OK, I'm all done bitching. This is for fun now.
Can I use a bank?
Well I thought I could so today I went to one to pay my credit card.
Here is a blow by blow account of what happened.
Drove car to Changwattana Road. My bank has a large branch there. I do not trust the small sub branches and have experienced nightmares nearly everytime I have used them.
Anyway, traffic was so so and I arrived after about 30 minutes in car.
Strike one.
I put my ATM card in the machine to check the balance.
It was all going fine and I got the please wait message. The balance didn't come up. I waited and waited. After what seemed an age my card came out with a timed out message on the screen. I had a confused look on my face.
I tried again.
The same.
Now in UK I can just take my ATM card inside the bank and they transfer funds. I could pay my card off like this. However this is Thailand. I have been told on numerous occasions that payment must be in cash even though my credit card is with the same bank. I have to draw cash out then pay it back in same bank.
OK, I give up on the ATM card. I go back to my car and get my bank book. My plan is to update that in the machine next to the ATM one.
When I get back all 3 machines are out of order.
I go inside the bank and get told the computor has gone down and I have to go to another branch. Nearest one is about 20 minutes further up Changwattana in Central shopping mall.
OK, I'm still calm and decide that's good for me as I want to go in Marks and Sparks for some Tea bags anyway.
I drive to Cental and have a nightmare parking. For some reason they have blocked off all the lower levels and I end up on the top level. Great.
I walk down to the mall then take 4 different escalators until I reach my bank.
I put my book in. It spits it out. I try again. Bingo.
I'm feeling all happy until I check the balance.
My salary hasn't gone in.
Yes, it's finally got me. I'm a broken man. All that for nothing. I'm miles away from home as well.
I ring up the Bangkok branch of my works and get told in a giggling voice ' Oh sorry, we have new trainee she make mistake because you know Songkran have holiday?'
I just drive home......