Total gridlock at Thai Banks

[flyingsaucersarereal]

I was in Central on Monday and had to take care of some business at a few Thai Banks. 

 

It took me about 1 hour to get to the bank teller at one bank. 

 

Once I was done with that bank I had to go to another it took me about another hour. 

 

Total gridlock at the Banks in central they need to get more staff so they can take care of the customers.

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by flyingsaucersarereal

[Upnotover]

Wasn't Monday a bank holiday?  The big branches would have been closed and therefore everyone would descend on the smaller mall based branches to do their "business".  Just a thought.

 

Correction - perhaps not, maybe they were just catching up from last weeks holidays.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Upnotover
correction

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

Wasn't Monday a bank holiday?  The big branches would have been closed and therefore everyone would descend on the smaller mall based branches to do their "business".  Just a thought.

 

Plus, ya gotta say what time you were there.  If he tried at lunch time, I'm surprised it was just an hour.  

 

[flyingsaucersarereal]

7 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

Wasn't Monday a bank holiday?  The big branches would have been closed and therefore everyone would descend on the smaller mall based branches to do their "business".  Just a thought.

 

Correction - perhaps not, maybe they were just catching up from last weeks holidays.

Yeah it is hard to remember all the holidays. Last weekend was a long holiday. Seems like every week there is a holiday! 

Edited May 10, 2021 by flyingsaucersarereal

[khunjeff]

They've cut back the hours of all the banks during this semi-lockdown, but people still have to get their business done, so more folks crowding into a shorter time frame...

[thurien]

15 hours ago, flyingsaucersarereal said:

Yeah it is hard to remember all the holidays. Last weekend was a long holiday. Seems like every week there is a holiday! 

 

I never have any problem with my TH banks, do everything incl. currencies via internet

[peleid]

In my experience, Krungthai Bank is the worse

[natway09]

I bank with 3 different banks, go to the actual branch, in & out in 10 minutes

[Tubulat]

18 hours ago, flyingsaucersarereal said:

Yeah it is hard to remember all the holidays. Last weekend was a long holiday. Seems like every week there is a holiday! 

It's easyer to count the days they don't have holidays.

 

Or is going be worked again?

[rickudon]

I gave up using banks in malls over a year ago. Long queues, reluctant to do counter withdrawals, do not want to open new bank accounts for farang. The main branch i use has its own carpark, opens early, and i am in and out in 5 minutes with my counter withdrawal done smoothly and fee free.

[worgeordie]

When I first came here, it was like a rugby scrum trying to get

your bank book in the basket in front of the teller,good job  i have

long arms.....in time they introduced the ropes for lines to control

them,then more progress tickets were introduced.

regards worgeordie

 

[FlorC]

My bank , the only one in the province is closed because of covid . I wish it was only for a holiday.

I have no money but the hotel manager can wait and I have enough food. Had to lend some money to go to the vet though.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, FlorC said:

My bank , the only one in the province is closed because of covid . I wish it was only for a holiday.

I have no money but the hotel manager can wait and I have enough food. Had to lend some money to go to the vet though.

No phone banking? almost all of Thailand relies on phone banking apps and ATMs now.

Food Panda, Grab all accept payment by QR code and phone banking app.

HomeMall only accept cash or QR code payment.

Edited May 11, 2021 by BritManToo

[bangon04]

6 hours ago, khunjeff said:

They've cut back the hours of all the banks during this semi-lockdown, but people still have to get their business done, so more folks crowding into a shorter time frame...

Perfect logic to help with social distancing.....

[ThailandRyan]

Had a grab rider show up today to deliver food at the condo I live at here in Bangkok.  The foreigner trying to get his food only had cash and the grab rider would not take it.  The exchange was in broken English, but the gist was that many of the riders including him will only take a bank transfer as cash is dirty and possibly contaminated with Covid.  The foreigner, from the Ukraine, asked for my assistance since he did not have his phone with him to make the bank transfer.  He put the cash in my bag I was carrying and I transferred the amount to the rider.  I told the rider they were being smart.  After getting up to my unit, I dropped the cash in the same Dettol laced water we drop our masks into so it was sanitized, of course the bag I had also went into the tub as well. 

 

A few locations around us are also going cashless and utilizing the QR code scan and transfer, like the Starbucks at the Q house and a few others.  Maybe the bank rush was to get clean cash, but then who knows.  Have a friend whos Thai GF working at SCB that tested positive and is now in the hospital, and he is awaiting his test results been 2 days already.  He tested on Sunday afternoon.

