two different visa agencies are telling him this, surprised me. He entered country on 60 day waiver, then the visa he'd applied for was sent. He has res cert, phone, and was turned away by 2 banks so far. I love Thailand! Never a dull moment!
over 100 countries offer a visa waiver of 30 or 60 days, plus you can extend for another 30 for 1900 baht. you don't need to do anything other than the new tdac thing, which you should fill out online 3 days prior to your trip.