Proffesor

Seasons Greetings to all. Many thanks to Bazle for this ( and many previous ) referal(s). I'm not one to blow my own trumpet. We do not ( never have ) advertise(d) - we survive on Reputation and Word-of-Mouth and have remained consistently busy enough throughout Covid, so must be doing something right. The staff have gone back to their villages for New Year, hopefully returning to work on the 4th January. If there is anything that you think we might be able to assist with, please get in touch. I'm happy to meet with you during this holiday period to discuss how we might be able to help. Might I take this opportunity to reiterate " We do not Quote for work". Having worked in Thailand for many years, I've learnt that rarely is something as it appears to be ! We often get into a job and find underlying issues that need attention. Rather than Quote a price, taking into account every imaginable scenario that we might have to "fix" in order to complete the Project - which would make us appear ridiculously expensive, we work on a Cost + 20% basis. The labour rates of various staff are declared up-front. We purchase the materials required to undertake the job to a better than adequate standard. The expenditure is tracked on a Tally Sheet ( Excell ) a 20% margin is added to the Net Total, to calculate the Gross Total - which is the Invoice value. If the job goes well, you get value for money; if we hit snags, they are documented and discussed with the client before we fix them ( properly ) and complete the Project. It costs you more, but you know it's been done properly. Should you change your mind as regards the direction or scope of the original Project, we can change course mid-way and you continue to pay " what it costs" ( and a 20% margin ). I wish you all a Happy, and Healthy, New Year.

I asked many years ago, about having a back-up gas stove ( the small camping type, with an aerosol type gas cannister ) in Park Royal 3 Condo ( Pratamnak ). I was told ( from what I can remember ) :- 1) Only 1 stove 2) No spare Gas 3) Stove to be kept ( and used ) only on the balcony 4) Letter of indemnity required from my Insurer to the Juristic Manager, Stating that my insurer accepted the entire Fire Risk ( for the entire Condo ) in the event of a) My Gas Stove causing a fire b) My Gas canister exacerbating a fire that started outwith my condo & balcony. Suffice to say, I decided it was probably not a good idea, and didn't pursue the matter. In the event of a power cut, there are plenty of places, usually within a very short walk, that you could buy food; so no big deal, really.

I use NordVPN. It suits me. Can turn it on & off if I need to ( Lazada won't work with it ) and can select which host server I want to route through - usually Singapore. The settings menu offers more options than I can understand. Best of luck . . .

I'm a comparative Newbie here. Have met a few of you on the 2 recent bar crawls. A couple of you have expressed interest in "what we do", so with Frosties consent, I'm posting this as an introduction. My (Thai ) wife and I have a small Company ( Engineering & Property Services Co Ltd ) based here in the Darkside. I'm an Engineer to trade, so have a reasonable understanding of how things "work". We have Thai staff ( as required to meet my Work Permit quota ), we have a Furniture Workshop / equipment store and we have trusted sub-contractors that cover all the trades that I can imagine you ever needing; which include :- Air Cons Glazing Ceramic Tiling Electrical Plumbing + water tanks, pumps et al I.T. Decorating - painting, papering etc. Curtains, blinds etc Granite & Marble ( and refinishing work ) Security safes Security doors Mild steel, stainless steel and aluminum fabrication Bespoke furniture General Building work Etc. etc All sub-contractors work under our ( my ) supervision. Where possible, we aim to provide a near European standard of work. We have been called out to replace a Bum Gun head. I've been employed as the Project Manager of a THB 35m+ house ( mansion ) build. These two jobs represent the two extremes thus far. Currently, we're upgrading the 2nd of 3 bathrooms in a ( Pattaya ) town house, due to start building some internal walls and replacement of old steel water pipes ( with PVC / PP-R ) in a 200 Sq.M Jomtien Condo renovation next week. Also in discussion regarding the revamping of a 3 storey shop-house bar in central Pattaya. We work on a straight forward "Cost + 20%". Labour day rates for various staff skill sets are declared up-front, as is my wife's and my day-rate. Quality materials are purchased at the best rate we can find. The work is done, the cost of materials and labour added-up, a 20% premium is applied ( Overheads, Profit Margin etc. ) and the total is what we ask you to pay. If the job goes well, you pay less. If we hit an unforeseen snag ( TiT ! ), we tell you, we fix it ( properly ) and you only pay what it costs ( + 20% ). The alternative is that you invite a contractor to Quote for the work; he Quotes for what he can see, + a huge contingency for what he can't see, but experience has led him to anticipate, + a profit margin. If the job goes well, you pay through the nose and he makes a killing. If the job goes badly, he has the option of covering-up any problems and walking away with a small profit, or doing it properly and making a loss . . . . unfortunately, the latter doesn't often happen. You will find cheaper than us, but I would like to think that, although more expensive, at the end of the day, we provide Value for Money. So, if you think we might be able to help, please give me a shout. Steve ( a.k.a. Proffesor ) 08221 68865 epspattaya@gmail.com

Fantastic display of social distancing . . . .

TransferWise have the option of a "Borderless Account", which is what I have. It allows you to transfer funds in, to hold on Deposit. You can then opt to transfer those funds into another denomination. I believe Funds can be transferred out in any denomination, but I've always sent THB to my Thai Bank Account. The "cost" of transfers, both "in" and "out" are clearly stated, and are low compared with other International Currency Exchanges.

I was referring to the time it takes for funds already lodged in my TransferWise account ( in THB ) to transfer to my Thai Bank Account. Yes, instigating a Transfer of GBP in a UK account, direct to a Thai Bank Account ( arriving as THB ) can take longer.

I use TransferWise, both to move money, exchange money and hold money. My U.K. state Pension is paid into the TransferWise account in GBP. When I "like" the exchange rate, I change it within TransferWise, from GBP > THB. Because I work in Thailand ( I have a Work Permit ) I am subject to inspection / audit by the Thai authorities. If I transfer funds remitted "this year" into Thailand, this same year, they are subject to tax. However, if I transfer funds into Thailand in, say, January, that were remitted the previous year, those funds are tax exempt - so that is what I strive to do. Should I have a financial crisis, I am able to access ( transfer ) THB from TransferWise direct to either Kasikorn or Bangkok bank accounts as a "bail out" - but Thai tax may then be due. Such a transfer typically takes just a minute or two to arrive, although I have read reports of it taking longer if over a week-end or Bank holiday.

In my ( unqualified ) opinion, it will be Easter of 2021 before any degree of "normality" returns. Even then, I suspect the definition of "normality" will need to be re-written.