Room mate thinks I should pay for digital cable

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: Whisper
In my opinion, if you're sharing an apartment/house/whatever with roommates, you're responsible for your portion of the utilities and other bills regardless of what amount you actually use.

Same goes for people who rent an apartment with a roommate, and then spend 6 days a week with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Are they using utilities at their apartment? Probably not, or at least not very much. But they should still be responsible for their share (1/2, 1/3, or whatever).

I think the problem here is that it isn't a utility like electric where you have a service that is billed the same way every month. It is a cable service where one person can change the amount of the bill by adding channels without ever telling the other people since it is in his name.

If you still divide it equally then you are paying for stuff that you may not want and not having a choice to refuse.

 

[Anonemous]

Uh if he can't pay the cable bill, can the roommate even pay for rent?

 

[Pegun]

Originally posted by: budafied
You can;t just back out of paying part of the utilities because you don't use them. You split bills equally. The only way this changes is if it has been agreed upon. For instance, if everybody agreed to a 6MB bandwidth, then you wanted to up it to 16MB, then you would have to pay the difference if nobody else wanted it.

You may be able to talk to your roommates together and discuss lowering the TV bill, but you can't just back out of it without an agreement. this is life. If you didnt want the whole bill or you knew you wouldnt watch it, you shouda made arrangements beforehand...

:thumbsup:

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: JoPh

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: JoPh
its $22 stop being a little bitch.

Unlike most of ATOT I don't own 3 yachts and don't make 150K+/year...Like I said that's one or two extra nights out with my gf. I have a life, I don't use the cable, EVER. He's just mad because he can't afford it if it's even split 2 ways between him and my other room mate. He wants me to subsidize him watching horse shit like Life and Times of Tim.

you dont need all of that to come up with $22. jesus. find the loose change in your car.

how old are you anyway?

if $20 = 2 nights out with his girlfriend, I'm guessing about 16-17.

Seriously. I'd kill for $20 covering two nights out with the gf.

 

[Miramonti]

Whatever was the agreement/expectation when you moved in together is what you are obligated to imo. Not the extra charges added on since tho. To make them downgrade or pay more because you choose to bail midstream isn't fair, if that's the case.

 

[Fritzo]

You sound like a cheap bastard.

 

[summit]

does this include internet?

 

[dbk]

He had the cable (at least basic extended) before you moved in.
You didn't bring it up as an issue when you moved in.
You should pay at least part of that cost.

I don't think you should pay for all the extra premium services if he added them in after you moved in without your knowledge.
However, if you have a cable box in your room and you have access to those channels then you SHOULD pay.

If you don't want to pay at all - buy an OTA antenna for your TV. You can probably get HD OTA.

 

[thegimp03]

I think $18 isn't really that big of a deal, but who knows. Did he agree that you should only pay for part of the basic package when you told him that you don't use the digital stuff a few months ago? Or did he not respond or you figure that the issue was done with. When it comes down to it, if you have written proof that this is what he agreed to, then you have the upper-hand. If not, you should probably just plan on paying the $18 a month to cover the last few months expenses, then agree with him on a going-forward basis that you're only paying for the basic package and if he doesn't want to pay for the digital stuff all on his own then he should just cancel it. I wouldn't agree to paying for something I don't use either. With cable though, it's hard to prove that you don't use it.

 

[bignateyk]

Originally posted by: MartyMcFly3

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: JoPh

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: JoPh
its $22 stop being a little bitch.

Unlike most of ATOT I don't own 3 yachts and don't make 150K+/year...Like I said that's one or two extra nights out with my gf. I have a life, I don't use the cable, EVER. He's just mad because he can't afford it if it's even split 2 ways between him and my other room mate. He wants me to subsidize him watching horse shit like Life and Times of Tim.

you dont need all of that to come up with $22. jesus. find the loose change in your car.

how old are you anyway?

if $20 = 2 nights out with his girlfriend, I'm guessing about 16-17.

Seriously. I'd kill for $20 covering two nights out with the gf.

$20 covers 1 breakfast at the local diner with my GF.


On topic: No, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Personally, I probably would because it's only $20 and i'd rather pay $20 a month to avoid having roomate issues.

So, technically, no, I guess you have a reason not to pay for it, but IMO you should stop being a cheap bastard and just pay it.

Generally, roomate issues start with little things like this and just spiral out of control, because now he will be pissed, and start trying to find reasons to pick fights with you (like not taking the trash out exactly your share of times, etc...)

I've lived with roomates for going on 10 years now (about to buy a house for myself). I have had as few as one roomate, and as many as 5. Not once has there been an issue with any of them.

