torrenova

Very very good. Thanks.

I had a few cashiers offer to put up deposits as they do in 7/11 and the like. Most thieving is down to piss poor management. The cashier knows the owner hasn't a grip on things and opportunity leads to temptation. Even a simple manual system with 5 way cross checking accountability shows staff that it is virtually impossible to scam down that route.

That may very well be the case but surely those numbers are based largely on the reselling of rights to the free to air and satellite / cable TV companies. No-one is going to make a statement to the stock exchange based on how much they can prize from a per actual TV scamming Bt10,000 selling the "rights" to bars in Pattaya and such like. True/UBC will have paid the lion's share I'll guess and that has been factored into their costs, which to my knowledge, has not raised the subscription package rates. What this scam is is to charge people again for non existent licenses when they those paying have already paid through their normal subscription (save for the domestic / business issue, which True have never really cared about). Is the Marriott paying Bt10,000 for all their 500 TVs ? I think not !

As stated, I want a Bangkok serviced apartment or short term condo rental. Kitchen facilities, washing machine, decently kitted out etc. No real budget but not Emporium at Bt200k plus a month, more likely in the 30-50k a month range. Location - hard to say, no need for mongers central but near a Carrefour / Tesco / Big C would be ideal.

So in the normal world, your tv provider bids for the license or buys the rights to broadcast the games whereas in Thailand someone did actually pay Bt25 or so for the Thai rights and then tries to extract Bt10,000 per TV, backed up by the BiB and anyone else on the bandwagon, seemingly Chang amongst others. So when Sky bid $50m (or whatever) for the rights, it is already priced into their subscription (not pay per view) and that is fine as they know roughly how many will subscribe and FIFA know roughly how much Sky will or can bid. However, in Thailand, apart from True/UBC and some peanuts from other broadcasters, there is no means of forecasting the take up and thus no way of pricing the package. The Bt10,000 is a very Thai "finger in the air" or rather "finger up the farang's bum" way of a fine rather than a disguised license. The other nice round number of Bt100,000 (so often quoted in Thailand) is just another piss take. Whichever way you wrap it up, it is simply another "fuck you arsehole" or the pigs will close your bar etc. mentality so often seen in Thailand. Now I wonder what happens with hotels and their commercial arrangement whereby they pay an extra circa Bt500 per month for additional cable outlet ? Fuck it, fine them all !

A load of stuff never makes it out of that post office but I'm not sure why post cards would be nicked. Much better results even from Banglamung post office up in Naklua.

Under about 60sqm you are going to either be in a studio or having a very small bedroom and a consequently reduced living space. 48sqm for a studio is a nice size And how many rooms do you need ? My guess is a living room come kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom with just about everything over that being superfluous unless you have somehow grown another arse and can crap on more than one toilet at a time.

I think the OP is having a laugh as well and will never get near his asking price but your idea of sending it through customs could see it get stuck there for a millennium unless you hand over a king's ransom to Somchai and his friends. In any case, if someone is living in Thailand, you've got to be hard pushed to need a laptop in the first place (as a necessity, as opposed to a PC) and if you do, then buying a new one with an extended guarantee, such as the very well thought of 3 year guarantee from Acer, would be the only logical thing to do. Buying second hand would offer you diddly squat protection if it broke 5 minutes later and as such, you'd only be prepared to buy one at a very steep discount. Actually, a second hand one from a Thai retailer, bought from someone in Thailand is worth more money, as at least it could be repaired under guarantee.

If going to Snooky, can you not route through Malaysia or Singapore or elsewhere. Bangkok cannot surely be the only option.

No brainer, direct flight. Fucking around in the sandpit for hours each way to save EUR 75 each way, works out at about 10/15 EUR an hour, minus what you spend when stuck in the pit.

How can punctuality be a consideration for you when you are contemplating a massive layover to extend your journey to 19 hours ?

That would have been a result !

Driving down Pattaya Klang or along 3rd Road when the water is half a Thai deep, motorbikes are submerged and cars are spewing in water through every orifice, yeah, great to be in a truck !

There is a lot to be said for driving trucks in Thailand !

No issues, great pool but pricey. Now I know you don't have to buy their stuff but why bother stay there if you cannot have a few beers around the pool bar ? Bt200/300 after ++ taxes will be about right for a tin or draft of beer (no glass due to the pool). Usual Marriott pool happy hour from 4pm to 6pm is probably still on which lessens the pain (2 4 1). If you can get a rate which includes breakfast then great as it will hit you up around Bt650++ a day per person. You don't have to have it, but it is great if you can wangle it for less than the daily cost. Rooms high quality but rather small. Comfortable beds. I think the wing to the right of the pool is better, perhaps newer. Quite typical SE Asia Marriott and if you like Marriott, then you'll like it.

Drove everywhere at all times of day and night and was never pulled up in Pattaya or anywhere, even for nightime driving, though I had heard the rumours. My red plate was from up country, not even Pattaya. I was going to get a Bangkok plate as it was only a little more expensive but there was some delay and I just thought sod it, and got the regular plate.

Is that Bt4500 your car tax ? I know we paid Bt2000 deposit on the red plate which we got back from the garage when the white plate came through. You should have a log book which goes with the red plate and which lists all the vehicles it has been on over the years. I think you are supposed to keep that in the car as presumably you don't have a tax disk because they don't know what your registration will be.

Not a Jazz story but when we bought a truck the one we'd chosen and arranged to pick up on such and such a date just wasn't available. It turned out that someone had come in and wanted my truck and had paid over the odds for it. The Thai salesman sold it and then proceeded to lie to me and the missus with some bullshit story about Isuzu only producing brown trucks that week !

Put the old bat in a home.

Utter madness from the Broon buffoons.

So your mate has a couple of million a year ? so what ? Hardly Rockefeller is he ? A life balloon chasing on the one hand, lying to people to gain favour, whilst actually having some money in the bank, would appear to qualify him for the next vacancy up Soi 14. At least his friends will be able to chip in if his marriage fund or jolly boys outing to AC costs get the better of him. The main point is that 200k at age 42 might seem to you at age 58 like a king's ransom but it isn't. At age 42 you could reasonably expect to live for another 40 years or more. Unless your hero's 200k is inflation linked in some way, he'll be well fooked in 2050 when after 40 years of inflation (assumed 7%) his 200k a month is actually worth about Bt13,356 a month (200,000/(1+7%)^40) in today's money. On the other hand, a lady drink (currently Bt120) will cost Bt1800, a current Bt700 barfine will be over Bt10,000 and a muppet paying a current Bt2500 LT now will have to fork out around Bt37500 in 2050 for the pleasure !

And fleeing from justice after 1945 as well !

That's the cement mixer drink.

Ryanair said they were considering doing that. As for overhead bags, that is just stupid. For sure their is a weight but they don't kid any one when they'll let a 120kg guy pay $19.99 and then charge £39.99 for his 5kg bag. Checked luggage yes, but not carry on as you can hardly travel without it.

There are some fees on the statute books which are like Bt2 or something. Even a copy birth certificate came in at something like Bt14 or Bt16.