Frans Amsterdam: Just another morning
Ning was just in one this morning song thaew burst, or my tablet started beeping frequently. No, not Ning, but an old acquaintance, who also knew that I had been spotted in Pattaya again. (My sweatband still works wonders.)
She is currently at home, in the Isaan, and of course asked how darling is doing today, let me know that she misses me very much, would like to come to Pattaya to see me again, but yes, also very sad because no pennies to flying here of course. Inconsolably sad.
Now it is not my habit to sponsor Thai ladies by boosting the credit in their bank account, and I would not like to give a living to the people who have had bad experiences.
But in this case, of course, it is very different and that will certainly not happen to me. Yes, I've heard people say that before. So you're in a dilemma. On the other hand, worst case scenario, she takes my baht off her bill and just doesn't show up.
Virtual kisses
Would I be very unhappy then? Well, that's not too bad, and she can certainly use the money, after all, with the little one. And I have sent her on the road with more money when she thought she could buy tickets for the ultimately untraceable Vimantaytalai, after which I got everything back the next day.
So after some deliberation I sent a message back that I was willing to pay for the trip for her, at least the flight Ubon Ratchathani – Don Mueang vv Don Mueang is the old airport of Bangkok, which was opened almost immediately after the opening of the new airport, Suvarnabhumi, has reopened for domestic flights, due to capacity problems at the new airport. From Don Mueang she has to take a bus to Pattaya, I think a taxi is a bit of a waste of money.
The virtual kisses flew over the internet when she read this, only we were left with the problem of how to get the money into her account. She had never heard of an IBAN number (especially very handy for international payments, my bank told me) so telebanking was not an option. And in the Netherlands you have to thank the bank on your knees if you are allowed to deposit your own money into your own account, let alone someone else's. So I wanted to start worrying about this. And that is the biggest mistake you can make here.
Lesson 1: Absolutely never worry about anything in Thailand
Most things happen naturally here, and if they don't happen naturally, they will happen anyway. So moments later, armed with only a screenshot of an account number, I sauntered over to a bank branch across the street. If they could help me deposit some cash baht into a Thai account.
- Yes. If I knew an account number.
- Sure.
- Was that meant for Miss, shall I say, Jannie Jansen?
- Yes, that was right. Well, then it was settled. And when would the money be in her account?
- Immediately.
- And how much was charged for this?
- Nothing, thank you and have a nice day.
- Also good morning.
What a wonderful country it is.
– Reposted message, in memory of Frans Amsterdam who passed away in April 2018 –
keep posting, French. 🙂
Banking in Thailand is a relief compared to the Netherlands.
The helpfulness of the staff has always amazed me.
Transferring or paying is a piece of cake. You can do this in a branch, use the atm for the transfer, the 7/11 for a bill that needs to be paid.
You can even do that in the BigC.
The huge amount of ATMs. Is 1 empty or malfunctioning? Then the next. Deposit money? In the office or in the deposit machine. Account statements? Just your passbook in the vending machine. Has your pass gone or been stolen? Just get a new one. Cost 100 Baht. Nothing no hassle. For me a relief compared to the rigidity of the sns and ing.
Can Dutch banks learn something from this?
Dutch banks are 10 times easier.
Here you must first add a bank account before you can transfer money.
if you want to transfer money to another bank it costs 25 baht each time.
also after 5 times on the same couch.
withdrawing money from another bank also costs money.
debit cards from Dutch bank accounts cost a minimum of 150 baht
Dutch banks provide a tan list or send a code via text message.
Transferring money from Huer to the Netherlands is quite a problem.
You need many signatures for that. No, give me a Dutch bank.
And nowhere do people speak English on the benches.
And if you have lost your PIN, you must request a new card.
That is not the case in the Netherlands either. Everything is clear at Dutch banks. Saving and investing too.
Here you only see pre-money to borrow. And you can't do that if you don't have a yellow book.
So Thai banks are not that great
That's pretty much what you say. Try to get your money back at a Thai bank if you are the victim of skimming. No problem in the Netherlands.
As JC said:
Every advantage has its disadvantage and vice versa.
So unfortunately it is not yet 100% in both countries.
But the smile in the Thai banks is provided with a more pleasant packaging
Cor Verkerk
@Frans: You could also have booked a ticket for her yourself and emailed the details.
In this case it was familiar I understand, but in other cases at least you know for sure that your money is not used for anything else.
Compared to Thailand (and other countries in the world), the banks in the Netherlands are in a poignantly bad state. The only thing that is still being used in the Netherlands is "an earnings model" for the smallest and most ordinary banking matters.
Customer friendliness, service, technology, everything is at a high level in Thailand. As a customer in the Netherlands, you can only dream of that. You will also not be robbed as much here as in the Netherlands. Almost all service is free or very cheap. Transferring money on the weekend? Just gets processed without stealing extra currency days.
Paying via an ATM, never heard of it in the Netherlands. Balance on questions via atm competitor, never heard of it in the Netherlands.
Stepping into a bank in Thailand is fun! For starters, even at the smallest branches, the door is (usually) held open for you by security. Then you enter and you are welcomed by many cheerful looking people. An appointment is not necessary, there is always an advisor available to help. Come for that in the Netherlands! You have to look for people there and without an appointment you will not get anywhere! Even to withdraw your own money – above a certain limit – you now have to make an appointment in the Netherlands!
And then the salaries! The credo “pay a lot” used in the Netherlands for everything and always, otherwise the “toppers” will go to the competitor in America, is not (yet) used here to enrich oneself or to condone the backward salaries. A manager of a large branch in Thailand earns about 3.750 euros per month. In the Netherlands, an average middle management employee no longer gets out of bed for this, let alone a branch manager!
In short, the Dutch (Western) banks can still learn a lot here!
When I opened an account in Thailand in 1996,
was i a tourist here – no problem .
One day I had to have a few million in cash – no problem
do not think that this is possible in the Netherlands