Dear Hillary,
We have not been here very long and already we have had the water cut off from the house (twice!) and the electricity (once) all because I do not understand when and how the bills come. Do they post them or what? I am sure we did not receive at least two, but when I tried to explain this at the Water Department I got nowhere – and had to pay an extra 500 baht to get re-connected. What can we do?
Bill
Dear Bill, or as we would say, Dear Bin,
The account is a piece of paper that is either stuck in your gate, or slipped under your door. They look very similar, but the “bin electric” is generally in blue ink and is from the PEA (Provincial Electricity Authority). You do get a few days grace, but once those few days are over, you are then disconnected and in the case of the water, they just remove the meter and smash the on-off handle (just in case you have ideas of joining the input and output ends together). What you have to do is remember what day of the month that the meter men come, and then look for the bin (sorry bill). Frustrating and annoying, but that’s just one of the things that make up “Amazing Thailand”.