Thread: I could not f##king believe it.

I recently posted a thread asking advice about a water leakage problem I had and I am glad to report that we found the leaks, (thanks to some good advice from fellow members) repaired them and last month our bill was 700 baht compared to the previous month's of 4,200.00 Baht.

My great relief was shot to pieces yesterday when my wife reported that this month's bill was 3,850.00 baht.

I checked the repair areas and found everything OK and I suggested that my wife go to the water board department and check what the f##k was going on.

She returned with the following explanation: The council metre was not working when the metre reader checked it so they took an average over the last 6 months and prepared the bill accordingly.

So beware one and all.

If in doubt don't be afraid to ask.

Be interesting to read how you went about finding the leaks, I remember some suggestions, but did not sound easy. We had a leak and had to have the bathroom floor jack hammered up to get to the pipe. Where would 'plumbers' here be without that white tape they use on the joints?

Jeez, i thought you were going to tell us that you had sawn your other arm off and was typing with your toes and nose.

Great LT finding your water leak, I'm always home when the guy come around with the water bill & this month 157b, that's a little high for this month.

Estimating consumption based on previous readings is standard practice around the world, isn't it?

It certainly is in the UK if they can't for any reason get a current reading for water, gas or electricity.

Originally Posted by xanax

Be interesting to read how you went about finding the leaks

From memory Klong Toey suggested I use a screw driver to listen for leaks and we found 1 leak in my son's bathroom downstairs.

I held the plastic handle against my ear and the metal tip against the wall and the heard the leak. We had to jack hammer the floor and replace the pipe.

The main leak was under the garden bungalow (Nedwalk's love shack) and we just blocked the leaking pipe off and ran a new pipe into the main structure.

Originally Posted by FailSafe

I would say that's a fair way to prepare a bill if they were unable to correctly account for your monthly usage due to a mechanical breakdown on their part

My wife had been complaining about the bill for months beforehand and they refused to send anyone out to check the metre or for a problem.

They knew our average bill beforehand was around 700 baht and informed us the problem was ours to remedy so they knew there was an issue.

When the 700 baht bill was prepared they must have realized that we had sorted the problem and things had returned to normal.

Originally Posted by patsycat

Jeez, i thought you were going to tell us that you had sawn your other arm off and was typing with your toes and nose.

I have been using an angle grinder everyday for the past 6 months and still have all my appendages Patsy.

I am also leaving the guard on this time.

Originally Posted by cyrille

It certainly is in the UK if they can't for any reason get a current reading for water, gas or electricity.

As above mate and I agree that in some cases average usages are used to calculate the bill but in our case we had informed them about the problem and the bill had risen from 700 baht to 3,850 baht.

Moreover I suspect many people would just pay the amount billed and be ripped off in the process.

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

I suspect many people would just pay the amount billed and be ripped off in the process.

Or pay someone to find a non existant leak.

Bit of a cnut's trick, not writing on the bill that they couldn't get to your meter

Originally Posted by Dillinger

Bit of a cnut's trick, not writing on the bill that they couldn't get to your meter

Exactly mate and this is the point I am making and hopefully for the benefit of others.

Without even thinking too much about it I reckon most bills are padded here.

How many out there actually read their metres and calculate and check the billing.?

My wife thinks they roll dice, or throw darts. Last month was a horrible power month - power off five days for 8-10 hours a day, and a slew of other days with shorter outages several times a day.

Bill increased by 20%.

Wife sent power company a bill for gasoline costs to power the generator - all itemized by hour.

No response to date. I am not holding my breath.

Pretty standard to average usage.

Meter not working sounds bolloks though.
Meter reading guy probably just took the day off.

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Without even thinking too much about it I reckon most bills are padded here.

Your Pattaya restaurant bill surely is but your water bill isn't, the 2800 baht too much paid will give you 4 month of a zero bill.
You have deposited 2800 baht in a 4month fixed water bank account with 0% interest.
Carry on, I'm sure you can afford it.

I read the OP as meaning all meters couldn't be read and had to be averaged- I agree that if it was just your meter with the problem you have a right to be pissed.

I was looking at it as some flunkies going through a thousand bills and you expected them to pick up an anomaly.

Originally Posted by lom

Your Pattaya restaurant bill surely is but your water bill isn't

I don't have a Restaurant.

Originally Posted by FailSafe

you have a right to be pissed.

Up-date................The metre man has just come and he told my wife unless we pay the billed amount they will not fix their metre.

I told her in front of him.......why are you speaking to this clown about bills as he is just a technician?

We will be taking this up with the boss if they continue to try and swindle us.

Originally Posted by lom

Carry on, I'm sure you can afford it.

How do you know? and whether I can or not is not the point.

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

I have been using an angle grinder everyday for the past 6 months and still have all my appendages Patsy.

They do the same in vientiane, if your not home when they come to read the metre then they just averidge it out. My metre was in the back yard and they also sometimes wouldnt enter because they were afraid of the dog
Paid 4000 baht to get the metre moved out to the front wall , still only a slight difference in the bill though

^ Thanks for making me laugh mate...............

Originally Posted by FailSafe

I read the OP as meaning all meters

My assigned water rate metre, connected to the property and outside the property boundary which the gnam prapar goose reads each month and to calculate my bill.

Originally Posted by lom

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Without even thinking too much about it I reckon most bills are padded here.

Your Pattaya restaurant bill surely is but your water bill isn't, the 2800 baht too much paid will give you 4 month of a zero bill.
You have deposited 2800 baht in a 4month fixed water bank account with 0% interest.
Carry on, I'm sure you can afford it.

You reckon they'll change LT's latest bill based on future usage? Nonsense.

Oh, it's a METER not a METRE.

Bladdy Ockers...

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Oh, it's a METER not a METRE.

Bladdy Ockers...

Bit of an own goal there Marblight Ockerbasher.....

metre: definition of metre in Oxford dictionary (British & World English)

metre
Pronunciation: /ˈmiːtə /
(US meter
, abbreviation: m)
NOUN
1the fundamental unit of length in the metric system, equal to 100 centimetres or approximately 39.37 inches:

Origin

late 18th century: from French mètre, from Greek metron 'measure'.


Metre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The metre (International spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures), or meter (American spelling), (SI unit symbol: m), is the fundamental unit of length

^ Thick twat

meter
- noun
an instrument for measuring, especially one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated.


metre
- noun
a metric unit of length equal to approximately 1.094 yards

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

meter
- noun
an instrument for measuring, especially one that automatically measures and records the quantity of something, as of gas, water, miles, or time, when it is activated.


metre
- noun
a metric unit of length equal to approximately 1.094 yards

Worth a punt

Is there really something wrong with the meter, or do they think it's broken cos of how it dropped dramatically.
The water corp in Perth recently changed my meter cos they thought something was wrong with it after my bill dropped dramatically (after I had a bore drilled)