Atm's In Chiangmai

[Foggy Bottom]

An issue I have watched for 5 years in Chiangnai reates to the "intermittent loss of service for ATMs", normally around one hour before the currently favoured closing time of entertainment venues (whatever that may be at any given date.

To illustrate - 5 years ago (1999-2000 under the Democrat governement) on a Friday night, the Siam Commercial Bank ATMa used to shut down until breakfast time. One a week and only one bank = not a problem really.

However, since early 2001 (coming to power of Dr Cheerless & Co.), I've noticed that most banks' ATM's, for both foreign and domestic accounts, stop permitting withdrawals over 1,000 Baht after 1 hour before whatever the currently promoted / hoped for / intended closing hour is for night time entertainment places, and that they remain disfunctional until breakfast time (normally around 6am).

Has anyone else noticed this trend?

Does anyone else believe this to be a secondary attempt by government to control the late night habits of the masses?

It is, after all, too co-incidental to the change in government, and in the light of recent tourism campaigns, too convenient that the "preferred" tourists are tucked up in bed in 5 star hotels (cabinet owned) before the ATMs shut down, and do not wake up before the ATMs resume service, whilst all of us expats enjoying a night out are suddenly unable to withdraw the bar fines for the non-cabinet owned bar beers etc.

So - am I alone in identifying this trend?

Have you noticed it as well, but not really thought aboout it?

[Ajarn]

An issue I have watched for 5 years in Chiangnai reates to the "intermittent loss of service for ATMs", normally around one hour before the currently favoured closing time of entertainment venues  (whatever that may be at any given date.

To illustrate - 5 years ago (1999-2000 under the Democrat governement) on a Friday night, the Siam Commercial Bank ATMa used to shut down until breakfast time.  One a week and only one bank = not a problem really.

However, since early 2001 (coming to power of Dr Cheerless & Co.), I've noticed that most banks' ATM's, for both foreign and domestic accounts, stop permitting withdrawals over 1,000 Baht after 1 hour before whatever the currently promoted / hoped for / intended closing hour is for night time entertainment places, and that they remain disfunctional until breakfast time (normally around 6am).

Has anyone else noticed this trend?

Does anyone else believe this to be a secondary attempt by government to control the late night habits of the masses? 

It is, after all, too co-incidental to the change in government, and in the light of recent tourism campaigns, too convenient that the "preferred" tourists are tucked up in bed in 5 star hotels (cabinet owned) before the ATMs shut down, and do not wake up before the ATMs resume service, whilst all of us expats enjoying a night out are suddenly unable to withdraw the bar fines for the non-cabinet owned bar beers etc.

So - am I alone in identifying this trend?

Have you noticed it as well, but not really thought aboout it?

Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not really after you...

My bank in California, citibank, does their 'bookkeeping' at around 2am, Eastern Time.....For about an hour, I can't make any transactions...I've actually called them to ask about this.

Maybe it's the same with banks here, too? A period of time, not during local business hours, when the system is shut down for 'bookkeepng' or maintenance...

I've only had a few occasions to get money late at night, but I've never had any problems.

Why not just call your bank and ask them? Do you think the conspiracy extends to include employees being told to make up some fake excuse, if asked? In that case, maybe you're right, for I'm sure I often get answers here that are made up on the spot simply to placate me...

[Kel]

In January 04 I made a number of withdrawals in CM - being a newbie on the use of my Aussie card in an o/s destination I held my breath every time.

(Would it spit the dough / would it chew the card ???)

Didn't have a problem.

Strange thing though - when I got home and worked up enough guts to look at my statement - the rate was good and the add on wasn't too bad.

Guess I 've just put the mock on myself and everthing from now on will screw up!

Best wishes

Kel

[ovenman]

I've only had a few occasions to get money late at night, but I've never had any problems.

I've never had any trouble either withdrawing money from a Chiang Mai ATM late-nite, using both domestic and international ATM cards. On the other hand, I've never withdrawn more than several hundred baht at night. Any ATM problem I experience also relates to the "down time" of my American bank, the early afternoon hours in Thailand.

[polecat]

Hey Gaz, answers not much different to the other forum, eh? Did you ever try the phone call?

[cutethaigirl]

SOME Banks ATM's close NOT all around midnight for an hour.

Siam Commercial does for sure.

NOTHING to do with your suggestion. Purely business and maintenance.

[Foggy Bottom]

KEL - have to agree that good rates are obtained via ATM and I've never complained about them (except my own bank's fee for every transaction done over here - but it's similar to using the ATM of a different bank back home so as least there's parity in the fee)

AJARN & POLECAT - did do the phone call thing and the branch visit thing .... didn't get made up excuses etc. just the usual "Mai Khow Jai" - it's amazing how fast English evaporates when you ask something they can't or wont answer.

