ripped off electric water bill

[ronthai]

I signed the contract on April 08 ( 3 year lease)

I moved in on April 28

May 08 time for rent payment and electric/water over which I have NO controle/meter.

For the 10 days I stayed electric is 1472 baht (No air-con, just standard 1 fan, 1 light, 1 desktop comp. and 1 small fridge)

I know the electric for this could NEVER exceed 1000 baht a month, but the above is for 10 days usage of electric.

Even better water for 10 days, 1440 baht, which is 2 showers a day for 1 person and a few toilet flushes a day.

OK, I am moving out tomorrow.

Hardly a financial problem to get a lawyer.

OK, I loose 1 months deposit of course and My Thais friends "advisers" say just pay and go.

As a farang I have I go, but NOT pay the thieving bill for electric/water.

Will or could I get in trouble with the police if he calls them or should I call first?

That all is of course besides the fact of any bad Thai way, things that could happen?

Please understand it is more principle then money.

[kevvy]

There are no principles in Thailand .Just pay it and put it down to experience and move on .

Good Luck in your next move

kevvy

Edited May 11, 2014 by kevvy

[apiwan]

That old chestnut. The principle.

Pay and go.

No such thing here .

Harsh but true.

I could say fight it .Go to court.go to the police.

But you would be wasting your time.

Good luck

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[ronthai]

I know that, been here 10+ years living

(and stayed in about 6 different places, never a problem),

but in that time, I have NEVER had this.

I of course have heard horror stories, much worse then mine now.

Just when it is you/me, there is a different perspective

[kevvy]

I know that, been here 10+ years living

(and stayed in about 6 different places, never a problem),

but in that time, I have NEVER had this.

I of course have heard horror stories, much worse then mine now.

Just when it is you/me, there is a different perspective

Is this the first time you have been scammed in Thailand ?Being here for 10 years you should know how it works here. But I do agree with you .

[ronthai]

I know that, been here 10+ years living

(and stayed in about 6 different places, never a problem),

but in that time, I have NEVER had this.

I of course have heard horror stories, much worse then mine now.

Just when it is you/me, there is a different perspective

Is this the first time you have been scammed in Thailand ?Being here for 10 years you should know how it works here. But I do agree with you .

No, not the first time I have been scammed!

Some people here and other forums say it never happens to them, well they lie.

No not my first scam in 10+ years, of course not.

Not even counting 25 years of holiday scams before that.

Just a first rental scam, of which a, NOW very upset Thai lady friend, arranged this place 2 doors from her place/business.

PLEASE nobody say she was in on it because she is NOT.

ONLY very good friend for 8+ years and does not need the money (a few thousand) from this scam.

Edited May 11, 2014 by ronthai

[benalibina]

OP, there are principles worth fighting for and principles which are not THAT important to fight for. IMHO this is 1 of them.

The choice is yours !

[taotoo]

What you should do depends to an extent on what it says in the lease.

[stoneyboy]

The only electric bills and water bills I like here come directly from the service providers themselves.

Edited May 11, 2014 by stoneyboy

[Som wat]

Scammed how?

Where are the electricity and water meters?

How much are they listed as in the contract? (I presume this is a condo/apartment you are staying in) And what numbers were they at when you moved in? (you wrote them down or not?)

[wooloomooloo]

Just a first rental scam, of which a, NOW very upset Thai lady friend, arranged this place 2 doors from her place/business.

PLEASE nobody say she was in on it because she is NOT.

Are you certain of this statement. Perhaps they thought that you wouldn't notice. But now the deal has gone belly up and you haven't a lot of money, the waterworks have been turned on for your benefit.

Edited May 11, 2014 by wooloomooloo

[ronthai]

Why not answer his questions rather than attacking him?

another Thai apologist, OK 10 days water usage for 1 person 1440 baht.

and NO I did not get to see the meter(s), which gave me a "OOH OOH" , but it was Thais dealing with Thais living in the same road and seeing each other every day for 4+ years.

Well at least the rent was cheap 4200 baht for 64sq/m.

I skip the 'thai apologist' nonsense - what did the contract say about utility prices?

electric 8 baht a khw (with original bills which I always had came around 7 baht - I think - anyway)

water 20 baht per standard Thai unit

[ronthai]

I does not matter, I got done (again) should have followed my farang instincts, instead of have a That arrange all. STUPID ME !!!

Just sick of the few Thai apologist here, when it is so clearly a ripoff

And the true apologists havent even posted yet.......beware...

I know, but that will be tomorrow, when I am moving again.

Means no internet for 2-3 days before the new line of Sophon internet is done (again).

