What cheeses me off

[prozac]

The special levy in our case would have been $35,000. Others would pay more. $750,000 all up amongst 44 apartments. It was actually the manner in which they chose the apartments to repair that totally CMO. Of the 6 Management Committee at the time, 5 of them got theirs done. Only another 5 of the other 39 also had theirs done. There is no evidence as to their selection process other than a 2019 report in which our apartment was considered needing repair. They ignored it and did their own thing. In the 10 years there was not one meeting. It's all done by randomly chaotic emails. We are likely to go to the Magistrates Court next year to seek an independent review and manager. I was yelled at by the Corporate Management at the recent AGM for questioning the process. I am on the Management Committee now so I can see first hand what is happening. Nothing is happening. But at least I now have first hand evidence. There is one other person fighting for this, he is a legend and gets things done. He's already met with the relevant Minister. The MC hate him. Except me.

That is not a great deal in the scheme of things but I understand your questioning of their propriety. I am surprised that the strata body is permitted to borrow money on behalf of all lot owners and I wonder about the legality of doing so. In that instance I would have told them they can do what they want but I am borrowing my contribution from my bank and you will not charge me interest. The more I think about it the more I think it unusual.
15 yrs ago we needed to borrow $72,000 (our entitlement amount) when we updated the buildings in our complex at a cost of around $2.5m. We went to the bank and took out a loan. There was never a suggestion the BC could or would borrow the money.

 

[Pushka]

@puska how does that executive committee meet the requirements of a strata committee? Eg the strata manager ? We are in a very small strata of townhouses . We have tried a couple of times to get a renter representative on the committee but only had success one year.
We have had two special levies over twenty years or so. However we have fairly heavy quarterly payment to the capital works fund. Which has made it easier for the two big works we have had done
Son actually sold his investment property because of way too many special levies

It doesn't at all. But they have wedged themselves in. Quite a clique. We are hoping for an AGM ambush in a few weeks. Third time trying.

That is not a great deal in the scheme of things but I understand your questioning of their propriety. I am surprised that the strata body is permitted to borrow money on behalf of all lot owners and I wonder about the legality of doing so. In that instance I would have told them they can do what they want but I am borrowing my contribution from my bank and you will not charge me interest. The more I think about it the more I think it unusual.
15 yrs ago we needed to borrow $72,000 (our entitlement amount) when we updated the buildings in our complex at a cost of around $2.5m. We went to the bank and took out a loan. There was never a suggestion the BC could or would borrow the money.

There was an EGM. I only voted yes because the Community Manager said we would be uninsured. I presumed that meant the whole building. I found out later he was referring to the balcony issue only and not if there was a fire etc. Except we hadn't been insured for those balconies for years anyway. Scum.

 

[JohnK]

Saw a sign in one of the banks at Chiang Mai Central Airport Plaza yesterday

"Not opening for foreigners"

I guess you could understand what they mean but this scares me as this is part of the response to counteracting mules and money laundering for gang call centres.

(This is a really poor solution especially for people who are trying to retire here or for those wanting long term visas. I've never heard of so many expat foreigners wanting to move their money out of Thailand. There is zero trust. Imagine having your bank account frozen and no access to cash and no idea when bank account will be unfrozen.

 

[mrsterryn]

@Pushka that sounds dreadful for you . The committee members tend to be the same ones each year but I do have to say for all their faults our strata manager company (which was recently investigated) is decent. Each owner gets a yearly booklet of funds expended, funds that have come it, expected funds to be paid out in the next calendar year etc. Obviously it is an email attachment nowadays . Husband has only missed one year of being on the committee and that was cause he had a nap lol. Apart from that he is always on it. Husband is the typical old man who checks bits and pieces and is around when a tradesperson needs to attend to common property and is the contact person.

 

[MARTINE]

WCMO
Picasso Museum Malaga - ear piercing screaming child reverberates throughout level 2.

Next thing parents put her ON A SEAT and proceed to change nappy (of the brown variety ).

