customers who's the boss, and that means regular and frequent compulsory jumping through hoops. It isn't just foreigners who need reminding who's the boss, Thai nationals are equally subject to it. Sad really, but understanding this explains many otherwise inexplicable Thai behaviours.

 

 

Edited December 6, 20187 yr by HalfLight

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

I don't want to fly out and come back an hour later...why can't they let me stamp in BKK somewhere?? I'm married with a Thai and when i have to go to immigration my wife even has to take a day off to join me since they can't speak a word english there.

Seeing as you are married to a Thai, and living in Thailand, wouldn't it be logical to learnt to speak Thai? 

Kudos and cheers to whomever is running Hua Hin’s immigration services. Never once have been asked for a bribe and the staff (with the exception of one middle aged bitter woman) is always friendly, helpful and courteous.

They even opened a center in the mall to make 90 day checkin easier.