Comedy of Delivery

[beb]

This isn't a complaint but just a warning for those who haven't had the pleasure of Thai delivery schedules etc. I recently moved and in the process had a new refrigerator delivered and internet installed. In each case I needed to be home.

First was the refrigerator. When I bought it I was concerned that I get it the same day and was assured that would be the case. So I informed the salesperson that I would not be home from work until after 6 pm. "After 6" I repeated several times. He answered that they would arrive at 7. Sounded good although my transferred food would have to wait an hour.

About an hour after returning to work, I received a call. The guys were sitting at my house. it was 1 pm and they were already there. Luckily I was allowed to ditch work and rush home. But how do you interpret 7 PM to 1? Hmm.

Next up was True Internet. I ordered it for saturday installation and was told it would be done after 12. So I scheduled my weekend around that. I bought some furniture but made plans to pick it up on Sunday. Then I got a message that it would be actually installed on Sunday. Now I had all of my moving scheduled for then so I called True and told the very nice lady about my dilemma. I did some fast calculations and told her"After 12". Several times I told her.

The next day I get up early to take care of some business before moving because I know my afternoon will be spent waiting. 10 am I get a call. "We're at your house." Whaaaaaat?!?!?! So I explain that I am in the middle of moving and will not be there until after 12. Fast forward to 12 and I am on my way back to the house when I get the call telling me they are waiting. Now in the US they always make you wait several hours so I never expected they'd be there right at "after 12". So I pulled the Thai trick "15 minutes" I told him. He said 5 but I just thanked him and hung up. 30 minutes later I arrived home and they did the installation with no complaint.

So the point of this long winded description is that evidently it's best to just have somebody around several hours around the scheduled delivery times because they don't seem to actually pay attention to them. Fortunately everybody was very good natured so it all worked out but it would have been a real drag if I hadn't been able to get any of this done.

[Tywais]

I learned a long time ago that Thailand has special clocks. I remember once waiting for the judge at a court appearance and 30 minutes past the scheduled time still no show. My lawyer just smiled and said 'Thai time'.

[uptheos]

I learned a long time ago that Thailand has special clocks. I remember once waiting for the judge at a court appearance and 30 minutes past the scheduled time still no show. My lawyer just smiled and said 'Thai time'.

I always wondered about that 'not guilty' verdict.

[NancyL]

We've had the same experience with True and with appliance deliveries from Siam TV. Amazingly, Central KSK always delivers when they promise and we've bought many items from them. Actually, in many cases, we make our purchase and they round up a couple of guys who put the item on a handtruck and deliver it immediately. It helps that we live within walking distance of KSK and I guess it's just easier for them to wheel a refrigerator (or whatever) down the sidewalk than to load it up on a delivery truck.

Frankly, it wasn't much better in the U.S., as I recall. At least now, we're both retired and usually at least one of us is home. It is definitely a pain if you're trying to schedule deliveries around your personal work schedule.

[eyecatcher]

Its called sods law, and Co ordination is not in Thai mentality.

Last week I bought a fridge from Siam, my criteria simply tomorrow but after 11, up to you.

At 10.45 I get a call, fridge here and waiting.

Too right boys, you can sit and wait for me now and see how you bloody well like it.

[bluweyze]

All of my worst delivery experiences relate to back in the UK when actually getting them to come on an agreed day is tough, getting a delivery time from them is impossible. I have had pretty near excellent delivery services here in Chiang Mai and I have had a massive amount of deliveries. The worst was from Fed-ex. Perhaps some expect to much such as the poster above who had a delivery within 15 minutes of when he wanted and complains!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Luckily I was allowed to ditch work and rush home. But how do you interpret 7 PM to 1? Hmm.

Potentially via a miscommunication on their side that changes 1 in the afternoon to 1 in the evening: 1 Thum == 7pm. Still a silly mistake on their side of course. Or, a delivery time just doesn't get communicated at all, and it's up to the dudes in the pick-up truck to decide when they're going to arrive anywhere.

My personal preference is to not schedule anything according to time, date and -if at all possible- place, but have it done 'right here, right now'.

Thailand works very well in the 'now', it works less well on a schedule. Because schedules imply future planning.