By that time it has died off and I would not give a flying ... anymore.

Maybe early morning before disconnecting I will give one last reply.

[Carib]

Is this your usual attitude like you display here?

What is the point of making a topic of something you already have decided on how to solve it, besides attacking others that is?.

You know, you are right.

I am just venting and taking it out on the wrong people (except the Thai apologists).

I would LOVE to take it out on just 1 person, but I am a farang and he is Thai, which means:

1 farang and 5 Thais

1 farang and 10 Thais

1 farang and Thai(s) with knive(s)

1 farang and Thai(s) with gun(s)

So don't you think it is better I do it here?

I will probably live longer ...

... or at the very least save me some hospital money.

Sorry, if I upset you, in my today bad mood

I think next time you should check the meters at the start, so you will have a reference yourself. Could save you a lot of "venting".

[taotoo]

Why not answer his questions rather than attacking him?

another Thai apologist, OK 10 days water usage for 1 person 1440 baht.

and NO I did not get to see the meter(s), which gave me a "OOH OOH" , but it was Thais dealing with Thais living in the same road and seeing each other every day for 4+ years.

Well at least the rent was cheap 4200 baht for 64sq/m.

I skip the 'thai apologist' nonsense - what did the contract say about utility prices?

electric 8 baht a khw (with original bills which I always had came around 7 baht - I think - anyway)

water 20 baht per standard Thai unit

Check what your contract says happens if you break it. You don't want to be liable for 3 years' rent. If you are, then I would estimate your actual utilities usage, and pay him according to the rates given in the contract showing him how you've calculated it. If he won't accept that, then agree with him in writing that the contract is null and void - no doubt he will want you to pay the utility bill in full before he will agree to doing so.

[ronthai]

Check what your contract says happens if you break it. You don't want to be liable for 3 years' rent. If you are, then I would estimate your actual utilities usage, and pay him according to the rates given in the contract showing him how you've calculated it. If he won't accept that, then agree with him in writing that the contract is null and void - no doubt he will want you to pay the utility bill in full before he will agree to doing so.

Thank you, but won't be problem

[wooloomooloo]

Check what your contract says happens if you break it. You don't want to be liable for 3 years' rent. If you are, then I would estimate your actual utilities usage, and pay him according to the rates given in the contract showing him how you've calculated it. If he won't accept that, then agree with him in writing that the contract is null and void - no doubt he will want you to pay the utility bill in full before he will agree to doing so.

Thank you, but won't be problem

You thought the utility bills wouldn't be a problem and see where that got you.

[Scarpolo]

I suppose asking the guy directly to explain the charges never crossed anyone's mind?

maybe he padded in the last month and a security deposit.

this may not be a scam at all

[Skint]

Go ahead no reply from me

That's a reply if I'm not mistaken.

I suppose asking the guy directly to explain the charges never crossed anyone's mind?

maybe he padded in the last month and a security deposit.

this may not be a scam at all

It will not get money back the only thing that happens is that you stand there angry with that gormless look on the Thais face. The OP has been shagged out of a couple of thousand baht best leaving now rather than getting ripped off every month.

[PJcm]

I know that, been here 10+ years living

(and stayed in about 6 different places, never a problem),

but in that time, I have NEVER had this.

I of course have heard horror stories, much worse then mine now.

Just when it is you/me, there is a different perspective

Is this the first time you have been scammed in Thailand ?Being here for 10 years you should know how it works here. But I do agree with you .

No, not the first time I have been scammed!

Some people here and other forums say it never happens to them, well they lie.

No not my first scam in 10+ years, of course not.

Not even counting 25 years of holiday scams before that.

Just a first rental scam, of which a, NOW very upset Thai lady friend, arranged this place 2 doors from her place/business.

PLEASE nobody say she was in on it because she is NOT.

ONLY very good friend for 8+ years and does not need the money (a few thousand) from this scam.

I have lived here 37 years and never been ripped off, I do come from that subset species of human, a native New Yorker from Manhattan. By the time I was ten I was ripped off 3 times maybe one other time by the time I was 16. It's what new yorkers do, rip people off. My advise to all is to spend 6 months in New York before you come here realizing everyone want to sell you something. You'll come here ripped off and skeptical of everyone. never lose a dime.

[Crossy]

OK people, enough! A number of off topic bickering posts removed, any more and warnings will be dispensed.

8 Baht a unit is around double the MEA / PEA rate, water probably about the same, not an uncommon mark-up.

[neverdie]

Probably one of the most important things to do when one looks at a rental is to examine the landlord.

