Bank of Ayudhya, they really are that stupid!

[clive]

Please, nobody ever tell me again that the Thai people are not stupid and greedy, it is lack of education. What a pile of S***e. Classic example of stupidity and greed today in the Bank of Ayudhya.
I have mislaid my pass book and I need to do a transfer from my personal account into an account in the same bank. I have banked with this bank for 4 years, they hold all my bank accounts and I have a credit card & a debit card from them. I have my passport with me and they have a copy of my signature because I am in my branch.
"No, you cannot do the transfer without the book because we cannot confirm your identity". Please remember that statement, we cannot confirm who you are, but I have my passport and you have a copy of my signature I reply. "No, we cannot complete the transaction without the book because we cannot confirm your identity".
Ok what can we do? Easy they say, pay 50THB commission and we can issue you with a new book. But when says I? Right now they answer. Really but what good is that I say? "Because when you have a book we can confirm your identity and we can complete the transfer" they answer. But just a minute, 2 minutes ago you could not confirm my identity to complete the transfer but you say you can confirm my identity using those same documents to allow you to issue a new book from which I can complete my transfer in a couple of minutes? "Yes" they reply.
The moral of the story, Thailand is a country of money grabbing thieves who do not even have the intelligence to at least come up with a realistic story when they are robbing you blind. Like I keep telling them, you really unable to do anything for yourselves; you have even had to get an Englishman to run your country for you.

[Super Joe]

Another girlie tantrum. You people crack me up how such minor things bother you and how calling them thick and corrupt seems to make you feel better.
Try running a business here where you are routinely asked to put 20, 30 or 50k in an envelope before a simple task is carried out by the official. Then you can get upset and your head do a 'scanners'.

SJ

[dtaai-maai]

I have to agree that as 'tales of woe' go, this one doesn't rate very highly. Hidebound in bureaucracy, yes, but I doubt very much whether the princely sum of 50 baht wound up in the lady's purse. You want to transfer some money? You need your pass book. You've lost it? We can issue you with a new one for 50 baht. Now. "Oh, thank you very much."

Hope tomorrow's better for you, Clive!

[redzonerocker]

all that ranting over 50 baht
if you weren't stupid enough to lose your passbook, you wouldn't have had to pay for a new one.
a seriously harsh lesson learned there clive

[sandman67]

I dont see the connection between what you flag up and greed.

GREED is when you have enough, or even too much, and still want more. Ive yet to meet a Thai who earns more than me. Greed is exemplified by Thaksin.....how many Thais do you know in the same boat? My family and friends arent greedy. Moneygrubbing yes....but when you have little to start with that isnt a bad thing at all.

Thais aren't STUPID....they just are completely alien to the concept of individual thinking and responsibility.

And they CANT help it - their education system hammers all independance out of them, reinforced by cultural mores such as "Mai Pen Rai".

Thais do not have a word or concept for "responsibility"...the closest they have is "duty". One requires concoius action and decision, the other requires you to blindly follow orders from above.

So in this situation your bank desk attendant was following the rules, as they are trained to. Following them strictly to the letter, no matter how nonsensical they are. THAT is the Thai way.

Back home we call these people Jobsworths. Here they are model employees.

Like you this used to drive me crazy, especially when being lied to because the person was unwilling to think and act outside their little box.

BUT

they aint gonna change, not now, and unlikely ever.

Get used to it or move west mate.

[dtaai-maai]

A few weeks back, my ATM card kept getting rejected. Since I was using the ATM outside my bank (Thai Military Bank - that's another thing; I had to open an account there because that's the only bank my university will pay my salary into. Previously it was Ayutthaya, no choice there either) so I popped in and had a word with the nice lady at the enquiries desk.

Probably the magnetic strip, we concluded. She gave it a good wipe, and I tried again. No good. Had to get a new card (100 baht), after going home to get my pass book and passport. Tried the ATM again, but by this time it was completely out of action. So, probably nothing wrong with the original card at all...

Was I irritated? Yes.
Did I try and get my 100 baht back?

