Immigration home visit . Charge 2000 baht ? Right or wrong ?

[4MyEgo]

3 hours ago, Bangyai said:

Are we about to get ripped of or not ?

I was in a similar situation when I applied 4 years ago, however was told upfront that they had to pay for the petrol to visit us and 1,500 baht would cover it, wife was pi$$ed off, but I paid up, no point in getting them off side, been smooth sailing ever since, no issues, no further demands.

 

Now you can lock in your heels so to speak, but I see it as a cultural thing, e.g. corruption is at every level, you can accept it or not, the choice is yours, besides 1,500 baht to me meant I would have to give up a "short time" for once, I could live with that ????

 

[luckyluke]

All well that ends well, it seems everyone happy :

Immigration officer, o. p. wife and thus o. p. himself. 

Never forget :

" Happy wife, happy life". 

And all this for 2000 ThB. 

 

Assume he not pay, except the congratulations of some of the posters here, what would he have archived :

I.O. not happy, never good when an I.O. is not happy. 

Wife probably not happy, not good idea to make one'wife unhappy. 

O.p. irresolute, thinking "maybe I had better paid, after all it was only 2000 ThB." 

 

 

[2long]

Please all note that the OP claims to have been doing visa runs for 40 years, so he either 'knows the score in this fine land' or he's been living under a rock... for 40 years. Normally people who have been here so long are the ones who know everything, not who ask questions, especially on these topics.

Something doesn't smell right to me.

[Bangyai]

15 hours ago, 2long said:

Please all note that the OP claims to have been doing visa runs for 40 years, so he either 'knows the score in this fine land' or he's been living under a rock... for 40 years. Normally people who have been here so long are the ones who know everything, not who ask questions, especially on these topics.

Something doesn't smell right to me.

 

Then get a new nose....problem sorted.

 

I have indeed been here since 1979 and never profess to know everything, unlike some who after a few weeks know it all. Since the only other time I dealt with immigration was about 38 years ago this was a new experience for me.  As for doing visa runs, what do you find so strange ?? I know other people who have also been doing visa runs for years. Some people like travel and don't find it a hassle at all. As for first hand experience of negative corruption ( where I lose rather than gain ) this is again , my first personal experience of it.

[moontang]

I was given an official receipt for the 1600 they extorted from me on the tm30 deal, four years ago.  And I was a condo owner, who voluntarily went to them, with no other need for services.  Doesn't make me feel one bit better about it and does doesnt make me think the receipt insured the money wasn't arbitrarily scarred by the officer in charge of the Hut, or had paid for the concession.  it was still a Hoffman ripoff.  In the case of the OP, I would just pay it..or even offer them a fill up on the Exxon card.

[flexomike]

25 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I was in a similar situation when I applied 4 years ago, however was told upfront that they had to pay for the petrol to visit us and 1,500 baht would cover it, wife was pi$$ed off, but I paid up, no point in getting them off side, been smooth sailing ever since, no issues, no further demands.

 

Now you can lock in your heels so to speak, but I see it as a cultural thing, e.g. corruption is at every level, you can accept it or not, the choice is yours, besides 1,500 baht to me meant I would have to give up a "short time" for once, I could live with that ????

 

giving up the short time probably pi$$ed off the wife more than the 1,500 baht - 555

 

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, Will27 said:

Not 4 or  5  times for you obviously.

Multiple customers.

Misread what you meant. Ofcourse it is a cash cow for all of them involved. 

[Caldera]

I think money to officials should only be paid if they do you a favor in return, or in other words, I would pay them to forego a nonsensical home visit, but not to show up as it simply is their job and a pointless hassle for me.

 

Now that would have been a nice counter offer: You get your 2000 baht - if you don't bother showing up.

Edited November 4, 2020 by Caldera

[2long]

10 minutes ago, Bangyai said:

 

Then get a new nose....problem sorted.

