Water bills

[MartynE]

Well folks...looks like ASAT are up to their old tricks again. We've just had a mahooooosive bill of over 1,100TL  , which is a bit much considering the apartments have all been empty over the winter and we haven't even filled the pool yet!!

Anyone else had a massive bill yet? I think we will be spending a day at the ASAT office in Kas very soon after we arrive in Kalkan later this month... 

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=13229.0

[samson]

hi martin. not sure if it  may be why you have a bill but   when we  were out last month for three weeks we saw the "council bug men" taking photo's of the empty'ish pool behind us. when we asked why we were told that if the pool was not completely free of stagnant water then there was a fine for every month that it remained in that condition

[pattaya]

Hi
We too had a nasty shock as our apartment complex has had a bill in for 8677 TL .. I think this is for a good part of last year to, but its still really high. We are 13 apartments and a small pool, this is only the communal water usage ..

p

[kalkankediler]

Would be nice if they let us know about the pools/fines.... have been here 15 years and it's never happened before...

[DRBD]

Think a number of maintenance managers are or were aware of the fines as that was how we got to know, we noticed all of a sudden one or 2 pools near by being emptied or empty. 

Not sure the high water bills have anything to do with the pool fines as we have watched throughout the winter months ASAT employees when reading ours & nearby meters, all walking about in uniforms & the 'dirty pool patrols' just in working clothes carrying their spray equipment. May be wrong.

It will be interesting when the council tax is due  & payments may, if the fines show up, then otherwise how can they impose them.  What about properties that appear to have been abandoned, unoocupied for years are subject to ownership dispute, the pools never get emptied or cleaned., 

[MartynE]

Thanks everyone. That's an interesting point about the fines. Never heard of that before! Our manager is pretty on-the-ball so I'd be surprised if that went unnoticed. Still, it should be an interesting conversation when we get over there on the 20th. 

[DRBD]

It seems having spoken to a maintenance manager today that the 'dirty pool patrols'  are in fact from the Belediye & it's them imposing any fines. Not sure it was well broadcast if at all,  but we were told at least 6 wks ago, word & mouth.😈

This doesn't answer your queries MartynE but understand this problem with ASAT seems to be affecting  quite a few others.

[baclava]

I have just been notified by our complex manager that he has received a water bill of 3,500 tl for communal water usage on our small complex. I have no idea what is behind this but it cannot be for usage through the meter during the winter.

[KlknBtrc]

Hi All,  I try to explain why lots of people get big water bill,

After Kalkan  Belediye closed water is moved to Antalya Asat As everybudy knows that,  They didnt read water meter in Kalkan about 7 months or more, Because they were transferring system,

When they finished system Antalya Mayor didnt want to make big bills to people, So they did make every month 108 to 180 TL. They tryed to make every month 180 TL and finish by divideing. But in Kalkan every building has Pool and lots of water useing  never finish by divideing.  Now they are billing howmuch used and unbilled  .  That is why lots of places gets big bill. specialy  Apartments communal area.

Example one complex has big pool and normal bill after filling pool should be 1500 TL (estimated) They made first year  108 TL , Every summer  months useing more than 108 TL but still got same bill  ,Lots of people been paid from 1500TL  only 108 TL,  Winter times gave 108 TL bill but total 648 TL. from 1500 TL bill paid only half. And this is followed 3 years.
 

[DRBD]

If this is the case, what a pity that they couldn't find a way of making this action public knowledge, there are several ways of doing this & of course not all properties with pools are owned by foreigners, there are Turkish owners too. 
Thank you for your input.

[kevincat99]

DRBD

 You of all people must surely realise by now that communication from official bodies never happens

People only find out by word of mouth and rumour after the event

It never changes

[happy days]

I think KlknBtrc is correct. This was explained in articles published in KTLN. ASAT did not take meter readings for months after they took over. They stated they would only charge a set figure (around 180TL max) a month to avoid issuing a large initial bill. I think they assumed that the  majority of customers paid less than this therefore they would catch with the deficit over time. What they didn't account for was large communities who use significantly more than this. Hence, each month you were paying less than your actual usage and therefore over time building up a deficit. ASAT is now calling that in. I think this is the reason you are now facing these large bills.

[DRBD]

Kevincat99. .keeping your finger on the pulse as alway, even from afar.  Yes you are correct &  it's not just official  bodies.

[kevincat99]

DRBD   yes Big Brother is watching you   

[Cosetta]

Happy Days, you are correct.  We are expecting a super massive bill soon.  In the first months of ASAT, we phoned in our actual counter reading and tried to pay the correct amount.  But after a few months of this, they refused to record our readings and sent us the usual 180 bill ... way below our usage.  So ... won't be surprised to get a bill topping 2,000 TL.

[kevincat99]

I suppose the clue is if you have only being charged 108 TL every time peviously you will be due for a large bill to catch up and bring your account up todate

[Little Missy]

Let's hope there is no penalty charge included, some people will struggle to pay this, especially in light of the reduced rentals for 2016.  Still, swings and roundabouts as they say. 

[Christina]

Has anyone had any success in challenging/getting a refund from ASAT after 'overcharging'?

We are five apartments in a block with a shared pool. Our communal water supply was cut off in March due to non-payment dating back 18 months - as we never received a bill and have been unable to pay online. As I was the first owner to arrive at the property apartment this season, I had to pay the 2500TL outstanding bill to get us reconnected so that preparation of the pool and terrace could begin. I have now seen and scrutinised individual monthly bills for the first time. Prices shot up by more than 50% in July 2015, and we continued to be charged the same high rates throughout the winter (around 160TL/month) - even though there was no one in residence .... and no communal water used. In Sept 2014 the bill was 7TL whilst in Sept 2015 the bill was 155TL. To add insult to injury, monthly non payment fines of up to 20TL were levied, then we were taxed on both the outstanding amounts AND the fines. In total we were fined over 200TL. It makes no sense, and seems like chaos at an official level.

The Editor of KTLN has invited readers to send details of their 'excessive' bills as he is compiling a summary to get a broader picture. My English friends living here think there is little of chance of getting ASAT to admit to overcharging, but it would be useful to hear any feedback through this thread. Hoping for news of a 'test case' that could set a precedent for the rest of us, or at least a valid explanation for this confusion.

[Cosetta]

When ASAT took over we also did not get a bill for two months.  So we called the national ASAT number and told them our meter reading.  You can pay online with a Turkish credit card which you should be able to get if you have a bank account here.  For many months we paid online, then we set it up for direct debit from our bank account.

[littlelin]

When ASAT took over I was back in the UK but I did manage to get on the ASAT site thanks to a link from KTLN, input our meter number and the amount we owed was shown. I did manage to pay this online by the deadline and then later managed to set up a direct debit. Admittedly our bills are quite small, 1 bed apt on complex. The communal bills are paid by our management committee Treasurer who is Turkish and they've been variable amounts  so hopefully we won't get any surprise bills when we return next month.