Visa agent not responding to calls

[Guderian]

Almost two weeks ago, I arranged for a Thai visa agent here in Pattaya to get me a new 1-year retirement extension (I’ve been living here with annual extensions based on retirement for 15 years).

I used this agent last year and everything went fine, all done and dusted in three days, but she’s moving office and I have no idea where her new place is (somewhere on Soi Buakhao, she said, but that’s a long street). After 4 or 5 days, I called her to ask when the passport would be ready and she sounded a bit flustered, saying that she’d been too busy to pick it up but that she’d do so last Friday. I didn’t hear anything more from her, so I called her yesterday and she had some story about Immigration wanting a fresh photo of me for their computer and could I send one to her. My GF did that via LINE and that was the last I heard from her, since then she’s not picking up my calls. I’m getting concerned that she may have lost my passport and, in time-honoured Thai fashion, refuses to admit it.

The old extension expires on January 1^st, and things are getting a bit tight. As I said, I have no idea where her new office is so I can’t go and knock on her door, and she’s not responding to phone calls from me or the GF. What should I do next? Go to Immigration and ask if they have issued the extension, maybe they’d even know where the agent is now located? Or maybe just go to the police and report a stolen passport, or is there some other course of action you’d recommend? I have the agent’s name, phone number and SCB bank account number, which should be enough to identify her.

[bkk6060]

I have used in agent in Pattaya and always gotten my passport back with stamp the next day.

One reason you are paying is for the quicker service.

I guess you could go into the immigration office and calmly explain the situation just be careful about what you say.  If you get angry and yell out about how much you paid and where is my passport, could create and issue.  

[Guderian]

3 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I have used in agent in Pattaya and always gotten my passport back with stamp the next day.

One reason you are paying is for the quicker service.

I guess you could go into the immigration office and calmly explain the situation just be careful about what you say.  If you get angry and yell out about how much you paid and where is my passport, could create and issue.  

Yes, I assume there's a relationship between the agents and Immigration staff, so someone must know where the agent is located now, or how to get hold of her. Because she said she was moving office and was very busy I didn't want to pressure her too much early on, but two weeks instead of two days is getting ridiculous.

 

I'm going to drive by her old office in Jomtien in a while, maybe there will be a forwarding address there.

[foreverlomsak]

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

I guess you could go into the immigration office and calmly explain the situation just be careful about what you say.

Especially if the agent was used to get round "shortages" in meeting the requirements.

 

[brianthainess]

Just go to immigration and tell them you paid an agent 'coz you don't have funds here of 800,000b, and also about the missing agent/passport, i'm sure they will help   

[ezzra]

Obviously the agent has some sort of issue in processing your visa requests or she might have, as you said, misplaced your documents and rather not face you about it, you need to find her coz without your passport you can't do anything and not even the immigration can help you here...

[Guderian]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

Obviously the agent has some sort of issue in processing your visa requests or she might have, as you said, misplaced your documents and rather not face you about it, you need to find her coz without your passport you can't do anything and not even the immigration can help you here...

I think the first thing I need to know is if Immigration processed the passport and granted another annual extension. If so, then at least I'm not at risk of overstaying. Of course, even if I wanted to leave to avoid overstay, I can't do so without a passport. This is all a bit Catch-22, lol.

[Guderian]

15 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Just go to immigration and tell them you paid an agent 'coz you don't have funds here of 800,000b

For goodness sake, where did I mention that? I have plenty of money in the bank as well as the letter confirming it. Many of us use an agent simply to avoid long queues, sometimes standing for a long time under the sun, outside the inadequate Jomtien Immigration office.

Edited December 27, 2022 by Guderian

[JimmyJ]

7 minutes ago, Guderian said:

For goodness sake, grow up, where did I mention that? I have plenty of money in the bank as well as the letter confirming it. Many of us use an agent simply to avoid long queues, sometimes standing for a long time under the sun, outside the inadequate Jomtien Immigration office.

