I love SCB, usually good service, occasionally brain dead teller, but usually it's ok
I like doing cash advance over there, no ATM fee and no limit per withdrawal if your VISA card allow it
anyway, I have been doing it a dozen of times, never a question asked. And then this week they are starting to make problems. It was a new VISA card, with a chip, so first they ask why I don't use ATM since it has chip (don't ask for the logic in that, just another Thai brain fart). I insist using the cash advance service since I want more than 20,000 THB. They proceed with the cash advance, everything is fine, and the transaction is approved. Then suddenly one of the overzealous supervisor, notice that the word "Debit" is under the VISA logo. She immediately stop the transaction and say we have to cancel transaction as they can't do Debit for Cash Advance. WTF ??? take note that they did the same transactions with another "debit" VISA card about hundred times before that. The transaction is approved so there is no "justification" to cancel the transaction. Just another bank staff brain fart.
I do a huge scandal in the bank like the farangs can do so well and drag the bank manager myself out of his chair in his office to explain his brain dead staff how to run a cash advance. I scream at the bank supervisor that she is an incompetent fool and should return to school or better, work at TESCO. She is not smiling, she is an ugly bitch anyway. I notice also the majority of the staff I know has changed, except the bank manager which I know well.
Anyway, they make phone calls to some "service center" and are told not to approve any "debit" VISA for cash advance. No justification, just old policies. Yet, they did the same transaction before and didn't bother to check. Another Thai logic. After a 15min negotiation, they decided to approve the transaction and so they did.
Conclusion: SCB is no longer a good place for cash advance, it might have to do with ATM fees or a need to stop farangs taking too much cash out, who the fuck knows, but I noticed a lot of confusion between bank staff regarding VISA, VISA Electron, and VISA Debit. Sometimes a clueless store clerk will refuse to take a VISA card if it has the word debit under the logo. Screaming and calling a supervisor usually solve the issue within minutes, but it's still a pain to deal with those idiot creatures. It really feels like you are in a zoo and you are negotiating with monkeys behind a cage after they stole something from you.
[End of Rant]
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