crazykopite Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Due to the crazy world we live in it is a sad fact that nowadays we have to book an appointment most dentists and doctors also require that you book an appointment why should an embassy be any different. Your friend should have reported his passport missing to the Samui Tourist police and contacted the British consulate on the island for advice before wasting his money on a trip to the Embassy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotsoup Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 PoorSucker has asked the obvious question? How did he get on a plane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beano2274 Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I have always had good service from the Embassy, be it with translations to information about visas in the old days through to passport applications. I also was surprised at the amount of help a friend of mine received when he was in the IDC, the Embassy contacted his family in the UK, kept me informed about his situation and even were there when he left the IDC to be transported to the airplane. If people first read the procedures it would help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winstonc Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Due to the crazy world we live in it is a sad fact that nowadays we have to book an appointment most dentists and doctors also require that you book an appointment why should an embassy be any different. Your friend should have reported his passport missing to the Samui Tourist police and contacted the British consulate on the island for advice before wasting his money on a trip to the Embassy. isnt hindsight a wonderful thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 He should go to the police first. With that the paper the police gives him he doesn't have a problem when he can't show his passport. The embassy need the police report too and can't help you without it. That fact that your friend buys a plane ticket but doesn't bother to check the embassy's website is his own fault and not the embassy's staff. And of course like you everyone just has to be computer savvy and in fact own one. Many i know do not have a computer and openly admit, they would'nt even know how to turn one on. Then expect life to be and to become much tougher for them. I am unsure why being a luddite and being unable to master simple skillsets is considered some kind of virtue or a reasonable excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinmaew Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 My poor ol mate Mr Gary had the same treatment until he started yelling. Had a kid with a Thai bird who didn't want the child immediately went to the British embassy to get the child a passport, given lip service by Thai staff then yelled "Gimme someone who speaks English". "I speak English" said the Thai "No! gimmie a Brit". A Brit came and issue was sorted. Why on earth are Thai staff even working at the British Embassy. The whole place should be staffed 99% by Brits as I am sure its funded by UK not Thailand. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Due to the crazy world we live in it is a sad fact that nowadays we have to book an appointment most dentists and doctors also require that you book an appointment why should an embassy be any different. Your friend should have reported his passport missing to the Samui Tourist police and contacted the British consulate on the island for advice before wasting his money on a trip to the Embassy. Only problem is there ain't one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Gantry Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 After the 18th Sept. it might just be the English Embassy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 My poor ol mate Mr Gary had the same treatment until he started yelling. Had a kid with a Thai bird who didn't want the child immediately went to the British embassy to get the child a passport, given lip service by Thai staff then yelled "Gimme someone who speaks English". "I speak English" said the Thai "No! gimmie a Brit". A Brit came and issue was sorted. Why on earth are Thai staff even working at the British Embassy. The whole place should be staffed 99% by Brits as I am sure its funded by UK not Thailand. So does not "poor ol Mr Gary" own a computer then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OJAS Posted September 7, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2014 After the 18th Sept. it might just be the English Embassy. In which case our Scottish "friends" will no longer have anywhere to go for their income confirmation letters, etc. Oh dear, how sad 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Gantry Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 After the 18th Sept. it might just be the English Embassy. In which case our Scottish "friends" will no longer have anywhere to go for their income confirmation letters, etc. Oh dear, how sad Not really.we are very adaptable.Done that once Thai immigration couldn't understand it,reverted back to money in the bank,problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asdecas Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 (edited) My degree of sympathy for the person who experienced this depends on how long he has been traveling. The inexperienced British traveler is very often under the delusion that British Embassy/Consulate staff are there to assist British travelers in trouble. 100 years ago, when foreign travel was generally a luxury for the elite, this was actually true, and someone turning up to report a lost passport would certainly have received assistance. If the person is, indeed, inexperienced then he made a natural mistake, and I feel very sorry for him. He just assumed they would want to help. If he had ever had any contact with a British Embassy before, he should have known better, but he still has my sympathy to some extent. Yes, read the British travel writers from seventy, eighty or ninety years ago - Peter Fleming, Somerset Maugham, Freya Stark, Wilfred Thesiger and so on - and you will remark several things - how accommodating was the diplomatic representation towards travellers in those days, sometimes entertaining them socially; how monied the latter were, to be able to spend months and years wandering the Earth in the days when it cost comparatively far more than today; how socially homogenous they were with the diplomatic class. Those days are long