OVENMAN - my UK bank's "downtime" used to be 2am to 4am UK clock - which generally placed it mid morning here (6 or 7 hours behind over there depending on time of year) so if it was due to downtime, then it was locally originated, in which case, you'd think they'd aim for somewhere between 3am and 5am as being the lowest transaction level period. This year my bank changed their systems so there is no downtime now - unless they have a computer crash or similar.

CTG - the strength of your statement implies you have insider knowledge for Siam Commercial - do you work in the banking industry?

Your defiance level also suggests you vote TRT - is that also true, and if so, what is your opinion of Thaksin saying the Human Rights report (this week) is invalid?

[Ajarn]

AJARN & POLECAT - did do the phone call thing and the branch visit thing .... didn't get made up excuses etc. just the usual "Mai Khow Jai" - it's amazing how fast English evaporates when you ask something they can't or wont answer

Hmmm.. Sounds like a conspiracy to me!

[astral]

Sounds very odd to me.

All the major banks have special computer systems to support the ATM networks,

they are HP NonStop Servers and these systems are designed to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Computers like these handle 95% of the world's ATM transactions!!

If you can only get 1000 baht the machine is probably out of money.

Call the bank help line and tell them and the machine will be refilled,

or they can suggest another ATM nearby.

[cutethaigirl]

CTG - the strength of your statement implies you have insider knowledge for Siam Commercial - do you work in the banking industry?

Your defiance level also suggests you vote TRT - is that also true, and if so, what is your opinion of Thaksin saying the Human Rights report (this week) is invalid?

Gaz

My statement is based on experience and a polite enquiry at the bank

Have you really wasted 5 years looking at this and coming up with your conspiracy theory?

So if i state a plain simple fact to try and help you in your question i love Taksin??

Best be careful what i write

CT

[Foggy Bottom]

Sounds very odd to me.

All the major banks have special computer systems to support the ATM networks,

they are HP NonStop Servers and these systems are designed to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Computers like these handle 95% of the world's ATM transactions!!

If you can only get 1000 baht the machine is probably out of money.

Call the bank help line and tell them and the machine will be refilled,

or they can suggest another ATM nearby.

Hi Astral

Thanks for input - I don't know what the Thai banks use for their IT, but I know LloydsTSB in the UK doesn't use HP - I can't remember the name - it's a very specialist and obscure make that specialises in guaranteed 365x24 uptime using multiple hardware redundancy in each box, with clustered failovers between boxes, and multiple mirrored sites in case of disaster - the whole set up uses over 50% of the power in each box to keep the entire system perfectly synchronised in such a way that over 80% of the hardware could be knocked out and the entire bank and its ATM's, overnight money market trading rooms etc would still be fully functional. Most Uk banks use the same or similar systems - I was a contracted in IT Project Manager for LloydsTSB via EDS about 8 years ago and worked on a major expansion of the consumer lending infrastructure.

I'd guess Thai banks have something similar, maybe not to the same overall spec or cost, but my guess would be that when an individual ATM goes down it's due to an error at the ATM (power cut, run out of money etc), but when a city wide network of one banks ATM's go down, it's a computer or communications related problem, and when an entire cities ATM network goes down (for all banks) then it goes beyond the banking system.

It's the latter case that I'm referring to - one that happens in Chiangmai all too often.

As for the branch staff stating they don't know or understand, I believe them - frontline troops are rarely told the reasons behind the decisions of the top people - it's called "need to know" planning. If someone doesn't need to know the reason, they don't get told. And we all know the government doesn't believe farangs need to know what they're really trying to do - because we'll talk too much about it and upset the populace.

Simple logic progression really - not conspiracy paranoia

I'd like to have it proven that there is no policy for banks to support the Social Order Policy by shutting down ATM's at certain times, but until they begin working normally, and someone from the government swears to it in public, and I can get money out whenever I need it, then I'm always going to have my suspicions.

And finally, remember it was suspicious journalists who sniffed out Watergate and Contragate, the Iraqi WMD lies of government (before the troops went in) and countless other major cover-ups involving a central government.

Not saying the same will happen here, but you never know.

[Guest endure]

You're thinking of Tandem computers but 8 years is a long time in IT. They're now owned by HP.

[charlo]

About three weeks ago I tried four different ATMs around Thapae Gate at approx. 00:15 hrs. None of them wouldn't even spit out 1,000,-- Baht...

An old friend of mine, who works as a cashier in a Music Pub, told me afterwards that this hadn't been the first time her customers were to undergo similar annoyances. Fortunately I am creditworthy there, so no problem for me!

But what about unknown customers? Does she have to call the cops in order to get their bills paid?

I wouldn't call this a "conspiracy", however, it's a STRANGE circumstance to put it the diplomatic way...

Better take enough money with you when frequenting the restricted "night life" in this city!

[Ajarn]

Better take enough money with you when frequenting the restricted "night life" in this city!

Now that's a radical idea!

[cutethaigirl]

Gaz

My small knowledge of lloyds bank in uk is that its online banking CLOSES for four hours every day. Not ATM but similar idea?

CT