Report from the Ground at Swampy Immigration

[White Christmas13]

35 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

Yes of course but so do all the other ones. I use booking .com all the time

because I can book hotels with no credit card since I don't have one.

what is so hard to understand if you book on line you need a credit card ok?

no I am not replying on my own post just reply to wgdanson. I never booked a hotel

with no credit card apart from booking.com

[Nyezhov]

4 hours ago, RickG16 said:

Well China is apparently favoured in a few ways so perhaps this extends to Visa exempts

Or more likely the repetitive border nightmares are bullpucky?

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Or more likely the repetitive border nightmares are bullpucky?

Some may be true but people do not always disclose the full story about their history of visa exempt entries.

If not doing them back to back and only staying for short period of time there will not be a problem.

When immigration thinks a person is trying to live here on them is when a person can have a problem.

[newatthis]

On 12/21/2019 at 8:04 AM, thedemon said:

That's great and as it should be. It's also the experience that thousands of tourists arriving in Thailand have every day. Only reading Thaivisa threads every day can give you a distorted view that doesn't match reality.

 

Slightly off-topic but another example of this, a couple of days ago a friend from VN asked me to help book 4 hotel rooms in BKK for the period 28-31 Dec. I tried my usual hotels. All full. Go online, Agoda, Booking.com etc. There is very little availability and the prices are high whereas any TV thread putting a positive spin on tourism is met with a slew of sarcastic posts suggesting that tourism in Thailand is dead.

There's plenty available on Agoda today. Try again.

[baansgr]

On 12/21/2019 at 8:04 AM, thedemon said:

That's great and as it should be. It's also the experience that thousands of tourists arriving in Thailand have every day. Only reading Thaivisa threads every day can give you a distorted view that doesn't match reality.

 

Slightly off-topic but another example of this, a couple of days ago a friend from VN asked me to help book 4 hotel rooms in BKK for the period 28-31 Dec. I tried my usual hotels. All full. Go online, Agoda, Booking.com etc. There is very little availability and the prices are high whereas any TV thread putting a positive spin on tourism is met with a slew of sarcastic posts suggesting that tourism in Thailand is dead.

But if you had tried booking 5th Jan to 8th Jan, thousands of rooms would be available. You searched at the busiest and most popular holiday of the year, of course everywhere will be booked.

[holy cow cm]

I would think females are not the ones being persecuted. But I have flown in twice from other countries in the last 2 weeks and they did not even blink an eye at me.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

9 hours ago, Elkski said:

 five trips ago I said screw this and use Airbnb 90% and I hope I'm staying in some of you old grumps condos.  I will be the  fit guy swimming a mile in your totally empty pool.   I hardly see another person on the floors of the condos I stay at.  Great value, size, laundry, kitchen.  

 

 

Glad to see you've found a nice abode.... It looks very inviting!

 

Open-air floor plans are always preferred.... 

 

[Sheryl]

I don't think a large number of VE entries per se is ever a problem...especially for someone whose passport shows they are living in the region.

 

It is the total combined duration of stay that is looked at, i.e. whether it looks like the person is actually living in Thailand as opposed to making frequent short trips.

[treetops]

7 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I don't think a large number of VE entries per se is ever a problem...especially for someone whose passport shows they are living in the region.

 

It is the total combined duration of stay that is looked at, i.e. whether it looks like the person is actually living in Thailand as opposed to making frequent short trips.

Exactly, if the OP's kid has had 11 long weekends spread over 2.5 years it's an entirely different situation than if they've had 11 x 30 day trips, each with a 30 day extension, with 6 of them this year, but that might not have allowed him/her to post the story.

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, treetops said:

Exactly, if the OP's kid has had 11 long weekends spread over 2.5 years it's an entirely different situation than if they've had 11 x 30 day trips, each with a 30 day extension, with 6 of them this year, but that might not have allowed him/her to post the story.

Of course. Thats the moral of the story. Real tourists dont get excluded.

[treetops]

9 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Of course. Thats the moral of the story. Real tourists dont get excluded.

I think we should all agree with that, but some on here seem to think otherwise.

[rabang]

On 12/21/2019 at 9:47 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I think the recent round of complaints about Immigration at the airports may have gotten some results.

 

I flew in internationally to Swampy last week, arriving about midnight on Saturday night. I was off the plane and out the door in less than an hour all inclusive.

 

Upon arriving in the Immigration hall, unlike in the past, I found most of the counters were staffed, and the time to wait to be stamped by an officer wasn't much more than 10-15 minutes.

 

I actually had to wait longer for my luggage to make it down onto the luggage carousel than I did at the Immigration counters.

 

At the Immigration counters, meanwhile, it seemed like they had some different officers working there than the types I'm used to seeing, generally middle aged guys and women. The officer who stamped me out was a young woman who didn't have the often surly countenance of many of her peers.

 

 

I just flew out of BKK on 19th, in Business so I could use the Priority lane. I made a similar observation. The IOs were I think all female and a bit younger than average. They had different type of uniforms. Also at least the one processing my passport seemed somehow more attentive than normal. Usually they look bored both on entry and exit. I have used priority lane / fast-track on arrival in the past and the IOs haven't been much different than in normal queues, it's just that the waiting time is much shorter.

