Thai PM urges relevant government agencies to fix “Thailand Pass” system after many did not receive QR code

[DaveC]

The Digital Government Development Agency = incompetence.

 

What digital agency -

1. Posts documents in PDF format and only accept returns in JPG.

2. Does not make provision for variance in Passport Number formats.

3. Does not test presentation in popular browser formats.

4. Fails to test functionality.

 

This Agency has a long track record for incompetence and needless to say countless stress and loss of travelers monies.

Is it any wonder that Thailand is the laughing stock of the travel industry when so many barriers are put in place for the genuine visitor.

They have had many years to achieve competence with the 90 day notification but just cannot do it.

 

Perhaps hiring professional IT personnel would be a start but then they too would also have to contend with all sorts of irrational decisions.

 

 

 

[Tracyb]

2 hours ago, micmichd said:

Why go home at the airlines's expense? The airlines should be able to check everything before you're boarding a flight. 

 

That’s the point isn’t it!  Try getting on a plane to America without a Negative PCR test result in your hand.   Thailand should be the same! ( Maybe add a vax certificate.).   End of story.

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, keemapoot said:

You are right, the image format is already a pain. If you have any document saved in PDF, you will have to reformat it to jpg or other image format, otherwise you cannot upload it. I started my application yesterday, but have been unable to complete for many reasons, including waiting for my hotel confirmation of the booking. I strongly suspect I will have to start the entire application over again once all the exact specifications have been assembled, but you don't know that until you start. Very errant system.

I can't even complete the initial registration.

 

It includes 'why going to Thailand' I clicked on 'Returning to Thailand' because I hold PR and I'm going home, permanently/forever to my family in LOS.

 

Then it asks 'how many days?'

 

Truth is I am an old man and I will probably never leave my Thai family/Thailand again. I left the box blank, I inserted 1, and 99. None accepted.

 

Any other PR holders completed the initial TP registration? What did you insert in the box 'How many days'?

 

Thanks.

 

 

[aussienam]

"The most common problems also included entering the wrong email address, resulting in the failed delivery of the QR Code. TPN media notes that, overall, the Thai government did not say that there was any blame or fault on their end for the delay of QR codes, but blamed nearly the entire issue on user error."

 

Wow! So, according to this media report, the Thai government is blaming most applicants for being too incompetent to complete the online application!  That's a lot of incompetent people! Must be a foreigner thing - many "stupid farangs".  This is ridiculous.

 

If there is such a high failure rate, accompanied by scores of complaints online, then obviously there are serious programming flaws, and poor design issues. Externalising blame is only for a face- saving exercise IMO. 

 

Let's all be serious here - an application system requiring uploading of documents should always have the ability to accept a variety of file formats. A competent programmer could easily do this. To only allow .jpeg format? Wow! PDF format is arguably the most commonly used format for documents.  It has been used now for decades!! Use of jpeg image files for photographic evidence, but both file formats should be allowed regardless. And other formats should be allowed as well. 

 

Government recipients surely have the relevant software installed on their computers to open various file formats to check the contents. 

 

To expect people to have to convert their PDF and other file formatted documents to jpeg format only, has and is causing much angst and stress to the many regular and non-tech savvy people who have never had to use file conversion software. 

 

There are freeware (free downloadable versions with no need to register for a 'trial version'), but many who are not savvy, will inevitably end up paying for expensive software conversion programs online to try to convert their documents. 

 

Google search engine results will always fill their front page results with advertisers and web links to companies who charge high prices for their software.  Only savvy will scroll to find free versions.  Retirees and other older non-computer savvy generations will inevitably be ripped off again this way.  Added stress to the whole process all because of a .jpeg requirement!!  Sad and very disappointing. 

 

 

[paddyfield7]

What this arrogant and selfish creature does not (and will never) understand: it is HIS government that fails, and the people HE appointed for each project were HIS OWN CHOICE, so there is only ONE who is responsible and who has failed. Sadly, it's the one at the top, and not at the bottom of this government.

[Eric Loh]

38 minutes ago, Tracyb said:

That’s the point isn’t it!  Try getting on a plane to America without a Negative PCR test result in your hand.   Thailand should be the same! ( Maybe add a vax certificate.).   End of story.