gone, and travel has become for everyman and everywoman, and for better or worse it has meant that now everything is weighed, calculated and formulated. Edited September 7, 2014 by asdecas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muhendis Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 And the relevant website is https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports. By drilling down through the various options he would have eventually discovered that he shouldn't go to the Embassy but to the (arguably) incompetent fools at With-It Tower (aka the Trendy Building) instead! ... and then he needs to send an email to book an appointment first as well. Embassy had passport renewal removed from their portfolio by HM Government late last year - job was given to the Home Office, aka HMPO who then subcontracted applications to an Indian Company in Bangkok run by Thais. British subjects overseas are now, it appears, regarded by the British Government as being purely third class citizens at best. Third class citizens? Things are looking up. If you want a letter confirming your pension income you will get it but only if you pay THB2,620. It is a standard letter from the British consular dept. which I would value at around THB100. The pension increases that you would get if you still lived in the UK are not available to you. Third Class Citizens? We are off the scale.......... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherOneAmerican Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 My poor ol mate Mr Gary had the same treatment until he started yelling. Had a kid with a Thai bird who didn't want the child immediately went to the British embassy to get the child a passport, given lip service by Thai staff then yelled "Gimme someone who speaks English". "I speak English" said the Thai "No! gimmie a Brit". A Brit came and issue was sorted. Why on earth are Thai staff even working at the British Embassy. The whole place should be staffed 99% by Brits as I am sure its funded by UK not Thailand. Thais work cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherOneAmerican Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 My degree of sympathy for the person who experienced this depends on how long he has been traveling. The inexperienced British traveler is very often under the delusion that British Embassy/Consulate staff are there to assist British travelers in trouble. 100 years ago, when foreign travel was generally a luxury for the elite, this was actually true, and someone turning up to report a lost passport would certainly have received assistance. If the person is, indeed, inexperienced then he made a natural mistake, and I feel very sorry for him. He just assumed they would want to help. If he had ever had any contact with a British Embassy before, he should have known better, but he still has my sympathy to some extent. Yes, read the British travel writers from seventy, eighty or ninety years ago - Peter Fleming, Somerset Maugham, Freya Stark, Wilfred Thesiger and so on - and you will remark several things - how accommodating was the diplomatic representation towards travellers in those days, sometimes entertaining them socially; how monied the latter were, to be able to spend months and years wandering the Earth in the days when it cost comparatively far more than today; how socially homogenous they were with the diplomatic class. Those days are long gone, and travel has become for everyman and everywoman, and for better or worse it has meant that now everything is weighed, calculated and formulated. Actually, travelling the world 100 years ago was far cheaper, but took a lot more time and personal effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuddy Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Why do the Embassy's farm out the passport process. They mostly have lots of land around the embassy, at least Australia has in Bk. Why not have the passport deal on the embassy grounds. Why farm it out to a private (maybe Dutch company) company. There must be dosh to be made if the private company can contract it and make a profit. It seems quite senseless to not do Embassy work at the Embassy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maroon Watcher Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 The Number 1 reason for an Embassy is to gain business for the home country and keep the local top brass happy - by PR, meetings, attendances... A minor role is a consular section that deals with visas - if u lose your passport (you should have a separate copy of ALL documents) -go to the police, make a report, follow procedure/advice (If you are with a travel package - your Rep) If independent and in an airport, ask an airline. But stay CALM - people are much more approachable that way... (No connection to Embassy - but travel experience) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sena Dave Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> My poor ol mate Mr Gary had the same treatment until he started yelling. Had a kid with a Thai bird who didn't want the child immediately went to the British embassy to get the child a passport, given lip service by Thai staff then yelled "Gimme someone who speaks English". "I speak English" said the Thai "No! gimmie a Brit". A Brit came and issue was sorted. Why on earth are Thai staff even working at the British Embassy. The whole place should be staffed 99% by Brits as I am sure its funded by UK not Thailand. I'll give you a clue , its to do with saving a shed load of Money. Cheap labour basically the same as the Passport and Visa office Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In Search of Space Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Sorry OP, but you are wrong, the British Embassy is not incompetent, it is way way below incompetent 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkady Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 The embassy can still issue emergency passports. I am sure you don't need an appointment but you do need a police report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogmatix Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 (edited) My brother became an American and joined their foreign service where he has done consular work. He is staggered when I tell about the practices in the consular section of the British Embassy in Bangkok. The Americans don't hire any local staff to provide consular services or approve visas because they regard that as a conflict of interests. Local