What happens if you are denied entry into Thailand on a visa exempt?

I just wanted to share my experience at Bangkok Airport intending to enter on a visa exempt recently. I am a British citizen and had a number of stamps in my passport for Thailand already so I knew it was a risk coming in again but my experience was an absolute ordeal. I arrived at 2pm.

The immigration officer asked me to go to another area and wait. They took my passport and I had to wait in a small area cordoned off with a load of other people for several hours. I was then interviewed by another immigration officer who told me that I would need to apply for a DTV or retirement visa to come back in as I have entered the country too many times on a tourist visa and visa on arrival, so they have decided to deny me entry.

Several hours later we were all taken downstairs being told to wait in a corridor. By 8pm I was shown a paper stating that I was refused entry to the country.

We were then taken to an area near domestic departures of the airport where there were seats, a toilet opposite and water fountain. I was told to stay there until the airline I came in on instructed me further. We were all kept there overnight with no communication, no food; much later discovering that security can get us food if we give them the money. The security at night were rude, dismissive and treated us with disdain. I was really upset, afraid and stressed being a lone single female traveller. I tried to sleep on a few chairs and I had to pay for a blanket to try and sleep.

It wasn't until 9am the next day that someone approached me to tell me what flight back to the UK I must pay for. I was also instructed to give them 3,300 baht in cash only to pay for the security who watched over us all night.

Once paid, I was escorted to the departure gate for my flight and told to wait near the officer at the gate. I then had to follow a member of airport staff onto the plane with my passport given to cabin crew. Once landed at Heathrow I was escorted off the plane then finally allowed my passport back.

It was such a traumatic ordeal I never want to experience that again.

I am not posting this for sympathy etc. and I fully understand that I should have obtained a longer term visa to stay there as long as I did. I just wanted to share my experience for others who have no knowledge (like I didn't) of what happens when you are denied entry.

NEVER AGAIN 😵