Sorry to say that Thailand should never do the same as America where +80k infection and +1k deaths still occurred daily. Thailand should be strict on inbound travellers and fix the Thailand Pass asap. 

Edited November 8, 2021 by Eric Loh
wrong word

[zzaa09]

15 minutes ago, DaveC said:

The Digital Government Development Agency = incompetence.

 

What digital agency -

1. Posts documents in PDF format and only accept returns in JPG.

2. Does not make provision for variance in Passport Number formats.

3. Does not test presentation in popular browser formats.

4. Fails to test functionality.

 

This Agency has a long track record for incompetence and needless to say countless stress and loss of travelers monies.

Is it any wonder that Thailand is the laughing stock of the travel industry when so many barriers are put in place for the genuine visitor.

They have had many years to achieve competence with the 90 day notification but just cannot do it.

 

Perhaps hiring professional IT personnel would be a start but then they too would also have to contend with all sorts of irrational decisions.

 

 

 

Well constructed.

I wonder if it's ever been considered that this is how they want it - the general incompetence uneasy ability to reason - regardless of how all of it might come across. 

A sad state to be sure.

[paddyfield7]

4 hours ago, Hayduke said:

 

But first he should appoint a few committees to try and figure out whether any of the ”Thai agencies” involved are actually....relevant. This could take a while.

 

 

Correct: if you have no solution for something, you form a work group, and when their solution fails, you have someone to blame. This is management by cowards.

[AwwYesNice1]

Sufficiency Economy.

[PEE TEE]

My friend in Germany trying to get back first waiting for COE had to cancel flight as they change to Thailand pass unable to get so had to cancel second flight ..lost over a 1000 euro he recons its a scam for airlines 

[Flink]

3 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

Two words: Not ready.

Two better words: Not necessary.

If you arrive at the check in desk with your passport, vaccination certificate and PCR result to show them, that should suffice. Instead they come up with TP which takes forever, and often many attempts (in some cases) to actually get approval and be sent a QR code to present at the checkin desk, many of which don't have bar code readers yet. It's an unnecessary hassle to would be tourists, and returning Thais, expats and workers, that just isn't needed.

[Danderman123]

39 minutes ago, scorecard said:

I can't even complete the initial registration.

 

It includes 'why going to Thailand' I clicked on 'Returning to Thailand' because I hold PR and I'm going home, permanently/forever to my family in LOS.

 

Then it asks 'how many days?'

 

Truth is I am an old man and I will probably never leave my Thai family/Thailand again. I left the box blank, I inserted 1, and 99. None accepted.

 

Any other PR holders completed the initial TP registration? What did you insert in the box 'How many days'?

 

Thanks.

 

 

The issue probably is not that box. 

 

There is a nearly invisible box at the bottom of the page that you must check. 

[Danderman123]

2 minutes ago, Flink said:

Two better words: Not necessary.

If you arrive at the check in desk with your passport, vaccination certificate and PCR result to show them, that should suffice. Instead they come up with TP which takes forever, and often many attempts (in some cases) to actually get approval and be sent a QR code to present at the checkin desk, many of which don't have bar code readers yet. It's an unnecessary hassle to would be tourists, and returning Thais, expats and workers, that just isn't needed.

How many people would show up for their flight without a Test and Go hotel under your recommended approach? 

[kennw]

4 hours ago, Chad3000 said:

You'd think in Thailand 4.0 with dreams of smart cities that the need to have this resolved wouldn't even rise above the level of the programers manager it would be patently obviously and a team would have been working on it first day out of the gate.

 

PM constantly sticking his nose into mundane, low level stuff that doesn't rise to the position. In the end this is an issue with the design and coding of a program.

 

This would free his time and he can get back to solving corriander shortages.

 

 

Hey  stoopid peepl ... PCR test prior to flight. ATK tests at the airport... DONE. Problem solved.

 

*It's all about in$uran€e

So 0.075% of incoming people found to be positive so far, put another way 99.925% of people test OK. Where is the problem? 

[cnx101]

And the idea of a holiday is to get away from stress

[Chongalulu]

3 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Corvid needs to be highlighted in the policy? What for?

To crow about..? ???? 

