Electricity Nightmares

[womble]

I have closed my business for last two months and will be doing some building work before it is opened again. It was closed up and I went away on holiday. After being away for a month and a half I returned and went to turn the lights on, guess what no electric.

Ok so this should be as simple as going to pay bill and get it switched back on.

Not anymore, I have been told that I must pay 6000 baht for reconnection, they havn't taken my box away, and I have over 3 years perfect record of paying bills. That doesn't seem to matter. The other thing is with this new rule, when you are cut off the reconnection is based on a percentage of your average monthly bill. It seems the better a customer you are the more you pay?

I was also informed that they were discounting it for me so I was lucky, normally now it would be more than 10g, <deleted>???

There were other people there at the office moaning about this new rule, none of us have been warned, it seems very unfair.

It's just a way of them to take money off customers. If they had waited a long time for payment and had to send a team round to take away the box etc, I could expect a charge maybe not as steep as 6g, but a charge to put it back.

Anyone else have experiance with this new rule?

[cm-happy]

buy a commercial grade MG (Motor Generator) and "F" EGAT.

[kmart]

I have closed my business for last two months and will be doing some building work before it is opened again. It was closed up and I went away on holiday. After being away for a month and a half I returned and went to turn the lights on, guess what no electric.

Ok so this should be as simple as going to pay bill and get it switched back on.

Not anymore, I have been told that I must pay 6000 baht for reconnection, they havn't taken my box away, and I have over 3 years perfect record of paying bills. That doesn't seem to matter. The other thing is with this new rule, when you are cut off the reconnection is based on a percentage of your average monthly bill. It seems the better a customer you are the more you pay?

I was also informed that they were discounting it for me so I was lucky, normally now it would be more than 10g, <deleted>???

There were other people there at the office moaning about this new rule, none of us have been warned, it seems very unfair.

It's just a way of them to take money off customers. If they had waited a long time for payment and had to send a team round to take away the box etc, I could expect a charge maybe not as steep as 6g, but a charge to put it back.

Anyone else have experiance with this new rule?

Is this a new rule? I've been screwed by both telephone and electricity companies before, using the "re-connection" charge method.

[womble]

buy a commercial grade MG (Motor Generator) and "F" EGAT.

Wouldn't that cost a fortune?

Fuel is real expensive at the moment.

I paid 30 baht a litre today to fill my car.

[womble]

I have closed my business for last two months and will be doing some building work before it is opened again. It was closed up and I went away on holiday. After being away for a month and a half I returned and went to turn the lights on, guess what no electric.

Ok so this should be as simple as going to pay bill and get it switched back on.

Not anymore, I have been told that I must pay 6000 baht for reconnection, they havn't taken my box away, and I have over 3 years perfect record of paying bills. That doesn't seem to matter. The other thing is with this new rule, when you are cut off the reconnection is based on a percentage of your average monthly bill. It seems the better a customer you are the more you pay?

I was also informed that they were discounting it for me so I was lucky, normally now it would be more than 10g, <deleted>???

There were other people there at the office moaning about this new rule, none of us have been warned, it seems very unfair.

It's just a way of them to take money off customers. If they had waited a long time for payment and had to send a team round to take away the box etc, I could expect a charge maybe not as steep as 6g, but a charge to put it back.

Anyone else have experiance with this new rule?

Is this a new rule? I've been screwed by both telephone and electricity companies before, using the "re-connection" charge method.

It's not the reconnection charge thats new it's the amount of time they give you to settle old bills before they cut you off.

I was thinking about why they might have changed the goal posts, perhaps it's because of the deteriorating economy and the expectation that many people will start to forget to pay there bills.

Perhaps they are trying to cut down on future losses and the amount that customers will owe them.

[cmsally]

As far as I know costs 100Bt to reconnect tel.

not sure about elec.

Maybe get a friend of yours to call elec dept and ask them what standard fee is for reconnection and see what the answer is.

[GuestHouse]

Shocking!

[astral]

As you knew your business would be closed for 2 month why did you not pre-pay say 500baht

a month to keep the Electricity Co happy?

It seems like common sense to me?

By the way, have they read your meter and billed you?

Bills are often a month in arrears, so part of that 6000baht may simply

be settling unpaid bills.

I am not sure on the electricity service, but phone reconnection is definitely

107baht - 100 baht plus 7% vat

[teletiger]

We paid 800 Baht last year, for reconnection. They came and took our meter away. Staff thought it was a long blackout. We never found out for 2 days.

Regards

[womble]

As you knew your business would be closed for 2 month why did you not pre-pay say 500baht

a month to keep the Electricity Co happy?

It seems like common sense to me?

By the way, have they read your meter and billed you?

Bills are often a month in arrears, so part of that 6000baht may simply

be settling unpaid bills.

I am not sure on the electricity service, but phone reconnection is definitely

107baht - 100 baht plus 7% vat

The Mrs was supposed to pay it but she didn't, she thought it would still be working and it wouldn't be a problem. I've given her loads of shit over it, feel a bit guilty now

The bill is over 8000 baht, 2000 baht is a week of electric, 100 and something is last months charge (with no use), + the 6000. So total is 8000+

I am pretty pissed off about this, my electric bill for the business is over 8000 baht a month, sometimes more than 10,000. Considering how much I spend with them each month they should reconnect for free.

This is why I hate monopolies, if there was competition they wouldn never risk doing this.

In UK now they are crawling over each other to get you signed up with them.

If only fuel and gennys were cheaper!!!

[womble]

As far as I know costs 100Bt to reconnect tel.

not sure about elec.

Maybe get a friend of yours to call elec dept and ask them what standard fee is for reconnection and see what the answer is.

already phoned bkk head office. They say this is a new sytem and it's up to the local office how they deal with this. They also said as we had 3 phase it costs us more.

And.......

If we don't pay within three months of being sent the first bill the contract is finished and if you re-connect it will cost you a lot more than 6000.

I had to pay for the 3 phase to be put in, that cost me lots of $, now they wanna charge me this on top.

<deleted>@&ers!

also I gather from speaking to a few people here in samui, lots of farangs have gone home and a few returned recently to find they have these outrageous charges.

Another thing I learnt is this is not in every province, it is up to the local office if the new law is enforced.

I think a lot of home owners that are away alot will get clobbered by this.

We have also been informed that if we get discount or not it is up to the local office, seems very open to corruption to me.......

Edited May 2, 2007 by womble

[gharknes]

so thais get charged this too ?

[ovenman]

so thais get charged this too ?

If somebody had told me the cost for electricity reconnection was 600 baht, I would have thought that amount to be high, let alone 6000 baht!

[womble]

so thais get charged this too ?

If somebody had told me the cost for electricity reconnection was 600 baht, I would have thought that amount to be high, let alone 6000 baht!

There was a Thai lady at the electricity office same time as me coming to pay her bill. As she had a private residence and her monthly bill was smaller than mine she was being asked for 500 baht.

She was not happy.

[ovenman]

so thais get charged this too ?

If somebody had told me the cost for electricity reconnection was 600 baht, I would have thought that amount to be high, let alone 6000 baht!

There was a Thai lady at the electricity office same time as me coming to pay her bill. As she had a private residence and her monthly bill was smaller than mine she was being asked for 500 baht.

She was not happy.

500 baht even sounds like a scam...