9,000 B Water Bill... I'M Away From Home

[realthaideal]

I'm in a pickle and need some help here. I've been away from home a few months now and am about to come back, but have a pressing urgent problem with the Prapaah/ Water Authority. I've been gone since Feb. with nobody in the house except for one girl who goes over to keep an eye on the house every few weeks to check that things are alright for an hour or so. Suddenly a water bill shows up in April saying that water consumed was over 100K units and that my bill is 9,000 Baht.

A friend of the girl who looks after the house says her guesthouse with over 10 rooms doesn't even consume that much water in one month. And given a few months' baseline on my house of 200B, this doesn't make sense.Prapaah in my moobaan was new and we've only been on their system since Dec - but I can't see how/why this would affect anything. before that the moobaan had its own system.

They shut the water to the house to prevent any further problem if there's a leak.

My landlord is saying that if it's a leak I have to pay. Doesn't seem fair at all.

The box to my meter is locked and so they say they can't read it. But it's looking like now they want to just cut the lock and remove my meter if I don't pay.

What the heck can I do ? Any rights or advocates ? I'm needing something to happen to not have my housing situation go to $hit here.

None of this makes sense and I want it resolved the right way. Chances are, more than not, that it's the meter that's wrong. If they remove it, bye-bye evidence that it's their fault.

I'm gonna try calling the Water Authority today. Anybody else have experience or suggestions ?

Signed -

Uh-oh in Thailand !

[IAMSOBAD]

Realthaideal...you are experiencing

THE REAL THAI DEAL!

If they can take all of your money and blame you...they will.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

[NancyL]

I don't understand how they can read the meter to determine the correct bill if the meter box is locked. Perhaps they just billed you a maximum amount because they haven't had access to the meter box. Have a friend check the meter reading and see if it agrees with the number on the bill.

[TommoPhysicist]

Most people i know (Thais) turn their water supply off at the tap (and padlock it) before the water meter when they are going to be away from their home for more than a few days. That way they can't get a big surprise bill.

[realthaideal]

Most people i know (Thais) turn their water supply off at the tap (and padlock it) before the water meter when they are going to be away from their home for more than a few days. That way they can't get a big surprise bill.

Funny Tommo, with 9 years in the country and many experiences being away, I've never heard that nor experienced any problems. Feeling so screwed right now. It makes total sense. But it's hindsight right now.

And Nancy, you're right. If they can't read the meter to re-check the meter, then how could they have read it in the first place ??! Since I'm new to having the meter system I just don't have experience where they get the info from. I suppose it is directly from there rather than some computer log at the office. I'm gonna have to do some fancy phone calling today... UGH !

[Payboy]

Over 100k units - doesnt sound like a leak that wouldn't go unnoticed. More like someone left the faucet on in the sink or the flush kept running in the toilet?

[ThaidDown]

A few points to consider..

The meter face should always be made visible so that it can be read. Estimated bills are based on the average of the previous months useage, does not seem to apply here.

If the leak is after the meter and the meter registers it, then yes, you have to pay, you used the water. However if the meter was not read difficult to say if leak or not.

Do not understand the 100K units used , a "unit" of water is a cubic meter, if you had been billed for 100,000 then the bill would have been close to 2 million baht !!! 9000 baht is of the order of 500 cu. meter.

Obviously the meter needs to be read, if the reading on the bill is way different from the actual reading then a new bill can be issued.

If the meter reading agrees with the bill you will probably have to pay it , as has already been suggested if way from home turn off the water valve before the meter.

ps Have the neighbors noticed any water tankers stopping outside your house !!

[jackr]

New meter system? Wandering if they've read tenths and hundredths as units (red numbers), if they have installed such meters? If so, they'd be be reading it 100 times what it should be, thus 9000 baht when it should be 90. Have them check.

If it is a leak, believe landlord should pay, but they do what they like here of course. If he won't budge, perhaps suggest 50/50.

Good luck!

[ShopBoy]

If there is a leak within your house from tap Yes you pay but if the leak is from the pipping system it's the landlord problem.

[Puwa]

don't do anything til you get back and can sus it out for yourself.

[Gonzo the Face]

Maybe a good thought would be, if you're not due back for a few days, to have a friend go by and look at and read the water meter...... and then return in a few hrs to check again. I take it that someone has walked around the place and did not discover any wet looking spots.

Thats ginormous for a residential water bill....... mine at the business in on an average around 900 bpm.

Maybe there is a varmint loose in your house.

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Edited June 1, 2012 by Gonzo the Face

[DowntownAl]

don't do anything til you get back and can sus it out for yourself.

