36 minutes ago, transam said:

I had no probs at Chong Mek, I have never had a problem at Chong Mek, in all the years I have been here........🙂

Oh, I forgot, the only probs I have had is with banknotes, they have to be like straight off the printing press. I pay in dollars, can save over 500bht.

Once I paid with 2x20 Dollar bills, refused one, what he pointed out was ridiculous, I said I haven't got another dollar bill, he said then you pay 1000bht. Hmmmm,  a nice little earner.

So now when I buy dollars, I leave them and the receipt in their exchange shop envelope, when I get to Laos, I make sure he sees me take them out of the money exchange envelope, because if the refuse any note, I will ask them to write on the envelope what is wrong with it for the exchange shop......😋

On 8/12/2024 at 8:28 PM, Rob Browder said:

I would have told mini-van guy to refund my fee, because he failed to warn of this, and drop me off in Chanthaburi.  Then, take a local mini-bus / songthiew to the other checkpoint in that area.  And not because it was 'so much money', but because I wouldn't want that (expletive) IO to get the 2K Baht.  You had a legal multiple-entry visa, and were doing nothing wrong.

 

During that time - early covid, before the borders were closed - I also had that type of visa, and used the Myanmar border near Kanchanaburi.  I had to pay the same agent as the people doing visa-exempt runs, but no more than that.  There, the agent put a little stamp on your TM-6 card, which clues the local IOs you paid their agent, and they would let you cross and return.  Sadly, that border is closed to all but locals, now.

 

Locals can't cross there either; only traders can. Being Thai or Burmese alone isn't enough; it's a dangerous area and that border never really reopened in the post Covid period.

On 8/12/2024 at 5:59 PM, whattheheck said:

I forget exactly when, I think it was very early during covid though. People had just started wearing masks, I was wearing one, I remember that. I was the only westerner in the minibus, I think everybody else was Cambodian.

It was with a minibus service. You wait in the car park whilst their agent takes your passports across and back for the stamps.

 

 

Ok, understood. So probably early March 2020 or somewhere around then..

 

Thanks for confirming. 

 

Either way, the IO asking for that bribe was not on.

22 hours ago, transam said:

Oh, I forgot, the only probs I have had is with banknotes, they have to be like straight off the printing press. I pay in dollars, can save over 500bht.

Once I paid with 2x20 Dollar bills, refused one, what he pointed out was ridiculous, I said I haven't got another dollar bill, he said then you pay 1000bht. Hmmmm,  a nice little earner.

So now when I buy dollars, I leave them and the receipt in their exchange shop envelope, when I get to Laos, I make sure he sees me take them out of the money exchange envelope, because if the refuse any note, I will ask them to write on the envelope what is wrong with it for the exchange shop......😋

 

I have had the same experience. Even though the bills were in perfect condition, the lady scrutinized the bills as if it was forensic science. It took her a minute of relentless search to find an invisible spot at the edge of the bill and refused to accept it. We had a heated argument until she accepted the equivalent amount in Baht.

36 minutes ago, glock19 said:

We had a heated argument until she accepted the equivalent amount in Baht

Poor form.

Immigration did not accept your USD. Move on. 

Just hand over baht. 

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Poor form.

Immigration did not accept your USD. Move on. 

Just hand over baht. 

40 USD = 1450bht aprox, pay in bht= 2000bht...

I got caught for a "dodgy" 20USD note, they wanted 1000bht to replace it, a nice little earner.....🤨

7 minutes ago, transam said:

40 USD = 1450bht aprox, pay in bht= 2000bht...

I got caught for a "dodgy" 20USD note, they wanted 1000bht to replace it, a nice little earner.....🤨

The guy I quoted stated....

"We had a heated argument " 

Again poor form. 

When in Rome

Just now, DrJack54 said:

The guy I quoted stated....

"We had a heated argument " 

Again poor form. 

When in Rome

Not really, if you are being ripped off, you are being ripped off to line their own pocket, which is robbery......😉