On 7/4/2019 at 7:46 PM, userabcd said:

So to buy some of those home appliance electric goods they have at the back of the store costing over 2000 Baht one needs to have identification, it is just a ridiculous rule.

Last month at Thai Watsadu, I bought a 6000 baht water pump, cash, no ID requested. A few days later at the same shop I bought a 5000 baht water cooler, on credit card, no ID requested. I drop between 300 and 1200 baht cash at each Big C visit, say 3 or 4 times a week, no ID requested.

 

Why is my shopping life in Thailand so easy, unchallenged and unexciting? I feel so cheated!!

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

That might well stem from the rather draconian and ever-tightening immigration rules, which are hardly designed to endear you to a country. Add the general lawlessness on the roads, taxi drivers who refuse to use the meter in every city in Thailand that has them and similar disregard for the law, and it grinds people down.

 

Possibly. Some might just be miserable old farts who complain about everyone and everything.

Barry, I am fortunate in that I do not have the immigration issues other obviously have and it would not be pleasant having that hang around one's neck for sure. And I understand some may be now stuck in this country for various reasons. And yes there are issues that you raised and yes I shake my head at times. But this is life in this country. I cannot fathom how people who could leave here, decide to stay when they find so much to gripe about. It would really eat my soul.

 

It seems some just don't stop for a moment to consider whether lines of communication have been confused in a situation before going into melt down mode over really trivial things in the whole scheme of life. Life here can be very enjoyable and extremely rewarding if people just are open to allowing the good things to shine through.

 

30 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Last month at Thai Watsadu, I bought a 6000 baht water pump, cash, no ID requested. A few days later at the same shop I bought a 5000 baht water cooler, on credit card, no ID requested. I drop between 300 and 1200 baht cash at each Big C visit, say 3 or 4 times a week, no ID requested.

 

Why is my shopping life in Thailand so easy, unchallenged and unexciting? I feel so cheated!!

Ha ha! Or do you intimidate them so they're too scared to ask?

Edited July 6, 20197 yr by bluesofa

mistake

Edited July 6, 20197 yr by from the home of CC

1 hour ago, Farangwithaplan said:

Barry, I am fortunate in that I do not have the immigration issues other obviously have and it would not be pleasant having that hang around one's neck for sure. And I understand some may be now stuck in this country for various reasons. And yes there are issues that you raised and yes I shake my head at times. But this is life in this country. I cannot fathom how people who could leave here, decide to stay when they find so much to gripe about. It would really eat my soul.

 

It seems some just don't stop for a moment to consider whether lines of communication have been confused in a situation before going into melt down mode over really trivial things in the whole scheme of life. Life here can be very enjoyable and extremely rewarding if people just are open to allowing the good things to shine through.

 

 

Some could indeed leave. Others, such as I, have family here and could not. But if the non-multi entry visa thing spreads, as I'm sure it will, it might be time to re-think. I. and many others, are sick and tired of being treated like criminals on probation, when all we are doing is supporting a Thai family. It's insane. Certainly there are good things, but if you polled foreigners on if they feel secure in Thailand and optimistic about the future, I'm pretty sure what the result would be.

Edited July 6, 20197 yr by Bangkok Barry

21 hours ago, kkerry said:

 

It would seem to be the most likely explanation...

 

 

 

Don't spoil the bashers' fun by using common sense man!!  It's a police state, economic ruin, someone actually said they were going to tell the western press!!

80% of this forum should change their username to Chicken Little.

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

 I. and many others, are sick and tired of being treated like criminals on probation, when all we are doing is supporting a Thai family. It's insane. Certainly there are good things, but if you polled foreigners on if they feel secure in Thailand and optimistic about the future, I'm pretty sure what the result would be.

I certainly understand the pressure that must place on people in your situation. I imagine there are a lot of nervous immigrants in the US, France and the UK right now, too, because of changing policy.

 

And without dismissing your very valid points above, I see on the street and read here so many people who quickly jump to a conclusion that someone as benign as a check out operator or taxi driver would be out to scam them. I can't believe how so many people pull up stumps in their home country and come to such a foreign and multifacetedly complex culture that is Thailand and make little to no effort to assimilate. 

 

When asked to do something like offer up a passport and people can't be bothered to think for a moment why this might be the case absolutely astounds me. I need to go get a few things in town today and I will bet money I will see at least one expat or multi visitor speaking loudly in broken english complaining about how they are getting cheated by some poor local sap just trying to earn a crust. Which is more in line with what this thread is about as opposed to immigration.

 

In my home country foreigners who can't speak english are openly treated with scorn often yet by a very vocal, albeit I hope, small population. When the tables are turned and the westerner here speaks in broken english expecting to be understood by a person earning 10,000 baht a month it is really sad to see.

