Decrimination Against Farangs By Thais

[distortedlink]

Last week I visited a Bangkok Bank in San Pa Tong, Chiang Mai with my wife, needed to withdraw some money.

While in the bank I saw a wall poster written in Thai advertising some higher interest rates.

Cannot read Thai, so I asked my wife to enquire with the bank lady clerk what it is all about.

My wife spoke to the lady for a while, than my wife replied to me that the lady said, if I deposit 1 million baht for 3 months, 6 months up to one year in a special promotional account, the Bangkok Bank pays more interest.

I said, yes I am interested. My wife said I could talk to the lady because she can speak English.

So I sat down at the table with the lady and told her that I wouldn't mind opening one of these promotional accounts.

The lady's reply to me in her very bad English was:

U Rrrrr a europlean, if bank give Farlung more interlest, U send extra money back home and Thai people not have. So I continued to say, OK, how about a joint account with my wife. The lady said, no, solly, your wife only. I replied in an angry pissed off voice, so why don't you print on the poster in English, these accounts are for Thai people only?

The woman just stared at me with a stupid grin on her face and a security guard was almost splitting his sides with laughter. I was getting more frustrated and at the point of ripping off my clothes, turning into the incredible Hulk and smashing up the place, so decided it was best to leave. I sprung up from the chair and swiftly walked out the bank.

So that was it, final. The curse of the dreaded lurgy was on me.

In the meantime my wife was still in the bank talking with the woman. 10 minutes later she came out of the bank. I said to her, why the <deleted> hel_l was you still talking with that woman. My wife said, that it's not polite to just walk out.

I believe that this is not government policy but a rule made by the manager of that branch.

These people are morons and not a good incentive for those who wish to retire here. I have been banking with the Bangkok Bank for 22 years.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has experienced discrimination from Thais in Thailand because you are a Farang?

Edited December 26, 2007 by distortedlink

[Jingthing]

That is the Bangkok Bank.

That is disgusting. And some people claim there is no xenophobia here!

All we can do is encourage people NOT to do business with BANGKOK BANK.

I love the one about sending the money back home. That is rich. You live in Thailand; why wouldn't you spend it in Thailand, as if it is any of their business what you do with YOUR money.

Next ...

Edited December 26, 2007 by Jingthing

[Samuian]

Well, after all this is THAIland and it's citizens can do whatever they feel right to do!

We do not have to come here, nobody pressures us to put our money in THEIR Banks!

Nobody forces us to spend our money here!

Swollow the Biz-Kid or get out a here...!

simple as that - my advise - if it's not good enough, it's not good enough!

Havent' seen yet thai-skinheads chasing any farangs down Suk yet.....yelling nationalistic slogans and clubbing their victim to death!

Edited December 26, 2007 by Samuian

[peter991]

I get discriminated every day I am in Thailand. In Pattaya, I paid double the Thai rate until I got my Thai partner to pay for our trips. I go to a well-known gay sauna and pay more. If I go to the markets I pay more because I can't haggle as good as him.

When we stay in a hotel in Bangkok - we pay the advertised farang rate of 750 baht a night. If he spends a day or 2 in the hotel by himself, he pays the (unadvertised) Thai rate (450 baht a night). Don't even get me started on dual pricing of National Parks!

I was under the impression that farang only bank accounts did not pay ANY interest.

Peter

[Patriciachas]

Last week I visited a Bangkok Bank in San Pa Tong, Chiang Mai with my wife, needed to withdraw some money.

While in the bank I saw a wall poster written in Thai advertising some higher interest rates.

Cannot read Thai, so I asked my wife to enquire with the bank lady clerk what it is all about.

My wife spoke to the lady for a while, than my wife replied to me that the lady said, if I deposit 1 million baht for 3 months, 6 months up to one year in a special promotional account, the Bangkok Bank pays more interest.

I said, yes I am interested. My wife said I could talk to the lady because she can speak English.

So I sat down at the table with the lady and told her that I wouldn't mind opening one of these promotional accounts.

