Banking And Police And People

[Canada]

Here is an interesting story for anyone who banks here and does business or transactions with other people.

I sold a motorcycle over the weekend. Price is 160,000 baht.The deal was 10% down. Balance due on Monday and I will ship the bike on Tuesday. I am in Chiang Mai and the buyer is in Bangkok. All was fine until Monday afternoon when the buyer transferred the balance. I went out to get the bike washed and do some other banking as I was making a large purchase. I forgot my phone in my truck. When at the bank, I discovered that the transfer had come through, took some of that money and got the bulk of what I needed from a Canadian account. I carried on making my purchase (300,000 baht) and got home in the evening. I went to my truck got my phone and saw 15 missed calls from this female Thai buyer and her foreign husband who happen to run a big bike rental shop in Bangkok. I also got a very rude and threatening text message from the husband citing friends and family in powerful places and warning me not to try to leave the country. I called them and told them what I thought about things. Let's just say it was not a quiet conversation.

Today, I go to Judo as usual, then go to the Post Office to ship the bike as per our agreement. It was a lot of hassle because the guy at the counter was new and knew nothing about insurance for theft and told me it was unavailable. I had to drive across town to get another employee at another post office to call him and educate him, then take him a photocopied schedule of rates for insurance from the other post office. When I arrived back at the post office with the new guy, I found I was short a couple hundred baht and went to a bank machine. It refused my transaction as did 3 other machines. I got money from a Canadian account, went back and added the insurance to the shipping of the bike... done. Right??

I went to my branch of Bangkok Bank as it was on my way to the next stop. I tried to get them to help with my card. I have brought a lot of money into Thailand through this branch so they know me and are very helpful. What we discovered was that Head Office had put a hold on my account. I recall in my conversation with this Thai buyer that he said something about wifey and the police and the bank.... at first I paid no attention. Now I called him... pretty angry too.... he was less than helpful. I called her and she confirmed that yesterday during the period of about 4 hours in which she was unable to contact me. She went to the police, who in turn went to the bank and had a freeze put on my account. She actually told me on the phone that she knew that I had withdrawn 100,000 baht from my account. And based on that and her inability to contact me, they (the bank and the police) decided to freeze the account without calling me or my branch about this.

There are more events that have followed this sequence that are unimportant at this point.

My point is: how could this have all happened in order to prevent a theft? and how is it that this action could be taken on my account with lack of evidence of a crime and based on the word of one person and without talking to the other party?

The story is just about finished and when it is, I will post an update. Part of finishing the story will be filing a complaint with Bangkok Bank and closing my accounts. The rest of finishing the story is getting the account working again.

It's a crazy world when some person who has some anxiety attack can bring about a world of trouble through the police and the bank.

[Canada]

and I forgot.... how the hell would she get the information that I had withdrawn 100,000 baht from my account????

When I taked to a fine constable in Bangkok this afternoon, he tried to convince me that I should feel sorry for this Thai lady as she knew that I had withdrawn some of the money and she could not contact me.

Nobody ever thought to question why I only withdrew part of the money ( balance remaining was more than the 100,000 withdrawal), or why I would commit a crime such as this with my name all over it, the license plate of the bike in the picture etc etc..... or why I would do this for 5000 freaking dollars......not even, as I only withdrew 3000 dollars.

[thaicbr]

Well. Personally i can understand the guy who sent the money getting annoyed. especially if you had already spent some of the money before you even sent the bike or confirmed with him that you had received it.. It's common courtesy.

And it would seem that the account was frozen rather than the money returned so you still had the money.

[aurelius]

If the buyer has gone to the police and the police asked the bank to hold the account, I wouldn't think there is much else they (the bank) can do. Surely the police would ask if the money was still there, and its not hard to imagine how that info got back to the buyer. Its a surprisingly quick defensive action on the part of the men in brown (suggests that the buyer has some juice there?), but if you were on the other end of the transaction (thinking that you had been defrauded) you would probably quite ok with the response.

