Happy Birthday Singapore - You Suck!

[mrtoad]

Toad - I've been to many countries, Singapore takes the cake on my last run for bad service. If they want to single out Thai girls like they did mine, they can have their country. I don't need them, and I'm sure they feel the same after I told them I'd be informing everyone I could regarding their poor attitude toward Thai female travelers.

They can clean it up, or not. It's up to them, I'm here to inform others. MrToad can you help me make 7 pages please?

Okay, you had a bad experience. Many people have had a good experience. It seems you don't accept that - as I stated, I have not had problems. However, I certainly agree that there have been others that have had the same problems as yourself. All countries have a right to refuse entry, including our very own countries who can be just as bad.

I am sure they are weeping in their Tiger beer over this thread as we post.

Anyway, have a beer - I think you might make the 7 pages.

[oakweb]

MrToad you are correct, I have now made 7 pages and thank you.

As I said back on page 2 or 3 I forget now, if I cost them one Farang and a girlfriend or significant other not to go there, and to choose Hong Kong instead then I'm happy.

I have too much fun traveling with my Thai significant others to be brought down by goons at Singapore Customs wondering if I'm a pimp or something.

Anyways, I'm here for replies and hoping for an even 10 pages now.

[PatLogan]

I think I know why they did not let your fiancée enter Singapore. That was for you to avoid a traumatic experience at the Marina Bay Sands (you had booked there right?)

Read here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294265-d1770798-Reviews-Marina_Bay_Sands-Singapore.html

Excerpts:

“Utterly embarrassed and disgraced to have such a PATHETIC hotel on Singapore soil!”

“Disgraceful service”

“Terrible stay for the birthday boy....”

I was in S'pore 8 days ago, and was thinking about going there to see the view from the roof. But reading that stopped me to go there, even just for the visit.

Back to the topic, 8 years ago my Thai wife who was holding a 2 year dependent pass from Malaysia (we were living there) had difficulties to get it., so that time since we had to land in S'pore to go to Johore for wedding, I suggested she used her EU passport. Bad idea, they refused to let her in with this passport and she had to queue again for a while to get her Thai passport stamped... but she got in eventually, even if given suspicious looks...

[oakweb]

@PatLogan thanks for that, you know I was very grateful when Amex gave me the refund but sad I didn't get to see the Hotel, now after reading those reviews I think they did me a favor by not letting us in

[trogers]

I think I know why they did not let your fiancée enter Singapore. That was for you to avoid a traumatic experience at the Marina Bay Sands (you had booked there right?)

Read here: http://www.tripadvis...-Singapore.html

Excerpts:

"Utterly embarrassed and disgraced to have such a PATHETIC hotel on Singapore soil!"

"Disgraceful service"

"Terrible stay for the birthday boy...."

I was in S'pore 8 days ago, and was thinking about going there to see the view from the roof. But reading that stopped me to go there, even just for the visit.

Back to the topic, 8 years ago my Thai wife who was holding a 2 year dependent pass from Malaysia (we were living there) had difficulties to get it., so that time since we had to land in S'pore to go to Johore for wedding, I suggested she used her EU passport. Bad idea, they refused to let her in with this passport and she had to queue again for a while to get her Thai passport stamped... but she got in eventually, even if given suspicious looks...

This project suffered delays in completing, and was compelled by their contract with the Singapore govt to get it opened no matter what...

It's size is equal to 4 normal hotels, and is like opening the doors of 4 hotels without conducting any soft opening. Thus, the poor service. Soft opening is a standard requirement of any hotel, where freshly trained staff and teamwork is put to the test, and operational equipment and resources are fine tuned and adjusted.

This hotel, did a gamble, and charged guests a high price for their assistance in conducting the soft opening. You were lucky...

[chiang mai]

MrToad you are correct, I have now made 7 pages and thank you.

As I said back on page 2 or 3 I forget now, if I cost them one Farang and a girlfriend or significant other not to go there, and to choose Hong Kong instead then I'm happy.