staff are hired to liaise with the host country officials but not to interface with US nationals or visa applicants. Americans have to pass a serious level exam in Thai before they come to the US Embassy in Bangkok, so they don't need Thai staff to interview visa applicants. In contrast the British Embassy is absolute cheapskate as you can get. I haven't seen a Brit working in the consular section for years and all the vice-consuls seem to be Thais, although I am sure they still have one British consul at the embassy. I have sometimes asked for things that were too complicated for the Thai vice-consuls to comprehend and the result is either that they refuse rudely to deal with it and bang the window shut or I eventually get a call from a British consul about a week later. There is one particularly revolting old Thai hag there who is about as thick as two short planks and equally aggressive. Even most of the Brits who work at the embassy, like the ones who occasionally visit British prisoners or deal with dead bodies, or even the ones in charge of security are not part of the FCO. They are just unemployed English teachers and the like who are willing to work cheap for B30,000 a month. The whole thing is absolutely pathetic and a disgrace. If they were even slightly effective at promoting trade and investment, which is all HM Government now thinks is important, it wouldn't be quite so bad. Edited September 7, 2014 by Dogmatix 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbine1125 Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 He should go to the police first. With that the paper the police gives him he doesn't have a problem when he can't show his passport. The embassy need the police report too and can't help you without it. That fact that your friend buys a plane ticket but doesn't bother to check the embassy's website is his own fault and not the embassy's staff. Get your head out of your own ar@@! British embassy is the worst in the world for helping their own citizens and when they do help they charge an arm and a bloody leg. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggg88 Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> The Swiss Embassy is almost opposite the UK Embassy. I have twice seen people outside the UK Embassy looking distraught, it may be just a matter of time until somebody attempts suicide. The Swiss Embassy probably is expensive as far as fees go but I have always been happy to be able to go there unannounced and get the job done on the same day. I decided not to renew my UK passport years ago. A UK citizen who is in trouble should have the right to turn up unannounced at a British Embassy and at the very least be advised on his best course of action. To refuse even to speak with him is outrageous. In the old days you could have called the embassy but staff are more expensive than websites so calling is now very difficult. Unfortunately costs now come before service. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCFC Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 (edited) When my father died and I had to make a visa for my Thai wife to go to England, I called the UK Embassy and told them of my situation. They told me if I had a copy of the death certificate, which I had, to go the next day, go to the front of the queue and give them my name, which I did. I was ushered through the gates and my wife's passport was stamped with a visa within 30 minutes. Great service, but I called them up first. Had I not called doubtless I would have been made to stand in line and treated the same as everyone else. Moral is call first and find out what you need to do. Edited September 7, 2014 by NCFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmann Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I don't know why the British embassy bothers to open. Don't do Visas to the uk , Don't do British passports , they have just turned into a Notary , a Money Making Notary at that Ya i know ,you give them important papers they loose them then you don't need to worry again ,all your life has been lost ,should close the place down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denim Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I don't know why the British embassy bothers to open. Don't do Visas to the uk , Don't do British passports , they have just turned into a Notary , a Money Making Notary at that Yes indeed. Their notary signed some British Court paperwork in the wrong place then made me pay again to have them sign in the correct place. Robbing Hoods ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 After the 18th Sept. it might just be the English Embassy. In which case our Scottish "friends" will no longer have anywhere to go for their income confirmation letters, etc. Oh dear, how sad Not really.we are very adaptable.Done that once Thai immigration couldn't understand it,reverted back to money in the bank,problem solved. Yep, you lot are renowned for your exceptional ability to accumulate money in the bank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 (edited) Third class citizens? Things are looking up. If you want a letter confirming your pension income you will get it but only if you pay THB2,620. It is a standard letter from the British consular dept. which I would value at around THB100. The pension increases that you would get if you still lived in the UK are not available to you. Third Class Citizens? We are off the scale.......... Indeed, if that and passport renewal hassles were not enough, we are now being threatened with the possibility of having our personal tax allowance withdrawn as well...... Edited September 7, 2014 by OJAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trihent Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Oddly as an American with previous dealings with the British embassy (and no I cannot elaborate) I have found over the last 20 years that they are MORE helpful then the americans (just my experience) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enufsaid Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 FYI, embassy's in general need only be a phone box. After being robbed we were horrified at how little embassy's can actually do. Their role has changed tremendously in the last 10 yrs. as I said, a phone box with direct line would be all they needed, save their countries a fortune in expensive real estate & salaries around the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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