The lady's reply to me in her very bad English was:

U Rrrrr a europlean, if bank give Farlung more interlest, U send extra money back home and Thai people not have. So I continued to say, OK, how about a joint account with my wife. The lady said, no, solly, your wife only. I replied in an angry pissed off voice, so why don't you print on the poster in English, these accounts are for Thai people only?

The woman just stared at me with a stupid grin on her face and a security guard was almost splitting his sides with laughter. I was getting more frustrated and at the point of ripping off my clothes, turning into the incredible Hulk and smashing up the place, so decided it was best to leave. I sprung up from the chair and swiftly walked out the bank.

So that was it, final. The curse of the dreaded lurgy was on me.

In the meantime my wife was still in the bank talking with the woman. 10 minutes later she came out of the bank. I said to her, why the <deleted> hel_l was you still talking with that woman. My wife said, that it's not polite to just walk out.

I believe that this is not government policy but a rule made by the manager of that branch.

These people are morons and not a good incentive for those who wish to retire here. I have been banking with the Bangkok Bank for 22 years.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has experienced discrimination from Thais in Thailand because you are a Farang?

You sound as though you need a lesson or two in manners.I bet her very bad English is better than your best Thai i sugest you go back to the good old place you came from UK.A few anger management lessons also required.

[MrSquigle]

I got over charged once

[PhilHarries]

You sound as though you need a lesson or two in manners.I bet her very bad English is better than your best Thai i sugest you go back to the good old place you came from UK.A few anger management lessons also required.

Good point, but why assume he's from the UK? OK you may well be correct but the UK doesn't have a monopoly on bad manners.

To the OP, why not invest your money overseas at a high rate and transfer the money as you need it?

<edit : sorry just seen his location. Lesson #1 read the page first. >

Edited December 26, 2007 by PhilHarries

[endure]

I get discriminated every day I am in Thailand. In Pattaya, I paid double the Thai rate until I got my Thai partner to pay for our trips. I go to a well-known gay sauna and pay more. If I go to the markets I pay more because I can't haggle as good as him.

When we stay in a hotel in Bangkok - we pay the advertised farang rate of 750 baht a night. If he spends a day or 2 in the hotel by himself, he pays the (unadvertised) Thai rate (450 baht a night). Don't even get me started on dual pricing of National Parks!

I was under the impression that farang only bank accounts did not pay ANY interest.

Peter

A friend of mine who's lived in Chiang Mai for many years has interest-paying fixed term accounts with SCB, TMB and Bangkok Bank. He also gets a full tax refund on the interest he pays on these accounts every year.

[Scott]

Money talks, money walks. Put your money in either a different bank or different country. You might check out Hong Kong or Singapore. I would never trust a Thai bank with a large amount of money--only a reasonable amount that I need to live on.

[cooL_guY_corY]

Wow the original poster really came off as a sack of shit in his post.

You sound as though you need a lesson or two in manners.I bet her very bad English is better than your best Thai i sugest you go back to the good old place you came from UK.A few anger management lessons also required.

I like this post.

Also i think everyone needs to remember this is not a first world country.. this is not a euro in america or a similar situation.. this is a person in thailand who is not thai, this is not your country and you will not get treated like a thai person.. you should not be surprised and if you are shaken up over something as small as this then you should really reconsider how long you stay in a place before you marry a citizen of that country and/or choose to live there..( or maybe you have been here for awhile but you are just really ignorant).

[Jingthing]

OK, so people seem to be agreeing there is lots of discrimination (OBVIOUSLY) but we should just accept it. I don't have a problem with that, but I also think when we encounter it, we should do what we can to avoid the specific busineses doing this. So in this case, why give BANGKOK BANK any more business?

Now for the OP, it will be a hassle to pull his money out of Bangkok Bank. I probably wouldn't bother. But he has performed a public service to all of us by telling us about this policy at Bangkok Bank, and I suggest we as farangs look for another bank when opening new accounts. Simple, huh?

We have no POLITICAL power here. But we do have MONEY power. So why cower and refuse to use the little power we do have to promote fair treatment? Are you masochists? Do you believe Thai people are superior to you? What is it exactly, where are the farang cajones?

Moving to Thailand does not mean we have to surrender our brains or our enlarged testicles (if you have them).

