Has Thailand Caught Up with the 21st Century?

[KannikaP]

13 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

As always, my opinion.

And whilst on this subject, I had to go to Bkk Bank last Friday to get a new Debit ATM card as they had noticed a Bht 0.00 transaction from Microsoft. I signed 5 papers to cancel the old card, and another to get the new one. TWO copies of my passport were taken, one sided only of course. There was no charge. 

Yesterday we went again to open a Joint account when another copy of my passport, and her ID was taken, five papers for each of us to sign, and pay Bht 400 to get an ATM card.

However, when I got home I could not add this new account to my online and phone banking apps, getting a message to say that I must go to my local branch as I am a foreigner.

So today another 65km round trip to the bank, get my passport and her ID copied AGAIN five papers each to sign, to be told that the papers will now be sent to head office, and I should be able to get online in a week.

Progress in the Banking industry...I think not.

[SoCal1990]

28 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

And whilst on this subject, I had to go to Bkk Bank last Friday to get a new Debit ATM card as they had noticed a Bht 0.00 transaction from Microsoft. I signed 5 papers to cancel the old card, and another to get the new one. TWO copies of my passport were taken, one sided only of course. There was no charge. 

Yesterday we went again to open a Joint account when another copy of my passport, and her ID was taken, five papers for each of us to sign, and pay Bht 400 to get an ATM card.

However, when I got home I could not add this new account to my online and phone banking apps, getting a message to say that I must go to my local branch as I am a foreigner.

So today another 65km round trip to the bank, get my passport and her ID copied AGAIN five papers each to sign, to be told that the papers will now be sent to head office, and I should be able to get online in a week.

Progress in the Banking industry...I think not.

I think the digital, wireless, cardless, and online payment aspect of the banking industry has made a lot of progress in Thailand. But setting up accounts at local banks and getting things done at a bank can still take ages and multiple trips to the bank as you experienced. I have had similar experiences in the past getting things set up with BBL and UOB with lots of errors and mistakes until everything started working correctly. But once everything is running, then it goes pretty smoothly and return trips to the bank are rarely ever needed.

[MangoKorat]

12 hours ago, BritManToo said:

But at least the Thai police aren't knocking on my door about a Tweet they didn't like!

No but they might arrest you if you give a hotel a bad (but truthful) review.

[dinsdale]

19 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Cops in the west may not want backhanders, but try getting any action on a burglary; not going to happen unless very lucky. What's worse, corrupt cops or useless cops?

Mate got his pushbike nicked. BIB wouldn't do anything unless he handed over 2k and that amount was knocked down because a Thai was helping him with the BIB. As for "What's worse, corrupt cops or useless cops?" the BIB are both.

[harryviking]

On 1/21/2025 at 3:58 AM, SoCal1990 said:

Today, I went to fill up my motorcycle with petrol and paid using my Wise debit card through Apple Wallet on my iPhone, simply tapping my phone on a contactless card sensor that was wireless and held out by the pump attendant. This got me thinking; has Thailand already truly embraced the 21st century to where it has everything one would need?

 

People often say that Thailand is decades behind the West in some respects, and perhaps it is in certain ways. But in others, the country has made remarkable progress. Sure, we could spend all day pointing out the flaws, Pongsak this, Pornthip that, but I’d rather think about the positives. These are the aspects of life in Thailand where it genuinely stacks up against, or even surpasses, life in the West.

 

For example, I can order food, drinking water, cannabis, a massage, or even companionship through one app or another on my phone and it all gets delivered. I can pay for nearly everything using my debit card in my iPhone, my banking and utility payments are done online, many are even automatic. I can also schedule appointments for visa and driving license renewals online whenever necessary.

 

Healthcare and dentistry in Thailand are also excellent, prescription medicines are inexpensive, internet speeds are fast, Wi-Fi is everywhere, and cellular signals are reliable. Plus, nearly everything I need is within walking distance such as a gym, banks, supermarkets, dozens of restaurants, and 24-hour convenience stores. If I want to head out beyond my neighborhood, there’s an extensive and affordable public transport system, including electric buses, trains, and a network that leads straight to a sprawling, high-tech shopping mall.

 

So, what more do we really need that isn’t already available in Thailand? Or, flip that the other way around, what conveniences available here are still missing in the West?