Best advice right there.

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Happened to me once in Pattaya for about that amount.

I did not panic.

I politely told them I live in Chiang Mai and only go down every few months to check on things. They knew that because they called me in CM to ask about the billing.

They had turned the water off, and when it was turned on nothing was found.

I never paid and they never made a fuss about it and hasn't happened since.

[65Craig]

Gone during Songkran? Just a thought, if your house was knowingly empty during songkran festivities, your house may have had the hose on by the locals from sun-up to sun-down;-) Or it could be a leak somewhere underground, as I would think your caretaker who checks in on the place would have noticed a running faucet or a major leak within the house. My advise, don't pay anything until you can get to the bottom of it and check for yourself.

[funcat]

If it is a leak somewhere,it is easy to check by just looking at the meter when everything is turned off...if it is spinning,there is a leak...

Edited June 1, 2012 by funcat

[Bosse137]

When I installed a new meter,the person who checked for the billing did not understand the meter and wanted to have 10 or 100 times the real number.( Don`t remember,long time ago)Took me some time to explain the numbers to him.Not sure if he actually got it,though....Later I had no use for water at that location,so no further problems.As most of us know,many Thai are not all that smart when it comes to numbers.If you buy something in a shop for,let`s say 85 Baht, and give a 100 note,they have to use a calculater to figure out how much to give you back...

[mcgriffith]

Don't feel so bad, RTD.

About 4 years ago, I received a bill from AIS (postpaid 3G account) for 45,000+ THB.

Apparently my promo had ended, they sent me no notification on the ending month...and then proceeded to charge me a huge baht/MB rate.

Took a lot of fancy footwork, multiple calls to CS center, trips to main office- it all worked out. After about a month of stress, that is, as a portion of the overcharge carried on to the next month bill cycle.....

This seems like an error; you'll sort it out when you get back.

[NancyL]

Yeah, reading 10 units as 100 units may indeed be the problem, especially if the meter or the meter reader is new.

That happened to us in the U.S., only it worked the other way. We installed a new water line and meter for our greenhouse/nursery operation and were pleasantly surprised to see how low our water bills were. Then, about a year later we got a huge one and learned that was actually our water use. The lady at the billing office had some braincells tied together and had tried to explain to the meter reader what he was doing wrong. He remembered for a couple months, then went back to making the same error. I saw the billing lady on other township business and she said she had given up. She'd brought the meter reader's errors to the attention of their supervisor and he didn't do anything. We never were asked to pay for their error, so we enjoyed a 90% discount on our water for most of the time we ran a water-intensive business.

[Rancid]

Yeah I once got hit with one of those massive water bills on a house I had just bought. Leaks didn't account for it, it was truly a conundrum. Did notice though that my neighbors on the side with the hose certainly had a magnificent flourishing garden for the dry season, oddly enough mine never did the same without later using a lot of water.

[Nowhereman60]

If for some reason the pipes did not have water and just air was blowing into the meter it spins like hell. We have that problem where I live. They turn the water on and off and when it starts up it's nothing but air blowing for about 10 minutes before we get water.

[realthaideal]

Well, time for an update. I'm back a few weeks now and figure I'd pass on a happy ending. Just when I thought everything was gonna go to hell, the landlord interceded with the water company and got them to not pull the meter. She figured it was probably her pipes causing the problem and had a repairman come out n replace them the week before I arrived. She also paid the bill and then had the water turned back on. So... she ate the 9K bill on her own and didn't make a stink about it. She is part of a bigger Thai family that own a few properties and own a well-known company in town. It's not like they wouldn't have been able to afford the payment, and not like the pipes to a building they own were their responsibility, but I know she could have chosen otherwise. I have a feeling that the initial shock at the bill had her worried about dealing with the whole accounting of the thing, but fortunately, she's a good lady and she's in my corner. I have thanked her profusely.

As I type this, it's kind of funny to have to thank someon for taking care of what they should take care of anyway, but given the country we're in and how easy it is to create a boondoggle, I am thankful. This is the good side of TIT.

[elektrified]

You are really lucky RTD. Our landlord is also a well-known businessman from a well-known family here with many properties and many businesses. But he is as cheap a SOB as you will ever find and would have never done anything like that for any of his tenants.