Nonetheless as you were surprised and unaware of what was going on, your frustration is understandable.

[Daveroc]

Canada, as previously stated in earlier threads I work for BBL and Expatriate customers. If you care to PM me I will investigate further and endeavour to find out what happened from the Bank side.

[FritsSikkink]

It is a very interesting story. I am very curious where that angry phone call and the 15 missed calls were about.

[Canada]

Well. Personally i can understand the guy who sent the money getting annoyed. especially if you had already spent some of the money before you even sent the bike or confirmed with him that you had received it.. It's common courtesy.

And it would seem that the account was frozen rather than the money returned so you still had the money.

Maybe you missed the part about the deal being send money today, send bike tomorrow. Nothing about "stay in constant contact to make you feel secure and unafraid."

[12DrinkMore]

And I would really like to know how she found out that the money had been withdrawn from the account. And what is going to happen to the bank employee who gave out the information.

[Canada]

The account is accessible today as of about noon and BBL has been quite helpful trying to sort out the problem. As it turns out, the were under order from the police who were amazingly fast acting.

As a side note.... I have called the police in the past to have a person who was dangerous to himself and others removed from the premises. It took a few hours, but a cop came, stuck out his chest and said loudly, proudly and clearly that he would manage this for us........ us the guy jumped on the back of a songthaew that was going by.

Thailand is a weird and wonderful place full of surprises and mysteries...... at your own risk and peril.

[Darrel]

The only thing that surprises me is that anyone would be stupid enough to send money to some unknown person in Thailand.

They must be absolutely bonkers.

[ericthai]

The only thing that surprises me is that anyone would be stupid enough to send money to some unknown person in Thailand.

They must be absolutely bonkers.

I was thinking the same thing,If me I would have flown to Chang Mai pay cash and get the bike right then and arrange getting back home myself. Cant beleve someone would send that much money. I do understand the buyers concern. He sent the cash and I assume you never called him to confirm you received the funds and then he tries call you all day and no answer, I would be thinking the same thing.

[Pib]

I also got a very rude and threatening text message from the husband citing friends and family in powerful places and warning me not to try to leave the country. I called them and told them what I thought about things. Let's just say it was not a quiet conversation.

To me, an important part of this story has been left out.

[Canada]

I also got a very rude and threatening text message from the husband citing friends and family in powerful places and warning me not to try to leave the country. I called them and told them what I thought about things. Let's just say it was not a quiet conversation.

To me, an important part of this story has been left out.

which part?

[Pib]

I also got a very rude and threatening text message from the husband citing friends and family in powerful places and warning me not to try to leave the country. I called them and told them what I thought about things. Let's just say it was not a quiet conversation.

To me, an important part of this story has been left out.

which part?

The part quoted above.

[FritsSikkink]

The OP doesn't want to answer the question about the telephone call PIB and I asked about.

Why would that be?

[Canada]

The OP doesn't want to answer the question about the telephone call PIB and I asked about.

Why would that be?

Not really sure what the question is. Could you be more specific?

[Canada]

The OP doesn't want to answer the question about the telephone call PIB and I asked about.

Why would that be?

Not really sure what the question is. Could you be more specific?

ohhhh... you mean what was that conversation? What was my reply to threats of retaliation and consequences of absolutely no crime or wrong doing whatsoever????

I would say that I was appropriately rude or even overly rude.

Does this satisfy your curiosity?

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Not sure of the point of this thread. I think Canada could have done more to calm the situation. Instead he just inflamed it. Forgetting his phone in the car indeed.

Sometimes it not just about who is right. You need to be able to read the situation. You did a poor job.

[Canada]

Not sure of the point of this thread. I think Canada could have done more to calm the situation. Instead he just inflamed it. Forgetting his phone in the car indeed.

Sometimes it not just about who is right. You need to be able to read the situation. You did a poor job.

Of course you are absolutely correct. Thanks for your brilliant observation.