Being Cheated At A Service Apartment

[thailove]

hey all,

i've recently found myself being overcharged for electricity at my service apartment, Poonchock mansion Soi 23 Prahonyothin.

this is my first time living here, and did not bother asking about electricity service, trusting it would be done fairly. i did not bother doing anything until about the 5th month, when i realized that i had no electricity meter readings, nothing shown on my bill except the amount, adn the electricity meters hidden behind a locked door, and the management could or could not open it depending on how they are feeling that day. because they never wanted me to see it, in fact were adamant about me NOT seeing, made me suspicious and i did not give up. after numerous arguments, i saw the meter and my bill went down 60%, and has stayed there.

i heard from the security guard that this happens regularly at service apartments, especially for foreigners (the thai person i know who lives at the same building has her meter readings typed into her bill).

i'm wondering if people could spread the word.

1) don't go to poonchock mansion. the management is horrible, and they really cheat foreigners.

not only is electricity a problem, they are massively overcharging on rent as well. one person was living at a 2-bedroom for 21,000 a month, after they moved out another person was quoted 14,000 a month for the same apartment!

2) warn your expatriate friends to be on top of their bills, especially electricity. it's not a lot of money folks, relative to what we pay in our home countries. but it's a lot of money here, and we don't want other people to have to pay for us letting things slide.

would also like to hear other stories happening to resident expats here.

thanks for reading!

[penelope]

our serviced apartment in bkk is one all inclusive price per mth..covers power,water,broadband internet access,phone,continental breakfasts,full laundry service,excellent security etc.......

maybe u should try this kind of scenario.

[CheshireCat]

Quite a few have a set price for electricity etc

Like Penelope I got a price with everything included. You can't go wrong that way. Folk paying different prices is not uncommon I found. I passed on the details of my apt to a couple of folk and they were very interested to know who had given them the details before quoting, I guessed this was as they didn't want to give a different price to friends of mine and word to get back to me etc

[bluebear]

our serviced apartment in bkk is one all inclusive price per mth..covers power,water,broadband internet access,phone,continental breakfasts,full laundry service,excellent security etc.......

maybe u should try this kind of scenario.

I am guessing here but maybe you are paying 25k plus in rent ?

[bluebear]

Thailove - this is not uncommon. At most you should be paying 5 or 6 baht a unit for electricity. ( If you have your own direct bill I believe its only 2 something )

As a rule of thumb, if you cant see the meter, you are going to be screwed.

As for the changing of the monthly rent, its normal to try and ask for as much as you think you can get - especially here. If you move to another place and see a farang, ask them how much they are paying. It gives you at least an idea of value.

[penelope]

our serviced apartment in bkk is one all inclusive price per mth..covers power,water,broadband internet access,phone,continental breakfasts,full laundry service,excellent security etc.......

maybe u should try this kind of scenario.

I am guessing here but maybe you are paying 25k plus in rent ?

my company pay for it.Price is in USD.

[stroll]

When renting, it is imperative to enquire about phone, electricity and water meter rates, these consumables can make a place that first looks good value in rent not so attractive.

Water is sometimes metered, more often a flat rate.

Where I lived, they adjusted the rent several times , up and down, according to the local market, this seems to be normal. It is also normal that you need to remind them to adjust your bill when the rent goes down.

If you rent a house, you should be paying only the Elec.company and Phone company charges, insist on inspecting the original bills.

[LivinLOS]

Friend of mine was caught out with the same scam...

Normal electric rate is 2 or so as stated above.. I think he was being charged 6 or 7 per unit.. Made his 2k per month bill inot a 7k per month bill.. Nice sideline on a cheap rent.

Always have your own meter or ask in advance..

Just another scam..

[shotover]

As a rule of thumb, if you cant see the meter, you are going to be screwed.

Agree you should always monitor the meter readings and understand the electric bill calculations. Having said this, the electric meters in my apartment building are kept locked doors and I have seen them only once in the 4 months I have lived here as the building managers are usually not available in the evenings or weekends. However, I feel no concern about ripoffs as the electric bill for my 51 square meter apartment ranges between 350 - 450 baht per month.

[Teach]

In my apartment block, all the units carry the same rent value. Some a little more if they are well appointed, some a little less if poorly. The utilities however are fairish and maintain an average through the year but, when we first moved in our new 15k gas bottle lasted us 7 months. Not bad for 250bt. Recently and without increased usage habits our gas bottle lasts only 2 months if we're lucky. Definitely a scam going on there, but no margin for the managers.

You can expect to pay more per unit on a scale with the rent/quality of apartment. You can/should expect also 1. a reading when you move in and a reading upon presentation of each monthly bill. You should be able to work out from that how much you are being charged/over charged.

