Funny thing at the Bank

[whiteman]

Yesterday I went to my local Bangkok Bank branch to use the ATM which is outside the Bank frontage. Card in all put in right but no money comes out. I tapped on the Bank window so that the securty guard can see me he comes out see the problem and goes back inside to get the lady.

Out she comes says to me the machine not work and makes a phone call, then tells me 20 mins will be fixed. 

 

So I go into the Bank and she shows me no money came out of my bank account which is all good. So I say to her right that is fine I will just with draw here over the counter 20k.

 

She says to me do you have your passport I say no but here is my ATM card and my Thai driving licence. No good she says we need passport. I say to her you want me to take all my 1.6 million Bhat out of here?

She still says sorry no can do we need passport. Now I know they know me in this Bank but there you go so I walk out of the bank and drive home and get my Bank book and passport.

 

Now I am back at the bank counter but not with the lady I saw at the ATM before for she is busy, but she is next to the young cashier that I am dealing with.

 

I say I wish to withdraw 30k and I hand her my bank book and passport and I also say please update my book as well. She looks at my passport and stops and asks the lady I spoke to before that is next to her what do I do with the passport. This conversation is all in Thai and low key to each other. The other lady mumbles and gives the young cashier a form and points to me to sign in 2 places and put the amount in the box that I require.

 

I do as I am told and hand the form back to the young Cashier. She checks my signature and shows it 2 times to the other cashier she nods and all is going well so far.

 

Then the young cashier starts counting the 30k out and I am thinking all is going well. She then hands me the 30k and my passport I say to her please put the 30k in the counting checking machine to be sure, which she now does and the 30k is good. I then ask her after handing my bank book back to her again to update it. She does that and I walk out of the Bank get in my car and drive home thinking all the time as I drive why did they ask for my passport but never photo copy it and get me to sign the photo copy of my Passport as all ways.

 

So I pull over for I have just go a message on my cell of this transaction and it says 30k DEPOSITED. I now look at my bank book and there in black and which says 30k more in my bank.

 

So here I am with 30k in my hand of real cash and my bank book has an extra 30 k in it.

 

Now guys WHAT WOULD YOU DO????

 

Well I went back to the bank and showed them the error. They were all bowing and all sort of things to me. So I said to them not all Farlanges are bad.

I then took the chance to ask for a new 2020 pop up Bank calander they gave me 2 and asked me if I wanted more.  That to me was real funny for the week before I asked for one and they said no you can only have the bloody big roll up one.

[Jingthing]

Interesting story.

Actually I think if you hadn't reported the error it would technically be a criminal offense. However, it's not that much and you could have a defense that you didn't notice it.

[ezzra]

Common Sense, practicality and the ability to rationally assess situations were never given visas to enter Thailand, no matter hard they tried and as the many years passed, they're still  viewed as persona non grata in this country...

[Saltire]

I read here a few months ago that all banks now need a passport to withdraw in branch. My bank started asking me for my passport about 5 months ago, even though they know me well. Photocopied and signed visa page and picture page and then added to my ever-growing file somewhere in a Krung Thai warehouse. They had a sign up (in Thai) as I recall.

 

I prefer to go in the branch rather than use the ATM, and get the book marked up each time. Some banks only give you a summary transaction if you leave it a long time without updating.

 

I am sure I would do as you did and return the cash.

[Moonlover]

Very wise that you went back. At the end of the day, when the cash tills are reconciled the mistake would have been obvious. And if you had been the only person to withdraw 30k that day, then the finger would have pointed straight at you and your only defense would have been a rather lame 'I didn't check my book'.

 

Sounds to me as if the girl who served you was a trainee. I bet her mentor didn't half feel a bit foolish!

 

Oh yes, regarding the passport request, this is a directive from on high to all banks, nationwide. There's even a sign up to that effect in my Krungsri branch. However for straightforward deposits and withdrawals, photocopies are not required

[FarFlungFalang]

I would have kept the 30k thinking it was a good interest rate!Then bought a lottery ticket in case you good luck was still running hot.

[BobbyL]

Making up the rules from branch to branch.

