I've been living in Thailand for over four years now and I am still at a loss trying to understand their business practices. I'm sure many of you know about the new PVR Truevisions is selling. For those who don't, it's like TiVo in the states where you can record TV to a hard drive and watch on your schedule, not theirs. You can also pause live TV for a beer or bathroom break and it has many other advantages for avid TV fans.

I've been wanting something like this ever since I moved here and finally TrueVisions started advertising one about six months ago. I called them and when it became available they told me they couldn't sell me one yet because they were only selling them in Bangkok. (I live in Hua Hin). OK, fair enough, it was a new, probably limited production item at the time so I waited. Then I heard other people were getting them in Hua Hin so I called back. Then they told me that I couldn't buy one yet because I had purchased my original equipment and was not a monthly equipment rental customer (even though I pay them 2000 per month for programming and originally bought the equipment from them!). Ok, fair enough, maybe they still don't have enough of them to go around so they are supplying the rental customers first because they pay more on a monthly basis.

Now, there is an ad in this month's TrueVisions magazine that says Platinum subscribers can now get the PVR at a discount, normal price b15,000, sale this month b9900 so I called the number. Once again I was told that because I purchased my equipment and was not a rental customer, I would have to pay full price if I wanted one.

Can someone explain this to me? They (the telephone representative) couldn't. She was obviously reading from a script that they gave her and had no answers for questions outside the script. They are selling (not renting) the PVR and it replaces the old set top box so why would it matter if you were a rental customer before?

Is this just another case of Thai anti-logic or is there some valid explanation for this discrimination?

When I moved here I went to their representative in Hua Hin and was offered two options on equipment, lease or purchase. I wasn't told that they would prefer I lease and that if I purchased they would punish me in the future!!!!

Rent box.. get PVR.. Return rental box..