Really bad experiences with mail and banking in Ao Nang

[buddhaland]

I won't bore you with my horror stories getting mail here from the states. But now I have the need to get an IMPORTANT document to Social Security - if it doesn't get there soon - or not at all (wouldn't be the first time). I will be good and truly screwed out of a big chunk of my monthly Social Security retirement income. I had one of those new Social Security debit cards when I was first here. An ATM ate it, and the bank destroyed it (they claim) before the bank opened the next day, when I was hoping to retrieve it. I requested to get a new one mailed here by regular snail mail (they refuse to do it any other way to out-of-country addresses), and it still has not made an appearance here, almost a month and a half later. So I had SS void that card, and send another to my attorney in Seattle. With the details I provided him, he emptied the card out and put the money into his account. Tomorrow, he will be attempting a bank-to-bank transfer. I do hope that works. But as to this other issue - I am entitled to nearly two hundred more dollars per month than they have been sending me - they sent me the paperwork to fill out to correct this - and if it gets to Baltimore by March 2, the additional amount will already be on my March 3 payment.

Lest you think I am overly skittish about these types of issues: I went to Bankok Bank this morning, where I recently opened an account. I opened this account as I had been told by everyone from other expats to Social Security themselves that Bankok Bank is the only bank in all of Thailand that can and does perform this service frequently. SS sent me the required form - I was to fill out parts one and two - the third part was for Bankok Bank to fill out and return to Bankok Bank in New York City. In effect, they had done all of the work for the bank employees here except sign it for them. They even provided the mailing address the form was to be sent in NYC by the branch here.

Well, everyone - included the bank manager - claimed they new nothing of either the form or Direct Deposit, saying things like "cannot do........cannot guarantee......never see this form...me not authorized (this from the manager..very sorry." I wasted an entire morning and got absolutely nowhere. I am going to call Social Security right now (you have to call their only Southeast Asian office - in Manila.) - If that doesn,t work I will wait till 1 AM and call SS in the States, as well as Bankok Bank in NYC.

LOS - should mean Land of the Surreal........;o) For those of you old enough to get the reference, I also like "The Thailight Zone"!

So two questions really - sending critical mail quickly and safely from Thailand to the States, and what's up with Bankok Bank refusing me a service they are known to perform all the time. Think I might have better luck with the direct deposit issue if I go to a larger branch in Krabi instead of my local Ao Nang branch? Though it still blows me away that someone can rise to the position of bank manager without having no knowledge of direct deposit and how to set it up!!

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Rimmer]

Duplicate topic

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