Expat guide-Paying your Thai electric bill

Our bills were so confusing when we first got them. In fact, we didn't even know they arrived to our house in the first place. We actually got our electric turned off. When the company comes out to read your bill, they print out a ticket and put it into a small box that is zip tied to the fence. We had no idea until my husband luckily spotted it while outside. Be aware of this. Your bill will come. So, lets decode this bill.
This is how I decode it and what I know of it:

1. Look at the third box from the left on the second row of boxes from the top. It shows 22/11/57. That is the date it was printed and put in your box, which is November, 22nd 2014.
2.  The box to the right of that is the time it was printed.
3. Skip down to the red box. That is what you owe. 2,189.95 Baht. This is a large bill. It has a previous amount on it. I'm not exactly sure how to read the previous amount but I am only really interested in what I owe total. The 143.27 right above the total amount looks like a tax.
4. My main goal. How much do I owe and when is it due? Oh and where do I pay this thing? Look at the first bar code. It has numbers. 25-29 and 2557. Translation: You can pay your electric bill between November, 25-29th 2014 at any 7-11 store. If it is after that date, you will have to find the PEA Mobile Center to pay it. I believe that second bar code is for them. If you wait after that date, you are risking having your electric bill shut off. They don't play around and will not wait around for you. They don't give grace on these. 

The mobile unit was not that hard to find. You just have to show your bill to someone and point to the date and usually they can point you in the right direction. We went to 7-11 first and then we ran into one of our American friends. He told us to go to the old Serthai Complex in Mahasarakham. The mobile unit  should be there until 6. Well, the mobile unit was not there and we came back the next day. Sure enough, it was there and we paid the bill no problems. They turned on the electric the next morning.

Be very vigilant with checking for the bill. We received 3 bills in one month. I have no idea why we got three so we made a habit of checking for bills every time we left the house. That way, we were on top of things. I hope this helps. Thanks for reading!

Paying Your Thailand Water Bill

Water bill in Thailand

Paying the utilities are an experience of its own here in Thailand. For starters, we live in a detached house in a residential neighborhood in Mahasarakham,  Thailand.  This is a college university town in the northeast part of Thailand. We got our first bill in a small box on our outside gate. You have to be on the lookout for it because it can easily be missed. Translation of this bill goes as follows.  The bill was delivered on January 12, 2015. You can pay the bill from January 13, 2015-January 19, 2015. The date at the very bottom says that they will turn your water off on January 26th, 2015. Believe me, there is no grace but what it says. They will turn it off on that date. This bill was very confusing to read at first. Now, how the heck do you pay it? We asked around and of course the language barrier hits again. So we use body language. I show my bill to any local I see on the street and they point me in the direction. I drive a little farther and continue the process of showing the bill and them pointing until we find the place. I knew the place was in town near my school but I wasn't for sure of the exact location. If you don't want to do that, you can go to the mall or a place where foreigners hang out and ask them. Foreigners in my town like to hang out at the amazon cafe. There are two in my town. Either way, there is a way. The top picture is a picture of the inside of the water department.  If your interested in more from Thailand, check back often. I have a few posts brewing about my electric bill, transportation, and a very large informational one on travel vaccines. Have a great day!