Visa Agency Disappeared!

[Vagabondo]

After paying the agency called (removed) an inflated price for assistance with my Retirement Visa, their entire staff and office disappeared from the Icon Plaza Hotel in Chiang Mai. They never completed the visa processing service, never notified me, and just left with the money paid to them.  These types of actions against the elderly are what gives Thailand a bad reputation for retirement.

[orchis]

if you read through their feedback on google you can notice many dissatisfied customers over a long time.

Edited August 3, 2019 by orchis

[sunnyboy2018]

And the OP cant go to the police because...?

[jabis]

4 minutes ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

And the OP cant go to the police because...?

Name & shame seems to work better - like with any scammers. Irrelevant whether OP makes a civil case or not, but without this kind of information many more will get scammed out of their hard earned cash.

[sunnyboy2018]

4 minutes ago, jabis said:

Name & shame seems to work better - like with any scammers. Irrelevant whether OP makes a civil case or not, but without this kind of information many more will get scammed out of their hard earned cash.

Depends what he was using the agent for.

[jabis]

2 minutes ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Depends what he was using the agent for.

Nope - it doesn't. It's a simple case of fraud.

[Thailand]

2 hours ago, jabis said:

Name & shame seems to work better - like with any scammers. Irrelevant whether OP makes a civil case or not, but without this kind of information many more will get scammed out of their hard earned cash.

I can see this post being removed, defamation even if guilty,is rife here and TV are shit scared of being party to it.

Named a garage that completely f'd up a paint job and that was rapidly gone.

[sqwakvfr]

2 Red Flags about this alleged Agency:

 

1.  Emailed them several times before I arrived at CNX.  No Response.

2. They used to have an office on Huay Kaew Road for several months.  I walked by a few months ago and noticed the office had been shut down.  

 

An online search of this agency returned many negative reviews.  As far I am aware this agency only assisted clients who were completely qualified for the type of Visas they were applying.  I am not aware they provide the “Magic 800K Baht Retirement Ext of Stay” service.  

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, jabis said:

Nope - it doesn't. It's a simple case of fraud.

Not always it isn't. Sometimes Expats qualify but don't want to do it themselves or even attend immigration. 

[Seth1a2a]

4 hours ago, Vagabondo said:

their entire staff and office disappeared from the Icon Plaza Hotel in Chiang Mai.

Would you just rent out a space to a stranger without any ID or reference information if you were the management of "the Icon Plaza Hotel". Disappearing from "you" does not always mean disappearing from view.   They have a website and a Facebook account.  People know these people personally.   No matter how much they stole they would have a more expensive time trying to disappear completely if they started this business using legitimate resources.  Even a tip from an unpaid employee could bring the entire fraud to justice.

Yes, it is rumored that the police want a finders fee to do their investigative work but they also love the press releases.  File a report and hope other victims do the same.  Contact a news agency and put on a heart breaking performance in front of the cameras. .......Thais love a good Drama . 

 

 

Sometimes you'll find it was all a misunderstanding and get a complete refund and apology  (after they are caught ????).

One last hope is to inquire if they left a forwarding address with the Hotel.  

Not much more I can do for you, than you can do for yourself at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited August 4, 2019 by Seth1a2a

[LivinLOS]

5 hours ago, jabis said:

Nope - it doesn't. It's a simple case of fraud.

Was the agency trying to commit fraud on your behalf is what he is getting at.. 

 

But yes been leary of CMB for ages.. Said as much as I felt comfortable saying on a few CM groups already.. The writing was on the wall. 

[LivinLOS]

You could always just contact direct and ask for money back.. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/CMbuddydog

[tabarin]

I been trying to contact them previously too but never got answers (few months ago and before that too).
If you want a visa service for retirement, the easiest would be with The Colonel across immigration. 

Edited August 4, 2019 by tabarin

[sumrit]

2 hours ago, tabarin said:

If you want a visa service for retirement, the easiest would be............

Do it yourself...........its not exactly difficult, and at least you know you'll be reliable and won't scam yourself. ????

[jabis]

11 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Not always it isn't. Sometimes Expats qualify but don't want to do it themselves or even attend immigration. 

