First of all the fees or charges, on their own, are irrelevant as they must be considered together with the exchange rate. My bank will transfer my money for free but I still get more if I use Wise as their exchange rate is superior.
My office is Nakhon Sawan and they're very good. My friend came to visit using a visa-exempt in February so my wife, as home owner, went to immigration and registered the TM30. My friend and I both went on a tour of Vietnam and I used a re-entry permit but he simply returned with a new visa-exempt. My wife went to immigration to ask if she needed to do another TM30 for us both. The senior IO said yes for my friend as he has returned using a new permission to stay and his old TM30 was cancelled when his last visa-exempt entry was cancelled (when he left the country). However, as I was still using my original permission to stay (marriage Ext) and had used a re-entry permit my TM 30 was not cancelled. As long as I returned to the same address it did not need to be done again.
They've delayed the entry gates for non-Thais twice but I think the online registration for vis-exempt entries will change that. They did say the online registration will now start in Dec/Jan
IATA supplies the airline with entry rules, which are displayed on their screens. If the check-in agent wrongly asks you for onward/return ticket proof when you have a visa, ask them to consult their supervisor, and the situation will be quickly resolved.