Outrageous Bank Fee

[12DrinkMore]

The problem is not the fee in itself but the amount, which I can understand. I don't expect it to be free. The problem is that 200 baht is excessive for the service provided. If you consider it, 200 Baht is the equivalent to 4 street meals (5 euros). I bet you that they don't charge that equivalent in the UK, do they? If they do, then you should change banks or maybe you like giving your money for nothing in which case, I can't say anything about it. Perhaps you should widen your way of thinking and realize that you are in Thailand where the average wage is somewhere around 25.000 baht.

Luckily, it is free with my bank in France, and no, everything is not free in France, unfortunately. But clearly I wont open any account in the UK since they like to charge people excessively... and banks are not the only thing expensive in the UK by the way. Food, rent and nearly everything else is more expensive than in the rest of Europe. That's why I went there once, not twice. Some, like to throw money from the windows, I don't. Too bad for those it bothers.

Actually the average wage averaged over Thailand is much much less. You are looking at maybe 7,000 Baht/month.

25,000 Baht/month would be a dream of almost all employed Thais.

And before you moan again about trivial 200 Bahts, maybe consider the much larger picture about how much the Euro-Banks have indirectly cost you personally over the last three years and will continue to cost you for the next decade in terms of the endless banking bailouts?

200 Baht is approximately three small beers in a bar, all that gets you is not even a hangover, and costs the bar owner maybe 90 Baht. Do you moan about that?

But I would guess you are in the "Chang from 7/11" class, and get utterly pissed on 200 Baht. Money well spent, eh? I would say a required statement from a bank to serve some other essential purpose (whatever that might be) is money much better spent.

Stop moaning about a trivial issue. And if 200 Baht is not trivial to you, then a bigger question arises, how on earth do you expect to survive here until you die. And it won't be by getting a 200 Baht fee reduced to 100 Baht, or whatever you feel is appropriate.

Edited February 7, 2012 by 12DrinkMore

[Polanskiman]

No

seconded

thirded.

And without bothering to wonder why a paper statement was required, somehow I doubt whether the OP will survive long in Thailand.

He is

1. getting angry

2. moaning about paying a trivial 200 Baht standard charge on making a special request, how many times/year?

3. saying its unfair when everybody gets charged the same, no difference Thai or foreigner.

Its all relative, but if the OP gets totally angry over 200 Baht at a bank, I do have to wonder how he will handle all the other situations in Thailand that are a part of living here.

"I'm not paying 35 Baht for this noodle soup, you are robbing me, around the corner it is 30 Baht"

"I'm not paying 70 Baht for this bottle of Chang, in the 7/11 it only costs 30 Baht".

And I would strongly recommend that the OP never, ever, ventures near the entrance of a national park.

And without bothering in understanding the usefulness of your answers, I wonder the same.

I've lived here long enough to know how things work and distorting my words is not helping anyone, nor yourself by looking down on 200 Baht. Perhaps you people earn hundreds of 100s of Baht per month, perhaps you don't but clearly 200 baht is nothing for you. Well, it is for me. Make me look cheap, so be it. I was taught the value of money, I was also taught to give, which I happily do when the situation requires it. In fact I am happy giving to those who need it most. Unfortunately a Bank does not match my definition of "those who are in need".

1. Thai people do get angry too.

2. Complaining about an overcharge is normal. At least for me.

3. I complained for the Bank overcharging its customers. I would do it anywhere else if I had to. I did not ask for special privileges. The Thai-Farang discussion makes no sense here.

4. As for national parks I am asked if I live and work in Thailand and I'm given a reduced fee as I pay tax to Thailand.

Paying a noodle soup on the street is one things, paying a corporation making Billions of Baht per year is another thing.

Also:

1. I was not happy of paying a fee, I was unhappy of the amount of it. Please read carefully, it's probably your mother tongue, not mine.

2. I have lived in Paris almost 10 years, so yes I know the prices there, clearly below those of London, obviously above those of Bangkok.

3. Never paid on the spot fine in Thailand. The times I got stopped, I deserved it and paid my fine at the police station.

Finally life is far from being Grand in France as stated. In fact, that's actually why I am in Thailand. That however, does not mean that I can't complaint here in Thailand. I live here, pay my taxes here, married here. Generalities are easy to do, providing intelligent answers, well, that's something else...

Note: Please look at your sources, 7.000 Baht per month is more likely the minimum wage, not the average wage. So before you start typing some useless answer it's best if you consider if it's going to help. If not, you are free not to say anything! Just saying!

For god sake people have problem communicating in here. Perhaps they are frustrated in life and need to find some relief in here.

