New Rimping (Hang Dong) and Credit Card issue

[Benjie]

I shop regularly at the new Rimping at Kad Farang, today when paying for my shopping with my credit card (as I usually do) they did something that I thought was wrong (and complained about).

I paid for my shopping with my credit card (cc), handed over my cc - which the cashier put into the machine, charged my cc (it took the money out of my account, bank notifies me by SMS) handed me the slip to sign. I sign the slip, hand it back and the cashier then grabs my cc back off me (after the transaction has been fully completed) and types something into the machine and then enters my entire cc number into their computer.

I had a really big issue with this, seeing as they have all my other details from their loyalty scheme, my cc had already been charged and that the retailer isn't supposed to keep hold of the entire cc number (hence the xxxx-xxxx-xxxx.1234 on the slip) for obvious reasons.

Of course the staff can't see any issue with this but I really don't feel Rimping should have all my name, address and cc details on file for all and sundry in their company to see (or someone to hack into and steal).

I made a big fuss and they are going to show me tomorrow a printout proving they only keep the last 4 numbers of any cc purchase, if that was the case I really don't see the reason for entering my full cc number after the transaction had been processed? Everyone made out like I was freaking out about nothing but it pissed me off, am I just being insecure? or would this upset others?

[JulieM]

Check your card statement online everyday. If you see fraud, notify the cc issuer. Normally they will take care of it for you.

Fraud happens, so take some care.

[HeijoshinCool]

Depends on how you presented yourself.

What they did is not appropriate, and there is no valid reason for their doing it. Makes it possible for an unscrupulous employee to access your credit for outside use. The reason the staff "snatched" back your card is that your information is, by design, not supposed to remain in their database. So it had to be done manually, by someone's orders. This is wrong.

If your "complaint" was calm and cool, you were well within your rights, and I would have complained, too. In fact, I'd have insisted they delete the info right then and there, and never use the card there again.

If you were indeed "freaking out," then … well, you know.

[Benjie]

Depends on how you presented yourself.

What they did is not appropriate, and there is no valid reason for their doing it. Makes it possible for an unscrupulous employee to access your credit for outside use. The reason the staff "snatched" back your card is that your information is, by design, not supposed to remain in their database. So it had to be done manually, by someone's orders. This is wrong.

If your "complaint" was calm and cool, you were well within your rights, and I would have complained, too. In fact, I'd have insisted they delete the info right then and there, and never use the card there again.

If you were indeed "freaking out," then … well, you know.

I'm not crazy - I was calmish (slightly annoyed they didn't understand why they shouldn't have my cc number) , I did insist on them deleting my info - they said this would happen if they voided the transaction - I'm 100% sure this would have doubled the chances my details stayed in their system so said no.

They are calling me tomorrow and showing me a printout that will apparently prove they only keep the last 4 digits, I'm really not convinced.

[bangmai]

I've seen them do the same thing elsewhere. Any reputable credit card gives you fraud protection, but still check your accounts regularly. I get my free credit reports at www.creditkarma.com and that way I can make sure no one has opened accounts in my name, which can be a much larger problem.

It also might be an extra step they do for chipless/foreign credit cards. Jampha stopped accepting them.

Edited February 1, 2015 by bangmai

[HeijoshinCool]

Depends on how you presented yourself.

What they did is not appropriate, and there is no valid reason for their doing it. Makes it possible for an unscrupulous employee to access your credit for outside use. The reason the staff "snatched" back your card is that your information is, by design, not supposed to remain in their database. So it had to be done manually, by someone's orders. This is wrong.

If your "complaint" was calm and cool, you were well within your rights, and I would have complained, too. In fact, I'd have insisted they delete the info right then and there, and never use the card there again.

If you were indeed "freaking out," then … well, you know.

I'm not crazy - I was calmish (slightly annoyed they didn't understand why they shouldn't have my cc number) , I did insist on them deleting my info - they said this would happen if they voided the transaction - I'm 100% sure this would have doubled the chances my details stayed in their system so said no.

They are calling me tomorrow and showing me a printout that will apparently prove they only keep the last 4 digits, I'm really not convinced.

.

Okay, cool. I was only going by some of the words you chose to describe yourself.

