Thread: F B I Real Estate, Udon Thani business closing

Alternative.
Open the best ever noodle shop of high quality.

That'll teach 'em.
Heh...

So, where's that Phd student and her expat survey?...

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Open the best ever noodle shop of high quality.

Forbidden for farang, even though I make the best Pad Seuo in Nan, heh!

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

And you believed that is the entire story?

Sorry guys, I am not buying it, but it doesn't really matter. They are closed.

Yeah....I believe there is much more to this story that is being omitted or slightly covered-up.

Have to agree ......

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

So, where's that Phd student and her expat survey?...

With all due respect to our lady Thai doctoral candidate, I believe she could delve deeper and farther afield as such disciplines apply to her esteemed research...

I think what has happened to Preben stinks .

It just stinks . And I wish he was left alone to run his business .

BUT --- Am I alone in thinking that there is something actually correct with the Thais banning foreigners from working and from owning land ?

If you are doing a job that a Thai can be doing then what's wrong with the Thais trying to take care of the Thais ?

I wish Brits automatically had preference over foreigners in their own country too !

Of course it does lead to difficulties . For example the problem of standards of work . We don't expect a Thai builder to be a patch on say an Aussie !!
And there are innumerable stories of desperate work standards in Thailand .


But in principle - why shouldn't the Thais take care of their own ? I wish we did the same in our own countries .

Repeating though ...... it is shit treatment that Preben seems to have received.



Wasp

Very fair assessment of the situation wasp. I think the Thais (and Laos) are really going to get even more protectionist of there labor markets even more so now with the introduction of ASEAN . ( combined with a sluggish economy )I don't think they really thought that one through. The Lao,s are starting to crack down on un documented Vietnamese and Chinese labour in the country and do make random checks on foreigners working on mining/ hydro projects etc, It is there country after all.

Originally Posted by Wasp

Thais banning foreigners.........from owning land ?

Foreigners can own land outright.

Perpetuating the myth [and most buying into it] isn't terribly wise.

Preben was a decent guy, and running a viable honest business, but because he pisssed of some other prospective competitor I assume they wanted him out.
(his daughter goes to the same school as mine)

Peterpan, I have not seen you post for some time now. Hope all is well.

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Foreigners can own land outright.

Where?

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Peterpan, I have not seen you post for some time now. Hope all is well.

yes, haven't heard from you for a while to Pete, let me know when your next visa run is and I can meet you at the bridge mate, make it easier than fooking around with the taxi mafia, you know how to contact me.

Originally Posted by Wasp

For example the problem of standards of work . We don't expect a Thai builder to be a patch on say an Aussie !!
And there are innumerable stories of desperate work standards in Thailand .

But what we expect and what we get are often very different things ... and stories are often ... well ... stories!

Originally Posted by JohnG

But what we expect and what we get are often very different things ... and stories are often ... well ... stories!

Not stories at all .

I've experienced terrible bodged and dangerous " couldnt-care-less work " .

( But the truth is I have seen it in England too . )

I just find it far more in Thailand.
There are lots of Threads showing that the Thais can do the basic donkey work though you still need to watch the work . But it's hard to get really good finishing done.



Wasp

It's disturbing when I read this
I am aiming to start a Buisness in Thailand and eventually retire
It seams a pipe dream to be honest since I have listened to the guys on TD

[quote=Wasp;3227222]

Originally Posted by JohnG

There are lots of Threads showing that the Thais can do the basic donkey work though you still need to watch the work . But it's hard to get really good finishing done.



Wasp

A young Thai couple started to build a house close to me about a year ago, the past 2 months they have been trying to get the house finished! They have fallen out with the builder due to quality of work, they keep trying to find somebody to get the place finished with little success!

Dane closes business in Thailand over visa issue

Danish expat businessman Preben Pretzmann, has been living in Thailand for 16 years. He established FBI Real Estate in Udon Thani when he came to Thailand in 2000 and has been directing it since. Now issues related to his visa is forcing him to close the business, he claims. According to Preben Pretzmann, the Immigration Offices has given no explanation to the problem.

According to Preben Pretzmann he has been battling to get a new business visa in place for one and a half year and every month they provided him with a visa only lasting for a few months or refused him.

Contacted by ScandAsia, the Immigration Offices in Udon Thani says they do not comment on individual cases, furthermore they asked ScandAsia to encourage Preben Pretzmann to “come by tomorrow with passport, papers and work permit.”

“But that’s what I’ve done the latest 14-15 months,” Preben Pretzmann comments.

