It really depends on how long your trip is for. Anything under 6 months the exemption should be fine. Above 6 months they may start asking questions. At least less hassle with a dedicated paid visa. And indeed if you come regularly and qualify, go for DTV.
you can keep laughing and arguing if you like, but I can assure you i didn’t have to wait for my METV validity to expire before i got my DTV 😉 I also called the embassy in advance to verify 😘
Again, what you are saying is correct for long stay visas like ED, Retirement, marriage etc. Not for entry based short stay visas
with tourists visas yes you can. Long stay visas like ED, retirement, marriage etc is a different story. Tourist visa is only considered “live” when you have a active entry….
you simply exit Thailand and get a exit stamp = no active entry. You can now re-enter under a different visa to activate entry under said visa.
Other visas can be different and a “change of stay purpose “ may need to be submitted. Especially if not leaving the country. But thats for long stay visas, not multiple entry tourist type visas