Many places in the "West" are decades behind Thailand when it comes to convenience and service!! That is why I love to be here 6 months a year!😄

[PomPolo]

On 1/21/2025 at 3:58 AM, SoCal1990 said:

prescription medicines are inexpensive

Not sure I agree with this one the medication that I am on would definitely be cheaper/free in the UK.  most of the other stuff agree with but also some very good points raised by posters on crime, corruption, availability of half decent looking ladies, road accidents etc.

But for sure Thailand are very good at giving you convenient ways to take money from you.

[EVENKEEL]

22 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

I am leaving and largely because of want for a better life for my daughter. Women here are considered inferior, and that isn't what a woman deserves. This I see weekly and have in many areas............

Why would you not simply drive your kid to school yourself? And not to a Gov school, 

[thaibeachlovers]

41 minutes ago, PomPolo said:

Not sure I agree with this one the medication that I am on would definitely be cheaper/free in the UK.  most of the other stuff agree with but also some very good points raised by posters on crime, corruption, availability of half decent looking ladies, road accidents etc.

But for sure Thailand are very good at giving you convenient ways to take money from you.

The NHS is great, but not many of us live in the UK, so being able to buy medicine over the counter that I have to pay a Dr to prescribe every 3 months here was also great.

 

In Thailand I had a far better life at far less cost than I do in NZ. My accommodation was far superior to what I can afford here, and I could afford to eat at restaurants there- no way here. I have to have a car here, unlike Thailand where I used affordable public transport, and as petrol costs so much here I hardly use it

 

Thailand is far superior in affordability to the west.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Mate got his pushbike nicked. BIB wouldn't do anything unless he handed over 2k and that amount was knocked down because a Thai was helping him with the BIB. As for "What's worse, corrupt cops or useless cops?" the BIB are both.

LOL. Cops that don't sort criminals are useless, whether they are corrupt or not. Your point has no merit.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, KannikaP said:

And whilst on this subject, I had to go to Bkk Bank last Friday to get a new Debit ATM card as they had noticed a Bht 0.00 transaction from Microsoft. I signed 5 papers to cancel the old card, and another to get the new one. TWO copies of my passport were taken, one sided only of course. There was no charge. 

Yesterday we went again to open a Joint account when another copy of my passport, and her ID was taken, five papers for each of us to sign, and pay Bht 400 to get an ATM card.

However, when I got home I could not add this new account to my online and phone banking apps, getting a message to say that I must go to my local branch as I am a foreigner.

So today another 65km round trip to the bank, get my passport and her ID copied AGAIN five papers each to sign, to be told that the papers will now be sent to head office, and I should be able to get online in a week.

Progress in the Banking industry...I think not.

Don't blame the bank because you chose to live so far from a bank. It wasn't their fault that you didn't make sure you could do everything you wanted before leaving the first time.

 

As for a joint account, LOL. No way I'd have made a joint account. My wife was entirely capable of opening her own account, and without any input from myself.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

No but they might arrest you if you give a hotel a bad (but truthful) review.

If one lives in LOS and thinks they can post negative reviews on public media that can be traced back to themselves they have only themselves to blame if they have a problem.

Seems a lot of farangs think they are still living in a western country with a load of brown coloured immigrants, so they don't need to pay any attention to the fact that life in Thailand is different, and then moan about Thailand when it bites them on the bum.

[simon43]

On 1/21/2025 at 6:11 AM, DonniePeverley said:

Literally every country, even REMOTE areas in Africa are taking compliicated card payments. 

 

rELAX.

In 2012, I was teaching English to a class of young adults in Yangon, Myanmar.

 

We were reading a passage from The British Council.  The English vocabulary was not difficult, but my students were all having a hard time understanding some of the words and phrases.

 

I asked them which words they didn't understand.

 

"Teacher Simon, can you please explain to us.  What is a credit card and what is an ATM?"

 

This English language passage from the British Council would have been understood in almost every country in the world.  But Myanmar in 2012 still had no credit/debit cards nor ATMs....

 

 

[save the frogs]

On 1/20/2025 at 8:19 PM, fredwiggy said:

I am leaving and largely because of want for a better life for my daughter. Women here are considered inferior, and that isn't what a woman deserves. This I see weekly and have in many areas............

what a bizarre post.

what does that photo have to do with women being treated as inferior?

all you have control over is yourself. if you don't treat the woman you're with as inferior, then you're good to go.

 

your posts are sensationalistic. just because you've decided to leave thailand doesn't mean you need to paint a bleak picture for everyone else by making a collage of all the worst-case scenarios you can conjure up in one paragraph. 

