PEA apologises for 11.8 million baht electricity bill error

In a surprising turn of events, the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) in Koh Samui had to extend an apology to a small hotel proprietor on the island in the southern province of Surat Thani. It seems the PEA’s miscalculated her electricity consumption, leading to them issuing a bill of over 11 million baht last month.

The PEA’s Communication Affairs Division’s director-general, Thanaphan Tiasuwan, shed light on the matter. He noted that the PEA had looked into the error and discussed it with the shocked hotel owner, Apassanant Pattharapisithorn. This case had drawn attention when it started trending on several social media platforms.

Apassanant put up a photo, on a dedicated Thai consumer protection website, showing the electricity bill for July issued for her eight-room hotel. The photograph illustrates her shock at finding that her hotel had allegedly consumed 5,099,939.87 units of electricity, leading to an astronomical bill of 11,780,004.62 baht.

Apassanant indicated that her facility normally incurs an electricity expenditure of about 30,000 to 50,000 baht. Hence, she wasted no time in contacting the Koh Samui PEA call centre. Unfortunately, she was asked to leave a message and call back after the holiday weekend, reported Bangkok Post.

Overwhelmed by anxiety, she decided to express her frustration on Facebook.

“I was told to wait until the third of August to receive a call back from them. It is a matter of great concern.”

Following her public outburst, the PEA had to issue an apology. The blunder occurred due to an employee inputting a digit in the wrong line of the system, leading to an inflated charge. Koh Samui PEA has assured Apassanant that her revised bill for July would amount to a much more reasonable 46,878.20 baht.

The PEA made the news recently when they stopped supplying power to the Myanmar border town of Myawaddy. Myawaddy has experienced a significant impact on its electricity supply after Thailand’s Provincial Electricity Authority ceased providing power on June 6, following the expiration of a contract with the Myanmar government.