I really didn't know there were more then one energy suppliers in Pattaya but I've been paying 6thb a kwh the past year and now in my new condo I only pay 3 thb for gouvernment energy?!

Crap that's half the price?! So how many suppliers are there? And why would anyone pay 6thb instead of 3thb?!

I think your old condo has been ripping you off - you should always ask for the original bill issued by the electric company/Dept.

Its like that all over Thailand.....whoever owns the building or resort gets the bill issued to them in their name and then charges basically what they can get away with.

You were lucky, very lucky if you were only paying 6baht....some get taken for double that.

Its especially frustrating when you buy a house on a project and then find out the cost of maintenance and electric, at least when renting you can choose to move.

But its all legal so all you can do is sort out the costs before you rent or buy.

HL

If you are renting from an owner it would also depend on how he pays for the electricity and water, I know in my condominium we pay the office for metered electricity, not the electricity company, fortunately I do not believe there is a mark up on it.

Best bet is to find out how your electricity water will be charged and at what rates are per unit before signing any contract, I see nothing wrong with you landlord charging a lower rent and charging extra to cover "wear and tear" on the aircon and other electrical appliances if he so wishes as long as his billing system is clear.

I've always payed the bill at the condo office, now I pay at 7/11. It's 3 vs 6 thb but I still use exactly the same stuff and my bill over the past month was 1/4 of the bills I've been paying the past year?!

As said above, your old condo was ripping you off.

As said above, your old condo was ripping you off.

A surcharge on electricity is not the same as ripping someone off. In a fully furnished apartment with all electrical appliances supplied including aircon units it can even be argued that it is a reasonable add on, especially in shorter term rentals.

As said above, your old condo was ripping you off.

A surcharge on electricity is not the same as ripping someone off. In a fully furnished apartment with all electrical appliances supplied including aircon units it can even be argued that it is a reasonable add on, especially in shorter term rentals.

When you look at (and listen to) the state the aircon units in some of these furnished apartments I believe rip-off is a pretty good description. On the other hand I take the point that if the units are well maintained it is not unreasonable to cover these costs and as the electricity bill is directly connected to the air conditioner usage it's not a bad way to do it.

As long as the usage is openly and accurately monitored I fail to see how a surcharged is justified, just bill the tenant the going rate for the amount used.

The excuse of using the surcharge to cover maintenance doesnt even come into it when you own the property and all the fittings.

On these new housing projects that are springing up everywhere many have one main transformer that the electric company wire into, then underground cables to all the houses.

There is only one meter where the overhead cable finishes and after that it all belongs to the project because the electric board dont go under ground.

This is where the overcharge starts because the project owner puts his own meters outside each house to see how many units are used and then charges at a rate exceeding the proper one. Its a money making machine but we all have to go along with it unfortunately.

HL

A rip-off is it when they state a charge of THB 3 per unit and invoice THB 6 per unit. Usually you know before you move in what the charges for electricity and water are. Can't be a rip-off.

The normal and going rates for electricity and water are resp. 6 or 7 and 25 up to 30 baht per unit.

Everything on top of the government rates is usually for lightning, waterpump, watersupply-guarantee, gardening, etc.

Yeah well noone is gonna explain this and what's done is done... 350thb vs 1500thb while using the exact same stuff is unexplainable. Condo manager picked up the phone and walked away offcourse.

Pattaya parent....where I had my house in Samui the developer had bought a mountainside and split it into lots and sold them off. So you just bought a plot of land and then built the house yourself.

Because there was nothing there except scrub nobody even considered things like electricity charges, in fact we all assumed it would be like in the western world and we would have our own individual meters.

However a year later when we move in we find that the meter outside our house belongs to the project owner who has put underground cables to all the houses. He then proceeds to charge more than double the rate. And no there was no gardening or maintenance of any sort involved. The only communal cost was the water pump from the well and when that needed work it all cost extra.

So please dont be so quick to discount other peoples posts as nonsense when everybodys experiences are no doubt different from yours.

In fact should I assume from the tone of your post that you are yourself a developer and charge a higher rate to your customers?

HL