Is this the evolution Thailand is heading to?

[Confuscious]

I was a True member since years, and practically had no problems with them.
I am subsribed to their TrueMove package which offers a Fiber modem, a basic TrueVisions package and a free Sim Card for about 850 Bath.
 

Last month, the problems started.
Normally I get every month a bill in my postbox, which I can scan and pay by the bank.
But last month, I got no "paper bill", only a SMS bill.
Following the link on SMS, I was presented with a screen asking to enter a THAI ID-CARD number.
As I am not a Thai citizen, I could not access my OWN BILL.
Went to the True shop, and they told me that True is moving away from "Paper" bills and I should instead pay at their shop in the "money eating machines".
I told the shop that I was not pleased with that "new" way of billing and if I didn't received a paper bill next month I would simply not pay.
Last week, I wanted to look TV (foreign news channels) and when I turned the TV on, I was presented with the screen message "Enter your Thai ID-Card number" (see 1.jpg).
As I am not a Thai citizen, I tried several others things.
Like entering my Thai-citizen ID number which I had reaceived from the Morpho app (Vaccination).
But everything was refused and they asked for the Thai ID-card number which was registrered with the TrueVision Card and which was registrered by the True technician (see 2.jpg).

So, I tried to send an email asking for the ID number that was registrered with my TrueVision box.
But I could not even send an email, because in order to complain I should enter, YES, a f....g Thai ID-card number.

Will go look for another provider this week.
.

[zzaa09]

Welcome to Thailand.....

[redwood1]

Just go to 7-11.... Show them the sims bill you almost certainly got on your phone.....And then pay at 7-11....

 

I have True.....I pay this way every month...

[Confuscious]

33 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

Just go to 7-11.... Show them the sims bill you almost certainly got on your phone.....And then pay at 7-11....

 

I have True.....I pay this way every month...

Untill 2011, I was paying all my bill's lile that.
Mostly at the nearby 7/11.
But after the big flooding, where all my bill's got lost I quit paying like this and started paying at my bank.

The reason was that I NEVER skipped a payment but, after the big flooding, TOT started to ask for unpaid bills.
Not only me, but several others in Korat.
As my proof of payments were all destroyed, I had to pay the last 3 months again.
That was the day I switched to TRUE  and started to pay almost everything at the bank.

[BangkokHank]

I have them email the bill to me, and I scan the barcode of the emailed bill with my bank app. Maybe that would work for you too?

[BenStark]

I have a reminder on my phone that tells me when my bills from whatever utility are due. I'm so lucky they are every month due on the same day.

 

Then I open my Kasikorn bank phone app, press payment, and then select the company I want to pay the bill for, in this case True.

 

Enter my phone number, and it will tell me how much I have to pay. I do that for everything, True -3bb and PEA.

 

What is more, I have to do this only once. The next month I just press history, click on the previous payment, select redo transaction, and it will again show me the amount due.

 

But then again, I don't live in the past and move on with the times.

[LukKrueng]

8 hours ago, BenStark said:

The next month I just press history, click on the previous payment, select redo

You can simply add the payment to your favourites and then you won't have to look for it in history. It will show on the homepage of the bank's app

[LukKrueng]

10 hours ago, Confuscious said:

I told the shop that I was not pleased with that "new" way of billing and if I didn't received a paper bill next month I would simply not pay.

Wow!! You are my hero ????

[norbra]

If you happen to have kept your past invoices you can use the bar code from one of them to make your due payment.

I keep a past invoice for water and electric as well.

[GreasyFingers]

True are really a nuisance the way they change things without any notice. Their website is not readable now with all of the push advertising. Your problem might end up hitting me as well but at the moment I pay by credit card through their iService that is accessed by my email address.

The only good thing I can say about them is their call centre that gives very good service.

[nana kid]

True billing has become a nightmare.  I get a separate SMS bill for TV   and then another for  Internet   and then Smart TV and then another for Phone   all at different times.  The only way for me to get everything paid is to go to True office and ask for my total

[Guderian]

TOT has been doing the same thing since they hooked up with CAT and became NT a few years ago. Paper bills are very hit and miss and now never arrive in time for the payment deadline. They send me a text message from NT Debt, in Thai, of course, telling me I'm a low-life, farang scum who hasn't paid the bill they didn't send me. There's a link in the SMS to an e-payment system which, as the OP says, requires a Thai ID number, my passport number doesn't work even though TOT/NT has it on record (of course!). If you look more closely at the app, though, there's also something like a 'Quick Pay' option which lets you enter their reference number from one of your old paper bills. I can't recall now, they may send you an OTP, but eventually you get a QR code which you can scan with your banking app and pay the wretched bill. Why do they have to make simple things so difficult?

 

The major downside of this is that for the last 12 years I've been using the paper TOT bill as proof of address for Immigration, and they've been perfectly happy with it. If they stop sending paper bills completely, what will I use as proof of address then, the house and utilities are in a company name, only the internet and landline are in mine?

[Confuscious]

1 hour ago, GreasyFingers said:

True are really a nuisance the way they change things without any notice. Their website is not readable now with all of the push advertising. Your problem might end up hitting me as well but at the moment I pay by credit card through their iService that is accessed by my email address.

The only good thing I can say about them is their call centre that gives very good service.

The OP is about the way Thailand is heading to and not about how you make your payments.
If you are happy with this evolution, skip this thread and move on to the next thread.

But asking a Thai ID-Card number for every basic service is not a good evolution.
- I want to look TV, can only after introducing your THAI id-card number,
- I want to make a complaint,  can only after introducing your THAI id-card number,

More and more basic services are switching to the THAI id-card certification.
The ATM's are being equiped with a THAI id-card reader and will soon allow any transaction ONLY if you have a THAI id-card.
Many ASEANNOW members are posting about difficulties with opening a bank account in Thailand.
Not a good move for the foreigners.
 

[Stevemercer]

Our hospital recently introduced machines to get your ticket queue number for appointments. There is always a long queue. Of course, you need to enter your Thai ID number which I do not have. So I have to bypass the queue and go directly to the counter for my appointment. It's good for me, becasue it saves time waiting, but must be a pain for the waiting Thai people who maybe perceive a farang getting preferential treatment.

 

To answer the OP, yes it is the way of the future, but there will always be a way around it.

[Zapitapi]

similar things happening around the world..wait until CBDC's are introduced.. possibly next year than one will have a real issue:)

[Antiparovian]

Pay via your Banking App. Just have to type in your phone number. Bill then comes up then you press pay. 30 seconds "work" at most.