 

[daweeze02]

Come live with me and you get free fios tv and cable lol

 

[CountZero]

Originally posted by: bignateyk

Originally posted by: MartyMcFly3

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: JoPh

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: JoPh
its $22 stop being a little bitch.

Unlike most of ATOT I don't own 3 yachts and don't make 150K+/year...Like I said that's one or two extra nights out with my gf. I have a life, I don't use the cable, EVER. He's just mad because he can't afford it if it's even split 2 ways between him and my other room mate. He wants me to subsidize him watching horse shit like Life and Times of Tim.

you dont need all of that to come up with $22. jesus. find the loose change in your car.

how old are you anyway?

if $20 = 2 nights out with his girlfriend, I'm guessing about 16-17.

Seriously. I'd kill for $20 covering two nights out with the gf.

$20 covers 1 breakfast at the local diner with my GF.


On topic: No, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Personally, I probably would because it's only $20 and i'd rather pay $20 a month to avoid having roomate issues.

So, technically, no, I guess you have a reason not to pay for it, but IMO you should stop being a cheap bastard and just pay it.

Generally, roomate issues start with little things like this and just spiral out of control, because now he will be pissed, and start trying to find reasons to pick fights with you (like not taking the trash out exactly your share of times, etc...)

I've lived with roomates for going on 10 years now (about to buy a house for myself). I have had as few as one roomate, and as many as 5. Not once has there been an issue with any of them.

This. You could maybe technically not pay but it'll make things overall just that much worse, of course at this point it may not matter. You are now the nutter roommate who tried to back out of paying your share of cable because you don't use it.

If you save more than $20/month by having roommates then you are just hosing yourself.

The premium channel thing is a separate issue.

 

[SketchMaster]

If you two didn?t sign any agreement three months ago on who is paying what part of the bill then you are SOL, First rule of roommates is have EVERYTHING ON PAPER or it never happened. If he is randomly adding options on without talking to you or the other roommate(s) then you need to talk with the other guy(s) there, and if everyone agrees with you that there needs to be some sort of understanding then have sit down with everyone and talk it over and then make sure when an agreement is reached you should all sign a paper stating how the bill will be paid.

Otherwise leave it be and look for a new place for when your lease is up or, like others have said, it will just explode in your face and the extra $20 will not be worth the headaches that will fallow.

Be glad this is all you are having to deal with, my last roommate that my landlord and I had to deal with had a girlfriend that practically lived with him and he had no job so the two just sat at home all day drinking beer, leaving lights/tvs on all day, screwing in the shower until the hot water was gone and other things involving guns and the police before he was kicked out.

 

[lxskllr]

I voted that you don't have to pay, but to keep the peace, it would be better if you did. $22 is a bargain if it keeps you in good terms with your roomies.

 

[DaWhim]

agree to pay for it on a condition that you will have it canceled immediately.

if your roommate wants it, he can get it all by himself.

we have HD local channel free. all you need is a lcdtv with QAM tuner.

 

[Brainonska511]

If it started off as a digital cable package when you moved in and you were aware and subsequently agreed to it, then you pay what you originally agreed to pay. For all we know, the digital package is the basic package that was in place when you moved in.

I wouldn't pay for any part of the extra channels, like Showtime or HBO - you should tell your roommate to piss off on that front. By using the basic channels, you're still using the digital package, since it is probably through a box. You can't choose to pay the bill a la carte because you only watch 4 channels. If he decided to upgrade to an expanded package without your knowledge, only pay for the package that was there when you first moved in. Again, do not pay for extra channels beyond the package, like HBO.

If you don't want cable, then convince your other roommate to go along with you and only have a tv with the cable hooked up in the person's room who wants cable tv and have no cable tv hooked up in common areas.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: lxskllr
I voted that you don't have to pay, but to keep the peace, it would be better if you did. $22 is a bargain if it keeps you in good terms with your roomies.

The fact that he's already started to argue about it will leave bad mojo between them, even if he does pay the $22 in the end to keep the peace. It's probably too late at this point.

Best bet is to come to a compromise of some sort, where the OP pays for his part of the standard digital package that was in place, and the person holding the cable account pays for all the extras he added on. If the cable account holder doesn't have enough money, tell him to stop spending money he doesn't have and demand that the cable be disconnected altogether.

 

[habib89]

i say you shouldn't HAVE to pay for it, but i think for the sanctity of the relationship, you should just pay it. it's not a huge amount of money, and really it's just easier. i mean maybe you take extra showers, or leave your computer on longer, or create more trash, should you pay more of the water/electricity/garbage bill? it's well worth the peace among roommates.

now if you didn't care about these people and want to move anyway, then make a fuss about it. maybe instead of going out with the girlfriend, have her come over, watch a movie on hbo or something.