Sociologists and psychologists would have a field day analyzing the fruit flies this and similar threads draw - people with no skin in the game yet truly obsessed with those who do.

 

Do these mooks write their own traffic tickets?

[owl sees all]

26 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Just go to immigration and tell them you paid an agent 'coz you don't have funds here of 800,000b, and also about the missing agent/passport, i'm sure they will help   

And don't be a little mouse.

 

Thump the table a few times, and tell them if they don't sort it, you'll bad mouth them down the 'Puzzy Bar'.

[mikeymike100]

17 minutes ago, Guderian said:

For goodness sake, where did I mention that? I have plenty of money in the bank as well as the letter confirming it. Many of us use an agent simply to avoid long queues, sometimes standing for a long time under the sun, outside the inadequate Jomtien Immigration office.

Do you have a picture of her, if you have her Line account?

It would certainly help if you did ask at immigration?

[JimmyJ]

Agree re: Asking Imm. to help you contact her.

Excellent suggestion.

[IvorBiggun2]

You pays yer money, you take your chance. 

Quote

You are responsible for your decisions and cannot blame anyone else when what you have chosen is not successful. 

Never trust an agent.

[connda]

26 minutes ago, Guderian said:

For goodness sake, where did I mention that? I have plenty of money in the bank as well as the letter confirming it. Many of us use an agent simply to avoid long queues, sometimes standing for a long time under the sun, outside the inadequate Jomtien Immigration office.

Than submit a police report that your agent has disappear with your passport.

[Mickeymaus]

If you have the money on the account and your agent uses this you can go to the immigration and ask them about your status. There should not be any problem.

[IvorBiggun2]

4 minutes ago, connda said:

Than submit a police report that your agent has disappear with your passport.

Do you really think the police are going to be bothered?

[Guderian]

This is getting bizarre now. The agent just called me to say that Immigration has told her I need to get a new certificate from the bank as the original one is out of date. Well it wasn't out of date when I gave it to the agent, on the day the bank issued it, so did the agent misplace my paperwork or did Immigration do so, as they only seem to be processing it now, after 2 weeks. Nobody will admit anything, of course, and there's no point arguing about it. I pointed out to the agent that to get a new letter from the bank I'll need to have my passport back, so she claims she'll go to Immigration thsi afternoon and retrieve it for me. How can she make such a mess of it this year when everything went smoothly last year?

[sungod]

7 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Do you really think the police are going to be bothered?

Probably not, but it would help with an emergency travel document (if needed) or a replacement passport from an Embassy.

[sungod]

1 minute ago, Guderian said:

This is getting bizarre now. The agent just called me to say that Immigration has told her I need to get a new certificate from the bank as the original one is out of date. Well it wasn't out of date when I gave it to the agent, on the day the bank issued it, so did the agent misplace my paperwork or did Immigration do so, as they only seem to be processing it now, after 2 weeks. Nobody will admit anything, of course, and there's no point arguing about it. I pointed out to the agent that to get a new letter from the bank I'll need to have my passport back, so she claims she'll go to Immigration thsi afternoon and retrieve it for me. How can she make such a mess of it this year when everything went smoothly last year?

You know what to do once you get your passport back......

[IvorBiggun2]

3 minutes ago, sungod said:

You know what to do once you get your passport back......

Save 800,000 Baht and don't use agents. Works for me.

[connda]

12 minutes ago, Guderian said:

This is getting bizarre now. The agent just called me to say that Immigration has told her I need to get a new certificate from the bank as the original one is out of date. Well it wasn't out of date when I gave it to the agent, on the day the bank issued it, so did the agent misplace my paperwork or did Immigration do so, as they only seem to be processing it now, after 2 weeks. Nobody will admit anything, of course, and there's no point arguing about it. I pointed out to the agent that to get a new letter from the bank I'll need to have my passport back, so she claims she'll go to Immigration thsi afternoon and retrieve it for me. How can she make such a mess of it this year when everything went smoothly last year?

