Customs Official Waste Passager Money

[KelvinYip]

Hi,

I am trying to send a compliant email to the Thai customs department through their website contacts but it allways reply 'errors', I wander if anyone could direct me to a correct email address for the Thai customs department would be appreciated?

Following are the incident that I had encounter and I wanted to seek for an answer from the customs departement:-

I was coming from Hong Kong going to Chaingmai where I need to transit in Bangkok on the 24th June 2011. While in Hong Kong, I had purchased a liquor which cost HK$430.00 (about B2,000) but very unfortunately the sales lady didn't seal it into a bag for me. Once I reach Bkk, I went to the transit immigration and than follow by the customs checking.

Following are the process when I encounter with Thai Custom official -

- The custom official on duty that day (the name display in his badge it is written in Thai - no way for a foreigner like me can read Thai to identify what is written) but he told me he is the Supervisor.

- He inform me very nicely that I cannot bring the liquor to the plane. - I acknowledge him and tell him that I had purchased it from Hong Kong airport and come with receipt.

- He move on to make a call in front of me and out of sudden he slam his phone onto the table very hard in front of me. (all his staffs heard and saw it)

- I look at him straight into his face for quit a while where he kept quite without talking than I ask him nicely "why did you slam your phone right in front of me?"

- He started to talk very softly (I couldn't hear what exactly he is talking about but I did heard he say "sorry".

- Than things move on and I told him I do not want to throw away an expensive liquor and ask him what can be done?

- He told me liquor can bring into BKK but not into the plane.

- I acknowledged him and told him that in this case I will go BKK instead of transit to Chaingmai. And I ask him how I could go to BKK?

- He pointed me to go back to the immigration official and ask to walk through other way into BKK (this is NOT possible case as I already pass through immigration) but I still listen to his instruction just to try it and for sure, the answer is a NO.

- I insisted many times again and again that I will not take the flight and want to go BKK with my liquor and later he told me to go the boarding gate to look for the ground staffs there to escort me out.

- I went all the way to boarding Gate and told the ground staffs about this incident and ask them for help but nobody can help. So I went back all the way to the customs to talk to him again.

- He couldn't give me a solution any more and as such I ask him to give me his name, he refused many times to give me his name till after I had asked him for more than 3 times and each time I got to use the words "please" and sound very much like begging him to give me his name. This is real terrible.

- After getting his name and still couldn't have any solution from Thailand customs official on how to escort me out to BKK, I got to throw away B2,000 and wasted into the bin.

Following Points are my questions -

1. Why Thailand customs official never want to escort me out to BKK and keep pushing me to look for other solution? This should be the customs official duty to escort a passage out in my case and NOT push to the passager to move around to search for assistant and need to waste things, money and time. I would like to have an official answer for this on how to go about if I do not want to throw away things in the future so as not to waste money?

2. Is Thailand customs official like the supervisor behavious for slamming his phone in front of a passager correct? Is he trying to show his power to a passager before conversation starts so that he is always be right or are him trying to freighen passages just because he is the customs official? Do you think he needs to go for some kind of courtesy training where Thailand is famous for the title of land of smile?

3. As an international airport and espically for customs officials, I do think that the badge should have English words in it espically for individual names, this will allow foreigner to read. Hope this proposal make sense.

4. Do you think this supervisor refused to let me know his name is correct? And the best thing is he is hiding his badge behind his jacket, I am not sure why, but do you think this is the right way for him to do this?

5. Now, I had throw away B2,000 of liquor because of Thai customs official couldn't do his job well, do you think I should get a refund back from the Thai customs or minimum an open apology letter?

I hope that all my questions can be answer as soon as possible and I will wait for the satisfy answers from Thai Customs authority.

PS- There are direct security cameras facing at the customs location where I trusted it should be recorded in the system. The date is 24th June 2011 and the time is between 2000hrs till 2100hrs. Hope this recording can be saved up and you can view from it for the whole incidents.

[Daffy D]

There is very little point in complaining. You are not important and nobody will be interested. No harm in sending e-mails perhaps if enough people send letters of complaint something may get done about the same time pigs start to fly.

Hope you poured the contents down the toilet before putting the bottle in the trash.

[Semper]

There is very little point in complaining. You are not important and nobody will be interested. No harm in sending e-mails perhaps if enough people send letters of complaint something may get done about the same time pigs start to fly.

Hope you poured the contents down the toilet before putting the bottle in the trash.

Or drank some/all of it.

[Mario2008]

What he did was according to regulations. You can not bring an unsealed bottle to the plane. At any airport in Europe or the States you would have had the same problem.