[llp]

Pretty sure this violates mastercards and visa terms of service. Just get in contact with your card issuer or mastercard/visa, there should be a merchant ID on the receipt. And watch them magically stop manually storing credits card number after a few days time.

[Benjie]

Depends on how you presented yourself.

What they did is not appropriate, and there is no valid reason for their doing it. Makes it possible for an unscrupulous employee to access your credit for outside use. The reason the staff "snatched" back your card is that your information is, by design, not supposed to remain in their database. So it had to be done manually, by someone's orders. This is wrong.

If your "complaint" was calm and cool, you were well within your rights, and I would have complained, too. In fact, I'd have insisted they delete the info right then and there, and never use the card there again.

If you were indeed "freaking out," then … well, you know.

I'm not crazy - I was calmish (slightly annoyed they didn't understand why they shouldn't have my cc number) , I did insist on them deleting my info - they said this would happen if they voided the transaction - I'm 100% sure this would have doubled the chances my details stayed in their system so said no.

They are calling me tomorrow and showing me a printout that will apparently prove they only keep the last 4 digits, I'm really not convinced.

.

Okay, cool. I was only going by some of the words you chose to describe yourself.

Lol, I don't normally get upset but for some reason this did upset me. A bit like when the bank asks for my passport for ID and then the clerk decides she's going to check my Visa whilst shes at it.

[ukrules]

I wonder if they manually entered the number as a way of verifying what's on the magnetic strip.

[elektrified]

"...I made a big fuss... Everyone made out like I was freaking out about nothing but it pissed me off, am I just being insecure? or would this upset others?..."

Over reaction. Thais would not do that.

[kalbo123]

"...I made a big fuss... Everyone made out like I was freaking out about nothing but it pissed me off, am I just being insecure? or would this upset others?..."

Over reaction. Thais would not do that.

So because Thais don't make a big fuss het shouldn't do it?

There is a lot of creditcard fraud and especially in Thailand, think it's reasonable to complain when you suspect something.

[2fishin2]

Google it

[searcher22]

Avoid paying by credit card in Thailand if possible, especially for minor purchases. Most credit cards also charge an additional 3% or so conversion rate.

[daveAustin]

"...I made a big fuss... Everyone made out like I was freaking out about nothing but it pissed me off, am I just being insecure? or would this upset others?..."

Over reaction. Thais would not do that.

Because they don't know any better and would rather see spurious charges to their card or accounts cleaned out than, God forbid, speak up and potentially make someone lose face (esp' themselves) even if they did suspect something.

I would've also been perturbed. Surprised at Rimping doing this though... one of the few places in Thailand I am just about comfy enough using my card at, but only as a back up. There just is not the same care here regards to fraud. Keep it in your wallet for emergencies and rainy days.

[NancyL]

I've seen this done at other places and I'm not too thrilled. Where I really draw the line is when they write it down on a paper receipt! I have a card issued from a U.S. financial institution and I can check activity in real-time and do -- every day. Plus, there is protection from fraud. There have been three times when I've contested a purchase made here in Thailand and each time I've received a refund.

Incidentally, none of those times were the result of this type of activity. One was the infamous CMU Language Institute. It shut down when Hubby was about two months into a one-year program that he'd paid with the credit card. Anyone who'd paid with cash didn't get a refund. Or with a Thai-issued card.

[trainman34014]

They are still 50 years behind when it comes to card matters. Back in December i had a double charge on my card at Tesco on 108 although the girl insisted that she had only put it through once. I went to customer services who were completely 'out of it' and knew nothing so i asked for a Manager. After 35 minutes waiting around a Female Manager turned up looking annoyed and telling the Mrs she was 'extremely busy'. After ten more minutes of her running around and being very vexed in her approach to other staff she finally agreed that i had been charged twice and said it would take 45 days for me to receive a refund ! I let her know calmly what i thought of the service both at till and management level and then left the store.

Upon return home i sent my card issuer an email explaining what had happened and they gave me an immediate credit for the double charge. I also sent Tesco Thailand an email with a copy to Tesco UK. I had an apologetic reply from England but no response from Thailand (nothing abnormal there then !).

