what to do with my condo in pattaya

[newnative]

I agree about the poor sidewalks and it's probably my biggest pet peeve.  Pattaya Second Road is a major, major road and yet there are stretches with absolutely no sidewalks at all and you have to walk in the busy roadway.  I'm speaking of the area by the police  barracks---and you would think the police living there would demand a sidewalk be installed as a safety issue but no dice.  The area across the street by Imperial and Hard Rock Hotel is bad, too, as the sidewalk is barely more than about a foot wide in places and with all the taxis parked illegally with their doors open blocking the sidewalk you're out walking in the roadway again. 

[lkn]

3 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

I would say that Pattaya (and Thailand in general) has a severe lack of quality goods at sensible prices, unless you are thinking of designer clothing and similar pointless nonsense. I would give my right arm to be able to order things online from Amazon here and pay UK prices, or indeed have the choice of foodstuffs here that I would get in any supermarket in any small UK town. Infrastructure in Pattaya is OK though the traffic is awful as are most of the pavements/side-walks. Dining options are OK also, though Bangkok is better and often cheaper for eating out at least for some types of food.

 

I left it out from the quote, but my comment was in reference to Bangkok being referred to as a third world city.

 

As for what “quality goods” are available, I was thinking of things like audio equipment, kitchen equipment, office equipment, computer equipment, etc., needing good materials when redoing your kitchen or bathroom. The selection might be slightly different than “back home”, but I’ve never felt that because I live in this “third world country” I have to settle for less than back home or endure uncomfortable conditions.

Contrast with living in an actual third world country, one where the government is struggling with providing running water, electricity, waste disposal, keeping the crime down, and where you can get no international brands…

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, lkn said:

As for what “quality goods” are available, I was thinking of things like audio equipment, kitchen equipment, office equipment, computer equipment, etc., needing good materials when redoing your kitchen or bathroom. The selection might be slightly different than “back home”, but I’ve never felt that because I live in this “third world country” I have to settle for less than back home or endure uncomfortable conditions.

 

That was what I was referring to also. As far as I can see there is very little choice of anything like that here, and certainly nothing approaching the selection I can get in Europe at very low prices. And prices are usually double what they would be in Europe.

 

But yes, there are places in Africa for example that are much worse. I've been there and I know.

[KittenKong]

8 hours ago, Deepinthailand said:

The trick is you are able to buy from amazon at uk prices then pay through the teeth to get them here. As for food and prices try stopping comparing them to UK. Two completely diffrent countries thank god.

 

Perhaps I wasnt clear. I was trying to explain that I would dearly like Amazon to set up shop here so that I could order from them without having to pay huge transport costs and even (what a dream!) benefit from a real warranty instead of the 7-day jokes one gets here.

 

Why not compare Tesco or BigC here with the same brands in the UK or Europe? They are after all the same, apart from the fact that the Thai stores probably only have 20% of the number of product lines that the stores there have.

[newnative]

I think you can get about anything you want here if you know where to look.  My partner and I recently re-did our kitchen and baths and we put in wonderful custom cabinets from a company in BKK.  They were great to work with and  the workmanship and quality was excellent. Beautiful granite counter tops were, again, expertly done by another company.  A lot of electrical work, ceiling lights, etc.  In America I could not have afforded to do any of this--the cost would be just too high for my budget--especially hiring an electrician and the granite.  Several stores are now carrying European appliances. The one thing I haven't been able to find is a microwave with built in exhaust fan that they have in America and install over the stoves.

[Deepinthailand]

2 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

Perhaps I wasnt clear. I was trying to explain that I would dearly like Amazon to set up shop here so that I could order from them without having to pay huge transport costs and even (what a dream!) benefit from a real warranty instead of the 7-day jokes one gets here.

 

Why not compare Tesco or BigC here with the same brands in the UK or Europe? They are after all the same, apart from the fact that the Thai stores probably only have 20% of the number of product lines that the stores there have.

Because they cater for Thailand not a minority foreign population maybe. As for the warranties everything  I bought here has (major appliances) have at least a one year warranty. You have to get past what you had in UK and what you could buy there your in Thailand.

[Anthony5]

7 hours ago, lkn said:

 

I left it out from the quote, but my comment was in reference to Bangkok being referred to as a third world city.

