@Richard ********
Great question!
1. *SOME* agents are good, and some are not. We don't know which agents are good and which aren't good.
2. IF a person meets the requirements, getting the appropriate visa/ extension of stay is simple. If a person does not meet the requirements for the extension of stay or visa, then they shouldn't be applying for it.
3. Visa agents *MAY* (but *NOT* all) be used as a backdoor to bribe certain immigration offices to get the visa/ extension of stay illegally. IF the immigration officer is audited, *AND* if they are found to have made the visa/extension of stay using falsified paperwork, THEN the visa/ extension of stay will be retroactivity revoked, and the person is on overstay. Overstaying a visa/ extension of stay is a fine of 500THB a day, with a maximum fine of 20K THB, AND if overstayed by 90 days, a blacklist of one year.
4. Visa agents may make it more difficult to get actual, valid, extension of stays. It's very common that someone uses a visa agent to get a one year "volunteer visa" in someplace in Isan, and then they find a real job. Sadly, they can't cancel the extension of stay based on volunteering and also get the extension of stay based on employment (OF COURSE, this doesn't apply if you didn't use an agent).
5. There are already many Facebook groups out there that do discuss agents and refer people to agents. The people who started this group decided to make this group focused towards "self-help" and "no side discussions". We want to be different :)