MarleyMarl

In my Kbank and Krungsri I was able online to add my account from back home and transfer out, though I think for Kbank I had to fill a PDF document before it would get added as an option. Also my wife was able to send money to my foreign account without hassle from her account.

Just make sure if you buy through your company, you have control over who owns the other half of the company (if not US amnesty treaty company), you could also buy under your company then have the company lease it back to you for 30 years, but for it to be official you have to pay some tax on it and it goes onto the title deed. It's worth taking as many extra precautions as possible. If you are new to Thailand also, I would just rent for the first few years.

Probably more than putting solar on every house on the island?

Just putting this out there, I've lived here for over 10 years and never done a 90day report, and never paid more than 2k thb fine come extension renewal time...

Some of these shop houses have been standing for 80+ years, I doubt they're going anywhere fast.

Pre-covid, 2 or 3 times I brought a cooler bag with me that I checked in when leaving, that I fill with frozen pies from Aus/NZ, then after arriving I just walk through customs with it on my shoulder, didn't get checked.

Funny to see this topic after missed call from an unknown number. I don't answer my phone unless I am expecting a call or they're in my contact list, it stays on silent mode. There is an application called Whoscall that I use also. It uses a database so sometimes if the number matches on in the DB it will say something like "call center" "scam" etc. Got no time of patience to deal with unsolicited calls, I try put as many things in my wifes number as possible.

It's pretty hard to stop someone determined from entering, as others said a few mins with an angle grinder and they are in. As we were closing the sale on a place, someone broke in, they didn't cut the padlock but around the sliding bolt, got into a small room and pushed a step up under the staircase and got in. Best best is make sure someone is on the property. When we go away we have family come and stay. Second best bet is contents insurance, I've got 1mb contents insurance. It doesn't cover cash or jewelry though, but things like computers, tv's, appliances are covered. Part of the stipulation is you need evidence to claim, so we have IPCAMs, we have cameras inside and out, and they upload/email clips when they detect motion. So if the cameras get destroyed there is evidence for insurance claim.

Yea I heard about that, hopefully its been corrected with the new generations, the Almeria is a new generation. It doesn't get driven a lot, I'd say it'll get less than 10k km per year. But something to keep in mind.

With ANZ in Aus, they have the shield app that generates a code, rather than relying on OTP. I switched to this because I was not getting the OTP codes also.

My fiancé recently bought a car, about 3 months ago. We looked at Honda, Toyota and Nissan, thinking to buy a hatchback. I found the Hondas too small, and more expensive for same options Nissan provided. For Toyota, didn't get very good service at the showroom so just left. Ended up buying Nissan Almeria I think it was about 640k, about 9k per month repayments. It was more spacious than the Note, and the interior was high-quality. It had all the features of the Hondas/Toyotas but cheaper. I'm not a car expert, and just wanted something cheap, good gas mileage, and something with the latest safety features like break assist and the cameras. My fiancé is enjoying it, it's her first car.

Be thankful it is only 20k? I had to pay 37k last month to renew my visa and I meet all the requirements easily. I learned my lesson the hard way when I didn't pay before, they messed me around went back and forth 3 or 4 times until my visa ran out and I had to go home to make a new one. Before covid for a few years I was traveling in and out every 3 months because I refused to pay, but with covid I had to cough up the money, it is really frustraiting.

haha I agree, but I am already married to a lovely Thai lady. Being single and in Thailand is a huge benefit.

I've now been here for over a decade but plan to leave, at least for a while once I purchase a holiday home back in my home country. Thailand's been good to me, and I've enjoyed my time here. Like everywhere there are positives and negatives. When I first came I had little money, it was very thrilling and cost of living was great at a time when I was just establishing my own business. Now I am older, married, and have more money, the cost of living advantage isn't that beneficial too me. The pollution, smog, traffic of Bangkok has turned me off. It would be nice to experience living in Samui or Phuket for a different take. I think the main negatives of my home country (NZ) are all just about money and cost of living, but if those aren't an issue, maybe it could be great? After I spend some real time back home again then I can fairly compare living in both places.

I've hired (and fired) many Thai staff for my business, though we are only small and retain around 10-12 or so at anyone point, so it's not too difficult to manage. Along the way I've worked with some great Thai people and of course not so great. The ones who are unreliable and incompetent don't last long, that being said in a 12 year period there's only been about 4 of 5 that have been egregiously bad. The staff that have worked out the best have a very good understanding of English and typically have master degrees or working towards masters. Maybe aim at hiring on that level. Do you have any bonus/performance incentives also? I find this helps too. We also interview several people for a role and don't just grab the first one who applies. We have had our share of troubles along the way, when recruiting people, it's not uncommon to schedule several meetings and have only a couple show up. There is no courteous call saying they're canceling. Another problem is the high turn over of staff, most of our staff last 1 - 2 years, it's the same for our clients also. I think this is a problem with recent graduates, in the end they often move on to another company that is much stricter and find it tough. With such short tenure they don't have a chance to grow and earn more, my staff that have worked for me for a long time make good money.

Probably your best bet is a UPS, so when the power surges or cuts off suddenly, it just switches over to the battery, they often have surge protectors built in also. The only issue with UPS's is the lead-acid batteries don't last very long, at least the ones I have hooked up to my PC's at home and in office. Every 6-9months or so, they'll start beeping and I switch out the batteries, though I've kind of given up. What would be great if there was an affordable lithium ion UPS, but I haven't seen consumer ones available. I just have my TV's plugged into the wall, including my 83"er, never an issue, but i'm in central BKK and my power is fairly stable, I've got a good power mains box too that will just switch off if there is a surge.

I think that is about right (36k), and what you're actually paying for is tea money so they put it through without making complications.

I think they are a bit overwhelmed with the number of Kiwis returning / other people and residents trying to get back in. I'm an NZ citizen, and even I can't be bothered trying to get back in.

One of the reasons they rejected me once was I was not wearing a suit in my pictures of the office, I was wearing pants and a polo shirt, some how that is not acceptable attire, in my own god damn office. It's such a pain in the a*s traveling out there, and wasting the whole day at Cheang Wattana, to be told this nonsense. I will be switching over to marriage visa soon, so that'll be interesting, but long term plans are to leave.

I cannot speak on your WP or extension woes, but I recommend using a visa agent, you have to realize this is one of the most corrupt countries in the world and that "fee" you paid, don't feel too bad about it. If you don't pay it, they'll just string you along, saying "this picture/document isn't right", or "we need X months not X months", against all logic and explanations, until your current visa runs out/giving you no choice. I had no issues, then all of a sudden they did it to me after I refused to pay, I went back and forth a few times, then gave up. So for about 3 years I was traveling in and out of the country every 3 months, and getting a new 1 year, multi-entry non-b back home each year (which is possible if you have a WP, at least with consulate in Australia). I didn't mind this, as I have lots of air miles, until covid hit, so I had no choice but to go to a visa agent and pay the "fee", then bam, 1 year visa extended, no need to leave. Bare in mind, I run a legitimate business for over 10 years here, with 10+ local full time employees. These issues have really put a damper on my views of Thailand over the years. It's sad really, I know I am only a small business, but I employee local Thai people and provide them with well paying work, including from jobs that arise from outside Thailand that otherwise would not be done here. But there is no appreciation for this, only difficulties, the local immigration office only cares about making an illegal $1,000 each year. Therefore I am not scaling my business here, and instead investing and setting up things back home. I'm sure I am not the only one.