 

 

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Don't blame the bank because you chose to live so far from a bank. It wasn't their fault that you didn't make sure you could do everything you wanted before leaving the first time.

 

As for a joint account, LOL. No way I'd have made a joint account. My wife was entirely capable of opening her own account, and without any input from myself.

Read my post again. The first time was to replace an apparently hacked Card.

Over the weekend we decided to open a joint account so that when I kick the bucket she can LEGALLY have access to the funds in it. I never thought that because I am not Thai, I would not be able to add this Joint account to my online and telephone banking, hence the return yesterday, when that problem was sorted out. 

My partner is also quite capable of opening her own accounts at any bank, I have explained why we wanted a Joint account. 

I did not choose to live far from the bank, it was they who decided to close down the local one.

[Surasak]

On 1/21/2025 at 6:13 AM, scubascuba3 said:

You're naive if you think the west let's say the UK is worse than Thailand, don't forget police wanting back handers in the street, plus bars, plus buying positions, is that happening in the UK? no

Can you be sure of that!? Mostly in the UK, its not what you know, but who you know, and the tie you wear can get you many things.

[newnative]

     One thing that continues to impress me is Thailand's road system.  Spouse and I have traveled fairly widely over Thailand and it has been mostly on good motorways.  I still remember visiting Cambodia and, at that time, a lot of the roads were dirt.  Siam Reap had horrible roads, very bumpy, some just gravel.  On my last visit I noticed the roads had improved a lot but I'm always grateful for the good roads when we go traveling in Thailand.  However, some of the vehicles on the road . . .

[Surasak]

On 1/21/2025 at 8:28 AM, Ralf001 said:

 

Needs to be more like the west in regards to taxes.... the government is leaving a lot of cream on the table.

 

VAT also needs to be reviewed, its been at 7% for 30 years !

That statement is from your point of view. Do you ever stop to think how some of these people survive on 300b/day, and in many, many cases much less? There is a lady of about 65 who passes my house 2 or 3 times a week pushing a battered old supermarket trolley, collecting odds and ends from peoples bins. I know where she lives, and quite frankly I wouldn't keep a dog in her place. However, she is always dressed in clean clothes, if a bit faded and worn. I know there are many, many people like her, surviving from day to day on next to nothing. Could you do that!!??

[Celsius]

OMG he paid with his wise card while coughing, wheezing and having a shortness of breath due to pollution.

 

So 21st century.

[Surasak]

16 hours ago, Andre0720 said:

Oh yes, these retards drive with their smart phone in their hands, go to bed with their smart phone still in their hands, walk in supermarkets with... well you get the picture.

So small wonder that they learnt some applications in there....

Now whether this translate in catching up with the 21st century, I doubt that very much.

 

Refusing to learn English is the main reason for the lack of knowledge here.

Ok, ok, ok, I am not going to write about the driving....

 

But let me check outside now how much garbage has been added all around,in this 21st century open space garbage bin...

How can you say, "Refusing to learn English"? When many schools have teachers of "English", who have no idea of the language they teach, and that includes foreign supposed English speakers!

[Sydebolle]

Given the fact, that Thailand today declares 2568 on their calendar it is fair to attest, that they've arrived at the 21st century. 

The 400+ years in between will be yet another uphill battle and the winning of the latter I will not be blessed to witness. As long as retiree visa extensions require new photos of the house number (which has not changed in the last 20 years) as well as photos from the complete house front including the complete roof (the top 10 centimeters of roof were not on the photo anymore), as long as all the photocopies have to be signed, and not only that but non-conditionally only with blue ink ........

You may now kiss the ring! 

[cdemundo]

19 hours ago, SmokeandIce said:

I think UK women celebrate when their less than attractive, beer drinking men left for overseas destinations.

Not entirely true.

British spinsters chased the men to India; it was called the "fishing fleet".

Single British women going to India in search of husbands.

[Surasak]

4 hours ago, harryviking said:

Many places in the "West" are decades behind Thailand when it comes to convenience and service!! That is why I love to be here 6 months a year!😄

Decades behind certainly. Over 30 years ago, my then wife and I bought some jewellery at a store in BKK, but the bracelet was slightly small. As it was a matching piece of 4 items, ear rings and necklace, we were advised it would be adjusted and delivered later in the day. Having given the hotel details we were told it would be delivered at 5pm that day. It was and a fitting carried out in the lobby. No extra charges although a new link and 5mm pearl had been added.       

