What A Bunch Of Bankers

[mike1963]

Hi customer satisfaction that old nostalgic memory that lingers. I wonder do any of you have good stories to recount of your chosen Thai bank as I am coming to live in Phuket Jan/Feb and need to open an account.

Similarly any bad experiences would be appreciated too

Is it much like in the UK where they are all pretty rubbish? I hope not

Regards

Mike

[alexth]

Get yourself ready for unique experiences with the thai banks

[samran]

Get yourself ready for unique experiences with the thai banks

I beg to differ.

You've never seen lousy banking service until you've tried to open up a bank account in the UK as a foreigner, with the correct documentation (eg work permits, utility bills etc). Anti-fraud measures there have made it difficult to do things even for legit people.

Barclays actually told me that I had to have been living in the UK for a year before they'd open up one for me.

Other places said that I'd have to have evidence of salary payments, although work would not pay me unless I had a bank account. That one took the cake!

The best thing about it here, is that if one branch won't open account for you, one down the road will.

[sting01]

For me, there are 2 things that are in the top in Thailand :

Post office and Bank.

I was the lucky winner of some K$ in 2002 in an internet lottery (a site from Lycos). I was paid by a check send by snake mail here. I got it in 2 weeks. So thai Post are okie.

Same apply with bank, at least for a small customer as I am. I opened early 2002 an account in SCB Tong Lohr, people are efficient, speak english, or when they do not they are clevert enought to find a way to uderstand me. I had a problem once with my CC charged twice by a coffe shop in MBK (when you come by the BTS , the first brand of coffe chop that is on the right hand, I forget the brand, but not the location). The bank was kind enought to act quickly and efficently.

On the other hand, the SCB where I do my daily operations (locatd in Huay Kwang) is not at the same level (that is why I never moved my account here). So all depend the branch you will select, mostly all depend on the manager.

[Maestro]

...account in SCB Tong Lohr... mostly all depend on the manager.

I have seen this mentioned in other posts, that the service can differ from one branch to another, and now that I shall have to open an account in a month’s time prior to applying at Immigration for an extension of stay for retirement I would like to ask if anyone has experience with either of the following two branches of Siam Commercial Bank (SBC) which are near to where I shall be living:

1. SBC Lat Ya branch: 276/1 Lat Ya Road, Khlong San, Bangkok, 10600

2. SBC Charoen Nakhon branch: 674 Charoen Nakhon Road, Bang Lumpu Lang, Khlong San,

Bangkok 10600

That’s on the Thonburi side.

---------------

Maestro

[suegha]

I just went into a bank, said I wanted to open an account, they opened it there and then. Gave me a bank book and an ATM card. It was that simple. Okay, they asked to see my passport and took copies of it, but that was all - no problem.

[sting01]

SCB is good, because you will get a DC, not a simple ATM.

I had a bad experience first with Kasikorn (I was/still be a clinet of the French farmers bank, and they first advice me to open an account with Kasikorn while I wasstill in france), you will get an simple ATM card. Kinda limitate.

So really hit for SCB, as a poor farang you will not get a CC,, but a DC will do it just fine (the electronic one, usable in the supermarkets, restaurants .... It limite the amount of cash you have to carry, and by the mistakes/deceptions).

[mike1963]

Thanks guys

Mike

[naka]

Both SCB and Kasikorn banks appear to be in expansion mode, and are actively

signing up new customers. Passbook accounts plus debit (mc, visa) cards with

worldwide usage.

Naka.

[inthaiguy]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=89331 - See this thread for more on Thai banks and online banking.

[lotus eater]

TMB opened an account for me without much trouble - after checking/taking copies of my passsport (which had a non immigr o visa) - and completing lots of forms (which I then signed.

Provided passbook & card. Also give me internet banking.

The card has a visa emblem on it. Don't know how much of the normal visa use that allows.....must get around to asking....so far the atm use has been enough for me.

[johnnyk]

Have had good service and nice attitude from K-Bank but things can vary a lot from branch to branch.

I'm lucky, my branch has good staff who seem to have been properly trained.

I'm noticing that K-Bank seems to be expanding. They are setting up more ATMs around HuaHin