 

I think Thailand should have minimum vocab requirements for any long term visa holders, personally. It would make this a much nicer place to be in the ex pat areas.

On 7/6/2019 at 9:14 AM, NanLaew said:

Last month at Thai Watsadu, I bought a 6000 baht water pump, cash, no ID requested. A few days later at the same shop I bought a 5000 baht water cooler, on credit card, no ID requested. I drop between 300 and 1200 baht cash at each Big C visit, say 3 or 4 times a week, no ID requested.

 

Why is my shopping life in Thailand so easy, unchallenged and unexciting? I feel so cheated!!

NanLaew, I'm sure you're missing out on some special deals or gifts by not presenting your I.D. (passport) and getting a customer card at places like Big C and Thai Watsadu.

 

We just finished a major condo remodeling and the contractor took me to several stores like Thai Watsadu to select items for the condo.  At many, like Thai Watsadu, where he didn't think we'd return to do much shopping in the future, he used his customer card (actually just rattled off his phone number), but at Home Pro, he insisted that I sign up for my own customer card, saying it was a good store and I should shop there more often. 

 

I'm not entirely certain what we'll get as a result of having a Home Pro "card", but I know it pays off to have a Tops "card" (actually to rattle off my phone number in Thai at check out).  I receive discount coupons in the mail from Tops several times a year and there is almost always a free "premium" waiting for me at the customer service counter when I do a big shopping at Tops.  Mostly it's stuff we can't use (like Coca-Cola bath towels), but someone on the condo staff always takes the stuff.

Just leave the shopping on the counter, and walk away laughing.

Always vote with your feet in the land of frowns.

28 minutes ago, intherealworld said:

Just leave the shopping on the counter, and walk away laughing.

Always vote with your feet in the land of frowns.

Yep, so the poor cashier is offering you a VAT refund (spend more than 2,000 baht), and you will leave your stuff there and walk away laughing.   You do really how ridiculous that sounds don't you?  Please tell me you do?

 

And then all the people behind in the queue will also be massively inconvenienced whilst they try to reverse the transaction of the weird guy who just walked off laughing for absolutely no reason.

 

Yeah, you sure did show them!

Edited July 7, 20197 yr by josephbloggs

46 minutes ago, intherealworld said:

Just leave the shopping on the counter, and walk away laughing.

Always vote with your feet in the land of frowns.

.... and another civil liberties warrior is born... waiting to stand up for his rights and protect us all voicing his protest at the slightest slight....  yawn... 

I really can't be bothered walking around a supermarket picking goods off the shelf, so I hang around the checkout and, when I see someone with roughly the items I want, tell them that they need their passport, and when they disgustedly stomp off I take their place in the queue, along with their groceries.  I'm thinking of branching out by filming it too and starting a YouTube comedy channel to make some money out of these nasal trimming face spiters.

 

 

Edited July 7, 20197 yr by ballpoint

On 7/4/2019 at 7:06 PM, Samuel Smith said:

Shop elsewhere ????

Good advice, problem is though, if one store HAS to do this, then all the others will have the same / a similar policy. 

 

Slightly off topic, but related. When I tried to top up my BTS card recently with THB 500, the cashier guy also wanted to see my passport. I almost went ballistic! THB 500 top up, and you need to prove your ID?!?!? As others have already said, soon we'll have to show our passports just to go have a dump. 

 

I'm glad I still have the option of returning home, with my son, if things continue going this way. I've been nothing but 100% correct in all my actions here, legally employed, WP, correct visa, paying taxes, keeping a wife and kid, earning and spending my money here, etc. Why are people like this being treated like criminals at every turn? 

1 hour ago, djayz said:

Good advice, problem is though, if one store HAS to do this, then all the others will have the same / a similar policy. 

 

Slightly off topic, but related. When I tried to top up my BTS card recently with THB 500, the cashier guy also wanted to see my passport. I almost went ballistic! THB 500 top up, and you need to prove your ID?!?!? As others have already said, soon we'll have to show our passports just to go have a dump. 

 

I'm glad I still have the option of returning home, with my son, if things continue going this way. I've been nothing but 100% correct in all my actions here, legally employed, WP, correct visa, paying taxes, keeping a wife and kid, earning and spending my money here, etc. Why are people like this being treated like criminals at every turn? 

You top up your card, they enter your passport number, you go on your way. You'll never have to do it again.  Thais also have to register.  It is not a big deal and is certainly not worth going ballistic over.

 

If having to spend 45 second at a BTS booth once means you want to leave the country with your son then you are a very very sensitive person and you probably should not spend much time outside of your home country.