His behaviour is something else.

Thai Customs: http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Contact/ContactUs.jsp?menuNme=ContactUs

[bino]

Slamming the phone down - he was probably talking to his mia noi and telling her that he would be round later that night with your nice bottle, and she rejected him / not available / out of town!

Surveillance video- if anyone sees it, it will probably become training video for customs officers; how to fck with passengers.

About complaining, expecting open apology in the media, or a refund, you don't stand a chance. The customs department is one of the most notoriously bent in Thailand. They will probably have a laugh over your letter and video, then toss it in the bin.

Best advice: suck it up, get over it, and treat it as an expensive lesson to check that your duty free purchase bags are sealed in accordance with global air safety laws before you leave the store.

[KelvinYip]

Hi Mario2008, Yes, he is doing his duty not to allow me to bring the bottle into the plane, I knowledged him but what he did is he didn't allow me me to bring out to BKK where it is not right and not doing his duty here. Thanks for the website where the compliant message will never send throguh.

[Honolulu]

This is not correct.

The reason Duty Free retailers put liquor into plastic bags, is so you CAN take them onto the plane. These bags are SECURITY bags, and are for the express purpose of allowing passengers to take products through security onto the flight.

What you should have done was go to another retailer, explained your situation, and ask them to reseal the bag, or give you another, as you had the receipt as proof of purchase.

If you want a refund, you will have better luck complaining to the retailer, not to customs, immigration or airport security.

And yes , I agree with you, all customs, immigration or airport security officers should have name tags in English or else a clearly displayed badge number to identify them.

[theoldgit]

This is not correct.

The reason Duty Free retailers put liquor into plastic bags, is so you CAN take them onto the plane. These bags are SECURITY bags, and are for the express purpose of allowing passengers to take products through security onto the flight.

What you should have done was go to another retailer, explained your situation, and ask them to reseal the bag, or give you another, as you had the receipt as proof of purchase.

Yes you are correct in saying that Duty Free retailers put them in sealed plastic bags so that they can be taken onto aircraft, but you cannot transit in another country with the bag, at least that's what I was told at Heathrow when I was advised against buying goods as I was transiting in the Middle East, and I believe that advice to be correct.

Surely another retailer, especially in another country, would be defying all security regulations by re-sealing, or in this case sealing, a bag, even with a receipt being offered.

Of course if the OP had noticed it hadn't been sealed at the point of sale, he could have sealed it himself before it was spotted by a security official.

[surangw]

"

The reason Duty Free retailers put liquor into plastic bags, is so you CAN take them onto the plane. These bags are SECURITY bags, and are for the express purpose of allowing passengers to take products through security onto the flight."

sounds like just few steps away from someone to bring something forbidden or dangerous on to an airliner

[trotbot]

With the greatest possible respect, there are some incorrect answers on this thread. - there is zero chance of taking a bottle not in a security bag through security- most airports do not allow transit passengers to take a bottle bought at origin to the connecting flight. I had a bottle taken off be in Frankfurt- the error was in HK, retailers are supposed to ask if the next flight is your final destination, and to warn you you might lose it if you are transiting. Complain to them, not Thai officials who are doing their jobs- it was not Customs who took it from you, it was security. Customs and Immigration do have nametags in English. Customs do not take alcohol of transit passengers, and on connecting flights to Chiang Mai, you clear Customs there, not in Bangkok- he may have been rude eventually, but you acknowledge he was polite, and so in your disappointment, is there a chance you were rude first? You seem to be very sure of your rights in your post, but you are mistaken on the principle of carrying it through transit. THis may have come across to the Inspector as being rude, at which point he wanted nothing further to do with you.In any event, there is absolutely zero point complaining in Thailand, especially to the wrong people.

[BabySun]

With the greatest possible respect, ......

@trotbot - your post is the only correct one in all this thread and OP should study it and follow your conclusion - abort the complain,OP you are in the wrong!

My friend lost big bottle of expensive perfume in the same way on the last leg of long flight from US.

And OP can not tell difference between Immigration,Customs and Security - three very different things,which people tend to call - "Customs".You should drink your bottle on the spot

and have jolly flight to CNX.

I lost once very nice souvenir lighters,which were detected in my check-in suitcase.Not allowed.We have to put-up with all this nonsense,cause there are nasty people around,

who are trying to find new ways(exploits) - how to get boom!boom!! on board.

OP! - Jay Yen Yen!buy another bottle,get pissed and have good sleep.

