Credit card npt working in Thailand

We are on vacation in ****et Thailand and Bankok. Before we left South Africa notified the credit card devision of our traveling to Thailand. They assured us that the card will be open and that we will be able to use it. Now we have tried it on two pay points and both times it would not work on their paypoint machines. It does work when we draw money at the OTM in Thailand. Absa is about to crash our holiday due to incompetance. The big problem is there is no 24hr call center help line available, i have been told by a machine i must phone back during office hours - realy ABSA???? I am about to move all my accounts including my Absa bussiness accounts to Nedbank, standard or FNB. This service is unacceptable no wonder Brackleys is selling of their part of Absa. Can any one explain why there is no 24hr call center for issues like these??? Not a happy client.