 

As for what “quality goods” are available, I was thinking of things like audio equipment, kitchen equipment, office equipment, computer equipment, etc., needing good materials when redoing your kitchen or bathroom. The selection might be slightly different than “back home”, but I’ve never felt that because I live in this “third world country” I have to settle for less than back home or endure uncomfortable conditions.

Contrast with living in an actual third world country, one where the government is struggling with providing running water, electricity, waste disposal, keeping the crime down, and where you can get no international brands…

 

 

Because you live here probably for some time already, you don't realize what is available back home these days, you only remember what was avaialable at the time you were looking for it.

 

When I arrived here, long time ago, Thailand was 50 years behind where I came from. I think it has gone backwards since.

[Anthony5]

34 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

Because they cater for Thailand not a minority foreign population maybe. As for the warranties everything  I bought here has (major appliances) have at least a one year warranty. You have to get past what you had in UK and what you could buy there your in Thailand.

 

 

Warranties are a joke here. I'm currently looking for some diy appliances, from the major brands, and while they at home all carry 3 years warranty over here the very same appliances have only 6 months warranty.

 

And that is if those 6 months are even honored, wich often isn't, and there are several examples of that on this forum.

[Deepinthailand]

If your living here you are home.

[balo]

The trick is you are able to buy from amazon at uk prices then pay through the teeth to get them here. As for food and prices try stopping comparing them to UK. Two completely diffrent countries thank god.

Order from China instead it's all being produced there. You can use Ali express, and most of them offer free delkvery to Thailand.

[Anthony5]

23 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said:

If your living here you are home.

 

 

Thailand will only ever be home to a very select few foreigners.

[blackcab]

Sometimes it's possible to get a good deal. I needed to buy an oil filter. 3,000 baht from the dealer in Bangkok.

 

It was delivered today - 525 baht including free shipping from the US. No customs duty to pay at this end.

 

Not much good if you want heavy or expensive items, but it's not always bad.

[lkn]

1 hour ago, Anthony5 said:

Because you live here probably for some time already, you don't realize what is available back home these days, you only remember what was avaialable at the time you were looking for it.

 

When I arrived here, long time ago, Thailand was 50 years behind where I came from. I think it has gone backwards since.

I have B&W speakers, Cambridge Audio amplifiers, Bose headphones, Samsung 44" LCDs with AppleTV, Herman Miller office chair,  Japanese kitchen knives from Kai, suitcases from Zero Halliburton, German induction stove, oven, and dishwasher, Daikin central air, and lots of other “international stuff” which was all bought through local dealers.

 

I had my kitchen, bathrooms, and wardrobes done by a local architect and materials here were superb with teak wood used instead of MDF plates, proper ball bearing runners for drawers, etc.

 

Of course I also buy plenty of “local” brands when the quality is good, and it often is (when you go to the proper stores). I would never do my grocery shopping in BigC, to me this is targetted at the Thai working class, so of course this is lower quality than “back home” and may lack international cheeses, wines, etc., but all of this can easily be found in the more upscale supermarkets.

 

So I really don’t know what you are talking about when you imply that I am unaware of what is available in the first world and that Thailand is now more than 50 year behind the first world when it comes to material things.

And for the records, I do not live in Thailand year round, so I am not out of touch with the offerings of the first world.

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, Deepinthailand said:

Because they cater for Thailand not a minority foreign population maybe. As for the warranties everything  I bought here has (major appliances) have at least a one year warranty. You have to get past what you had in UK and what you could buy there your in Thailand.

 

The appliance may have a 1-year warranty but that comes from the manufacturer. In Europe the vendor is responsible for the quality of what he sells and in case of problems will often refund or replace an item if it breaks within the warranty period. At worst he will arrange the repair. Here after the first 7 days you are usually left to deal with the manufacturer yourself. That's OK for international brand names but may be very difficult for unknown names.

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, lkn said:

I have B&W speakers, Cambridge Audio amplifiers, Bose headphones, Samsung 44" LCDs with AppleTV, Herman Miller office chair,  Japanese kitchen knives from Kai, suitcases from Zero Halliburton, German induction stove, oven, and dishwasher, Daikin central air, and lots of other “international stuff” which was all bought through local dealers.

 

I had my kitchen, bathrooms, and wardrobes done by a local architect and materials here were superb with teak wood used instead of MDF plates, proper ball bearing runners for drawers, etc.

