Wastewater Invoice

[forcebwithu 4,834]

I just received a wastewater invoice from Pattaya City govt. It's the first time I've received such an invoice in the 10 years living in this house.

In addition to never having been billed before for wastewater, the invoice is also odd as the first line item is for Feb - Feb Fiscal Year 2014 and the next line item is for Sept - Sept Fiscal Year 2017.

Has anyone else received a wastewater invoice? And would anyone happen to know why my invoice has gaps in the years billed, plus a change in the beginning month of the two fiscal years?

[halfaboy 31]

Are the m3 waste water related to the water intake from i.e. the Provincial Water Works ?

[forcebwithu 4,834]

54 minutes ago, halfaboy said:

Are the m3 waste water related to the water intake from i.e. the Provincial Water Works ?

I expect so. That's how the local govt back in the US used to figure the wastewater portion of the bill.

Not even sure this is a real invoice. Other houses, but not every house on our soi received an invoice too. Told my lady to pass the word they need to call Pattaya City govt to confirm the legitimacy of the invoice. They also need to ask about the odd months and missing years if there invoice is like the one we received. Come to think of it, I'll also tell her to ask everyone to compare bills to see if there are any other oddities.

[halfaboy 31]

It would also be unfair to you as there are many houses having their own water wells. Also sometimes tanks are filled up by water trucks.

Would not be surprised if you are being cheated.

[forcebwithu 4,834]

1 hour ago, halfaboy said:

It would also be unfair to you as there are many houses having their own water wells. Also sometimes tanks are filled up by water trucks.

Would not be surprised if you are being cheated.

Part of the translation indicates the wastewater charge is limited to those living in Pattaya city, so I imagine there are few if any with private wells. If it's like where I used to live, the city govt required the capping of any private wells when city water was brought into residential areas.

[forcebwithu 4,834]

A BM's question on another forum about the how large the water consumption resulted in what I think is the answer to why this invoice was sent out. Here's C&P of my reply.

 

When I translated the invoice I assumed the line items were water consumption for the year. The text of Feb - Feb Fiscal Year 2017 was what lead me to that assumption. Although in hindsight it should have been Feb - Jan if that were the case.

Your question did prompt me to dig out my saved water bills and have a closer look. The key one I was looking for was the bill for the month when I had an undetected underground water pipe leak. That bill was for 7,400B, and yes I shit a major brick when I saw that bill.

I found that bill and lo and behold, the unit consumption of 277 matches the 2nd line item on the invoice, as well as the month and year (Sept, 2017). So the line items are in fact for one month.

I no longer have the water bill for Feb, 2014, but that might have been the month where I had left Pattaya for a few days to come back and find the tank refill valve on the toilet had got stuck open on the last flush before leaving the house.

Putting the pieces together it looks like there is probably a minimum water usage allowance allowed before the wastewater surcharge comes into effect. Doesn't explain why the city took over seven years from the earliest date to get around to sending out an invoice. Might be because they're scraping for money now due to the pandemic and are leaving no stone unturned to bring more money into their coffers.

I will try to get them to forgive the 2nd line item of 969B as technically it wasn't wastewater I was generating, but doing my part to refill the water table.

[forcebwithu 4,834]

Now I'm a bit peeved at my lady. I just explained to her what I last posted and told her we can go to the city office and ask about the forgiveness of the 969B. She then informs me she asked the neighbor lady who wen to the city office this morning to pay our bill who has already done so.

I have to temper my irritation somewhat as the chance of the city forgiving that line item was somewhere between nil and are you crazy to even think about wasting your time to ask. 

[jacko 8,807]

5 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Told my lady to pass the word they need to call Pattaya City govt to confirm the legitimacy of the invoice.

My first thought too.......

Quote

Putting the pieces together it looks like there is probably a minimum water usage allowance allowed before the wastewater surcharge comes into effect. Doesn't explain why the city took over seven years from the earliest date to get around to sending out an invoice. Might be because they're scraping for money now due to the pandemic and are leaving no stone unturned to bring more money into their coffers.

Yes a trigger level of high consumption, well figured out. The top man being at the Glasgow COP 26 has spurred them into action!

Turn the water off when you go away, I usually do, beats coming back to a flood. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by jacko

[TheFiend 1,181]

3 hours ago, jacko said:

My first thought too.......

Yes a trigger level of high consumption, well figured out. The top man being at the Glasgow COP 26 has spurred them into action!

Turn the water off when you go away, I usually do, beats coming back to a flood. 

Mrs Fiend turns off the water virtually every time we leave the house....

[forcebwithu 4,834]

1 hour ago, TheFiend said:

Mrs Fiend turns off the water virtually every time we leave the house....

Not a bad idea in case a pipe burst, or a toilet was left stuck open, but given how rare those are really not worth the effort of turning the house water off and then on again on your return.

As an aside, my favorite water saving measure I saw was where they left the faucet to trickle water into a big bucket. The idea being the water flow wasn't enough to trigger the meter so they were getting free water. I still see that to this day in some of the massage shop bathrooms.

That idea many years ago was true as back then water meters used a mechanical impellor to measure water consumption. If the flow rate wasn't high enough the impellor wouldn't turn, thus you got free water. Modern meters use a sensor so that cheat no longer works.

[jacko 8,807]

10 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

That idea many years ago was true as back then water meters used a mechanical impellor to measure water consumption. If the flow rate wasn't high enough the impellor wouldn't turn, thus you got free water. Modern meters use a sensor so that cheat no longer works.

I certainly have not got a modern water meter here.  Even when it stopped working a gnarly old guy just messed with it rather than replace it. Don't see much point trickling water, my usual monthly bill is only around 45 baht and my Mrs spends all day flushing toilets and running taps.

Switching the water off if away for several days also protects my pump as I expect the tank could run dry and I have no idea if there is a cut out or other safety feature. Had a snake get in there a few months back and it locked the pump up for a while, got bloody hot, but didn't cut out. Unwound the small snake and it worked after. 

[BeerBelly 1,026]

On 11/10/2021 at 8:57 AM, forcebwithu said:

I just received a wastewater invoice from Pattaya City govt. It's the first time I've received such an invoice in the 10 years living in this house.

In addition to never having been billed before for wastewater, the invoice is also odd as the first line item is for Feb - Feb Fiscal Year 2014 and the next line item is for Sept - Sept Fiscal Year 2017.

Has anyone else received a wastewater invoice? And would anyone happen to know why my invoice has gaps in the years billed, plus a change in the beginning month of the two fiscal years?

I have seen this before and ignored it (when I had my restaurant). I don't recall what I did about it, to be honest. But I kept getting them and kept ignoring them because the bill had a past due for many years.

Now, here's the thing. Exactly what waste water are they talking about? Houses/condos in Pattaya don't have sewage city sewer systems. They simply drain into a septic type system at their house. So I'm not sure what this bill is for. 

 

[forcebwithu 4,834]

1 hour ago, BeerBelly said:

I have seen this before and ignored it (when I had my restaurant). I don't recall what I did about it, to be honest. But I kept getting them and kept ignoring them because the bill had a past due for many years.

Now, here's the thing. Exactly what waste water are they talking about? Houses/condos in Pattaya don't have sewage city sewer systems. They simply drain into a septic type system at their house. So I'm not sure what this bill is for. 

Within Pattaya city there is a sewer system. No septic system at my house, and as far as I know no septic systems for any of the buildings attached to the city sewerage system.