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Racket Man made a comment about changing utility bill accounts to avoid paying utility bills in another thread, and it reminded me of this story. It's rather long, and I didn't want to threadjack, so I started a new thread here.
I actually started a new account at one place where I lived, just to get the phone turned back on. I wasn't being sucky about it (or wasn't trying to). When I first moved out of my parents house, I shared a house with three friends, two of whom were engaged, A and C.
After several months of going over the bills and the rent as a group, and realizing we were all paying the same average a month, C. suggested that S. and myself pay a flat rate of $119/mo and she and A would take care of the utilities no matter what the bill was. I knew from the bills it would average out, so I agreed. It made budgeting a lot easier.
One day, C just picked up and left. She broke it off with A, and moved home. We were all stunned, no one saw it coming. That left it to A to take care of all the bills.
We had a couple of months where the phone got turned off because A "forgot" to pay the bill, and when Harry, our super nice land lord, would call asking about the rent because A "forgot" to pay it.
But then the phone got turned off and didn't get turned back on. That was a problem, a big problem, for me. At the time I was working for a nursing staffing agency. Usually I set up my shifts a week in advance, but not always or something would come up and my boss, Pam, would call and offer me something. No phone, no Pam. That hit me in the pocket book.
At the time I was in grad school and also living off a stipend, so I didn't worry too much about it at first. Pam would complain she could never reach me, and kept asking me to get a pocket pager (this was pre cell phones, guys). I was resistant. I hate electronic leashes (I didn't get a cell phone until I moved to North Dakota years later). But after a couple of months of this, I knew I had to do something.
Around that time, Harry dropped by to tell us that if he didn't get the THREE MONTHS back rent he was going to have to evict us from the house.
S. and I were stunned. I told Harry S and I had paid our rent to A, we had no idea he wasn't paying Harry. Harry was nice about it, but said there was nothing he could do.
I got a bright idea. I asked if he would consider making out a new lease to ME, and that I'd give him a security deposit and that month's rent.
Harry said he'd make the new lease, but didn't ask for a security deposit, "I know you paid into it when you guys took out the original lease."
I then called all the utility companies to set up new service in my own name. I couldn't simply change the account over to my name (they wouldn't let me), but that worked out because I didn't have to pay A.'s bills that way. He was behind on all the utilities. I did have to pay hefty security deposits, which hurt.
When A. got home and I told him what happened, he was furious. "I'm paying the damn bills!" he claimed.
Bullshit, I told him. He could stay, but he had to pay me $119/mo plus a security deposit, and he needed to fix things with Harry if he didn't want to get sued. A. grumbled, but managed to cough up the cash (I don't know if he ever paid off the utility bills, but I do know he paid off Harry).
The best part was years later, when I moved out to move into a new place with my boyfriend, Harry gave me the original security deposit back
I actually started a new account at one place where I lived, just to get the phone turned back on. I wasn't being sucky about it (or wasn't trying to). When I first moved out of my parents house, I shared a house with three friends, two of whom were engaged, A and C.
After several months of going over the bills and the rent as a group, and realizing we were all paying the same average a month, C. suggested that S. and myself pay a flat rate of $119/mo and she and A would take care of the utilities no matter what the bill was. I knew from the bills it would average out, so I agreed. It made budgeting a lot easier.
One day, C just picked up and left. She broke it off with A, and moved home. We were all stunned, no one saw it coming. That left it to A to take care of all the bills.
We had a couple of months where the phone got turned off because A "forgot" to pay the bill, and when Harry, our super nice land lord, would call asking about the rent because A "forgot" to pay it.
But then the phone got turned off and didn't get turned back on. That was a problem, a big problem, for me. At the time I was working for a nursing staffing agency. Usually I set up my shifts a week in advance, but not always or something would come up and my boss, Pam, would call and offer me something. No phone, no Pam. That hit me in the pocket book.
At the time I was in grad school and also living off a stipend, so I didn't worry too much about it at first. Pam would complain she could never reach me, and kept asking me to get a pocket pager (this was pre cell phones, guys). I was resistant. I hate electronic leashes (I didn't get a cell phone until I moved to North Dakota years later). But after a couple of months of this, I knew I had to do something.
Around that time, Harry dropped by to tell us that if he didn't get the THREE MONTHS back rent he was going to have to evict us from the house.
S. and I were stunned. I told Harry S and I had paid our rent to A, we had no idea he wasn't paying Harry. Harry was nice about it, but said there was nothing he could do.
I got a bright idea. I asked if he would consider making out a new lease to ME, and that I'd give him a security deposit and that month's rent.
Harry said he'd make the new lease, but didn't ask for a security deposit, "I know you paid into it when you guys took out the original lease."
I then called all the utility companies to set up new service in my own name. I couldn't simply change the account over to my name (they wouldn't let me), but that worked out because I didn't have to pay A.'s bills that way. He was behind on all the utilities. I did have to pay hefty security deposits, which hurt.
When A. got home and I told him what happened, he was furious. "I'm paying the damn bills!" he claimed.
Bullshit, I told him. He could stay, but he had to pay me $119/mo plus a security deposit, and he needed to fix things with Harry if he didn't want to get sued. A. grumbled, but managed to cough up the cash (I don't know if he ever paid off the utility bills, but I do know he paid off Harry).
The best part was years later, when I moved out to move into a new place with my boyfriend, Harry gave me the original security deposit back
) who ensured, shall we say, that no further action was taken on the matter 
Panacea that guy sounds like a total doucherag. You are much, much better without him in your life 
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