Non Reading of Electric Meters

[Chris S]

Can anyone help or advise?
My electric meter, which was about 4 years old was a modern electronic type.
It was last read in July 2010 whilst I was in the UK and all outstanding amounts paid in October,2010 as soon as I returned to Kalkan.  I returned to the UK in November but no subsequent bill had been received by the time I returned to Kalkan in April, 2011  so I enquired at the Tedas office  who said there was nothing outstanding and told me to go away!
Since the last bill, the villa had been occupied for 20 weeks in all, 10 weeks by paying guests from July to October and 10 weeks by myself and friends in the cooler months when no aircon was used.
It was obvious that a fair amount of electricity must have been used but that no reading had been taken so I persisted at the Tedas office and was again told that nothing was owed.
I recruited the assistance of an english speaking Turkish aquaintance and again approached  the Tedas and was told how to read the meter myself.
I returned to the Tedas office with the readings and after a discussion between officials, was told to buy a new meter which I subsequently did.  No explanation was offered as to why I needed a new meter, which seemed to my unqualified eye to be working fine, the only problem being that it had not been read.
The Tedas fitted the new meter, took the old meter away and told me I would receive a bill in the next few days, but I was scheduled to fly back to the UK on June 9th.
I have now received a bill for 3,235.50 TL which seems exhorbitant to say the least.  My own calculations from my readings equated to 1,625.00 TL
Has anyone else experienced the non reading of meters and can anyone tell me whether this bill sounds normal for a three bedroom villa with a pool for 20 weeks occupation.

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=8043.0

[Cosetta]

Our usage for a 3 bdrm villa with pool running 10 hrs/day and ACs running at night averages about 400 TL / month.  The range being 300 - 480 TL.  We did have a reading problem with the previous Tedas people who misread our meter.  When we asked that it be corrected, the situation went from bad to worse.  They entered the lower reading into their computers but never gave us back the credit for overpayment.  So we had to pay again as if we had never paid.  We gave up and let them keep the extra 210 TL that they wrongfully took.  We were not here, meanwhile the old Tedas people were all replaced and the new ones know nothing about it.

To get a correct meter reading you need to find the man who reads the meters in your area and literally bring him to your house.  Then with your old reading and the new one, if Tedas does not correct this you need to go higher.  Either with a formal letter to the Tedas headquarters, or perhaps better, spend a little to ask the advice of a lawyer.  So much is involved that it is probably worth getting legal help.

[Dellbarr]

A short while ago there was some jiggery pokery going on and some of the employees were prosecuted. It was round about the time in question. Sounds like you need to take it higher.

[Chris S]

Thanks for the info Cosetta.
Can I just clarify, is the figure of 400 TL/month averaged over the period of occupation or over the whole year, whether the villa is occupied or not.
It seems the Tedas people are a law unto themselves and do what they like.
In my case, having fitted a new meter and taken away the original one, all the evidence is in their hands and I have no access to it.  A figure of 11800.000 appears on the bill under the heading "Ek Tuketim" and there has been no explanation where it comes from or what was wrong with the old meter (if anything other than not having been read).
My villa manager has queried the bill on my behalf and was told "go away, this bill is correct and if you don't pay it you will be fined. This can be as much as your existing bill which doubles it and your electricity will be switched  off."
Is this kind of behaviour reserved for foreigners or do locals get treated in the same high handed fashion.
As I don't speak Turkish despite my efforts to learn (too old or too stupid) I'm inclined to pay up and put it down to experience as I have guests expected at the villa and I can't afford the power to be cut off.  The downside of this is that the Tedas then have no incentive to behave in a more reasonable manner in future.

[Cosetta]

The 400 TL/ month average is over the summer between April and October.  You will have to go higher up the chain of command than Kalkan to get more service.  You could have a lawyer simply send a registered letter to the main Tedas office asking them to look into it.  Once you pay, even if there is an error you will not get your money back.  It rather sounds like they charged you a forfeitary fee for a ' non-working meter'.  If there was no usage, they may have assumed that the meter was turned off or bad (this happens), and determined an arbitrary amount.  You have my sympathy!  Dealing with any kind of gov or utility office is not very rewarding.

[Cuddles]

Chris s, could the bill you got be based on the difference between the last reading of the old meter and the then current reading of the new one, having passed zero?

On a slightly different tack but, still related to meter readings, have many here had to replace their meter recently because it no longer works? (i.e. you still get the juice but your meter shows a blank)
In our apartment block, 2 of the 5 meters no longer displayed anything. When they were read in May we did not get a bill, which is what caused me to look closely at it in the first place. We did get one in April.
Is this something to do with the laying of new cables, I wonder?
The Tedas told me to buy a new meter, take it back to them and they would fit it. After 2 weeks of waiting, I went to see them again about it. They took my new meter from a cupboard with about 20 others in it and got an electrician to fit it straight away.
I know the meters are only supposed to last a few years and mine was 10 years old. But I find it a bit strange that 2 of 5 meters decided to give up the ghost at the same time, shortly after the Tedas layed new cables nearby!

[Cosetta]

Chris, could it be that your contract is still on 'builders electricity'?  If so, that would explain the very high rate.  Be sure that your name is on the contract, no other name or company.