You are not being treated like a criminal, you are being asked to register your card once, for life.  I think the AML laws are ridiculous but it is really not a big deal, just get on with your life and stop stressing about things that really are not important.

2 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

they enter your passport number, you go on your way. You'll never have to do it again. 

I DID give them my passport in May, when I last topped up, hence my reason for going ballistic this time. 

 

I simply can't stand incompetent idiots. I wouldn't put up with this s**t back home and I most certainly won't hold my tongue here. 

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 5:04 AM, nkg said:

 

Yes, they stamp the passport with a "Hello Kitty" logo as part of their loyalty scheme. Once you get 10 stamps, you can have a free cup of coffee ????

 

 

If true, well, it is not worth it to get passport pages used up.

On 7/5/2019 at 11:22 AM, ezzra said:

Paranoia and a police state overbearing behaviour... from this silly TM30 to the need to show your ID/Passport/driver's license everywhere you go and need to buy/pay, and yet, thousands of criminals and illegals are everywhere from scammers, to con men drug dealers and hardcore criminals hiding in plain sight...

Not sure where you are going, but i have never been asked to show my passport anywhere. Thai drivers license is fine, and only ever show it when checking into a hotel or at a traffic stop which is fairly infrequent. i.e about once every couple of years.

 

According to the OP this is the store decision which they have been doing for a number of years? How is that the police fault?

 

On 7/5/2019 at 2:38 PM, kkerry said:

 

It would seem to be the most likely explanation...

 

 

 

Shhhhh dont say or show that, its much more fun to bash the Thai's complain about 'police state' and even blame it on Pattaya being quiet lol

Bunch of moany old twits. I hope the exchange rate keeps going down if it means getting rid of some of these whingy gits lol

1 hour ago, smutcakes said:

Shhhhh dont say or show that, its much more fun to bash the Thai's complain about 'police state' and even blame it on Pattaya being quiet lol

Bunch of moany old twits. I hope the exchange rate keeps going down if it means getting rid of some of these whingy gits lol

And I do hope it gets rid of whingy gits who moan about whingy gits!!

If they ask for my passport I’d dump the goods and walk away


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Shhhhh dont say or show that, its much more fun to bash the Thai's complain about 'police state' and even blame it on Pattaya being quiet lol
Bunch of moany old twits. I hope the exchange rate keeps going down if it means getting rid of some of these whingy gits lol

“Smut” from the “cake” hole


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13 hours ago, wreckingcountry said:

If they ask for my passport I’d dump the goods and walk away


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Why?

 

You could just say you are not a tourist so don't need the VAT refund, pay for your items and leave.  Please tell me why dumping your goods and walking away is a better idea?  I'm interested in your logic.

 

Then lets imagine a Chinese tourist in your country, does his/her shopping, a cashier asks them for ID to support a VAT refund at the airport, they get furious without asking any questions, they dump their goods and storm off, causing disruption and inconvenience for the shop and for everyone behind them in the queue.   Would you tell everyone you totally understand and support them, or would you say they were horrendously rude, selfish, and inconsiderate?  Idiotic even?

 

Please answer.

 

 

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Why?

 

You could just say you are not a tourist so don't need the VAT refund, pay for your items and leave.  Please tell me why dumping your goods and walking away is a better idea?  I'm interested in your logic.

 

Then lets imagine a Chinese tourist in your country, does his/her shopping, a cashier asks them for ID to support a VAT refund at the airport, they get furious without asking any questions, they dump their goods and storm off, causing disruption and inconvenience for the shop and for everyone behind them in the queue.   Would you tell everyone you totally understand and support them, or would you say they were horrendously rude, selfish, and inconsiderate?  Idiotic even?

 

Please answer.

 

 

Don't burst the poor little fella's bubble.  If he wants to traipse around a supermarket putting goods in a basket or trolley, then stand in line at the checkout, then, when it's his turn, wait while the cashier scans and bags all his items, only to stomp out in a hissing fit, with no groceries and no dignity, due to a misunderstanding, then let him get on with it.  I'd find it quite amusing if I were next in line.

Why?

 

You could just say you are not a tourist so don't need the VAT refund, pay for your items and leave.  Please tell me why dumping your goods and walking away is a better idea?  I'm interested in your logic.

 

Then lets imagine a Chinese tourist in your country, does his/her shopping, a cashier asks them for ID to support a VAT refund at the airport, they get furious without asking any questions, they dump their goods and storm off, causing disruption and inconvenience for the shop and for everyone behind them in the queue.   Would you tell everyone you totally understand and support them, or would you say they were horrendously rude, selfish, and inconsiderate?  Idiotic even?

 

Please answer.

 

 

Don’t answer stupid questions

And I”ll take no lectures in Thailand about “rude selfish or inconsiderate “ the country wrote the book on it !

 

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