They don't have a clue what they are doing with card transactions and even in the few places like Tops and Home-Pro where they actually use 'chip&pin' they still expect you to sign pieces of paper which is not required.

Of course we will get all those Thai apologists coming on saying it's a cash society and so on but the fact is that Thailand needs to try and remove itself from the late 19th century and move on !

[worgeordie]

It annoys me, while I have to wait while somebody pays

for purchases of a couple of hundred Bhat with a CC,

have they never heard of cash.?

regards Worgeordie

[Loptr]

All part of the reason I pay for all retail transactions with baht... Yes, it's a pain in the butt at times, especially coming from a mostly cashless society in the west, but life is too short to get worked up over something that could have been avoided in the first place...

[Beetlejuice]

They are still 50 years behind when it comes to card matters. Back in December i had a double charge on my card at Tesco on 108 although the girl insisted that she had only put it through once. I went to customer services who were completely 'out of it' and knew nothing so i asked for a Manager. After 35 minutes waiting around a Female Manager turned up looking annoyed and telling the Mrs she was 'extremely busy'. After ten more minutes of her running around and being very vexed in her approach to other staff she finally agreed that i had been charged twice and said it would take 45 days for me to receive a refund ! I let her know calmly what i thought of the service both at till and management level and then left the store.

Upon return home i sent my card issuer an email explaining what had happened and they gave me an immediate credit for the double charge. I also sent Tesco Thailand an email with a copy to Tesco UK. I had an apologetic reply from England but no response from Thailand (nothing abnormal there then !).

They don't have a clue what they are doing with card transactions and even in the few places like Tops and Home-Pro where they actually use 'chip&pin' they still expect you to sign pieces of paper which is not required.

Of course we will get all those Thai apologists coming on saying it's a cash society and so on but the fact is that Thailand needs to try and remove itself from the late 19th century and move on !

But the fact is, it hasn`t, and Thailand has still to embrace the concept of living in a cashless society, so therefore those living here have a learn to adapt accordingly.

Firstly , I don`t have or want a credit card, for what purpose? I guess the most users are those who are living on strict budgets and need to pay upfront first on their credit cards because they don`t have the cash at hand. Otherwise their first choice would be debit cards not credit cards.

I have debit cards pertaining to all my foreign bank accounts that I keep locked in my safe, or should say; in case of emergency, break glass. Had them for 3 years now never used them yet. I have 1 debit card for only 1 of my Thai savings bank accounts. Again mostly in a case of an emergency or for making purchases online. I only keep 10000 baht balance on my card, so if the worse should happen that`s all I have to lose.

It is extremely easy to draw cash using a Thai bank debit or ATM card from the always available ATM machines located outside the large stores. Just draw the cash and pay by cash for purchases made inside the stores.

The problem is that there are those who plonk themselves in Thailand still expecting that facilities and services is going to be just like things were at home, and then become flummoxed, bewildered and frustrated when it hits them that Thailand hasn`t quite caught up yet and find this difficult to except.

The solutions are simple; learn to adapt and change your methods of doing business and making transactions here. But the main problems for some, is that old habits die hard, the long and suffering moaners and whingers.

[naboo]

When I worked in the UK, the store copy of the sales slip contained the full card number and expiry date, the customer copy only the last four digits.

[onthedarkside]

I would not dream of using my credit card over the counter in Thailand. The risk of fraud is high. If a hotel asks for my card at check-in to guarantee payment, I ask how much cash would you like as a guarantee and hand over the money and wait for a receipt.

[northernjohn]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

They are still 50 years behind when it comes to card matters. Back in December i had a double charge on my card at Tesco on 108 although the girl insisted that she had only put it through once. I went to customer services who were completely 'out of it' and knew nothing so i asked for a Manager. After 35 minutes waiting around a Female Manager turned up looking annoyed and telling the Mrs she was 'extremely busy'. After ten more minutes of her running around and being very vexed in her approach to other staff she finally agreed that i had been charged twice and said it would take 45 days for me to receive a refund ! I let her know calmly what i thought of the service both at till and management level and then left the store.

