So, is this a scam?

[Jake]

28 minutes ago, Pangit said:

My Wife and I have talked about this now.

I am by far not a religious guy, I think religion, by definition is deplorable. 

However, I do try ti live my life by lessons learnt, even if those lessons are from the bible.

Romans 12:21 says something about fighting evil with good.

These buggers will not fool me again, and as we have done nothing wrong we will stand our ground.

1k lost, lesson learnt. The next person to come here will still be treated well, but also with suspicion

Es mo pun in da Philippines!  I believe everyone here have been scammed in one form or another.  My advice based on personal experience (I'm Filipino) is to think of it as a donation.  Otherwise you'll be stressed out for the rest of your life.

Mo pun indeed!    Respectfully Jake

[Methersgate]

1. IK a month running two aircons looks like too cheap, to me, so the meter probably had been nobbled.

[Jake]

40 minutes ago, Methersgate said:

1. IK a month running two aircons looks like too cheap, to me, so the meter probably had been nobbled.

Nobbled?  Sounds British to me.  In fact, I had to look it up and yes indeed, it is very British and I like it.  Good call Andrew about the meter may have been modified-adjusted to reflect reduced electrical consumption.  Of course I have no doubt that the OP (Pangit) had anything to do with it.  Perhaps previous resident or the meter reader was moonlighting as the neighborhood scammer.  

One thing for sure.....that we are grateful to Pangit that this issue was brought to light within this forum.  New and old members alike should visually inspect the security wire protecting the meter.  And more importantly, monitor the monthly bills for any drastic changes up or down.  

By all means, I would certainly put my foot down to argue my case against the power company but try putting it down softly.  Save the anger as the last resort and then let them have it with documented proof.

Respectfully Jake

 

[Methersgate]

1 hour ago, Jake said:

....the meter may have been modified-adjusted to reflect reduced electrical consumption.  Of course I have no doubt that the OP (Pangit) had anything to do with it.  Perhaps previous resident or the meter reader was moonlighting as the neighborhood scammer.  

One thing for sure.....that we are grateful to Pangit that this issue was brought to light within this forum.  New and old members alike should visually inspect the security wire protecting the meter.  And more importantly, monitor the monthly bills for any drastic changes up or down.  

By all means, I would certainly put my foot down to argue my case against the power company but try putting it down softly.  Save the anger as the last resort and then let them have it with documented proof.

Respectfully Jake

 

Very good advice, there, Jake.

[frozenmystic28]

The next time something like this happen make sure to video record it(secretly). Lineman's are not allowed to ask for any payment, their only job is to check the meter, then report to Davao light if their's tampering of meter. But I got another bad news for you, this kind of scam happens everywhere in the PH, and its not just foreigner, even locals get victimized by this scam.

[Snowy79]

My advice would be to take it on the chin and admire the con man for his cheek. It's the Philippines and if you start making waves you might flood the boat. Your house is rooted to the spot, the con man can come and go as he pleases as can his friends.

1,000 php is a small price to pay for an education lesson. If you kick up a stink and he loses his job etc I'm sure revenge will be the first thing on his mind. Accept you missed the moment to stop the con and move on. I've seen too many people come home to a burned out car, smashed windows or false accusations.

[davewe]

On September 16, 2016 at 7:08 AM, Pangit said:

I think this might be likely, our bill is roughly 1k per month with 2 aircons running 24/7, lights on all the time to make sure there are no ghosts etc.

Our neighbours who do not use a/c pay double what we pay. I must admit I chose ignorance for the last year we have been here, enjoying a low monthly bill.

But the guy now took the 1k, he removed the frig in the meter, so I dont think there will be any further issue, as he will be implicated too.

 

I guess I am reading this all wrong. If it's a scam it's one of the most beneficial scams I ever heard of.

The OP acknowledges that not only was he paying peanuts for his electric, running Aircon 24/7, but was aware enough to know that his neighbor without aircon was paying twice what he paid. He chose to do nothing, which let's face it is what most of us would do. But at a minimum it sounds like he saved 1k per month, probably 2k+. 

Unless this somehow gets escalated I would say nothing to the electric company; why take a chance at their discovering that they were being underpaid. Anyway you look at it, even with the 1k payment to the meter guy, the OP greatly benefited. 

[Pangit]

33 minutes ago, davewe said:

I guess I am reading this all wrong. If it's a scam it's one of the most beneficial scams I ever heard of.

The OP acknowledges that not only was he paying peanuts for his electric, running Aircon 24/7, but was aware enough to know that his neighbor without aircon was paying twice what he paid. He chose to do nothing, which let's face it is what most of us would do. But at a minimum it sounds like he saved 1k per month, probably 2k+. 

Unless this somehow gets escalated I would say nothing to the electric company; why take a chance at their discovering that they were being underpaid. Anyway you look at it, even with the 1k payment to the meter guy, the OP greatly benefited. 

Hahahaha. You are correct. Lets see what my next bill is, because at the end of the day maybe I am the scammer, by ignoring such low bills.

Anyway, nobody from Davao Light came yesterday. And by oaying him off I think we have the upper hand now.

The house owner shat herself, and has tried to take it further. Lets see how this plays out.

[OnMyWay]

4 minutes ago, Pangit said:

The house owner shat herself, and has tried to take it further. Lets see how this plays out.

Huh?  Sounds like she is the one who paid p1000 to some other guy to have it tampered!  

You are lucky so far.   If another, more by the book, meter reader comes, he shuts your electricity and turns it into the office.  I would imagine getting it sorted out would be a huge hassle and somehow they would estimate what you owe in arrears.  Our meter malfunctioned once and they made an estimate.

If the meter is working properly now and the owner escalates, what will be her basis for escalating?  It sounds like she is going to cause a larger issue.

You should have receipts for the 3 months of bills you paid at any third party, so that should not be an issue.

[mogo51]

Next time come out armed with a camera or better a video records and record him up the pole, and other identifiers and go to the electric supplier with the information.  But then again, good luck with that one I would think.