Other examples of how to use the little power we do have:

Food stand or restaurant overcharges or double charges farang price: Go to other ones that don't do that, deny them your business

Baht bus charter taxi insist on the tourist farang sucker rate: Walk or find a way to get there using baht BUSES, deny them your business

Bangkok Taxi refuses to turn on the meter: Get out of taxi, try another, deny them your business

And on and on. Do not reward this behavior from Thais. Be men and women and stand up for yourselves. Or continue being patsies if you want, do you think that gains you respect?

Now in some cases, ALL of the competing businesses practice the same slimy ways; for example Pattaya baht bus mafia when they charter their trucks as taxis. So if you really need them you have no choice and you must pay. But in many other cases, there are alternative businesses that do treat us fairly. So when you can, I suggest we vote with our baht, the only votes we have.

Edited December 26, 2007 by Jingthing

[camerata]

U Rrrrr a europlean, if bank give Farlung more interlest, U send extra money back home and Thai people not have.

This is a really nonsense answer. BTW, do you have a work permit? These days you can't do much at a bank without one. Maybe that's why they wouldn't let you have the account.

I just signed up for a similar fixed deposit account at Siam City Bank without any problem, but I had to show my work permit.

I've never had any problem opening an account or getting interest from a bank in Thailand but I have to say the Bangkok Bank (Sukhumvit Soi 12) foreign exchange counter staff were among the rudest people I've met in my life. I stopped going there a decade ago. I suggest you vote with your wallet and take your money to a friendlier bank.

[marquess]

Last week I visited a Bangkok Bank in San Pa Tong, Chiang Mai with my wife, needed to withdraw some money.

While in the bank I saw a wall poster written in Thai advertising some higher interest rates.

Cannot read Thai, so I asked my wife to enquire with the bank lady clerk what it is all about.

My wife spoke to the lady for a while, than my wife replied to me that the lady said, if I deposit 1 million baht for 3 months, 6 months up to one year in a special promotional account, the Bangkok Bank pays more interest.

I said, yes I am interested. My wife said I could talk to the lady because she can speak English.

So I sat down at the table with the lady and told her that I wouldn't mind opening one of these promotional accounts.

The lady's reply to me in her very bad English was:

U Rrrrr a europlean, if bank give Farlung more interlest, U send extra money back home and Thai people not have. So I continued to say, OK, how about a joint account with my wife. The lady said, no, solly, your wife only. I replied in an angry pissed off voice, so why don't you print on the poster in English, these accounts are for Thai people only?

The woman just stared at me with a stupid grin on her face and a security guard was almost splitting his sides with laughter. I was getting more frustrated and at the point of ripping off my clothes, turning into the incredible Hulk and smashing up the place, so decided it was best to leave. I sprung up from the chair and swiftly walked out the bank.

So that was it, final. The curse of the dreaded lurgy was on me.

In the meantime my wife was still in the bank talking with the woman. 10 minutes later she came out of the bank. I said to her, why the &lt;deleted&gt; hel_l was you still talking with that woman. My wife said, that it's not polite to just walk out.

I believe that this is not government policy but a rule made by the manager of that branch.

These people are morons and not a good incentive for those who wish to retire here. I have been banking with the Bangkok Bank for 22 years.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has experienced discrimination from Thais in Thailand because you are a Farang?

You sound as though you need a lesson or two in manners.I bet her very bad English is better than your best Thai i sugest you go back to the good old place you came from UK.A few anger management lessons also required.

Nothing wrong with his manners I would have given her the same treatment or worse!

[Jingthing]

I've never had any problem opening an account or getting interest from a bank in Thailand but I have to say the Bangkok Bank (Sukhumvit Soi 12) foreign exchange counter staff were among the rudest people I've met in my life. I stopped going there a decade ago. I suggest you vote with your wallet and take your money to a friendlier bank.

Cool. Another vote to avoid BANGKOK BANK.

[Maestro]

I believe in the OP’s case it is not a question of the bank’s policy, but a misunderstanding on the part of a bank employee. The same happened to me at another bank and the employee turned out to be wrong. She has since been promoted, true to the Peter Principle whereby in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

Banks make a distinction between “resident account” and “non-resident account”, not between foreigners and Thai nationals. For some bank employees, this is too difficult to understand.