[theoldgit]

@trotbot - your post is the only correct one in all this thread and OP should study it and follow your conclusion - abort the complain,OP you are in the wrong!

Actually a number of people posted accurate information.

[Ricardo]

In a similar situation, with alcohol purchased in the Gulf, and connecting through to Chiang Mai, I have cleared main-Immigration & Customs in Bangkok, then gone upstairs to the Thai-Airways check-in, and put the dangerous/forbidden liquid into one of my carry-on bags, which TG were quite happy to accept as extra hold-luggage BKK-CNX, at the same time collecting my onward boarding-pass.

I then traveled as a Domestic-passenger to CNX, collected the hold-bag with the alcohol at Domestic baggage-claim, and walked round to the International-arrivals baggage-claim, leaving the bag with the bottle with my wife while I collected my main hold-luggage and cleared Thai-Customs in CNX with them.

Convoluted & a pain, yes of course, but it does work, IME. Better than abandoning a 2,000-Baht bottle of some really nice malt.

I don't know, does anyone else have experience, of giving the Thai Airways Transit check-in an extra bag to go BKK-CNX as hold-luggage, before approaching the Transit-Immigration & Security-check ?

[RubbaJohnny]

Ricardo's right that's the only way Ive figured out to do it allow plenty of time

[moe666]

Just play it safe, I buy in Taiwan on the way back to the states when I collect my bag the booz goes into the check in. I donot care if it is in the security bag I just will not take a chance with the boozos of TSA. Better safe than sorry.

[Puccini]

...all customs, immigration or airport security officers should have name tags in English...

I flew to England recently and the immigration and airport security officers did not have name tags in Greek.

[garrfeild]

In a similar situation, with alcohol purchased in the Gulf, and connecting through to Chiang Mai, I have cleared main-Immigration & Customs in Bangkok, then gone upstairs to the Thai-Airways check-in, and put the dangerous/forbidden liquid into one of my carry-on bags, which TG were quite happy to accept as extra hold-luggage BKK-CNX, at the same time collecting my onward boarding-pass.

I then traveled as a Domestic-passenger to CNX, collected the hold-bag with the alcohol at Domestic baggage-claim, and walked round to the International-arrivals baggage-claim, leaving the bag with the bottle with my wife while I collected my main hold-luggage and cleared Thai-Customs in CNX with them.

Convoluted & a pain, yes of course, but it does work, IME. Better than abandoning a 2,000-Baht bottle of some really nice malt.

I don't know, does anyone else have experience, of giving the Thai Airways Transit check-in an extra bag to go BKK-CNX as hold-luggage, before approaching the Transit-Immigration & Security-check ?

That would be the procedure when flying within any country. No way are you going to be able to take liquids over 100ml on an aeroplane as hand luggage. Unless it is sealed delivered to the gate at departure (as in the USA) and you will not be flying within another country ie CNX to BKK.

It's your responsibility to know this and if you had asked when buying the liquor, the sales staff would have told you the same, possibly! Had you put it in your luggage that goes into the hold of the plane you would not have had a problem, other than maybe the bottle beening smashed in the case when being handled by airport staff.

[NanLaew]

Just play it safe, I buy in Taiwan on the way back to the states when I collect my bag the booz goes into the check in. I donot care if it is in the security bag I just will not take a chance with the boozos of TSA. Better safe than sorry.

Same procedure for arriving in the US with DF purchases in your hand carry or purchased onboard. You MUST place it in your checked baggage BEFORE you clear Customs, exit the baggage claim and (if you are in transit) head for the transit/transfer desk or they will take it off you.

However, what is upsetting the OP is that he wasn't permitted to suddenly change his 'in transit' Immigration status in order to save some liquor and it appears that the Customs official was only trying to help when he offered that he try, probably as his ONLY option, to see if he could go back through passport control. If the Immigration cop said he couldn't do it then why even bother with all this palaver over some booze? The phone slam? Coincidence and NOT related. When the OP persisted and started demanding a solution, what else was the Customs guy to do but send the OP off on a wild goose chase to the boarding gate... that the OP desperately tried. I bet the Customs chap was royally pissed off when the OP came back and started demanding his name so this really silly farang could probably make a complaint about him not being able to assist with something that he has absolutely no control over. Customs and Immigration are separate entities.

Question for the OP. Did the Customs guy ask for money to allow you to take the booze onboard? No? Why didn't you offer him some if you know so much?

[NanLaew]

".... but very unfortunately the sales lady didn't seal it into a bag for me...."

Oh yes she did but the OP decided he wanted a free tipple on the flight and opened it up.

Som nam naa, krub.