[Bradmeister]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Had a grab rider show up today to deliver food at the condo I live at here in Bangkok.  The foreigner trying to get his food only had cash and the grab rider would not take it.  The exchange was in broken English, but the gist was that many of the riders including him will only take a bank transfer as cash is dirty and possibly contaminated with Covid.  The foreigner, from the Ukraine, asked for my assistance since he did not have his phone with him to make the bank transfer.  He put the cash in my bag I was carrying and I transferred the amount to the rider.  I told the rider they were being smart.  After getting up to my unit, I dropped the cash in the same Dettol laced water we drop our masks into so it was sanitized, of course the bag I had also went into the tub as well. 

 

A few locations around us are also going cashless and utilizing the QR code scan and transfer, like the Starbucks at the Q house and a few others.  Maybe the bank rush was to get clean cash, but then who knows.  Have a friend whos Thai GF working at SCB that tested positive and is now in the hospital, and he is awaiting his test results been 2 days already.  He tested on Sunday afternoon.

The Foreigners trying to get his food?  How about a man or a woman.... or is that too much of a concept? 

 

You personally verified through DNA, or Documentation they were not humans but Foreigners!? 

 

For all anyone knows, they were born here and raised elsewhere. Ever think of that? Or you just assumed? 

[ThailandRyan]

3 hours ago, Bradmeister said:

The Foreigners trying to get his food?  How about a man or a woman.... or is that too much of a concept? 

 

You personally verified through DNA, or Documentation they were not humans but Foreigners!? 

 

For all anyone knows, they were born here and raised elsewhere. Ever think of that? Or you just assumed? 

Did you not read he is from the Ukraine.  If he was Thai I would have said so ......

[Sydebolle]

Cutting the public business hours, combine it with this endless list of public holidays and the result is a total mess. 

The public customer base has operational needs which, in many cases, are diametral to the party you are dealing with. Result is to plan your end and to resort, whenever possible to non-contact dealings like internet banking etc.

Latter has the tremendous advantage that you do not have to deal with those heartless robots of some staff at bank counters, copies and signatures to no end and a dual-treatment in identification; Thais ID or driving license OK, Alien need to show up with passport. 

And, trust me, the modus operandi will get worse ...... regretfully! 

[brianthainess]

16 hours ago, rickudon said:

I gave up using banks in malls over a year ago. Long queues, reluctant to do counter withdrawals, do not want to open new bank accounts for farang. The main branch i use has its own carpark, opens early, and i am in and out in 5 minutes with my counter withdrawal done smoothly and fee free.

It amazes me that some banks are reluctant for new customers in this pandemic if your not Thai. Why Is That ?? 

[NoshowJones]

On 5/10/2021 at 11:01 PM, flyingsaucersarereal said:

Yeah it is hard to remember all the holidays. Last weekend was a long holiday. Seems like every week there is a holiday! 

Apart from at the moment, the long school holidays, it is almost impossible to have a full school week without either some holiday or full days doing stage shows, marches and sports.

No wonder so many Thais are poorly educated.

[rickudon]

3 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

It amazes me that some banks are reluctant for new customers in this pandemic if your not Thai. Why Is That ?? 

Well, my bad experiences were pre-pandemic, but a mixture of fears about money laundering and reporting requirements on foreigners bank accounts, which results in over the top documentation requirements (therefore extra work), not actually knowing how to do things and sheer greed.

 

Last bank account i opened took 3 visits, 2 hours filling in forms and providing documents and a thai guarantor ( not the wife).  The ridiculous thing was that i already had one account with them! In the UK opening a new account takes 5 minutes and can usually be done online. Same branch said they couldn't do counter withdrawals on my credit card. 2 other banks at the same mall wouldn't do either (for free).

 

Part of the problem is also that Thai banks operate more like a cartel - they do not seem to really compete very much with one another.

[ExpatOne]

Welcome to Thailand. Enjoy your stay. 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 5/12/2021 at 6:22 AM, Sydebolle said:

combine it with this endless list of public holidays

24 days this year, hardly an endless list.   You've got 341 other days in the year when the banks are open for you.

 

 Doesn't compare too badly with the US on 19 days.

[Sydebolle]

10 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

24 days this year, hardly an endless list.   You've got 341 other days in the year when the banks are open for you.

 

 Doesn't compare too badly with the US on 19 days.

Well, you're not in business quite obviously. 24 days plus weekends (105 days a year), given the shortened business hours and the tremendous bureaucracy haunting this country ......... As an i.e. restaurant you need change for customers; you see the bank twice, three times a week. In some cases "finit" or "no hab" so its the next bank branch and no, commercial enterprises do not use supermarket branches if they can avoid them as they are usually more than over busy on a weekend, holiday or outside the "official banking hours". 

Your relevance to the US is ...... irrelevant; we are talking Thailand domestics here ????