 

Like I said, this was in priority lane and exit so it might not be equal to entry in normal immigration control but interesting difference nonetheless.

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by rabang

[sandyf]

On 12/21/2019 at 9:04 AM, taninthai said:

Lol ....yes it’s holiday time and probably the busiest 2 weeks of the season ,you would expect most popular hotels to be full,,,,,it’s the 3 months either side of this 2 week period where there are problems for tourism.

Tourism is a matter of perception and the yardstick being used.

I have seen comments about bars being empty and too many tour buses, virtually in the same sentence.

[sandyf]

On 12/21/2019 at 11:10 PM, Denim said:

Look at the pictures of the place you are considering then find the phone number of the place and call them direct and ask about room availability and price.

 

That is one approach but not as beneficial as you make out, invariably we have found they ask for more than the Agoda price. The other problem is when they ask for a deposit. Over the phone there is no cancellation policy in effect so credit cards are not normally accepted, deposit is usually cash or bank transfer. 

I have just paid a 50% deposit by bank transfer for an Agoda booking that was listed as pay the hotel. Not normal but I had little option as it was out in the sticks and the only reasonable accommodation near where I am going at the weekend.

Like many other entities, if you use the same one on a regular basis there can be some return, it's each to his own. I have been at this for about 20 years and have seen all the ins and outs.

[sandyf]

On 12/22/2019 at 2:34 AM, White Christmas13 said:

what is so hard to understand if you book on line you need a credit card ok?

no I am not replying on my own post just reply to wgdanson. I never booked a hotel

with no credit card apart from booking.com

Many of the listings on Agoda do not require a credit card, listed as pay the hotel, but there can be a difficulty as I mentioned in the other post.

It is better to pay by credit card as most companies have some form of protection if things go wrong.

[Denim]

7 minutes ago, sandyf said:

That is one approach but not as beneficial as you make out, invariably we have found they ask for more than the Agoda price. The other problem is when they ask for a deposit. Over the phone there is no cancellation policy in effect so credit cards are not normally accepted, deposit is usually cash or bank transfer. 

 

My point was that just because an online site says there is no room availability it does not mean the hotel is full. If the hotel you are looking at on Agoda or booking.com says you are too late you can always phone the hotel yourself and see if they have rooms available. The mostly do. When I do this I just reserve a room and pay on check in. Never been asked for my credit card details or any other form of deposit. A reservation is not the same as a booking. No cash required until you arrive.

 

I do use online booking companies when it suits me but in Thailand not so much as there are always rooms available provided you don't turn up in the evening by which time they might be full. 

 

Just last week I tried to book a room at the Phichit Plaza hotel with Agoda but apparently I had just missed it. I decided to go there anyway as it is a small town and I thought I might get lucky. However Agoda was right, I had just missed it ......by a couple of years. The place closed two years ago and is up for sale. Still shows on Agoda though.

 

 

[law ling]

On 12/22/2019 at 11:02 AM, Sheryl said:

I don't think a large number of VE entries per se is ever a problem...especially for someone whose passport shows they are living in the region.

 

It is the total combined duration of stay that is looked at, i.e. whether it looks like the person is actually living in Thailand as opposed to making frequent short trips.

True.

 

However, despite many painless entries, I will never forget the ONE time an IO barked and snapped at me for "wrong visa" (I came here frequently, but stayed well, well under the 180 days/year rule of thumb.)

 

In short: one does tend to remember, and tell everyone about, the one time it went wrong.

[sandyf]

21 hours ago, Denim said:

Never been asked for my credit card details or any other form of deposit. A reservation is not the same as a booking. No cash required until you arrive.

Quite right, it is all about when and where, hotels that are in demand do not accept reservations.

[jacko45k]

On 12/23/2019 at 10:00 AM, sandyf said:

Tourism is a matter of perception and the yardstick being used.

I have seen comments about bars being empty and too many tour buses, virtually in the same sentence.

The buses are filled with tourists who do not spend any time in bars. They get taken to see Wats on the outskirts and trips to Koh Larn.

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

The buses are filled with tourists who do not spend any time in bars. They get taken to see Wats on the outskirts and trips to Koh Larn.

Obviously went over your head, empty bars do not mean no tourists.

After 20 years in and around the area I am well aware of the tourist situation.

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, sandyf said:

Obviously went over your head, empty bars do not mean no tourists.

After 20 years in and around the area I am well aware of the tourist situation.

So you have twenty years experience or maybe one years experience twenty times. I responded to your post as written, struck me as lacking perception. Maybe I got it wrong.

[G950]

I just had a friendly entry into DMK. Served by a late twenties female IO. She barely looked at my numerous stamps and processed everything quickly and even gave a somewhat friendly smile while handing back my passport.

 

My history.

                Last 20 years, entered Thailand 4 times per year - staying maybe 5 days per time.

 

                2 years ago, 9 relatively short stays on Visa Exempt - cumulative stay 3 months

 

                This year: 1 METV, stayed 5 1/2 months out of 8 months of use. (came in and out of country 6 times)

                               2nd METV - used first time just now.

 

I think the people with issues are relatively small although I was a nervous entering this time after hearing all of the horror stories here. Probably will get retirement visa as just turned 50 although don't really want to.