[cdemundo]

1 hour ago, newnative said:

     One thing that continues to impress me is Thailand's road system.  Spouse and I have traveled fairly widely over Thailand and it has been mostly on good motorways.  I still remember visiting Cambodia and, at that time, a lot of the roads were dirt.  Siam Reap had horrible roads, very bumpy, some just gravel.  On my last visit I noticed the roads had improved a lot but I'm always grateful for the good roads when we go traveling in Thailand.  However, some of the vehicles on the road . . .

Same applies to Laos as Cambodia.

Within sight of the palace in the capital a drive involves potholes that will shake your filling loose.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Read my post again. The first time was to replace an apparently hacked Card.

Over the weekend we decided to open a joint account so that when I kick the bucket she can LEGALLY have access to the funds in it. I never thought that because I am not Thai, I would not be able to add this Joint account to my online and telephone banking, hence the return yesterday, when that problem was sorted out. 

My partner is also quite capable of opening her own accounts at any bank, I have explained why we wanted a Joint account. 

I did not choose to live far from the bank, it was they who decided to close down the local one.

Fair enough. Apologies if I got it wrong.

[Surasak]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The NHS is great, but not many of us live in the UK, so being able to buy medicine over the counter that I have to pay a Dr to prescribe every 3 months here was also great.

 

In Thailand I had a far better life at far less cost than I do in NZ. My accommodation was far superior to what I can afford here, and I could afford to eat at restaurants there- no way here. I have to have a car here, unlike Thailand where I used affordable public transport, and as petrol costs so much here I hardly use it

 

Thailand is far superior in affordability to the west.

Wherever did you get the idea that the NHS is great? Its not called the NO HOPE SERVICE, for no reason.

[thaibeachlovers]

38 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Given the fact, that Thailand today declares 2568 on their calendar it is fair to attest, that they've arrived at the 21st century. 

The 400+ years in between will be yet another uphill battle and the winning of the latter I will not be blessed to witness. As long as retiree visa extensions require new photos of the house number (which has not changed in the last 20 years) as well as photos from the complete house front including the complete roof (the top 10 centimeters of roof were not on the photo anymore), as long as all the photocopies have to be signed, and not only that but non-conditionally only with blue ink ........

You may now kiss the ring! 

Perhaps you missed it, but IMO Thailand doesn't want a load of farangs living there, and are making it difficult to stay. Which is why immigration was always so bad that i chose to use an agency to avoid the insanity. Well worth the money.

They want us on a short visa exempt visit and leave a load of cash behind. They even provide nice ladies to ensure we do leave a load of cash behind.

Your problems are all part of the plan to make us leave.

[thaibeachlovers]

6 minutes ago, Surasak said:

Wherever did you get the idea that the NHS is great? Its not called the NO HOPE SERVICE, for no reason.

I had my prostate op on the NHS, and while the buildings are a bit old, the service was excellent. Thousands of pounds worth of tests and all free.

The problems are due to far too many managers and not enough workers.

[Surasak]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I had my prostate op on the NHS, and while the buildings are a bit old, the service was excellent. Thousands of pounds worth of tests and all free.

The problems are due to far too many managers and not enough workers.

Having been an NHS manager many years ago, I can only agree.

[Celsius]

14 minutes ago, Surasak said:

Wherever did you get the idea that the NHS is great? Its not called the NO HOPE SERVICE, for no reason.

 

Then why are there so many GoFundMe campaigns by British losers who beg to be transferred back to mother NHS as soon as they have some accident in Thailand?

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Read my post again. The first time was to replace an apparently hacked Card.

Over the weekend we decided to open a joint account so that when I kick the bucket she can LEGALLY have access to the funds in it. I never thought that because I am not Thai, I would not be able to add this Joint account to my online and telephone banking, hence the return yesterday, when that problem was sorted out. 

My partner is also quite capable of opening her own accounts at any bank, I have explained why we wanted a Joint account. 

I did not choose to live far from the bank, it was they who decided to close down the local one.

Just for info. If you die before her, the joint account will be frozen for a while, just like your own account.

I actually gave my wife a lump sum to tide her over till my account was unfrozen and a will so she could get the money in my account. I also informed the bank that she was to get the money.

You must be trusting. I'd never give any woman a joint account, married or not- too much temptation.