[ripstanley]

Well, time for an update. I'm back a few weeks now and figure I'd pass on a happy ending. Just when I thought everything was gonna go to hell, the landlord interceded with the water company and got them to not pull the meter. She figured it was probably her pipes causing the problem and had a repairman come out n replace them the week before I arrived. She also paid the bill and then had the water turned back on. So... she ate the 9K bill on her own and didn't make a stink about it. She is part of a bigger Thai family that own a few properties and own a well-known company in town. It's not like they wouldn't have been able to afford the payment, and not like the pipes to a building they own were their responsibility, but I know she could have chosen otherwise. I have a feeling that the initial shock at the bill had her worried about dealing with the whole accounting of the thing, but fortunately, she's a good lady and she's in my corner. I have thanked her profusely.

As I type this, it's kind of funny to have to thank someon for taking care of what they should take care of anyway, but given the country we're in and how easy it is to create a boondoggle, I am thankful. This is the good side of TIT.

This is great news. It is good that your landlord is a caring person and prepared to help.

[crazykopite]

Sorry to hear of your problem if you have consumed so much water then your eletric would also increase as it has to be pumped via a water pump I presume !!!! sounds like the village have tapped into your connection with that amount of water usage !!!!

[hellodolly]

Well, time for an update. I'm back a few weeks now and figure I'd pass on a happy ending. Just when I thought everything was gonna go to hell, the landlord interceded with the water company and got them to not pull the meter. She figured it was probably her pipes causing the problem and had a repairman come out n replace them the week before I arrived. She also paid the bill and then had the water turned back on. So... she ate the 9K bill on her own and didn't make a stink about it. She is part of a bigger Thai family that own a few properties and own a well-known company in town. It's not like they wouldn't have been able to afford the payment, and not like the pipes to a building they own were their responsibility, but I know she could have chosen otherwise. I have a feeling that the initial shock at the bill had her worried about dealing with the whole accounting of the thing, but fortunately, she's a good lady and she's in my corner. I have thanked her profusely.

As I type this, it's kind of funny to have to thank someon for taking care of what they should take care of anyway, but given the country we're in and how easy it is to create a boondoggle, I am thankful. This is the good side of TIT.

Wasn't going to reply. I like your post and your honesty in keeping us up to date.

But I have exceed the number of posts I am allowed to like in a day. I hope the mods don't punish me for liking to many posts. Does any one know how many posts one is allowed to like in a day or is it on a weekly basis.

[Puwa]

Well, time for an update. I'm back a few weeks now and figure I'd pass on a happy ending.

Congratulations RTD. Not many landlords would step up like that, and not many farang who would pass on a happy ending.

[BillyBobThai]

That 100,000 units is over 6,800,000 gallons of water.

[anselpixel]

I'm in a condo, and had to leave town for a couple of weeks.

First thing the building super did was to shut off everything from the roof feed down to the unit entrance line, and he did it the hour I left.

When I got home, the meter had not budged, Maybe he (and many other natives) knows something I don't.

I appreciate him showing me the drill: my water bill has slowly increased from a first month of 60 baht to a fourth month of 230 baht, No way that's accurate, but the only defense I have is to shut it down.

[haybilly]

I did think that, just maybe, the kind girl who came by to check your property, just might have left the garden hose tap running after one of her visits--but I am glad it was something less horrible.

I managed to leave mine on over night and the meter had chewed up quite a few units--not 9K Baht's worth, though obviously.

I must admit to being a bit 'anal' [ or so I am told] and I always turn off the water feed to the house--even if we are popping 'Up Country' for a few days. Man, do I feel like a smug Git now.

[realthaideal]

Yeah HayBilly, I had that thought too. It wouldn't have surprised me if she had left it on as she'd done some watering of plants and mopped while I was away. Of course in a Thai situation, I could hear in her voice there was not going to be room to blame her, or for her to accept guilt. I think the landlord knew in the past that there had been problems and that a pipe had cracked before. It's pretty typical of many housing projects (albeit mine is a small one) where they'll build a 2 million baht plus home and then spend about 500 baht on the piping. And put in 100B door handles - if I can gripe about another thing.... Anyway, a stretch of the thin-a$$ blue pipes were replaced with some of a bit thicker gage, so that should hold as long as I'm here. As for the door handles, I went half-in with her, saying as long as she put up half, I didn't mind that whenever I leave she gets to keep them. There was aspate of robberies going on about 1.5 yrs ago and I didn't want to leave it up to aluminum door handles and keys to save the day. Also... she hired the guy to install and put the deadbolt I bought in too.

So on another point, not only are there some good housing deals when you look around out there - I've got 3 Bedrooms n 2 bathrooms for 7K/mo - but there are some good landlords. You just have to take your time looking and drive and ask around a lot. THat being said, yeah, I've been pretty lucky.