I was contending sunnyboys comment "Depends what he was using the agent for." In my view frauding people out of their money doesn't depend on what they were expecting of the agency, just if the money and people disappear they've committed a fraud, as simple as that ????

Edit: I'd go after them with both criminal and civil cases

Edited August 4, 2019 by jabis

[Mansell]

9 hours ago, tabarin said:

I been trying to contact them previously too but never got answers (few months ago and before that too).
If you want a visa service for retirement, the easiest would be with The Colonel across immigration. 

Friend in Phuket had the agent disappear with a bunch of people's passports including his. So this guy was lucky.

[AAArdvark]

CMB was pretty much gone for months.  There was no real staff and they worked out of a work share office. There was just one and sometime 2 guys which were hard to contact.  There is a new agency in CM which has only been open for a couple of weeks but they have their own office and staff.

[Vagabondo]

2 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

CMB was pretty much gone for months.  There was no real staff and they worked out of a work share office. There was just one and sometime 2 guys which were hard to contact.  There is a new agency in CM which has only been open for a couple of weeks but they have their own office and staff.

Do you have either the name or location of this "new agency in CM" available?

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, jabis said:

I was contending sunnyboys comment "Depends what he was using the agent for." In my view frauding people out of their money doesn't depend on what they were expecting of the agency, just if the money and people disappear they've committed a fraud, as simple as that ????

Edit: I'd go after them with both criminal and civil cases

There were similar cases in the past here with Travel Agents, taking the cash and either an employee did a runner with it, or the shop vanished and there was a crowd going nowhere at the airport. Yes the OP is a clear case of fraud, but there are long established agents here. I don't believe they are cheap at all, but they are not into fraud. 

[lkv]

Ok let's keep it simple.

 

If agents that paid off Immigration (part of Royal Thai Police), run away with your money, you will complain to....Police?

[AAArdvark]

11 hours ago, Vagabondo said:

Do you have either the name or location of this "new agency in CM" available?

Thai Visa on Nimmanahaeminda Soi 15.

[owenm]

I thought with most of these Visa Agencies that you didn't pay upfront but when you had the visa in your hot little hands.. 

 

What happened to your passport?? 

[BritManToo]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Yes the OP is a clear case of fraud, but there are long established agents here.

The agents not named in the Op have been running for over 8 years.

You don't get much more established than that in Thailand.

[Humpy]

Go to Immigration for your Visas or do you not have the legal requirements ?

 

[nickmondo]

if you are talking about CM BUDDY, they lied to me about something years ago, and i never trusted or used them since.

said they had a special deal with some hotels for cheap rooms.

cmb wanted to charge me about 500 baht for a airport transfer to the hotel also

i contacted the hotel directly, they had never heard of CMB and they also provided free airport transfer.

I cannot stand sheisters like CMB.

[hobobo]

At least they didn't nick your passport as well!

[NoshowJones]

On 8/4/2019 at 3:29 AM, sunnyboy2018 said:

And the OP cant go to the police because...?

Exactly why can't the OP go to the police? The visa agent has stolen his money.

[CanadaSam]

OP should go the police and complain, he should say the money paid was for "visa assistance", (even if amount paid was large), there is no way to prove otherwise.

 

Take along all receipts and website addresses, mobile and other phone numbers, visiting cards, etc.

[Vagabondo]

Thank you Forum Members,

 

On Tuesday Afternoon, I did complete my Retirement Visa on my own by just following the guidelines provided by the CM Immigration Office Staff.  It wasn't very challenging and somewhat embarrassing on how straight-forward the final process was for me.

 

I do appreciate the helpful support from the majority of you.  As for those who commented that I was nefariously processing my Visa; the answer is "No"!  Initially, I had believed that my payment for a "professional" service would ensure both a swiftly and correctly done process as in other countries.

 

A little burnt, yet a big lesson learnt

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The agents not named in the Op have been running for over 8 years.

You don't get much more established than that in Thailand.

The main couple (Western owned)  have been around for 26 and about 17 years. 

Edited August 5, 2019 by jacko45k