£!000 water bill for one month!! Please help

Enchanted


Joined: 20/07/2008
Posts: 159

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 13:07

My friends returned to Girne to find a huge £1000 water bill for March. There are no water leaks, toilets running, pool problems, any assess for anyboby to steal water, same meter etc. Even the neighbours did not notice any signs of leaks. Aprils bill was back to normal, so where has 160 tons of water gone?



Is this a scam of some kind? Has anyone had a similarly huge bill & can offer a possible explanation? The Belediye say they must pay. Can the price be negotiated doiwn? These are elderly people and they are at there wits end as they certainly don't have that kind of money.

negativenick


Joined: 10/11/2008
Posts: 6023

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 13:09

its not called "devils island" for nothing..............

rigsby


Joined: 21/09/2007
Posts: 912

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 13:14

Have the readings double checked.

martinD41


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 3001

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 13:23

Has anyone noticed that the "Stop Tap" is sometimes on the "Mains/Inflow" side of the Meter.........

rejela


Joined: 09/02/2011
Posts: 293

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 13:24

If the pipes supplying water to the property go empty, when the main Belediye water depoe refills it is possible that the air in the mains pipe work is then forced out at any point available, i.e. a water tank with the ball cock stuck in the open postion because the tank water level is low. So this now compressed air in the pipe finds your friends water tank and proceeds to bleed itself out via your friends ball cock. This actually happened to me, infact when i used to open the tap, there was so much air pressure in the pipe that the hose actually shot out of my hand and continued to thrash around the garden as if it was alive. When the air runs through the water meter the rotating disc spins do fast it looks like the rotars on a helicopter. To solve this problem you have to fit an air check valve before the meter. Before you do this first speak to the belediye and explain your problem, they should agree to the check valve bing fitted. Do not pay the £1000 bill but go and discuss first

Troodo


Joined: 12/06/2008
Posts: 1002

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 14:03

Three years ago, I had mains water installed. When they installed it they included a leak, in their part of the connection, that amounted to about 160 tons of water lose. The original charge was around 400tl, so where they are getting £1000 from is a one of those TC mysteries. However, after contacting the Muhtar and having the leak fixed, plus the Muhtar sending a letter to the Belideyesi, the bill now stands at 1260tl. I have been repeatedly told that the bill will be rectified but now they are telling me that too long has past and I have to pay. My answer to that, flourishing a copy of the Muhtar’s letter in their face, is then take me to court. Nothing happens and the bill keeps rising. They keep smiling and shrugging their shoulders, I keep paying what I owe monthly and giving them a copy of the Mutars letter. This problem seems to be beyond their collective capabilities so I have no idea where it will end – any suggestions would be appreciated.

brend


Joined: 20/01/2009
Posts: 149

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 14:11

We had the same problem last year. Luckily we have a management company and they sorted it out for us. We had a look at meter when we were not using any water and found the dial still spinning!! we turned it off at mains and back on again and it stopped. I have heard about quite a few on our site and they go to see the Mukta (spelling?) some get it reduced and others don't. Hope you are lucky.

Brend

FreeWorker


Joined: 07/09/2010
Posts: 116

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 14:31

buy one 5 tone water tank and fill it twice a month...no need to pay belediye much.

Deniz1


Joined: 28/07/2009
Posts: 3829

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 22:11

If the property is unlived in for a long time every year get the belediye to cap it of its only a small charge then no water can be used they will uncapp it when you arrive.

birdman



Joined: 20/09/2010
Posts: 690

Message Posted:
05/05/2011 23:57

I too had a huge bill on my return from 3 months in the UK 6 years ago.(Selling up !) I didn't own a pool or even have a shower fitted then. The only water used was for filling the kettle. I was told my bill was £900 and refused to pay it. My mains water meter was removed the next day and I was cut-off from the mains supply.

Fortunately my well has good drinking water so for the last 6 years I have been using that. (I filled my new pool with the well water in one day ......90 tonnes.)

YFred


Joined: 06/05/2009
Posts: 1471

Message Posted:
06/05/2011 01:20

I don't understand what it is but what ever it is you are infected very badly. For years I have seen Cypriots suffer in England and unable to cope with life, running to somebody who could read English to help. I understand that you guys can't read Turkish, but surely is it too much to expect for people to be aware of what each meter reading is each month, so that the problem can be identified. Instead you are running around like headless chickens.



Can somebody check to see if the meter reading first of all shows so much water? If it does, I suspect another Brit has jumped over the wall and stole the water to fill up the swimming pool?



Can we stop attacking everything TRNC at every opportunity. When it is warranted by all means but first understand what has happened.

If the water has been used, you really can not blame the authorities in a country which has shortages of water every year.

Tenakoutou



Joined: 27/07/2009
Posts: 4110

Message Posted:
06/05/2011 10:12

YFred/Msg 11: 'If the water has been used, you really can not blame the authorities in a country which has shortages of water every year.'



Two weeks ago, I went to the Girne Beledire office in Girne to report that there is a substantial water leak outside our property - before our meter. I went, especially, to speak to the man who speaks English in the side office. He took all the necessary details, then proceeded to phone 'someone' about the problem.



It seems that the water mains line pressure varies considerably, as sometimes the water is gurgling up through the pavement; other times seeping. Whatever, the loss of water must be enormous!



Our well is about 5 metres away from the mains leak and has been filling to a much higher level than ever before - perhaps we'd have been better off not to have reported this leak!



But my attempt at showing 'social responsibility' has not yet been reciprocated by Girne Beleydisi - the leak has, to date, been ignored!

shaun463


Joined: 16/08/2009
Posts: 105

Message Posted:
06/05/2011 10:23

Maybe we have a better Beleydisi here in Catalkoy i have twice reported water leaking from a burst pipe once outside our house and one about 200 yards away both was reported and on each times someone came within the hour to fix it.

regarding the high bill our friend had a similar problem and it appeared the meter dials was spinning on there own and running up the bill, they had to pay

Troodo


Joined: 12/06/2008
Posts: 1002

Message Posted:
06/05/2011 10:34

Yfred, did you read my post? It has nothing to do with reading a meter, just bloody mindedness and refusal to help or do the job they are payed to do. Happens in england as well but there you have some protection, here it goes right to the top. All people ask is a fair playing field and some common sense, not too much to ask, surely.