More screaming

FFS - take the kid out or at least use the change facilities all of 10m away. Clueless

 

[Pushka]

@Pushka that sounds dreadful for you . The committee members tend to be the same ones each year but I do have to say for all their faults our strata manager company (which was recently investigated) is decent. Each owner gets a yearly booklet of funds expended, funds that have come it, expected funds to be paid out in the next calendar year etc. Obviously it is an email attachment nowadays . Husband has only missed one year of being on the committee and that was cause he had a nap lol. Apart from that he is always on it. Husband is the typical old man who checks bits and pieces and is around when a tradesperson needs to attend to common property and is the contact person.

The irony for many years is that because it's on the other side of Adelaide, while I attended almost all AGM, I didn't think it fair I should go on the Commiiitee as reliability for me to attend meetings was very low. This was in 2011 pre internet meeting technology. Then in 2021 we moved there and this other 'agitator' also moved in and he was voted to Management Committee. He then told me that for over 10 years there has not been one meeting. Not one! Such information was never disclosed to anyone else.

 

[gty222]

Saw a sign in one of the banks at Chiang Mai Central Airport Plaza yesterday

"Not opening for foreigners"

I guess you could understand what they mean but this scares me as this is part of the response to counteracting mules and money laundering for gang call centres.

(This is a really poor solution especially for people who are trying to retire here or for those wanting long term visas. I've never heard of so many expat foreigners wanting to move their money out of Thailand. There is zero trust. Imagine having your bank account frozen and no access to cash and no idea when bank account will be unfrozen.

Bangkok Bank?

 

[Denali]

For all the BS Govt talk about helping people avoid being scammed why are so many of these fake AI ads allowed. I would have thought they would be super easy and fast to cancel but nothing is done about them.

AI Gina and Dick promising super fast profits

 

[JohnK]

I got bond cleaners to clean 1 bedroom apartment, $520 including $50 for changing day from Sunday to Monday.

On the day they asked for $200 to wash the walls and I got this down to $130 so $650 overall.

Really awful job. Walls not washed either. My stupidity paid cash. Did not pass inspection and real estate asked for kitchen reclean which was done. Wife and I there. Kitchen looked fine. Note very old kitchen and between bond cleaning and reclean they replaced carpets and blinds and workers left place in a mess and wife and I cleaned.

Fast forward 3 weeks and I've asked them about bond refund to which they apologised and said they are keeping $220 for kitchen clean. I specifically asked them to let me know if they were not happy with anything but they still went ahead without asking me.

I do not want to pay $220 to clean something that was already done. Right now I have nno choice and they've taken this out of the bond but I want refund of reclean without my permission. If not then go to RTA but I think they're powerless. Next option is QCAT?

 

[Hvr]

Can you just claim the bond yourself? Let the REA ask QCAT for the additional money. It's a scam they run.

 

[VPS]

For all the BS Govt talk about helping people avoid being scammed why are so many of these fake AI ads allowed. I would have thought they would be super easy and fast to cancel but nothing is done about them.

AI Gina and Dick promising super fast profits

View attachment 474272 View attachment 474304

This is a UK guy who is a bit like the Barefoot Investor but made a heap of money and is now advising people and gets really peeved when people say they saw his ad

 

[VPS]

Money taken out of my savings account on Friday 3rd for credit card payment and credit card is still saying pending. I maxed it out last month on car purchase and want to pay some more large bills.

It shouldn't take that long to clear

 

[markis10]

Money taken out of my savings account on Friday 3rd for credit card payment and credit card is still saying pending. I maxed it out last month on car purchase and want to pay some more large bills.

It shouldn't take that long to clear

It will if your bank HQ was on a public holiday yesterday BECS will clear it overnight tonight.

 

[VPS]

It will if your bank HQ was on a public holiday yesterday BECS will clear it overnight tonight.

I don't care - it shouldn't be that hard

 

[RooFlyer]

It will if your bank HQ was on a public holiday yesterday BECS will clear it overnight tonight.

Because Banks still have rooms full of hunched over, poorly paid tellers manually entering the ledgers into big hardbound volumes for every transaction.

Worse than what VPS experienced, I have an investment fund that when you do withdrawal it takes about six or seven business days to transact. So I don’t have the investment when I hit withdrawal but they do in some fluid pooled funds until they put it into my CMT account.