Edited February 7, 2012 by Polanskiman

[backsoon]

Yes I feel the same, I have also found that K Bank seems to have the highest "extra" fee and charges, I voted with my feet, shut all the accounts there and changed over to Citibank, where for the first time in Thailand banking I feel that I am treated as "the customer" NO FEES at all, having said that as I do most of my transactions online I would not expect fees either, the best part is they yes THEY offered me a 45 day interest free platinum visa card with NO credit/history check and NO weird conditions attached ( like having X amount in there bank as secuirty ), I can highly recommend them, also you can use ANY ATM in the world!! and not be hit with fees...nice one Citi,

And here is another one: I opened an acc with SCB. Among other things I got a 'pocket card'. Meaning, I use it for cash withdrawals and/or payments (NO CREDIT!!!). But, because I opened it in Pattaya, any SCB vending machine in Rayong charge me for drawing my money! It is a pittance, but my sense of humour is hurting. Why? It is my money, they keep it for no interest and charge for using it!

My friends, please stop bickering. The complaint is not about the money. As I said, it is a pittance. But the principle is important more than a few baht.

It looks to me that SCB in Pattaya is the same SCB in Rayong. At least it should be!

Edited February 7, 2012 by backsoon

[cardholder]

Note: Please look at your sources, 7.000 Baht per month is more likely the minimum wage, not the average wage. So before you start typing some useless answer it's best if you consider if it's going to help. If not, you are free not to say anything! Just saying!

I think you may need to revisit your own sources - and indeed, the calculation of "average".

An Average Wage for a Skilled Worker in Thailand

To put this in perspective lets look at a skilled labourer on a building site just down the road from my house. The lady in question who is a good bricklayer/plasterer works for around 9 hours each day including Saturday and sometimes Sunday each week. So that might be an average of 60 hours a week. So in a good week(not laid off for any reason) she would probably get a maximum of 1200 Baht so that’s around 5000 Baht a month or £102 or $163 or €121.

[edwardandtubs]

I strongly object to the OP "angrily" turning to the manager. Making a scene in a bank over a standard charge that the staff have no control over is wrong, especially as all these things are free if you do them online.

[thrilled]

Quit crying.If ya don't like it change banks.i drop that much on the ground.

[Lefty]

How much did it cost Kasikorn bank to buy, install, maintain the computer hardware and software system that allowed the cleck to recover and print your 6 month statement.You got the 200 baht waived but at the cost of losing a lot of face not only for you but your wife as well if she was with you.

Lefty

[bdenner]

Has to be a branch related thing.

My KasikornBank in Udon Thani doesn't even charge me for my yearly Immigration Letter and it takes about a half hour to prepare (this attracted a 200 Baht Fee at the Dindaeng Branch), let alone any other service I may require.

Edited February 7, 2012 by bdenner

[Soutpeel]

The problem is that 200 baht is excessive for the service provided. If you consider it, 200 Baht is the equivalent to 4 street meals (5 euros). I bet you that they don't charge that equivalent in the UK, do they? If they do, then you should change banks or maybe you like giving your money for nothing in which case, I can't say anything about it. Perhaps you should widen your way of thinking and realize that you are in Thailand where the average wage is somewhere around 25.000 baht.

THB 200 is excessive thats your opinion, and <deleted> have street meals/average wages got to do with the price of a bank statement.....

street meal vendors dont have multi-million dollar computer systems to look after, paying for IT staff to maintain said systems, having to train bank personnel in usage of said systems, maintaining effective communications between branches etc etc

...so if you are going to try and compare things please do so with things which are reasonably comparable.....I would accept you could try and compare an apple with an orange to a certain degree...but cannot fathom how you could compare an apple with a turnip....which is exactly what you are trying to do

[Soutpeel]

I give ten times that as a tip here when I get good service and before anyone says im a mug I believe in paying well for a good service

Your a mug... ....do not feel so bad...two week millionaire's tend to do silly things like this in an attempt to impress "the ladies" and their fellow two week millionaires.....where infact sticking a THB 1000 note on your forehead would work just as well with the ladies and you could have saved THB 1000....

[Pseudolus]

Standard Chartered in Hong Kong charged me 200 HKD for EACH months statement of which I needed 3 for a visa application; needed to be official and chopped. Even as I had printed it out from the internet, it was the same price to get the chop on each page. They are all criminals lol

[Polanskiman]

I think you may need to revisit your own sources - and indeed, the calculation of "average".

An Average Wage for a Skilled Worker in Thailand

To put this in perspective lets look at a skilled labourer on a building site just down the road from my house. The lady in question who is a good bricklayer/plasterer works for around 9 hours each day including Saturday and sometimes Sunday each week. So that might be an average of 60 hours a week. So in a good week(not laid off for any reason) she would probably get a maximum of 1200 Baht so that’s around 5000 Baht a month or £102 or $163 or €121.

