How Much Help (do you need) from Relatives At Home?

[Andy from Kent]

2 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I've never found anything on Amazon that I want that they will ship to Thailand? 

 

 

Since Amazon  pretty much has available virtually anything one can buy,  there are things I'd like to buy from them but don't.      The problem is   merchants  unwilling to ship to thailand.     I wonder if the issue is the problems the  Thai authorities cause for imported items.

 

 

[DaLa]

2 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I only have a one years extension, so how is that 'residing full time', unless you delude yourself into thinking it will always be permanent? 

Agreed. Whenever I read the UK gov.site regarding residency and then look at my situation here with Immigration I become depressed when I realise I'm 'caught between two stools'.  When you consider our position  with owning land, access to health care and just staying here V having to pay Income tax in the UK, having to de-register from a GP and loss of Pension benefits.......

 

I understand without anyone commenting that there are ways to 'fix' all this , but I do almost feel stateless at times. Wouldn't want to be anywhere else though.

[Moonlover]

No help needed nor requested in the 13 years since leaving the UK to live firstly in Egypt and now here.

 

I've always kept my bank, the DWP, HMRC and my pension providers know exactly where I am. These plus Amazon (for my Kindle books) are the only connections I have with the UK now and I don't envisage that situation to change.

 

So far I've no problems whatsoever with anyone.

[quake]

2 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I only have a one years extension, so how is that 'residing full time', unless you delude yourself into thinking it will always be permanent? 

No delusion what so ever, 

i'm done with Thailand, on a count down now, 

just finishing off last 21 months of a 22 year sentence. LOL.

 

Then i will become a uk resident again, unlike those that pretend they still live in the uk. when they don't. 

 

 

 

 

[Randy99]

4 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

Have to use a friend's number in Canada for TD bank security. They don't accept Thai number. 

You might want to check back with your bank from time to time.  CIBC, Investors Edge at one time said they would not allow the use of anything Thai for the security codes, etc.  I think that all the overseas expats put up such a stink about it that they relented.  My security codes are sent via text message on my Thai cell #.  They policy that they abandoned would have required me to have a Cdn cell #.   Absurd!!!

[wwest5829]

I use my youngest Son’s address when needing to give a US address. 9 1/2 years here in Thailand and most things are delivered via email. Recently renewed my Amex Credit Card ... no problem, they sent it via FedEx. Agreed it is a pain dealing with some things. I was informed by Bangkok Bank today that they would charge me over $12.00 USD for each US check (medical reimbursement ... US company refuses to make direct deposit to my US bank). I still have not received my US government $1200.00 USA Covid aid (IRS refuses to make direct deposit to my US bank). And so it goes ... oh, call during office hours ... duh, sticky with me halfway around the globe. 

[Lacessit]

5 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

Have to use a friend's number in Canada for TD bank security. They don't accept Thai number. 

I have funds on deposit in Australia, the finance company has a procedure where I log on with my account number and password, then the company sends an SMS with a security code to my Thai phone.

[Caldera]

I don't need any help from anyone back home now, but it took some arrangements and adjustments when I moved to Thailand and I did need some help with things I hadn't thought of initially.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

 

Since Amazon  pretty much has available virtually anything one can buy,  there are things I'd like to buy from them but don't.      The problem is   merchants  unwilling to ship to thailand.     I wonder if the issue is the problems the  Thai authorities cause for imported items.

 

 

Amazon has actually improved a bit recently for sending things to Thailand. Besides there are companies in the UK who will accept things then post them on to you in Thailand.

[jomtienisgood]

4 hours ago, PGSan said:

I have very few problems dealing with my UK presence, almost entirely online except for credit card problems that need a skype-out call.  

 

I have even done property deals there using fully digitised agents and conveyancing/legal services, with only a single need for a courier service to send verified documents to the UK.  

But I do keep a lot of things going there: UK phone number, bank account, TV licence even (to verify my UK address) . . .

 

Oh!!  I had better not publicise all this too much, so please eat this comment after reading.  ???? 

Too late, I forwarded it to MI6; 55555555????

[jomtienisgood]

1 hour ago, quake said:

No delusion what so ever, 

i'm done with Thailand, on a count down now, 

just finishing off last 21 months of a 22 year sentence. LOL.