I’ve complained of course, but they simply say it’s in the T&Cs

 

[Cossie]

First time for everything... Cheesed off with amazon.....

Ordered a camera lens on Friday, expensive so it needs to be signed for. They said it would be next day delivery, so I was home much of the day. Hadn't been shipped by 10pm, so I decided to cancel it. Can't do, so sorry it has been shipped. Yeah, right, 5 minutes after I wanted to cancel.
Next day delivery, I'm not going to stay home all day. Of course missed call at 10:20 am. Where were you, I tried to deliver it, nobody home. OK, so I do actually have a life and was doing other things, bloody inconsiderate of me.
Maybe it will be later today, no luck by 8 pm, so decided to complain, I'm very "woke" so I like to do that.

Have you tried to escalate anything through amazon? Obviously they don't want to employ humans, one reason it is cheap and you get what you pay for.

Finally talked to a human after navigating endless pages of cough.

We are sorry, it will be delivered tomorrow. Can you guarantee a time so I make sure I am home, no can't do that.
Will you call me before delivery? no can't do that. If I miss it again, what happens? We will try the next day.

Sigh, lesson learnt, if it is expensive and needs a signature, be prepared to waste a day......

So, nothing yesterday, tracking shows it went back to the depot in Hume at 11:02 Sunday night. That is about 5 km from me. Phoned again, yes it will be delivered tomorrow, although I thought (unusual for me...) maybe because it is a public holiday here, that may cause issues.
Hung around all Sunday, nothing, sigh, called them last night, it will be delivered today.
Updated special requests to say we wouldn't be home in the morning. Called again, yes it will be delivered today, we have until 8pm, if not it will tomorrow, still showing as being at the depot since Sunday night.
Got an email from them, if it isn't delivered tomorrow, Wednesday, it will be put down as lost and I will be given a refund........ But I wanted it for this trip, as well as the data roaming sim for Europe that was with it.
I'm guessing I can buy it when I return, prices have dropped significantly on these lenses, new model possibly coming. It was $1000 off......

As an aside, we still don't have a working loom for our tow bar on the troc.The poor guys dealing with this here, hate to have their job. The lights all work and it connects to the ecu, but throws up a red light and warning message, more coding needed in Germany. They will have it for the next 4 weeks, hopefully it will be done buy then.
Absolutely no complaints about the guys here, as I said, i would hate to be doing that sort of stuff for a job. They have had a Skoda with the same issue which they haven't able to fix for getting on for 20 months....

 

[Flashback]

WCMO tonight is AMP Go App giving me an error when trying to add an account.

Contact their help and they assume user error, they ask me to provide them screen shots proving the method they say to use isn't working in the android app (noting that app security prevents screen shots) so I have to borrow my partners phone to take photos of my phone, upload to computer edit into a single file, send to them and then delete the pics off my partner phones.

They acknowledge the receipt of the file and that app is up to date but insist I uninstall and reinstall (the whole turn it on and off again bs).

After uninstalling and reinstalling app it is not good enough to log in with account, the 2FA sms code and my password from the device used to sign up, no app makes you take a video which has to be manually validated by a person against the video when you first signed up.

God knows how many days I will be waiting for that to happen - already been waiting an hour to try and get back into my account. There is no website, only app. Seems ridiculous that logging in via account, password and 2FA is not enough, why a 4th factor of video is needed is beyond me.

Think when I finally get back in i will just be transferring fuds out of the TXN account and closing; way too much palava for simple banking.

Sounds like AMP Go should be taken off my list for possible replacements for my Citibank/NAB account then....

I have had to change surgeries twice in the last 25 years or so and from memory both charged about $30 or $40 . Nowadays the bulk of husband's medical details are through the Health Government portal which I think makes it easier

Interesting, a few years ago I had my folks reach out to my GP back in Aus and at no cost they provided them with all records that they had (which were largely digitised, but not digital - if that makes sense).

My accountant practice. He's clearly shooting off our company and personal tax returns to a substandard junior.