 

I have indeed been here since 1979 and never profess to know everything, unlike some who after a few weeks know it all. Since the only other time I dealt with immigration was about 38 years ago this was a new experience for me.  As for doing visa runs, what do you find so strange ?? I know other people who have also been doing visa runs for years. Some people like travel and don't find it a hassle at all. As for first hand experience of negative corruption ( where I lose rather than gain ) this is again , my first personal experience of it.

My nose is fine thanks... ????

Please don't tell me that you live in or near Bang Yai.

[Bangyai]

15 hours ago, 2long said:

My nose is fine thanks... ????

Please don't tell me that you live in or near Bang Yai.

 

Used to for 9 years . Moved before the BTS and Westgate opened. When we first moved there it was still a fairly nice green suburb. But over the years , with Preuksa building more and more moobahns it slowly got more and more crowded and the traffic got worse and worse. Sold up for a nice profit and built a house on the wifes land. Much nicer.

[OJAS]

56 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

Pay it in 1 baht coins in 2 separate bags.

 

Or in 25 satang coins in 8 separate bags.

 

On reflection, 10 separate bags of these tiddlers will probably be needed next year:

 

1 hour ago, whiteman said:

you bet he will be back next year and it will be 2500  bhat

 

Edited November 4, 2020 by OJAS

[2530Ubon]

3 hours ago, Bangyai said:

I will say one thing. For 40 years I have done visa runs. Not because I lacked the 400,000 but to avoid exactly this sort of thing. Now the wife is experiencing herself the exact kind of behavior I told her about. She is not at all happy with this new way of doing things.

You can also show 40k coming into bank account every month - you don't need 400k. 40 years of visa runs could have been avoided...

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, Bangyai said:

There ends my first and hopefully last experience of corruption.

Don't worry, they will be back next year for another 2000, or maybe it's 4000 then.

[mr mr]

hahahahah 

 

soooo many tough guys in here. i bet 90 percent of you do exactly what you are told when these things actually happen in your life. then you come back on thai visa and brag about how you called your old SAS pals and you guys all did a secret mission to the local immigration office to sort it out. 

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Write them a rubber cheque. Tell them not to cash it 'til the end of the month. 

Bouncing cheques is an offense in Thailand.

[Old Croc]

2 hours ago, Bangyai said:

 

Nope, my passport is new with no records in it. Let me tell you about doing a visa run. You are right, it does actually cost more but I have never been tortured or mugged in all those years. We never rushed a run either. Always made a holiday out of it and thoroughly enjoyed every trip. Absolutely no hassle at all and no corruption either.

 

As for where the money was kept....why in the UK of course . What a dumb question. Where do you keep your money  ? In the tea caddy ?

Not sure what having a new passport has to do with anything. You do know Immigration have complete computerized records of your movements don't you? Or is that a dumb question? Glad to hear that you have never been tortured nor mugged on your border hops. Are you comparing the Immigration attempt to squeeze money from you, to torture?

It's amazing how many people have lived most of their life, and are committed to one country, but still keep all their assets in another place they obviously only ever visit.  

My money is generated in Australia and I transfer it here regularly, when the FX is favorable.

I keep way more than immigration requirements in banks and property here without qualms. I  certainly wouldn't make life difficult for myself by only holding the bare minimum in the country in which I live, forcing myself to leave the place every few months just to maintain a visa.

 

What's a tea caddy or is that a dumb question? Bear in mind I'm not a Brit, this is a Thailand forum, and I don't drink warm beverages made from the leaves of a bush. I have played golf.

[rkidlad]

6 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Bouncing cheques is an offense in Thailand.

Tell them it was a misunderstanding. Seems to work for almost everything else. 

 

Anyway, so is asking for 2,000 baht. 

Edited November 4, 2020 by rkidlad

[overherebc]

19 minutes ago, 2530Ubon said:

You can also show 40k coming into bank account every month - you don't need 400k. 40 years of visa runs could have been avoided...