 

Then i will become a uk resident again, unlike those that pretend they still live in the uk. when they don't. 

 

 

 

 

None of my business but were sort of banned for some reason??????? Unless you were in jail here?????

[quake]

5 minutes ago, jomtienisgood said:

None of my business but were sort of banned for some reason??????? Unless you were in jail here?????

No,  just had enough of Thailand.

it's ok for sex and booze, but that's about it. 

 

 

 

[khunPer]

On 12/5/2020 at 6:25 AM, Pilotman said:

Goodness knows how expats manage who don' t have those resources in their home country. 

Might be depending on one's home country. I have no close relatives and never ask friends for help, neither do I have any problems with communication to my Danish government departments, my bank – hereunder having new credit cards send to Thailand – or telephone companies. Almost all communication are electronic, mainly by secured channels, but some also by plain old-fashioned email...????

[JAFO]

On 12/5/2020 at 12:25 PM, Pilotman said:

They don't mind at all,

 

I seldom ever ask anyone for help. Like Charlie in post 2 I think, once you establish a few things then you can manage pretty easily. All my information is paperless, I have bank acct in the states that I do all online and they have a live chat if I need anything. My Dad is the only one that does anything for me and that's because I use his address and sometimes I get some weird rebate check and he is linked to my bank acct so he walks to the bank and deposits it for me. That's extent of my needs

 

Some may ask why keep anything back in the states, I do it for a couple of reasons but primarily to keep myself established in case my wife and I decided to return to the US. Keeping an active bank acct, drivers license and a permanent mailing address are just good basics.  

 

 

[Sujo]

Jeez i think i lead a very uneventful life. I have no need for anything in my old country at all. Though i do dread the thought of one day having to return.

 

I call my mother every few months to check she is ok. Thats the only contact i have.

[hobobo]

On 12/5/2020 at 12:25 PM, Pilotman said:

Feeling rather guilty again about the amount of help I request and need from my kids back in UK, that I never anticipated.  They don't mind at all, but I do.  Makes me feel that I can't manage my own affairs from here, but companies based in UK, and probably in many other of our Home Countries,  don't make it easy to contact them from Thailand.  Amazon is a prime  example ( sorry about the pun).  Want to cancel Prime, can't do it from here.  Want to sort of my ISA, can't do it from here.  Want to tell of a change of phone number, very difficult., deal with government departments from here, not at all easy.  Getting replacement credit and debit cards forwarded on, a pain. The kids are a valuable resource in doing all this stuff for their dear old Dad,  but I don't think they expected it to be so much. Goodness knows how expats manage who don' t have those resources in their home country.   

Thanks for your reply, Pilotman. I totally sympathize with you about the guilt we can burden ourselves with! Fortunately I didn't have to ask my kids for much more than help with the mail, collecting and forwarding credit & debit cards, etc. It was one of the reasons why I changed my status to "Resident in Thailand" - one of the worst decisions I've made, and I regretted it from the day it was granted. It looks, though, that I can revert back to UK Resident with a bit of admin moves here and there

[Captor]

On 12/5/2020 at 8:07 AM, Lacessit said:

I have a CARE package hopefully arriving from my son in Australia soon. Vegemite, shaving cream, sunblock and golf gloves. In a year's time, repeat.

I request technical assistance from my son on computer matters, we usually sort them out via LINE or Skype. While I am not computer illiterate, he is quite a few streets ahead of me.

I feel no guilt about asking for help, as I assisted him quite substantially when he bought the house he lives in.

He is caring for his mother, who has Alzheimer's. As he says, he has a vested interest in me staying healthy and compos mentis for as long as possible.

Why not doing the computer assistance via Teamveawer? It´s perfect. I ue that with my wife.

https://www.teamviewer.com/en/

[Lacessit]

20 hours ago, Captor said:

Why not doing the computer assistance via Teamveawer? It´s perfect. I ue that with my wife.

https://www.teamviewer.com/en/

Interesting, I'll run it past him. Thanks.

[CharlieH]

Keep it civil please, no personal remarks.

 

 

[NancyL]

We aren't relying on any friends or family members in the U.S. to help us.  I've seen that go wrong for too many people.  