Remember the golden rule: If you get it in the rear once it's not your fault, get it a second time and it is.

Teach

[Nam Kao]

Also do this test - turn off everything in your apt and go look at the meter

and see if its still moving.

Its common to have thais hooked up to a falangs electrical milking him

-------------------

Also the amount they charge falangs for apt rent is jacked up,

Go ask a Thai how much they pay for a comparable apt. I bet about half.

[chanchao]

Or better, let's all generally get a clue before making rent or any other commitments. Some people are happy to pay 25K or even more a month on rent. Having an inflated price per unit is quite common; it's one of the things you should establish before committing to renting. Same for water, telephone, other monthly fixed charges (garbage collection, etc).

Also: If someone's renting for 21K and the next renter gets it for 14K then that's just good negotiating from the next renter. Sounds like business as usual to me. Most business I've done consulting for all have wildly ranging prices for their customers, and these are mostly foreign run businesses.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[penelope]

Or better, let's all generally get a clue before making rent or any other commitments.  Some people are happy to pay 25K or even more a month on rent.  Having an inflated price per unit is quite common; it's one of the things you should establish before committing to renting. Same for water, telephone, other monthly fixed charges (garbage collection, etc).

Also: If someone's renting for 21K and the next renter gets it for 14K then that's just good negotiating from the next renter.  Sounds like business as usual to me.  Most business I've done consulting for all have wildly ranging prices for their customers, and these are mostly foreign run businesses.

Cheers,

Chanchao

My pad is slightly cheaper than some similar pads in the complex due to :

a : my company block book several apartments

b : the bookings are for longer periods

Negotiate,Negotiate,Negotiate....even at the pricier international residences

[bluebear]

our serviced apartment in bkk is one all inclusive price per mth..covers power,water,broadband internet access,phone,continental breakfasts,full laundry service,excellent security etc.......

maybe u should try this kind of scenario.

I am guessing here but maybe you are paying 25k plus in rent ?

my company pay for it.Price is in USD.

Thought so. All the inclusive deals are rip offs.

99% of the time, the people who get them arent paying for them themselves or for some reason dont want the hassle of getting a monthly bill.

Either way, I havent heard of one instance yet where it is cheaper than paying things seperately.

Apart from anything else it just encourages you to use far more electricty than you normally would, why not have the air con on 24 hrs? You dont pay any more - not a very ecological or lets face it economical ( for the country ) thing to do is it?

( not getting at you personally but just a general point )

[thailove]

"If someone's renting for 21K and the next renter gets it for 14K then that's just good negotiating from the next renter. Sounds like business as usual to me. Most business I've done consulting for all have wildly ranging prices for their customers, and these are mostly foreign run businesses."

it was not a result of negotiation, she just called and asked price.

the management also told me

1) i didn't trust them, therefore they could not do anything for me.

2) i was a farang, therefore i didn't understand the 'thai' way of doing things

3) if i didn't like it, i should get out.

i have to say this was my low point in thailand.

my new apartment showed me the contract, prices, and everything in english. my meter is by the door. it is great. keep your fingers crossed...

[penelope]

our serviced apartment in bkk is one all inclusive price per mth..covers power,water,broadband internet access,phone,continental breakfasts,full laundry service,excellent security etc.......

maybe u should try this kind of scenario.

I am guessing here but maybe you are paying 25k plus in rent ?

my company pay for it.Price is in USD.

Thought so. All the inclusive deals are rip offs.

99% of the time, the people who get them arent paying for them themselves or for some reason dont want the hassle of getting a monthly bill.

Either way, I havent heard of one instance yet where it is cheaper than paying things seperately.

Apart from anything else it just encourages you to use far more electricty than you normally would, why not have the air con on 24 hrs? You dont pay any more - not a very ecological or lets face it economical ( for the country ) thing to do is it?

( not getting at you personally but just a general point )

By international standards it is actually still cheaper than something in New York or London or Tokyo. Even the largest apartment in the building.

Multinational acccounting depts don't give a rats about electricity,water usage costs , they just want to be able to balance the budget.A single fixed price with all apartment rentals on 1 invoice is best for them in this respect.

I would live in a house if this place wasn't provided.To be honest, I dont really like apartments.

[Darth Bangkok]

in New York, you pay a lot of money for LOCATION. don't anyone try to pretend that there is some location anywhere in thailand that warrants the rents some farang pay. it is ripoff, plain and simple. thai landlords, like most thai business owners, set prices based on how much they want to get and not how much things are worth.

[Crushdepth]

You've also got to watch 'friends' helping you to find accomodation. Some of the people in my office 'help' new staff to find accomodation when they first arrive in Bangkok. We recently discovered they are collecting a commission on the rent, which is of course inflated to take this into account.

Nothing like screwing your colleagues. Some people have no shame