 

[Firebot]

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: nobody554

Originally posted by: MrMatt
So a few days ago he realizes that he hasn't payed the bill in like 3 months and comes to ask for the money. He asks for the full amount; 3 months worth of the digital package.

What's he paying?

per month? We each (3 of us) pay like 22 bucks for the digital per month. Basic split 3 ways is 3.43. 18 bucks is like an extra dinner with my gf, or dinner & a movie or something each month.

I really doubt you can get basic cable for just 10 a month standalone. If you want to be anal about it, at least count if as if you were paying basic alone but with all the network fees and such. I also assume you need to pay for the cable box?

As for not paying the monthly bill for 3 months, where you giving him 3.43$ each month which you claim is your share or not and he accepted it as your share of the bill? How would you not be able to keep track of this? If you weren't even keeping track yourself and not paying attention, you owe that money since there was never any agreement other then a word you said at one point. You let him not collect any money for 3 months???

It really just sounds like you are bailing and being cheap in a situation that could have easily been avoided if you kept tabs. I kept tabs with my past roommate, and was always on top of my finances so a situation like this would never arise.

 

[Zolty]

if the difference is under 10 bucks a month to you then just call it civility tax and keep him happy. Move out at your earliest convenience.

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
You absolutely should not have to pay for the cable and it's ridiculous for him to expect you to. Cable is not a utility, it is a luxury item. If you don't use it, why should you be expected to pay for it? When I was living with roommates, I convinced them we needed to get a better DSL package so that I could play online games; they were fine with 256k since all they did was e-mail and internet browsing. I paid the difference. They still took advantage of the increased speeds, but it was my idea to get the package that they had no interest in. If I didn't pay for the increased speeds, we would have been using the less expensive package, as they didn't care.

If I lived in an apartment now and I wanted expensive digital cable, I'd be accomodating of a roommate who said, "Look, I don't use this. I never watch the cable. I don't want to pay $20+ a month for a service I never use just so you can have more TV. I'm not financing your habit." I would gladly pay for it myself. It's unreasonable to expect that a roommate who has absolutely no intention in using a luxury item should be required to pay for it. If your roommates all smoked pot, would it be reasonable for them to charge you for your cut even though you didn't smoke? "It's in the air, you're taking advantage! Pony up the dough!" No, that would be stupid. How is it any different with TV?

Oh, and for all the people who used the "utility" argument, utilities are water, gas, electricity and sewage. Telephone services are sometimes included, but cable is not. Calling it a utility is simply incorrect, which is important because it's a substantial argument. Utilities are always split between roommates unless your roommates are crazy anal about figuring out exactly who uses what. Cable is a luxury item.

EXACTLY. Some people are missing the point. It's not like absorbing heat from the air, or using electricity for a fridge. It's a luxury item. One I dont' use. I only watch 2 or 3 shows, and they're on basic cable. Why should I pay him to watch tv? Would he pay for my gym membership or bus pass?

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: MartyMcFly3

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: JoPh

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: JoPh
its $22 stop being a little bitch.

Unlike most of ATOT I don't own 3 yachts and don't make 150K+/year...Like I said that's one or two extra nights out with my gf. I have a life, I don't use the cable, EVER. He's just mad because he can't afford it if it's even split 2 ways between him and my other room mate. He wants me to subsidize him watching horse shit like Life and Times of Tim.

you dont need all of that to come up with $22. jesus. find the loose change in your car.

how old are you anyway?

if $20 = 2 nights out with his girlfriend, I'm guessing about 16-17.

Seriously. I'd kill for $20 covering two nights out with the gf.

When you have 80,000 in school debt and a job that pays under 30,000/year you get creative.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
You absolutely should not have to pay for the cable and it's ridiculous for him to expect you to. Cable is not a utility, it is a luxury item. If you don't use it, why should you be expected to pay for it? When I was living with roommates, I convinced them we needed to get a better DSL package so that I could play online games; they were fine with 256k since all they did was e-mail and internet browsing. I paid the difference. They still took advantage of the increased speeds, but it was my idea to get the package that they had no interest in. If I didn't pay for the increased speeds, we would have been using the less expensive package, as they didn't care.

If I lived in an apartment now and I wanted expensive digital cable, I'd be accomodating of a roommate who said, "Look, I don't use this. I never watch the cable. I don't want to pay $20+ a month for a service I never use just so you can have more TV. I'm not financing your habit." I would gladly pay for it myself. It's unreasonable to expect that a roommate who has absolutely no intention in using a luxury item should be required to pay for it. If your roommates all smoked pot, would it be reasonable for them to charge you for your cut even though you didn't smoke? "It's in the air, you're taking advantage! Pony up the dough!" No, that would be stupid. How is it any different with TV?

