Direct debits

[JaiLai]

I have direct debit set up to pay electric of a house I have just sold.

 

I'm not in Thailand currently but obviously do not wish to continue paying the new owners electricity bill.

 

I believe the process to cancel is go to bank get form, go to PEA with said form, everything gets sent to BKK ( of course! ) and it's about 2-3 month process to cancel.

 

I would like to know what happens if I simply transfer funds from that bank account with DD somewhere else leaving not enough to cover bill. Does PEA simple disconnect the power and it's the new owners responsibility to sort it out?

 

Thanks

[fletchsmile]

Check your bank's terms and conditions on your particular account you're using, but highly likely you'll get charged for a failed DD with insufficient funds. The electricity company doesn't disconnect just because you miss one payment, so likely a repeat will occur. At some point yes, they will disconnect you but it will take time.

[jacknorman]

cancel it in your bank, you have internet banking ?

[DrDave]

It might be best to cancel your account with PEA. This is what we did when we sold our house. We also got our 6,000 baht meter deposit returned. Accounts are cancelled at the end of the current billing period, and I think the new owner has two weeks to pay the meter deposit and setup their account before service is disconnected.

[helloagain]

If you have sold the house you can also get back the cost you paid for electric meter

[Belzybob]

Correct process is as mentioned, cancel it with the provider. If there are delays or issues, don't just empty the account, close it to avoid charges for insufficient funds.

[riceyummm]

2 hours ago, DrDave said:

It might be best to cancel your account with PEA. This is what we did when we sold our house. We also got our 6,000 baht meter deposit returned. Accounts are cancelled at the end of the current billing period, and I think the new owner has two weeks to pay the meter deposit and setup their account before service is disconnected.

Definitely the simple route, just close your PEA acct.

[Sydebolle]

Deplete funds on the bank account and after the second unsuccessful direct debit attempt PEA (like waterworks or landline operator) will cancel this. Then you pay up cash (i.e. the new house owner) or get disconnected. Best is you inform the new owner accordingly. 

I always opened a separate bank account for such purposes and once I moved on (rental or purchased) I informed the successor that they have to take care of their own bills; zeroed the balance and the bank closed the account later on due to the lack of funds. What you do NOT want to do is to try to stop direct debits or close a bank account - you're in for a trip of your lifetime as far as Thai bureaucracy is concerned (was there - did that)!