Good Service And Bad Service From Law Firms Re: Visas

[sporkyulp]

Last year I engaged a law firm with a Bangkok office to obtain a retirement visa. There were a few hiccups (contact at immigration was not there the day we went down, for example, and I paid for the taxi. We had to return another day). Eventually, however, I was able to get my retirement visa through the firm's Bangkok office.

In the summer of 2012 I went to the USA and returned on December 9, 2012. My retirement visa was to expire January 3 of 2013. On December 13, 2012 I returned to the law office and met with a young lady and a young man with the idea of again enlisting their services to renew my retirement visa. In that meeting the girl informed me that my retirement visa had expired and I would need to apply for a new one. I was pretty sure that was not the case, as it showed in my passport that my visa was due to expire on January 3 of 2013. Also, I had a multiple entry visa that expired on the same date. Moreover, I had no problems at immigration when I returned on December 9,2012 and they stamped me in until January 3, 2013 ( the day my retirement visa was set to expire). They would obviously have said something at the airport when I returned if my visa had expired. Also, since they only gave me from Dec 9 until January 3 that shows I was still under the retirement visa. Had my retirement visa expired they would have given me a month under the visa on arrival scheme (ie., until January 9 or 8 or whenever 30 days after December 9 falls).

I pointed this out to the young lady and man but the lady insisted I was not correct and was quite impolite. The man was pretty quiet, apparently deferring to the girl. He did say at one point he wasn't sure what was going on. I think his English ability was not so good.

I became quite upset with the lady's attitude and said I could not accept her advice but would seek another opinion. To make a long story short, I engaged the services of another law firm after they assured me that my retirement visa was still valid. They have since successfully secured the renewal of my retirement visa (and for a substantially lower price than the original big firm was going to charge me).

My advice to all expats seeking the service of a law firm to expedite their visa matters would be to find one you can trust. I've found that the larger outfits charge more and are less competent and you are better off going with a smaller outfit from which you will obtain more personal service.

Edited December 22, 2012 by lopburi3
correct font

[lopburi3]

I know we may come from a litigation society; but Thailand is not one of them, and why anyone would pay a law firm for a simple retirement extension of stay is beyond me as a few minutes here on ThaiVisa or with Google should be all that is required. You basically need to meet the financials and if you do and are over age 50 you pay 1,900 baht and make a few copies of things like passport. Immigration officers can and will guide anyone that is unsure.

[Lite Beer]

Quite honestly a 12 month extension is so easy to do yourself there is no need for help.

Takes a few minutes and costs 1,900 Baht

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[MJCM]

In addition to the above 2 posts, even a Extension based on Marriage doesn't need the help of a lawyer, it's a bit more paperwork but still doable on your one.

[Jingthing]

Your passport will have non-immigrant VISA in it and also your current annual retirement EXTENSION. Actually, I reckon your VISA had actually expired. My visa is many years defunct actually but going in for annual retirement extensions works like a charm. Sounds like a communication problem with the law firm staff.

The OP actually did not state whether he engaged a lawyer simply as a convenience / hand holding type of service or whether he used one of those unfortunate visa fixing services where the applicants don't actually even meet the financial requirements. For the former, no most people would never need that, for the latter, you would if that is the intent.

For people wanting to pay for hand holding, "special treatment" I think there is no problem with that for people who can afford it and desire the service, imagining people who don't speak English or Thai would need it a bit more.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Jingthing

[montereyjp]

I agree no reason at all to engage a law firm for something as simple as a retirement visa. If you can get to the immigration office in Jomtien they will tell you exactly what you need. This place rocks is all I can say. Which brings up a question, can anyone use this immigration office or do you have to live in Chonburi province? Fyi, I know it is a little lame but I was in a hurry one day when my 90 day reporting was due. Ask the lady in the copy office if she could do it.... For 300 baht, 10 minutes later I had my 90 day report stapled in my passport. Never had to step into immigrations... Sweet

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[Jingthing]

You are required to use the immigration office associated with your place of residence in Thailand for retirement extensions. Also proof of residence is one of the required documents for the application.

[Lite Beer]

You have to use the office that deals with the area you live.

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[notmyself]

Some people just like to throw money away.

[Maestro]

A case like the one reported by the OP, Sporkyulp, make it seem a pity that Thai defamation laws and consequently our forum rules – which Sporkyulp followed correctly – do not allow naming and shaming. On the other hand, since hardly any member would consider employing the services of a law firm for a retirement extension, naming the company would would anyway serve little or no purpose.

...Sounds like a communication problem with the law firm staff...

The permission to stay is often, though inaccurately, referred to as a visa, by newspapers, by people posting on this forum, even by the website of the Bureau of Immigration. A look at Sporkyulp's passport should have made the employees of the law firm realise immediately that he needed a new one-year extension of stay. If these employees had insufficient experience, a couple of clicks on the computer keyboard should have brought his history to the screen, and one more click the details of how his previous extension was handled and by which employee.

It is a sad fact, however, not only in Thailand, that while many firms have an efficient accounting system they have only a very rudimentary system for keeping customer records, or they have no system at all.