Starting Auto Bank Payments For Utilities

[scorecard]

Need to set up auto bank payents for Electricity, Water, and Telephone for new house.

In Bangkok and in Chonburi you have to have recently paids bills, take them to the three different ultility offices (usually in quite different and inconvenient places) get a form, then take that form to your bank, get another form, then take it all back to the three utility offices, get them processed, then take it back to your bank and get it processed again.

Is it the same process in CM? Is there a central office which covers all three agencies?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

[naboo]

Here you deal with the provincial utilities companies for water and electricity who are extremely backward when it comes to automated payments. I've read its possible, but 7/11 a couple of times a month is far less hassle than trying to set up, then cancel, something with them.

I do pay True automatically though, a simple set up through their website.

[elektrified]

Likewise. True is the only one I've been able to set up. Water and trash collection comes from our Moobaan. No automation possible.

[briley]

Set up TOT and PEA (electricity) a few years back.

PEA was fine worked from day 1 - think I took a letter from PEA to the bank.

TOT took about 3 months before it started working. I check with TOT each month to make sure they were paid.

Years later all payments have gone without any hitch. Much easier than 7/11 for me.

The other option is to pre pay them. Just give them, say, 5,000 Baht in advance.

[NancyL]

We set up auto pay for electricity and internet at a previous Chiang Mai residence. It involved trips to each office and the bank and then it was months until the auto pay for the internet went smoothly. Once we decided to move we were able to stop the auto pay at the bank office, but somehow they misunderstood the cut-off date we specified, so the last electric bill wasn't covered by auto pay and was past due by the time we learned of the problem -- another trip to the electric company office to make the late payment.

Now we just visit 7/11 each month for our electric payments and pay the internet directly at the office of the provider, which is close to our home. Water is thru the condo and there's no way to automate that.