Edited by Mod Team

Whats funny is there does not seem to be a definitive price! We have quotes of 10,20,40 and finally 156 baht!
Imagine all the flak that would happen if you went for your yearly visa extension and the price was different everytime?
I love the ''don't worry about it'' answer given for ''a'' reason
I just imagine the conversation with the clerk to be something like''next time don't give a receipt''!''If you think they are stupid enough to pay so much,they will not require a receipt and if they insist,tell them to come back another time for it!''

STAN, we think alike, that's basically what I said to the TW when the Udon lady (should have got her name) and the clerk went into a room together....

I'm sure there is a set down price and I'm equally sure its 10 or 20bht but well, 156bht finished the problem and we walked away with the right end product.

Apologies if I upset you saboo but you really should read each post before responding,

Edited by Udonmap Mod Team

Mod team, quick off the mark this morning, thank you.

John

Well what a strange tale this is. Which in its conclusion seems to reveal a government officer at Amphoe Kudjap was "on the make" There are several things I personally find disquieting which don,t seem to fit the normal picture of the way Amphoe offices work.
In the first post you say your wife came home with a non headed bill for 1,800bht, but a day later she told you it could be reduced to 1,000bht if "she took two employees out to lunch" Presuming the first bill was itemised and not just 1,800bht written on a plain piece of paper, I would like to ask. Was the discounted offer stated as well? Also why weren,t you told of this when your good lady mentioned the first figure?Not the next day, according to your second post.I make no conclusions on this, other than to say. I would be very worried if my wife hadn,t told me the whole story in the first instance.
The second thing I find strange.You went to see a lady in Udon Amphoe, who came all the way out to Kudjap to sort this out?Each Amphoe office is a separate entity from the others, each with their own Nai Amphoe(Boss) who in turn has a deputy. I find it strange that the helpful Udon lady didn,t just ring her and sort this out on the phone, which would be the normal inter office thing to do.No she travelled all the way to Kudjap herself?
As well as the inconvienence and expense, by doing so she was treading on presumably a more senior colleagues territory with the resultant loss of face for Nai Amphoe Kudjap.She could alternatively have issued the new ID from her own office, much easier, I would have thought.
You have now got a receipt for the 156bht you paid. It would be interesting to see how this figure was arrived at, it will be itemised, bearing in mind that other posters have indicated its free. ( the 20bht is a normal charge for lamination)As I said previously , I make no conclusions or accusations,
my only interest is in a govt employee who, on the face of it, is crooked, or is being presented as such.

Val,
In the first instance my wife came home with a bill for a service, but she DIDN'T return with the new card due to the cost. When she was given a price she questioned it, she asked for a bill then walked away, this bill was written on a, what looked like, page from an off the counter invoice book, the sort of thing you get in a restuarant. This was not itemised and merely said, and I had this translated by 3 different persons, "fee for ID card". This doesn't mean I do not trust my wifes translation, I had it looked at by 2 others in conversation...

Of course the discounted rate was not on the bill/quote, I think that was rather a stupid remark to make.

Apparently my wife says she told me of the discounted rate when she arrived home the first time, I don't recall this but it is possible given my volcanic eruption when she gave me the bill/quote.

I have no clue how Thai governmental offices operate, and it really doesn't bother me either, but after speaking with the office here in Kudjap, getting nowhere, I asked to speak with someone in authority I was given a phone number in Udon to call and I duly did.....this is the lady I refer to.

I have her phone number still and if you like will call her and ask why she didn't just call the office in Kudjap to sort it out as you suggest................hey just a thought, maybe she fancied a drive out for the afternoon, I know I used to like to get out of the office every now and then when I could..........maybe also she did call ahead to say she was on the way, maybe she's the boss in charge of Udon, I called a number I was given and she told me she was the person to talk to and would sort it out. She could have been an Aunty of the clerk in Kudjap who works for the governemt in Udon, the final bill may have been 56 bht for the service and 100 bht for her petrol....... I don't know, it doesn't matter.

You obviously have a vast knowledge of how government offices work and who is the RIGHT person to go to with problems, perhaps I should have come to you instead of going to the Kudjap office.

Unfortunately the headed, officially stamped invoice also is a one liner. Basically states "cost of renewing ID card to house book......" well thats what they tell me....I'm also told you don't usually get an invoice for this service...

You state you "make no conclusions or accusations" but your writing gives the definite impression you feel I am lying or this posting is a total fabrication or I'm trying to dis a clerk in Kudjap.... I sincerely hope you are not........ nobody else has picked my posting to its bare bones, what would you expect me to write in future postings, indeed if I bother, a full minute by minute, word by word explanation..... I think not, maybe I'm not as skilled in writing as yourself, or as you feel yourself to be, this was merely a tale of woe, a request for information if known and the outcome.

Apologies if I upset you saboo but you really should read each post before responding,

Edited by Udonmap Mod Team[/quote]

"UPSET"....????? Glasgow kiss heading you way matey......

Saboo

Hi , sorry I don,t know your name. Thanks for your reply anyway. As I previously stated my only interest is in your posting which directly accuses an Amphoe employee of extortion, thats what it is. Whilst I am not stupid and realise that most government departments will gladly accept a "gift" to expedite a transaction, I have never known a direct extortion from either Thai or Farang by one. I think we have enough bashing the Thais on this forum, when in reality, in most cases , it is generally a misunderstanding on the part of the farang, either from not understanding or, which is more general, the inability of his lady to fully explain it to him.I am not implying either is the case with you, but the story was so far away from what I know to be normal procedure, specially with the losing face thing, that I just had to comment.
As to my "vast knowledge" I don,t think I know any more than most people can learn if they only took the trouble to find out. Thats why originally, when you asked, I posted about the govt advise centre in Chareonsri shopping centre, trying to be helpful.
From your reply it would appear you are sticking to your claim that the Amphoe employee was trying to extort money from your wife. Shame really, I was hoping it would all turn out to be a simple misunderstanding.

Saboo wrote:Apologies if I upset you saboo but you really should read each post before responding,

Edited by Udonmap Mod Team

"UPSET"....????? Glasgow kiss heading you way matey......

Saboo[/quote]


LOVL.............................................

Val, yes it does seem that way and I too feel it is a shame as in the 5+ yrs I've been in the Kudjap area this is the first time it has happened to me/us/my wife. I have never even been a victim of the 'one price for Thai, one for falang' rule out here.

If I have written anywhere I think this particular employee was extorting money from my wife, and I don't think I have, I shouldn't have as I don't know that for definite. My wife doesn't know that for definite either. All I can do is post the facts. When we went to the office together and when we met with the Udon lady we never once said 'this clerk is doing anything untoward', we merely questioned the cost.

My wife is not one to make up stories to condemn government employees or anyone for that matter and I beleive her implicitly. In the 8 years we have been together she has never once tried to deceive me regarding financial matters (no, I'm not saying you are implying that) and this is why I trust her with a joint account, ATM card and 2 joint credit cards.

As I say yes, it does look like the employee was 'trying it on' and it didn't work, we never got a full understanding of the reason for the high price and as I posted earlier were told not to worry about it, my wife said let it go, forget about it and I agreed with her.....it's over, forgotten and the wife has a new ID card.