I have too much fun traveling with my Thai significant others to be brought down by goons at Singapore Customs wondering if I'm a pimp or something.

Anyways, I'm here for replies and hoping for an even 10 pages now.

Be careful what you wish for, I've not had any bad experiences with Singaporean Immigration but I have had problems in Hong Kong. Having lived there for many years and holding a HK ID card, Immigration frequently gave me and my Thai girlfriend problems when she would come to visit - no logical explanation for it, she would be in possession of a return ticket, I would guarantee her stay and like your fiancé, her passport showed much travel which mapped onto my passport stamps. Despite those things we were often separated and interviewed upon arrival although ultimately she was always admitted, but under duress I sense.

[chuang]

@chuang - read the post, never cursed or did anything other than object to the goons handling my fiancé like a murderer. If anyone can sit there and be civil while your Fiancé is man-handled, good for you. If anyone can remain in line while your Fiancé is removed and brought to a interrogation room, good for you. I think all of us who have Thai significant others going to Singapore know now what has the potential to happen now. That was the purpose of my post. Don't get a hotel room unless it can be refunded. Try to get a letter of entry if possible for your Thai significant other. Wear conservative clothes (not that my fiancé wearing anything provocative), and I agree keep your cool.

Also their English was horrible,

@oakweb...read what you have written which shows your aggressive and arrogrant behaviour..mighter than thou attitude..

I doubt the "goons" man-handled your fiance in an open area. Any immigration would not deny a person entry just because she looks sexy....there is more that meets the eyes...check with your fiance..

Could be she has the misfortune of having the same name as a NTL..( not to land).. but I don't think so these days they are rather high tech...BTW English is the working language in Singapore and they speak it better than most countries...

FYI I have been travelling to and fro with my "significant other" ...Thailand/Singapore for the past 17 years without any problem..even when she visited Singapore alone....

[oakweb]

@chuang I guess the others who had similar problems are figments of their immagination as well. As I mentioned before I entered twice before with my Fiancée with no problems. Maybe you have not gone through recently? Maybe the fact that you have gone 17 times makes them like you? Don't doubt my encounter just because your situation is different.

Yes I was upset (not aggressive or arrogant), they grabbed her arm and told me to stay in line. What would you have done? Would you have stayed in line? Maybe you would have said, "oh please, can I come with you, would that be ok mr. officer?" Whatever! Yes I was upset. I refused to stay in line and that upset them. I refused to leave her and go through customs as they instructed me to 3 times. That was the start of the whole fiasco. How moronic is it for them to tell me to leave her?

English - they didn't speak anything I could understand easily. I've been living and traveling in Asia for almost 20 years. Who cares about that? I was able to get the jist of what they wanted me to do. But what about a simple paper to the accompanying traveler to explain what to expect? How hard is that to do? Why create the stress? Maybe they like to put the fellow travelers under duress? If they want to refuse that many people a day from entering Singapore, make a VISA process!

Judge me if you like Chuang, (everyone has a opinion right?) but I think other members have had similar problems with Singapore Customs, and if they want to act like that, they can have their 14mile island with a brand new bad hotel. I think these Custom officers are overworked and have no quality of life and are having a bad week there, or maybe a bad month.

Thank you for the post though, I know I've prevented a few fellow Farangs from wanting to go to Singapore now. That was my goal.

[oakweb]

@chiang mai I would be very sad if HK turned into Singapore like customs. So far we have not had an issue or seen one yet. How long ago was that?

[COXYATCITY]

@chiang mai I would be very sad if HK turned into Singapore like customs. So far we have not had an issue or seen one yet. How long ago was that?

[COXYATCITY]

Oakweb,surely there has been enough said on this topic,a lot of things repeated (same,same),there is enough information here already for people to decide if they will travel to Singapore or not.Oakweb.just go to Hongkong which you enjoy anyway,Good luck for your future trips.:jap:

[chiang mai]

@chiang mai I would be very sad if HK turned into Singapore like customs. So far we have not had an issue or seen one yet. How long ago was that?