When it comes to the future, "7pm tonight, this address" is every bit as fuzzy a spot in The Future as would be "27 October 2015, near that big tree on the road to the market near CMU".

It is improving somewhat, of course. A really extreme 'now' culture I see with many hilltribe people. They'd call you on the very same day to announce that 'today' the guy's daughter is getting married, or that it's New Year. And I get to drop anything I'm doing or was planning to do and come over.

This can be either very frustrating, or it can be very liberating.. Just don't plan. Live in the 'now' as much as possible. Who you're having food and drinks with depends on who happens to be online on Facebook right now, and who you can meet in 10 minutes at the location they're already at. (This more in general, it doesn't work as well in getting a fridge delivered, of course. )

[NancyL]

Good point, Winnie.

Yes, this "now" culture, along with the Thai propensity to overstaff retail stores, explains why when we buy a major appliance at Central, they almost always manage to find a couple of young guys to immediately deliver the item, via walking. If we have to special order an item, then we've learned to ask them to call us when it arrives, we go and look at it and then the guys trot it over to our place. That works much better than just saying "please deliver at XX:XX " and risk having it not be what we ordered and/or not delivering when expected.

Most of us talk about "Thai time" as a cultural shortcoming, but another way of putting it is "why put off til tomorrow what you can do today"

[Thighlander]

Last time I bought a washingmachine from Siam; they gave me a ride home, with the new washer in the back. Killed two birds with one stone, and I know it could prevent possible communication barriers on locating my (lawyer's) house.

[hellodolly]

In Canada it was called Indian time. I think in places in the States also. Some people just take life a little easier than a lot of others. A lot of us are the product of the now generation.

But I am getting out of it slowly.

[Thighlander]

Successful people are on time, period. Usually, they give you a window, sometimes they call, when they are running ahead. Missing a flight, for example, could be a very costly proposition. I usually go to an excellent BKK Bank branch here in CNX. The manager, who has been there for years, turns the key as the second hand hits the twelve. Green bus is usually very much on schedule, too.

[beb]

All of my worst delivery experiences relate to back in the UK when actually getting them to come on an agreed day is tough, getting a delivery time from them is impossible. I have had pretty near excellent delivery services here in Chiang Mai and I have had a massive amount of deliveries. The worst was from Fed-ex. Perhaps some expect to much such as the poster above who had a delivery within 15 minutes of when he wanted and complains!

Perhaps I didn't make it clear with my opening sentence "This isn't a complaint..."

[beb]

Luckily I was allowed to ditch work and rush home. But how do you interpret 7 PM to 1? Hmm.

Potentially via a miscommunication on their side that changes 1 in the afternoon to 1 in the evening: 1 Thum == 7pm. Still a silly mistake on their side of course. Or, a delivery time just doesn't get communicated at all, and it's up to the dudes in the pick-up truck to decide when they're going to arrive anywhere.

My personal preference is to not schedule anything according to time, date and -if at all possible- place, but have it done 'right here, right now'.

Thailand works very well in the 'now', it works less well on a schedule. Because schedules imply future planning.

When it comes to the future, "7pm tonight, this address" is every bit as fuzzy a spot in The Future as would be "27 October 2015, near that big tree on the road to the market near CMU".

It is improving somewhat, of course. A really extreme 'now' culture I see with many hilltribe people. They'd call you on the very same day to announce that 'today' the guy's daughter is getting married, or that it's New Year. And I get to drop anything I'm doing or was planning to do and come over.

This can be either very frustrating, or it can be very liberating.. Just don't plan. Live in the 'now' as much as possible. Who you're having food and drinks with depends on who happens to be online on Facebook right now, and who you can meet in 10 minutes at the location they're already at. (This more in general, it doesn't work as well in getting a fridge delivered, of course. )

In the future I'll try the "right now" approach. Thanks!

[Traxster]

Been there ,done that !

We're in Thailand fercryinoutloud..........!!!

When I lived in New Zealand they had this thing called,'maori time'....

Since my time in Thailand I can tell you that 'Thai time' makes 'Maori time' look like

'punctuality personified ' !!.