Upon return home i sent my card issuer an email explaining what had happened and they gave me an immediate credit for the double charge. I also sent Tesco Thailand an email with a copy to Tesco UK. I had an apologetic reply from England but no response from Thailand (nothing abnormal there then !).

They don't have a clue what they are doing with card transactions and even in the few places like Tops and Home-Pro where they actually use 'chip&pin' they still expect you to sign pieces of paper which is not required.

Of course we will get all those Thai apologists coming on saying it's a cash society and so on but the fact is that Thailand needs to try and remove itself from the late 19th century and move on !

I was not aware of the fact they had credit cards in the 19th centaury.

I once a month use my credit card inside the bank to withdraw enough money for the month. My money is Canadian. If I use my ATM card it costs more They charge me a flat $5 on the visa as compared to $16.50 on my ATM card. I put my money in the bank and use my Siam ATM card for free here in Chiang Mai. I go on line and transfer from my Checking account into my Visa and avoid the interest charge on it. Easy.

Now if I was in America drawing American funds I could set up an account with the bank of Bangkok and have it direct deposited to them.

Pay Pal has sent me several notices to assure that they had the right number on my credit card. I mistakenly gave them my number. 2 hours later I got to thinking it over called the Visa company they canceled the card and sent me a new one.

[NancyL]

They are still 50 years behind when it comes to card matters. Back in December i had a double charge on my card at Tesco on 108 although the girl insisted that she had only put it through once. I went to customer services who were completely 'out of it' and knew nothing so i asked for a Manager. After 35 minutes waiting around a Female Manager turned up looking annoyed and telling the Mrs she was 'extremely busy'. After ten more minutes of her running around and being very vexed in her approach to other staff she finally agreed that i had been charged twice and said it would take 45 days for me to receive a refund ! I let her know calmly what i thought of the service both at till and management level and then left the store.

Upon return home i sent my card issuer an email explaining what had happened and they gave me an immediate credit for the double charge. I also sent Tesco Thailand an email with a copy to Tesco UK. I had an apologetic reply from England but no response from Thailand (nothing abnormal there then !).

They don't have a clue what they are doing with card transactions and even in the few places like Tops and Home-Pro where they actually use 'chip&pin' they still expect you to sign pieces of paper which is not required.

Of course we will get all those Thai apologists coming on saying it's a cash society and so on but the fact is that Thailand needs to try and remove itself from the late 19th century and move on !

But the fact is, it hasn`t, and Thailand has still to embrace the concept of living in a cashless society, so therefore those living here have a learn to adapt accordingly.

Firstly , I don`t have or want a credit card, for what purpose? I guess the most users are those who are living on strict budgets and need to pay upfront first on their credit cards because they don`t have the cash at hand. Otherwise their first choice would be debit cards not credit cards.

I have debit cards pertaining to all my foreign bank accounts that I keep locked in my safe, or should say; in case of emergency, break glass. Had them for 3 years now never used them yet. I have 1 debit card for only 1 of my Thai savings bank accounts. Again mostly in a case of an emergency or for making purchases online. I only keep 10000 baht balance on my card, so if the worse should happen that`s all I have to lose.

It is extremely easy to draw cash using a Thai bank debit or ATM card from the always available ATM machines located outside the large stores. Just draw the cash and pay by cash for purchases made inside the stores.

The problem is that there are those who plonk themselves in Thailand still expecting that facilities and services is going to be just like things were at home, and then become flummoxed, bewildered and frustrated when it hits them that Thailand hasn`t quite caught up yet and find this difficult to except.

The solutions are simple; learn to adapt and change your methods of doing business and making transactions here. But the main problems for some, is that old habits die hard, the long and suffering moaners and whingers.

Beetlejuice, I guess you didn't read my post about how the only people who received refunds with the CMU Language Institute debacle were those who paid with foreign-issued credit cards. Anyone who paid for their full year of study with cash (or a Thai-issued credit or debit card) simply lost their money when CMU pulled the plug.

For this reason alone, it makes sense to use a foreign-issued credit card when asked to pay for goods or services that will be delivered in the future or for something that is a subscription-type service. You have recourse in case the merchant doesn't deliver as promised.