I lived there between 1996 and 2002 so during that timeframe.

[Wallaby]

Oakweb, thank you for your post, i will take it as you intended. It does irritate me that they know you are travelling together but basically tell you to butt out then tell you bugger all about the reasons for refusal. Seems like they just make decisions on a whim.

I too will give Singapore a wide berth.

[theoldgit]

I have been reading this thread with interest, it must have been a pretty frightening experience for you and your Fiancée and I can fully understand why you were pretty frustrated at the way you were both apparently treated.

Of course this being Thai Visa there are the normal comments of the no smoke without fire variety, but only you were there and I have no reason to doubt your experience.

My long time, younger, girlfriend and I have been to Singapore a few times and have never had a problem, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't in future and we will bare your unpleasant experience in mind before booking a further trip, as well as the Trip Advisor report on the Marina Sands, so thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

[chiang mai]

Oakweb, thank you for your post, i will take it as you intended. It does irritate me that they know you are travelling together but basically tell you to butt out then tell you bugger all about the reasons for refusal. Seems like they just make decisions on a whim.

I too will give Singapore a wide berth.

I think it would be a mistake to do that, Singapore is a great place to visit and/or live. And whilst I understand Oakweb's frustration at having his trip thoroughly spoiled, I think it's a perhaps a little misguided to attempt to persuade others not to visit, based on that experience. I would guess that we could pick any country on the planet and if we were able to do so, the analysis would likely show that even the very best of them causes a small percentage of travellers to endure Oakweb & fiancée's fate, at some time or another - the Immigration guy was having a bad day seems the most reasonable cause.

Personally I'm going to accept the facts as they have been presented but in no way shape or form am I going to let them influence my decision to visit Singapore or any other country for that matter - it would be very naive to think that sh*t doesn't happen sometimes, even to the good guys and for no apparent reason, that's the way life works.

[mrtoad]

Thank you for the post though, I know I've prevented a few fellow Farangs from wanting to go to Singapore now. That was my goal.

I'm sure the Singapore Tourist numbers will be way down - maybe you should have done a Thai style protest and sat in a Yellow Shirt in Changi for two weeks.

[FarangCravings]

To the OP, it is arrogant to expect that because you are a farang it should impart some sort of preferential treatment for your travelling partner. Plenty of working girls in Singapore and many of them ask customers to meet them in Thailand/Indonesia/Phillipines and to fly back with them precisely to try and avoid the situation where the girl is deported. Additionally Singapore doesn't ban for life, it's normally a 12 month ban. That is what all the girls I know got who were caught working and deported.

She's not my traveling partner, she's my Fiancé. In my phone I have pictures from London, Paris, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei and many other places over a span of 7 years we have visited. I don't think its arrogant thinking, when I say I would be the guarantor. If you have traveled as much as I have with Thai significant others you would understand that many custom officers look to the person they travel with to make sure they have the financial means to be there. Much like they would look at a 18 year old to have someone financialy stable as well (there was a young European male backpacker that was refused entry as well for this reason). I'm American, I have a wallet full of credit cards and I'm able to support whatever disaster we run into. Including purchasing two one way tickets to get us the hel_l out of Singapore.

I'm not the bad guy here, I'm a business traveler with a Thai girl as a fiancé. My Fiancé has traveled there twice before without a problem.

Regarding the ban for life, I only repeated what the inspector said to me in spite. I already confirmed that the document they passed on to us did not confirm that statement.

7 YEARS and still your fiance

Well that may be your problem if she was married had your name on her passport probably not a problem

Bout time you made an honest woman of her

[theoldgit]

Oakweb

I meant to ask if you had made a formal complaint to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore about your alleged treatment and if so what was their response?

[oakweb]

@theoldgit thanks for the question, nothing started yet. I guess I'm content now not to go back there again. Bali was also a great destination I took my Fiancée and her friend. There's so many places to go in South East Asia, I can be content with the 3 trips I have taken to Singapore now.