Chaweng Park Place - A Word Of Caution

[luxecat]

Hi all

Just returned from a month long stay in Samui. Stayed at Chaweng Park Place. I got a flat rate of 14, 500 Baht for the month. They said I'd have to pay extra for electric. When I asked them up front to give me an estimate on the amount, they said roughly an extra 2000 baht, depending on how much air-con I used. I said fine. Fair enough.

I checked in and found the place nice but empty. Not surprising, since I checked in on the day of the State of emergency.

Anyway, I maybe used the aircon 5 hours a day - at most.

Well, wouldn't know, when I checked out, the reception staff all looked concerned. Oh my, they said, you must have used your air-con all day and night. No, I said. Just 5 hours a day - tops. Anyway, they said the electric bill was well over 6000 baht.

I've experienced this before in Samui, and tried to smile it off. I negotiated it down to 5000 baht with the "big boss" but he insisited he was giving me a bargain. I told them I enjoyed my stay, but it would be difficult to stay there again, not being able to trust their pricing. Now I never gave them the opportunity to steal anything from the room, carried everything with me at all times, but I would give pause to stay there again. Anyway, just a heads up for those of you thinking of staying there. They do have a nice pool, though.

Cheers

[ClaudeFeller]

Sorry,

why you didnt ask the rates? They should be written in the contract, if do not have to pay one baht.

[Noodles]

It's common practice for thais here to sell on goverment electric to make a profit.

I know of a certain area near the reggae pub where the owners of bars and a restaurant

often pay more in electric than they do in their monthly rent to the owner.

[BigC]

you can ask how much per unit but becareful of those fast spinning electric boxes. they can always get you. govment rate is about 4 baht a unit. 6000 baht definatly ripped off. maybe your box was spinning out of control. if u know what i mean.

[lazeeboy]

you can ask how much per unit but becareful of those fast spinning electric boxes. they can always get you. govment rate is about 4 baht a unit. 6000 baht definatly ripped off. maybe your box was spinning out of control. if u know what i mean.

when you rent in samui most thai's charge you 10b a unit for electric,this said even at this rate you were stitch up big time

[H2oDunc]

Ive a small 2 bed bungalow with air thats on maybe 6-8 hours a day. Fan about 24 / 7 an electric oven, used a lot and TV and home theatre on a lot, Lap top etc last months bill 535 baht. Seems Im getting a bargain for a change !!

[mattias33]

It´s fair that resorts and hotels ad a little on the government price. You need to pay also for community light, poolpump and every other "common" costs should be split by the rooms so 7 or 9 baht per unit is a fair resort/hotel price. Somebody need to go around reading the meters and writing the bills and that guy also needs a salary. There is different ways for hotels to take costs back. Either they charge more for the room itself with electric included. In that case the guy who dont use aircon 5 hours per day pays for it anyway. Charging per unit, with additions for common costs is fair. I think so anyway.

Having said this, 6000 baht for a month is completely impossible in a hotel-room. Anybody reading this and getting charged like this in the future should never pay! Call the police then. Or threaten to do so. I myself managed a property before where i increased the unit price from 7 to 9 baht /unit. Because on seven the electric did not break even, with the gardenlights, securitylights, pool and so on. But even on 9 baht the highest bill i ever wrote in a month was 2800 baht if i remember correctly.

Now, i live in a 2 bedroom townhouse (kitchen,tvroom and 2 bedrooms), with 2 ac, government electricbill is usually around 1600 baht.

No doubt the op was scammed, thanks for telling us!

[jasreeve17]

Ask to see the individual metre (if they don't have one then go elsewhere, cause they can and will rip you off) and write down the number, also ask the price per unit (should be well under 10 baht). When you come to check out you can read the metre again and do the maths. A well run place will have no problem with you asking, and it's exactly what a local would do anyways (or we'd do in our home countries in a similar situation).

[richm7]

Ive a small 2 bed bungalow with air thats on maybe 6-8 hours a day. Fan about 24 / 7 an electric oven, used a lot and TV and home theatre on a lot, Lap top etc last months bill 535 baht. Seems Im getting a bargain for a change !!

535 baht is equivalent to about 150 KW/hrs of electricity. If your air is on 6 hours a day, 30 days a month, that's 180 hrs alone, without the fan and everything else. Even a small a/c unit is about 1200W so you are getting an absolute bargain or something is wrong, probably the latter. I'd keep quiet if I were you and put a few bob away in case they discover the problem!!

Don't tell me your water is only 50 baht!

[luxecat]

Hi all

Thanks for the feedback. For the record, I did ask the rates up front, and was quoted like 6 or 7 baht a unit. But I knew I was doomed when at check out they told me it was if my meter was running 24/7. Which I knew was a lie. Again, there will be no next time at that hotel. Thanks for giving me the information for future visits.

Cheers