 

I overheard an amusing argument in K Bank at Emquartier recently where a guy (sounded Aussie) wanted to transfer 1M to his Singapore account. However, they wouldn't allow him to transfer it as he no longer had the Work Permit he used to open the account with his previous company in Bangkok. Not sure how it ended but he was going pretty mad and demanding they give him the money so he can close his account and go to another bank. 

[petedk]

Recently I deposited a check for 150K and needed 30K in cash. I told the cashier that I wanted 30K as my ATM withdrawal limit is only 20K.

 

Yes, I had to show my passport.

[billsmart]

When I first came to Thailand, I was working in Bangkok and opened up an account at Bangkok Bank. 

 

After about three months in Bangkok, my contract was up and my work was done (IT consultant), so I went down to Koh Samui to meet a friend from the UK. I liked Koh Samui, so decided to stay there after my friend left and rented a little bungalow on the beach. ????

 

One day while trying to get some money out of an ATM, my Bangkok Bank card wouldn't work. I tried another ATM, but it still wouldn't work. I went to the local Bangkok Bank branch to get a new ATM card, and they said I would have to go back to Bangkok to do that. ????

 

Hearing that, I then told them I wanted to withdraw all my money (about four million baht). They got very excited and were all running around whispering to each other and calling places on the phone. What I expected them to do if for some reason they really couldn't issue me a new ATM on that account was to offer to open up a new account there in Koh Samui and transfer all my money into it -- and then issue me a new ATM card on that account.  But, they didn't think of that... ????

So, I finally got all my money and walked across the street (ran, actually) to a Krungsri (Ayudhya) Bank and opened up an account there. Since then, I've moved up to Phetchabun but still have that same account I opened that day. ????

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, BobbyL said:

Making up the rules from branch to branch.

 

I overheard an amusing argument in K Bank at Emquartier recently where a guy (sounded Aussie) wanted to transfer 1M to his Singapore account. However, they wouldn't allow him to transfer it as he no longer had the Work Permit he used to open the account with his previous company in Bangkok. Not sure how it ended but he was going pretty mad and demanding they give him the money so he can close his account and go to another bank. 

...where he wouldn't be able to OPEN an account because he doesn't have a work permit.

 

BTW, it's not just the Aussie (sounding) ones either.

[LukKrueng]

On 12/17/2019 at 11:27 AM, whiteman said:

She says to me do you have your passport I say no but here is my ATM card and my Thai driving licence. No good she says we need passport. I say to her you want me to take all my 1.6 million Bhat out of here?

I bet she got really worried about you taking out your 1.6 million. Might have caused the bank go bankrupted, so many Thai people losing their jobs - including her. Oh, no, hang on. She actually might have lost her job by complying with your demand to get cash out of your account without the bank's passbook and your passport. 

Just to put your mind at ease - it wasn't personal against you nor anti foreigners thing. In order to withdraw cash from a bank branch EVERYBODY must show the passbook and national ID (passport in case of foreigners). Used to be that if in your own branch no need for ID, don't know if that has changed lately as I mostly use the atm outside my branch

[Suradit69]

On December 17, 2019 at 11:42 AM, ezzra said:

Common Sense, practicality and the ability to rationally assess situations were never given visas to enter Thailand, no matter hard they tried and as the many years passed, they're still  viewed as persona non grata in this country...

If you've read many posts on TV I'd say they are indeed a minority amongst visitors to Thailand or foreign long-stayers. Smug ignorance and lack of awareness apparently are given unlimited visa exempt entries.

 

Having a passport linked to your account for a counter withdrawal is hardly unheard of. Presenting an ATM card doesn't prove anything nor is a driving license linked to one's account. The bank passbook has your passport number visible under the ultra violet light or whatever it is. 

 

For or better or worse the passbook is a practical mechanical necessity when making a counter withdrawal.

 

On December 17, 2019 at 11:27 AM, whiteman said:

So I said to them not all Farlanges are bad.

The implication of what you said being that the majority of farlanges [sic] are bad, but you're the rare exception?

 

 

 

 

[natway09]

The requirement to show your passport & have your passbook are good things.