--

Maestro

[bendix]

I replied in an angry pissed off voice, so why don't you print on the poster in English, these accounts are for Thai people only?

Huh? Surely the fact that it was in Thai suggested that you are not the target audience.

Anyway, send your money overseas. The high interest rates here a pisspoor in comparison.

[nidge]

So the bank said they would give the special interest rate if the account was in your wifes name. Why did you not do that? Perhaps you do not trust your wife? I fail to see how that can be the fault of a bank.

[Jingthing]

So the bank said they would give the special interest rate if the account was in your wifes name. Why did you not do that? Perhaps you do not trust your wife? I fail to see how that can be the fault of a bank.

That's a brilliant argument. The fault of the bank is that they discriminated against a farang, or do you just refuse to see that? Why should he have to change the name of the account to get the same treatment? And he might have had a hundred reasons why he didn't want to change the name of the account, which are none of ours, or the bank's business.

Edited December 26, 2007 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

I replied in an angry pissed off voice, so why don't you print on the poster in English, these accounts are for Thai people only?

Huh? Surely the fact that it was in Thai suggested that you are not the target audience.

Anyway, send your money overseas. The high interest rates here a pisspoor in comparison.

I don't fault that the sign was in Thai. This is Thailand. We can't complain about that, but we can favor banks that provide translations of everything.

[camerata]

My experience with accounts at busy branches of UOB, SCB and Kasikorn have all been good. Krung Thai doesn't seem so modern but harried staff have given me special attention at times. Smaller branches of smaller banks like Siam City and Ayuddhya seem to really look after you but you need to speak Thai. I'd put Bangkok Bank at the bottom of the list for service.

[Thaising]

Discrimination are everywhere in this world, why blame that poor Thai lady who is only carrying out her duty according to the bank regulations. As for the Bank promotion poster, I believed very few English speaking countries would put up different language just to please every nationality or customer. From my understanding some Thai bank doesn’t even give out interest to foreigner, correct me if I’m wrong.

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of good luck.

[mrtoad]

My experience with accounts at busy branches of UOB, SCB and Kasikorn have all been good. Krung Thai doesn't seem so modern but harried staff have given me special attention at times. Smaller branches of smaller banks like Siam City and Ayuddhya seem to really look after you but you need to speak Thai. I'd put Bangkok Bank at the bottom of the list for service.

I bank with a small Bangkok Branch, and I have had no problem with them so far.

[distortedlink]

My point here is that the woman bank employee stereo typed me in 2 seconds flat as being a foreigner who has no loyalty to Thailand, anything gained here I must use to benefit my home country at a cost to the Thai people and I must be filthy rich anyway so why should I benefit, from the bank.

I have fixed rate accounts as a resident here and with the Bangkok bank in London, legally entitled to open any bank account provided I have the right amount of funds and correct paperwork, which I do. The bank has my money to invest during the bad times, so why shouldn't I benefit from the bank in the good periods? The same as anyone else.

The fact that this happened in a bank is irrelevant; the employee's statement to me is discrimination and is especially dangerous when this sort of attitude is practiced in official institutions such as a main bank that has branches all over the world.

I later tried my actual branch in the town and was told, no problem.

I dont have to be reminded that I am a foreigner living in Thailand and accept I cannot have the same rights as a citizen, but I do know when I'm being bullshitted and took the correct action by just turning my back (without being ill mannered) and walking out of that bank.

And about not trusting my wife. Better to have a joint account in case something happens to one partner. A fact of life.

Edited December 26, 2007 by distortedlink

[Maestro]

...The fault of the bank is that they discriminated against a farang, or do you just refuse to see that?...

I say it again: one ill-informed, incompetent bank employee does not make a bank discriminatory. That said, I have to admit that when I was given the same false information by a bank’s deputy branch manager I took all the money out in cash, walked down the road a few metres and deposited it in another bank. I have learnt that most of the time it is useless to argue with an intellectually-challenged person, not only in Thailand, and anyway it is not my job to train their staff. In this sense, I agree with those, including Jingthing, who say “let the money talk”, and in my case it was not because the bank was discriminatory, which is was not, but because the bank employed incompetent staff. I believe the same to be true in the OP’s case.

