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If you saved the money, I don't see why it matters if you pay it every other month or in one lump sum. You actually come out ahead with the lump sum since your still collecting interest on the money as it sits in your account.
But if you want to pay every two months, then pay every two months. Your just going to have to put up n your big girl pants and start inquiring about the bill. When your one roommate emails you what you owe, just hit reply all and say a simple "Thanks! BTW Karen, have you gotten the electric bill yet? Let me know how much I owe you for the current bill. "
And then you said she was only paying 100 quid every two months. That would be 200 each, no where near a grand, even added together.
Nope, both bills equal to a yearly amount of 495 and 549.
Bills varied between 100 and 120 each, for two months. The lowest being 92.
Nope, both bills equal to a yearly amount of 495 and 549.
There's two bills. Bills varied between 100 and 120 each, for two months. The lowest being 92.
This is the breakdown we got in her email.
You want the screenshots also?
Why are you so defensive? We've all given you advice on what you said that you're looking for...how to make sure this doesn't happen again. If you don't think the advice would work for your situation, you have to express why and then people can think about it from a different angle.
Being defensive makes you come across in a way that you may not be intending.
Look OP. You're old enough to know that electricity and heat aren't free. You also know that you didn't pay anything for either over the last 10-ish months. THE BILL SHOULD NOT COME AS A SURPRISE TO YOU, even if the roommate was wrong in how she handled it.
Clearly you came here expecting everyone to share your outrage, and you were incorrect in that assumption. Pay the money you owe and move on.
When you have a bill in your name and you expect it to arrive in the mail but it doesn't, then yes you do have to chase them down in that very unlikely scenario that the bill was lost in the mail.
However, in this case, this other person has the utility bill in her name. She is essentially the "electric company". There is a big difference between mailing a bill that gets lost in transmission (i.e. no ill intent) vs not bothering to give you a bill at all for you to pay your fair share (out of laziness or whatever it is). That doesn't mean that you don't owe anything, but I strongly disagree that you are obligated to pay an entire year's worth of electricity all at once or even over two months.
Tell her that because the bill is in her name and she did not tell anyone how much it was, and now suddenly wants the whole thing, too bad! The bills come every two months, not annually. So, for the next year, every two months give her 1/6th of the total owed for this year. At the end of next year, she will be paid off. Don't let people run over you like that.
It does seem like she may have done it in hopes of having a lump sum of money in time for XMas, but did she actually say that? She just may be the type that likes to deal with it this way, having everyone pay their parts at the end of the year. Which is a bit too trusting and optimistic for me.
Just ask her why she chose this route instead of having you guys pay bimonthly. And tell her that you would prefer to pay however way you like instead. It might mean you'll have to be more proactive ("chasing the bill") from this point on. Make sure you have proof that you paid as you went so you won't have to deal with this again next year.
I'm simply asking about how to prevent this scenario from happening again by communicating effectively.
Your problem now is what your problem seemingly has always been: You communicate all too effectively, then you bristle when people repeat it back to you.
We get it. You've got a grudge against the roommate. You've decided -- with no corroborating evidence -- that she was accumulating a Christmas fund. Or that she was "too lazy" -- your words -- to ask to be reimbursed every two months.
A reasonable person would have gone to the roommate when they noticed they weren't being asked for money and said, "Hey, Susie! I'm glad you're handling this but I like to pay my bills promptly, preferably every two months. What do I owe now?"
Various people have tried to explain this to you.
Quote:
Your comment is irrelevant. But good on you wishing ill on someone.
No one is wishing you ill, simply predicting future events based on your previous passive-aggressive behavior.
It is all our faults, no doubt. However, it is also not my duty to chase after bills. We're all adults here. No one needs to remind anyone of the bills.
Exactly. You knew they were due and you should have taken the initiative to do something about it. No one needed to remind you.
Do you wait until someone tells you to empty the trash, or do you see that it's full and empty it without being told - or when it's your turn, do you just do your chores or do you wait until someone tells you it's your turn? An adult knows their responsibilities and takes care of them without having to be reminded.
Exactly. You knew they were due and you should have taken the initiative to do something about it. No one needed to remind you.
Do you wait until someone tells you to empty the trash, or do you see that it's full and empty it without being told - or when it's your turn, do you just do your chores or do you wait until someone tells you it's your turn? An adult knows their responsibilities and takes care of them without having to be reminded.
Excellent analogy. Since someone else has the bill in her name and keeps it a secret, this trash can you speak of is always empty. There is no trash to take out... until the end of the year and now all of a sudden, a 1/2 full dumpster appears and you're told to empty it. And do it RIGHT NOW, lest you be labeled an irresponsible slacker!
I'll provide an example of being billed far too late:
A few years ago I used to drive on the toll roads in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex occasionally. I didn't mind paying a couple of dollars to avoid the awful traffic in the free lanes. I got one bill in the mail from NTTA and paid it promptly. But then I didn't get any bills at all for a year. Then I get a letter in the mail from NTTA demanding about $250 in tolls and late fees. These jerks had the nerve to charge me a late fee when it was *their* fault that the bill was sent out so many months late. I would have paid the tolls in installments (with no late fees because I'm not the one who was late), but their attitude was "my way or the highway". I sent them a letter that essentially said "shove it". I never sent them a dime, and they wrote back with "you can't drive on our toll roads any more". No big deal since I wasn't going to anyway after being treated that way.
Point is that NTTA trying to rob me with late fees is somewhat similar to your roommate wanting an entire year's worth of electricity to be paid all at once. Nope, not acceptable! It was your fault for not billing at all for a year. If you don't tell the customer how much is owed, then you should be grateful for anything because you deserve nothing.
What did you do at the first of the month when rent was due? If she didn't ask for the rent, you just didn't pay it? Most of us know what day of the month the utility bill arrives in the mail and the due date. Sounds like you went ahead and just spent the money, instead of saving it and having it ready for her when she requested the lump sum payment.
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