They are protecting your money as your custodian

[Eindhoven]

On 12/17/2019 at 4:33 AM, Jingthing said:

Interesting story.

Actually I think if you hadn't reported the error it would technically be a criminal offense. However, it's not that much and you could have a defense that you didn't notice it.

 

You just made that up....

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

 

You just made that up....

[exemplary21]

My understanding is that you only need your passport if withdrawing from a branch other than the one where your account was opened, and that deposits don't require the passport at any branch.

 

Did a branch withdrawal at BKB home branch one day, and the teller asked for my passport. I said that this is my home branch and it's not needed, but she said she wouldn't do the transaction without it. Without prompting, the next teller said, "Give it to me, I'll do it after I finish my current transaction.".

 

So my teller passed the form and book over and proceeded to do her nails.

[justin case]

there is one bank that did a promotion this year, pay interest UPFRONT for a year...

 

they gave too much, their error... did not notice myself till later

 

was still in shopping mall for 2 hours, then taxi home

 

they found out their error and asked me to come back to the shopping mall the next day.

 

 

I said I had no time for this and no car... would be back next week

 

the girl that made the mistake, came to the house the next morning to collect the money

 

or she would have been fired, so she said...

[chilly07]

A reminder that  BB visa debit cards will no longer work next year and can be changed to MasterCard or Union Pay at your branch. Changed mine to MasterCard as Union Pay seems to be a Chinese imposition!

[Burma Bill]

I have lived in Thailand for nearly 20 years and I have ALWAYS had to show Bangkok Bank my passport when withdrawing money over the counter from my account.

[RyanWalker]

The bank would have realised their mistake anyway when the bank close and change it. 

[Moonlover]

2 days and all this blah, blah about a simple incident over a non functioning ATM and no one  has asked the obvious question. Why didn't the O/P simply go to another ATM?

[stropper]

had one of those smartie women at my bank, nearly same story as you, large amount in bangkok bank, i went ballisitic after all the <deleted> for a simple transaction , same as yours, stormed out drove home and straight on the phone to head  office, next day 9am, the manager a hanger onerer and the teller at our farm front gate, so many wais it was imbharising, it has never happened again and now i am always treated as a thai. ferang, with some respect,  you have some times to stand up in this country !

[jackdd]

On 12/17/2019 at 11:27 AM, whiteman said:

She says to me do you have your passport I say no but here is my ATM card and my Thai driving licence. No good she says we need passport. I say to her you want me to take all my 1.6 million Bhat out of here?

And then people wonder why Thai's might think foreigners are unfriendly.

 

On 12/17/2019 at 11:27 AM, whiteman said:

I walk out of the bank and drive home and get my Bank book and passport.

Wouldn't it have been easier to just use another ATM?

[Thian]

My wife asked the immigration how i could extend the visa...they told her to open a bankaccount at a certain green bank, so we went there, 5! employees were busy with her for 30 minutes, phonecalls all the time...but nope i could NOT open an account there because i was farang.

 

So we went to another bank, they told us to wait, after 5 minutes we just left to the bank next door. 10 minutes later i had my bankaccount and walked out.

 

Why do they need 5! employees and many phonecalls in 30 min. to tell that a farang can't open an account? And how can the immigration recommend this bank??

 

Thailand only krub.

 

 

[WhatupThailand]

Soon the World Banking System will implode,

any one caught with money in a Bank will lose it.

 

It will be like the 1929-30 Crash all over again.

Word to the Wise, Don't put all your eggs in one Basket.

 

[treetops]

Still waiting to find out what the funny thing was.

[SiSePuede419]

You should make a copy of your passport with your visa on the back and have it laminated in plastic (probably under 30B total) and carry that around with you at all times.  Probably would save a drive back to get the passport 99% of the time. ????

[elgenon]

On 12/18/2019 at 2:18 PM, natway09 said:

The requirement to show your passport & have your passbook are good things.

They are protecting your money as your custodian

It seems strange you don't need a passport to get money from the ATM, only the card. But his ATM card and DL were not enough to withdraw in the bank. I understand the rules but it seems strange.