Get your passport back and find a new agent.

[Mickeymaus]

44 minutes ago, Guderian said:

This is getting bizarre now. The agent just called me to say that Immigration has told her I need to get a new certificate from the bank as the original one is out of date. Well it wasn't out of date when I gave it to the agent, on the day the bank issued it, so did the agent misplace my paperwork or did Immigration do so, as they only seem to be processing it now, after 2 weeks. Nobody will admit anything, of course, and there's no point arguing about it. I pointed out to the agent that to get a new letter from the bank I'll need to have my passport back, so she claims she'll go to Immigration thsi afternoon and retrieve it for me. How can she make such a mess of it this year when everything went smoothly last year?

"The old extension expires on January 1st, and things are getting a bit tight"

 

Don't panic. There are still some hours left . Let us know the result. It is always better to learn from others . 

[connda]

BTW.  Retirement visas with money in the bank is pretty much a slam dunk.  Why bother with an agent?  I used an agent once when living in Chiang Mai as CM Immigration was simply a mess that I didn't want to deal with.  Like back when you need to get there before dawn to get a queue ticket.  It was ridiculous.  It seems things have changed now, but I don't live in CM and use a different office in Region 5 where there are few farangs and a lot of Myanmar workers, but Immigration processes each class in different buildings.

[IvorBiggun2]

2 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

Let us know the result. It is always better to learn from others ????. 

'Mistakes' was missing off the end.

[Pmbkk]

24 minutes ago, Guderian said:

This is getting bizarre now. The agent just called me to say that Immigration has told her I need to get a new certificate from the bank as the original one is out of date. Well it wasn't out of date when I gave it to the agent, on the day the bank issued it, so did the agent misplace my paperwork or did Immigration do so, as they only seem to be processing it now, after 2 weeks. Nobody will admit anything, of course, and there's no point arguing about it. I pointed out to the agent that to get a new letter from the bank I'll need to have my passport back, so she claims she'll go to Immigration thsi afternoon and retrieve it for me. How can she make such a mess of it this year when everything went smoothly last year?

 

You could ask the question "My agent, <company name> has moved & I'm trying to track them down, does anyone know where they are located now" ????

Edited December 27, 2022 by Pmbkk

[hotandsticky]

35 minutes ago, Guderian said:

How can she make such a mess of it this year when everything went smoothly last year?

 

 

All part of "Thai culture"

[lopburi3]

49 minutes ago, Guderian said:

they only seem to be processing it now, after 2 weeks

You are aware that immigration was well behind two weeks ago due to the holidays (and perhaps internal issues due major investigations) - 90 day reports that week were taking much longer to process than normal from reports here.

[owl sees all]

8 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

You are aware that immigration was well behind two weeks ago due to the holidays (and perhaps internal issues due major investigations) - 90 day reports that week were taking much longer to process than normal from reports here.

 

I'm nowhere near Pattaya.

 

My visa was issued in one day. Sorted out the bank stuff in the morning. Paid. and gave all the docs to the agent. Had a nice somtam feast. Went home. Got a text at 4ish saying my visa was done.

 

Great service all round.

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

I'm nowhere near Pattaya.

 

My visa was issued in one day. Sorted out the bank stuff in the morning. Paid. and gave all the docs to the agent. Had a nice somtam feast. Went home. Got a text at 4ish saying my visa was done.

 

Great service all round.

The OP thread concerns Pattaya.

Your experience elsewhere is completely irrelevant. 

[mikeymike100]

1 hour ago, connda said:

Than submit a police report that your agent has disappear with your passport.

There might be some simple explanation? It might be wise to exhaust all possibilities first? There was a backlog in Jomtien immigration?

Going to immigration and asking if they know what happened might be a good idea, if the OP has a picture of her and obviously knows her name. Problem now is the IO is closed for a few days.