[Benjie]

They are still 50 years behind when it comes to card matters. Back in December i had a double charge on my card at Tesco on 108 although the girl insisted that she had only put it through once. I went to customer services who were completely 'out of it' and knew nothing so i asked for a Manager. After 35 minutes waiting around a Female Manager turned up looking annoyed and telling the Mrs she was 'extremely busy'. After ten more minutes of her running around and being very vexed in her approach to other staff she finally agreed that i had been charged twice and said it would take 45 days for me to receive a refund ! I let her know calmly what i thought of the service both at till and management level and then left the store.

Upon return home i sent my card issuer an email explaining what had happened and they gave me an immediate credit for the double charge. I also sent Tesco Thailand an email with a copy to Tesco UK. I had an apologetic reply from England but no response from Thailand (nothing abnormal there then !).

They don't have a clue what they are doing with card transactions and even in the few places like Tops and Home-Pro where they actually use 'chip&pin' they still expect you to sign pieces of paper which is not required.

Of course we will get all those Thai apologists coming on saying it's a cash society and so on but the fact is that Thailand needs to try and remove itself from the late 19th century and move on !

But the fact is, it hasn`t, and Thailand has still to embrace the concept of living in a cashless society, so therefore those living here have a learn to adapt accordingly.

Firstly , I don`t have or want a credit card, for what purpose? I guess the most users are those who are living on strict budgets and need to pay upfront first on their credit cards because they don`t have the cash at hand. Otherwise their first choice would be debit cards not credit cards.

I have debit cards pertaining to all my foreign bank accounts that I keep locked in my safe, or should say; in case of emergency, break glass. Had them for 3 years now never used them yet. I have 1 debit card for only 1 of my Thai savings bank accounts. Again mostly in a case of an emergency or for making purchases online. I only keep 10000 baht balance on my card, so if the worse should happen that`s all I have to lose.

It is extremely easy to draw cash using a Thai bank debit or ATM card from the always available ATM machines located outside the large stores. Just draw the cash and pay by cash for purchases made inside the stores.

The problem is that there are those who plonk themselves in Thailand still expecting that facilities and services is going to be just like things were at home, and then become flummoxed, bewildered and frustrated when it hits them that Thailand hasn`t quite caught up yet and find this difficult to except.

The solutions are simple; learn to adapt and change your methods of doing business and making transactions here. But the main problems for some, is that old habits die hard, the long and suffering moaners and whingers.

I've lived in Thailand for over a decade, I've run a number of businesses here, I use my (Thai) cc for just about everything for about 6 years because it's simpler and airmiles, I've never had a fraudulent transaction - I've shopped at Rimping hundreds of times - I was just annoyed at them keying in my cc number. I at no time became flummoxed or bewildered.

[Beetlejuice]

They are still 50 years behind when it comes to card matters. Back in December i had a double charge on my card at Tesco on 108 although the girl insisted that she had only put it through once. I went to customer services who were completely 'out of it' and knew nothing so i asked for a Manager. After 35 minutes waiting around a Female Manager turned up looking annoyed and telling the Mrs she was 'extremely busy'. After ten more minutes of her running around and being very vexed in her approach to other staff she finally agreed that i had been charged twice and said it would take 45 days for me to receive a refund ! I let her know calmly what i thought of the service both at till and management level and then left the store.

Upon return home i sent my card issuer an email explaining what had happened and they gave me an immediate credit for the double charge. I also sent Tesco Thailand an email with a copy to Tesco UK. I had an apologetic reply from England but no response from Thailand (nothing abnormal there then !).

They don't have a clue what they are doing with card transactions and even in the few places like Tops and Home-Pro where they actually use 'chip&pin' they still expect you to sign pieces of paper which is not required.

Of course we will get all those Thai apologists coming on saying it's a cash society and so on but the fact is that Thailand needs to try and remove itself from the late 19th century and move on !

But the fact is, it hasn`t, and Thailand has still to embrace the concept of living in a cashless society, so therefore those living here have a learn to adapt accordingly.

Firstly , I don`t have or want a credit card, for what purpose? I guess the most users are those who are living on strict budgets and need to pay upfront first on their credit cards because they don`t have the cash at hand. Otherwise their first choice would be debit cards not credit cards.

