As a long term member of the group. I am an expat living in Thailand for the last 7 years, been married for 28 years and first visited Thailand in 1989.
I introduce myself in this way because I am an open book and use my real name.
As a member of this group I have got so much value from it in educating myself in so many aspects of Thai life. I have also recommend it to dozens of my friends who have also got great advice and value from it.
I understand that the group was bought by a visa agency a few months ago. After that I read that the intension of the new owners was to keep the group as it was and maybe even improve it by adding a different perspective.
Recently I have seen a distinct change where moderators are pushing the use of Visa Agents when in my opinion that was not the correct option.
Would it be possible for the moderators and admins to introduce themselves? If possible also declare if they will gain personaly or professionaly if members of this group use an agent.
TLDR : Answer Summary
A long-term expat raises concerns about the group’s shift towards recommending visa agents after it was acquired by a visa agency. Current moderators clarify that they operate independently without personal or financial gain from promoting agents. They explain instances where recommending agents is appropriate due to complex visa situations while emphasizing that their primary goal is to offer accurate and helpful guidance to members. Several commenters back the moderators' stance, stating that the group does not push agents and remains focused on providing valuable support to expats.
