PSA: Buying PLN Prepaid credits unavailable from 11.30pm till 1am

El_Goretto

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Buying PLN Prepaid credits is unavailable from 11.30pm till 1am.

I found out the hard way last night at 11.35pm (I kid you not) when the electricity went off due to "pulsa habis".

Tried to buy it via online banking, via tokopedia, via BCA ATM at the 24h Alfamart, nothing worked before 1am.

So don't be like me, plan ahead, get some back-up PLN Prabayar tokens.
 
Hmmm, when I stayed with the peeps who sold pulsa wholesale (in my early days here, before I spoke enough of the lingo to fully understand the who & what), I recall the midnight switchover and reboot being an issue for an hour or so from one or two of the big suppliers.
Maybe it is in some way similar or even connected.
 
pasca is better than pre..but you must control the usage.
Why would it be "better". The cost per KW/hour is the same (Rp 1.467,28 per KWh that is) and pra atau pasca doesn't affect the consumption of your electrical appliances. I have both and definitely prefer the prabayar solution (well, after having struggled to understand how to isi the damn pulsa :))
 
Why would it be "better". The cost per KW/hour is the same (Rp 1.467,28 per KWh that is) and pra atau pasca doesn't affect the consumption of your electrical appliances. I have both and definitely prefer the prabayar solution (well, after having struggled to understand how to isi the damn pulsa :))

Sorry, but for a newbie like me this is as.comprehensible as it was written in Chinese....
Any simple English version for the "non initiated" ?
 
Sorry, but for a newbie like me this is as.comprehensible as it was written in Chinese....
Any simple English version for the "non initiated" ?
Even better... a french version.
Il existe deux types de compteur d'electricite: ceux a pre-payment, dit prabayar, ou tu achetes des unites KW/H (pulsa) a l'avance, et ceux, comme en France, ou tu payes a posteriori (pascabayar).

Le cout du kilowatt/heure est le meme pour les deux types de compteurs, soit Rp 1467,28 par KW/H, et le type d'electricite fournie est le meme, donc n'affecte pas la consommation electrique de tes appareils electromenagers.

En definitive, les differences sont quasi inexistantes. Je prefere toutefois les systemes prabayar qui t'evites la visite d'un prepose de PLN (la compagnie d'electricite Indonesienne). Il y quelques annees mes chiens ont failli en bouffer un a deux ou trois reprises, ce qui fut genant par la suite, avec des releves de compteur tres irreguliers, generant des factures aberrantes certains mois).
 
Merci Atlantis,

Ok, back to English . Yes I know the 2 types. In fact in Java we have the "traditional" type in the main house and the "prepaid" type in the new extension (known as the Frog's Mansion")
I thought the prepaid was a bit more expensive, as when you charge say 100k, you are only credited around 85. I guess the difference is what we would call the abonnement cost ?
In the resort in Bali we have the prepaid type as well. Being a bit maniac with numbers, I follow the meters closely, but anyway electricity is very cheap here compared to the West. Yes, I am aware it is subsidized heavily same as petrol for cars.
Thanks , et felicitations pour votre français !
 
100k, you are only credited around 85. I guess the difference is what we would call the abonnement cost ?!
Not at all and what you are doing is a common mistake done by most, which give bad reputation to the prabayar solution. When you buy Rp 100.000 of pulsa and input the 20 digit given in your meter, what you read on your meter is the number of KWh added, not rupiah.

It is different from the telephone pulsa where the unit used are indeed the rupiah.

You have a comprehensive table for electricity cost here (valid for the period January to March 2018): http://www.pln.co.id/statics/uploads/2018/01/TA-Jan-sd-Mar-2018.png
 
Not at all and what you are doing is a common mistake done by most, which give bad reputation to the prabayar solution. When you buy Rp 100.000 of pulsa and input the 20 digit given in your meter, what you read on your meter is the number of KWh added, not rupiah.

It is different from the telephone pulsa where the unit used are indeed the rupiah.

You have a comprehensive table for electricity cost here (valid for the period January to March 2018): http://www.pln.co.id/statics/uploads/2018/01/TA-Jan-sd-Mar-2018.png

Also when you buy Rp 100,000, only about Rp 80,000 goes to electricity (depends on area). The rest goes to sales tax (PPN) and local tax (PPJR - varies by region, 10% in my area, but usually around 5%).
 
Wait, wait, now I am even more confused...

Are you saying that the number displayed normally are Kw/h remaining, and that when I input the xxxx digit recharge, the 85,000 displayed as "added" are also kw/h ?

Which mathematically doesn't work : 100,000 IDR : 1467 = 68 !

Looks more like 100,000 minus 15%. But than again the display is one digit short in that case.

Sorry for being slow to understand...
 
The meter displays Kw/h, not IDR.

I found an old receipt from when I bought 1.000.000

RP Bayar: 1.002.500
Meterai: 3000
PPN: 000
PPJ: 90.637
Angsuran: 000
RP Stroom/Token: 906.363
JML KWH: 617,8

So when I spent 1.000.000 roughly 10% was deducted in taxes, then 906.363 was used to buy Kw/h, and the number on my meter (Kw/h) went up 617,80
 
I've tried explaining this system to my neighbors and they have a really difficult time understanding. They ask me "how much did you pay? and how much went on the meter?" And then they huff and say, "yeah me too!".

I try explaining the units, but they all think they are getting ripped off and PLN and/or taxes are taking about 38% (they pay 100,000, but about 62 gets added to the meter, while they're expecting 100).
 
I've tried explaining this system to my neighbors and they have a really difficult time understanding. They ask me "how much did you pay? and how much went on the meter?" And then they huff and say, "yeah me too!".

I try explaining the units, but they all think they are getting ripped off and PLN and/or taxes are taking about 38% (they pay 100,000, but about 62 gets added to the meter, while they're expecting 100).

It's not just your neighbors...a former Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs got confused by this and made some very mistaken remarks about this. Kinda speaks to the fact how confusing the system is (or to the quality of ministers....)

https://finance.detik.com/energi/d-3012978/dari-mana-hitungan-rizal-ramli-soal-mafia-pulsa-listrik
 
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The confusion seems to reinforce the notion that PLN is not to be trusted, justifying, in the minds of numerous patrons, the jerryrigging of a meter bypass. Unfortunately, this self-help solution occassionally results in the house (and half the neighborhood) burning to the ground.
 
Why would it be "better". The cost per KW/hour is the same (Rp 1.467,28 per KWh that is) and pra atau pasca doesn't affect the consumption of your electrical appliances. I have both and definitely prefer the prabayar solution (well, after having struggled to understand how to isi the damn pulsa :))

i've passed the struggle buy voucher prabayar, but now it's easier with Traveloka (free admin), OVO (with admin 2,000 and cashback 10% ovo points). The voucher number received right away. i've tried once buy from Go-Bills, it's so long, receive almost a month after i emailed them many times.
 

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