I have debit cards pertaining to all my foreign bank accounts that I keep locked in my safe, or should say; in case of emergency, break glass. Had them for 3 years now never used them yet. I have 1 debit card for only 1 of my Thai savings bank accounts. Again mostly in a case of an emergency or for making purchases online. I only keep 10000 baht balance on my card, so if the worse should happen that`s all I have to lose.

It is extremely easy to draw cash using a Thai bank debit or ATM card from the always available ATM machines located outside the large stores. Just draw the cash and pay by cash for purchases made inside the stores.

The problem is that there are those who plonk themselves in Thailand still expecting that facilities and services is going to be just like things were at home, and then become flummoxed, bewildered and frustrated when it hits them that Thailand hasn`t quite caught up yet and find this difficult to except.

The solutions are simple; learn to adapt and change your methods of doing business and making transactions here. But the main problems for some, is that old habits die hard, the long and suffering moaners and whingers.

Beetlejuice, I guess you didn't read my post about how the only people who received refunds with the CMU Language Institute debacle were those who paid with foreign-issued credit cards. Anyone who paid for their full year of study with cash (or a Thai-issued credit or debit card) simply lost their money when CMU pulled the plug.

For this reason alone, it makes sense to use a foreign-issued credit card when asked to pay for goods or services that will be delivered in the future or for something that is a subscription-type service. You have recourse in case the merchant doesn't deliver as promised.

That does not pertain to using a credit card for purchases in supermarkets and general stores, as in the case of the OP. Your situation is completely unrelated.

[Diplomatico]

But the fact is, it hasn`t, and Thailand has still to embrace the concept of living in a cashless society, so therefore those living here have a learn to adapt accordingly.

Firstly , I don`t have or want a credit card, for what purpose? I guess the most users are those who are living on strict budgets and need to pay upfront first on their credit cards because they don`t have the cash at hand. Otherwise their first choice would be debit cards not credit cards.

I have debit cards pertaining to all my foreign bank accounts that I keep locked in my safe, or should say; in case of emergency, break glass. Had them for 3 years now never used them yet. I have 1 debit card for only 1 of my Thai savings bank accounts. Again mostly in a case of an emergency or for making purchases online. I only keep 10000 baht balance on my card, so if the worse should happen that`s all I have to lose.

It is extremely easy to draw cash using a Thai bank debit or ATM card from the always available ATM machines located outside the large stores. Just draw the cash and pay by cash for purchases made inside the stores.

The problem is that there are those who plonk themselves in Thailand still expecting that facilities and services is going to be just like things were at home, and then become flummoxed, bewildered and frustrated when it hits them that Thailand hasn`t quite caught up yet and find this difficult to except.

The solutions are simple; learn to adapt and change your methods of doing business and making transactions here. But the main problems for some, is that old habits die hard, the long and suffering moaners and whingers.

Beetlejuice, I guess you didn't read my post about how the only people who received refunds with the CMU Language Institute debacle were those who paid with foreign-issued credit cards. Anyone who paid for their full year of study with cash (or a Thai-issued credit or debit card) simply lost their money when CMU pulled the plug.

For this reason alone, it makes sense to use a foreign-issued credit card when asked to pay for goods or services that will be delivered in the future or for something that is a subscription-type service. You have recourse in case the merchant doesn't deliver as promised.

That does not pertain to using a credit card for purchases in supermarkets and general stores, as in the case of the OP. Your situation is completely unrelated.

It exactly pertains to the situation in the OP as it relates to the consumer protection that is offered by the credit card company to its customers. OP is worried his card will be used fraudulently....if CMU Language Institute had charged for services not provided, that's also fraud.

Credit cards are almost always preferable to debit cards because of the fraud protection. If someone cleans out your bank account because they obtained your debit card or the number, good luck getting that money back from the bank. If you lose cash, good luck getting it back. Credit card companies generally do not charge customers for fraudulent use of their credit cards. (I would never use a debit card to make an online purchase especially.)

No one really cares if you need or want a credit card (or even if you understand why you'd want to have one) and since you don't, you don't really have much credibility on the issue.