1 - Regarding Thailand average wage, we were both wrong. However your suggestion of 7.000 Baht gives more strength to my argumentation. Please visit the website of the BOT: http://www.bot.or.th...Pages/Sdds.aspx There are other official sources that vary from 10.000 to 12.000 baht.

I strongly object to the OP "angrily" turning to the manager. Making a scene in a bank over a standard charge that the staff have no control over is wrong, especially as all these things are free if you do them online.

2 - The Manager in question is the Branch Director who has total control over his Branch. I did not make a scene at the cashiers nor the customer agent who were just doing their jobs and who I know can't do anything about it. If you had read earlier posts, the online systems only allows 3 months statement.

How much did it cost Kasikorn bank to buy, install, maintain the computer hardware and software system that allowed the cleck to recover and print your 6 month statement.You got the 200 baht waived but at the cost of losing a lot of face not only for you but your wife as well if she was with you.

Lefty

3 - I really have no idea, but I am sure they are making plenty of money to cover that. Fees here, fees there, speculation here, speculation there. Not sure you've read the news but the actual and most of past economic crisis take their source in the Banking and Financial System. Maybe you should ask yourself why. Also, instead of making assumptions about losing face and the rest, perhaps you should ask before. FYI, I was alone, and I don't have the pb that Thais have about loosing face.

THB 200 is excessive thats your opinion, and <deleted> have street meals/average wages got to do with the price of a bank statement.....

street meal vendors dont have multi-million dollar computer systems to look after, paying for IT staff to maintain said systems, having to train bank personnel in usage of said systems, maintaining effective communications between branches etc etc

...so if you are going to try and compare things please do so with things which are reasonably comparable.....I would accept you could try and compare an apple with an orange to a certain degree...but cannot fathom how you could compare an apple with a turnip....which is exactly what you are trying to do

4 - Please read previous posts. The meals was not brought up by me but by some clever guy wanting to show he has plenty of money. There was not comparison made. As for the average wage, well, I brought it up for reference and proportion matters since some keep insisting about how UK expensive is and I am sure that the fee charged by the bank here is nowhere near the fee charges by a UK bank in terms of proportion.

End note: For those who think I'm moaning, crying, pathetic and all the rest, please, help yourself and move on unless you like loosing time saying nothing. I welcome constructive comments, opinions. Not insults or other types of behaviors which are useless.

Edited February 8, 2012 by metisdead
Posting in all capitals or in all bold, and using large or unusual fonts and colors is bad netiquette. Bold font removed.

[Soutpeel]

End note: For those who think I'm moaning, crying, pathetic and all the rest, please, help yourself and move on unless you like loosing time saying nothing. I welcome constructive comments, opinions. Not insults or other types of behaviors which are useless.

You have posted your comments on an open fourm, which for the most part is uncensured, therefore you should not be dictating the "quality" of the post you require or expect, just because you dont like what people are saying.

[Polanskiman]

End note: For those who think I'm moaning, crying, pathetic and all the rest, please, help yourself and move on unless you like loosing time saying nothing. I welcome constructive comments, opinions. Not insults or other types of behaviors which are useless.

You have posted your comments on an open fourm, which for the most part is uncensured, therefore you should not be dictating the "quality" of the post you require or expect, just because you dont like what people are saying.

Perhaps then you should read carefully the forum rules and come back and say something more constructive. I don't like free insults. I guess you neither. I simply brought up a topic for disscussion. I don't disrespect people specially in the topics they create. I don't mind people having different opinions, actually that's what I posted the topic for.

[dom samui]

End note: For those who think I'm moaning, crying, pathetic and all the rest, please, help yourself and move on unless you like loosing time saying nothing. I welcome constructive comments, opinions. Not insults or other types of behaviors which are useless.

You have posted your comments on an open fourm, which for the most part is uncensured, therefore you should not be dictating the "quality" of the post you require or expect, just because you dont like what people are saying.

Perhaps then you should read carefully the forum rules and come back and say something more constructive. I don't like free insults. I guess you neither. I simply brought up a topic for disscussion. I don't disrespect people specially in the topics they create. I don't mind people having different opinions, actually that's what I posted the topic for.

Indeed some nice and clever guy here on TV !!! Agree with you 1000 % !

[metisdead]

Some insulting and inflammatory posts have removed as well as the replies.

[Gone]

Like I said earlier, be happy it's 200 baht or I invite you to join SCB where it is 300 baht.

I only need these statements once so happily paid the 300 baht.

Yes it's the cost of living in LOS.

If a Thai needs the same document for buying a house etc. they also pay the same fee.