We rented our apartment out from about 2011 then stopped in 2021 when we moved in. Last year We decided to move out and we will rent ourselves and put it back for renting 12 months ago. So we still have all the depreciation schedules from the build. Plus I added a ton more when we renovated when we moved in. Plus there's all the insurance, council, BC fees. We fully offset the loan so we don't pay interest. Provided all this data to the accountant in July. Along with rental income statement.

Got the returns back last week.

First. They have somehow changed our postal address to a place we rented over 25 years ago plus it was a different address to what they used from last year and which was also wrong. Where are they searching? We have always (over 25 years ) had the same PO Box and they have posted documents to that PO Box plus it's just two doors down from their office.

Second. They have completely missed any transactions (ie income and losses) regarding the Rental property. It simply does not exist in either of our tax returns.

We have used this accountancy practice for many years. But how I can trust them anymore? I have not heard back from the Principal other than 'I'll check'.

The same happens here. I keep jumping from accountant to accountant every few years now and eventually the same happens. Come in, get someone good, then eventually put onto the junior who is less up to speed than you are yourself. I'm considering just taking over my own affairs now, as the software (FreeAgent) bangs out all the forms anyway, with the details (which I provide as input......).

 

[Flashback]

So, nothing yesterday, tracking shows it went back to the depot in Hume at 11:02 Sunday night. That is about 5 km from me. Phoned again, yes it will be delivered tomorrow, although I thought (unusual for me...) maybe because it is a public holiday here, that may cause issues.
Hung around all Sunday, nothing, sigh, called them last night, it will be delivered today.
Updated special requests to say we wouldn't be home in the morning. Called again, yes it will be delivered today, we have until 8pm, if not it will tomorrow, still showing as being at the depot since Sunday night.
Got an email from them, if it isn't delivered tomorrow, Wednesday, it will be put down as lost and I will be given a refund........ But I wanted it for this trip, as well as the data roaming sim for Europe that was with it.
I'm guessing I can buy it when I return, prices have dropped significantly on these lenses, new model possibly coming. It was $1000 off......

As an aside, we still don't have a working loom for our tow bar on the troc.The poor guys dealing with this here, hate to have their job. The lights all work and it connects to the ecu, but throws up a red light and warning message, more coding needed in Germany. They will have it for the next 4 weeks, hopefully it will be done buy then.
Absolutely no complaints about the guys here, as I said, i would hate to be doing that sort of stuff for a job. They have had a Skoda with the same issue which they haven't able to fix for getting on for 20 months....

Wouldn't camera gear be cheaper on the continent i.e., buy it while over here?

 

[JohnK]

Fortunately they were finished before me. Left a 20 baht tip to be shared between the two. So 0.25 euro each. When I had finished I went over to apologise for the abuse they got and what a good job they did. At least it made them smile again .

You do realise that Thailand does not have a tipping culture? No tip at gas station, supermarket, hardware, lighting store, pharmac_, markets, pet store, bank, 7-Eleven etc.

But if you get overpriced nails done a tip is expected? Tip expected for massage as well? Or tip for haircut?

Went to restaurant as we usually do once per trip. Asked wife how much to tip and she said 40 baht but I gave 70 baht. Note service was good, food good and owners son came over to talk to us twice but that's reflected in the 1185 baht we paid for 3 of us.

I usually tip 20 baht at golf bar. Sometimes I give the girls 50 baht if Im happy with their attention although we did give band 100 baht, 50 baht and 50 baht again on Friday night.

I won killer pool 2 Thursdays ago and collected 2810 baht which included 200 baht buy in. I bought 10 staff a 140 baht "lady" drink each + a few extra "lady" drinks. My bar bill was around 2600 baht + 20 baht tip so just broke even but on way back to hotel wife and daughter sabotaged me so 2810 baht was added to girls shopping fund.

Don't ever be confused. Tipping in Thailand is not compulsory.

 

[RooFlyer]

You do realise that Thailand does not have a tipping culture? No tip at gas station, supermarket, hardware, lighting store, pharmac_, markets, pet store, bank, 7-Eleven etc.

Yet:

Went to restaurant as we usually do once per trip. Asked wife how much to tip and she said 40 baht but I gave 70 baht.

and

I usually tip 20 baht at golf bar