[crazy88]

Clive

In order to confirm your identity they need to run the passbook through the slider to access your account perhaps ? Could you have saved that energy you wasted today by atm transferring ? If not you needed a new passbook anyway .If any consolation I have lost one of my cards from the same bank and they want 100BT to replace .These robbing bastards want us to pay admin fees just because they have branches all over the country and atms and staff to pay and offices etc... Think I'll go back to lloyds 70 quid a month bank charges plus transfer fees and less interest ????

Crazy 88

[Super Joe]

Also, and this is fact as has come from Thais themselves, that there are many occassions where staff will make stuff up deliberately not to do something that they can easily do JUST TO PURPOSELY give the runaround and pee off some high and mighty snotty farang who is shouting his little head off at them because he thinks he is of much higher status in life and far far clevererererer.
I agree with this kind of action by the Thais, good on 'em, som num na arrogant farang pr***.

SJ

PS: Not saying for one minute the above applies to this case, if it's the Clive I know (nice bloke having a bad day), it's definately not the case.

[Fatty]

No, I think you are rather stupid, grow up or clear off back to a simpler life

[johnnyk]

Get over it.
I've encountered burocratic stupidity in many countries. It's a high art in France trust me.

[STEVE G]

I think the most infuriating banking I’ve ever come across was in Spain some years ago where every transaction involved queuing once to see a staff member and then again to see a cashier.
Periodically either one or the other of them would calmly wander off to the back of the bank to take a leisurely coffee break whilst you stood in the queue with nothing happening for twenty minutes.

[andy778]

I dont see the connection between what you flag up and greed.

GREED is when you have enough, or even too much, and still want more. Ive yet to meet a Thai who earns more than me. Greed is exemplified by Thaksin.....how many Thais do you know in the same boat? My family and friends arent greedy. Moneygrubbing yes....but when you have little to start with that isnt a bad thing at all.

Thais aren't STUPID....they just are completely alien to the concept of individual thinking and responsibility.

And they CANT help it - their education system hammers all independance out of them, reinforced by cultural mores such as "Mai Pen Rai".

Thais do not have a word or concept for "responsibility"...the closest they have is "duty". One requires concoius action and decision, the other requires you to blindly follow orders from above.

So in this situation your bank desk attendant was following the rules, as they are trained to. Following them strictly to the letter, no matter how nonsensical they are. THAT is the Thai way.

Back home we call these people Jobsworths. Here they are model employees.

Like you this used to drive me crazy, especially when being lied to because the person was unwilling to think and act outside their little box.

BUT

they aint gonna change, not now, and unlikely ever.

Get used to it or move west mate.

I think you're on to something here... And no, it won't change any time soon

[redzonerocker]

I think the most infuriating banking I’ve ever come across was in Spain some years ago where every transaction involved queuing once to see a staff member and then again to see a cashier.
Periodically either one or the other of them would calmly wander off to the back of the bank to take a leisurely coffee break whilst you stood in the queue with nothing happening for twenty minutes.

& i know you ain't joking steve

[miked]

Clive wrote
Like I keep telling them, you really unable to do anything for yourselves; you have even had to get an Englishman to run your country for you.


have you ever considered a career in the diplomatic service.?? perhaps with North Korea.??
the real moral of this story is don't lose your passbook.
miked

[charlesh]

An ATM outside market Village short changed me Bht1,000 a month back. You could here it go berko during the count and 1 of the notes was crumpled on receipt. Got the dear wife to also count - just to make sure - yes 1 k down.

I decided to report it to nearest branch - no good. Must go to main branch. Went back to machine to get Ser no. just in case. Noted the out of order screen flash. Good I thought. They will do their reconciliation later that day or when Tech. arrives.

Filled out paperwork at main branch 2 hours later. Waited 2 weeks. Returned to main branch and was told nothing wrong with machine and count OK. Why do they have security cameras then? I counted the money in clear view of same and paper receipt available!

I expect someone had a beer Chang on my dosh. Sic Vita !!