[NancyL]

Beetlejuice -- your post was coming down hard on Trainman and in your holier-than-than-everyone else fashion you are saying that western debit/credit cards have no value here and we should leave our unrealistic expectations back in our Home countries. Yet when I point out perfectly good examples of when it makes sense to use them -- hah -- you dismiss those examples.

Don't you think you're being just a little too hard on the OP and Trainman? I think the real frustration is when people have to wait in line behind someone settling a small purchase with a credit/debit card. Kind of like in the old days in our home countries when you'd get caught in line behind someone who insisted on writing a check for a small purchase.

[bangmai]

I also noticed the Visa logo is now missing on the entrance to the CMU LI. Only MC and 2000 thb minimum. I wonder if visa revoked LI's merchant privileges after the debacle of 2010. Great place to get a translation of your passport...300 thb, certified stamp, good for 30 days, and only 50 thb if a fresh stamp is needed. Really helpful lady in there, Ms. Nok-u.....the "incident" is clearly a blemish on their rep....

[Beetlejuice]

But the fact is, it hasn`t, and Thailand has still to embrace the concept of living in a cashless society, so therefore those living here have a learn to adapt accordingly.

Firstly , I don`t have or want a credit card, for what purpose? I guess the most users are those who are living on strict budgets and need to pay upfront first on their credit cards because they don`t have the cash at hand. Otherwise their first choice would be debit cards not credit cards.

I have debit cards pertaining to all my foreign bank accounts that I keep locked in my safe, or should say; in case of emergency, break glass. Had them for 3 years now never used them yet. I have 1 debit card for only 1 of my Thai savings bank accounts. Again mostly in a case of an emergency or for making purchases online. I only keep 10000 baht balance on my card, so if the worse should happen that`s all I have to lose.

It is extremely easy to draw cash using a Thai bank debit or ATM card from the always available ATM machines located outside the large stores. Just draw the cash and pay by cash for purchases made inside the stores.

The problem is that there are those who plonk themselves in Thailand still expecting that facilities and services is going to be just like things were at home, and then become flummoxed, bewildered and frustrated when it hits them that Thailand hasn`t quite caught up yet and find this difficult to except.

The solutions are simple; learn to adapt and change your methods of doing business and making transactions here. But the main problems for some, is that old habits die hard, the long and suffering moaners and whingers.

Beetlejuice, I guess you didn't read my post about how the only people who received refunds with the CMU Language Institute debacle were those who paid with foreign-issued credit cards. Anyone who paid for their full year of study with cash (or a Thai-issued credit or debit card) simply lost their money when CMU pulled the plug.

For this reason alone, it makes sense to use a foreign-issued credit card when asked to pay for goods or services that will be delivered in the future or for something that is a subscription-type service. You have recourse in case the merchant doesn't deliver as promised.

That does not pertain to using a credit card for purchases in supermarkets and general stores, as in the case of the OP. Your situation is completely unrelated.

It exactly pertains to the situation in the OP as it relates to the consumer protection that is offered by the credit card company to its customers. OP is worried his card will be used fraudulently....if CMU Language Institute had charged for services not provided, that's also fraud.

Credit cards are almost always preferable to debit cards because of the fraud protection. If someone cleans out your bank account because they obtained your debit card or the number, good luck getting that money back from the bank. If you lose cash, good luck getting it back. Credit card companies generally do not charge customers for fraudulent use of their credit cards. (I would never use a debit card to make an online purchase especially.)

No one really cares if you need or want a credit card (or even if you understand why you'd want to have one) and since you don't, you don't really have much credibility on the issue.

Then pay by cash in stores as I explained in my first post. Problem solved.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Beetlejuice

[Beetlejuice]

Beetlejuice -- your post was coming down hard on Trainman and in your holier-than-than-everyone else fashion you are saying that western debit/credit cards have no value here and we should leave our unrealistic expectations back in our Home countries. Yet when I point out perfectly good examples of when it makes sense to use them -- hah -- you dismiss those examples.

Don't you think you're being just a little too hard on the OP and Trainman? I think the real frustration is when people have to wait in line behind someone settling a small purchase with a credit/debit card. Kind of like in the old days in our home countries when you'd get caught in line behind someone who insisted on writing a check for a small purchase.

Madam, one part of your post contradicts another part.