Of course I also buy plenty of “local” brands when the quality is good, and it often is (when you go to the proper stores). I would never do my grocery shopping in BigC, to me this is targetted at the Thai working class, so of course this is lower quality than “back home” and may lack international cheeses, wines, etc., but all of this can easily be found in the more upscale supermarkets.

 

I can only speak of BigC in Pattaya, but here the shop is heavily targetted towards farangs. It has several farang departmental managers (baker, butcher etc) who are very hands-on and do quite a good job as far as I can see. It also has a good range of imported fresh items. Even so the general choice of products is poor.
Tops in Central offers more choice, but prices there are astronomical.

 

As for high-end items, yes, a few elitist places do stock a limited range of them but the prices are generally about 50-75% higher than I would pay in banal high street shop in the UK. Not to mention the discount prices that I could easily find online there. And anything I buy online in Europe comes with full free return policy if I don't happen to like it.

 

No, shopping here is way overpriced, very limited for choice and very heavily geared against the consumer. They have a lot of progress to make.

[trogers]

30 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

I can only speak of BigC in Pattaya, but here the shop is heavily targetted towards farangs. It has several farang departmental managers (baker, butcher etc) who are very hands-on and do quite a good job as far as I can see. It also has a good range of imported fresh items. Even so the general choice of products is poor.
Tops in Central offers more choice, but prices there are astronomical.

 

As for high-end items, yes, a few elitist places do stock a limited range of them but the prices are generally about 50-75% higher than I would pay in banal high street shop in the UK. Not to mention the discount prices that I could easily find online there. And anything I buy online in Europe comes with full free return policy if I don't happen to like it.

 

No, shopping here is way overpriced, very limited for choice and very heavily geared against the consumer. They have a lot of progress to make.

 

Many here might not be aware that imported food items can carry 100% duties from non-FTA countries.

[wpcoe]

In my mind consumer shopping in Pattaya took a big leap forward with the arrival of Central Department Store.  Before that, there were no available western brand colognes/perfumes or kitchenware and very little designer label clothing.  I think things will be even better with Terminal 21 in town.

 

Before, if I wanted to buy a designer watch, Dockers slacks, Topsider shoes, or a T-fal frying pan, I had to go to Bangkok.  Much nicer to have such things locally in Pattaya.

[metisdead]

A post has been removed as well as the replies:

 

9) You will not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its participants, or trolling. Trolling can be defined as the act of purposefully antagonizing other people on the internet by posting controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.

[Penefattore]

2.5 million baht for 35 sqm is 2,500 $ per squared meter. I'd never pay such a rate for a shit hole like Pattaya. (yeah, very sweet shit hole, but always a shit hole nonetheless )

[returnofthailand]

2.5 milions baht? for this price I move to Monte Carlo.
can get a 2500 sqm villa for same price.

[pumpjack]

On 05/09/2016 at 1:03 PM, lkn said:

I have B&W speakers, Cambridge Audio amplifiers, Bose headphones, Samsung 44" LCDs with AppleTV, Herman Miller office chair,  Japanese kitchen knives from Kai, suitcases from Zero Halliburton, German induction stove, oven, and dishwasher, Daikin central air, and lots of other “international stuff” which was all bought through local dealers.

 

I had my kitchen, bathrooms, and wardrobes done by a local architect and materials here were superb with teak wood used instead of MDF plates, proper ball bearing runners for drawers, etc.

 

Of course I also buy plenty of “local” brands when the quality is good, and it often is (when you go to the proper stores). I would never do my grocery shopping in BigC, to me this is targetted at the Thai working class, so of course this is lower quality than “back home” and may lack international cheeses, wines, etc., but all of this can easily be found in the more upscale supermarkets.

 

So I really don’t know what you are talking about when you imply that I am unaware of what is available in the first world and that Thailand is now more than 50 year behind the first world when it comes to material things.

And for the records, I do not live in Thailand year round, so I am not out of touch with the offerings of the first world.

 

 

THIS TOPIC IS NOT ABOUT AMAZON !!    its about my condo,  get off the thread . 

[tolsti]

temper, temper....... 

[pumpjack]

On 05/09/2016 at 5:20 AM, Anthony5 said:

 

 

Thailand will only ever be home to a very select few foreigners.

 

yes agreed,        the ones with deep pockets only !

 

Edited January 15, 2017 by pumpjack