Visa runs are enjoyable for some. Ours usually were to UK for two or three weeks, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Vietnam etc.

It's not the usual white knuckle ride to the border in a van with a brain dead driver.

This year is the first time I've had a married extension and though aware of the general requirements I did ask and got help from a couple of friends who are up to speed on it.

Don't anyone assume border 'runners' are the families poor relatives. ????

PS   Did the extension this time purely because of the WUHU FLU.

[BritManToo]

21 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

You do know Immigration have complete computerized records of your movements don't you?

Oddly enough, when I got my TM30 for the first time last month, immigration had no record of me in their system, despite me living here for 11 years.

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Oddly enough, when I got my TM30 for the first time last month, immigration had no record of me in their system, despite me living here for 11 years.

 

Watch out for illegal entry and 11 years overstay (tongue in cheek, but ...)

[JusticeGB]

5 hours ago, Bangyai said:

Went to immigration yesterday to apply for 1st 1 year extension based on marriage. They phoned 30  minutes ago saying they will be here within the hour. Amongst other things they say we will have to pay 2000 for the home visit which is 100 k from their office.

 

Are we about to get ripped of or not ?

 

Thanks in advance

Ring the Immigration office back and tell them that one of their officers has asked for money to pay an official visit to your house and that you will want an official receipt so that you can make an official complaint to the head Immigration office in Bangkok. There have no right to charge you for an official visit to check that you live at your house. It's no more than milking you for money. 

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

I was in a similar situation when I applied 4 years ago, however was told upfront that they had to pay for the petrol to visit us and 1,500 baht would cover it, wife was pi$$ed off, but I paid up, no point in getting them off side, been smooth sailing ever since, no issues, no further demands.

 

Sounds to me like you and the OP need to swap wives!

 

[Bangyai]

15 hours ago, Old Croc said:

You do know Immigration have complete computerized records of your movements don't you?

 

Back in 1979 there were no computers.  They came much later

[Bangyai]

15 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

You can also show 40k coming into bank account every month - you don't need 400k. 40 years of visa runs could have been avoided...

 

Yes, if you don't like doing visa runs but I like to travel and like to visit different countries. I have been to most countries in SE Asia except Vietnam and Indonesia.

 

People talk about visa runs as if they were absolutely dreadful. Why is that ?

[Pilotman]

2,000 Baht, so 5.4 Baht for each day of  a one year extension. Not worth  the hassle of a challenge. 

[Pilotman]

Just now, Pilotman said:

2,000 Baht, so 5.4 Baht for each day of  a one year extension. Not worth  the hassle of a challenge. 

 

Just now, Pilotman said:

2,000 Baht, so 5.4 Baht for each day of  a one year extension. Not worth  the hassle of a challenge. OP, lots of warriors on TVF telling you to tell them to get lost.  I wonder how many of these keyboard macho men would meekly pay up if confronted with it themselves. nearly if not all I would suggest.  Its easy to be brave as well as foolhardy. on a keyboard. 

 

[tonray]

Tell them no problem..but the lawn better be manicured and the A/C units cleaned properly before they see one satang.

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, Bangyai said:

 

Yes, if you don't like doing visa runs but I like to travel and like to visit different countries. I have been to most countries in SE Asia except Vietnam and Indonesia.

 

People talk about visa runs as if they were absolutely dreadful. Why is that ?

Visa 'runners' are lumped together by many who assume they, the 'runner', has less than the required income or savings to get what they call the correct visa ( should be extension retired or married ) 

I would guess most who go on about 'runners'  use an agent because they don't have the money either. ????

Edited November 4, 2020 by overherebc

[Pilotman]

10 minutes ago, tonray said:

Tell them no problem..but the lawn better be manicured and the A/C units cleaned properly before they see one satang.

good idea, as they will have a relative who can do it for you, at a competitive price of course. 

[jaideedave]

Bouncing cheques is an offense. Extortion is Okay.lol