 

We set up an account with a commercial mail forwarding service (USABox.com) before we left and they forward things like credit cards, Amazon orders, etc.  It's important to select a service that will use USPS in addition to FedEx/UPS/DHL so you can get items from Amazon via USPS and avoid duty charges.  As mentioned, I've found that many items I was ordering via Amazon are available via Lazada, so my Amazon business has declined recently.

 

Our credit union services the HQ of a Fortune 50 company, so they are used to their customers being all over the globe.  No problem with them.  We have a MagicJack account and the area code is the same as the address for the mail forwarding service.  When the credit union needs to send us one of those OTPs, they will do it verbally, so all I have to do is have the MagicJack set up to receive a phone call from their OTP robot.

 

A few years ago, our investment manager firm came up with a rule that they can't service clients with overseas addresses, but we'd been with them for over 40 years, very happily.  So we set up a POA with our long-time lawyer in our previous U.S. town and he sits in on our phone calls with the investment firm.  That seems to satisfy their requirements.  In theory, our lawyer could clean out our account, but I don't think he will.  I don't think he really pays attention during the calls and most of the time I have to remind him to bill us for his time.  Recently we started to do the calls via Zoom and he didn't want to turn on his camera.  I think he does other work during the calls.

 

It's handy to have the U.S. Consulate here in Chiang Mai the few times we've needed a notary.  As retirees, our financial life is fairly simple.  

[Saltire]

I have no chldren but have an identical twin brother back in the UK who has helped me live abroad for lengthy stints on and off for the last 20 years, but now in our retirement the last 10 years his services are invaluable, even if not too onerous. I learned quickly to simplify what I need him to do without p33ing him off.

 

Latest venture, being twins, is we are both applying for our UK pension as we both turn 66 soon. All he had to do was take 5 minutes to apply online on the gov.uk site, wait 4 days and he got a confirmation letter in the mail of the amount and when his first payment would be made.

 

I had to fill in a 24 page international appllication form, part of which asks for dates and addresses for every home address you have lived at, as well as every UK job and staff number you ever worked in the UK. PITA. Print it, sign it and mail it.

 

This I mailed Thai post to him and he forwarded it registered and emailed me the proof of delivery. Am now waiting for what I assume will be a written confirmation to my Thai address. 7 weeks have passed. I worry they will ask me to send original copies of birth and marriage certificates. It always worries me mailing originals. Will see how this goes, fingers crossed, but they did say due to covid they 'may' accept copies.

 

He also had had power of attorney which we have never needed to use in anger, and anyway ,being identical twins, I am pretty sure he could pass off as me in person any day of the week ????

 

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by Saltire

[Nemises]

Why are offspring required to take delivery and send you credit cards etc? A friend can't do it?

[salavan]

On 12/5/2020 at 2:25 PM, Kwasaki said:

Don't ask much of my offspring most of them come here every year and stay with us except this year of course.

 

My UK bank has my address here so they send my credit cards and debit cards here.

 

My family is quite large so some of them can't always get over so we just keep in touch all year by facebook messager.

What's the name of the bank

[Kwasaki]

46 minutes ago, salavan said:

What's the name of the bank

My UK bank is First Direct online banking they are a member of HSBC. 

[scorecard]

On 12/8/2020 at 1:00 AM, hobobo said:

Thanks for your reply, Pilotman. I totally sympathize with you about the guilt we can burden ourselves with! Fortunately I didn't have to ask my kids for much more than help with the mail, collecting and forwarding credit & debit cards, etc. It was one of the reasons why I changed my status to "Resident in Thailand" - one of the worst decisions I've made, and I regretted it from the day it was granted. It looks, though, that I can revert back to UK Resident with a bit of admin moves here and there

 

Interesting point. I sometimes ask my Thai adult son to get details of a Thai regulation or whatever. He's a good listener and calmly polite responses with more questions etc., and including  'what are you trying to do? Please explain more ' Or 'do you want me to come with you to the xxx office etc?' He responds 'leave the whole thing with me' and within 24/48 hours it's usually all resolved.

 

He's mentioned several time 'taking care of you is my pleasure and it's my responsibility, you're my dad and I love you.' 'please don't ever think that's it's too much trouble'.

 

I'm well aware that the children of plenty of other folks deliberately look the other way ignore the conversation/change the subject, rarely make contact etc.

 

I know I'm lucky. 

Edited January 20, 2021 by scorecard