Water Meter Stolen

[Woofer]

A man from the water board came to our house the other day and told the misses that we had not paid the water bill and he had to take the water meter. She told him we had not received this month bill. Note for the past 6 months we had free water from the government. The misses says she will go and ask the neighbours if they had received their bills. By the time she came the water man had disappeared with our water meter. Therefore our house had no water for toilets, showers and cooking. I was a little annoyed with this and the misses says "jai yen yen" we will go down to the water board tomorrow and work it out. To which I replied we will go down now, which we did. At the water board we explained the situation and they told us it was our fault because if we did not receive the bill we should have rang the water board to ask for a new bill. This may sound logical except you are never sure when the bill should arrive and no one every answers the phone at the water board. Then this women says we had to pay for the water bill, no problem I said and we had to pay a reconnection fee to which I lost it and started yelling why didn't the guy ask me to pay the bill in the first place and not take the meter. Some people started to take any interest and running around saying "jai yen yen" and the long and short of it my water meter was returned in an hour. Sometime it does not pay to be "jai yen yen".

[ballbreaker]

I always get that jai yen yen phrase from the wife but I often wonder what a Thai, that has a bit of power in this country, would do in such a situation. Would he be jai yen yen or read them the riot act up one side and down the other?

[Woofer]

With number of killing, beating and robberies especially here is Pattaya, I think a lot of Thais don't follow "jai yen yen".

Also, unless you stand up for your rights here as in most countries people will walk all over you. As I found if you are not "jai yen yen" you get quick action, in my case I had my water meter returned within the hour.

[pattaya_girl]

Last Songkran I never received my Water Bill, and one morning I saw this guy taking off my Meter, I went outside to explain I had not had a Bill, and my partner told me to give him a tip of 200 Bt and he will leave it - which I did, then went immediately to pay up - I think i owed about 100 bt. The water has been free for the last 6 months, and i have just heard we are all getting another 6 months free as well !! I still get my bills but the balance is 0.00.

[monty]

My last bill was still at 0 Baht, so not sure how you ended up with a bill to pay if your previously were under the government free water promotion...

[chuckd]

I have lost two meters to thieves. Reported it to the police and then went to the water company for replacements. Cost me 600 baht each, as I recall. I now have a steel grate over it.

I had not paid a water bill in several months but the water company just got me for 592 baht this month. Catching up, I guess.

[patklang]

I am still getting free water,and my bill says zero.

[pattaya_girl]

I was just thinking about this Post. How can the Water Meter be stolen, it belongs top the Water Board anyway does'nt it ??

[chuckd]

It can be stolen unless you have it under lock and key.

Certainly it belongs to the water department, but if you want to continue receiving their water you need a meter. If the one you have been using is no longer available, it ain't their problem...or so they told me as they went back to filing their nails.

[pattaya_girl]

But woofer said the Water board took away his Meter ( Water Meter Stolen ) How can it be stolen if it belongs to the people who took it ?? The Water Board..

[Woofer]

I think I paid 3,500 baht for water connection and meter. I not sure who owns it but if it is stolen you pay for a new one. Anyway, that's not the point. The point the guy that took the water meter could have simply told use how much we owed and we would have paid it, but instead he took the meter when we were not looking.

[pattaya_girl]

The guy that I caught trying to take mine also would not accept the payment for the water bill i owed either, but he took the 200 bt tip quickly enough, and told me to go to the office and pay up a.s.a.p.

I wonder why they try to take it without us seing them, he actualy looked to be hiding behind some bushes - do you think it is so they can charge a reconnection fee?

Edited March 3, 2009 by pattaya_girl

[torrenova]

In Pattaya, the house next door had their meter taken away and it was off for weeks. The western owner was away and his live in didn't pay the bill.

In Buriram we haven't paid water for months but the electric bill didn't come (again, no set schedule) and we were lucky that we saw the man sent to cut us off. We were able to pay him the bill plus about Bt150 fees.

[PattayaParent]

But woofer said the Water board took away his Meter ( Water Meter Stolen ) How can it be stolen if it belongs to the people who took it ?? The Water Board..

Same way as your car is stolen when you don't pay the financing and someone comes to take it away?

[anothertorres]

i'm on the darkside in Bang Lamung and i just pulled my water bill out of the mailbox 10 minutes ago. i don't know how my wife and i (and the dog) managed to use up 900 baht in water. certainly my dog is not bathing herself, she stinks like a wet satang!

anyway, can someone elaborate on a possibly 6 more months of free water? i see some of you are still receiving 0-baht bills...

Edited March 4, 2009 by anothertorres

[Rimmer]

Put it on a standing order at the bank then it won't happen again. Very painless process and after all you live practically next door to the water department.

[Woofer]

My water bill has been high for 6 months, but still the water was free so no problems. My water tank appears to overflow and some does many of the other households on my villlage The water board says clean the float in your tank, but they can't need cleaning all at once. Maybe it is something to do with the heavy rain last October, but not really sure.