Looking at Bangkok Bank’s table of interest rates for fixed-term deposits I see that they have one type of deposit that is not available for non-residents, but this is not discriminatory against foreigners. Any foreigner with an annual extension counts as resident and can get a certificate of residence from the immigration office.

--

Maestro

[Maestro]

...I later tried my actual branch in the town and was told, no problem...

Thank you. This confirms what I suspected: the bank was not discriminating against you, but one of her employees is ill-informed and, judging from your description of your experience, appears indeed to be strongly xenophobic. No doubt she will be promoted until she reaches her level of incompetence.

--

Maestro

[pointofview]

So the bank said they would give the special interest rate if the account was in your wifes name. Why did you not do that? Perhaps you do not trust your wife? I fail to see how that can be the fault of a bank.

He did suggest a joint account - trust today can be gone tommorow or dont you know. This is planet earth!!

[jackr]

Found the banks to be ok and the staff usually very polite, apart from one primadonna in BB who tried to lecture me on why I shouldn't bring in a large amount of doe to buy a car. This is apparently not the way 'Thai people do it' and I should bring it in a bit at a time so it looks better on paper. She wasn't too pleased on being cut short and brushed aside when one explained that several hundred thousand wasn't a large amount and this is the way I do it. Stuffy, jealous doris

Anyway, op, why would you even consider dumping serious dosh long term in Thai bank as the rates will NEVER be as good as in the West?

[dsys]

Have experienced a few things here but not on the same scale as back in the UK. For instance when my wife works in the UK she pays national insurance but is not entitled to a pension. Personally I found the levels of discrimination in the USA to be the worst, closely followed by the UK then Ireland. At least in Thailand they are up front and honest about disrimination rather than hiding it and plastering over the problems with ineffective laws, as in the UK.

As far as the banks go I have had no issues with Bangkok bank, I have found them to be the best of a bad bunch. As a previous poster pointed out it is the employee not the bank. I think I have the account you mentioned in my sole name, not sure though they came to the house and we did the paper work here so did not see the posters in branch.

Discrimination is rife in every country of the world, just back home we are not the ones being discriminated against so we tend not to notice it.

[Gravelrash]

Unlike years go, Bangkok Bank is difficult for foreigners to even open an account, then they will pay you nothing for your business (as many others). I hear Kasakorn is the best option. I would never advise anyone to open an account with Bangkok Bank, I have found them rude and arrogant. Appears they don't want your money and will usually show it. Recall a Bangkok Bank managers comments about farang all being sexpats recently.

Why put substantial money into a bank here that doesn't want your money, won't pay even minimal interest on it but will make the usual charges of course. Cheaper to keep it under the mattress, better still stick it in Singapore or at home where they pay interest (assume still the same) and you can transfer what you want here when you want. Internet banking makes this easy.

Forget what all the "Thailand can do wrong" brigade say, they are constantly touching their toes. No need to get anti either, just shop around as per anywhere.

[apetley]

Have experienced a few things here but not on the same scale as back in the UK. For instance when my wife works in the UK she pays national insurance but is not entitled to a pension. Personally I found the levels of discrimination in the USA to be the worst, closely followed by the UK then Ireland. At least in Thailand they are up front and honest about disrimination rather than hiding it and plastering over the problems with ineffective laws, as in the UK.

As far as the banks go I have had no issues with Bangkok bank, I have found them to be the best of a bad bunch. As a previous poster pointed out it is the employee not the bank. I think I have the account you mentioned in my sole name, not sure though they came to the house and we did the paper work here so did not see the posters in branch.

Discrimination is rife in every country of the world, just back home we are not the ones being discriminated against so we tend not to notice it.

Are you sure about that? I was under the impression that as long as a foreigner put in a minimum number of years, 11? but maybe I am wrong, then they can claim a UK pension when they reach retirement age.

NI contributions will also cover health care needs if she requires them, doctor, hospital etc.