Oh, and for all the people who used the "utility" argument, utilities are water, gas, electricity and sewage. Telephone services are sometimes included, but cable is not. Calling it a utility is simply incorrect, which is important because it's a substantial argument. Utilities are always split between roommates unless your roommates are crazy anal about figuring out exactly who uses what. Cable is a luxury item.

EXACTLY. Some people are missing the point. It's not like absorbing heat from the air, or using electricity for a fridge. It's a luxury item. One I dont' use. I only watch 2 or 3 shows, and they're on basic cable. Why should I pay him to watch tv? Would he pay for my gym membership or bus pass?

Did you reach an agreement prior to moving in or immediately after moving in? What exactly was the agreement and what kind of cable package was in place when you moved in?

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: Firebot

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: nobody554

Originally posted by: MrMatt
So a few days ago he realizes that he hasn't payed the bill in like 3 months and comes to ask for the money. He asks for the full amount; 3 months worth of the digital package.

What's he paying?

per month? We each (3 of us) pay like 22 bucks for the digital per month. Basic split 3 ways is 3.43. 18 bucks is like an extra dinner with my gf, or dinner & a movie or something each month.

I really doubt you can get basic cable for just 10 a month standalone. If you want to be anal about it, at least count if as if you were paying basic alone but with all the network fees and such. I also assume you need to pay for the cable box?

As for not paying the monthly bill for 3 months, where you giving him 3.43$ each month which you claim is your share or not and he accepted it as your share of the bill? How would you not be able to keep track of this? If you weren't even keeping track yourself and not paying attention, you owe that money since there was never any agreement other then a word you said at one point. You let him not collect any money for 3 months???

It really just sounds like you are bailing and being cheap in a situation that could have easily been avoided if you kept tabs. I kept tabs with my past roommate, and was always on top of my finances so a situation like this would never arise.

I keep tabs. I write checks for the amount each month. I also (usually) have him write me actual checks for the specific utility I pay. I don't let anyone take their utility cost out of the check they write me. That way everything is clear as day. This past time the problem was that he didn't have the 30 bucks for his share of the electric. Again, I'd like to point out that if we only had basic cable (yes, it really is 10 bucks) I could still watch the same 3 shows I watch now (24, the unit, 30 rock). I literally do not turn on the TV or even sit and watch it at any point during the week. I work til 7PM most days, go to the gym after, or hang out with my gf.

I have no idea what cable package we had when I moved in, I'm assuming it was the digital starter package, I could go back and check my budget spreadsheet. It's hard to track because he always fucks with the package we have, and only recently made him actually show me the bill before he asks for the check.

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: MrMatt

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
You absolutely should not have to pay for the cable and it's ridiculous for him to expect you to. Cable is not a utility, it is a luxury item. If you don't use it, why should you be expected to pay for it? When I was living with roommates, I convinced them we needed to get a better DSL package so that I could play online games; they were fine with 256k since all they did was e-mail and internet browsing. I paid the difference. They still took advantage of the increased speeds, but it was my idea to get the package that they had no interest in. If I didn't pay for the increased speeds, we would have been using the less expensive package, as they didn't care.

If I lived in an apartment now and I wanted expensive digital cable, I'd be accomodating of a roommate who said, "Look, I don't use this. I never watch the cable. I don't want to pay $20+ a month for a service I never use just so you can have more TV. I'm not financing your habit." I would gladly pay for it myself. It's unreasonable to expect that a roommate who has absolutely no intention in using a luxury item should be required to pay for it. If your roommates all smoked pot, would it be reasonable for them to charge you for your cut even though you didn't smoke? "It's in the air, you're taking advantage! Pony up the dough!" No, that would be stupid. How is it any different with TV?

Oh, and for all the people who used the "utility" argument, utilities are water, gas, electricity and sewage. Telephone services are sometimes included, but cable is not. Calling it a utility is simply incorrect, which is important because it's a substantial argument. Utilities are always split between roommates unless your roommates are crazy anal about figuring out exactly who uses what. Cable is a luxury item.

EXACTLY. Some people are missing the point. It's not like absorbing heat from the air, or using electricity for a fridge. It's a luxury item. One I dont' use. I only watch 2 or 3 shows, and they're on basic cable. Why should I pay him to watch tv? Would he pay for my gym membership or bus pass?

Did you reach an agreement prior to moving in or immediately after moving in? What exactly was the agreement and what kind of cable package was in place when you moved in?

Absolutely no agreement or discussion in any way shape or form. He added Starz, HBO, and Showtime without asking and then asked me and other roomie to pay for it. We told him absolutely not. He almost cried. I'm not joking