[Tracyb]

“Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O’Cha yesterday, November 7th, has ordered relevant Thai agencies to improve the “Thailand Pass” system after multiple applicants reportedly did not receive the QR Code”
 

 

The understatement of the week!  Scrap the whole idea for cryin out loud

[monty1412]

4 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Right, that's sorted then, might as well cancel my flight.

 

Why have a 'Pass' at all? Just issue clear instructions to the airlines on what passengers need to have and it'll sort itself.  They can check you have everything on arrival (which they will anyway) and make it clear that if you haven't complied, you're going home at the airlines's expense.

100% agree with this.. I just flew to Kenya from TH over the weekend.. at QATAR check in at Swampy showed passport, East Africa visa, COVID test <72 hours old, Thai issued vax passport, Kenya track code ( downloaded from Kenya website that does work), proof of accomodation and was soon strolling through a very empty terminal on the way to the departure gate.. on Kenya side it was rinse and repeat , no more than 5 minutes in front of desk time at check in in BKK  or arrival in Nairobi  

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, thurien said:

I am still of the opinion that this TP again is part of the "beloved big TH charades" of confusing others (travellers, visitors), preventing things to work properly, finally leading to utter disappointment. And out of frustration, internationals then "won't go, fed up" ... which is exactly what a xenophobic government wants, keep the Great Unwashed at bay but do not explicitly prevent them from entering of the country ("it's the glitches in the system, you see...")

"Hanlon's razor " Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. The Thai 'Thick gene' ???? 

[micmichd]

1 hour ago, Stargeezr said:

The great leader of Thailand should have just said, that the Thailand Pass will be cancelled immediately.

  Bring your passport and visa and your funds, plus insurance and welcome to Thailand.

   I am sure that the problem with this pass and its fancy QR codes etc, cannot be fixed. Scrap it.

  Geezer

 

Maybe they should add a bar code to it. Not all smartphones have have a resolution high enough to scan a QR code. 

[Robin]

PM has ordered...   Typical of military thinking; just give the order and it will happen

Many here have identified tha answer;  simply get rid of the pass, and go back to the old Thailand where entry was free and easy, and one of the attractions of the country.

If i can live here, with Thai standard double Vacc. then why cannot I leave the country for a visit to home land and  return with only a Covid test on arrival?

For many of my friends back in UK one attraction of Thailand was that they could come here for a holiday without any fuss.  Just find a cheap ticket on the ne and fly.  Now they will not bother with all this 'Thailand pass' nonsense, but look elsewhere.

Of course, like me,  they were jsut ordinary people, not 'High net worth' people, so Thailand does not want us any more.

[DaveC]

42 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

....it ain't rebellin' if you're drinkin' what they're sellin

Maybe that should be "....it ain't rebellin' if you're drinkin' what they're drinkin'

[Will B Good]

Just did a trial run.....got to the second page before it folded....error...see browser console????

Edited November 8, 2021 by Will B Good

[garzhe]

TPN media notes that, overall, the Thai government did not say that there was any blame or fault on their end for the delay of QR codes, but blamed nearly the entire issue on user error.

 

Of course, we all know how good the government agencies websites are.

[eggers]

Yeh, that'll happen ....same as 90 day online reporting!! Their a bunch of self serving Baffoons!!

[Tracyb]

54 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Sorry to say that Thailand should never do the same as America where +80k infection and +1k deaths still occurred daily. Thailand should be strict on inbound travellers and fix the Thailand Pass asap. 

I was simply inferring that the airlines could check the documents required by the Thai Pass application and that Thai Pass is unnecessary.  I’m living in Thailand because I’m not about to deal with the idiots in America who refuse vaccine, masks and other mitigation to slow Covid.  I agree, Thailand should never be like America.  

[Harveyboy]

comedy time again couldn't sort out Peeese up in a brewery...who wants all this hassle ..go to European destinations  easier cheaper...Oh and you can have a beer 

[AwwYesNice1]

Lucky they are not enforcing (yet) the anal covid swab test like China.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-anal-factbox/factbox-chinas-anal-tests-for-coronavirus-upset-visitors-idUSKBN2AV0Y4

[Skeptic7]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Absolutely agree.. keep it simple.

But Thailand can't do simple.

Yet forever excelling at being so very "simple". 

[The Hammer2021]

A lost soul irrelevant to the real life of real people. His prognostications on the minutiae of administrative details are worryingly  pathetic