My last rental was a condo in Bkk. The owner was fantastic. The only argument we ever had was when moving out (halfway through a month) he insisted on returning the full amount of the bond (the night before I actually moved out) and returning the entire amount, even though I argued there was a half months utilities owing. He insisted on paying the utilities and also insisted that if I ever wanted a condo in the area in the future thatI contact him.

We occasionally still exchange the odd email. Yes he's Thai and a successful businessman.

I've walked away from several nice rentals because my alarm bells were ringing with the landlord.

No electric/water meter access........Big alarm bell.

[IMHO]

Why not answer his questions rather than attacking him?

another Thai apologist, OK 10 days water usage for 1 person 1440 baht.

and NO I did not get to see the meter(s), which gave me a "OOH OOH" , but it was Thais dealing with Thais living in the same road and seeing each other every day for 4+ years.

Well at least the rent was cheap 4200 baht for 64sq/m.

I skip the 'thai apologist' nonsense - what did the contract say about utility prices?

electric 8 baht a khw (with original bills which I always had came around 7 baht - I think - anyway)

water 20 baht per standard Thai unit

If it's a commercial building, 8 Baht/unit for electricity isn't too bad - they will be paying around 7.2-7.4 Baht/unit for it.

Water seems expensive compared to a Isaan village, but again they could be paying well north of 10 Baht/unit, and might also have additional expense of running water pumps on their own meter.

At 8 baht/unit for electricity, you've been using > 18,000 watt/hours per day, or on average 750watts of load every hour - that could be explained if you've got something that uses lots of power (halogen lights? electric water heater? plasma TV? desktop PC?)

Your water at 20 baht/unit works out to 7,200L per day. No way. Even of you had a leak somewhere the usage is of such a proportion you'd have a small swimming pool by now.

Have you actually gone back to the landlord to question the bills yet? And did you do it in a calm way? Perhaps someone simply mis-placed a decimal point on your water bill - 144 Baht for it sounds about right...

[meatboy]

as we are discussing the cost of water we and other moobans have just had notice from tessaban that our water is to go up 60%

from 17bht.per unit to 25bht+tax making it around 27bht.its not that the majority are farangs its not its only 10%.

[Pib]

If it's a commercial building, 8 Baht/unit for electricity isn't too bad - they will be paying around 7.2-7.4 Baht/unit for it.

With VAT, Ft (energy charge), service/meter charge, just all charges, the approx charge is Bt4.8/KWH. Anything above that is just the landlord making profit.

See this Link for MEA tariffs...PEA tariffs basically the same. The OP electric usage sounds very similar to my mother-in-laws usage...a couple of frigs, couple of fans, couple of lights, TV gets turned on a few hours everyday and her monthly electric bill is in the 400 to 500 baht ballpark.

And where the OP said: "Even better water for 10 days, 1440 baht, which is 2 showers a day for 1 person and a few toilet flushes a day."

That's definitely a big time ripoff....I live in a single family home, the wife and I taking multiple showers every day, the wife washes clothes like a clean freak, watering the landscaping, etc...etc...etc....and our monthly water bill is only around Bt250.

Both the electric and water bills comes directly to us from the electric and water departments...no middlemen.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Pib

[KhunBENQ]

I suppose asking the guy directly to explain the charges never crossed anyone's mind?

maybe he padded in the last month and a security deposit.

this may not be a scam at all

I am also confused about the thread starting post.

I do not read anything like: "I talked to the landlord about it" ?

No mentioning "he refused to act"/"did nothing"/"did not care".

Maybe the thread starter torgot to tell this part of the story?

[samran]

OP signed a contract which appears to be explicit about the pricing structure.

Many of us would have read the fine print, laughed and walked away.

He didn't and now is having a cry about it. Blaming someone else for his own mistake.

[transam]

Someone I know pays 5000bht to rent a place, there is a "private" electric meter. They are only at the place at night. There bill is 2000bht every month, they are moving out.

[Pib]

Someone I know pays 5000bht to rent a place, there is a "private" electric meter. They are only at the place at night. There bill is 2000bht every month, they are moving out.

And if they are using air conditioning every night 2,000 baht is not excessive.

[transam]

Someone I know pays 5000bht to rent a place, there is a "private" electric meter. They are only at the place at night. There bill is 2000bht every month, they are moving out.

And if they are using air conditioning every night 2,000 baht is not excessive.

They are not. They don't like it. They live not far from me, I have A/C and bundles of stuff and noooooooooooooo 2000bht. The landlady is making extra cash from HER meter, plain and simple. MOVE OUT..............