Understanding Their View of Your $$$ Money $$$

[Guest]

Post deleted by DoxyBlue

[spirit_of_town_hall]

I agree it depends on what segment of society you are dealing with. When ever I have dealt with normal working Thais, granted the sums havent been huge its always been fair.

 

 

 

I dont think you can base your opinion of a country on your dealings with sex workers and visiting major tourist traps, as Zane appears to have done.

 

 

 

STH

[jp1]

No, this was a processing fee. The cost of the work involved is rightly charged to the applicant. Who else should pay for it, US taxpayers?

 

 

 

Do you really believe that this is fair practice?

 

 

 

How come that other nations do not keep the fee if the visa is rejected (Japan for instance)?

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

"At the end of the day, you're busted! You forgot Brunei!"

 

 

 

Damnation! Busted is correct. Somehow I must have mixed up Brunei with Israel (they both have an "i" at one end, and both have an "r" and an "e," so it was a natural mistake), but I knew there were three countries. I just found the site of the U.S. Consulate in Tel Aviv, and they say that dual nationals, of whom there there are many, don't need visas (of course), but the rest do.

 

 

 

But that still makes 3 Asian countries that are visa-free for the U.S., and Israel is still in Asia.

[Guest]

Post deleted by DoxyBlue

[iuytrede]

"No, this was a processing fee."

 

 

 

Yeah, as mentioned before, our way to fleece them is more sophisticated. And what beautiful words we invent to disguise the rip-off.

 

Next time you pay with a 1000 B bill and get change for 500 B consider the difference a processing fee. Banks charge a fee for changing money, why shoudn't a gogo bar? And don't forget there will be a surcharge after banking hours.

 

 

 

BTW the same US embassy uses a phone number where the caller has to pay 1 USD per minute (like the numbers used for telephone sex). For 1 USD per minute you get a computerized menu...

 

There is no other way for the general public to call them.

[Guest]

Conflicting statements.

 

 

 

In the West it is the rich and powerful (concert managers, famous artists - or in the case of visa fees the government)who fleece us.

 

In Thailand it is the poor (Isaan BG, street vendor).

 

Actually I rather have my money end up in the pockets of "Lek" and "Noi" than on the bank accounts of Kenneth Lay and Jeff Skilling.

 

 

 

===========

 

 

 

That's a good point. I wasn't thinking about who was getting my money, but the relevance of value.

 

 

 

I agree I'd rather help out the Lek's & Noi's of the world instead of the rich & powerful.

 

 

 

I joke w/my friends and say I'm on a good will mission by spreading my baht around Thailand.

 

 

 

 

[ThaiGirlLover]

But are "Lek" and "Noi" truely getting your money or is it actually ending up in their Thai boyfriends/husbands pockets to spend on ... ?

[pattaya127]

I think he meant 100$ for a processing fee is highway robbery, or worse than little rip-offs in LOS.

 

my point: this topic just has no end to it, everytime it's raised. I am with WW on it and i can think of worse countries to be ripped off in than LOS.

[Tiger Moth]

I have just been reading a book that many of you have read: "Culture Shock! Thailand" by Robert and Nanthapa Cooper.

 

 

 

The most striking fact for me, as ZaneMay suggested, is that much behavior that we experience with Bars, GoGos, BGs is actually normal behavior in the culture - even though we might feel we are being exploited in one way or another. By understanding that the behavior is part of the culture and not directed at us, we can then chose to accept it or react another way.

 

 

 

In my case, I think a better understanding will help me feel more comfortable and find my time in Thailand more enjoyable.