If you ever find a bank that does this free then please make a post here and THAT would be useful.

[Gary A]

Yes I feel the same, I have also found that K Bank seems to have the highest "extra" fee and charges, I voted with my feet, shut all the accounts there and changed over to Citibank, where for the first time in Thailand banking I feel that I am treated as "the customer" NO FEES at all, having said that as I do most of my transactions online I would not expect fees either, the best part is they yes THEY offered me a 45 day interest free platinum visa card with NO credit/history check and NO weird conditions attached ( like having X amount in there bank as secuirty ), I can highly recommend them, also you can use ANY ATM in the world!! and not be hit with fees...nice one Citi,

I use a Citibank US branch. They had a no fee checking and savings account provided you kept a modest $1,500 in your account or any direct deposits waived the fee. They have just raised that minimum deposit to 6 or $7,000. I forget which. Direct deposits no longer count. Under the minimum deposit will cost $15.00 a month.

Foreign ATM transactions were free also. Then they started charging 1% and now charge 3% for the currency exchange fee. My credit card expired and they refused to send me a new one because I wasn't residing in the US.

The last time I made a wire transfer it was a flat $30.00 fee, BUT they took an additional $15.00 for the intermediary bank. The intermediary bank was? YES, you guessed it, Citibank.

I hope you remain happy with Citibank, but somehow I doubt that you will. I'm no longer happy with them.

[samran]

No

seconded

thirded.

Fourthered.

[canardo]

I was charged the same amount for the same thing but at UOB lately, even had to come back the next day as this confirmation needed to be done / aknowledged by the HQ first...

Seems normal, I rather complain about the 150 THB ATM fee, for foreign cards...

[12DrinkMore]

Vaguely on topic,

I have just been hammered by the UK population owned Lloyds in the UK a by 20 Quid fee for a standard BACS transfer of less than 200 Quid. I am at the moment <deleted> mad over this bullshit.

More than 10% to make a GBP transfer inside the UK?

Bastards.

Could have sent THB from Thailand and probably paid less.

Edited February 9, 2012 by 12DrinkMore

[gasman2]

count yourself lucky I had to pay 200 baht and wait 7 days :-o

[cardholder]

Vaguely on topic,

I have just been hammered by the UK population owned Lloyds in the UK a by 20 Quid fee for a standard BACS transfer of less than 200 Quid. I am at the moment <deleted> mad over this bullshit.

More than 10% to make a GBP transfer inside the UK?

Bastards.

Could have sent THB from Thailand and probably paid less.

Something wrong here, 12D.

BACS payments are free.

The 20 Quid would apply to a CHAPS payment within the UK (pointless for a small amount) or even a SWIFT payment overseas).

I am sure you will accept that he amount is irrelevant in cost terms as the same processing cost applies to a GBP 20k payment as it does to a GBP 200k payment. (like a cheque, same piece of peper being processed irrespective of the amount).

[Polanskiman]

count yourself lucky I had to pay 200 baht and wait 7 days :-o

I am. They ended up waiving the fee and I got a full year statement instead of the 6 months requested, and only in 24 hours!

Edited February 10, 2012 by Polanskiman

[naboo]

[metisdead]

A personal attack post has been removed.

4) Not to flame fellow members.Flaming will not be tolerated. 'Flaming' is defined as posting or responding to a message in a way clearly intended to incite useless arguments, to launch personal attacks, to insult, or to be hateful towards other members. This includes useless criticism, name-calling, swearing and any other comments meant to incite anger.

[Rimmer]

General flame removed

[Suradit69]

No

seconded

thirded

[Tanaka]

No

seconded

thirded.

And without bothering to wonder why a paper statement was required, somehow I doubt whether the OP will survive long in Thailand.

He is

1. getting angry

2. moaning about paying a trivial 200 Baht standard charge on making a special request, how many times/year?

3. saying its unfair when everybody gets charged the same, no difference Thai or foreigner.

Its all relative, but if the OP gets totally angry over 200 Baht at a bank, I do have to wonder how he will handle all the other situations in Thailand that are a part of living here.

"I'm not paying 35 Baht for this noodle soup, you are robbing me, around the corner it is 30 Baht"

"I'm not paying 70 Baht for this bottle of Chang, in the 7/11 it only costs 30 Baht".

And I would strongly recommend that the OP never, ever, ventures near the entrance of a national park.

You are completely missing the point the OP made. It is not about paying this or that for food or entrance fees. And if you and everyone you know find it ok to give money for something, it does not make it a good thing, a correct thing or even a decent thing. However, I dont expect you to understand this either.

[saengsureeya]

i get all my statements for free from the internet banking and alot more. signup it is very easy