The challenges started with a strange inquiry by a Detective from the Immigration Office, Preben Pretzmann says when he lays out his view on the case:

“He asked me to change my company sign which I have had for 16 years since the company opened. I found the request odd but followed it anyway. When he returned he wasn’t happy with the new sign either, so he asked me to change it once again. So I did. Once again he came back to register the changes but still he wasn’t satisfied. Now he suggested me to change the orange signature colour for FBI to blue, but I told him no”.

The strange situations continues, Preben Pretzmann says. When opening FBI 16 years ago, Preben Pretzmann did so with his back then Thai wife, which meant they could start up the company with only 1 million baht, according to Thai law. But this year the authorities were suspicious about it.

“Most companies start up with 2 million baht or so, so suddenly I had to do the same. Which meant I had to raise 1 million extra really quick, which I did,” Preben Pretzmann recalls.

Since then, the latest 14-15 months, Immigration and Labour Offices have kept Preben Pretzmann on hold with unclear bureaucratic, he says, demanding submissions and reports which he has never been ask for before. He delivers the papers, pays for 1 years business visa but only gets 1 months. At other times he gets a rejection from the office in Bangkok and must leave for Laos to get a new business visa lasting maximum 3 months, Preben Pretzmann recalls.

“This is not a sustainable way to run a company. When a customer asks to visit an estate in two weeks, I’ll have to say “yes okay, but I’m not sure, if I have a visa at that point” and that is not long lasting in the end”, he says. Finally he gave up. On the 29th February his business visa expired. He has now gotten a 3 month business visa from Vientiane, so he can close the company in a proper way, he says. He’ll stay in Undo Thani on a retirement visa in the future.

Tuesday 8th March Preben Pretzmann shared a statement on the companies website officially announcing that FBI was closed. The full length statement:



Dane closes business in Thailand over visa issue – ScandAsia

So why don't we all put 1000b a month into a kitty and fight these idiots at their own game
There has to be a man on TD everyone respects enough to be the banker
The rest is easy
Thais are fucked when it comes to international laws and humanitarian
It's simple really
We all know money talks and we could probably buy and sell the monkeys

So, maybe our Minister of Taxi Tourism, a happy chap named Prey-Youth, can bust some heads in that immigration office...

Come by tomorrow with your passport and papers, indeed...Change the sign colour from blue to green...Change your underwear...Fckin' numpties...

Time for another SWAT Team raid for justice...

Originally Posted by BaitongBoy

So, maybe our Minister of Taxi Tourism, a happy chap named Prey-Youth, can bust some heads in that immigration office...

Come by tomorrow with your passport and papers, indeed...Change the sign colour from blue to green...Change your underwear...Fckin' numpties...

Time for another SWAT Team raid for justice...

No idea what your talkin abou

You will never win nothing without money,greed,respect ,UNITY
And and psychotic fuck you simple psychopath etcs

^ WTF?...Heh...Come up for air and use your passport to wipe yer ass...Bingo...Good for another 30 days...

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

Yes, you should consider having a successful business in Thailand a pipe dream. Look closely at what happened to FBI. IF you are successful, the Thais will figure out a way to take it away from you.

very true rickchoppers a good read and a salutary tale of reality facing any wannabe business type investors into this box of frogs .

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

It is much better to have a consistant, livable income before moving to Thailand in the first place.

nearly correct ,, i would say it was better to have a consistant livable income and retire to a more sane .. less corrupt ... less intensely hot ......place with fewer hoops to jump through .......you never know here how and where the goalposts are going to be moved to next


there is talk going around ........yes i know its only talk @ the moment about doubling the retirement visa fund ........ ( IF ) and thats a big IF but who knows ?? can you trust em ?

remains a great place to visit ............needs a huge leap of faith now to sink money in and retire here

^
If you are a single person and have to rely only on a retirement visa, there is some truth to what you say. I am married and have a five year old son, so I have several options for obtaining a visa which is much better than only one option.

As far as weather, government and environment goes, that is a personal choice. I have been coming to Thailand since 1985 and it really hasn't changed all that much with regard to weather. As far as the government goes, it has changed many times, but the overall impact on my life is minimal.

Thailand has a much better infrastructure and healthcare system than many other countries I researched. I feel I made the right decision for myself when it comes to a place to retire, but it is definitely not for everyone.

Well said rickchoppers, I agree, if the limit is raised normally all existing extension holders are given grandfather rights and their amount is fixed at the old level.just don't let it lapse.